EP2828136B1 - Device for maintaining a trajectory of a guided vehicle in the event of derailment and/or misguidance - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a device for maintaining a trajectory of a guided vehicle during a derailment and / or clearance of said guided vehicle, according to the preamble of claim 1, and such a guide member according to claim 12 and in more such a vehicle according to claim 14.

"Guided vehicle" refers to means of public transport such as buses, trolleybuses, trams, subways, trains or train units, etc., but also to means of transporting loads such as, for example, cranes, for which the safety aspect is very important and for which guidance is provided in particular by a single rail. The latter serves as a guide for a guide member which generally bears on the rail and follows its path during the movement of the guided vehicle. The guide member allows for example a guide system to direct a steering axle of the vehicle along the path defined by the rail, said axle being for example provided with load wheels.

A first known variant of the guide member comprises a pair of guide wheels, also called guide rollers, mounted in V and provided with lugs for gripping the guide rail. Such a guiding member is for example described in the documents US 7,228,803 B2 , US 6,029,579 A1 , US 6,363,860 B1 . Such a guiding member securely protects the guidance of the vehicle until it stops. It allows for example to avoid material damage that could come from a loss of guidance, and preserve the physical integrity of staff or passengers embarked in the case of public transport.

Vehicles guided by this type of guide member operate according to the following general principle, with reference to the Figure 1 said guide member follows the rail 3 by means of the pair of rollers 1, 2 in contact with the rail 3 and controls the guide system a direction to impose a steering axle of the vehicle. The guide rail 3 is in particular composed of a sole 4 fixed to the ground 5 and a core 6 supporting a mushroom 7 on which the rollers 1, 2 are supported via a tread 9. Each of the rollers 1, 2 of the same pair of guide rollers and has its tread 9 in contact with a surface of the mushroom 7, called rolling surface 8 and symmetrically distributed on either side of the upper part of the mushroom 7. During the moving the vehicle, the rollers 1, 2 are in contact with the mushroom 7, and their respective lugs 10 surround non-contact in nominal mode, the latter and approach the core 6 below it. As the distance between the lower ends 201, 101 of the two lugs 10 surrounding the mushroom 7 is less than the width C of the mushroom 7, an extraction of the mushroom 7 out of the grip of said rollers 1, 2, or out of the zone between the treads 9 and the lugs 10, is possible only if the angle of attachment of the rollers, ie the angle corresponding to the sector formed by the axes of rotation of each of the rollers 1, 2 of a pair of rollers and which is cut by the plane of symmetry of the pair of V-shaped rollers, increases and / or if the chins 10 and / or the outer edges of the mushroom 7 are deformed.

The correct orientation of the vehicle is thus obtained by coupling the pair of rollers of the guide member of the guide system with the steering axle of the vehicle. If the rollers correctly enclose the guide rail, the vehicle follows the path described by the rail during its movement. On the other hand, if the rollers come out of their normal position operation, for example, if the mushroom of the guide rail comes out of the area between the treads and the chins, then the vehicle may leave the path initially established by the rail. Indeed, as soon as the rollers are no longer subject to the direction imposed by the guide rail, they can move to the right or left of the rail, thus deviating the vehicle from the intended path. The scenario in question is defined as a loss of guidance or simply deguidage of the vehicle. In other words, the correct positioning of the rollers is a necessary condition to ensure the correct direction of the vehicle.

A second variant of the guide member is described in the document WO 2008/074942 A1 and consists of a pair of rollers enclosing a mushroom, as described above, but with the difference that the rollers are devoid of the chins. In this case, the chins of the wheels are replaced by fixed and integral pegs to a base for fixing the rollers, the latter being further protected by a safety shield. This configuration provides a higher rigidity which increases the effort required for the rollers to be extracted from the rail.

Whatever the variant of the guide member considered, the extraction of the mushroom out of the grip of the rollers is possible. This is the case, for example, when a vertical upward pulling force is applied to the rollers or to a base for fixing the rollers so that a deformation of the pieces (latch and / or fungus and / or axis of the rollers) makes the distance between the chins exceeds the width of the mushroom. In this case, the rollers no longer clamp the rail and can be positioned next to the latter, as well as presented in Figure 2 , either on the guide rail, as illustrated by the Figure 3 , the references used in Figure 1 being repeated for the figures 2 and 3. In position on the guide rail, the vehicle can still be guided even if the guide member no longer surrounds the guide rail. On the other hand, if the guide rollers are positioned next to the guide rail, a deflection of the load wheels can cause the guided vehicle to exit its initially planned trajectory, which can have adverse consequences for the operation of the vehicle and the vehicle. network, and for the safety of passengers and on-board personnel.

