GB2583888A

GB2583888A - Special purpose service and maintenance vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2583888A
Application number: GB1903001.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kevins Andy; Grant Zeph
Original assignee: Yellow Solutions Ltd
Current assignee: Yellow Solutions Ltd
Priority date: 2019-03-06
Filing date: 2019-03-06
Publication date: 2020-11-18
Anticipated expiration: 2039-03-06
Also published as: GB201903001D0; GB2583888B

Abstract

A road going service vehicle comprises a load carrying space, an engine (6), a drive shaft (8), a driven rear axle (3) and a power take off gearbox (10) that is powered by the drive shaft and situated between the engine and the rear axle, an alternator/generator (10), a compressor (13), a hydraulic pump (11), a hydraulic power pack (16) having a hydraulic fluid reservoir, at least one pressurised hydraulic fluid outlet and a corresponding hydraulic fluid return, and a crane (14), wherein the crane is mounted in the load carrying space. The power take-off gearbox may have a housing which the hydraulic or electrical generator may be attached to. The power take-off gearbox may have a clutch to selectively engage and disengage the auxiliary power. The power take-off gearbox may also include an engagement sensor which adjusts engine speed upon receipt of a signal indicating that something is engaged with the power take-off.

Description

Special Purpose Service and Maintenance Vehicle

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to service vehicles and in particular to a special purpose vehicle for use in performing service and maintenance work on railway vehicles.

Background of the Invention

Mobile workshops and vehicles equipped with tools for use in servicing and maintaining vehicles are well known. Typically, such vehicles are equipped with a variety of tools, storage space, work benches, etc. Servicing railway vehicles from the track side presents a number of problems that are unique to the nature of railways and railway vehicles which make service vehicles and mobile workshops known in the art poorly adapted for use for in the afore-mentioned application. For example, railway lines often do not have a road running along side, making vehicular access to the the railway track difficult. Often there is no power by the railway track meaning that a power source for power tools must be brought to the railway track side. In particular, tools that are to be used in the re-profiling of train wheels are usually heavy.

One servicing operation that is particularly important in railway maintenance is wheel repair. If a railway vehicle has a damaged wheel the whole train may not be able to be moved because the damaged wheel might damage the track.

A portable wheel lathe that can be used to re-profile a railway vehicle wheel while the vehicle is on the railway track is described in US8186250.

The deployment of this portable wheel lathe is hindered by the equipment available to transport the lathe and ancillary equipment to the track side, and the difficulty in positioning the lathe adjacent the wheel that is to be re-profiled. The lathe is heavy. The present means of moving the lathe into position involves a number of individuals physically lifting the lathe into position.

It would therefore be desirable to provide a road going service and maintenance vehicle that is allows a wheel lathe as described in US8186250 to be deployed more easily at the track side. In particular, there is a to provide for the safe stowage and transport of the wheel lathe and the ancillary equipment needed to deploy and power the lathe so that the wheel lathe may be moved from an operating base to a location along side a railway track in order that a wheel may be serviced.

There is a need for such a special purpose vehicle to be capable of deploying equipment quickly and safely to the trackside and where manual handling of the equipment is necessary for such manual handling to be safe when only a minimum number of service crew are available.

In order that the wheel lathe may be used on a railway vehicle that is on a track, a suitable power source must be available for the wheel lathe. It would be desirable to provide such a power source in a manner that is easy for the service new to operate and which removes as much manual handling as possible.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a special purpose vehicle comprising a load carrying space, an engine, a drive shaft, a driven rear axle, a power take off gearbox that is powered by the drive shaft and situated between the engine and the rear axle, a generator, a compressor, a hydraulic pump, a hydraulic power pack having a hydraulic fluid reservoir, at least one pressurised hydraulic fluid outlet and a corresponding hydraulic fluid return, and a crane, wherein at least the crane is mounted in the load carrying space.

The hydraulic power pack may include a flow control valve.

The hydraulic power pack may include a directional control valve.

Preferably, the compressor is mounted in the load carrying space.

Preferably, the load carrying space is enclosed.

Advantageously, an input shaft of the hydraulic pump is connected to an output shaft of the power take off gearbox.

Advantageously, an input shaft of the electrical generator is connected to an output shaft of the power take off gearbox.

Connection of the output shaft of the power take off gearbox to the input shaft of the hydraulic pump and/or the electrical generator may be by means of gear wheels, chains or belts.

Advantageously, the power take off gearbox includes a housing and the hydraulic pump and/or the electrical generator are attached to the housing.

Advantageously, an input shaft to the power take off gearbox extends from the housing.

Preferably, the power take off gearbox has an input shaft and a plurality of outputs, and wherein the drive shaft comprises two parts, a first part attached to the engine and the input shaft of the gearbox and the other part connectable selectively to the rear axle and an output of the gearbox and wherein another of the outputs is selectively connectable to the power take off shaft.

