Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B61—RAILWAYS
  • B61B—RAILWAY SYSTEMS; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B61B13/00—Other railway systems
  • B61B13/10—Tunnel systems

Definitions

• the invention relates to a transport system comprising at least one road surface and at least one vehicle on wheels.
• Such transport systems are known, inter alia, for underground transport.
• the road surface is typically provided in a tunnel tube, with the road surface being of flat construction.
• the vehicle in question such as, for instance, a motorcar, is then suitable for traveling both inside and outside the tunnel tube.
• a drawback of the known transport system is that for the control thereof, the vehicle is provided with a complex control mechanism. Typically, such control mechanism should be operated by a person. If this is not the case, the control mechanism will have to be of automatic design. This last is preferred, in particular for underground transport. After all, having to drive such vehicle in an endlessly long tunnel tube is not attractive. Moreover, this entails the risk of control errors being made, considering the little varying background of a tunnel tube. The possible provision of a guide in the tunnel tube for controlling the vehicle is disadvantageous from a logistic point of view.
• a further drawback is that the portion of the tunnel tube located below the flat road surface is not used for the transport through the tunnel tube. Further, having to work with a guide is disadvantageous at locations where transfer activities takes place.
• the object of the invention is to overcome the above- outlined drawbacks, and the invention is characterized in that the road surface has a substantially bowl-shaped cross section and the vehicle is designed so that the wheels run directly on the road surface while the road surface acts as guide for the direction of movement of the vehicle, the vehicle comprising at least one wheel set, the normal of the contact face between the wheel and the road surface for each wheel of the wheel set being directed perpendicularly to the rotation axis of the wheel.
• the vehicle need not be provided with a complex control mechanism and the vehicle can move (rapidly) along a track formed by the road surface, with or without bends, without the vehicle being actively steered by setting the direction of movement of the vehicle.
• the vehicle will climb up along the bowl- shaped road surface.
• the center of gravity of the vehicle with respect to the road surface will rise at that location.
• the vehicle will move back again to the lowest point of the road surface. The course is then restored.
• the road surface may also be provided with a bend.
• the vehicle In the bend, the vehicle will climb up along the road surface, with the bend acting as a tub bend. After the bend, the vehicle will, under the influence of gravity, move to the lowest point of the road surface again.
• a bowl -shaped motorway may be constructed, driven on by motorcars that are only kept at a distance from each other by sensors.
• the motorcars need not be provided with a control mechanism.
• the road surface is formed by the inner wall of at least one tunnel tube having a substantially round cross section.
• the transport system according to the invention also offers perspective for transport of passengers through tunnels, such as subway trains moving through tubes without rails .
• the transport system further comprises a tunnel transition where the lower half of the tunnel tube gradually blends into a flat surface.
• the flat face is generally directed horizontally.
• the tunnel transition may then be located at an open end of the tunnel tube, with the flat face being located outside the tunnel tube.
• the wheel set comprises means for varying an angle enclosed between the rotation axes of the wheels of the wheel set, these rotation axes lying in a rotation axis plane which, in use, is directed at least substantially perpendicularly to a longitudinal direction of the road surface at the location of the vehicle.
• This embodiment offers a number of advantages.
• the vehicle can run in tunnels of mutually different diameters. In all cases, it can be guaranteed that for each wheel of the wheel set, the normal of the contact face between the wheel and the road surface is directed perpendicularly to the rotation axis of the wheel .
• the vehicle is suitable for driving both on a flat road surface and on the road surface having the bowl -shaped cross section. This contact face may be maintained unchanged by setting said enclosed angle accordingly. More in particular, it will apply that each of the wheels of the wheel set is connected to the vehicle for rotation about a setting axis through a limited angle, the setting axis being directed perpendicularly to said rotation axis plane.
• the vehicle may further comprise drive means for setting said angle.
• said setting axis is positioned below. the rotation axis of the relevant wheel. It is thus provided that said angle will set itself, without any active control, such that for each wheel of the wheel set, the normal of the contact face between the wheel and the road surface is directed perpendicularly to the rotation axis of the wheel.
• said angle will set itself automatically and in such a manner that the normal of the contact face between the wheel and the road surface is directed perpendicularly to the rotation axis of the wheel.
