Cableway Station Having a Safety Barrier

Abstract

To simplify the operation of a cableway and at the same time ensure safe operation, it is provided that, in a cableway station, at least one openable safety barrier is provided, wherein a sensor for detecting an opening state of the at least one safety barrier is provided in the cableway station, which sensor transmits a sensor signal to a control unit of a cableway drive as a function of the opening state, wherein the control unit controls the cableway drive as a function of the obtained sensor signal, wherein the control unit is provided to stop the cableway drive or to reduce a drive speed of the cableway drive, when a sensor signal corresponding to an open position of the safety barrier is received, wherein the safety barrier has a remotely-operable actuating unit which can be activated, by means of a remote control unit, to reset the safety barrier from the open position, in which the cableway drive is stopped or the drive speed is reduced, into a closed position, in which the cableway drive can be activated again or the drive speed can be increased again.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present teaching relates to a cableway station for at least one cableway, in which station at least one openable safety barrier is provided, wherein a sensor for detecting an opening state of the at least one safety barrier is provided in the cableway station, said sensor generating a sensor signal as a function of the opening state and sending a sensor signal to a control unit of a cableway drive, wherein the control unit controls the cableway drive as a function of the obtained sensor signal. Furthermore, the present teaching relates to a safety system for a cableway station having an openable safety barrier, and to a method for operating at least one cableway having at least one cableway station, in which an openable safety barrier is arranged.

BACKGROUND

Cableways are used to transport people and materials between two or more cableway stations. For this purpose, a number of cable cars, such as chairs or gondolas, are moved between the cableway stations, either circulating or shuttling back and forth. The cable cars are moved between the cableway stations by means of at least one traction cable. The cable car can be suspended from at least one support cable (in the case of an aerial cableway), or can be arranged on rails or on the ground (cable railways) in a manner allowing movement, and can be moved with at least one traction cable. However, the cable car can also be releasably clamped, or fixed, to the traction cable, and moved with the traction cable. In the case of circulating cable cars, the cable cars are often decoupled from the traction cable in a cableway station, e.g., by means of releasable cable clamps, and are moved through the cableway station at a lower speed, in order to make it easier for people to get on or off, or to make it easier to load or unload material.

In cableway stations, there are usually different areas with different access restrictions. For example, there may be areas in which the access is permitted both for the operating personnel of the cableway and for passengers—for example, an entry/exit area. Often, there are also areas in which access is permitted only for the operating personnel, and in which the entry for passengers is not permitted or is not desired. These can, for example, be areas outside the entry/exit area, in which there is no immediate risk of injury, but where the access is prohibited for persons who are not operators—for example, for operational reasons. Furthermore, there may also be areas in a cableway station in which access is prohibited for all persons for safety reasons, i.e., both for persons who are involved in operations, such as the operating personnel, and also for persons who are not operators, such as passengers. Such danger areas include, in particular, areas around the drive, in which moving parts are located, and/or areas with live current.

Entering such danger areas can result in serious injury, which is why they are generally separated by safety barriers. To date, mostly such safety barriers have been used, which trigger an emergency stop of the drive of the cableway upon opening. For known cableways, safety regulations typically state that, during operation of the cableway, there must always be one operator on-site who monitors the operation and controls the cableway. Depending upon the type and size of the system, the operating personnel may include one or more persons who are present in order to ensure smooth operation. The operating personnel generally control the cableway from an operation room, which also gives a good visual overview of the areas being monitored, and in particular entry/exit areas and danger areas. In addition, the operating personnel generally also assist passengers entering and exiting the cable cars, such as, for example, the chair of a chairlift or the cars of a gondola lift.

Hitherto, if a safety barrier was triggered, e.g., because a passenger had inadvertently or intentionally entered a restricted area, an emergency stop of the cableway was then triggered automatically, and, at the same time, an alarm would also be triggered. For example, the triggering can take place by means of a mechanical contact switch which is actuated when the safety barrier is opened. The contact switch, for example, interrupts the energy supply of the cableway drive so that the drive is stopped immediately. The operating personnel already present in the cableway station typically check the area around the safety barrier in order to determine under which circumstances and by whom the safety barrier has been opened. After the check has been completed and it is ensured that there are no more persons in the prohibited area, the operation of the cableway can be continued. For this purpose, the safety barrier would have been manually reset into the closed position by the operating personnel, as a result of which the electrical contact would have been restored by the contact switch. The restart of the cableway is generally also carried out manually—for example, via the controller in the operation room of the cableway station.

Due to the technical development in the field of automation technology, the trend in the field of transport in recent years is towards automated operation. For example, in some cities, driverless subway systems are already in operation, and fully automated systems are frequently used in internal transport processes. In such systems, the control of the transport process is carried out fully automatically, and personnel are essentially necessary only for monitoring a smooth operation, and possibly for emergencies. Accordingly, in the hitherto quite personnel-intensive field of cableways, the trend is towards the greatest possible automation for operations, and/or to strive towards this end, progressively, with fewer operating personnel.

SUMMARY

Proceeding from the prior art, it is therefore an object of the present teaching to simplify the operation of a cableway, and at the same time to ensure safe operation.

