PARKING SYSTEM FOR CABLEWAY VEHICLES

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) to Austria Application No. A50674/2024 filed Aug. 16, 2024, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a parking system for a plurality of cableway vehicles of a cableway, wherein the parking system has a parking area with a parking track for parking the plurality of cableway vehicles, wherein the parking track has an axial track end, wherein a feed track of the cableway is connected to the track end of the parking track, wherein the cableway vehicles in a state decoupled from a traction cable of the cableway can be moved from the feed track over the track end into the parking track, wherein a feed track conveyor is provided on the feed track for moving a cableway vehicle along the feed track. The present invention also relates to a method for operating a parking system.

2. Discussion of Background Information

In general, circulating cableways have a plurality of cableway stations, a number of cableway vehicles, and a traction cable for moving the cableway vehicles between the cableway stations. The traction cable runs between cableway stations (e.g., a lower station and an upper station), e.g., on cable sheaves in the cableway stations, with at least one cable sheave being driven.

Circulating cableways are also known in which the cableway vehicles are decoupled from the traction cable in a cableway station by means of a cable clamp in order to be moved through the cableway station in the decoupled state and independently of the circulating traction cable, usually at a speed lower than the speed of the circulating traction cable. Before exiting the cableway station, the cableway vehicles are optionally accelerated back up to the speed of the circulating traction cable, and coupled to the traction cable by means of a cable clamp. On the one hand, this allows a high conveying capacity to be achieved due to the high conveying speed of the traction cable; on the other hand, the speed of the cableway vehicles within the cableway station can be reduced, making it easier for passengers to board and exit the cableway vehicle or, in general, for the cableway vehicles to be loaded and unloaded.

Circulating cableways with supporting cables are also known. Such a circulating cableway consists of at least two firmly anchored supporting cables as a track, on which the rollers of a running gear of a cableway vehicle roll, and a circulating traction cable to which the running gears are clamped outside the cableway stations. At the cableway stations, the cableway vehicles are disconnected from the traction cable again. Circulating cableways with supporting cables allow the use of larger cableways, are particularly characterized by high wind stability and enable long cable fields (sections without cableway supports).

Normally, at least one guide rail is provided within the cableway station for this purpose, along which the cableway vehicles are guided through the cableway station when decoupled from the traction cable. Rollers are usually arranged on the cableway vehicles, e.g., on the hanger, with which rollers the cableway vehicles roll on the guide rail.

A station conveyor is provided for conveying the decoupled cableway vehicles in a cableway station. The station conveyor can be designed as a known tire conveyor, in which driven tires arranged along the guide rail in the cableway station interact with a friction lining on the cableway vehicles in order to transport the cableway vehicles. The friction lining can be arranged on the hanger of the cableway vehicle, for example. The cable clamp used for coupling and decoupling to/from the traction cable is also located on the hanger. However, the station conveyor can also be designed differently—for example, as a mechanical continuous conveyor with a traction means (e.g., a belt or chain) on which drivers are provided which interact with a portion of a cableway vehicle in order to move it at the speed of the traction means. The cableway vehicles on the traction means are thus moved at the same speed as the traction means.

Such circulating cableways with cableway vehicles that can be decoupled from the traction cable often also have a parking area or a parking storage facility in which the cableway vehicles decoupled from the traction cable can be garaged or parked outside the operating hours of the circulating cableway. As a result, maintenance work can be carried out on the traction cable or cableway vehicles, for example, and the cableway vehicles can be protected from weather conditions, such as snow, ice, storm, etc. Also, a number of cableway vehicles can be garaged in the parking area during operation of the circulating cableway—for example, during times when there is little demand for transportation. Such a parking area is usually located within or in the region of one of the cableway stations, e.g., at the same level as the operating area in which the entry and/or exit area for passengers is located, or also in a garage below the operating area.

In order to bring the cableway vehicles to their intended parking positions in the parking area, a parking conveyor is generally provided which can comprise one or more conveying devices. The parking conveyor is usually connected to the station conveyor in order to transfer cableway vehicles from the station conveyor to the parking conveyor, or vice versa. Switches can also be provided for this purpose in order to move cableway vehicles from the station conveyor to the parking conveyor, or vice versa. Exemplary parking conveyors are known from EP 711 696 A1 or AT 392 766 B.

