Aerial cableway with automatic passenger sensing

Abstract

A passenger cable car system has multiple vehicles mounted on a haul rope for movement between its stations (2). Cameras (30) evaluate sequential image data from a predetermined disembarkation area (12) to detect the presence of a vehicle (3) and / or one or more passengers in this disembarkation area (12). A hazard detection evaluation unit connected to the cameras is configured to detect the presence of a passenger in the disembarkation area (12) and, upon such presence, when the vehicle (3) of the disembarked passenger leaves the disembarkation area (12) and another vehicle (3) enters the disembarkation area (12) or is within a predetermined distance of such entry, to generate an emergency deceleration or emergency stop signal. The signal directly and automatically brakes or stops the vehicle(s) (3) without the need for an operator to be present.In addition, image signals from the cameras (30) are transmitted via a signal transmitter to an employee display device so that an employee can restart the cable car system if necessary.

Description

TECHNICAL AREA

[0001] The present invention relates to a cable car system for passengers with an entry station and an exit station for the passengers, with a plurality of vehicles mounted on a haul rope for movement between the entry station and the exit station, wherein the vehicles are arranged to move along a loop passing through the entry station and the exit station, each vehicle comprising a seating area for at least one passenger, and with electronic passenger detection means. STATE OF THE ART

[0002] Cable car systems are subject to safety regulations that monitor passenger boarding and disembarking at the mountain and valley stations and intervene if necessary in case of problems. Station attendants are present at both the mountain and valley stations for this purpose. During normal operation, these station attendants monitor the functionality of the cable car system and the boarding and disembarking process. In the event of a passenger problem, such as a safety bar failing to close or open, a skier falling in the boarding or disembarking area, or someone entering from outside the designated access points, the station attendant has access to an emergency stop switch on the cable car system to resolve the issue before restarting operations.

[0003] From WO 2012 / 172198 A1, such a cable car system is known in which electronic passenger detection means detect the presence of a passenger sitting in the seating area and the position of the safety bar, wherein for this detection the electronic detection means comprise an image recording device to generate an image that is representative of the configuration of a vehicle passing through the field of view of the image recording device, and furthermore an analysis unit for the captured image to determine the presence of a passenger sitting in the vehicle and the position of the safety bar.

[0004] From WO 2021 / 011157 A1, a system for the improved operation of ski lifts is known. It comprises at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory contains computer-executable instructions which, when executed, cause the at least one processor to: record a digital video of one or more boarding and disembarking operations of a ski lift; generate digital images from this video; automatically detect, while the ski lift is in operation, a potential problem situation in one or more of the boarding and disembarking areas of the ski lift based on the multiple digital images; and initiate an action, while the ski lift is in operation, to address the potential problem situation in the one or more of the boarding and disembarking areas of the ski lift while the potential problem situation still exists.

[0005] EP 2 062 798 A2 discloses a cable car system in which a device is provided which triggers a control signal as soon as an incoming chair is at such a distance from the station that its safety bar is to be moved from the closed position to the open position, wherein the chair is equipped with at least one optical and / or acoustic indicator device and with a receiver by which, upon arrival of a control signal, an optical and / or acoustic indicator device can be triggered and / or the safety bar is released for pivoting into the open position by the control signal. PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Based on this prior art, one object of the present invention is to provide an improvement in the monitoring of a cable car system. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a largely autonomous cable car system. In other words, the aim is to enable normal operation, i.e., operation without the presence of an operator. If intervention in the operational processes becomes necessary, such as slowing down or even stopping the cable car system for safety reasons, this is ensured by the control unit of the cable car system. Only for restarting the system does an operator, e.g., at the opposite station, need to review the images provided by the control unit and ensure that the system can be restarted safely.

[0007] This problem is solved for a cable car system according to claim 1 by monitoring an exit station or according to claim 10 by monitoring an entry station. Of course, exit stations and entry stations at the valley station and / or the mountain station can also be monitored accordingly. Furthermore, a cable car system with an exit station can also be an intermediate station, and the same applies to a cable car system with an entry station, which can also be located at an intermediate station. An intermediate station is a station between the valley station and the mountain station where boarding and / or alighting is possible.