According to the present teaching, the object is achieved in that the control unit is configured to stop the cableway drive, or to reduce a drive speed of the cableway drive, when a sensor signal corresponding to an open position of the safety barrier is received, wherein the safety barrier has a remotely-operable actuating unit which can be controlled by means of a remote control unit in order to reset the safety barrier from the open position, in which the cableway drive is stopped or the drive speed is reduced, into a closed position, in which the cableway drive can be activated again or the drive speed can be increased again. As a result, it is no longer necessary for the operating personnel to manually reset the safety barrier into the closed position. Instead, this can now take place remotely. As a result, when the safety barrier is actuated, the drive can be stopped completely as usual, or an operation at reduced speed could also take place—for example, if there is no risk of injury upon entering the prohibited area. After the remote-controlled reset of the safety barrier, the cableway drive can be activated again, or the speed can be increased again—for example, from an operation room within the cableway station.

Preferably, the control unit is configured to automatically reactivate the cableway drive or to increase the drive speed again when a sensor signal corresponding to the closed position is received, after the remote-controlled reset of the safety barrier from the open position into the closed position by the actuating unit. The result is that, essentially, an at least partially automated operation can be made possible, because the remote-controlled closing of the safety barrier can simultaneously result in the resumption of operation of the cableway, without a separate activation having to take place.

An alarm unit is preferably also provided in the cableway station and/or outside the cableway station, so that a preferably optical and/or acoustic alarm is triggered, when the open position of the safety barrier is detected by the sensor. As a result, the operating personnel and/or, optionally, other passengers can be alerted.

Preferably, the actuating unit of the safety barrier can be controlled wirelessly and/or by wire via at least one stationary and/or portable remote control unit. For this purpose, at least one stationary and/or portable remote control unit is preferably arranged in the cableway station and/or outside the cableway station. The stationary and/or portable remote control unit is preferably arranged in an operation room within the cableway station and/or in a central operation room for several cableway stations. A mobile telephone or a portable computer can advantageously be provided as a portable remote control unit. As a result, a very flexible control of the safety barrier, independent of location, can be created. As a result, it is no longer necessary, as previously, for the operating personnel to personally reset the safety barrier. Rather, this reset can take place from an operation room or a central operation room or from any location via a mobile device.

The sensor is preferably connected to the control unit in a wireless or wired manner. In particular, a very simple system with little installation effort is created by a wireless connection.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, a camera system with at least one camera and with an evaluation unit is provided as the sensor, wherein at least the safety barrier is arranged in the capture range of the at least one camera, wherein the evaluation unit is configured to evaluate the images captured by the at least one camera in order to detect the opening state of the safety barrier and to transmit the sensor signal to the control unit. As a result, the opening state can be detected by means of image recognition, as a result of which no separate sensor has to be arranged directly on the safety barrier. In an advantageous manner, for example, more than one safety barrier can also be monitored with the camera system.

Preferably, at least one camera is provided in the cableway station, wherein the at least one safety barrier is arranged in the capture range of the at least one camera, wherein a display unit for displaying images and/or videos captured by the camera is provided in the cableway station—preferably in an operation room—and/or outside the cableway station—preferably the central operation room for several cableway stations. As a result, the operating personnel can visually monitor the area of the safety barrier, e.g., from the operation room, and reset the safety barrier into the closed position with the remote control unit if no potential danger is detected.

Alternatively or additionally, a mechanical contact switch, inductive sensor, capacitive sensor, light barrier, laser sensor, magnetic sensor, or ultrasonic sensor arranged in the area of the safety barrier can also be provided as the sensor. As a result, a suitable switch can be used, depending upon the application; for example, a weather-resistant sensor can be used in an unprotected area. A redundant system could also be provided if, in addition to the camera system, a further sensor is provided, such that the reliability and consequently the safety of the operation of the cableway can be increased. As a result, a relatively simple and robust system can be created.

The object is also achieved by a safety system, wherein the safety barrier has a remotely-operable actuating unit in order to reset the safety barrier with a remote control unit from an open position into a closed position.

The object is further achieved by a method for operating a cableway, wherein the cableway drive is stopped by the control unit, or a drive speed of the cableway drive is reduced, when the safety barrier is moved from a closed position into an open position, wherein the safety barrier is reset by means of a remote control unit from the open position, in which the cableway drive is stopped or the drive speed is reduced, into the closed position, in which the cableway drive can be activated again or the drive speed can be increased again.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following, the present teaching is described in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 1 through 3, which, by way of example, show schematic and non-limiting, advantageous embodiments of the present teaching. The drawings show:

FIG. 1 a plan view of a cableway station of a cableway,

FIG. 2 a plan view of a cableway station for three cableways,

FIG. 3 several, spatially separated cableway stations, each for one cableway, with a central operation room.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a cableway station 1 of a cableway S designed as a gondola lift. The basic structure and the function of a cableway station 1 are known, which is why a detailed description at this point is dispensed with. The illustration is therefore greatly simplified, and only the components essential for the present teaching are shown. The cableway S has several cable cars F which are moved with a traction cable 12. In the example shown, the cableway S is designed as a circulating cableway, in which the cable cars F are coupled to and uncoupled from the traction cable 12. In this case, the traction cable is deflected by 180°around a pulley wheel 13, and is driven by the pulley wheel 13. For this purpose, a cableway drive 5, e.g., an electrical drive, is provided which drives the pulley wheel 13. Of course, this is only an example, and several cableway stations 1 can also be provided in the cableway, e.g., two end stations and one or more central stations, wherein a cableway drive 5 can be provided in each cableway station. A cable deflection of less than 180°would also be conceivable in principle. In general, at least two cableway stations are usually provided, between which the cable cars F circulate, e.g., to transport persons P and/or objects, wherein a cableway drive 5 is provided in at least one cableway station 1.