Movement of the cableway vehicles in the parking area often takes place on so-called sloping tracks as a parking conveyor or part of a parking conveyor. A sloping track is essentially designed in the same way as the guide rail of the cableway station, but has a certain fixed slope. The cableway vehicles move along the sloping track to the parking position using only gravity due to the defined slope, without an external drive. The sloping track can be connected to the guide rail of the cableway station for example via a switch so that, for parking, the cableway vehicles can be removed from the guide rail and moved to the sloping track via the switch. The return transport of the cableway vehicles from the parking area to the operating area can be carried out, for example, with a tire conveyor similar to the drive of the cableway vehicles along the guide rail in the operating area of the cableway station.

AT 392 766 B discloses a continuous conveyor, and the cableway vehicles are moved on the parking tracks by self-propelled cableway vehicle receivers. However, the design is very complex because there has to be a separate cableway vehicle receiver with its own drive for each cableway vehicle.

The cableway vehicles are usually moved individually for parking and feeding, which results in a high logistical effort. In EP 2 551 164 A2, cableway vehicles are pushed together in a parking area of a cableway station in order to compact them in a space-saving manner and to move them together. However, the handling of the compacted cableway vehicles is very limited and not very flexible, since care must be taken to ensure that the cableway vehicles can be moved without the cableway vehicles pushed together becoming detached from each other. For example, the last cableway vehicle in the direction of movement is moved in order to push the cableway vehicles in front. To brake the cableway vehicles, the frontmost cableway vehicle in the direction of movement must be braked in order to also brake the downstream cableway vehicles.

SUMMARY

Embodiments are directed to a parking system for cableway vehicles in order to improve the parking and in particular the feeding of cableway vehicles of a cableway and to simplify the handling of the cableway vehicles.

According to embodiments, the cableway vehicles each have at least two connecting elements which are designed to detachably connect two adjacent cableway vehicles to one another during operation of the parking system. When the parking system is used, a jointly movable vehicle combination comprising the cableway vehicles detachably connected to one another via the connecting elements is parked on the parking track. For feeding the cableway vehicles, a parking track conveyor is provided on the parking track which pulls the vehicle combination from the parking track in the direction of the feed track, so that the detachably connected connecting elements of the two cableway vehicles located at an end of the vehicle combination facing the track end reach the effective range of an actuating device arranged in the region of the track end, and the actuating device detaches the detachably connected connecting elements between these two cableway vehicles, and the feed track conveyor takes over the cableway vehicle located at the end of the vehicle combination facing the track end and which has been detached from the vehicle combination and moves it away from the parking track. The connecting elements make it possible to pull the vehicle combination out of the parking track without having to pay attention to the cableway vehicle that can be moved without the cableway vehicles pushed together becoming detached from each other. This improves the handling of the cableway vehicles in the parking area, especially when feeding from the parking area. In addition, the logistics of parking and feeding the cableway vehicles are simplified, since there is no need to move the individual cableway vehicles.

In a preferred embodiment of the parking system, for parking a cableway vehicle, the feed track conveyor can be provided to move the cableway vehicle to be parked to the track end of the parking track until the cableway vehicle to be parked, which is moved with the feed track conveyor, reaches the effective range of a connecting element of a cableway vehicle located in the area of the track end, and the actuating device in the area of the track end acts upon at least one of the connecting elements of the cableway vehicle located in the area of the track end or of the cableway vehicle to be parked that has been moved to the track end, in order to detachably connect the cableway vehicle located in the area of the track end and the cableway vehicle to be parked that has been moved to the track end, so that the jointly movable vehicle combination is formed on the parking track from the cableway vehicles that are detachably connected to one another via the connecting elements, and that the feed track conveyor or the parking track conveyor is set up to push the formed vehicle combination into the parking track for parking until the cableway vehicle moved with the feed track conveyor to the track end is located in the area of the track end. The jointly movable vehicle combination improves the maneuvering of the cableway vehicles, since the cableway vehicles can be both pulled and pushed in combination without becoming detached from one another. In addition, there is no longer any need for a cableway vehicle mount with its own drive for each cableway vehicle.

Preferably, the actuating device may be designed to be active, wherein the actuating device comprises an actuator which interacts with the connecting elements of the cableway vehicles in order to generate an actuating force for connecting or detaching the connecting elements. Alternatively, the actuating device can be designed to be passive, wherein the actuating device interacts with the cableway vehicle during the movement of the cableway vehicle in order to generate an actuating force for connecting or detaching the connecting element. Preferably, the passively designed actuating device is designed as a positive guide, wherein, during operation of the parking system, the cableway vehicles are moved along the positive guide in order to generate the actuating force and to connect or detach the cableway vehicles via the connecting elements. This further increases the flexibility of the parking system, since an advantageous design of the operating device can be selected according to the boundary conditions (e.g., installation space in the cableway station or type of cableway vehicle).

