ES2950157A1 - DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC TRACK POSITIONING IN PLATE RAIL SYSTEMS (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention describes a device (1) for automatic rail positioning in plate rail systems. The device (1) comprises: a frame (11); a carriage body (12) slidably connected to the frame (11) along a transverse direction, where the body (12) comprises at least two pairs of wheels (13) facing downwards for rolling on two respective rails of a rail (100) and at least two retractable clips (14) facing downwards to grip the two rails (110); two extendable parallel vertical cylinders (15) connected to the frame (11), where the cylinders (15) are configured to extend vertically downward so that, when supported on the ground, the frame (11) is raised. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

DESCRIPTION

Device for automatic track positioning in plate rail systems

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is a device designed to position track sections prior to fixing the tracks in a plate rail system.

PREVIOUS TECHNIQUE

A slab rail is a type of railway infrastructure in which the traditional combination of sleepers/sleepers and ballast is replaced by a rigid concrete construction. In plate rails, the rails are first rigidly fixed to a particular type of sleepers/sleepers usually made of steel bars. Next, once the rail has been positioned correctly, the sleepers/sleepers are embedded in concrete. Plate rails, therefore, have a high consistency with regard to rail geometry. Furthermore, the geometry of a plate rail cannot be adjusted after concreting the sleepers/sleepers.

In view of the above, before concreting the sleepers/sleepers it is necessary to carry out a positioning step to ensure that each and every rail section is correctly positioned. The positioning step begins in a situation where the rail is supported on a solid foundation or substructure. A rail section is then moved vertically, laterally (also known in the art as “ ripping ”) and/or rotatably (also known in the art as “camber”) as required to achieve a corresponding target position. Once in the target position, said rail is immobilized using known means. A subsequent rail section is then positioned and locked in its respective target position, and so on. Once all rail sections of a rail portion are locked in their respective correct positions, concrete is poured to permanently fix the position of said rail portion.

Fig. 1 shows an example of a rail portion (100) comprising approximately two sections before the rail positioning and concrete pouring steps. The rail (100) comprises a pair of rails (110) fixed to a plurality of concrete feet (120). TO In turn, each pair of laterally aligned concrete feet (120) is connected by means of sleepers (130) made of a set of steel bars. The rail (100) is initially supported in a provisional position relatively close to the target position. Then, either manually or by means of a prior art device described below, each section of the rail (100) is successively positioned at the respective target position. To check the position of each rail section and to determine whether said rail section is in the corresponding target position, surveying means are used that do not form part of the present invention. Finally, through horizontal and vertical supports (140, 150) anchored to the underlying concrete substructure, each rail section (100) is fixed in the target position.

Each horizontal support is an extendable cylinder (140) that extends essentially along a lateral direction and has one end attached to a rail (110) and an opposite end anchored to a portion of a fixed concrete structure. Normally, for each rail section (100), only one extendable cylinder (140) is provided, positioned on one of the sides of the rail (100), so that its operation blocks any additional lateral movement of said rail section (100). In turn, each vertical support is a threaded rod (150) that is threaded to a connector fixed to a rail (110), and which has a lower end supported by the underlying concrete substructure. Normally, two rock rods (150) are provided for each rail portion (100), one for each of the rails (110), so that when the two rods (150) are threaded into the respective threaded holes of the substructure , any additional vertical movement of each of the rails (110) of said section of the track (100) is blocked.

Normally, the step of positioning each section of track is carried out essentially manually. To do this, surveying means are first used to determine the approximate corrections necessary for a rail section to reach the target position. Operators then move the rail section accordingly using manual means such as jacks and measuring tape. Surveying means are then used again to calculate a deviation from the target position (in this regard, note that the allowable tolerances are in the range of millimeters), and a new iteration begins. This process is time-consuming and requires several workers.