Thus, the current guidance systems of the guided vehicles do not make it possible to maintain the trajectory of said guided vehicle during a derailment. An object of the present invention is to provide a simple device, safe and reliable, for maintaining the trajectory of a guided vehicle during a derailment or a loss of guidance of the latter. In other words, it is in particular to prevent quickly and reliably that the guide system of a guided vehicle can keep its steering power by means of the steering rods in case of loss of guidance and / or derailment.

In order to achieve this objective, a device is proposed by the content of claim 1.

A set of subclaims also has advantages of the invention.

1. a. une barre destinée à être fixée audit organe de guidage, de manière à être transversale à la voie et donc au rail de guidage, ladite barre ayant une longueur L comprise entre la distance D séparant les rails latéraux l'un de l'autre soustraite de la largeur C du champignon dudit rail de guidage et ladite distance D séparant les rails latéraux l'un de l'autre, i.e. D - C < L < D;
2. b. un moyen de fixation adapté pour une fixation de ladite barre audit organe de guidage de manière à ce que ladite barre soit positionnée transversalement à la voie et donc au rail de guidage, entre et au niveau desdits rails latéraux de façon à prendre appui sur l'un ou l'autre desdits rails latéraux lors d'un déraillement et/ou déguidage dudit véhicule guidé de manière à guider ledit véhicule guidé en imposant audit organe de guidage la trajectoire définie par le rail de guidage.

The present invention relates to a device for maintaining a trajectory, intended to equip a guided vehicle capable of moving on a track comprising at least one guide rail and two side rails which are, for example, current rails, said lateral rails being parallel to said guide rail and positioned, in particular symmetrically, on either side of the latter, and said guide rail defining a path for the guided vehicle. said Guided vehicle includes in particular a guidance system for guiding said vehicle according to the path imposed by the guide rail. The guidance system comprises in particular a guide member comprising guide wheels or rollers, each of the guide wheels being intended to bear on said guide rail in order to impose on said guided vehicle, via said guide member, said trajectory defined by the guide rail. Said holding device is characterized in that it comprises:

1. at. a bar intended to be fixed to said guide member, so as to be transverse to the track and thus to the guide rail, said bar having a length L between the distance D separating the side rails from each other subtracted from the width C of the mushroom of said guide rail and said distance D separating the side rails from each other, ie D - C <L <D;
2. b. a fastening means adapted for fixing said bar to said guide member so that said bar is positioned transversely to the track and therefore to the guide rail, between and at said side rails so as to bear on the one or the other of said side rails during a derailment and / or clearance of said guided vehicle so as to guide said guided vehicle by imposing on said guide member the path defined by the guide rail.

Indeed, as the side rails are parallel to the guide rail, they are also adapted to control a displacement of the guided vehicle along said path imposed by the guide rail. The lateral rails may in particular be current or power rails intended to supply electrical energy to said guided vehicle, or lateral rails configured for guiding said guided vehicle during derailment or clearing of said guided vehicle. by cooperation with a device for maintaining a trajectory according to the invention. For this purpose, said bar is configured to hold the ends of the rollers in position on the guide rail as presented in FIG. Figure 3 or 4 . By end of rollers, it refers in particular to the lug fitted to a roller or wheel, but also to a shield or fairing of rollers which would be supported on the guide rail during a derailment or loss of guidance as schematically illustrated in FIG. Figure 3 when said guided vehicle is equipped with the device for maintaining the trajectory according to the invention. The geometry and structure of the bar, as well as the fixing means of said bar to said guide member in particular allow to transmit to said guide member a direction to follow in order to keep said vehicle guided along the path defined by the rail guidance.

Preferably, said bar and / or said fixing means comprise an insulating material capable of preventing a transfer of electricity from one of said side rails to said guided vehicle during a contact of said bar with said side rail, particularly when the particular case where the side rail is a current rail. For example, said bar may comprise at each of its ends said insulating material, and / or be made of said insulating material and / or at least partially coated with a layer of said insulating material.