In an advantageous embodiment, one of the at least two connecting elements of the cableway vehicles may be designed as a hook element and another of the at least two connecting elements of the cableway vehicles may be designed as an eyelet element. During operation of the parking system, in order to connect the cableway vehicles, a hook element of a cableway vehicle engages in the eyelet element of the adjacent cableway vehicle, or, in order to detach the cableway vehicles, a hook element of a cableway vehicle and the eyelet element of the adjacent cableway vehicle separate. This makes it easy to establish a reliable connection between the cableway vehicles.

Preferably, the cableway vehicles can each comprise a transport body and a hanger. The hanger can serve to fasten the respective cableway vehicle to the cable of the cableway and the hanger is connected to the transport body and the connecting elements can be provided on the hanger of the respective cableway vehicle. Since the actuating device for the connecting elements is preferably provided in the area of the hanger, it may be advantageous to attach the connecting elements to the hanger.

Embodiments are directed to a cableway with at least one cableway station, where the at least one cableway station comprises a parking system according to the invention. The parking system in the cableway station can simplify and increase the efficiency of the cableway operation, since the handling of the cableway vehicles in the parking area is easy, especially when feeding them from the parking system.

Embodiments are directed to a method for operating a parking system for a plurality of cableway vehicles of a cableway. The cableway vehicles in a state decoupled from a traction cable of the cableway are moved with a feed track conveyor from a feed track via a track end of a parking track connected to the feed track into the parking track, where the cableway vehicles each have at least two connecting elements, and where two adjacent cableway vehicles are detachably connected to one another via the connecting elements. A jointly movable vehicle combination includes the cableway vehicles detachably connected to one another via the connecting elements is parked on the parking track. In order to feed the cableway vehicles, the vehicle combination is pulled out of the parking track in the direction of the feed track by a parking track conveyor of the parking track, so that the detachably connected connecting elements of the two cableway vehicles located at the end of the vehicle combination facing the track end reach the effective range of an actuating device arranged in the region of the track end, and the detachably connected connecting elements between these two cableway vehicles are detached by the actuating device, and the cableway vehicle located at the end of the vehicle combination facing the track end and detached from the vehicle combination is taken over by the feed track conveyor and moved away from the parking track. This improves the handling of the cableway vehicles, especially when feeding them from the parking area. The connecting elements make it possible to pull the vehicle combination out of the parking track without having to pay attention to the cableway vehicle that can be moved without the cableway vehicles becoming detached from each other. In addition, the logistics of parking and feeding the cableway vehicles are simplified, since there is no need to move the individual cableway vehicles.

Preferably, for parking the cableway vehicles, a cableway vehicle to be parked may be moved by the feed track conveyor to the track end of the parking track until the cableway vehicle to be parked reaches the effective range of a connecting element of a cableway vehicle located in the area of the track end, and the actuating device acts upon at least one of the connecting elements of the cableway vehicle located in the area of the track end or of the cableway vehicle to be parked that has been moved to the track end, so that the cableway vehicle located in the area of the track end and the cableway vehicle to be parked that has been moved to the track end are detachably connected to one another, and as a result the jointly movable vehicle combination is formed on the parking track from the cableway vehicles that are detachably connected to one another via the connecting elements, and the feed track conveyor or the parking track conveyor pushes the formed vehicle combination into the parking track for parking until the cableway vehicle to be parked that has been moved to the track end with the feed track conveyor is in the area of the track end. The jointly movable vehicle combination enables improved maneuvering of the cableway vehicles in the parking area, since the cableway vehicles can be both pulled and pushed in combination without becoming detached from one another. In addition, there is no longer any need for the cableway vehicle mount with its own drive for each cableway vehicle.

Embodiments are directed to a parking system for a plurality of cableway vehicles of a cableway. The cableway includes a feed track, a feed track conveyor provided on the feed track for moving the plurality of cableway vehicles along the feed track, and a traction cable, in which the plurality of cableway vehicles are couplable to and decouplable from the traction cable. The parking system includes a parking area with a parking track for parking the cableway vehicles, the parking track having an axial track end that is connected to the feed track, wherein, in states decoupled from the traction cable, the cableway vehicles are movable from the feed track over the track end and into the parking track. The cableway vehicles each have at least two connecting elements structured and arranged to detachably connect adjacent cableway vehicles to one another, wherein, via the connecting elements, at least two cableway vehicles are detachably connected to one another as a jointly movable vehicle combination that is parkable on the parking track. An actuating device is arranged in a region of the track end; and a parking track conveyor provided on the parking track is structured to pull the jointly movable vehicle combination from the parking track in a direction of the feed track, until the detachably connected connection elements between adjacent cableway vehicles located at an end of the pulled jointly movable vehicle combination facing the track end reach an effective range of the actuation device, where the actuation device is configured to detach the detachably connected connecting elements between the adjacent cableway vehicles. After the actuation device detaches the detachably connected connecting elements between the adjacent cableway vehicles, the feed track conveyor is configured to move a forwardmost cableway vehicle of the adjacent cableway vehicles located at the end of the pulled jointly movable vehicle combination away from the parking track.