It is preferred that the gearbox comprises a clutch that is mounted slidably on the input shaft for rotation therewith and wherein in a first position on the input shaft the clutch is engaged with the second part of the drive shaft and disengaged from the power take off and in a second position the clutch is disengaged from the second part of the drive shaft and engaged with the power take off.

Advantageously, the clutch is attached to a cable and the cable is moveable to move the clutch between the first and second positions.

It is preferred that the cable is attached to a lever whereby movement of the lever moves the clutch between the first and second positions.

The vehicle may include a power take off engagement sensor, an engine controller, wherein the engine controller is configured to receive a signal from the power take off engagement sensor and to adjust the engine speed upon receipt of a signal from the power take off engagement sensor indicating that the power take off is engaged.

Preferably, the crane is an overhead gantry crane comprising a gantry extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and comprises at least two parts, the first part mounted in fixed relationship to the vehicle and the second slidable relative to first such that in a retracted state the gantry crane rests within the load carrying space and in an extended state a part of the gantry crane extends beyond the load carrying space.

Advantageously, the gantry crane is supported by two spaced apart sub-frames, each of the sub-frames attached to a structural element of the vehicle, and preferably to the chassis.

The vehicle may be provided with an electricity distribution board that is connected to the electricity output of the generator.

The air compressor may include a compressed air reservoir.

In one embodiment the air compressor and the hydraulic power pack are mounted on a frame and the frame is mounted removably in the vehicle.

Preferably, the vehicle is provided with a wheel lathe, which may be a CNC wheel lathe. The CNC wheel lathe may be provided with a CNC control cabinet and a human machine interface.

Advantageously the vehicle is provided with a wheel set friction drive. The wheel set friction drive may be driven by pressurised hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic power unit. Preferably, the vehicle is provided with a jack.

The vehicle may include a camera mounted on a rear end thereof and a display mounted in an operator's cab of the vehicle.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a transfer sleeper, the transfer sleeper including in one of its surfaces a plurality of balls, each ball mounted in a cup, the cup attached to the sleeper.

Preferably, each cup is mounted in recess in the surface of the sleeper. Advantageously, the vehicle is provided with at least one transfer sleeper.

Advantageously, the vehicle is provided with a plurality of transfer sleepers, preferably two transfer sleepers.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a method of maintaining a railway vehicle located on a railway track, the method comprising the steps of: providing a vehicle according to the first aspect of the invention; positioning the vehicle alongside the railway vehicle on the railway line; positioning the wheel lathe adjacent one wheel of a wheel set of the railway vehicle; positioning the wheel set friction drive adjacent the other wheel of a wheel set of the railway vehicle; engaging the power take of gearbox to drive the hydraulic pump and the electrical generator; connecting the wheel set friction drive to hydraulic spool valves of the hydraulic power pack; operating the control valves of the hydraulic power pack to drive the wheel set friction drive. Advantageously, the method includes the steps of: positioning the at least one transfer sleeper between the vehicle and a wheel of the railway vehicle; lifting the wheel lathe from the load space with the crane to a position outside the load space; lowering the wheel lathe on to the at least one transfer sleeper and releasing the wheel lathe from the crane; moving the wheel lathe along the at least one transfer sleeper to a position adjacent the wheel of the railway vehicle.

Advantageously, the method includes the further steps of: lifting the wheel set friction drive from the load space with the crane to a position outside the load space; lowering the wheel set friction drive on to the at least one transfer sleeper and releasing the wheel lathe from the crane; moving the wheel set friction drive along the at least one transfer sleeper to a position adjacent the wheel of the railway vehicle.

Preferably, the vehicle is provided with a camera mounted on a rear end thereof and a display mounted in an operator's cab of the vehicle and the step of positioning the vehicle alongside the railway vehicle on the railway line includes displaying an image captured by the camera on the display.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In the Drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, and which are by

way of example:

Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of a vehicle according to the invention; Figure 2 is a schematic representation of the vehicle illustrated in Figure 1 deployed adjacent a railway track; Figure 3 is a schematic representation of components of the vehicle deployed to a wheel set on a railway track; Figure 4 is the power take-off drive of the vehicle illustrated in Figure 1; Figure 5 is a plan view of the clutch of the power take-off drive illustrated in Figure 4; and Figure 6 is a schematic representation of a transfer sleeper of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown a vehicle 1 comprising a chassis 2 having a rear axle 3 mounted thereon, the rear axle 3 supporting drive wheels 4. At the front of the vehicle 1 a cab 5 is mounted on the chassis as are the vehicle engine 6 and the vehicle gearbox 7. The vehicle gearbox 7 sets the speed of rotation of a first part of a drive shaft 8.

Rotational power is transferred to the rear axle 3 by the first part of the drive shaft 8, a second part of the drive shaft 9 and a power take off gearbox 10 situated between the first and second parts of the drive shaft, and which is illustrated in greater detail in Figures 4 and 5.

The vehicle 1 mounts a hydraulic pump 11 and an electrical alternator 12. Each of these is driven by the power take off gearbox 10.