Document ES2364635 describes a prior art device (200) for automatically positioning rail sections prior to the concreting step. As shown In Fig. 2, the prior art device (200) comprises a frame (210) rigidly attached to a pair of parallel retractable cylinders (220). A carriage body (211) is slidably connected to the frame (210), so that the carriage body (211) can slide transversely relative to the frame (210), that is, the transverse direction is always perpendicular to the cylinders (220) and is also contained in a plane perpendicular to the natural direction of movement of the device (200) along the rail (100). The feet (221) are provided with spherical joints to allow the cylinders (220), and therefore also the frame (210) fixed thereto, to tilt towards the sides of the rail (100). Two pairs of wheels (not shown in the figure) are fixed to the body (211) of the cart so that the device (200) advances along the rail (100). A pair of downward-facing clips (230) are attached to both lateral sides of the carriage body (211) to grip the rails (110).

During use, the device (200) advances with the wheels resting on the rail (100) and with the cylinders (220) in a retracted position, until reaching a section of rail (100) to be positioned. Then, the cylinders (220) extend vertically downward until the feet (221) rest firmly on the substructure between the rails (110), and therefore the frame (210) and the carriage body (211) are raised. . The rails (110), gripped by the clamps (230) fixed to the body (211) of the carriage, are also raised. The cylinders (220) extend a distance required to adjust the vertical position and cant essentially simultaneously, and the carriage body (211) slides transversely perpendicular to the cylinders (220) to adjust the horizontal position. Then, the rail (100) is immobilized by means of the horizontal support (140) and the vertical support (150).

DESCRIPTION

The prior art device described above has never been used commercially due to lack of efficiency and precision. The inventors of the present invention have discovered that the reason for this inefficiency is related to the mechanical configuration of the device.

Indeed, as described above, the position adjustment of a rail section (100) comprises three basic movements: horizontal displacement, vertical displacement, and superelevation. The prior art device (200) can adjust the cant and horizontal and vertical position of the rail (100) by extending/retracting the cylinders (220) and by transverse sliding of the carriage body (211). However note that, when the cylinders (220) do not extend synchronously, a lateral inclination appears. Although this inclination allows the cant to be adjusted, it also implies a horizontal and vertical displacement of the rail (100). For this reason, an iterative process of readjusting the horizontal and vertical displacements is necessary. However, this is not easy given the high weight supported by the cylinders (220), that is, the weight of the rail (100), the frame (210) and the carriage body (211), and therefore important errors arise. of position. For this reason, to reach the target position, the prior art device (200) requires a high number of iterations, where each iteration comprises a step of moving the rail (100) in the direction of the target position followed by a step to check if the rail (100) is sufficiently close to said target position. If it is not close enough, a subsequent iteration is performed. Consequently, the time required by the prior art device to reach the target position is excessively long, and the precision is often insufficient.

The inventor of the present application solves this problem by means of a new mechanical structure where it is not necessary for the columns to tilt laterally, that is, the weight of the rail section plus the carriage body is always supported by the columns in position. vertical (columns are essentially vertical at all times). With this configuration, no lateral force affects the positioning of the rail section, and the accuracy of the positioning step is greatly improved. Therefore, the device of the present invention does not need to carry out an iterative positioning process: a single positioning phase is sufficient to reach the target position. This configuration therefore allows for faster and more precise operation of the device.

In the present document, the “rail r comprises a pair of rails connected by means of sleepers/sleepers. In a particular configuration, the rail is fixed to a plurality of concrete feet, where pairs of laterally aligned feet are connected by means of sleepers made of a set of steel bars.

Herein, the lane comprises several “lane sections”, where each lane section is a multi-meter lane section. In turn, a “lane portion” comprises a plurality of lane sections. The length of the lane portions depends on several factors, although it is conventionally between 144 m and 288 m.

In this document, the "longitudinal direction" refers to the main direction of the lane. In turn, the "lateral direction" refers to a direction perpendicular to the direction longitudinal and contained in a plane that is parallel to the plane of the rail.

In this document, "horizontal displacement" or "ripping" refers to a displacement of the rail section along the lateral direction, "vertical displacement " refers to a displacement of the rail section essentially vertically in perpendicular to the plane of the ground, and “cant” refers to an inclination of the rail section in relation to the plane of the ground.