According to embodiments, the feed track conveyor can be configured to move a first cableway vehicle to be parked in a direction toward an end of the parking track until the first cableway vehicle to be parked reaches an effective range of a connecting element of a second cableway vehicle located in an area of the end of the parking track. The actuating device can act upon at least one of the connecting elements of the first or second cableway vehicle to detachably connect the first and second cableway vehicles, thereby forming the jointly movable vehicle combination on the parking track. One of the feed track conveyor or the parking track conveyor can be configured to push the jointly movable vehicle combination into the parking track for parking until the first cableway vehicle is located in the area of the track end.

In accordance with embodiments, the actuating device may be designed to be active and include an actuator that interacts with the detachable connecting elements of the cableway vehicles in order to generate an actuating force for connecting or detaching the connecting element.

In accordance with other embodiments, the actuating device may be designed to be passive and can interact with the cableway vehicle during movement of the cableway vehicle to generate an actuating force for connecting or detaching the connecting element. Further, the passive actuating device may include a positive guide, in which movement of the cableway vehicles along the positive guide generate the actuating force to connect or detach the adjacent cableway vehicles to one another via the connecting elements.

In other embodiments, one of the at least two connecting elements of the cableway vehicles may be designed as a hook element and another of the at least two connecting elements of the cableway vehicles may be designed as an eyelet element. Moreover, the hook element of a first cableway vehicle can engage in the eyelet element of a second cableway vehicle adjacent the first cableway vehicle to connect the cableway vehicles together, or the hook element of a first cableway vehicle can disengage from the eyelet element of a second cableway vehicle adjacent the first cableway vehicle to detach the adjacent cableway vehicles.

In accordance with embodiments, the plurality of cableway vehicles may each comprise a transport body and a hanger connected to the transport body. The hanger can be configured to fasten a respective cableway vehicle to the traction cable, and the connecting elements can be provided on the hanger of the respective cableway vehicle.

Embodiments are directed to a cableway that includes at least one cableway station. The at least one cableway station can include embodiments of the parking system discussed above.

Embodiments are directed to a method for operating a parking system for a plurality of cableway vehicles of a cableway. The method includes moving with a feed track conveyor cableway vehicles in a state decoupled from a traction cable of the cableway from a feed track to a parking track via a track end of the parking track connected to the feed track. The cableway vehicles each have at least two connecting elements, and the method further includes detachably connecting at least two cableway vehicles to one another via the connecting elements to form a jointly movable vehicle combination and parking the jointly movable vehicle combination on the parking track. The method also includes pulling the parked jointly movable vehicle out of the parking track and in a direction of the feed track with a parking track conveyor of the parking track until the detachably connected connecting elements of adjacent cableway vehicles located at an end of the jointly movable vehicle combination facing the track end reach the effective range of an actuating device arranged in the region of the track end, detaching via the actuating device the detachably connected connecting elements between the adjacent cableway vehicles; and moving via the feed track conveyor a forwardmost cableway vehicle of the adjacent cableway vehicles located at the end of the jointly movable vehicle combination facing the track end away from the parking track.

In accordance with still yet other embodiments, for parking, the method may further include moving via feed track conveyor a first cableway vehicle to be parked in a direction toward an end of the parking track until the first cableway vehicle to be parked reaches an effective range of a connecting element of a second cableway vehicle located in an area of the end of the parking track, via the actuating device, detachably connecting at least one of the connecting elements of the first or second cableway vehicle to detachably connect the first and second cableway vehicles, thereby forming the jointly movable vehicle combination on the parking track, and pushing via one of the feed track conveyor or the parking track conveyor the jointly movable vehicle combination into the parking track for parking until the first cableway vehicle is located in the area of the track end.

