Rope guide system for an aerial ropeway, particularly a circuital aerial ropeway

A rope guide system for an aerial ropeway, which system includes a haulage rope that travels over a haulage path region between at least two stations, comprising:

• two driving wheels (4.sub.1, 4.sub.2), disposed at one of the stations and laterally offset with respect to each other, which convey the haulage rope;
• two inner deflector wheels (6.sub.1, 6.sub.2) which direct the rope to cross over itself at a predetermined location to form inner and outer rope loops, and which cooperate to direct the inner rope loop toward and away from the two driving wheels;
• a first reversing wheel (5.sub.1), disposed at the other of the stations, about which the inner rope loop passes;
• further reversing means selected from one of:
• two additional reversing wheels (5.sub.2, 5.sub.3), disposed at the other station, about which the outer rope loop passes;
• and
• a second reversing wheel (5.sub.2) having a larger diameter than the first reversing wheel, disposed at the other station, about which the outer rope loop passes;
• and
• a driving apparatus which drives the two driving wheels so that the two rope loops are conveyed at the same or substantially the same haulage speed,
• wherein the driving apparatus comprises a master machine and a slave machine which respectively drive the two driving wheels independently of one another, and are synchronized to convey the inner and outer rope loops at the same rope haulage speed, and
• wherein the master and slave machines comprise reduction gear units, and the system further comprises a differential gear unit which mechanically couples the reduction gear units of the master and slave machines to each other.

A method for conveying a haulage rope of a rope guide system for an aerial ropeway having a haulage path region between at least two stations, comprising the steps of:

• directing the rope to cross over itself at a predetermined location to form inner and outer rope loops, and directing the inner rope loop toward and away from two driving wheels (4.sub.1, 4.sub.2) disposed at one of the stations;
• directing the inner rope loop about a first reversing wheel (5.sub.1) disposed at the other of the stations;
• performing a selected one of the following steps:
• directing the outer loop about two additional reversing wheels (5.sub.2, 5.sub.3) disposed at the other station;
• and
• directing the outer loop about a second reversing wheel (5.sub.2) having a larger diameter than the first reversing wheel disposed at the other station;
• and
• driving the two driving wheels to convey the two rope loops at the same or substantially the same haulage speed over the haulage path region,
• wherein, when selected, laterally offsetting the two additional reversing wheels with respect to one another and arranging them symmetrically about the first reversing wheel, and, when selected, disposing the second reversing wheel symmetrically with respect to the first reversing wheel.

A rope guide system for an aerial ropeway, which system includes a haulage rope that travels over a haulage path region between at least two stations, comprising:

• two driving wheels (4.sub.1, 4.sub.2), disposed at one of the stations and laterally offset with respect to each other, which convey the haulage rope;
• two inner deflector wheels (6.sub.1, 6.sub.2) which direct the rope to cross over itself at a predetermined location to form inner and outer rope loops, and which cooperate to direct the inner rope loop toward and away from the two driving wheels;
• a first reversing wheel (5.sub.1), disposed at the other of the stations, about which the inner rope loop passes;
• further reversing means selected from one of:
• two additional reversing wheels (5.sub.2, 5.sub.3), disposed at the other station, about which the outer rope loop passes;
• and
• a second reversing wheel (5.sub.2) having a larger diameter than the first reversing wheel, disposed at the other station, about which the outer rope loop passes;
• and
• a driving apparatus which drives the two driving wheels so that the two rope loops are conveyed at the same or substantially the same haulage speed,
• wherein the driving wheels each comprise toothed rims, and
• the driving apparatus is a hydraulic auxiliary drive apparatus comprising:
• hydraulic motors which drive pinions, each of which engage a said toothed rim of a respective one of the driving wheels;
• and
• a control device which controls the hydraulic motors to control driving the driving wheels to maintain synchronization of movement of the inner and outer loops.

A rope guide system for an aerial ropeway, which system includes a haulage rope that travels over a haulage path region between at least two stations, comprising:

• two driving wheels (4.sub.1, 4.sub.2), disposed at one of the stations and laterally offset with respect to each other, which convey the haulage rope;
• two inner deflector wheels (6.sub.1, 6.sub.2) which direct the rope to cross over itself at a predetermined location to form inner and outer rope loops, and which cooperate to direct the inner rope loop toward and away from the two driving wheels;
• a first reversing wheel (5.sub.1), disposed at the other of the stations, about which the inner rope loop passes;
• further reversing means selected from one of:
• two additional reversing wheels (5.sub.2, 5.sub.3), disposed at the other station, about which the outer rope loop passes;
• and
• a second reversing wheel (5.sub.2) having a larger diameter than the first reversing wheel, disposed at the other station, about which the outer rope loop passes;
• and
• a driving apparatus which drives the two driving wheels so that the two rope loops are conveyed at the same or substantially the same haulage speed,
• wherein the inner and outer loops travel parallel or substantially parallel to one another and at the same or substantially the same height, to form an ascending lane and a descending lane having equal or substantially equal widths to convey vehicles coupled to the rope within the ascending or descending lanes;
• and
• wherein the system further comprises:
• station rails, disposed in the stations, over which the vehicles, uncoupled from the rope, are conveyed through the stations;
• a track, disposed between the ascending and descending lanes at at least one of the stations, onto which the vehicles, uncoupled from the rope, can be parked;
• and
• a turntable, disposed at the station rail of at least one of the stations, which directs the vehicles onto the track from the station rail and vice versa.