Switching device for an overhead cable transport

A switching device for a station track system of an overhead cable transport installation containing vehicles having carriage wheels, comprising:

• a primary track at which travel the vehicles;
• a branch track at which travel the vehicles;
• said primary track being provided with at least one travel rail for the carriage wheels of the vehicles;
• said brnach track being provided with at least one travel rail for the carriage wheels of the vehicles;
• said travel rails of both said primary track and said branch track comprise three stationary track sections terminating in spaced relationship from one another;
• each said primary track and branch track being provided with a respective movable track section;
• each said movable track section being movable between a travel position and a rest position;
• two of said stationary track sections being operatively interconnected with one another in the travel position of both movable track sections;
• means for conjointly moving both of said movable track sections;
• each vehicle comprising a vehicle carriage having a carriage cantilever means;
• a respective guide rail for the carriage cantilever means provided for each said primary track and said branch track;
• said travel rails defining a plane;
• said guide rails extending in a plane which is upwardly elevated with respect to the plane of the travel rails;
• one of said guide rails intersecting the travel rail of the primary track;
• said one guide rail which intersects the travel rail of the primary track possessing a guide rail portion movable between two predeterminate positions;
• and
• the other one of said guide rails constituting a continuous rail.

A switching device for a station track system of an overhead cable transport installation containing vehicles having carriage wheels, comprising:

• a primary track at which travel the vehicles;
• a branch track at which travel the vehicles;
• said primary track being provided with at least one travel rail for the carriage wheels of the vehicles;
• said branch track being provided with at least one travel rail for the carriage wheels of the vehicles;
• said travel rails of both said primary track and said branch track comprising three stationary track sections terminating in spaced relationship from one another;
• each said primary track and branch track being provided with a respective movable track section;
• each said movable track section being movable between an operative travel position in which the movable section completes its respective travel rail by extending between a respective two of said stationary track sections and an inoperative rest position in which the movable section is disconnected from all of said stationary track sections;
• a different two of said stationary track sections being operatively interconnected with one another in the respective travel positions of said movable track sections;
• means for conjointly moving both of said movable track sections;
• said travel rails defining a plane;
• and
• means for pivotably mounting each of said movable track sections for pivotal motion about separate respective pivot axes extending substantially perpendicular to said plane of the travel rails,
• said pivot axes being displaced from said travel rails and said movable sections being so connected to said moving means and said pivot axes being so disposed that when either one of said movable sections is in its said travel positions, the other is in its said inoperative rest position so as to be disconnected from all of said stationary track sections as aforesaid.

A switching device for a station track system of an overhead cable transport installation containing vehicles having carriage wheels, comprising:

• a primary track at which travel the vehicles;
• a branch track at which travel the vehicles;
• said primary track being provided with at least one travel rail for the carriage wheels of the vehicles;
• said branch track being provided with at least one travel rail for the carriage wheels of the vehicles;
• said travel rails of both said primary track and said branch track comprising three stationary track sections terminating in spaced relationship from one another;
• each said primary track and branch track being provided with a respective movable track section;
• each said movable track section being movable between an operative travel position in which the movable section completes it respective travel rail and an inoperative rest position in which the movable section disrupts its respective travel rail;
• two of said stationary track sections being operatively interconnected with one another in the travel position of both movable track sections;
• means for conjointly moving both of said movable track sections;
• said branch track having a predeterminate curvature;
• and
• means for locking in a vehicle travel position at least the movable track section of the branch track having the predeterminate curvature and concurrectly locking in said inoperative rest position at least the movable track section of the primary track.

A switching device for a track system of an overhead cable transport installation containing vehicles, comprising:

• a first track upon which travel the vehicles;
• a second track upon which travel the vehicles;
• said first track being provided with at lesat one travel rail for the vehicles;
• said second track being provided with at least one travel rail for the vehicles;
• said travel rails of both said first track and said second track comprising three stationary track sections terminating in spaced relationship from one another;
• each said first track and second track being provided with a respective movable track section;
• each said movable track section having its own separate pivot axis and being pivotable about its axis between an operative travel position in which the pivotable section itself effects continuity of its respective travel rail and an inoperative rest position in which the pivotable section disrupts the continuity of its respective travel rail;
• a first two predeterminate stationary track sections of said three stationary track sections having their continuity completed solely by one of said pivotable track sections when in its travel position;
• a second two predeterminate stationary track sections of said three stationary track sections having their continuity completed solely by the other one of said pivotable track sections when in its travel position;
• and
• switching means for concurrently pivoting both of said pivotable track sections about their respective pivot axes to disrupt one of said tracks and to complete the continuity of the other only by switching both of said pivotable sections when either is in its said travel position and the other is in its said rest position respectively to rest and travel positions.

A switching device for a staion track system of an overhead transport installation containing vehicles having carriage wheels and to one side thereof load suspension means including guide wheels, comprising:

• first and second diverging tracks for said vehicles and between which said vehicles are to be switched,
• each track having a respective set of spaced travel and guide rails for respectively accommodating said carriage and guide wheels,
• each of the travel rails and one only of the guide rails having movable sections which are movable into and out of alignment with their respective rails, and
• switching means for concurrently moving all three of said movable sections to disrupt either one of said tracks and to complete the other with both travel and guide rails by switching both of the travel rail movable sections when either is aligned with its respective travel rail to a position which is unaligned therewith and concurrently switching said movable guide rail section between positions of alignment and non-alignment with its guide rail,
• said spaced travel and guide rails having between them along their length an open space sufficient to accommodate said load suspension means when said vehicles travel on either of said travel rails and are guided by said guide rails.