Other exemplary embodiments and advantages of the present invention may be ascertained by reviewing the present disclosure and the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is described in greater detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, which show schematic and non-limiting advantageous embodiments of the invention by way of example. In the figures:

FIG. 1 shows a cableway station with a parking system according to the invention,

FIG. 2 shows a cableway vehicle with connecting elements according to the invention,

FIGS. 3A-3C show an actuating device designed as a positive guide, and

FIG. 4 shows a connection of two connecting elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The particulars shown herein are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the embodiments of the present invention only and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the present invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the present invention in more detail than is necessary for the fundamental understanding of the present invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the present invention may be embodied in practice.

In FIG. 1, a cableway station 20 of a cableway 1 (e.g., a circulating cableway), e.g., a valley or mountain station, is shown only schematically in a plan view. The cableway 1 usually has at least one further cableway station, e.g., a mountain or valley station or a middle station, which is not shown in FIG. 1. A traction cable 3 runs between the cableway stations 20, e.g., on cable sheaves 23 in the cableway stations 20, wherein at least one cable sheave 23 is driven by a cableway drive 24. A plurality of cableway vehicles 2, such as gondolas or chairs, are transported on the traction cable 3 between the cableway stations 20. In a cableway station 20, the cableway vehicles 2 are decoupled from the traction cable 3 in a known manner after entering the cableway station 20. Before exiting the cableway station 20, the cableway vehicles 2 are re-coupled to the traction cable 3. Cable clamps 61 (shown in FIG. 2) on the cableway vehicles 2 are used for decoupling and coupling. A station conveyor 25, e.g., a tire conveyor or a continuous conveyor, is provided for moving a cableway vehicle 2, which has been decoupled from the traction cable 3, in the cableway station 20. At least one guide rail 26 can be provided in the cableway station 20, along which the (decoupled) cableway vehicles 2 can be guided in the cableway station 20. As is known, the cableway vehicles 2 are moved suspended by the station conveyor 25 in the cableway station 20 along the guide rail 26.

FIG. 1 shows the basic structure of the parking system 10 according to the invention. The parking system 10 can be located in or near one of the cableway stations 20 of the cableway 1. The parking system 10 may be at the same or a different level than the cableway station 20. The parking system 10 has a parking area P. The plurality of cableway vehicles 2 are parked in the parking area P. For this purpose, there is at least one parking track 11 in the parking area P. The invention will be described below only with one parking track 11, although several parking tracks 11 can of course also be provided in the parking system 10. The parking track 11 in FIG. 1 has, for example, a straight course. Of course, depending upon the embodiment of the parking system 10, the parking track 11 can also have any other course. The parking system 10 can, for example, be housed in a building, such as a hall, in order to protect parked cableway vehicles 2 from the weather.

The parking track 11 has an axial track end 11a, wherein a feed track 21 of the cableway 1 is connected to the track end 11a of the parking track 11. “Connected” does not necessarily mean that the feed track 21 and parking track 11 are directly connected to each other, but that it is possible to move a cableway vehicle 2 from the feed track 21 to the parking track 11, and vice versa. In one embodiment, the parking track 11 ends at the axial track end facing away from and opposite the feed track 21. The parking track 11 is designed as a dead-end track for this purpose. The parking track 11 can also be designed as a closed track, wherein “closed” means that the track end of the parking track 11 facing away from the feed track 21 is connected to the track end 11a or the feed track 21. If more than one parking track 11 is provided in the parking area P, junctions 28 from the feed track 21 may be provided. A switch can be provided at a junction 28, or the junction 28 can be designed as a switch in order to connect a parking track 11 to the feed track 21 and, depending upon the position of the switch, to guide a cableway vehicle 2 from the feed track 21 onto a parking track 11 or to guide it further along the feed track 21. In FIG. 1, an additional parking track 11 is only schematically indicated (dashed line). As already mentioned, the invention will be described below with one parking track 11.

The cableway vehicles 2 in a state decoupled from the traction cable 3 of the cableway 1 can be moved in the decoupled state from the feed track 21 over the track end 11a into the parking track 11. The feed track 21 is connected to the station conveyor 25 in the cableway station 20, e.g., via a switch 27, in order to transfer a cableway vehicle 2 from the station conveyor 25 onto the feed track 21, or vice versa. The feed track 21 and the parking track 11 are preferably designed in such a way that the cableway vehicles 2 are moved suspended from the respective track along the respective track and, in the case of the parking track 11, are parked suspended. Alternatively, the cableway vehicles 2 can also be moved or parked stationary on the respective track (e.g., on a trolley). However, the embodiment of the respective track is irrelevant for the coupling of the cableway vehicles 2 according to the invention.