[0008] The hazard detection evaluation unit can be configured to detect a fall of a person detected in the image data within the predetermined exit area by evaluating successive image data from the cameras, on the basis of which the emergency deceleration or emergency stop signal can be generated.

[0009] The hazard detection evaluation unit can also be configured so that, by evaluating successive image data from the cameras, the movement of a person in the direction of the vehicle's path can be detected, on the basis of which the emergency deceleration or emergency stop signal can be generated.

[0010] Advantageously, the perimeter of the exit area is completely enclosed by additional elements from the group consisting of one or more physical access barriers, in particular fences, a virtual passenger exit gate, and a virtual vehicle exit gate. These additional elements are connected to the hazard detection evaluation unit to trigger the emergency deceleration or emergency stop signal when a non-passenger enters the exit area. The physical access barriers can also be station walls. If they are fences or chains arranged between posts, they can be equipped with sensors that do not trigger in the case of, for example, landing birds, but do trigger if a person leans on and climbs over these elements. Alternatively, they can simply block off the exit area passively.

[0011] Virtual passenger exit gates and virtual vehicle exit gates are typically light barriers that operate with visible or infrared light and react to people passing through them or objects protruding into or entering them. Virtual gates in two rows of sensors arranged side-by-side along a horizontal axis, covering two parallel planes between them, allow the hazard detection evaluation unit to determine the direction of movement of an object or person, which can then be incorporated into the evaluation. The virtual vehicle gates are usually deactivated when a vehicle passes through, or the resulting signal is recognized as a vehicle passage signal and ignored.

[0012] Instead of an emergency stop signal, an emergency deceleration signal can be triggered if the detected person, for example, reverses direction while moving towards the vehicle path and leaves the monitored area, which can be determined by evaluating the image data and comparing it with the sensor data.

[0013] The virtual entry vehicle grid and the virtual exit vehicle grid, i.e., the vehicle passage limit lines, can be assigned lateral vehicle limit gates, whereby these lateral vehicle limit gates are connected to the hazard detection evaluation unit in order to trigger the aforementioned emergency deceleration or emergency stop signal when the entry of a non-passenger into the exit area is detected by touching or pivoting the gates.

[0014] Adjacent to the exit area, opposite the direction of vehicle travel and beyond an exit edge, a pre-exit area may be provided. This area features a lower surface than the exit area and is equipped with one or more pressure plates, preferably connected to each other. These pressure plates are connected to the exit edge via an inclined sliding surface. The pressure plates are connected to the hazard detection evaluation unit to trigger the emergency deceleration or emergency stop signal when a passenger or non-passenger is detected on the pressure plate, possibly with a delay upon the approach of another vehicle. This pre-exit area can be helpful if passengers in seated elevators open the safety bar and then, due to error or inattention, prematurely leave their seats before reaching the actual exit area, which always results in a minor fall.The pressure plates are designed to detect this situation, with the sliding surface towards the actual exit area ensuring that these fallen persons do not successfully attempt to climb up into the exit area, as this would pose a risk of collision with the next entering chairlift.

[0015] Advantageously, the surface equipped with pressure plates can be inclined downwards perpendicular to the direction of travel, towards a lateral exit surface, to allow persons on the pressure plates to escape the pre-exit area by gravity. In this case, an emergency stop may even be unnecessary, except perhaps for a slowdown. Once the danger zone (i.e., the pre-exit area before the next chair passes) has been detected, this state is recorded by the cameras and pressure plates, and normal operation resumes without informing the operator display about the avoided emergency. However, it is advisable in this case to at least document the occurrence of the incident.

[0016] The operator display device can be an employee's smartphone with a control app for the cable car system, which, in addition to a screen and intercom, can also issue control commands; or it can be a screen and intercom in a cable car control room with controls for the cable car system. Multiple smartphones and / or control rooms can also be alerted.

