System for increasing the travel speed of funicular railway cars and cable-drawn track-guided ground vehicles

Abstract

System for increasing the travel speed of funicular cars and cable-drawn track-guided ground vehicles, characterized in that a funicular car (1) is pulled by a circulating cable (4) over a circulating cable fixing roller (11) attached to the funicular car (1) and that wheels (3) of the pulled funicular car (1) are coupled to the circulating cable fixing roller (11) in such a way that the rotation of the wheels (3) causes the circulating cable fixing roller (11) to rotate such that the circulating cable fixing roller (11) rolls on the circulating cable (4) by its rotation, which leads to a relative movement of the funicular car (1) to the circulating cable (4) that is pulling and moving it and that, by means of the rolling of the circulating cable fixing roller (11) on the circulating cable (4), the funicular car (1) travels uphill faster than the circulating cable (4) when the circulating cable (4) is pulling uphill.and that, due to the rolling of the circulating rope fixing roller (11) on the circulating haul rope (4), the funicular car (1) travels downhill faster than the circulating haul rope (4) when the circulating haul rope (4) is pulling downhill.

Description

Topic, environment

[0001] Funicular railways are characterized by being held by a cable and simultaneously pulled by this cable, which rests on a solid surface and is guided by a track. Some funicular railways are referred to as people movers, but technically meet these funicular railway boundary conditions and correspond to a horizontally or topographically traversing funicular railway. The device described here for accelerating funicular railway cars and cable-pulled, track-guided ground transport vehicles serves to accelerate this entire range of vehicles. For the sake of simplicity, these will be referred to simply as funicular railways in the following text. State of the art

[0002] The current state of the art is that the travel speed of a funicular car is limited by the maximum speed of the cable. Increasing the cable speed is very complex due to cable dynamics and problems with cable guidance, so maximum cable speeds are around 14 m / s. However, to reduce wear on the cable guidance, cable speeds of around 8 m / s are often used in operation. When passenger volume is low, the speeds are deliberately reduced to conserve the material.

[0003] This inherently slow travel speed is a clear disadvantage for funicular railways. When the funicular operates horizontally (usually called a people mover), this disadvantage becomes critical, as it then competes with transport systems that do not suffer from this cable-specific limitation. A higher travel speed, with the same carriage size, would increase the passenger capacity of the route and simultaneously improve its appeal to customers. The capacity problem is evident not only from the ever-increasing size of funicular carriages but also from the fact that there are routes where two funicular railways have been built side by side. Furthermore, in some cases, parallel aerial tramway lines exist alongside funiculars to handle passenger volume. Criticism of the state of the art

[0004] There is no funicular railway that is held by a cable and simultaneously moves faster than that cable.

[0005] There have been railways with different vehicle and cable speeds, such as the Aguido system. The Aguido system is a rack railway, but it is often confused with a funicular railway because it is guided by a track and requires a cable. However, this lateral energy transmission cable in the Aguido system served to transmit power. The so-called "locomotor" was then moved uphill by the positive engagement between the gear and the rack and was not pulled directly by the cable. Due to the required rack, the Aguido system is limited in its maximum gradient and speed by the risk of the rack climbing. In contrast, in a funicular railway, the movement is achieved by the haul rope, which pulls the funicular car up the mountain.If a funicular railway has a rack and pinion system, it serves only for the positive-locking transmission of braking force and not for power transmission during the uphill journey.

[0006] German patent DE 10 2019 002 769 A1 describes a funicular car with a holding system that allows relative movement to the circulating cable. This system serves to stop a funicular car while the cable continues to run, thus enabling intermediate stops without having to stop the cable and affecting the other funicular car. However, this system cannot allow uphill travel in which the funicular car moves uphill faster than the cable. Furthermore, this system does not allow the rotation of its circulating cable fixing pulley to be mechanically or electrically influenced by the rotation of the moving wheels.

[0007] US Patent 2018 / 0194371A1 describes a system for coupling a funicular car to a cable. This allows the car to remain stationary while the cable continues to move. The system is designed so that the car moves variably slower or at most at the same speed as the cable. It therefore does not allow for a faster speed than the cable. WO 2019 / 020931A1 also does not describe a system that meets the requirements of this invention.