A feed track conveyor 22 is provided on the feed track 21 for moving a cableway vehicle 2 along the feed track 21. The feed track conveyor 22 can be designed in a known manner as a tire conveyor, continuous conveyor, or other suitable conveyor. For this purpose, a guide rail for the cableway vehicle 2 can also be provided in the region of the feed track conveyor 22.

In a known manner, the cableway vehicles 2 are designed to transport persons and/or objects. For this purpose, the cableway vehicles 2 comprise a transport body 5 which is designed to accommodate persons and/or objects to be transported. In the figures, a cabin is shown as an example as the transport body 5 of the cableway vehicles 2, wherein a number of chairs can also be provided as the transport body 5 (e.g., in a chair lift).

The cableway vehicle 2 further comprises a hanger 6, wherein the hanger 6 serves to fasten the cableway vehicle 2 to a traction cable 3. The hanger 6 is connected to the transport body 5—for example, via a suitable screw connection. The cable clamp 61 is arranged on the hanger 6, via which the cableway vehicle 2 can be detachably coupled to the traction cable 3 in a known manner. The cable clamp 61 is shown only schematically in FIG. 2. The cable clamp 61 can clamp the traction cable 3 under the action of a clamp spring (not shown), wherein the cable clamp 61 can be mechanically actuated for opening via a clamp actuation in the cableway station 20. A running gear 62 with a plurality of rollers 63 can be provided on the hanger 6. The rollers 63 are arranged rotatably on the running gear 62. When the running gear 62 is used on a cableway vehicle 2, the rollers 63 run on supporting cables 33 which are stretched between two cableway stations 20 of the cableway 1. In FIG. 2, the cableway vehicle 2 with a running gear 62 is shown as an example.

Furthermore, at least one guide roller can be arranged on the hanger 6 which cooperates with a guide rail in the cableway station 20 and/or in the parking system 10 in order to guide the cableway vehicle 2 along guide rails. The parking track conveyor 15, the feed track conveyor 22, and the station conveyor 25 are each designed, for example, as a tire conveyor in which a plurality of driven tires are rotatable arranged one behind the other in the conveying direction of the cableway vehicles. The tires interact with a friction lining on the hanger 6 of the cableway vehicle 2 decoupled from the traction cable 3 in order to move the vehicle through the cableway station 20 and/or through the parking system 10 by rotating the tires, e.g., along a guide rail.

According to the invention, the cableway vehicles 2 each have at least two connecting elements 4 which are designed to detachably connect two adjacent cableway vehicles 2 to one another during operation of the parking system 10. The cableway vehicles 2, which are detachably connected to one another via the connecting elements 4, form a jointly movable vehicle combination 12. The vehicle combination 12 is designed to be pulled or pushed along the parking track 11 in a conveying direction F (indicated by a double arrow in FIG. 1) without cableway vehicles 2 becoming detached from the vehicle combination 12. Due to the connecting elements 4, it is irrelevant which cableway vehicle 2 in the vehicle combination 12 is used for the movement of the vehicle combination 12. This simplifies the maneuvering of cableway vehicles 2 in the parking area.

Preferably, the connecting elements 4 are provided on the hanger of the respective cableway vehicle 2. As shown by way of example in FIG. 2, the connecting elements 4 on the running gear 62 (if present) are provided on the hanger 6 of the cableway vehicle 2. Of course, the connecting elements 4 can also be arranged on the transport body 5 of the cableway vehicles 2. For example, depending upon the embodiment of the cableway vehicles 2 or the cableway 1, it may be appropriate to attach the connecting elements 4 to the hanger 6 or to the transport body 5. In order to enable a relative movement of the connected cableway vehicles 2 to one another, the connecting elements 4 can be hinged on the cableway vehicles 2, or the connecting elements 4 are designed to enable the movement.

The connecting elements 4 can be designed differently. For example, the connection can be mechanical, magnetic, etc. As connecting elements 4, for example, a type of plug connector, screw connector, quick-release coupling, etc., can be used. As shown in FIG. 2, one of the two connecting elements 4 of the cableway vehicle 2 is preferably designed as a hook element 4a, and the other of the two connecting elements 4 of the cableway vehicle 2 is designed as an eyelet element 4b. Another possibility is to use a component of the hanger 6 (e.g., a frame of the running gear 62) itself as a connecting element 4 (e.g., as an eyelet element 4b). Two connecting elements 4 can also be connected to each other via a separate coupling part. For example, both connecting elements 4 are designed as hook elements 4a, and a bracket is used as the coupling part, which is hooked into both hook elements 4a in order to connect the cableway vehicles 2 to each other. The coupling part can also, if advantageous, be hooked in manually (e.g., by the cableway staff) to establish the connection. The connection and detachment of the connecting elements 4 should preferably be quick and uncomplicated, and the connection of the cableway vehicles 2 should be reliable.

