Cableway with a vehicle having a closure drive and failsafe locking monitoring

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12576897-B2
Application number	US-202118257803-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2021
Priority date	Dec 17, 2020
Publication date	Mar 17, 2026
Grant date	Mar 17, 2026

Abstract

For reliable, failsafe monitoring of the locking of a closure device of a vehicle of a cableway is disclosed in which provision is made for an electrical connection to be established between a vehicle powerline modem on the vehicle and a station powerline modem, which is connected to the cableway controller, via a busbar in the station, with which contact is made by a current collector of the vehicle, and for the locking status of a locking unit to be transmitted from the vehicle to the cableway controller via this connection by means of powerline communication, wherein, in the event of defective locking, the vehicle is stopped in the region of a busbar in the station and the locking status is transmitted to the cableway controller again when the vehicle is at a standstill.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A method for operating a cableway having at least one vehicle, wherein, at least in one station of the cableway, a closure device of the vehicle is closed with a closure drive and the closed closure device is locked by a locking unit, wherein a locking status of the locking unit is detected by a locking monitor and is transmitted to a cableway controller of the cableway, and the travel of the vehicle out of the station is prevented by the cableway controller in the event of defective locking, comprising the steps of:
contacting a first busbar with a current collector of the vehicle during travel of the vehicle through the station in a direction of movement at least after the closing and locking of the closure device, wherein the first busbar is connected to the cableway controller by a first station powerline modem, and the current collector is connected to a vehicle powerline modem after the closing and locking of the closure device, querying the locking status from the locking monitor with a locking evaluation unit and transmitting the locking status to the cableway controller with the vehicle powerline modem via the first busbar and the first station powerline modem through powerline communication, and stopping the cableway with the cableway controller and, as a result of which, bringing the vehicle to a standstill near the first busbar or a second busbar that is configured after the first busbar in the direction of movement, wherein the second busbar is connected with one of the first station powerline modem or a second station powerline modem that is connected with the cableway controller, while the vehicle is standing near the first busbar or the second busbar, querying the locking status at least once from the locking monitor and transmitting the locking status again to the cableway controller with the vehicle powerline modem via the first busbar or the second busbar and the associated station powerline modem, and starting the cableway with the cableway controller when a correct locking of the locking unit has been signaled by the re-transmitted locking status.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of supplying electrical energy to the locking evaluation unit and the vehicle powerline modem via the first busbar or the second busbar.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the steps of, during travel through the station, contacting the first busbar with the current collector of the vehicle in a direction of movement before the closure device, wherein the closure drive comprises an electric drive, and supplying the electric drive with electrical energy via the first busbar.

4 . The method according to claim 3 , further comprising the steps of deactivating the first busbar after closing and locking of the closure device and before the locking status is transmitted, and suppling electrical energy to at least one of the locking evaluation unit and the vehicle powerline modem from an electrical energy store on the vehicle for transmitting the locking status by powerline communication.

5 . A cableway having a station, at least one vehicle, and a cableway controller for controlling the cableway, wherein a closure device and a closure drive for closing the closure device are provided on the vehicle, and a locking unit for locking the closure device is provided on the vehicle, wherein a locking monitor for detecting the locking status of the locking unit is provided on the vehicle, and the vehicle transmits the locking status to the cableway controller, and wherein the cableway controller prevents the vehicle from traveling out of the station in the event of defective locking, the cableway comprising:
a current collector on the vehicle a first busbar in the station the current collector being configured to contact the first busbar when the vehicle travels through the station in a direction of movement at least after the closing and locking of the closure device; a first station powerline modem connecting the first busbar with the cableway controller a vehicle powerline modem on the vehicle connected with the current collector, a locking evaluation unit on the vehicle and, following the closing and locking of the closure device, configured to query the locking status from the locking monitor and transmit the locking status to the cableway controller by the vehicle powerline modem via the first busbar and the first station powerline modem by powerline communication; a second busbar arranged in the station after the first busbar in the direction of movement, a second station powerline modem connected to the cableway controller, wherein the second busbar is connected with one of the first station powerline modem or the second station powerline modem; wherein the cableway controller stops the cableway in the event of defective locking, resulting in the vehicle coming to a standstill near the first busbar ( 10 ) wherein the locking evaluation unit queries the locking status at least once from the locking monitor and again transmits the locking status with the vehicle powerline modem via the first busbar or the second busbar and the first or second station powerline modem to the cableway controller while the vehicle is near the first or second busbar; and wherein the cableway controller starts the cableway when a correct locking of the locking unit has been signaled by the re-transmitted locking status.

6 . The cableway according to claim 5 , wherein at least one of the first and second busbar are configured to supply electrical energy to at least one of the locking evaluation unit and the vehicle powerline modem.

7 . The cableway according to claim 5 , wherein the first busbar is further configured in the station to make contact with the current collector before closure of the closure device, wherein the closure drive comprises an electric drive, and wherein the first busbar is configured to supply electrical energy to the electric drive.

8 . The cableway according to claim 7 , further comprising an electrical energy store on the vehicle configured to supply electrical energy to at least one of the locking evaluation unit and the vehicle powerline modem for transmitting the locking status, and wherein the first busbar is deactivated after the closing and locking of the closure device and before the transmission of the locking status.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of supplying electrical energy to at least one of the locking evaluation unit and the vehicle powerline modem from an electrical energy store on the vehicle.

10 . The cableway according to claim 5 , further comprising an electrical energy store on the vehicle configured to supply electrical energy to at least one of the locking evaluation unit and the vehicle powerline modem.

Assignees

• Innova Patent Gmbh

Inventors

• Pfeifer Daniel
• Mohr Clemens
• Nagel Helmut

Classifications

• B61B12/06 Primary

  Safety devices or measures against cable fracture · CPC title

• B61B7/06

  with self-propelled vehicles · CPC title

• B61L27/70

  Details of trackside communication · CPC title

• H04B2203/5445

  Local network · CPC title

• H04B2203/5458

  Monitor sensor; Alarm systems · CPC title