[0017] According to another embodiment of claim 10, a cable car system for passengers with the same preamble is specified, wherein one or more cameras with which the presence of a passenger in a predetermined direct-entry area (instead of an exit area) can be detected by evaluating their successive image data, a virtual entry vehicle grid which is provided transversely to the entry movement of a vehicle at an entry edge of the direct-entry area, and a hazard detection evaluation unit which is connected to the camera(s) for receiving image data and the virtual entry vehicle grid and is configured to detect the presence of a passenger in the direct-entry area and, in the event of such presence,If the vehicle of the boarding passenger leaves the direct boarding area and another vehicle enters the boarding area or is at a predetermined distance from such an entry, an emergency deceleration or emergency stop signal is generated and transmitted to the motor control of the cable car system for the implementation of said signal for the movement of the vehicles, and in addition, image signals from the cameras are transmitted via a signal transmitter to an operator display device.

[0018] In all cable car systems described above, the boarding station can be a valley station and the disembarkation station either an intermediate station or a mountain station. Alternatively, the boarding station can be a mountain station and the disembarkation station either an intermediate station or a valley station. Finally, the boarding station can be an intermediate station and the disembarkation station either a valley station or a mountain station. Cable car systems of one or the other embodiment have vehicles that are chairs, chairs with seat locking mechanisms, and chairs with seat locking mechanisms and hoods.

[0019] Further embodiments are specified in the dependent claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the drawings, which serve only for illustration and are not to be interpreted restrictively. The drawings show: Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of an exit station of a cable car system; Fig. 2 shows a schematic cross-section of two exit areas of an exit station. Fig. 1 Fig. 3 shows a top view of Fig. 2 ; and Fig. 4 a block diagram of a control device of a cable car system. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EXECUTION FORMS

[0021] The Fig. 1Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of the exit station 2 of a chairlift system with vehicles 3. The drawing is capable of showing several embodiments simultaneously. These can be cable car systems with or without a locking bar, optionally including hoods 6. Other alternatives include cable car systems with vehicles 3 uncoupled at the stations, as well as cable car systems with vehicles permanently attached to the haul ropes.

[0022] In a cable car system without a locking bar, a first exit area 11 and a second exit area 12 are monitored. The name "first exit area 11" indicates the possibility of a passenger exiting, which is not intended and represents a potential emergency. The first exit area 11 is located, in the direction of vehicle travel, after area 13 where a vehicle 3 uncouples from the haul rope (starting at line 14) up to the exit edge 15, i.e., the beginning of the area where passengers are supposed to stand up and leave the cable car system. This corresponds to the area where the vehicle 3 enters and decelerates to the exit speed for vehicles that can be uncoupled. For vehicles that are permanently coupled, the travel speed also corresponds to the exit speed.

[0023] The second exit area 12 is defined by the area from the exit edge 15, in which the possibly decelerated vehicle moves at a constant exit speed and is then usually moved in a quarter circle out of this second exit area 12, as shown in Fig. 1 As illustrated. However, the invention works equally well with chairlifts with a straight exit as with any other exit angle deviating from 90 degrees. The monitored exit is simply arranged differently in each case.

[0024] In installations with a locking bar device and otherwise potentially relaxed safety requirements, monitoring of the first exit area 11 with regard to disembarking passengers 3 can be omitted, since they can only leave the seating area 5 after the locking bar has been released. Advantageously, monitoring of the first exit area 11 is still provided; this exit area 11 is then significantly shorter in the direction of travel of the vehicle 2, namely only between the release of the locking bar at the locking bar edge 14 and the exit edge 15. Advantageously, however, an area fitted with pressure plates 31 is also provided in installations without a locking bar device.

[0025] The monitoring of persons entering the security area of ​​the first or second exit areas 11, 12 from the outside by means of physical access barriers 34, such as a surrounding fence, mentioned later, remains necessary. The access barriers 34 are equipped with sensors that, upon contact with the barriers, particularly when the barrier is breached, send a corresponding trigger signal to the evaluation unit. A weight-dependent sensor can be used to prevent false triggers caused by small animals, birds, or simply snow. Instead of a weight-dependent sensor, a trigger signal can also be compared with corresponding images from the camera 30 to determine the actual presence of a large animal or a person breaching the barrier.Lateral vehicle barrier gates 36 and 136 are located at the entrance and exit of vehicles 3. These gates are flush with the entering vehicle 3 and trigger an emergency stop upon contact. Instead of contact, a deflection of the flag-shaped gates by a predetermined angle around a vertical axis can also send such a signal to the control unit. These gates 36 and 136 complement the fence 34, which surrounds the first and second disembarkation areas 11 and 12, respectively.

