Device for equalizing potential of ropeway stays

Abstract

To provide a device for equalizing the potential of ropeway stays.SOLUTION: An insert hole (14) is provided in a plastic insert (11) of a guide portion for a stay (4), and a conductive contact element (15) is inserted into the insert hole, the contact element (15) is movably arranged in the insert hole (14), and a spring element (20) is provided for pressing the conductive contact element (15) against the stay (4) such that the conductive contact element (15) contacts the stay (4) guided in the plastic insert (11) at a contact surface (16), and the conductive contact element (15) is electrically connected to an equalizing point (17) of the ropeway.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for equalizing the potential of the support cables of a ropeway, in which a guide part is arranged on a stationary device of the ropeway, the guide part having a plastic insert extending in the cable direction, and the support cable being applied to and guided by the plastic insert.

[0002] A ropeway usually uses cables made of steel or a combination of steel and plastic to transport ropeway vehicles, usually between two or more ropeway stations. The cables of the ropeway may be designed as support cables and may be fixedly stretched between two points, for example between two ropeway stations. However, the cables of the ropeway may also be designed as hauling cables and can be moved reciprocally or circularly. For example, the ropeway vehicle is firmly or removably gripped by the hauling cable, so that the ropeway vehicle is moved by the hauling cable. When using at least one support cable, the ropeway vehicle travels along at least one support cable via rollers and is moved by a hauling cable coupled to the ropeway vehicle. In a ropeway, the hauling cable and, optionally, the support cable are guided via a ropeway support arranged between the ropeway stations.

[0003] For safety reasons, for example, in order to safely dissipate the charge of the cableway cable that may occur due to electrostatic charging, lightning strikes, current coupling by an electric field, etc., the cableway cable must be electrically grounded to electrically equalize it. Basically, even when the cable itself is not designed to be conductive, charging of the cable can occur. In a fixed tensioned support cable, since there is no relative movement or only very little relative movement between the support cable and the ground, a predetermined reference potential, such as such equalization to ground, can be more easily achieved than in the case of a movable towing cable. In contrast, in the case of a movable towing cable, equalization is difficult because the movable cable must be reliably and permanently in electrical contact for equalization. Due to relative movement, significant wear of the contact elements that contact the towing cable also occurs. In order to reduce wear, in International Publication No. WO 2022 / 090166, a contact brush provided with brush bristles made of conductive plastic has been proposed as a contact element.

[0004] In the grounding of the towing cable or support cable of a cableway known from International Publication No. WO 2018 / 150149, in order to form a reliable electrical contact between the contact element and the cable, the contact element is pressed against the cable by a spring. Such grounding is also subject to high wear due to the high pressing force by the spring preload in the case of a movable towing cable, and thus such grounding is not suitable for a movable cable. Even if the electrical contact can be improved by the spring preload of the contact element, in the cableway cable, there is a possibility of lateral displacement of the cable due to external influences such as wind force and cable swaying. This applies to both the towing cable and the support cable of the cableway. When lateral displacement occurs, there is a risk that the electrical contact, and thus the equalization, will be lost or at least impaired, even despite the spring preload of the contact element. As a result, for the support cable as well, depending on the situation, the grounding of the support cable is not satisfactorily solved.

[0005] The guy ropes of the aerial ropeway can be applied or attached to the conductive grounded structural parts of the aerial ropeway, such as the aerial ropeway support, thereby ensuring electrical equipotentialization. However, such equipotentialization may be lost due to the movement of the guy ropes caused by external influences such as wind force and cable sway, which lead to position errors of the guy ropes. The retention of the guy ropes in the structural parts of the aerial ropeway is described, for example, in European Patent No. 2,127,990.

[0006] However, the guy ropes of the aerial ropeway are increasingly being embedded in guide parts with plastic inserts because the mechanical load acting on the guy ropes is reduced and the wear of the guy ropes is reduced. When embedding the guy ropes in the plastic inserts, electrical equipotentialization cannot be achieved through contact with the guide part.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide reliable electrical equipotentialization of the guy ropes of the aerial ropeway such that the effect is not lost even when a possible slight movement of the guy ropes occurs.

[0008] According to the present invention, this object is solved in that the plastic insert is provided with insert holes, a conductive contact element is inserted into the insert holes, the contact element is movably arranged in the insert holes, and further, a spring element is provided for pressing the conductive contact element against the guy ropes so that the conductive contact element is in contact with the guy ropes guided by the plastic insert at the contact surface, and the conductive contact element is electrically connected to the equipotential point of the aerial ropeway.