A control unit 4 is provided in the cableway station 1, which control unit is connected to the cableway drive 5 of the cableway S or is integrated therein. The control unit 4 can be used to control the cableway drive 5 in order to control the movement of the pulley wheel 13 and consequently the movement of the traction cable 12. As a result, the speed at which the cable cars F are moved when they are connected to the traction cable 12 can be controlled. As is known, the cable cars F of a circulating cableway can also be decoupled from the traction cable 12 upon entry into a cableway station 1, in order to be able to be moved through the cableway station 1 at a mostly lower speed, independent from the speed of the traction cable 12. Upon their exit from the cableway station 1, the cable cars F can again be coupled to the traction cable 12. As a result, a more comfortable entry into and exit from the cable cars F within the cableway station 1 can be made possible, and a high conveying capacity can nevertheless be achieved by the unchanged high speed of the traction cable 12. In the uncoupled state, the cable cars F can be guided, for example, by means of rollers on a guide rail (not shown), which guide rail is arranged in an upper region of the cableway station 1. The drive of the cable cars F uncoupled from the traction cable 12 during the movement within the cableway station 1 can take place, for example, via a known friction drive. Within the scope of the present teaching, the control unit 4 therefore controls not only the drive of the traction cable 12, but in particular also the drive of the cable cars F in the uncoupled state, within the cableway station 1.

As a rule, an operation room 9 is also provided in a cableway station 1, from which room the responsible operating personnel B control the cableway, and in particular the cableway drive 5. For this purpose, for example, a control console 14 can be provided in the operation room 9—for example, in the form of a computer which is connected to the control unit 4. The operation room 9 is usually arranged in such a manner that the operating personnel B responsible for the operation of the cableway S can view the essential areas, and in particular an entry and/or exit area. If an unforeseen event occurs which, under certain circumstances, jeopardizes safety for persons, e.g., if a passenger falls when entering/exiting a cable car F, the operating personnel B can intervene and stop the cableway drive 5 via the control console 14, for example, or at least reduce the speed.

In a known manner, one or more openable safety barriers 2 can also be provided in the cableway station 1 in order to detect whether a person or an object is positioned in, and/or has entered into, a specific area without authorization. Such a safety barrier 2 is often arranged in areas which are particularly critical for safety—for example, in the area of the cableway drive 5 of the cableway S in which moving parts are located. A safety barrier 2 is often also arranged in an exit area of the cableway S, in which the cable cars F are again coupled to the traction cable 12 in order to increase the speed again.

In the exit area of a cable car, the safety barrier 2 can be used as a guide contour of the car, for example. The shape of the safety barrier 2 can, for example, be adapted in a substantially complementary manner to the outer contour of the cars, or a part thereof. In normal operation, the cable cars F pass through the safety barrier 2 with the smallest possible distance between the car and the safety barrier 2 transverse to the direction of travel, without the safety barrier 2 being actuated or triggered. During operation of the cableway S, however, certain hazardous situations can occur, e.g., when a car door has not been locked, or has not been locked completely, an object is clamped in the car door, or a person is being dragged along by the cable car, etc. In these cases, the outer contour of the car or of a part thereof usually no longer matches the contour of the car in normal operation. As a result, the safety barrier 2 is actuated, because, it is for example actuated or triggered by the laterally protruding (not completely closed) car door, the object, or the person, and is moved from the closed position into an open position during normal operation.

However, areas of a cableway station 1 which are not critical with regard to personal safety or risk of injury, but for which, for example, access is not permitted for unauthorized persons, e.g., passengers, for operational reasons, can also be separated by means of a safety barrier 2. Safety barriers 2 can be advantageous in particular in areas which are particularly safety-relevant and/or which are only poorly visible to the operating personnel B. In principle, many different elements can be used as safety barriers 2 that are suitable for blocking passage access—for example, doors, bars, etc. However, the specific embodiment of a safety barrier 2 is irrelevant for the present teaching.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, three safety barriers 2 are arranged. One safety barrier 2 is arranged in this case in the region of the cableway drive 5 below the pulley wheel 13 in order to block access to the drive, and in particular to the moving parts of the drive. For better recognizability of the components, the pulley wheel 13 is shown cutaway in the region of the safety barrier. A further safety barrier 2 is arranged in the exit area of the cableway station 1, in which the cable cars F are again coupled to the traction cable 12 in order to increase the speed of the cable cars F from the low speed within the cableway station 1 to a relatively higher speed of the traction cable 12. The safety barrier 2 in the exit area can be provided, for example, as a guide contour for the cable cars F, as was explained above. The third safety barrier 2 is arranged adjacent to the operation room 9 and separates the entry/exit area accessible to passengers from an area to which access is not permitted for persons who are not authorized operators—in particular, passengers.