[0008] Therefore, a funicular car with a system is needed that can simultaneously hold the funicular car and move it uphill faster than the circulating cable in order to increase the travel speed and route capacity with a limited cable speed.

[0009] The object of the invention is therefore to further develop a funicular railway car in such a way that it is held on the circulating cable and can move uphill and downhill faster than the cable relative to the cable.

[0010] This problem is solved by a system for increasing the travel speed of funicular railway cars and cable-drawn track-guided ground vehicles according to claim 1, wherein advantageous further developments according to the invention result from dependent claims 2 to 8. Patent description

[0011] The funicular car with a device for accelerating the journey is used to make a funicular railway travel faster than the cable when the cable speed is limited.

[0012] The following section considers a conventional funicular car 1, which rests on rails 2 with wheels 3. It is pulled by a circulating cable 4. The mounting of this circulating cable 4 on the funicular car 1 is not achieved with a conventional clamping device, but with a circulating cable fixing roller 11, as described in DE 10 2019 002 769 A1. This circulating cable fixing roller 11 is a roller that is wrapped at least once by the circulating cable 4 so that the car is held by the cable friction according to Euler-Etylwein. Analogous to DE 10 2019 002 769 A1, rotating cable guide devices 12, 13 are also necessary here for improved guidance of the circulating cable 4. This part with the described circulating rope fixing roller 11 is comparable to DE 10 2019 002 769 A1, the following part, however, differs and enables the function of accelerated uphill travel.

[0013] At the center of the cable fixing roller 11 is a shaft 21. A sprocket 22 is mounted on this shaft 21, which is rotatably mounted on the funicular car 1, to enable positive power transmission. A chain 23 connects the sprocket 22 to a gearbox 24. The gearbox 24 is in turn connected to a wheelset axle 6 and thus to the wheel 3. This mechanical positive connection from the wheel 3, via the wheelset axle 6, the gearbox 24, the chain 23, and the sprocket 22 to the shaft 21 of the cable fixing roller 11 means that rotation of the wheels 3 or wheelset axle 6 results in rotation of the cable fixing roller 11. This frictional connection between the wheel 3 and the rail 2 then causes the cable fixing roller 11 to rotate.

[0014] Because gearbox 24 contains not only gears but also a worm gear, a direction-dependent self-locking mechanism occurs, meaning that torque can only be transmitted from wheel 3 to the cable fixing roller 11, but not in the opposite direction. This self-locking is essential to prevent the funicular car 1 from moving downhill in the event of a loss of friction between wheel 3 and rail 2.

[0015] The rotation of the circulating rope fixing roller 11 is oriented such that, with respect to the direction of rotation, the circulating rope fixing roller 11 would wind the rope up during an uphill ascent if it were a rope spool instead. During a downhill ascent, the rope would unwind if it were a rope spool instead of a circulating rope fixing roller 11.