Preferably, said guide bar comprises a jaw adapted to surround the mushroom of said rail so as to serve as a flush-stone when used on a correctly guided vehicle. In particular, protruding parts of said jaw extend, when using said holding device according to the invention, on either side of the mushroom, under the latter, the distance separating the ends of said protrusions of the jaw under said mushroom being less than the width of said mushroom so as to prevent an output of the mushroom of said rail out of the grip of said jaw during use of said holding device according to the invention.

Said bar has in particular a substantially parallelepiped shape. According to a preferred embodiment, said bar has at least a portion of one of its ends bevelled, so that for example front view, the overall geometric shape of the bar substantially corresponds to a rectangle on which is superimposed a isosceles trapezoid whose base has a length identical to the length of the rectangle, and the top has a length less than the base. In this way, the geometric shape of the bar allows in particular a self-centering of said bar between the side rails during a derailment and / or guiding of the guided vehicle. In addition, said bar may in particular comprise at least one of its ends a support wheel configured to bear on one of said side rails during said derailment and / or clearance of said guided vehicle.

Preferably, the fixing means is in particular adapted to fix said bar to a base for fixing a wheel / roller or wheels / guide rollers of the guide member. In addition, said fixing means may in particular fix said bar to said guide member rigidly or flexibly, i.e. so as to damp the transmission to the guiding member of a shock of an object with said bar. To this end, the fixing means preferably comprises a shock absorbing device, comprising for example a hydraulic damping system and / or spring.

The present invention also relates to a guide member of a guided vehicle comprising said holding device of a trajectory as previously described, said member being characterized in particular that it comprises a pair of said guide wheels mounted in V pointed downwards and provided with lugs for gripping the guide rail. The present invention also relates to a guided vehicle comprising said holding device as described above.

Figure 1

paire de galets de guidage correctement enraillé en mode nominal sur un rail de guidage;

Figure 2

positionnement à côté d'un rail de guidage d'une paires de galets de guidage lors d'un déraillement;

Figure 3

positionnement sur un rail de guidage d'une paires de galets de guidage lors d'un déraillement;

Figure 4

positionnement des galets de guidage lors d'un déraillement d'un véhicule guidé équipé d'un dispositif de maintien selon l'invention;

Figure 5

exemple de fixation d'un dispositif de maintien selon l'invention à une base de fixation de galets d'un organe de guidage;

Figure 6

exemple de réalisation selon l'invention d'un dispositif de maintien de la trajectoire;

Figure 7

exemple de réalisation selon l'invention d'une barre équipée de roulettes d'appui.

Finally, examples of realization and application are provided using:

Figure 1

pair of guide rollers properly braked in nominal mode on a guide rail;

Figure 2

positioning next to a guide rail of a pair of guide rollers during a derailment;

Figure 3

positioning on a guide rail of a pair of guide rollers during a derailment;

Figure 4

positioning of the guide rollers during a derailment of a guided vehicle equipped with a holding device according to the invention;

Figure 5

example of fixing a holding device according to the invention to a base for fixing rollers of a guide member;

Figure 6

embodiment of the invention of a device for maintaining the trajectory;

Figure 7

embodiment of the invention of a bar equipped with support rollers.

The Figures 1 to 3 respectively present a correct braking of a pair of rollers 1, 2 on a guide rail 3 representing the nominal mode of operation of the pair of rollers 1, 2, a derailment case of the pair of rollers 1, 2 next to said guide rail 3, and a case of derailment of the pair of rollers 1, 2 on the guide rail 3, each roller being mounted on a fastening base 12 of the guide member. The derailment of the pair of rollers 1, 2 next to the guide rail 3 can lead to a steering of the guide member may lead to a loss of trajectory for the guided vehicle.