According to the present invention, the device for automatic rail positioning in plate rail systems essentially comprises the following parts:

a) A frame. The frame can have any configuration as long as it is rigid enough to support the rest of the elements that make up the device. For example, the frame may be made of a beam or joist structure.

b) A carriage body slidably connected to the frame along a transverse direction. In this context, the transverse direction has a lateral component and, at the same time, is perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the rail along which the device moves when in normal use. The cart body further comprises at least two pairs of downward-facing wheels configured to roll on the respective two rails of a rail and at least two downward-facing retractable grippers configured to grip the two rails.

c) Two vertical parallel extendable cylinders connected to the frame, where the cylinders are configured to extend vertically downwards so that, when supported on the ground, the frame is raised.

The parts described above are known from the prior art device mentioned above. However, the present invention differs from said prior art device in that the connection between the cylinders and the frame comprises a rotary joint configured to allow a rotation of the frame relative to the cylinders about an essentially longitudinal direction.

This configuration is advantageous because the cylinders are no longer tilted laterally to correct the cant of the rail section. On the contrary, the cylinders are always in a vertical position and the cant is corrected by extending the cylinders a different distance, so that the frame rotates in relation to the cylinders thus giving rise to the cant. The direction of the weight of the rail section, the frame and the carriage body therefore coincides at all times with the vertical columns, and no lateral deviation appears. The precision of the lateral, vertical and cant adjustments is therefore much greater compared to the prior art device.

In a preferred embodiment, the sliding connection between the carriage body and the frame comprises carriage body rails that are supported by and run along linear guides fixed to the frame. Even more preferably, the rails protrude downward from the carriage body and the linear guides have an upwardly facing cavity configured to slidably receive the rails, so that the carriage body slideably rests on the frame. The device may further comprise a hydraulic cylinder for causing the carriage body to slide relative to the frame.

This configuration is advantageous because, by resting the carriage body on the frame instead of hanging from it, the useful life of said parts is extended. Additionally, only one high-power cylinder is required to achieve superelevation.

In another preferred embodiment, the device of the invention further comprises extension parts configured to be inserted between wheels and between calipers to selectively adapt the device to a first track width, when not inserted, or to a second track width, when they are. inserted, where the first gauge is narrower than the second gauge. Even more preferably, the extension parts comprise:

- wheel extension parts configured for connection to both ends of each wheel axle to increase the axle length from the first track width to the second track width;

- caliper extension parts configured for the connection between the carriage body and each caliper to increase the distance between calipers from the first track width to the second track width.

This configuration is advantageous because the device can adapt to different track widths. Just as an example, the two most used gauges in Spain are the Iberian gauge (1668 mm) and the European gauge (1435 mm). In this case, each extension part has a width of (1668 - 1435) / 2 = 116.5 mm. Therefore, the default dimensions of the device of the invention correspond to the narrowest width, that is, to the European width. To adapt the device to the Iberian width, the 116.5mm wide wheel extension parts are inserted at both ends of each wheel axle, combining for an increase in the distance between wheels of 231 mm, that is, from 1435 mm (European width) up to 1668 mm (Iberian width). Similarly, 116.5mm wide caliper extension parts are inserted between the carriage body and each caliper, combining to increase the distance between calipers by 231mm.

In yet another preferred embodiment, the device of the invention further comprises detection means for detecting the position of a threaded rod that immobilizes a section of the rail. More preferably, the sensing means comprises a rod projecting laterally outward from a clamp support portion fixed to the carriage body. Thus, detection is carried out when the rod hits against the threaded rod.

This configuration is advantageous because the operator no longer needs to stop the device manually when moving along the lane from one lane section to the next. The detection means automatically detects the position of a threaded rod corresponding to the next rail section, and the device stops automatically. Then, the positioning process for said lane section takes place. Once the rail section is immobilized by the operator by activating the corresponding horizontal and vertical supports, the device advances again until the detection means detects the next threaded rod corresponding to the next rail section.

In a further preferred embodiment, the clips are configured to alternate between a retracted open position, an extended open position, and an extended closed position. More preferably, each gripper comprises a hydraulic cylinder that actuates a gripper cam portion which, in turn, is connected to an upper portion of a gripper end portion. A central portion of the clamp end portion is rotatably connected to the clamp support by means of a rotary joint, and the rotary joint is, in turn, configured to slide vertically between an upper position and a lower position. In addition, a spring drives the rotary joint vertically upwards, so that the clamp can only close when the rotary joint is in the lower position.