[0026] In addition to the vehicle limit gates 36 and 136, further safety features such as a ramp limit may be present. A ramp limit is a vertical virtual gate 32 and 132 between the two opposing vehicle limit gates 36 and 136 in the vehicle's entry and exit areas. Fig. 1It is only arranged below the clearance height of vehicle 3, in particular an armchair. However, it can also (as in the Fig. 2 (as shown) are designed to be higher and then deactivated when a vehicle passes through. The triggering of these virtual gates is crucial when a person steps through them in any direction, i.e., perpendicular to the path of the entering or exiting vehicle.

[0027] Crucially, this is the virtual exit gate 33, depicted here as a dashed virtual barrier, which is positioned between lateral physical access barriers 34. This gate allows exit from the second exit area 12 but signals any entry into this area from outside to the system's control unit. This can be done directly by comparing video surveillance footage of this second exit area 12 from a camera 30 with the signals from this virtual exit gate 33, by determining the direction of movement of a person in the second exit area 12 and their exit from the video-monitored area, or by using a transverse sequence of two or more light barriers to determine the direction of movement.Naturally, when using a multi-chairlift, several people leave the second exit area 12 over an extended period; in such cases, video surveillance with person detection can identify any additional person simultaneously entering this area. Although the lateral vehicle barrier gate 136 is shown at a spatial distance from the physical fence 34, the vehicle barrier gate 136 can be mounted on a movable pylon, which is connected by a barrier chain to a fence or the wall of the exit station 2.

[0028] The Fig. 2Figure 1 shows a schematic cross-section through the elevation profile of the first exit area 11 and partially the second exit area 12. This first exit area 11 borders an approach section 13 located in the open area of ​​the track and begins with an approach zone at the point where the safety bar is unlocked at the safety bar release edge 14. This approach zone is followed by the second exit area 12 after the exit edge 15. From the beginning of the approach zone, there is a surface that is essentially horizontal or has at most a slight incline in the direction of travel of the vehicle 3. This surface is advantageously covered with a pressure-sensitive mat 31 as a sensor surface. This beginning of the approach zone is generally lower than the exit zone in the second exit area 12.Therefore, this exit zone is connected to the horizontal surface of the approach zone by a rising zone, which represents a sliding surface 35 or is designed with a sliding or skidding plate to form such a sliding surface, as can be seen from the approximately directly above it. Fig. 2 results in...

[0029] Reference numeral 14 denotes the longitudinal position of the release mechanism. The sliding surface 35, for example, has a maximum incline of 30 percent. At its transition to the second exit area, the virtual ramp boundary 32 and lateral vehicle boundaries 36 of the entrance to this area 12 are located. A passenger falling from their seat 5 after the release mechanism 14 lands on one or more of the pressure plates 31, thereby triggering at least one sensor. The signal from this sensor is transmitted to the monitoring system, which then displays a corresponding image showing this area to a railway employee. Simultaneously, an automatic emergency stop of the system can be triggered. Since the exit station 2 can operate without an operator, the alarm triggering mechanism can also be organized differently.First, the emergency stop is triggered. Simultaneously, an image from one or more of the video cameras 30 is displayed directly to a person / employee acting as on-call staff, for example, on a smartphone or on a screen visible or accessible to that person. A voice connection to the exit station can also be established. The sliding surface 35 then prevents a former passenger leaving the area of ​​the pressure plate 31 from being injured by following vehicles or by the feet or skis of passengers sitting in them, because they would otherwise enter their height zone. The pressure plate 31 itself can be inclined downwards perpendicular to the direction of travel of the cable car vehicles 3, so that passengers falling onto this system are guided laterally out of this area into a further exit 39, as indicated by arrow 38, or possibly simply slide downwards on the then slippery pressure plate 31 due to the effect of gravity.This exit 39 may already be located outside the first exit area 11, so that if a passenger who has fallen out is detected there, an emergency stop of the system may not be necessary. An employee can visually inspect area 11 for any remaining items and, if necessary, check the passenger for injuries, either directly or via visual and audible communication with that passenger.