[0009] Since the guy rope is guided and held within the plastic insert, lateral movement of the guy rope (perpendicular to the cable direction) typically does not occur during operation. Due to elongation or load changes of the guy rope, minor movement in the cable direction may occur. Such movement of the guy rope in the cable direction does not impair the contact between the guy rope and the contact element. As a result, the relative movement between the guy rope and the contact element is also very small, so the wear of the contact element is also minimal. However, more importantly, the contact element with a spring load inserted into the plastic insert can also cancel out any possible minor movement of the guy rope perpendicular to the cable direction, and even if such movement occurs, it can always ensure reliable electrical contact for equipotential bonding. Thereby, equipotential bonding is always ensured under the normal expected movement of the guy rope during the operation of the ropeway.

[0010] For the protection of the plastic insert, the guide portion can have a guide casing, and the plastic insert is arranged within this guide casing. In this case, the guide casing is provided with casing holes, and the conductive contact element is inserted through the casing holes in the guide casing and the insert holes in the plastic insert.

[0011] The guide casing is preferably removably arranged on the stationary device of the ropeway. Thereby, for example, when the plastic insert is worn, the guide casing can be easily replaced. Of course, only the plastic insert can also be replaced.

[0012] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. These figures illustrate, by way of example, schematically and non - limitatively, advantageous forms of the present invention.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

[0014] FIG. 1 schematically shows a subdivision of a ropeway 1 including a ropeway support 2 and a cable support 3 arranged on the ropeway support 2. The ropeway support 2 and the cable support 3 are stationary devices of the ropeway 1. Along the cable support 3, at least one supporting cable 4 of the ropeway 1 extends. In the configuration of FIG. 1, two supporting cables 4 are provided, and a larger number or a smaller number (at least one supporting cable) of supporting cables 4 may be provided. For this purpose, the supporting cable 4 is guided, for example, on the upper surface of the cable support 3 as in the configuration of FIG. 1. For this purpose, a guide part 6 on which the supporting cable 4 is guided and held is also arranged on the cable support 3.

[0015] The ropeway vehicle 7 has a traveling device 9 provided with a plurality of traveling rollers 10. The traveling device 9 is connected via a suspension rod 8 to a transport part of the ropeway vehicle 7, for example, a gondola. When the ropeway vehicle 7 moves, the plurality of traveling rollers 10 roll along the supporting cable 4, and in some cases, along different supporting cables 4. For the movement of the ropeway vehicle 7, a hauling cable 5 that circulates between, for example, two ropeway stations (not shown) is provided. The supporting cable 4 is usually fixed and stretched between both ropeway stations. The traveling device 9 usually includes a known gripping device in order to grip the hauling cable 5 with the ropeway vehicle 7 by the gripping device or to remove it from the hauling cable (for example, at a ropeway station).

[0016] The configuration of the guide portion 6 according to the present invention is shown in FIGS. 2 to 4. This guide portion 6 has a plastic insert 11 extending in the cable direction S (the longitudinal direction of the stay cable 4). When the guide portion 6 is used, the stay cable 4 is applied to the plastic insert 11. The plastic insert 11 thereby holds and guides the stay cable 4. In this case, the stay cable 4 is stretched between two points in the ropeway 1. As a result, the stay cable 4 is moved only within a very limited range by external influences such as, for example, wind or cable swaying, or when the ropeway vehicle 7 passes. In any case, the stay cable 4 is not circulated by the ropeway drive device, nor can it be reciprocated by the ropeway drive device.

[0017] The plastic insert 11 is preferably formed with a guide groove 13 extending in the cable direction S on the side facing the stay cable 4, and the stay cable 4 is positioned in this guide groove. The guide groove 13 can hold and guide the stay cable 4 well and reliably.

[0018] In the configuration shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the guide portion 6 includes a guide casing 12 for accommodating the plastic insert 11. The plastic insert 11 is disposed within the guide casing 12. The guide casing 12 is formed, for example, in the form of a U-shaped profile, and the plastic insert 11 is disposed between the two legs of the U-shaped profile. The guide casing 12 may have any suitable shape. However, the guide casing 12 is optional and not necessarily provided.

[0019] In the configuration of FIG. 2, the plastic insert 11, or the guide casing 12 provided with the plastic insert 11, is movably arranged, in this case rotatably arranged as described, for example, in European Patent No. 2127990. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, this is not essential either.

[0020] Since the plastic insert 11 is made of plastic, the guy wire 4 is electrically separated from the other components of the aerial ropeway 1 by the plastic insert 11. Nevertheless, in order to enable electrical equipotential bonding of the guy wire 4, the plastic insert 11 is provided with an insert hole 14. A conductive contact element 15 is inserted into the insert hole 14. The contact element 15 extends, in this case, in the region of the plastic insert 11, for example, in the region of the guide groove 13 where the guy wire 4 is located during use. Thereby, the guy wire 4 guided by the plastic insert 11 is electrically contacted by the conductive contact element 15. For this purpose, the contact element 15 has a contact surface 16 that contacts the guy wire 4. The conductive contact element 15 is electrically connected to an equipotential point 17 of the aerial ropeway 1 (for example, in the aerial ropeway support 2). The electrical connection may be made via an electrical connection cable 18 as in the illustrated configuration.