[0016] Due to this rotation of the circulating rope fixing roller 11, the inertial system funicular car 1 relates to the inertial system circulating haul rope 4 and the inertial system rail 2 as follows: 1) When the circulating cable 4 is stationary, the funicular car 1 is stationary. The wheels 3 do not rotate, and therefore the circulating cable fixing roller 11 does not rotate. Thus, there is no relative motion between the three inertial frames. 2) When the cable 4 moves upwards, it pulls on the cable fixing pulley 11. The force that pulls the funicular car 1 upwards is transmitted via the shaft 21 of the cable fixing pulley 11, which is mounted on the funicular car 1. This causes the wheels 3 of the funicular car 1 to begin rotating due to the frictional engagement with the rail 2. This rotation of the wheels 3 leads, via the gearbox 24, then via the chain 23, and then via the sprocket 22, to a rotation of the shaft 21 and thus to a rotation of the cable fixing pulley 21. The rotation of the cable fixing pulley 21, in turn, causes the funicular car 1 to move upwards faster than the cable 4 (which, in the case of a cable reel, would be like winding it up). From the perspective of the inertial system of the circulating cable 4, the inertial system of the funicular car 1 moves uphill faster than the circulating cable 4.The funicular car 1 therefore travels uphill faster than the cable that pulls it. At the same time, from the perspective of rail 2, the inertial frame of the circulating cable 4 is already moving uphill because the circulating cable 4 is being pulled upwards. 3) When the cable 4 moves downwards, the funicular car rolls downhill due to gravity. This causes the wheels 3 of the funicular car 1 to begin rotating due to friction with the rail 2. This rotation of the wheels 3 leads, via the gearbox 24, then via the chain 23, and then via the sprocket 22, to a rotation of the shaft 21 and thus to a rotation of the cable fixing roller 21. The rotation of the cable fixing roller 21, in turn, causes the funicular car 1 to move uphill faster than the cable 4. From the perspective of the inertial frame of reference of the cable 4, the inertial frame of reference of the funicular car 1 moves downhill faster than the cable 4. Therefore, the funicular car 1 travels downhill faster than the cable.At the same time, from the perspective of rail 2, the inertial system of the circulating cable 4 is already moving downwards because the counter strand 5 of the circulating cable 45 is pulled upwards, so that the circulating cable 4 moves downwards. 4) If the cable 4 is moving, but there is no frictional connection between wheel 3 and rail 2, the cable fixing roller 11 does not rotate. Due to the worm gear in the gearbox 24, the cable fixing roller 11 cannot move. In this case, the funicular car 1 moves exactly with the cable, so there is no relative movement between the inertial system of the cable 4 and the funicular car 1. This situation can be intentionally created by optionally installing a coupling 25 between the wheelset axle 6 and the gearbox 24 to enable emergency operation in the event of gearbox 24 failure. Additionally, a locking element 26 can be installed to fix and prevent rotation of the cable fixing roller 11 in the event of gearbox 24 and / or chain 23 failure.

[0017] The system described here can also be designed to include not only one wheelset axle 6, but also several wheelset axles 6, in order to increase the utilization of the wheel-rail frictional force. Furthermore, depending on the arrangement, the chain 23 can also be replaced by a positive-locking gear connection.

[0018] The system described here can also be implemented so that the gearbox offers 24 different gear ratios, which are engaged by a clutch. Different gear ratios are advantageous because the effectiveness of this system depends on the frictional engagement between the wheel and the rail. This, in turn, is weather-dependent and can vary considerably, meaning that different gear ratios allow it to be exploited to varying degrees.

[0019] The system described here can also be designed so that the mechanical system described here can be replaced by an electrical system. For this purpose, a generator 31 is located on at least one wheelset axle 6. The gearbox 24 would be replaced by a power converter 32, and the cable fixing roller 11 would be rotated by a motor 33. This allows the system to be electronically controlled and influenced via a controller 34. In the case of the electrical system, the power converter 32 and the controller 34 can optionally be omitted. The motor 33 is designed such that its specific construction provides the appropriate speed-torque ratio.

[0020] The system described here is not limited to conventional funicular railways but can also be used for funicular railways on level ground and funicular-like people movers. Its potential increases when used with funicular railways designed as people movers because these are typically built with gentler gradients and are usually equipped with rubber tires, allowing for significantly higher wheel-rail and wheel-track friction coefficients. The prototype model demonstrated that higher wheel friction coefficients enable higher gear ratios, allowing the vehicle to move considerably faster than the cable. Since funicular-like people movers face stiff competition from cable-independent transportation systems, this system significantly reduces the inherent disadvantage of funicular-like people movers, thus increasing their economic benefits.

[0021] Drawing 1 depicts the funicular car 1, which rests on the rail 2 with its wheels 3. In this position, the funicular car 1 is held by the circulating rope fixing roller 11 on the circulating haul rope 4. The circulating haul rope 4 is guided to the circulating rope fixing roller 11 via the rotating rope guide 12 on the uphill side and the rotating rope guide 13 on the downhill side. The power transmission and function of this invention are realized through the use of the following components. The rotational movement of the wheel 3 is converted via a gearbox 24 and transmitted via the chain 23 to the sprocket 22. This power transmission mechanism can also be used by several wheels 3 of the funicular car 1, but for simplicity, it is shown only once. The sprocket 22 is attached to the shaft 21, which in turn is connected to the circulating rope fixing roller 11.This means that a rotation of wheel 3 causes the cable fixing roller 11 to rotate and the travel speed to increase. Optionally, the rotation of the cable fixing roller 11 can be prevented by a fixing element 26 if, for example, the chain 23 is defective, thus still allowing emergency operation.