[0030] The Fig. 4Figure 100 shows a control unit for the cable car system with regard to these safety aspects. It is connected to or integrated into the conventional control unit 50 of the cable car system (as shown here). One or more video cameras 30 provide image data that is evaluated by an evaluation unit 40. This data consists of video images from the cameras 30, from which images are extracted as a sequence of consecutive frames. The control unit is designed for object detection, in particular for the vehicle 3 of the cable car system, be it a chair or the passengers. With regard to the chairs as vehicles, hood position detection and / or safety bar detection can also be provided. This status information can also be obtained through the forced guidance (opening) elements of these objects.

[0031] Passengers may be equipped with pose detection to determine whether they are standing or in a falling posture, which could indicate an abnormal condition. Motion detection may also be implemented to determine the direction and speed of movement. A lack of movement or slow movement can also trigger sensor signals. At a lower escalation threshold, these signals can be followed by an audible alert, such as a voice announcement requesting passengers to leave the second exit area 12.

[0032] In cases of abnormal conditions involving more serious problems, such as falls, an alarm function is triggered. The positioning is generally determined by the posture of the human skeletal system. Furthermore, one or more emergency stop buttons 45 may be provided in or outside the second exit area 12 for the passengers themselves or for third parties.

[0033] The control unit 50 of the cable car system receives, in addition to the signals received from the evaluation unit 40 (video signals) and the emergency stop button 45, the corresponding signals from the virtual grids 32, 33, 132, the pressure plates 31, the lateral vehicle limit gates 36, 136, and, if present, from sensors on the fences 34. This data can be evaluated in conjunction with image data.

[0034] The data from the control unit 50 of the monitoring system are transmitted to a signal transmitter 55. This signal transmitter 55 can be a service room with screens and, if necessary, an audio link to the exit area, which may be located in a staffed station, a mountain or valley station of the cable car system in question, or another cable car system operated by the same company. This service room contains the operator's workstation, possibly with a view of a directly monitored entry or exit area, one or more screens for cable car control, and an intercom system for the entry or exit areas visible on the screen(s), with these units constituting an operator display device. The signal transmitter 55 can also include a push notification function for establishing a connection with an operator's smartphone.Regardless of this, control unit 50 decides whether to slow down or perform an emergency stop of the system itself; that is, regardless of how an employee reacts. The smartphone then serves as an employee display device.

[0035] A screen can be controlled by the safety device to display an entry or exit area when the detection system has identified a problem. The operator's primary task is to restart the system after a malfunction and to review the relevant safety information related to that malfunction. In this case, the operator is not presented with a multitude of entry and exit areas displayed on a video wall, but rather the safety device alerts them to a problem along with the corresponding video information.

[0036] The safety device can detect four specific hazardous situations. a.) A person, a third party, or a passenger who has not properly alighted is found in a second disembarkation area 12 or still in a first disembarkation area 11 and not yet in area 39, while a vehicle is entering. b.) An unauthorized person moves into a first or second disembarkation area 11 or 12, either over a fence 34, through the virtual disembarkation gate 33, etc. c.) A passenger falls over in a second disembarkation area 12. d.) A person, a third party, or a passenger who has not properly alighted is found in the station's entry area 13 while a vehicle is entering.

[0037] Hazardous situations can also be detected even if no vehicle is currently entering; the measures to be taken then can be less intrusive.

[0038] In the case of applying the invention to an entry area 19, the features of the second exit area 12 can be applied accordingly. Here, the entry area 19 is considered to be the area beyond the gates 136. The said entry area 19 can be monitored in the same way as the second exit area 12.

