At Switches Patents (Class 104/184)
  • Patent number: 9676396
    Abstract: A system for moving vehicles along two tracks that are in each case formed by two guides, in particular rails. The vehicles are moved by endless conveying cables to which the vehicles may be coupled. The two tracks have a switch in the regions of the end stations and where appropriate along the course, by way of which they are brought together. The switch has four guides which are located next to one another. The middle two guides, which are rigidly connected to one another, are pivotal about a first axis and the outer two guides, which are connected to one another in an articulated manner, are pivotal about two further axes that are spaced from one another. The switch that is formed by the four guides can thus be pivoted out of a first position into a second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Innova Patent GmbH
    Inventors: Florian Fischer, Bernhard Wohlgenannt
  • Patent number: 8770112
    Abstract: A transport installation comprising at least one carrier vehicle moving longitudinally in to-and-fro manner along a single running track being guided by two guiding elements each following one of the lateral branches of the track in a crossing area. The carrier vehicle carries two independent gripping mechanisms respectively associated with the two guiding elements and each able to temporarily secure the carrier vehicle in the lateral direction to the associated guiding elements. Such gripping mechanisms constitute on-board devices for selecting the branch associated with its direction of running on entering a crossing area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Pomagalski
    Inventors: Alain Mollet, Eric Blanc
  • Patent number: 7832339
    Abstract: Automatic cable transport facility along a closed loop line, including vehicles that can be disengaged at a set rate in stations after moving along a disengaged circuit where they are driven at low speed along disembarkation and embarkation platforms. Each station includes an automatic control mechanism able to extract the vehicles from the slow progression in the disengaged circuit, and transfer them to a disembarkation/embarkation point which is assigned to them in order of arrival, the previous vehicle having previously been reintegrated into the slow progression line in the place of the vehicle extracted in accordance with a preset program. A compensation point includes a permanently available spare empty vehicle which can be used to fill an empty space left by a vehicle that has been delayed and stopped at the disembarkation/embarkation point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Ropetrans AG
    Inventor: Jerome Richard
  • Patent number: 5570637
    Abstract: A garage for storing vehicles of a continuous cable railway system. The garage has a plurality of side tracks arranged parallel or substantially parallel to one another to form preferably a rectangular shape. The garage is loaded with vehicles from the station track of the cable railway system over a first feeder track. A second feeder track is used to load the vehicles from the garage to the station track. Conveying units are present at the feeder tracks and side tracks to convey the vehicles. A single junction having two switch units is arranged between the feeder tracks. The junction also allows the vehicles to travel from one of the feeder tracks to the other. Sliding switches, each having an arc-shaped conveyer track, are located on the incoming and outgoing sides of the side tracks. Buffer tracks, each having several stopping points, act as buffers in the feeder tracks for the vehicles when loading or unloading the garage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 5, 1996
    Assignee: Garaventa Holding AG
    Inventor: Ruedi Wagner
  • Patent number: 5515789
    Abstract: A single-cable aerial cableway including guide rails forming a lead-in guide, secured to a stationary cable support structure. The lead-in guide cooperates with a wheel secured to the grip so as to stabilize and position the grip and the load before they pass along the structure. The position of the lead-in guide is automatically adjusted when the position in height of the cable changes so that the weel always enter the lead-in guide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 14, 1996
    Assignee: Pomagalski S.A.
    Inventors: Max Brochand, Jean-Pierre Rastello
  • Patent number: 5172640
    Abstract: The hauling-carrier cable of a gondola lift or chair lift is subdivided in two endless cable loops operating together. These cable loops are linked by a technical relay including two bull wheels or a bull wheel with two grooves, one for each cable loop. Transfer rails located in the technical relay permit the passage of the cabins from one cable loop to the other. The cabins, uncoupled from the cable, run on the transfer rail at the same velocity as the cable. The two bull wheels are mechanically coupled to transfer the driving power from one cable loop to the other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1992
    Assignee: Pomagalski S.A.
    Inventor: Jean-Pierre Cathiard
  • Patent number: 5158020
    Abstract: As drive shoe assembly (50) for a transportation system in which transport units (31) are propelled along a path by frictional engagement of the drive shoe assembly (50) by a drive assembly (36). The drive shoe assembly (50) includes frame members (54) and a plurality of resiliently flexible traction members (52) disposed therebetween defining a resiliently flexible traction surface (60). The traction surface (60) is coupled to the frame members (54) and, further, is positioned to be frictionally engaged by a plurality of drive wheels (36) in a sequence situated along the path to propel the transport unit (31) forward. Upon engagement between the drive wheels (36) and the traction surface (60), the resilient traction surface (60) is sufficiently deflected such that any ice accumulation on the resilient members (52) will crack and fall away.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 27, 1992
    Assignees: Zygmunt Alexander Kunczynski, Alexander Jan Kunczynski
    Inventor: Jan K. Kunczynski
  • Patent number: 5105745
    Abstract: A rhythm device section is controlled by a controller, which controls the travelling time of the carriage in terms of the delay or advance and repositions the carriage correctly with respect to a periodic signal synchronized with the cable. The controller in addition detects successive identical deviations and in this case triggers dephasing of the periodic signal so as to rephase it with the passing of the carriages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 21, 1992
    Assignee: Pomagalski S.A.
    Inventor: Serge Tarassoff
  • Patent number: 4327647
    Abstract: First and second cars are movable on an inclined track and adapted to bypass each other at an intermediate turnout of the track. A traction cable is trained around a reversing pulley at the upper end of the track and has two courses extending along the track and connected to respective ones of the cars and to move the cars in opposite directions along the track. Two sets of guide pulleys guide respective ones of said cable courses. The guide pulleys of each set are spaced along the track. The two sets of guide pulleys are disposed on opposite sides of the track therebelow and outside the rails thereof and guide the cable courses so that they extend on opposite side of the track outside the rails thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 1980
    Date of Patent: May 4, 1982
    Assignee: Voest-Alpine Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Klaus Eisenkolb