In normal operation of the cableway S, a safety barrier 2 is generally in a closed position in which passage is blocked, and can, for example, be moved from the closed position into an open position when actuated by a person or an object. A sensor 3 with which the opening state of the associated safety barrier 2 can be detected is assigned to each safety barrier 2. The sensor 3 is connected to the control unit 4 and transmits a sensor signal Y to the control unit 4 as a function of the opening state. The signal transmission can be wired or wireless. The control unit 4 processes the obtained sensor signal Y and controls the cableway drive 5 as a function of the sensor signal Y. In the simplest case, a mechanical contact switch, inductive sensor, capacitive sensor, light barrier, laser sensor, magnetic sensor, or ultrasonic sensor arranged in proximity to the safety barrier 2 can be provided as the sensor 3, as is indicated on the safety barrier 2 in the region of the drive in FIG. 1.

If the safety barrier 2 is actuated by being moved from the closed position into an open position, the sensor 3 detects the open position and sends a corresponding sensor signal Y to the control unit 4. In the simplest case, this can mean, for example, that the contact of a contact switch is interrupted. When the sensor signal Y corresponding to the open position is received, the control unit 4 can trigger an emergency stop of the cableway drive 5, for example. This is advantageous in particular if a safety barrier 2 of an area which is particularly critical with respect to the risk of injury, e.g., near the cableway drive 5 in FIG. 1, or in the exit area of the cable cars F from the cableway station 1, is actuated. In the case of less-critical areas, however, it is, for example, possible for a reduction in the speed of the cableway drive 5 to simply take place.

Until now, if a safety barrier 2 was actuated, an emergency stop of the cableway S was generally triggered—for example, because the safety barrier 2 was actuated in the exit area by a passenger who wanted to climb into a cable car F too late. However, an actuation could also take place by means of an object—for example, an object clamped in the door of a cabin. The responsible operating personnel B previously personally visually checked the area of the safety barrier 2 in question, and identified the cause for triggering the safety barrier 2. If they determined that a normal operating state existed, or was restored, the safety barrier 2 was manually closed by hand. The cableway drive 5 was then also manually activated by hand by the same person or another person of the responsible operating personnel B—usually from the operation room 9 of the cableway station 1. Especially in the case of long distances between the operation room 9 and a safety barrier 2, and if the operation and monitoring is carried out, for example, by only one person of the operating personnel B, this can lead to relatively long waiting times until the operation of the cableway S can be resumed.

Within the scope of the present teaching, a remotely-operable actuating unit 6 is therefore assigned to at least one safety barrier 2, with which the safety barrier 2 can be moved from the state of the open position back into the state of the closed position by means of a suitable remote control unit 7, without manual intervention. In the example according to FIG. 1, each of the three illustrated safety barriers 2 is assigned a remotely-operable actuating unit 6. “Remote operation” or “from a distance” in this context means in particular that it is possible to take action which affects the safety barrier 2 by means of the actuating unit 6 in order to reset the safety barrier 2 from the open position back into the closed position, without a person of the operating personnel having to be positioned on-site at the safety barrier 2. In the context of the present teaching, the closed position of the safety barrier 2 generally means a position of the safety barrier 2 in the normal state in which an unrestricted normal operation of the cableway S is possible. In the context of the present teaching, the open position is generally understood to mean any given position of the safety barrier 2, deviating from the closed position, by means of which a restricted operation of the cableway S is triggered. The closed position and the open position are detected by means of the at least one sensor 3.

A stationary remote control unit 7a can be provided as a remote control unit 7, for example, which is arranged, for example, in the operation room 9 of the cableway station 1 or in a control center that is spatially separated from the cableway, and is operated by a person in the operation room 9 or control center. A central operation room 17 can be provided as a control center, for example, which is provided for controlling several cableways that are spatially separated from one another, as will be explained in detail in FIG. 3. The stationary remote control unit 7a can be integrated, for example, in the control console 14. However, a mobile remote control unit 7b could also be provided, by means of which the actuating unit 6 can be controlled locally, independently of the operation room 9, as is indicated in FIG. 1 at left, above. For example, a suitable mobile telephone, such as a smartphone, or a suitable portable computer, such as a tablet computer or the like, can be contemplated.

The actuating unit 6 can have, for example, a suitable drive unit, such as an electric drive, via which the safety barrier 2 is reset. Of course, other drives, such as hydraulic, pneumatic, or electromagnetic drives, are also possible. The control of the actuating unit 6 can take place directly, by control signals being transmitted directly from the remote control unit 7 to the actuating unit 6. This signal transmission can be wireless, e.g., via radio, or conventionally wired—for example, via an electrical line. However, the control can also take place indirectly and centrally via the control unit 4, by the control signals being transmitted from the remote control unit 7 to the control unit 4, and the control unit 4 controlling the actuating unit 6.

