Heated seats (chairlift)
The seat heating on chairlifts is used for passenger comfort when the outside temperature is low. Compared to seat heaters in cars or in stationary locations, the ambient conditions are difficult (low ambient temperatures, direct moisture from rain or snowfall, frequent change of user) and the energy supply is only possible for a short time (when passing through the station) or difficult to bring to the place of use (along the suspension cable during the Journey). There are various methods of heating the seats, for example the chair can be heated electrically by built-in heating mats while passing through the station, or heated from above by radiant heaters. For gondolas there are systems that charge a battery when passing through the station, which supplies the heating during the journey.
history
Even before the development of electric seat heating, there were specially insulated armchairs and weather protection hoods to increase driving comfort. Much earlier, blankets were made available to passengers. In the meantime, the cabins of gondola lifts are also partially heated.
development
Regulated heating
The Austrian company Innova Patent GmbH applied for a patent for the invention of controlled heating using heating mats while passing through the station in March 2004 .
On December 26, 2004 in Vorarlberg , Austria , the first five detachable chairlifts with heated and upholstered seats (heat storage) were officially put into operation. The seat heating of this type was presented to the specialist audience and the public in 2004 at the “ Interalpin ” trade fair in Innsbruck ( Tyrol ).
technology
The seat heating is integrated into the chairlift. The armchair cushions are each equipped with an electric heating mat ( heating resistor ) that is protected against short circuits and moisture . The protection separate supply to the heating mat with electrical energy ( SELV ) for heating the seats is carried out at the station transit of the chair via busbars and sliding contacts in the station and the current collector on the hanger chair. Within a few seconds of passing through the station, the seat surface is heated to a temperature of over 30 ° C after disengaging from the hoist rope . When leaving the station, the heating-up phase ends automatically. Because the journey between the stations only takes a few minutes, the stored heat is sufficient for a journey.
A power of approx. 520 watts per armchair upholstery is usual for the heating mats . The heating output is set in advance and cannot be changed by chairlift users and cannot optionally be switched off from the start. In the event of a malfunction and one or more armchairs standing still in the ward area, the seat heating is switched off via a time relay according to the previously defined maximum heating time, so that no overheating can occur. The heating is also deactivated at a previously defined outside temperature (for example at +10 ° C).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Patent EP1601564 : Method for heating the seat and / or back cushions of a chair in a cable car system and suitable chair. Registered on March 8, 2004 , published on March 8, 2006 , applicant: Innova Patent GmbH, inventor: Manfred Seibt.
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Controlled heating through integrated heating mats while passing through the station:
- Doppelmayr press release dated December 26, 2004 (queried on May 4, 2013.)
- Leitner brochure ( Memento of the original dated February 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 2.4 MB)
- ↑ Heating time (Doppelmayr system) is 16 to 31 seconds: Brochure “Doppelmayr seat heating” ( memento of the original from August 8, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 804 kB).
