Aerial tramway vehicle drive and control system

Claim 2

An aerial tramway system comprising overhead track means, a vehicle, carriage means including wheel means suspending said vehicle from said track means, control means including fluid motor means drive connected to said wheel means for moving said vehicle along said track means, a fluid control circuit for supplying actuating fluid to said motor means, and pressure sensing means responsive to the pressure of the fluid discharged from said motor means to cause said motor means to automatically apply a fluid braking force to said wheel means when said discharge pressure reaches a predetermined value, thereby preventing runaway of said vehicle.

Claim 3

An aerial tramway system as defined in claim 1, said fluid motor means being of the variable displacement type and including compensator control means which varies the motor displacement in response to changes in the work load on said motor means, and said pressure sensing means cooperating with said compensating means to cause said motor means to apply said fluid braking force.

Claim 4

An aerial tramway system comprising overhead track means, a vehicle, carriage means including wheel means suspending said vehicle from said track means, control means including fluid motor means drive connected to said wheel means for moving said vehicle along said track means, a fluid control circuit having a main pump for supPlying actuating fluid to said motor means, a fluid reservoir, a supercharger pump for supplying makeup fluid from said reservoir to said main pump, a normally inoperative emergency braking system adapted to stop movement of said vehicle along said track means, and actuator means responsive to the pressure of the fluid discharged from said supercharger pump to automatically operate said emergency braking system under emergency conditions.

Claim 5

An aerial tramway system comprising overhead track means, a vehicle, carriage means including wheel means suspending said vehicle from said track means, control means including fluid motor means drive connected to said wheel means for moving said vehicle along said track means, a fluid control circuit having a main pump for supPlying actuating fluid to said motor means, a fluid reservoir, a supercharger pump for supplying makeup fluid from said reservoir to said main pump, a normally inoperative emergency braking system adapted to stop movement of said vehicle along said track means, and actuator means responsive to the pressure of the fluid discharged from said supercharger pump to automatically operate said emergency braking system under emergency conditions.

Claim 6

An aerial tramway system as defined in claim 3, wherein said actuator means responds to a loss in pressure at the discharge of said supercharger pump to operate said emergency braking system.

Claim 7

An aerial tramway system as defined in claim 3, comprising a manually operative braking system mounted on said carriage means and used during normal operation of said vehicle to brake said vehicle.

Claim 8

An aerial tramway system as defined in claim 5, wherein said manually operative braking system includes brake means mounted on said wheel means for applying a braking effort directly on said wheel means, and wherein said emergency braking system includes brake members mounted on said carriage means and adapted to engage said track means.

Claim 9

An aerial tramway system as defined in claim 3, said fluid control circuit including pressure sensing means responsive to the pressure of the fluid dischaged from said motor means to cause said motor means to automatically apply a fluid braking force to said wheel means when said motor discharge pressure reaches a predetermined value, thereby preventing runaway of said vehicle.

Claim 10

An aerial tramway system as defined in claim 7, said motor means being of the variable displacement type and including compensator control means which varies the motor displacement in response to changes in the work load on said motor means, and said pressure sensing means cooperating with said compensating means to cause said motor means to apply said fluid braking force.

Claim 11

An aerial tranway system as defined in claim 7, wherein said main pump and said fluid motor means are reversible so that said vehicle may be moved in either a forward or reverse direction along said track means.

Claim 12

An aerial tramway system comprising overhead track means, a vehicle having a prime mover, carriage means including wheel means suspending said vehicle from said track means, fluid motor means drive connected to said wheel means for moving said vehicle along said track means, a fluid control circuit connected to be energized by said prime mover for supplying actuating fluid under pressure to said motor means, an emergency braking system including means adapted to grippingly engage said track means and fluid pressure responsive actuator means for said track gripping means, means supplying a control pressure from said circuit to said actuator means, said actuator means being adapted to maintain said track gripping means inoperative when said control pressure is above a predetermined level and to operate said track gripping means upon abnormal loss of pressure in said circuit, and said control pressure supplying means being effective to maintain said control pressure above said level during normal low pressure operational conditions in said circuit as when the prime mover is idling with the vehicle at a station.