1. a. une barre 15 destinée à être fixée audit organe de guidage, par exemple à une base de fixation 12 des galets 1, 2 dudit organe de guidage, de manière à être transversale à la voie et donc au rail de guidage 3, ladite barre 15 ayant une longueur L comprise entre la distance D séparant les rails latéraux 13, 14 l'un de l'autre soustraite de la largeur C du champignon dudit rail de guidage 3 et ladite distance D séparant les rails latéraux l'un de l'autre, i.e. D - C < L < D;
2. b. un moyen de fixation adapté pour une fixation de ladite barre 15 audit organe de guidage de manière à ce que ladite barre soit positionnée transversalement à la voie et donc au rail de guidage 3, entre et au niveau desdits rails latéraux 13, 14 de façon à prendre appui sur l'un ou l'autre desdits rails latéraux 13, 14 lors d'un déraillement et/ou déguidage dudit véhicule guidé, de sorte que ladite barre 15 soit apte à imposer audit organe de guidage la trajectoire définie par le rail de guidage 3.

In order to avoid such a problem, the present invention proposes to equip the guiding member of a guided vehicle with a device for maintaining the trajectory. The Figure 4 presents for this purpose an embodiment of a holding device according to the invention, mounted on a guide member of a guided vehicle derailed. The guided vehicle can for example run on a track comprising a guide rail 3 and side rails 13, 14, which can for example be used to supply electrical power to said guided vehicle. A guide member comprising a pair of downwardly pointing v-shaped wheels or guide rollers 1, 2 allows the guided vehicle to follow the path described by the guide rail 3 in nominal mode. During a derailment as presented in Fig. 4 , the holding device according to the invention makes it possible to maintain said trajectory of said guided vehicle despite derailment and / or clearance. The holding device according to the invention comprises in particular:

1. at. a bar 15 intended to be fixed to said guide member, for example to a fastening base 12 of the rollers 1, 2 of said guide member, so as to be transverse to the track and thus to the guide rail 3, said bar 15 having a length L between the distance D separating the lateral rails 13, 14 from each other subtracted from the width C of the mushroom of said guide rail 3 and said distance D separating the lateral rails from one of the other, ie D - C <L <D;
2. b. fastening means adapted for attachment of said bar 15 to said guide member so that said bar is positioned transversely to the track and thus to the guide rail 3, between and at said side rails 13, 14 so as to to bear on one or the other of said lateral rails 13, 14 during a derailment and / or clearance of said guided vehicle, so that said bar 15 is able to impose on said guide member the trajectory defined by the rail of guidance 3.

Preferably, said bar 15 is mounted in front of said guide member with respect to a direction of travel S of said guided vehicle, as shown in FIG. Figure 5 and in Figure 6 . Each end 151, 152 of the bar 15 is in particular curved in a direction opposite to the direction of displacement S of said vehicle, or may simply comprise an insulating tip, metallic or not. A fastening means 16 may for example make said bar 15 integral with a fastening base 12 of the rollers of the guide member. The fastening means comprises in particular a system of nuts 162 and screws 161 adapted for fixing said bar 15 to said guide member, for example to said fastening base 12 of said guide member. In particular, the system of nuts 162 and screws 161 can cooperate with a system of plates 163 for holding said bar integral with said fixing base 12. Preferably, the holding device according to the invention, for example said bar 15 and / or said plates 163, comprises a jaw 17 capable of surrounding the mushroom of said guide rail 3, in particular by projecting portions 171 of said jaw 17, so as to serve as a flush-stone when used on a correctly guided vehicle. The jaw 17 is in particular configured so as to allow a clearance of about 14 mm around the mushroom of the guide rail 3. The value of said clearance is in particular determined so that said clearance avoids a contact of said jaw with the guide rail during lateral and vertical movements, roll rotations, and pitching of the rollers, while also taking into consideration wear of the rollers.

The Figure 7 shows an embodiment of the bar 15 according to the invention. The references of the preceding figures are kept in Figure 7 for identical objects. Preferably, said bar 15 is for example made of a metal material or an alloy (for example steel, stainless steel, etc.), or a composite material (for example, fiberglass, fiberglass or carbon, etc.), or a mixture of metallic and composite material, for example metal covered with composite. The choice is made in particular according to the mechanical forces and the presence of current in the lateral rails 13, 14. Preferably, said bar 15 is structured so as to minimize its longitudinal flexion. A typical length L of the bar 15 is for example 768 mm for lateral rails 13, 14 spaced apart by 800 mm, so as to guarantee a clearance of approximately 16 mm between each end of the bar 15 and the side rail when a derailment or loss of guidance of said guided vehicle. In particular, each end of the bar 15 may be provided with a support wheel 153 configured to bear on said lateral rail 13, 14 during the derailment or loss of guidance of the guided vehicle.

