Inventors:
Charles R. Peterson - Glenwood Springs CO, US
Jeffrey A. Peterson - New Castle CO, US
International Classification:
B61B 7/04, H02K 41/03, B61B 12/00, B60L 13/03
Abstract:
An aerial tramway system that conveys carriers between terminals along a haul rope, in which the carriers (a) detach from the haul rope within at least one of the terminals for loading and unloading, and (b) reattach to the haul rope for conveyance to the next terminal, includes one or more Linear Synchronous Motors (LSMs) within at least one of the terminals, that move the carriers for at least part of the time that the carriers are detached from the haul rope. The system also includes a plurality of the carriers, each carrier comprising a reaction rail that includes at least one magnet configured for magnetic interaction with the one or more LSMs. A carrier for an aerial tramway system includes a chair, a freight carrier or a gondola, and a reaction rail that interacts with a linear synchronous motor of the system, to control movement of the carrier.