Claim 13

An aerial tramway system comprising overhead track means, a vehicle having a prime mover, carriage means including wheel means suspending said vehicle from said track means, fluid motor means drive connected to said wheel means for moving said vehicle along said track means, a fluid control circuit connected to be energized by said prime mover for supplying actuating fluid under pressure to said motor means, an emergency braking system including means adapted to grippingly engage said track means and fluid pressure responsive actuator means for said track gripping means, means supplying a control pressure from said circuit to said actuator means, said actuator means being adapted to maintain said track gripping means inoperative when said control pressure is above a predetermined level and to operate said track gripping means upon abnormal loss of pressure in said circuit, and said control pressure supplying means being effective to maintain said control pressure above said level during normal low pressure operational conditions in said circuit as when the prime mover is idling with the vehicle at a station.

Claim 14

An aerial tramway system as defined in claim 10, wherein a manually operable fluid pressure braking system is associated with said wheel means for applying braking effort directly against said wheel means during all conditions of operation of said vehicle.

Claim 15

An aerial tramway system comprising overhead track means, a vehicle, carriage means including wheel means suspending said vehicle from said track means, control means including fluid motor means drive connected to said wheel means for moving said vehicle along said track means, a fluid control circuit for supplying actuating fluid to said motor means, a manually operable braking system associated with said wheel means for applying a braking effort directly against said wheel means when necessary during normal operation of said vehicle, a normally inoperative emergency braking system including means adapted to grippingly engage said track means, and actuator means responsive to a loss of pressure in said fluid control circuit under emergency conditions to operate said emergency braking system, said fluid control circuit including a main pump for supplying actuating fluid to said motor means, a fluid reservoir, a supercharger pump for supplying makeup fluid from said reservoir to said main pump, and said actuator means being responsive to the pressure of the fluid discharged from said supercharged pump to automatically activate said emergency braking system under emergency conditions.

Claim 16

An aerial tramway system comprising overhead track means, a vehicle, carriage means including wheel means suspending said vehicle from said track means, control means including fluid motor means drive connected to said wheel means for moving said vehicle along said track means, a fluid control circuit for supplying actuating fluid to said motor means, a manually operable braking system associated with said wheel means for applying a braking effort directly against said wheel means when necessary during normal operation of said vehicle, a normally inoperative emergency braking system including means adapted to grippingly engage said track means, and actuator means responsive to a loss of pressure in said fluid control circuit under emergency conditions to operate said emergency braking system, said fluid control circuit including a main pump for supplying actuating fluid to said motor means, a fluid reservoir, a supercharger pump for supplying makeup fluid from said reservoir to said main pump, and said actuator means being responsive to the pressure of the fluid discharged from said supercharged pump to automatically activate said emergency braking system under emergency conditions.

Claim 17

An aerial tramway system as defined in claim 12, wherein said actuator means responds to a loss in pressure of the fluid discharged from said supercharger pump to operate said emergency braking system.

Claim 18

An aerial tramway system as defined in claim 12, said fluid control circuit including pressure sensing means responsive to the pressure of the fluid discharged from said motor means to cause said motor means to automatically apply a fluid braking force to said wheel means when said motor discharge pressure reaches a predetermined value, thereby preventing runaway of said vehicle.

Claim 19

An aerial tramway system as defined in claim 14, said fluid motor means being of a variable displacement type and including compensator control means which varies the motor displacement in response to changes in the work load on said motor means, and said pressure sensing means cooperating with said compensator means to cause said motor means to apply said fluid braking force.

Claim 20

An aerial tramway system as defined in claim 15, wherein said fluid motor means and said main pump are reversible so that said vehicle may be moved in a forward or reverse direction along said track means.