BUCKET WHEEL WITH AN UNLOCKING DEVICE, AND METHOD FOR PIVOTING BUCKETS OF A BUCKET WHEEL

The present invention relates to a bucket wheel (10) having a bucket wheel frame (18) and a plurality of buckets (12) mounted on the bucket wheel frame (18), the buckets (12) being arranged on the bucket wheel frame (18) such that they can pivot about a pivot axis (16), each bucket (12) having a retaining device (20) and being arranged on the bucket wheel frame (18) by means of the retaining device (20), and the retaining device (20) being designed in such a way as to lock the buckets (12) on the bucket wheel frame (18) in a first pivot position (I) or in a second pivot position (II) in order to operate the bucket wheel (10) in a first rotation direction with the buckets (12) in a first pivot position (I) and in an opposite, second rotation direction with the buckets (12) in a second pivot position (II). The bucket wheel (10) has an unlocking device (14) for moving the retaining device (20) from a retaining position, in which the retaining device (20) prevents a pivoting of the buckets (12) about the pivot axis (16), into a released position, in which the retaining device (20) allows a pivoting of the buckets (12) about the pivot axis (16), such that the buckets (12) in the released position of the retaining device (20) are moved from the first pivot position (I) into the second pivot position (II) as a result of the force of gravity.