This configuration is advantageous because the possibility of the gripper accidentally engaging a rail during the retracting movement of the gripper is avoided. In fact, at the clamp It can only be closed when it is in the lowest fully extended position. Therefore, after a rail has been immobilized by the horizontal and vertical supports, the clamp that holds said rail can only be opened when it is in the lowest position. It cannot be retracted upwards, accidentally engaging the rail.

In yet another preferred embodiment, the device further comprises a track width sensor to obtain the exact distance between corresponding rails. More preferably, the track width sensor comprises two probes arranged adjacent to the clips to contact an inner side of the rails. In this way, the distance between rails is obtained, that is, the track width.

In yet another preferred embodiment, one of the feet is laterally movable in relation to the corresponding cylinder. This configuration is advantageous because it allows you to obtain better and firmer support against the ground.

Finally, in another preferred embodiment of the invention, the device of the invention comprises rechargeable batteries. Thus, all the drive means included in the device, such as the drive means that cause the extension and retraction of the cylinders, the drive means that cause the opening and closing of the clamps, the drive means that cause the displacement transverse of the carriage body, or the drive means that cause the device as a whole to move along the rails between one section of track and the next, are directly or indirectly driven by the power provided by the batteries. The batteries can be recharged through any means, for example solar panels.

This configuration is particularly advantageous when the device is operated within a tunnel in which the gases emitted by a conventional combustion engine are particularly dangerous. In this regard, note that rail positioning may take place prior to the installation of fans to evacuate hazardous gases from inside the tunnel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the rail.

Fig. 2 is a front view of a prior art device.

Fig. 3 is a front view of the device of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a more detailed perspective view of a portion of the device of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the connection means between the frame and the carriage body of the device of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the detection means of the invention.

The Figs. 7A-7C are perspective views showing the operation of the clamp of the device of the invention.

The Figs. 8A and 8B are cross-sectional views showing the wheel extension portions of the device of the invention.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a clamp extension portion of the device of the invention.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the track width sensor of the device of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Fig. 3 shows a front view of the device (1) of the invention while holding a pair of rails (110) that form part of a rail section (100). The device (1) comprises a pair of vertical parallel extendable cylinders (15) that have respective feet (28). A frame (11) is connected to the cylinders (15) by means of a rotary joint (not shown in the figures) along essentially a longitudinal axis. Note that the longitudinal axis of rotation of said rotary joint is coincident with the longitudinal direction of the rails (110) along which the device (1) is configured to advance. When an extension length of one of the cylinders (15) is different from an extension length of the other cylinder (15), the frame (11) rotates around the respective rotary joints, thus providing superelevation to the rail section ( 100).

A carriage body (12) rests on the frame (11) and is slidably connected thereto along a transverse direction. As described above, the transverse direction has a lateral component and a vertical component, and is contained in a plane that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rail (100). Therefore, when the carriage body (12) is made to slide transversely in relation to the frame (11) by actuating the hydraulic cylinder (18), the displacement of the rail section (100) gripped by the clamps (14) connected to the Car body (12) also has a lateral component and a vertical component.

The sliding connection between the frame (11) and the carriage body (12) is shown in detail in Figs. 4 and 5. An upper side of the frame (11) comprises several linear guides (16). Each linear guide (16) has a U-shaped cross section with the cavity facing upward. In this particular example, two pairs of linear guides (16) are arranged aligned along the transverse direction. In turn, a lower side of the carriage body (12) has a pair of downward-facing rails respectively housed within the corresponding cavities of the linear guides (16). The carriage body (12) therefore rests on the frame (11). When the hydraulic cylinder (18) is activated, the carriage body (12) moves in a transverse direction in relation to the frame (11).

The device (1) of the invention also comprises two pairs of wheels (13) fixed to respective lateral ends of the cart body (12). The wheels (13), not shown in Fig. 3, are configured to rest on the respective rails (110). The device (1) of the invention can therefore move longitudinally along the rail (100) from one rail section to the next. Dedicated driving means (not shown in the figures) are provided to cause the device (1) to move along the rail (100).

