GB2322674A

GB2322674A - Traveller car

Info

Publication number: GB2322674A
Application number: GB9803784A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Jeremy Coe
Original assignee: Lewmar Marine Ltd
Current assignee: Lewmar Marine Ltd
Priority date: 1997-02-26
Filing date: 1998-02-23
Publication date: 1998-09-02
Also published as: GB9803784D0; GB9703947D0

Abstract

A traveller car for a sailing vessel has a plurality of body segments 6-8 articulated together to allow the car to run on a curved track. The track may be curved in the vertical or horizontal or both. Each circuit of recirculating rolling bearing elements is common to the plurality of segments, there being a load-bearing path 4 and a return path 5. The segments are articulated together by means of pivot pins 21 passing through apertures 22 and received in oversized sockets 23, thereby allowing adequate movement. Pulleys 26 to receive control lines may be provided.

Description

TRAVELLER CAR This invention relates to traveller cars.

These are devices (sometimes known as sliders) which are used on marine craft and in particular sailing vessels in the control of sails or other movable elements and in particular in the control of mainsails, foresails, vangs or battens. The car is mounted on a track. For example, a car for the mainsail of a foreand-aft rigged sailing vessel will be situated on a laterally disposed track near the stern of the vessel and will receive the mainsheet from the boom of the mainsail. When the boom is gybed the traveller will run from one end of the track to the other.

There are substantial loads on the car, and it must move freely and not impede the movement of the boom or other equipment to which it is attached.

Accordingly such cars have been provided with low friction bearings and in particular with caged rod bearings or with recirculating ball bearings (recirculating ball bearings proceed in one direction in contact with the track and a body of the car, and then return in the other direction through the body and then repeat).

Sometimes tracks are curved and efforts have been made to accommodate to the curvature of the track while preserving desirable low friction characteristics in the car. A particular example of such an effort is in EP-A-0189413 where two car segments are spaced along a track which may be curved, the load being transferred to them from a yoke and each of the car segments having an individually recirculating "roller chain" low friction bearing element. In a May 1995 catalogue the proprietor of that European application has proposed placing a flexible block between the two car segments.

The "roller chains" remain separate.

The present invention provides a traveller car which can accommodate to curvature of the track by virtue of the fact that it has a body segments of which are movably articulated relative to each other, and recirculating rolling bearing elements acting in common between the segments of the body and a track. That is to say the recirculating circuit of a given rolling bearing element includes passing between the track and a plurality of segments of the body in one direction, rearwardly in relation to the travel of the car, and returning towards the head of the body through the plurality of segments of the body in the other direction.

The body may consist of three or more segments, and the segments of the body may be articulated together through a pivot pin defining an axis passing through each of two adjacent body segments.

It can be seen that this car is essentially modular with two or more segments, maybe of different characteristics, being able to be combined, with separate end caps upon terminal body segments to guide the rolling bearing elements when they reach the end of a run through the two or more of the plurality of segments.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of assembled car on a track; Figure 2 is an exploded view of the car with its roller bearing elements; Figure 3 is a plan view of the embodiment; Figure 4 is a side view of the embodiment; Figure 5 is an underneath plan view of the embodiment; Figure 6 is an end view of the embodiment; Figure 7 is a section on the line VII-VII of Figure 3; Figure 8 illustrates various conformations of track possible in a sailing vessel; Figure 9 is a plan view of the embodiment on a track curved in the horizontal plane; Figure 10 is a sectional detail of that embodiment in the circle X, Figures 4 and 7; Figure 11 is a side view of the embodiment in the vertical plane; and Figure 12 is a sectional detail of that embodiment in the circle X, Figures 4 and 7.

Looking first at Figure 1-7, a track 1 for a traveller car 2 has recessed sides 3 which are for the reception of a run 4 of ball bearings sandwiched between those recesses and corresponding recesses in the body of the car, the run 4 extending for the whole length of the car to end caps of the car where the balls are diverted into a return run 5 running entirely within the body of the car. The car has three segments respectively 6, 7 and 8 which are capable of movement relative to each other by virtue of a pivotal articulation.