• Fig. la shows a longitudinal section of a transport system known per se, taken on the line B-B of Fig. lb;
• Fig. lb shows a cross section of the transport system according to Fig. la, taken on the line A-A of Fig. la
• Fig. 2a shows a cross section of a first embodiment of a transport system according to the invention, taken on the line B-B in Fig. 2b;
• Fig. 2b shows a longitudinal section of the transport system according to Fig. 2a, taken on the line A-A in Fig. 2a;
• Fig. 3 shows a cross section of both a transport system according to the prior art and a transport system according to the invention
• Fig. 4a is a top plan view of a vehicle according to the invention
• Fig. 4b is a front view of the vehicle according to Fig. 4a when located in a tunnel tube;
• Fig. 4c is a front view of the vehicle according to Fig. 4a when located on a conventional road surface;
• Fig. 5a is a side elevation of a wheel of a wheel set of a vehicle according to the invention;
• Fig. 5b is a front view of the wheel according to Fig. 5a when located on a conventional road surface;
• Fig. 5c is a front view of the wheel according to Fig. 5a when located in a tunnel tube;
• Fig. 6a is a top plan view of an alternative embodiment of a vehicle according to the invention.
• Fig. 6b is a front view of the vehicle according to Fig. 6a when this vehicle is located in a tunnel tube;
• Fig. 6c is a front view of the vehicle according to
• Fig. 7 shows an alternative embodiment of a wheel of a vehicle according to the invention.
• reference numeral 1 denotes a transport system known per se .
• the transport system comprises a road surface 2 and at least one vehicle 4 on wheels 6.
• the road surface is provided on the inside of a tunnel tube 8.
• the vehicle should have a control mechanism to provide that the vehicle keeps following the track of the tunnel tube.
• a further drawback of the known system is that the provision of the road surface in the tunnel tube entails considerable costs.
• the road surface 2 is formed by the inner wall 10 of the tunnel tube 8.
• the tunnel tube 8 has a substantially round cross section. Accordingly, the road surface has a substantially 6
• the undercarriage 12 of the vehicle 4 is arranged for running directly on the road surface 2.
• the undercarriage 12 of the vehicle 4 according to Figs. 2a and 2b comprises two identical wheel sets 14.
• the normal 16 of the contact face 18 between the wheel 6 and the road surface 2 is directed perpendicularly to the rotation axis 20 of the wheel. This involves, inter alia, the normal 16 intersecting the center M of the tunnel tube .
• the tread of the wheel is optimally utilized for discharging the weight of the vehicle onto the road surface 2 formed by the inner wall of the tunnel tube.
• the road surface will also act as a guide for the vehicle.
• the vehicle will travel in the center of the tunnel, which means that the vehicle is located at the lowest point of the tunnel .
• the vehicle leaves this ideal position, for instance because the tunnel tube makes a bend or because the linear movement of the vehicle is otherwise disturbed by, for instance, irregularities in the road surface and/or air flows in the tunnel tube, the vehicle will move up along the road surface.
• the mass center will likewise be moved up.
• any deviation from the ideal path through the tunnel tube involves the mass center of the vehicle being moved up.
• Gravity then causes the vehicle to move down again. In other words, the vehicle will resume its ideal position in the tunnel tube.
• this concerns a self-stabilizing system.
• the vehicle will move up along the tunnel wall, as stated, with the road surface acting as a tub bend. After the bend, the vehicle finds its own way back to the lowest point in the tunnel. The advantage of this is that the vehicle need not be provided 7
• the vehicle need not be controlled.
• the transport system according to the invention also involves an enlargement of the usable space of the tunnel tube. This enlargement of the tunnel tube becomes immediately apparent from Fig. 3.
• FIG. 3 On the right-hand side of Fig. 3, the conventional transport system according to Figs, la and lb is shown. On the left-hand side of Fig. 3, an embodiment of the transport system according to the invention is shown. This directly demonstrates that the volume of the vehicle (hatched in
• Fig. 3 according to the invention can be larger than the volume of the vehicle of the conventional transport system.
• each wheel is constructed as a double wheel.
• wheel should be understood to include the following: a single wheel and also a number of wheels that are positioned adjacent each other and rotatable about the same rotation axis.