• un nombre réduit de composants susceptibles de causer une panne, impliquant notamment un faible coût de développement, de fabrication, de mise en place et de maintenance;
• une résistance aux environnements extérieurs contraignants liés aux véhicules guidés;
• une sécurisation et un maintien de la trajectoire en cas de déraillement de l'organe de guidage;
• une fonction de chasse-pierre du dispositif selon l'invention permettant d'écarter des objets se trouvant sur la voie de guidage et de protéger l'organe de guidage, notamment au moyen de ladite mâchoire équipant la barre selon l'invention.

In summary, the device according to the invention has the following advantages:

• a small number of components that could cause a failure, including a low cost of development, manufacturing, implementation and maintenance;
• resistance to harsh outdoor environments related to guided vehicles;
• securing and maintaining the path in case of derailment of the guide member;
• a hunting-stone function of the device according to the invention for removing objects in the guide path and protect the guide member, in particular by means of said jaw equipping the bar according to the invention.

Claims (14)

1. Device to maintain a trajectory, intended to be fitted to a guided vehicle capable of moving on a track including at least one guide rail (3) and two side rails (13, 14) parallel to said guide rail (3) and positioned on each side of the latter, said guided vehicle including a guidance unit including guide wheels (1, 2), each of the guide wheels (1, 2) being intended to be supported on said guide rail (3), said maintenance device being characterised in that it includes:

   a. a bar (15) intended to be fixed to said guidance unit so as to be transverse to the track, said bar having length L between the distance D separating the side rails from one another minus the width C of the head of said guide rail and said distance D separating the side rails from one another, i.e. D - C < L < D;

   b. a fixing means (16) suitable for fixing said bar (15) to said guidance unit so that said bar (15) is positioned transversely between and at the level of said side rails (13, 14) so as to be supported on one or other of said side rails (13, 14) during a derailment and/or failure of guidance of said guided vehicle.
2. Device to maintain a trajectory according to claim 1, characterised in that said bar (15) and/or said fixing means (16) includes an insulating material capable of preventing a transfer of electricity from one of said side rails (13, 14) to said guided vehicle during contact between said bar (15) and said side rail (13, 14) when the latter is a current or feed rail.
3. Device to maintain a trajectory according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the fixing means (16) is suitable for fixing said bar (15) to a fixing base (12) for a guide wheel of the guidance unit.
4. Device to maintain a trajectory according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that said guide bar (15) includes a jaw (17) capable of encircling the head of said rail (3) so as to act as a track clearer when used on a correctly re-railed guided vehicle.
5. Device to maintain a trajectory according to claim 4, characterised in that projecting parts (171) of said jaw extend, during use of said device, to each side of the head, beneath the latter, the distance separating the ends of said projecting parts (171) of the jaw (17) beneath said head being less than the width of said head so as to prevent said guide rail (3) slipping out of the grip of said jaw (17) during use of said device.
6. Device to maintain a trajectory according to one of claims 2 to 5, characterised in that said bar (15) includes said insulating material at each of its ends.
7. Device to maintain a trajectory according to one of claims 2 to 6, characterised in that said bar (15) is made of said insulating material or covered at least in part with a layer of said insulating material.
8. Device to maintain a trajectory according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that said bar (15) has at least a part of one of its ends bevelled.
9. Device to maintain a trajectory according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said bar (15) includes on at least one of its ends a support castor (153) configured to be supported on one of said side rails (13, 14) during said derailment and/or failure of guidance of said guided vehicle.
10. Device to maintain a trajectory according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said bar (15) is made of steel.
11. Device to maintain a trajectory according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said fixing means (16) includes a shock absorbing device intended to cushion the transmission of a shock between an object and said bar (15) to the guidance unit.
12. Guidance unit of a guided vehicle including said device for maintaining a trajectory according to one of claims 1 to 11.
13. Guidance unit according to claim 12, characterised in that it includes a pair of said guide wheels (1, 2) mounted in a V and fitted with flanges making it possible to grip the guide rail (3).
14. Guided vehicle including said maintenance device according to one of claims 1 to 11.

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