US 4,563,955 AGranted

Chairlift or gondola lift including friction drive wheels

AssigneePomagalski S.A.

InventorSerge Tarassoff

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

Chairlift or gondola lift with a carriage supporting a gondola or a chair and having a detachable grip for coupling on a continuously moving cable. In the terminals the carriage is uncoupled from the cable and it runs on a transfer rail. This transfer rail is equipped with friction drive wheels disposed along the carriage travel path for engaging the friction face of a running plate rigidly secured to the carriage so as to brake, accelerate or drive the carriage on the rail. During the night or bad weather periods a cover plate covers the friction face of the carriages disposed on the line and this cover plate is raised away in the terminals to clear the friction face. For removing the snow or ice which covers the friction face and hinders the correct friction drive of the carriage a brushing or rubbing device may be disposed along the carriage travel path so as to brush the friction face.

Claims11

Dependent claims

Overhead cable transport installation, in particular a gondola lift or a chairlift comprising:

a continuously moving endless overhead cable extending between two terminals,
a transfer rail in each terminal for connecting the downhill line and the uphill line constituted by said endless cable,
carriages, each supporting a gondola or a chair and having a detachable grip for coupling on said cable, support wheels for running on said rail in the terminal, and a plate extending in the carriage travel direction and including an upper friction face,
a grip actuation device for uncoupling the grip from the cable at the entrance of the terminal, the carriage running on the transfer rail,
at least one driven friction wheel disposed along the travel path of the grip carriage in the terminal for engaging said friction face for braking, accelerating or driving the carriage uncoupled from the cable and running on the transfer rail,
clearing means disposed along the carriage travel path to clear said upper friction face from frozen precipitant before the passage of the carriage along said friction wheel so as to provide a correct friction drive of the carriage by said friction wheel.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.