For example, in FIG. 2 the hook element 4a is T-shaped, and the eyelet element 4b is C-shaped. Of course, the connecting elements 4 can have a different shape, as long as they allow the cableway vehicles 2 to be detachably connected to one another. To connect the cableway vehicles 2, during operation of the parking system 10, the hook element 4a of one cableway vehicle 2 engages with the eyelet element 4b of the adjacent cableway vehicle 2. To detach the cableway vehicles 2, the hook element 4a of one cableway vehicle 2 and the eyelet element 4b of the adjacent cableway vehicle 2 are separated again. The connecting elements 4 can be designed to be partially movable in order to enable engagement and separation. For example, the eyelet element 4b could be designed to be pivotable in order to connect or detach it from the hook element 4a. Alternatively or additionally, the engagement and separation of the two connecting elements 4 takes place by a relative movement of the cableway vehicles 2 to one another, as will be described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 3A-3C.

The parking system 10 comprises an actuating device 13 which is designed to connect or detach the connecting elements 4 of the cableway vehicles 2. The actuating device 13 is arranged in the area of the track end 11a of the parking track 11. The actuating device 13 is shown schematically in FIG. 1. The actuating device 13 comprises an effective range in which the connecting elements 4 of the cableway vehicles 2 can be connected to or detached from one another by the actuating device 13. The actuating device 13 is preferably designed to be active, wherein the actuating device 13 comprises an actuator. The actuator is designed to interact with the connecting elements 4 of the cableway vehicles 2 in order to generate an actuating force for connecting or detaching the connecting elements 4. Depending upon the embodiment of the connecting elements 4, a suitable actuator can be used. For example, the actuator is designed as a hydraulic cylinder which applies the actuating force to one of the two or both connecting elements 4 (e.g., designed as a plug-in connector) in order to connect or disconnect them.

Alternatively, the actuating device 13 can be designed passively. The actuating device 13 is designed to interact with the cableway vehicle 2 during the movement of the cableway vehicle 2 in order to generate the actuating force for connecting or detaching the connecting element 4. The passive actuating device 13 is preferably designed as a positive guide 14. The positive guide 14 has a predetermined course along which the cableway vehicles 2 are moved. The positive guide 14 preferably runs from the feed track 21 over the track end 11a into the parking track 11. During operation of the parking system 10, the cableway vehicles 2 are moved along the course of the positive guide 14, wherein the actuating force is generated on the connecting elements 4 in order to connect or detach the cableway vehicles 2 via the connecting elements 4. For example, the cableway vehicles 2 are moved along the course of the positive guide 14 by guide rollers on the hanger 6, which interact with the positive guide 14.

By way of example, a top view of the cableway vehicles 2, which is depicted in FIGS. 3A-3C, shows a connection of two cableway vehicles 2 via the connecting elements 4 (as shown in FIG. 2) by the actuating device 13 designed as a positive guide 14. FIG. 4 shows a more detailed view of the connecting element 4 of the cableway vehicles 2. The course of the positive guide 14 is shown in the form of an S-shaped track section in the axial conveying direction F. Both cableway vehicles 2 move in the conveying direction F (e.g., in the direction of the end of the parking track facing away from the feed track) along the course of the positive guide 14. After the preceding cableway vehicle 2 has passed the S-shaped track section, the two cableway vehicles 2 are arranged offset from each other transversely to the conveying direction F (FIG. 3A). Due to the laterally offset arrangement of the cableway vehicles 2 transverse to the conveying direction F, the hook element 4a of the cableway vehicle 2 preceding in the conveying direction F and the eyelet element 4b of the cableway vehicle 2 following in the conveying direction F is initially laterally offset from one another. Due to the course of the positive guide 14, the cableway vehicle 2 arranged downstream in the conveying direction F is moved relative to the preceding cableway vehicle 2. As shown in FIG. 3B, the S-shaped track section causes a rotation around the vertical axis of the cableway vehicle 2 (indicated by an arrow R in FIG. 3B). The hook element 4a of the preceding cableway vehicle 2 engages with the eyelet element 4b of the downstream cableway vehicle 2. Due to the further course of the positive guide 14, the downstream cableway vehicle 2 is rotated in the opposite direction around the vertical axis (indicated by an arrow R in FIG. 3C), wherein the connection between the two cableway vehicles 2 is established.