The device (1) of the invention also comprises a pair of clamp supports (22) that protrude downwards from both lateral sides of the carriage body (12). In a lower portion of each clamp support, in a position close to the rails (110) of the rail (100), respective pairs of clamps (14) are arranged. Furthermore, in a lower portion of at least one of the clamp supports (22), detection means are arranged.

The detection means are shown in detail in Fig. 6. The detection means are configured to detect the moment in which the device (1), when advancing longitudinally along the rails (110), it reaches the position of a subsequent track section. The detection means mainly comprises an elongated part (29) connected to the lowermost portion of the clamp support (22). At a free end of the elongated part (29), a detection rod (21) is arranged. The elongated part (29) can move between an active position of detection means where the detection rod (21) protrudes laterally from the rail (100), and an inactive position of detection means where the detection rod (21) does not protrude. laterally of the track (100). In this exemplary embodiment, in the inactive position the detection rod (21) adopts a vertical position, while in the active position the detection rod (21) adopts a horizontal position oriented laterally. Thus, when the device (1) of the invention advances along the rail (100) with the detection means in the active position, eventually the detection rod (21) hits a vertical threaded rod (150) fixed to the rail ( 110) corresponding. A suitable sensor is configured to detect this situation. The device (1) can then be programmed to stop automatically, or alternatively an alarm can be provided to instruct the operator to manually stop the movement of the device (1) along the rail (100).

The device (1) of the invention further comprises two pairs of clamps (14) connected to the carriage body (12) by means of corresponding clamp supports (22). Fig. 7A shows the clamps (14) when they are in an open retracted position, Fig. 7B shows the clamps (14) when they are in an extended open position, and Fig. 7C shows the clamps (14) when they are in an extended closed position.

The clamps (14) are carefully designed to open and close according to the sequence shown in Figs. 7A-7C to avoid accidentally hooking the rail (110) when they release said rail (110). Each individual clamp (14) comprises a hydraulic cylinder (not shown in the figures) that has a vertical path. The hydraulic cylinder vertically displaces a clamp cam portion (23). The clamp cam portion (23), in turn, is connected to an upper portion of a clamp end portion (24), and a central portion of the clamp end portion (24) is rotatably connected. to the clamp support (22) by means of a rotating joint (25). In turn, the rotary joint (25) is configured to slide vertically between an upper position and a lower position, where a spring (26) drives the rotary joint (25) vertically upward, so that the clamp (14) only It can be closed when the rotary joint (25) is in the lowest position.

Thus, in the open retracted position shown in Fig. 7A the first hydraulic cylinder is in the upper position and the rotary joint (25) is also in the upper position driven by the spring (26). Then, the hydraulic cylinder moves the clamp cam portion (23) downward. As a consequence, as shown in Fig. 7B, the clamp end portion (24) is pushed downward, the rotary joint (25) overcomes the force of the spring (26), and therefore the rotary joint (25) , and therefore also the clamp end part (24) as a whole, moves downwards. The clamp (14) is now in the extended open position. Since the clamp (14) has not yet begun to close, the free ends of the clamp end portions (24) of the clamp (14) are unobstructed from moving downward on either side of the rail (110). The hydraulic cylinder continues to move downward, thus moving the clamp cam portion (23) even lower. Thus, the connection between the hydraulic cylinder and the clamp cam part (23) is rotatable and therefore, once the rotary joint (25) reaches its lower position, the clamp end part (24) can only rotate around of the rotary joint (25). Then, the clamp (14) closes.

The Figs. 8A and 8B also show respective wheel extension parts (19a, 19b) configured to allow the adaptation of the device (1) to different track widths. In particular, there is a first wheel extension part (19a) configured for installation between an end of an axle and an idler wheel (13), and a second wheel extension part (19b) configured for installation between an end of an axle (20) and a drive wheel (13). These wheel extension parts (19a, 19b) essentially have a cylindrical shape having connection means with the corresponding wheel and axle, that is, flanges, threaded rods or the like. By installing these wheel extension parts (19a, 19b), the distance between the wheels increases, and therefore the device (1) of the invention can adapt to a larger track width compared to the default configuration without parts. of extension.

