Railway rolling stock – Trains – Articulated
Patent
1996-07-25
1998-07-28
Le, Mark Tuan
Railway rolling stock
Trains
Articulated
105165, 280442, B62D 1300
Patent
active
057849676
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention concerns a directional control linkage for a road vehicle, for example, a public urban transport vehicle.
There is currently a need for a road vehicle which can alternate on command between relying on a directional system integrated into the vehicle and a guided directional system cooperating with structures outside the vehicle, which would require less track space, particularly for turning, an important advance in cities and crowded urban areas.
Since urban centers have little terrain to spare, there is limited space for transport systems. Vehicle bodies must be streamlined to adapt to track size, and also the expanse of the entire track layout must be reduced.
To meet this need at turns and intersections, engineers have conceived a design which allows vehicles to negotiate turns and intersections within a minimum amount of space.
The theoretical minimum space requirement for turning is represented by the outline of the vertical portions of the vehicle centered on the vehicle's trajectory.
The projecting vehicle extremities extend beyond this outline.
The general aim of the present invention is to reduce the amount of track required for a public transportation vehicle to operate, especially vehicles which do not have guide structures, and also to provide a control means for switching to a less restricted directional control mode, and vice versa.
Another aim of the invention is to provide a directional control linkage system which can be quickly and easily switched to another directional control linkage system.
Moreover, when not operating on guided tracks, the vehicle can automatically alternate, on command, between an integrated directional system and a semi or totally rail-guided system using guide wheels.
A preferred application of the invention, but not an exclusive one, is for articulated public urban transport road vehicles, consisting of several cars or modules interconnected with intermediate means supported by a steering axle.
The applicant has already proposed an oblique rod connection between passenger modules for one known type of vehicle. This invention is described in French Patent No. 93 04731, filed Apr. 19, 1993.
According to this invention, independent intermediate modules form a composite connection between the passenger modules of a single public transportation vehicle. The articulated intermediate modules are composed of a turning unit supported by a steering axle, with the unit articulated on one side to a front module by an articulation with three degrees of mobility, and on the other side, to a rear module by a double connection formed of a lower articulation and an upper articulated connector with controlled displacement.
According to an equivalent variation of this invention, the turning mechanism is connected to the front module by a lower articulation with three degrees of mobility and to the rear module by an articulation with two degrees of mobility. The lower articulations are completed by an upper articulation with crossed rods connecting the two coach structures. The upper oblique connection is the coach structure of the intermediate module.
The oblique connection using rigid rods of constant length gives this embodiment the ability to behave almost like a single-track guided vehicle when turning. This characteristic is called "quasi single-track" in the description.
The invention has specific means for achieving these goals.
For this purpose, the invention provides a directional control linkage for a rear steering axle road vehicle using a mechanical direction indicator characterized by being articulated to both a front steering element and to a rear turning control element of a rear steering axle, and comprising a switching device with a movable element, an element for locking said element in the reference position, a means for unlocking it, and a means for replacing the movable element in the reference position, so that the directional control linkage has two states: movable element locked in the reference position, while the directional control, w
REFERENCES:
patent: 2029540 (1936-02-01), Porteous
patent: 3322439 (1967-05-01), Le Mmon
patent: 3872794 (1975-03-01), Goode
patent: 4505349 (1985-03-01), Murphy
patent: 4802545 (1989-02-01), Nystuen et al.
patent: 5201836 (1993-04-01), Dewitt
patent: 5234069 (1993-08-01), Krone et al.
Le Mark Tuan
Lohr Industrie
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