[0022] Drawing 2 depicts the funicular car 1, which rests on the rail 2 with its wheels 3. In this position, the funicular car 1 is held on the circulating cable 4 by the cable fixing roller 11. The opposing strand 5 of the circulating cable 4 is not touched. The circulating cable 4 is guided to the cable fixing roller 11 via the rotating cable guide 12 on the uphill side and the rotating cable guide 13 on the downhill side. The power transmission and function of this invention are realized through the use of the following components. The rotational movement of the wheel 3 and the axle 6 is converted via a gearbox 24 and transmitted via the chain 23 to the sprocket 22. This power transmission mechanism can also be used for several wheels 3 of the funicular car 1, but for simplicity, it is shown only once. The sprocket 22 is attached to the shaft 21, which in turn is connected to the cable fixing roller 11.This means that when wheel 3 rotates, the cable locking roller 11 rotates, thus increasing the travel speed. Optionally, the connection between the wheelset axle 6 and the gearbox 24 can be disconnected by an optional coupling 25 for emergency operation. Optionally, the rotation of the cable locking roller 11 can be prevented by a locking element 26 if, for example, the chain 23 is defective, thus still allowing emergency operation.

[0023] Drawing 3 depicts an alternative version of this system in which the mechanical components are replaced by electrical components. The funicular car 1, with its wheels 3 resting on the rail 2, is shown. In this position, the funicular car 1 is held by the circulating rope fixing roller 11 on the circulating rope 4. The circulating rope 4 is guided to the circulating rope fixing roller 11 via the rotating rope guide 12 on the uphill side and the rotating rope guide 13 on the downhill side. The power transmission and function of this invention are realized through the use of the following components. The rotational movement of the wheel 3 is converted into electrical energy via a generator 31. The motor 33 converts this energy back into motion and rotates the circulating rope fixing roller 11, thus reducing the mechanical components. Depending on the design of the generator 31 and motor 33, a power converter 32 is interposed.Additionally, the power converter 32 can also be controlled by a controller 34. Analogous to the mechanical version, a rotation of the wheel 3 here also leads to a rotation of the circulating rope fixing roller 11. To enable emergency operation in the event of a system failure, the rotation of the circulating rope fixing roller 11 can optionally be prevented by a fixing element 26. Reference symbol list: 1 funicular car 2 rails 3-wheeler 4 Circulating rope 5 Opposite strand 6 Wheelset axle 11 Circulating rope fixing roller 12 Rotating rope insertion device on the mountain side 13 Rotating rope insertion device on the valley side 21 Wave 22 sprocket 23 chain 24 gearboxes 25 Clutch 26 fixing element 31 Generator 32 power converters 33 Engine 34 Control