The caliper extension parts (30) shown in Fig. 9 have a similar function as the wheel extension parts (19a, 19b) described above. They are designed to be inserted between the carriage body (12) and each clamp support (22) to increase the distance between clamps (14). In this case, the shape is not cylindrical, and several holes are provided for bolts or screws for connection with the clamp support (22) and the corresponding side of the carriage body (12).

Fig. 10 shows the track width sensor that has a probe with a wheel that rotates against an inner side of the rail (110) to measure a distance between a fixed point of the carriage body (12) and the rail (110). A similar device is arranged at the opposite end of the carriage body (12). Therefore, the real distance between the two rails (110) is known at all times.

Claims (14)

1. Device (1) for automatic positioning in plate rail systems, which includes: - a frame (11); - a carriage body (12) slidably connected to the frame (11) along a transverse direction, where the carriage body (12) comprises at least two pairs of downwardly facing wheels (13) configured to roll on two respective tracks (110) of a rail (100) and at least two retractable clips (14) facing downwards to grip the two rails (110); - two vertical parallel extendable cylinders (15) connected to the frame (11), where the cylinders (15) are configured to extend vertically downward so that, when supported on the ground, the frame (11) is raised, characterized in that the connection between the cylinders (15) and the frame (11) further comprises a rotary joint configured to allow a rotation between the frame (11) in relation to the cylinders (15) around an essentially longitudinal direction. 2. Device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the sliding connection between the carriage body (12) and the frame (11) comprises rails (17) of the carriage body (12) supported on, and which are They extend along linear guides (16) fixed to the frame (11). 3. Device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the rails (17) protrude downward from the carriage body (12) and the linear guides (16) have an upwardly oriented cavity configured to slidably receive the rails (17), so that the carriage body (12) slides on the frame (11). 4. Device (1) according to any of claims 2-3, which further comprises a hydraulic cylinder (18) to make the carriage body (12) slide relative to the frame (11). 5. Device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising extension parts (19a, 19b) configured to be inserted between the wheels (13) and between the calipers (14) to adapt the device selectively to a first gauge when not inserted or to a second gauge when inserted, where the first gauge is narrower than the second gauge. 6. Device (1) according to claim 5, wherein the extension parts comprise: - pairs of wheel extension parts (19a, 19b) configured for connection to both ends of each axle (20) of the wheels (13) to increase the length of the axle from the first track width to the second track width; - pairs of caliper extension parts configured for the connection between the carriage body (12) and each caliper (14) to increase the distance between calipers (14) from the first track width to the second track width. 7. Device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising detection means for detecting the position of a threaded rod (150) that immobilizes a section of the rail (100). 8. Device (1) according to claim 6, wherein the detection means comprise a rod (21) projecting laterally outward from a portion of a clamp support (22) fixed to the carriage body (12), of so that detection takes place when the rod (21) hits the threaded rod (150). 9. Device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the clips (14) are configured to alternate between an open retracted position, an open extended position, and a closed extended position. 10. Device (1) according to claim 9, wherein each clamp (14) comprises a hydraulic cylinder that drives a clamp cam part (23) which, in turn, is connected to an upper portion of a part ( 24) of clamp end, where a central portion of the clamp end portion (24) is rotatably connected to the clamp support (22) by means of a rotary joint (25), and where the joint (25) The rotary joint is, in turn, configured to slide vertically between an upper position and a lower position, where a spring (26) drives the rotary joint (25) vertically upward, so that the clamp (14) can only close when the rotary joint (25) is in the lower position. 11. Device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, which also comprises a track width sensor (27) to obtain the exact distance between corresponding rails (110). 12. Device (1) according to claim 11, wherein the track width sensor comprises two probes arranged next to the clips (14) to contact an inner side of the rails (110). 13. Device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein one of the feet (28) is laterally movable in relation to the corresponding extendable cylinder (15). 14. Device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, which also comprises rechargeable batteries.