FIG. 4 shows the connection of the two cableway vehicles 2 via the connecting elements 4, which are arranged on the respective running gears 62 of the cableway vehicles 2. Similarly, when the cableway vehicles 2 move in the opposite direction of travel, the connection of the connecting elements 4 can be detached. The positive guide 14 is advantageous, because the cableway vehicles 2 are moved anyway for parking and feeding, and the connection can thus be easily established without additional actuators.

In the following, an exemplary parking process of two cableway vehicles 2 of the cableway 1 is described, with reference being made to FIG. 1. For example, at the end of the operating time of the cableway 1, the cableway vehicles 2 are parked in the parking system 10 to protect them from the weather. In a first step, the two cableway vehicles 2 to be parked are detached from the traction cable 3 of the cableway 1 (and also from the supporting cables 33, if present) after entering the cableway station 20. The two cableway vehicles 2 reach the station conveyor 25 and are thus transferred one after the other along the guide rail 26 via the switch 27 to the feed track 21. Once they arrive on the feed track 21, the feed track conveyor 22 takes over the movement of the cableway vehicles 2.

To park the two cableway vehicles 2, both cableway vehicles 2 are moved with the feed track conveyor 22 in the direction of the track end 11a of the parking track 11 until they reach the effective range of the actuating device 13 arranged in the area of the track end 11a. If necessary, the second of the two cableway vehicles 2 arranged downstream in the conveying direction is moved further in the direction of the track end 11a of the parking track 11 by the feed track conveyor 22 until a connecting element 4 reaches the effective range of a connecting element 4 of the preceding cableway vehicle 2. Depending upon the embodiment, the actuating device 13 acts actively, for example, upon at least one of the connecting elements 4 of the cableway vehicles 2, or passively, for example, upon one of the two cableway vehicles 2 or upon at least one of the connecting elements 4 of the cableway vehicles 2, so that the two cableway vehicles 2 are detachably connected to one another via the connecting elements 4. As a result, a jointly movable vehicle combination 12 is formed from the two cableway vehicles 2 which are detachably connected to one another via the connecting elements 4. The feed track conveyor 22 or the parking track conveyor 15 pushes the formed vehicle combination 12 into the parking track 11 for parking until the cableway vehicle 2, which is subsequently moved to the track end 11a by the feed track conveyor 22, is located in the area of the track end 11a. Further cableway vehicles 2 are detachably connected to the vehicle combination 12 in the same way via respective connecting elements 4. In this case, it is advantageous if the vehicle combination 12 is successively pushed further into the parking track 11 by each newly added cableway vehicle 2. This can be repeated until the parking track 11 is filled with cableway vehicles 2.

To feed the two parked cableway vehicles 2, the vehicle combination 12 is pulled with the parking track conveyor 15 of the parking track 11 out of the parking track 11 in the direction of the feed track 21 until the detachably connected connecting elements 4 of the two cableway vehicles 2 (still located in the vehicle combination 12) reach the effective range of the actuating device 13 arranged in the area of the track end 11a. The pulling of the entire vehicle combination 12 is possible only because the cableway vehicles 2 are connected to each other via the respective connecting elements 4. The actuating device 13 acts actively, for example, upon at least one of the connecting elements 4 of the cableway vehicles 2, or passively, for example, upon one of the two cableway vehicles 2 or upon at least one of the connecting elements 4 of the cableway vehicles 2, so that the detachably connected connecting elements 4 between the two cableway vehicles 2 located in the area of the track end 11a and in the effective range of the actuating device 13 are detached, whereby the vehicle combination 12 is successively dissolved.

In each case the detached cableway vehicle 2 is taken over by the feed track conveyor 22 and moved away from the parking track 11 on the feed track 21. The feed track conveyor 22 moves the cableway vehicles 2 to be fed in the direction of the station conveyor 25, e.g., to the switch 27, in order to transfer them via the switch 27 to the station conveyor 25. Once they arrive on the station conveyor 25, the station conveyor 25 takes over the movement of the cableway vehicles 2 along the guide rail 26 in the direction of the traction cable 3. Before exiting the cableway station 20, the two cableway vehicles 2 are re-coupled to the traction cable 3. This process is repeated for each cableway vehicle 2 in the vehicle combination 12, so that the vehicle combination 12 is successively dissolved.

It is noted that the foregoing examples have been provided merely for the purpose of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limiting of the present invention. While the present invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment, it is understood that the words which have been used herein are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation. Changes may be made, within the purview of the appended claims, as presently stated and as amended, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention in its aspects. Although the present invention has been described herein with reference to particular means, materials and embodiments, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed herein; rather, the present invention extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods and uses, such as are within the scope of the appended claims.