Central segment 7 receives a shackle 9 which is for receiving the load of the car such as the mainsheet of a sailing vessel. In side view (Figures 1 and 4) the central body segment 7 is inverted T-shaped, with the arms of the T 10, 11 underlying and in contact with overhanging portions 12, 13 of the car segments 6 and 8. Some of any upward load on the central segment is transmitted to adjacent segments 6 and 8 through that contact.

Figure 1 also shows how travel of the car on the track 1 may be delimited by end stops 14 here, obviously, shown much closer together than they would be in use.

Looking in more detail at the construction of the car, Figure 2 shows it in exploded view and Figure 7 in section. Segments 6 and 8 are identical to each other. Recess 15 in each of the body segments is for entrapping and receiving the balls in the run 4 as they engage between the car and the track 1. Each of the body segments has a pair of apertures 16 which are in register through the body and through which the return run 5 of the balls passes.

End caps 17 are secured by screws 18 to the segments 6 and 8 and have scalloped guides 19 for guiding the balls to run 4 from run 5 or vice versa.

Noses 19a on the end caps fit closely to the recess 3.

The shackle 9 is held in the body segment 7 by a horizontal pin 20 which extends into segments 6 and 8 and segments 6, 7 and 8 are articulated together on pivot axes defined by pivot pins 21 passing through apertures 22 in the parts 6 and 8 and received in sockets 23 in the arms 10 and 11 of the segment 7. The pins 21 are slightly undersize diametrically for the sockets and so can rock slightly in them. The pins are entrapped by screw plugs 24 screwed into threaded apertures in the segments 6,8. These plugs also prevent escape of the pin 20.

Also in the segments 6 and 8 are pulleys 25,26 rotatable about bearings 27,28 on pins 29,30. Control lines for controlling travel of the car along the track may be passed around these pulleys and/or through aligned apertures 31 in the body.

Figure 8 shows diagrammatically how curved tracks may be accommodated on a vessel 32. Track 33 is bowed convexly upwardly, track 34 is bowed convexly downwardly and a track 35 is curved in a horizontal plane. In each case the car, here generally designated 2, according to the invention can accommodate the curvature. Car 2' shows a modification in that two shackles 9 are provided.

It can be seen how the ball bearings circulate throughout the whole of the body made up of (here) three articulated body segments. Although there will be gaps opening up between the segments as the articulated car negotiates a curved track, it is arranged that these can never be sufficient to allow for escape or trapping of the balls.

This is shown in more detail in Figures 9 to 12. Track 35, Figure 9 is curved in the horizontal plane. Clearance (exaggerated on the centre line) between adjacent segments 6,7,8 allows pivoting as shown by hollow arrows 36,37. Some play exists in the articulation due to the oversize of the sockets 23 in relation to pins 21; but the gap 38 at the outer side of the curve will never exceed half the diameter of the balls in the run 5.

On a vertically bowed track such as 33, Figure 10, articulation about a horizontal axis is possible, as seen in Figure 12, because of the oversize of the sockets 23 in relation to pins 21 and an oversize of the bore in which pin 20 is housed, in relation to that pin.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A traveller car for travel on a track, the car having a plurality of body segments articulated relative to each other and recirculating rolling bearing elements in common to the segments for acting between the segments and the track.

2. A traveller car according to claim 1 wherein the car has three or more body segments.

3. A traveller car according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the articulation between adjacent segments is by a pivot pin defining an axis passing through each of the adjacent segments.

4. A traveller car according to claim 3 wherein there is play in the mounting of the pivot pin in the adjacent segments.

5. A traveller car according to any one of the preceding claims with separable end caps at the remote ends of the articulated segments to define the ends of the recirculation of the rolling bearing elements.

6. A traveller car substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

7. A traveller car according to any one of the preceding claims mounted on a track with one run of the recirculation acting between the segments and the track and a return run being within the segments so that the recirculating circuit of a given rolling bearing element includes passing between the track and a plurality of segments of the body in one direction, rearwardly in relation to the travel of the car, and returning towards the head of the body through the plurality of segments of the body in the other direction.

8. A traveller car according to claim 7 wherein the track is curved.

9. A sailing vessel incorporating a traveller car and track according to claim 7 or claim 8.