Railway rolling stock – Locomotives – With land engaging wheel
Patent
1996-01-29
1998-06-02
Morano, S. Joseph
Railway rolling stock
Locomotives
With land engaging wheel
104244, 104245, 297 7, 180401, B61C 1300
Patent
active
057585830
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an assembly for the directional self-guidance of a road vehicle along a rail.
TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
At the present time, attempts are being made in the urban environment to bring about an economical reduction in the ground space taken up by public transit means.
To this end, devices have been created which enable urban public transit vehicles to be guided for the whole of their journey, or at least for part of it.
These devices offer a guarantee of being able to reduce the width of the lanes or corridors reserved for the passage of these vehicles.
Furthermore, the driver of the vehicle is constantly and fully occupied by driving, which entails increasing and excessive fatigue to the point of exhaustion, and consequently an increased risk of accidents.
The guidance of the vehicle over at least part of the journey enables the driver to be entrusted with a role of surveillance and monitoring that is less tiring, more prestigious and more useful to the service.
In general terms, a choice between electronic guidance systems and mechanical systems exists.
Mechanical systems are often preferred, as they offer various advantages, owing notably to their simplicity, reliability and, finally, their cost.
The mechanical guidance devices that currently exist do, however, present numerous inadequacies, which undermine their development.
Notably, these devices are not designed to be installed on vehicles with independent front wheels. However, the use of a rigid axle is impossible in the case of vehicles with a lowered floor, while this feature is a major requirement of municipal authorities, for reasons of ease of access and safety.
Equally, the current devices do not provide protection against derailment.
For example, according to European patent 0 062 370, in the name of Constructions FERROVIAIRES et METALLIQUES, a self-guidance assembly for a vehicle is known which comprises two arms, each carrying a roller. This system is adapted to a hollow rail and requires fully dedicated steering. Its two associated guide arms, mounted directly on the steering, make flexible, jolt-free driving difficult.
Another example embodiment is described in European patent 0 496 236 in the name of ADIGAN Research. A guide arm carrying a sliding member is mounted beneath a vehicle, and fits into a hollow rail provided in the roadway.
The device has no rotating roller, and there is thus a risk of extraneous screeching and whining. In addition, it is not protected against derailment. This device is subject to rapid wear, leading to imprecision and maladjustment of the guidance.
OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION
The aim of the invention is to overcome these drawbacks by proposing an assembly for the directional self-guidance of a road vehicle along a profiled rail, able to be activated in a permanent or temporary fashion.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The directional self-guidance assembly according to the invention consists of a pivoting, retractable arm, installed at the front of a road vehicle, carrying two rollers inclined towards each other, with a special peripheral profile gripping a rail of adapted shape.
The self-guidance assembly according to the invention has numerous advantages: rollers assists guidance operations on entering an area by virtue of the possibility of using the outer faces of the said rollers; elastic hubs to reduce noise; independent front wheels, and enables the natural capacity of the hydraulically-assisted steering box to filter out vibrations from the wheels to be used; controller, and enables a so-called "dead man's" system to be installed; by means of an elastic or laminated backing that reduces the noise level.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear in the description which follows, given by way of example and accompanied by the drawings which depict:
FIG. 1: a general perspective view of the front of a self-guidance assembly according to the invention, in its position of operation
REFERENCES:
patent: 3180280 (1965-04-01), Kuch et al.
patent: 3363584 (1968-01-01), Brush et al.
patent: 3410223 (1968-11-01), Miller
patent: 3853069 (1974-12-01), Goodwin
patent: 4454819 (1984-06-01), Cuylits et al.
patent: 5183952 (1993-02-01), Low
patent: 5186109 (1993-02-01), Madison
patent: 5289778 (1994-03-01), Romine
Lohr Industrie, S.A.
Morano S. Joseph
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