After the safety barrier 2 has been moved back into the closed position via the remote control unit 7, the closed position is detected by the sensor 3, and a corresponding sensor signal Y is transmitted to the control unit 4. As a result, the operationally ready state is restored, in which the cableway drive 5 can be restarted or the speed can be increased again—for example, by means of a manual control by the operating personnel B. Preferably, however, the control unit 4 automatically starts the cableway drive 5 when the sensor signal Y corresponding to the closed position is received, or increases the speed of the cableway drive 5, depending upon whether the drive has been stopped when the safety barrier 2 is opened or only the speed has been reduced. It is important that a start of the cableway drive 5 or an increase in the speed be possible only if the safety barrier 2 has been moved back into the closed position, i.e., the safety barrier 2 has again assumed the normal state. In the open position, this is not possible for safety reasons. Advantageously, the actuating unit 6 is actuated to close the safety barrier 2 only once the operating personnel B have made certain that there is no longer any risk in the area of the relevant safety barrier 2.

If the area of the activated safety barrier 2 is not visible, or is only poorly visible, it may be advantageous for the safety barrier 2 to be monitored by a camera 10. The safety barrier 2 is arranged in the capture range of the camera 10, and the captured images are transmitted—preferably in the form of a video—to, for example, a suitable display unit, e.g., to a monitor in the operation room 9, or to the (e.g., stationary or mobile) remote control unit 7. The operating personnel B can then monitor the situation directly from the operation room 9 or by means of the remote control unit 7, and can move the safety barrier 2 into the closed position by means of the remote control unit 7, in order to accordingly restore the operation of the cableway S, and in particular to activate the cableway drive 5. As a result, an advantageous, partially-automated operation of the cableway S can be achieved, and the waiting times before the cableway S is restarted can be shortened, while maintaining the same level of safety.

An alarm unit 8 is preferably also provided in the cableway station 1, which triggers a preferably optical or acoustic alarm signal when the sensor signal Y corresponding to the open position is received. In this case as well, a direct, wireless, or wired transmission of the sensor signal Y to the alarm unit 8 could take place, or the alarm unit 8 can be activated indirectly via the control unit 4 which receives the sensor signal Y. For example, a type of siren could be provided as an alarm unit 8 in order to signal the triggering of a safety barrier 2. A signal light, e.g., a beacon light, could also be provided—for example, additionally or alternatively. Preferably, one signal light can be arranged per safety barrier 2, so that the detection of the specific activated safety barrier 2 is facilitated. However, an alarm unit 8 could also be arranged outside of the cableway station 1—for example, in a central operation room 17 (FIG. 3).

It is particularly advantageous if a camera system K, which has at least one camera 10 and an evaluation unit 11, is used as the sensor 3. The camera 10 is arranged in such a way that at least one safety barrier 2 is arranged in the capture range A of the at least one camera 10. If it is possible, given the spatial arrangement, several safety barriers 2 can of course also be arranged in the capture range A of a camera 10, as indicated with dashed lines in FIG. 1. The evaluation unit 11 is provided to evaluate the images captured by the at least one camera 10, in order to detect the opening state of the safety barrier(s) 2 and to transmit a sensor signal Y corresponding to the opening state to the control unit 4.

For this purpose, image recognition is implemented in the evaluation unit 11 in a known manner—for example, in the form of hardware and/or software which are designed to detect the opening states of the respective safety barriers 2. The use of such camera systems K is known in the prior art—for example, by the term, “machine vision.”The evaluation unit 11 can, for example, form one unit with the camera 10 as shown, but could also be integrated, for example, into the control unit 4, or also be designed as a separate unit. By using a camera system K, conventional sensors in the proximity of safety barriers 2, for example, can be dispensed with. In order to increase safety, the camera system K and the sensors 3 could also be used in parallel, for reasons of redundancy.

A further advantageous embodiment of the present teaching is explained in more detail below with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows a single cableway station 1 for three cableways S1-S3. Such a configuration can be advantageous, for example, in order to create a common entry point from which passengers can be transported in several different directions. In this case, passengers can decide in the cableway station 1 which cableway S1-S3 to take, and board the corresponding cable car F. By using a common, instead of three, structurally-separate, cableway stations 1, a more cost-effective and space-saving design can be realized. In addition, it is possible to control and monitor the cableways S1-S3 centrally, whereby a simpler and more cost-effective operation can be achieved.

Where, in the past, at least one person of the cableway personnel B was needed per cableway station 1 to control the cableway S1 and monitor the operation, this is now possible, in the embodiment shown, with a smaller number of persons. In the example shown, therefore, only one operation room 9 is provided, from which the three cableways S1-S3 can be controlled via a central control unit 4. Each cableway S1-S3 is assigned a separate cableway drive 5 in order to drive the respective pulley wheels 13 and to drive the cable cars F which are uncoupled from the traction cable within the cableway station 1. The cableway drives 5 are controlled by the central control unit 4, as a result of which, for example, the movement of the cable cars F of the three cableways S1-S3 can be synchronized or coordinated with one another. Due to the separate cableway drives 5, it is possible that not all the cableways S1-S3 always have to be in operation; rather, for example, only one or two of the three cableways S1-S3 may be in operation. Of course, a shared cableway drive 5 for all the cableways S1-S3 could also be provided.

One openable safety barrier 2, which according to the present teaching has an actuating unit 6 which can be controlled by means of a remote control unit 7, is assigned to each of the exit areas of the cableways S1-S3. Of course, it is also possible to provide only one safety barrier 2, which has a remotely-operable actuating unit 6. The safety barriers 2 can be provided, for example, as a guide contour for the cabins of the cable cars F, as has been explained earlier. The remote control unit 7 is arranged in this case in the form of a stationary remote control unit 7a within the operation room 9, and in particular integrated into the control console 14. The control console 14 is connected to the central control unit 4 in order to control the cableway drives 5. Each safety barrier 2 is assigned a camera 10 of a camera system K, which functions as a sensor 3. Each of the safety barriers 2 is arranged in the capture range A of the associated camera 10.