Claims

[1] System for increasing the travel speed of funicular cars and cable-drawn track-guided ground vehicles, characterized bythat a funicular railway carriage (1) is pulled by a circulating traction cable (4) via a circulating cable fixing pulley (11) attached to the funicular railway carriage (1), and that wheels (3) of the pulled funicular railway carriage (1) are coupled to the circulating cable fixing pulley (11) in such a way that the rotation of the wheels (3) causes the circulating cable fixing pulley (11) to rotate in such a way that the circulating cable fixing pulley (11) rolls on the circulating traction cable (4) as a result of its rotation, which leads to a relative movement of the funicular railway carriage (1) to the circulating traction cable (4) that is currently pulling and moving it, and that as a result of the rolling of the circulating cable fixing pulley (11) on the circulating traction cable (4), the funicular railway carriage (1) travels uphill faster than the circulating traction cable (4) when the circulating traction cable (4) is pulling uphill, and that as a result of the rolling of the circulating cable fixing pulley (11) on the circulating traction cable (4), the funicular railway carriage (1) in the case of a downwardly moving circulating traction cable (4), the cable moves faster than the circulating traction cable (4) moves downwards. [2] System for increasing the travel speed for funicular cars and cable-drawn track-guided ground vehicles according to claim 1, characterized by that the force which enables the rotation of the circulating cable fixing roller (11) is applied by the frictional force connection between at least one wheel (3) and its ground and that optionally several wheels (3) can apply the force in parallel via the wheel set shafts (6) and that the vehicle-internal power transmission can be designed either mechanically or electrically or from an electromechanical combination. [3] System for increasing the travel speed for funicular railway cars and cable-drawn track-guided ground vehicles according to claims 1 and 2, characterized bythat for the power transmission from the wheel (3) via the wheelset shaft (6) to the circulating cable fixing pulley (11) in a mechanical design, a mechanical gear (24) is used and that this gear (24) enables a speed-torque conversion and that the power transmission from the wheelset shaft (6), via the gear (24), via the chain (23), via the chain wheel (22) to the shaft (21) of the circulating cable fixing pulley (11) takes place in a form-fitting manner and that the power transmission from the wheelset shaft (6) to the circulating cable fixing pulley (11) can alternatively take place in a friction-locking manner and that, if structurally necessary, more or fewer mechanical power transmission components than those described here can be used. [4] System for increasing the travel speed for funicular railway cars and cable-drawn track-guided ground vehicles according to claims 1 and 2, characterized bythat for the power transmission from the wheel (3) via the wheelset shaft (6) to the circulating cable fixing roller (11) in an electrical design with electrical and electromechanical components takes place and that for this purpose a generator (31) converts the mechanical rotational energy of the wheel (3) via the wheelset shaft (6) into electrical energy, so that a motor (33) causes the circulating cable fixing roller (11) to rotate and that in addition a power converter (32) can be used after the generator (31) and before the motor (33) and that in addition a control (34) can be used to actively influence the components. [5] System for increasing the travel speed for funicular cars and cable-drawn track-guided ground vehicles according to one of claims 3 or 4, characterized bythat the power transmission from the wheel (3) to the circulating cable fixing roller (11) is designed in such a way that the circulating cable fixing roller (11) cannot rotate automatically, but is only rotated by a rotation of the wheel and that in the case of a mechanical design this is preferably realized by the self-locking of a worm via a worm gear and that in the case of an electrical design this is realized by the control (34) and / or a fixing element (26) on the circulating cable fixing roller (11) and / or other mechanical elements. [6] System for increasing the travel speed for funicular cars and cable-drawn track-guided ground vehicles according to claim 5, characterized bythat the mechanical, but also the electrical design results in the funicular carriage (1) coming to a standstill when the circulating traction cable (4) is standing still, and that the funicular carriage (1) moves uphill faster than the circulating traction cable (4) due to the rotation of the circulating traction cable fixing pulley (11) caused by the wheels (3) when the circulating traction cable (4) is pulled uphill, and that the funicular carriage (1) moves downhill faster than the circulating traction cable (4) due to the rotation of the circulating traction cable fixing pulley (11) caused by the wheels (3) when the circulating traction cable (4) is pulled downhill or lowered, and that the funicular carriage (1) moves at the same speed as the circulating traction cable (4) when the circulating traction cable (4) is pulled, if at the same time, due to a wheel-subsurface frictional failure, no rotation of the wheels (3) occurs, which results in the circulating traction cable fixing pulley (11) not being rotated,so that it stands still due to the self-locking in the gear (24), thus creating a safe condition. [7] System for increasing the travel speed for funicular cars and cable-drawn track-guided ground vehicles according to one of claims 3 to 6, characterized by that the speed-torque transmission ratio of the power transmission from the wheel (3) to the circulating cable fixing pulley (11) can be influenced in order to influence the speed of the funicular car (1), this being made possible in the case of a mechanical design by a coupling on the gear (24) and in the case of an electrical design by the control or timing of the power converter (32). [8] System for increasing the travel speed for funicular cars and cable-drawn track-guided ground vehicles according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized bythat the system is not limited to conventional funicular railways, but can also be used on funicular railways on flat ground and funicular-like people movers.

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