• the wheel sets 14 comprise two double wheels 6, 6' .
• the double wheels 6, 6' in fact form one wheel.
• the wheel set comprises means 22 for varying an angle ⁇ enclosed between the rotation axes 20 of the wheels 6, 6'.
• the rotation axes 20 lie in a plane perpendicular to an axial direction of the tunnel tube at the location of the vehicle, in other words perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the road surface at the location of the vehicle.
• the rotation axes 20 lie in the plane of the drawing.
• the enclosed angle ⁇ mentioned is less than 180°.
• the means mentioned for varying the angle ⁇ are realized in that at least one wheel 6, 6' and in this case even both wheels 6, 6' of the wheel 8
• the setting axis 24 is directed perpendicularly to said plane.
• the setting axis 24 extends in the same direction as the axial axis of the tunnel tube.
• said setting axis is located below the rotation axis 20 of the relevant wheel 6, 6 ' .
• the wheels of the vehicle automatically assume a rotational position around the setting axis 24 such that to these wheels, it applies that the normal of the contact face between the wheel and the road surface is directed perpendicularly to the rotation axis of the wheel .
• the vehicle according to Fig. 4 of the invention can be used in tunnel tubes of varying diameters.
• the vehicle can also move on a conventional, flat road surface. This situation is shown in Fig. 4c. Under the influence of gravity, the wheels will automatically assume this position.
• the transport system further comprises a tunnel transition 26 where a lower half of the tunnel tube gradually blends into a flat surface. This flat face may be directed horizontally.
• the tunnel transition will then typically be positioned at an open end of the tunnel tube, with the flat face located outside the tunnel tube. Consequently, via the tunnel transition, the vehicle can drive into and out of the tunnel in a simple manner. Also when the vehicle is out of the tunnel, it can move on as usual.
• the invention also offers perspectives for the transport of passengers through tunnels. In this respect, one may think of subway trains moving through tubes without rails at a great penetration power, as they can also run on a flat road.
• a wheel of a wheel set according to invention.
• One wheel 6 of the double wheel is driven by a hub motor 29.
• the other wheel 6' of the double wheel rotates along freely.
• the double wheel is accommodated in a support arm 30 capable of rotating by means of a turntable 32 around a steering axis 33 of a bearing part 34 of the vehicle. In this manner, the vehicle can be steered when running on a flat road.
• the setting axis 24 lies again below the rotation axis 20.
• the wheel set comprises drive means for setting the above-mentioned enclosed angle ⁇ .
• a servomotor capable of causing the wheels to rotate about the axes 24 may for instance be used.
• this servomotor is schematically designated by reference numeral 36.
• the vehicle comprises two wheel sets 14 which each have two wheels 6.
• Each wheel may be designed as a double wheel 6, 6' .
• the vehicle comprises one wheel set 14 having one pair of wheels 6, 6', as made clear with reference of Figs. 6a-6c.
• the vehicle further comprises a wheel 38 positioned approximately in the middle of the vehicle. In fact, this is a tricycle.
• the vehicle according to the invention may be provided with more than two wheel sets. It is also conceivable that a wheel of a wheel set is composed of one or more double wheels 6, 6', 6' 1 , 6' 1 ' having different yet closely spaced rotation axes, as shown in Fig. 7. In this application, the term "wheel" of a wheel set should therefore be given a broad interpretation.
• the transport system according to the invention could use motorways having a bowl-shaped road surface in cross section. In this respect, one may think of bowl-shaped motorways driven on by motorcars that are only kept at a distance from each other by sensors.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Transportation (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Control Of Position, Course, Altitude, Or Attitude Of Moving Bodies (AREA)
• Threshing Machine Elements (AREA)
• Handcart (AREA)
• Platform Screen Doors And Railroad Systems (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=19766613

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (3)

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• 1998
  • 1998-02-25 NL NL1008415A patent/NL1008415C2/nl not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1999
  • 1999-02-25 AT AT99907965T patent/ATE239633T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1999-02-25 AU AU27494/99A patent/AU2749499A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1999-02-25 WO PCT/NL1999/000104 patent/WO1999043529A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 1999-02-25 EP EP99907965A patent/EP1056634B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1999-02-25 DE DE69907638T patent/DE69907638D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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