The evaluation unit 11 of the camera system K is integrated in this case into the control unit 4. As has already been described with reference to FIG. 1, the opening state of the safety barriers 2 is monitored via the camera system K by means of image recognition, and a corresponding sensor signal Y is transmitted to the central control unit 4 when an open position of a safety barrier 2 is detected. Depending upon the specific embodiment, the control unit 4 stops the cableway drives 5 of all the cableways S1-S3 as a function of the sensor signal Y, or reduces the speed thereof. In the case of separate cableway drives 5, it is of course also possible to stop only the specific cableway S1, or to reduce the speed thereof, for which the safety barrier 2 has been actuated.

In turn, one or more alarm units (not shown) is/are preferably provided inside and/or outside the cableway station 1 in order to signal the triggering of the safety barrier 2. In addition to a general alarm signal in the cableway station 1 in the form of a light or a siren which is also perceptible to the passengers, the safety barrier 2 actuated in each case could also be indicated in a suitable manner in the operation room 9—for example, on a monitor. As a result, a more rapid reaction can take place, because the safety barrier 2 which has been actuated can be identified more quickly.

If not all safety barriers 2 are visible from the operation room 9, it is advantageous if the camera system K, in addition to its function as a sensor 3, is also used to indicate the situation at least in the region of the triggered safety barrier 2—preferably as a video transmission—to the operating personnel B in the operation room 9. As a result, it can be determined from the operation room 9 whether a potential hazardous situation, such as a person who has fallen, or a trapped object, has been rectified, and the relevant safety barrier 2 can be moved back directly from the operation room 9 into the closed position by means of the remote control unit 7b. The camera system K continues to monitor the safety barrier 2, and transmits a corresponding sensor signal Y to the control unit 4 when the closed position has been reached. As a result, the normal operating state is restored, in which the cableway drive 5 of the respective cableway Si can be restarted, for example, or the speed can be increased again, which can take place, for example, actively by the operating personnel B from the operation room 9. In an advantageous embodiment, the control unit 4 controls the cableway drives 5 as a function of the obtained sensor signal Y autonomously when the sensor signal Y is received, in order to automatically restore the operation of the given cableway Si or all of the cableways S1-S3, or to increase the speed thereof again.

If the hazard potential is still present in the region of the triggered safety barrier 2, the operating personnel B can personally evaluate the situation in the region of the safety barrier 2 and restore the operationally-safe state. In order in this case to bring the cableway Si or all the cableways S1-S3 back into operation as quickly as possible, it can be advantageous if the safety barrier 2 is able to be closed via a mobile remote control unit 7b, which is not illustrated in FIG. 2 (see, for example, FIG. 1). It can be seen from this that the efficiency of the operation of a cableway compared to conventional cableways can be increased by the present teaching, and at the same time high operational safety can be achieved. According to a further advantageous embodiment, the remote operability can also be exploited to actuate several of the safety barriers 2 in cableway stations 1 arranged separately from one another, as explained below with reference to FIG. 3.

In FIG. 3, a portion of a ski area is shown in a highly simplified manner. A road 15 runs through the valley of the area. Three cableways S1-S3 are provided in the ski area, each with a first cableway station 1a in the form of a terminal station designed as a lower station, and with a second cableway station 1b in the form of a terminal station designed as a summit station. Of course, further cableway stations 1 in the form of central stations could also be provided in-between. The cableways S1-S3 are embodied as circulating cableways, and each has a plurality of cable cars F which can be moved in a known manner between the cableway station 1a, 1b by means of a traction cable 12 in order to transport persons and/or objects from the lower station to the summit station (and vice versa). Several cableway supports 16 are arranged in a known manner between the cableway stations 1a, 1b in order to guide the traction cable 12. Of course, the illustration is greatly simplified and shows only the features that are essential for understanding the present teaching.

In at least one cableway station 1a, 1b of each cableway S1-S3, a cableway drive 5 (not shown) is also provided in each case in order to drive the traction cable 12 by means of a pulley wheel 13, which is indicated by dashed lines. Each of the cableway drives 5 is in turn controlled by a control unit 4 (not shown), as has already been described in detail. Due to simpler installation, the cableway drive 5 is generally provided in the lower station 1a. The structure and the function of the cableways S1-S3 have already been described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, which is why this is no longer discussed in detail at this point.

In the example shown, one or more safety barriers 2 (not shown) is/are provided in the cableway stations 1a, 1b of the three cableways S1-S3, the mode of operation of which has already been described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. According to the present teaching, the safety barriers 2 each have an actuating unit 6 which can be actuated by means of one (or more) remote control units(s) 7 to enable resetting the safety barriers 2 after the triggering from an open position (in which the cableway drive 5 is interrupted, or at least the speed is reduced) into a closed position (in which the cableway drive 5 can be activated again, or the speed can be increased again). Of course, it would, however, again be sufficient for the present teaching if only one safety barrier 2 of a cableway station Si were assigned a remotely-operable actuating unit 6. The remotely-controlled reset of the safety barriers(s) 2 by means of the remote control unit 7, and the subsequent restarting of the cableway drive 5 of the respective cableways Si, can take place, for example, in separate steps. In an advantageous embodiment, however, the reset could also take place automatically, by the control unit 4, if the closed position of the safety barrier 2 were detected by the associated sensor 3 and a corresponding sensor signal Y were received by the associated control unit 4.