[0039] The system's safety features include ensuring the "correct" camera perspective, which can be achieved by comparing it to a test image or a predefined, relatively constant image section. It must also be ensured that the images are indeed extracted frames from a video. This can be done by requiring that pixel values ​​in the image change as a sequence of vehicles enters the area, thus detecting the movement of at least one object within the detection range. Furthermore, the system's functionality can be improved by comparing data from different sensors, which may also include different camera perspectives. REFERENCE MARK LIST

[0040] 1 Entry station Fence 2 Exit station 35 sliding surface 3 vehicle 36 Side vehicle barrier gate (vehicle entrance) 5 Seating area 6 hood 11 first exit area 37 Exit glide 12 second exit area 38 Exit direction 13 Disengagement area 39 Exit 14 Chair bar release edge 40 Evaluation unit hazard detection 15 Exit edge 45 Emergency stop button 19 Entry area 50 Control unit of the cable car system 30 Video camera 31 printing plate 55 Signal transmitter 32 virtual grid / light barrier grid (vehicle entrance) 100 Control unit 132 virtual grid / light barrier grid (vehicle exit) 33 Virtual exit gate / light barrier gate (passenger exit) 136 Side vehicle barrier gate (vehicle exit) 34 physical access barrier /

Claims

1. Cable car system for passengers comprising: - a boarding station (1) and an exit station (2) for persons as passengers, - a plurality of vehicles (3) mounted on a conveying rope for movement between the boarding station (1) and the exit station (2), wherein the vehicles (3) are arranged to move along a loop extending through the boarding station (1) and the exit station (2), wherein each vehicle (3) comprises a seating area (5) for at least one passenger, - electronic passenger detection means (30, 31, 32, 33) for detecting the presence of a passenger in the vehicle (3), - one or more cameras (30) provided to capture images of at least one predetermined exit area (12), - an operator display device, and - a hazard detection evaluation unit (50) which is connected to the camera or cameras (30) for receiving image data and is configured, by evaluating successive image data from the cameras (30), to detect the presence of one or more persons in a predetermined exit area (12), and, in the event of such a person's presence in a predetermined section of the exit area (12), to generate an emergency slowdown signal or emergency stop signal and to transmit it to the motor controller of the cable car system for the implementation of said signal for the movement of the vehicles (3) when a vehicle (3) enters the exit area (12) or is at a predetermined distance from such an entry, and furthermore, to transmit images from the cameras (30) via a signal transmitter (55) to the operator display device, characterised by - a virtual vehicle entry grid (32), which is provided transversely to the entry movement of a vehicle (3) at an exit edge (15) of the exit area (12) for detecting an object or person entering its monitoring plane, with sensors capable of detecting the entry of the object or person, wherein the hazard detection evaluation unit (50) is also connected to the virtual vehicle entry grid (32) for receiving sensor data and is configured to generate the emergency slowdown signal or emergency stop signal and transmit it to the motor controller of the cable car system for the implementation of said signal for the movement of the vehicles (3) even if, outside a vehicle's passage through the virtual vehicle entry grid (32), an object or person entering its monitoring plane is detected and a vehicle (3) is entering the exit area (12) or is located at a predetermined distance from such an entry.

2. A cable car system according to claim 1, wherein the hazard detection evaluation unit (50) is configured such that, by evaluating successive image data from the cameras, a fall of a person detected in the image data within the predetermined exit area (12) can be detected, on the basis of which the emergency slowdown signal or emergency stop signal can be generated.

3. A cable car system according to claim 1 or 2,wherein the hazard detection evaluation unit (50) is configured such that, by evaluating successive image data from the cameras, the movement of a person towards the travel path of the vehicles (3) can be detected, on the basis of which the emergency slowdown signal or emergency stop signal can be generated.

4. A cable car system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the peripheral edge of the exit area (12) is preferably completely enclosed by at least one of the further elements from the group comprising: - one or more physical access barriers (34) with and / or without detection sensors, - a virtual passenger exit grid (33), and - a virtual vehicle exit grid (132), wherein this or these further elements, insofar as they are provided with detection sensors, are connected to the hazard detection evaluation unit (50) so that, upon detection of a non-passenger entering the exit area (12), the said emergency slowdown signal or emergency stop signal can be triggered.

5. A cable car system according to claim 4, wherein lateral vehicle boundary gates (36, 136) are associated with the virtual vehicle entry grid (32) and, if present, the virtual vehicle exit grid (132), wherein these lateral vehicle boundary gates (36, 136) are connected to the hazard detection evaluation unit (50), so that upon detection of a non-passenger entering the exit area (12), the said emergency slowdown signal or emergency stop signal can be triggered by contact with or the pivoting movement of the gates.

