Railway rolling stock – Locomotives – With land engaging wheel
Patent
1996-07-23
1998-01-06
Le, Mark T.
Railway rolling stock
Locomotives
With land engaging wheel
104243, 104244, 104245, B61C 1100
Patent
active
057042950
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improved arm for automatically guiding a road vehicle along a guide rail.
The applicant has proposed a basic solution in prior French Patent Application No. 93 06491, relating to a unit for automatically guiding a road vehicle along a guide rail.
The prior art device will be described below to provide a better understanding of the improved embodiment proposed by this invention.
The previously patented automatic guide system comprises a lifting guide arm articulated to the end of the chassis of a road vehicle. At its front extremity, the guide arm has a guide head with means for propelling it along a guide rail on a roadway at the base of a gorge.
The guide arm is articulated to a structure at the front end of the chassis on two crossed pivot axles, one consisting of a rocker axle for raising the arm, and the other consisting of a vertical pivot axis for directional movement.
The body of the arm is formed of two juxtaposed longitudinal housings which are raised or lowered using an articulated actuator.
The front extremity of the housings has a guide head equipped with two interconnected guide wheels in a downward-pointing V-shaped arrangement, maintained at a fixed angle on the track.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
There is a protective support in front of the guide head.
The aim of the present invention is to provide an improved arm wherein the guide wheels, also arranged in a "V", are pivotably articulated to each other, and in which there is a device to automatically engage and grip the guide wheels, maintaining them on the rail, as well as to automatically release and separate them in an initial phase before the arms are raised. This device also automatically locks the guide head in working position and locks the guide wheels on the rails. It is adjusted so the guide wheels grip the rail lightly after contacting it.
Additionally, the actuator controls a hinged unit consisting of a deformable parallelogram. The actuator controls all the functions, such as raising the arm, placing it in working position, positioning the guide wheels next to each other, and releasing them.
In addition to the general advantages described in the prior invention, the improved embodiment has many important, specific features.
The guide wheels are designed to absorb the slight separation occurring as they deviate on curves.
The device which releases and reconnects the guide wheels raises and lowers the arm quickly and precisely, and it engages and disengages the wheels from the rail smoothly.
The device which automatically locks and unlocks the mechanical grip maintaining the guide wheels on the rail edges completes the automatic operation of the directional guide system and eliminates the possibility of sudden shocks causing a derailment.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING(S)
The technical characteristics and other advantages of the invention are outlined in the ensuing description, offered as a non-limiting example of one embodiment, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a general view, in perspective, of the improved automatic guide arm engaged on a guide rail;
FIG. 2 is an oblique perspective of the fight front unit with one of the guide wheels in cross-section;
FIG. 3 is an oblique perspective of the left front unit with one of the guide wheels in cross-section;
FIG. 4 is a transverse cross-section of a pair of guide wheels in working position, that is, while moving along the guide rail;
FIGS. 5 and 6 are transverse cross-sections of a pair of guide wheels showing the right-angled element which releases the guide wheel supports;
FIGS. 7, 8, and 9 are side views showing the position of the articulating elements when the arm is in the main kinematic phases;
FIG. 10 is a perspective of the left side showing an embodiment with a conical actuation device;
FIG. 11 is a perspective of the right side showing an embodiment with a conical separation device.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)
The improved, lifting, automatic guide arm
REFERENCES:
patent: 128597 (1872-07-01), Crew
patent: 3707125 (1972-12-01), Milenkovic et al.
patent: 3730105 (1973-05-01), Holley
patent: 3866484 (1975-02-01), Dreshman
patent: 3942449 (1976-03-01), Nelson
patent: 4048925 (1977-09-01), Storm
patent: 4416456 (1983-11-01), Knight
patent: 5024163 (1991-06-01), Lenz
patent: 5156639 (1992-10-01), Bostrom
Le Mark T.
Lohr Industrie
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