In the example shown, a central operation room 17 is provided alternatively or additionally to operation rooms 9 (see FIGS. 1 and 2), which are possibly provided within each of the cableway stations 1a, 1b. The central operation room 17 in this case is separated spatially from the cableway stations 1a, 1b of the cableway S1-S3—for example, in a separate building within the ski area. However, one of the operation rooms 9 of the cableway stations 1a, 1b or a central operation room 17 located entirely outside the ski area, could also be provided as the central operation room 17. In the central operation room 17, a stationary remote control unit 7a is provided, by means of which the actuating units 6 of the safety barriers 2 of all the cableway stations 1a, 1b of the cableways S1-S3 can be controlled remotely in order to move the safety barriers 2 from an open position into a closed position.

Preferably, the cableway drive 5 can also be activated again, or the speed can be increased again, after the closed position is reached, from the central operation room 17—for example, by providing a central control console (not shown) in the central operation room 17 via which the control units 4 can be controlled. According to a preferred embodiment, the restart of the respective cableway drives 5 is carried out automatically, however, once the closed position of the safety barrier 2 has been detected by the respective sensors 3, and a corresponding sensor signal Y has been transmitted to the control unit 4. By using a central operation room 17, the cableways S1-S3 can advantageously be controlled centrally, and an at least partially automated operation of the cableways S1-S3 can be achieved, so that no operating personnel B need to be present directly on-site in the cableway stations 1a, 1b in order to close the safety barriers 2.

Alternatively or in addition to the illustrated stationary remote control unit 7a within the central operation room 17, it would also be conceivable for the safety barriers 2 to also be operated by a mobile remote control unit 7b. As a result, closing of the safety barriers 2 and preferably restarting of the respective cableway drives 5 can be carried out, for example, independently of the location of the cableway stations 1a, 1b and of the central operation room 17, as is indicated in FIG. 3. The communication of the mobile remote control unit 7b with the control unit 4 of the respective cableways S1-S3 preferably takes place wirelessly—for example, via a suitable radio connection. A suitable mobile telephone, and in particular a smartphone, and/or a portable computer—in particular, a tablet computer—could be provided as the mobile remote control unit 7b, for example.

In order to be able to visually monitor the area of a safety barrier 2 even without the presence of operating personnel B in the cableway station 1a, 1b, it is advantageous if the area of the safety barrier 2 is monitored by means of a camera 10 (see FIG. 1), wherein the captured images or videos are displayed on a display unit—preferably with real-time transmission. The display unit can be provided, for example, within the central operation room 17—for example, integrated into a central control console in the form of a monitor. However, a suitable mobile remote control unit 7b could also serve as a display unit. As a result, if necessary, e.g., when a safety barrier 2 has been triggered in one of the cableway stations 1a, 1b, and the cableway drive 5 has been stopped, the situation in the area of the triggered safety barrier 2 can be checked via the display unit in the central operation room 17 (or via the mobile remote control unit 7b).

Due to the transmitted images or videos of the camera 10, it can be easily determined whether there is still a potential danger. If necessary, persons of the operating personnel B and/or emergency responders can be sent to the location if, for example, passengers were injured when the safety barrier 2 was triggered. If it is determined on the basis of the transmitted images or videos that there is no longer any danger, the safety barrier 2 can be moved back into the closed position by means of the respective stationary and/or mobile remote control units 7a, 7b, and the cableway drive 5 can preferably be restarted automatically.

If a mechanical contact switch, inductive sensor, capacitive sensor, light barrier, laser sensor, magnetic sensor, ultrasonic sensor, etc., arranged in the region of the safety barrier 2 is provided as the sensor 3 for detecting the opening state of the safety barrier 2, a separate camera 10 is required for the visual monitoring of the safety barrier 2. If a camera system K with at least one camera 10 and with an evaluation unit 11 is provided as the sensor 3, the camera 10 of the camera system K can advantageously also be used to transmit the captured images and/or videos to the display unit. By means of the present teaching, it is therefore no longer necessary for operating personnel B to be present permanently in each cableway station 1a, 1b, but only, for example, if there is a need to address operation interruptions of a cableway S1-S3 which cannot be addressed via remote operation.

Preferably, one or more alarm units 8 can also be provided within and/or outside the cableway stations 1a, 1b, in order to trigger an alarm when a safety barrier 2 has been actuated. For example, alarm units 8 could be provided within the cableway station stations 1a, 1b in order to signal the triggering of the safety barrier 2. However, an alarm unit 8 is also, advantageously, provided in the central operation room 17 in order to signal to the operating personnel B by means of an alarm signal that a safety barrier 2 has been triggered, and preferably also which of the safety barriers 2 has been triggered.