6. A cable car system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, adjacent to the exit area (12) opposite the vehicle movement direction, beyond an exit edge (15), a pre-exit area (11) is provided which has a surface located lower than the exit area (12) and which is provided with at least one pressure plate (31) connected to the exit edge (15) via an inclined sliding surface (35), wherein the pressure plate(s) (31) are connected to the hazard detection evaluation unit (50) so that, upon detection of the presence of a person on the pressure plate (31), the said emergency slowdown signal or emergency stop signal can, if necessary with a delay only upon the entry of another vehicle (3), be triggered.

7. Cable car system according to claim 6, wherein the surface provided with the pressure plate(s) (31) is inclined downwards transversely to the direction of travel towards a lateral exit surface (39) in order to provide persons present on the pressure plate(s) (31) with a gravity-assisted exit path (38) out of the pre-exit area (11).

8. A cable car system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the operator display device comprises one or more elements from the group comprising: an operator's smartphone with a control app for the cable car system, and a screen and intercom system in a service room of the cable car system with control elements for the cable car system.

9. A cable car system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the boarding station (1) is a valley station and the exit station (2) is an intermediate station or a mountain station, or wherein the boarding station (1) is a mountain station and the exit station (2) is an intermediate station or a valley station, or wherein the boarding station (1) is an intermediate station and the exit station (2) is either a valley station or a mountain station.

10. A cable car system for passengers comprising: - a boarding station (1) and an exit station (2) for persons as passengers, - a plurality of vehicles (3) mounted on a conveying rope for movement between the boarding station (1) and the exit station (2), wherein the vehicles (3) are arranged to move along a loop extending through the boarding station (1) and the exit station (2), wherein each vehicle (3) comprises a seating area (5) for at least one passenger, - electronic passenger detection means (30, 31, 32, 33) for detecting the presence of a passenger in the vehicle (3), - one or more cameras (30) provided to capture images of a predetermined direct boarding area (19), - an operator display device, and - a hazard detection evaluation unit (50), which is connected to the camera or cameras (30) for receiving image data and is configured, by evaluating successive image data from the cameras (30), to detect the presence of a passenger in the direct boarding area (19) and, in the event of such a presence, to generate an emergency slowdown signal or emergency stop signal and to transmit it to the motor controller of the cable car system for the implementation of said signal for the movement of the vehicles (3), when the vehicle (3) of the boarding passenger leaves the direct boarding area (19) and another vehicle (3) enters the boarding area (12) or is at a predetermined distance from such an entry, and furthermore, to transmit images from the cameras (30) via a signal transmitter (55) to an operator display device, characterised by - a virtual vehicle entry grid (132) which is provided transversely to the entry movement of a vehicle (3) at a boarding edge of the direct boarding area (19) for detecting an object or person entering its monitoring plane, with sensors capable of detecting the entry of the object or person, wherein the hazard detection evaluation unit (50) is also connected to the virtual vehicle entry grid (132) for receiving sensor data and is configured to generate the emergency slowdown signal or emergency stop signal and transmit it to the motor controller of the cable car system for the implementation of said signal for the movement of the vehicles (3) even if, outside a vehicle's passage through the virtual vehicle entry grid (132), an object or person entering its monitoring plane is detected and the vehicle (3) of the boarding passenger leaves the direct boarding area (19) and another vehicle (3) is entering the boarding area (12) or is located at a predetermined distance from such an entry.

11. A cable car system according to claim 10, wherein the boarding station (1) is a valley station and the exit station (2) is an intermediate station or a mountain station, or wherein the boarding station (1) is a mountain station and the exit station (2) is an intermediate station or a valley station, or wherein the boarding station (1) is an intermediate station and the exit station (2) is either a valley station or a mountain station.

12. A cable car system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the vehicles (3) of the cable car system are from the group comprising chairs, chairs with seat-bar locks, and chairs with hoods and seat-bar locks.

13. A cable car system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the virtual vehicle entry grid (132) comprises a light barrier operating with visible or IR light and reacting to persons passing through or objects protruding into or being introduced into said barriers.

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