Apparatus for monitoring the locking of the safety bar of a chair in a cableway system

• US 7,114,451 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2003
• Issued: 10/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innova Patent GmbH
• Original Assignee: Innova Patent GmbH
• Inventors: Albrich, Reinhard, Hinteregger, Christoph
• Primary Examiner(s): Jules, Frantz F.
• Application Number:
  US10/439,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20040003751A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 105/149.2, 105/148, 104/89, 104/112, 104/179, 104/178, 104/173.1, 104/173.2, 104/90, 104/28, 104/27, 280/806, 280/801
• US Class Current: 105/149.2
• CPC Class Codes: B61B 12/002 Cabins; Ski-lift seats B61B12/028 takes precedence

Abstract

An apparatus monitors the locking of the safety bar of the chairs of an aerial cableway system. A first sensor determines the occupancy of the chairs and a second sensor determines the locking of the safety bar. The sensor output signals from these two sensors are led to a control device, which is enabled to switch the chairlift system off.

Claims

1. An apparatus for monitoring the locking of the safety bar of a chair in a cableway system, which comprises:

a first sensor disposed to determine whether or not a given chair is occupied and outputting a corresponding first sensor signal;

a second sensor disposed to determine whether or not the safety bar of the given chair is locked and outputting a corresponding second sensor signal;

a control device disposed to receive the first and second sensor signals, said control device being configured to output a corresponding control signal only if the first sensor signal indicates that the given chair is occupied and the second sensor signal indicates that the safety bar of the given chair is not locked.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control device is configured to output a control signal causing the cableway system to temporarily shut down.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first sensor is disposed in a fixed position and responds as chairs of the cableway system travel past said first sensor.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second sensor comprises a transmitter disposed on the chair and a stationary receiver configured to receive a signal from said transmitter and to output the second sensor signal to said control unit.

5. In a cableway system having a plurality of chairs supported on and conveyed along a load-bearing and conveying cable and each provided with a safety bar for protecting persons occupying the respective chair, a safety monitoring method, comprising:

determining with a first sensor whether or not a given chair is occupied and outputting a corresponding first sensor signal;

determining with a second sensor whether or not the safety bar of the given chair is locked and outputting a corresponding second sensor signal;

receiving the first and second signals with a control device and, if the first sensor signal indicates that the given chair is occupied and the second sensor signal indicates that the safety bar of the given chair is not locked, outputting a corresponding control signal with the control device.

6. The method according to claim 5, which comprises issuing the control signal to temporarily shut down the cableway system.