Claims

1. A cableway station for at least one cableway in which station at least one openable safety barrier is provided, wherein a sensor for detecting an opening state of the at least one safety barrier is provided in the cableway station, said sensor transmitting a sensor signal to a control unit of a cableway drive as a function of the opening state, wherein the control unit controls the cableway drive as a function of the obtained sensor signal, wherein the control unit is provided to stop the cableway drive or to reduce a drive speed of the cableway drive when a sensor signal corresponding to an open position of the safety barrier is received, wherein the safety barrier has a remotely-operable actuating unit which can be controlled by means of a remote control unit in order to reset the safety barrier from the open position, in which the cableway drive is stopped or the drive speed is reduced, into a closed position, in which the cableway drive can be activated again or the drive speed can be increased again.

2. The cableway station according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured, after the remote reset of the safety barrier from the open position into the closed position by the actuating unit, to automatically activate the cableway drive again or to increase the drive speed again when a sensor signal corresponding to the closed position is received.

3. The cableway station according to claim 1, wherein an alarm unit is provided in the cableway station and/or outside the cableway station in order to trigger a preferably visual and/or acoustic alarm, when the open position of the safety barrier is detected by the sensor.

4. The cableway station according to claim 1, wherein the actuating unit of the safety barrier can be controlled wirelessly and/or by wire via at least one stationary and/or portable remote control unit, wherein preferably at least one stationary and/or portable remote control unit is arranged in the cableway station, preferably in an operation room, and/or outside the cableway station, preferably in a central operation room for several cableway stations.

5. The cableway station according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is connected to the control unit in a wireless or wired manner.

6. The cableway station according to claim 1, wherein a camera system with at least one camera and with an evaluation unit is provided as the sensor, wherein the at least one safety barrier is arranged in the capture range of the at least one camera, wherein the evaluation unit is configured to evaluate the images captured by the at least one camera in order to detect at least the opening state of the safety barrier and to transmit the sensor signal to the control unit.

7. The cableway station according to claim 1, wherein at least one camera is provided in the cableway station, wherein the at least one safety barrier is arranged in the capture range of the at least one camera, wherein a display unit for displaying images and/or videos captured by the camera is provided in the cableway station, preferably in an operation room, and/or outside the cableway station, preferably in a central operation room for several cableway stations.

8. The cableway station according to claim 1, wherein a mechanical contact switch, inductive sensor, capacitive sensor, light barrier, laser sensor, magnetic sensor, or ultrasonic sensor arranged in the region of the safety barrier is provided as the sensor.

9. A safety system for a cableway station, having an openable safety barrier with a sensor for detecting an opening state of the safety barrier and for generating a sensor signal as a function of the opening state, wherein the safety barrier has a remotely-operable actuating unit so that the safety barrier can be reset from an open position into a closed position by a remote control unit.

10. The safety system according to claim 9, wherein the safety system has an alarm unit in order to trigger a preferably optical and/or acoustic alarm when the open position of the safety barrier is detected by the sensor.

11. The safety system according to claim 9, wherein the safety system has a stationary and/or mobile remote control unit for controlling the actuating unit of the safety barrier.

12. The safety system according to claim 9, wherein a camera system with at least one camera and with an evaluation unit is provided as the sensor, wherein the at least one safety barrier is arranged in the capture range of the at least one camera, wherein the evaluation unit is configured to evaluate the images captured by the at least one camera in order to detect the opening state of the safety barrier and to generate the sensor signal.

13. The safety system according to claim 9, wherein the safety system comprises at least one camera and a display unit for displaying images and/or videos captured by the camera, wherein the at least one safety barrier is arranged in the capture range of the at least one camera.

14. The safety system according to claim 9, wherein a mechanical contact switch, inductive sensor, capacitive sensor, light barrier, laser sensor, magnetic sensor, or ultrasonic sensor arranged in the region of the safety barrier is provided as the sensor.

15. A method for operating at least one cableway with at least one cableway station in which an openable safety barrier is arranged, wherein an opening state of the safety barrier is monitored, wherein a cableway drive of the at least one cableway is controlled by a control unit as a function of the opening state, wherein the cableway drive is stopped by the control unit or a drive speed of the cableway drive is reduced if the safety barrier is moved from a closed position into an open position, wherein the safety barrier, by means of a remote control unit, is reset from the open position, in which the cableway drive is stopped or the drive speed is reduced, into the closed position, in which the cableway drive can be activated again or the drive speed can be increased again.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the cableway drive is automatically re-activated by the control unit, or the drive speed of the cableway drive is increased again, when the safety barrier has been reset into the closed position by means of the remote control unit.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein, when the safety barrier is opened, a preferably visual and/or acoustic alarm is triggered in the cableway station and/or outside the cableway station.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the safety barrier is controlled via a stationary remote control unit preferably arranged in an operation room of the cableway station and/or in a central operation room outside the cableway station for several cableway stations, or via a portable remote control unit, and preferably a mobile telephone or a portable computer.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein the opening state of the safety barrier is monitored using a camera system, wherein images of the safety barrier arranged in the capture range of the camera are captured by at least one camera, and wherein the images are evaluated by an evaluation unit by means of image recognition in order to detect the opening state.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein images and/or videos of the safety barrier arranged in the capture range of the camera are captured by at least one camera and are displayed on a display unit preferably arranged in an operation room of the cableway station and/or in a central operation room outside the cableway station.