[0021] The contact element 15 is formed, for example, as a brush with conductive carbon brush bristles or conductive plastic brush bristles. Instead of a brush, of course, the contact element 15 may be formed as a rigid conductive component, for example, as a graphite block.

[0022] When the plastic insert 11 is arranged within the guide casing 12, the guide casing 12 is also provided with a casing hole 19, into which the conductive contact element 15 is inserted. In this case, the hole 14 in the plastic insert 11 and the casing hole 19 in the guide casing 12 are aligned, and the contact element 15 is inserted through both holes.

[0023] The contact element 15 is movably arranged in the insert hole 14 and, optionally, also in the casing hole 19 in the direction towards the guy wire 4. Thereby, the contact element 15 is advantageously also movably arranged in the direction away from the guy wire 4.

[0024] The guide portion 6 further has a spring element 20 provided, for example, as a coil spring or a leaf spring, and the spring element presses a conductive contact element 15 toward a support cable 4 located within the plastic insert 11. Thereby, an electrical contact is formed and maintained.

[0025] The contact element 15 subjected to a spring load can maintain the electrical contact between the support cable 4 and the contact element 15 in the plastic insert 11 even when the support cable 4 is moved by an external influence. The fixedly stretched support cable 4 is moved only slightly during the operation of the ropeway 1. The contact element 15 subjected to a spring load can at least offset this movement in order to maintain the electrical contact and thus the equipotentialization. For example, in the case of a serious failure where the support cable 4 completely pops out of the plastic insert 11, the equipotentialization cannot be guaranteed. However, such a failure must be dealt with in another way anyway, for example, as in the European Patent No. 2127990.

[0026] A spring holder 22 can be arranged on the guide casing 12 of the guide portion 6 or other components, and the spring element 20 can be arranged between the spring holder 22 and the contact element 15.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of contact elements 15 may be distributively arranged over the cable direction S in the guide portion 6. Each of these contact elements 15 may be connected to one equipotential point 17 of the ropeway 1, or may be connected to different equipotential points 17 of the ropeway 1.

[0028] In the configuration according to FIG. 6, for example, in the guide part 6 and in the spring retainer 22, a conveying safety device 21 is provided. In this case, the conveying safety device 21 is formed as a screw, and the conveying safety device may have any other configuration. The conveying safety device 21 is removably connected to the contact element 15 and holds the contact element 15 in a defined position retracted from the guy line 4 during use. Thereby, after the guy line 4 is arranged in the plastic insert 11, after removing the conveying safety device 21, the spring element 20 can press the conductive contact element 15 towards the guy line 4. At the same time, this can prevent the contact element 15 from falling out of the guide part 6, for example during assembly or maintenance.

Claims

1. A device for potential equalization of a stay (4) of a ropeway (1), comprising a guide part (6) arranged on a stationary device (2, 3) of the ropeway (1), the guide part (6) having a plastic insert (11) extending in a cable direction (S), the stay (4) being guided against the plastic insert (11), The plastic insert (11) is provided with an insert hole (14), and a conductive contact element (15) is inserted into the insert hole (14), and the conductive contact element (15) is movably arranged in the insert hole (14); a spring element (20) is provided for pressing the conductive contact element (15) against the stay (4) guided in the plastic insert (11) so as to bring the conductive contact element (15) into contact with the stay (4) at a contact surface (16), The conductive contact element (15) is electrically connected to an equalization point (17) of the ropeway (1). An apparatus comprising:

2. 2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide part (6) has a guide casing (12) in which the plastic insert (11) is arranged, the guide casing (12) is provided with a casing hole (19), and the electrically conductive contact element (15) is inserted through the casing hole (19) in the guide casing (12) and through the insert hole (14) in the plastic insert (11).

3. 3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that a spring retainer (22) is arranged in the guide casing (12), and the spring element (20) is arranged between the spring retainer (22) and the electrically conductive contact element (15).

4. 4. The device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the guide casing (12) is arranged removably on the stationary device (2, 3) of the ropeway (1).

5. 3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the guide part (6) is provided with a transport safety device (21), which is removably connectable to the conductive contact element (15) and holds the conductive contact element (15) in a defined position retracted from the stay rope (4), so that after placing the stay rope (4) in the plastic insert (11), the transport safety device (21) can be removed and then the spring element (20) can press the conductive contact element (15) towards the stay rope (4).

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