The vehicle mounts an air compressor 13, which in the illustrated embodiment is powered electrically from the alternator 12. The air compressor may be powered directly by the electrical alternator 12 or by a battery that is charged by the alternator 12. The function of the compressor is to provide a source of power for tools that may be used to service railway vehicles.

A hydraulic power unit 16 is connected to the hydraulic pump 11. The hydraulic power unit 16 provides a flow control valve which controls the quantity of hydraulic fluid flowing to a hydraulically powered tool for example and a direction control valve which provides three functions, those being: no flow, flow in a first direction and flow in a second direction.

The vehicle 1 also mounts a gantry crane 14 which is shown in greater detail in Figure 2.

Whereas the electrical alternator 12, air compressor 13, hydraulic pump 11 and hydraulic power unit 16 are fixed in position in the vehicle 1, other components are placed in the vehicle for transport and storage, but for use are removed from the vehicle to a position closer to the railway vehicle that is being maintained.

For example, the CNC wheel lathe 15, its control cabinet 17 and the human machine interface (HMI) pendant 18 and the wheel set friction drive 19 are mounted in the vehicle 1 for transport to a site where maintenance is to be performed and removed from the vehicle at the site. The gantry crane 14 may be used to lift the aforementioned equipment from the vehicle 1.

Referring now to Figure 2, it can be seen that the gantry crane 14 is mounted on spaced apart and substantially U-shaped sub-frames 20a, 20b. The free ends of each sub-frame 20a, 20b terminate in brackets 21. The sub-frames 20a, 20b are attached to chassis members (not shown in this drawing) by means of the brackets 21. Crane controls 14a are mounted on the rear sub-frame 20b at a height that is convenient for their operation.

Towards the front of the load space of the vehicle 1 is a subframe 55 which comprises spaced apart base members 56. The compressor 13 and compressed air reservoir 13a are mounted on one side of the subframe 55. The hydraulic power unit 16 is mounted on the other side of the sub-frame 55. Also mounted on the sub-frame 55 is a direction flow control valve 16a, which controls the direction of hydraulic fluid flowing from the hydraulic power unit 16, and a flow control valve 16b, which controls the volume of hydraulic fluid flowing from the hydraulic power unit 16.

A camera 28 is provided at the rear of the vehicle. The camera 28 is connected to a screen 29 in the cab 5. The camera may be positioned high up on the back of the vehicle, typically above the unloading doors of the van. With the camera so positioned when the vehicle is located alongside a railway vehicle the wheels of the railway vehicle come into the view of the camera 28 and are presented on the screen 29, thereby allowing the driver to position the vehicle accurately in relation to the railway vehicle to be serviced so that the wheel lathe 15 ad wheel set friction drive 19 may be positioned accurately next to the railway vehicle using the gantry crane 14 and the transfer sleeper 60.

Also illustrated in Figure 2 is a wheel set 25 comprising an axle 25a and wheels 25b, 25c mounted on tracks 26. The wheel 25c has been lifted using a jack (shown in greater detail in Figure 3) allowing the wheel set friction drive 19 to be placed between the track 26 and the wheel 26c. The wheel 25b has also been lifted using the jack illustrated in Figure 3 allowing the CNC lathe 15 to be placed between the track 26 and the wheel 25b. The wheel set friction drive 19 is connected to the hydraulic power unit 16 by hydraulic flow and return hoses 27a, 27b. The flow of hydraulic fluid through the hoses 27a, 27b is controlled to operate the wheel set drive 19, thereby rotating the wheels 25c, 25b and axle 25a, causing the wheel 25b to rotate against the cutting tool of the CNC lather 15 which re-profiles the wheel 25b.

The electrical alternator 12 powered the compressor and through an electrical distribution board 12a makes electrical power amiable for other tools that might be required during maintenance activities.

Referring now to Figure 3, the wheel 5b, which is to be re-profiled by wheel lathe 15 has been lifted off the track 26 by means of a jack 30. The jack 30 sits on a block 31 that is supported by adjacent track sleepers 26a, the jack acting on the underside of an axle housing 25d.

The power take off 10 is shown in detail in Figures 4 and 5. The first part of the drive shaft 8 is attached to a splined shaft 40 upon which a shuttle member 41 is mounted. The shuttle member 41, which has teeth 41a at each end, rotates with and is slidable along the splined shaft 40. In Figure 5 the shuttle is shown between two operating positions. If the shuttle 41 is moved by cable 42 towards and into engagement with the teeth 43a of pulley 43, the pulley 43 rotates. The pulley 43 is configured to drive two belts which, as shown in Figure 4 sit in the belt receiving grooves 44, 45 of the pulley wheel 43.

When the cable 42 is actuated to bring the teeth at the other end of shuttle 41 into engagement with the teeth 47 of drive plate 46 rotational power is delivered to the second part of the drive shaft 9. The cable 42 is operated by the operator from the operator's cab la. The vehicle 1 is provided with a controller which senses whether the power take off has been engaged. The controller sets the throttle of the vehicle's engine so that the power take off runs at a set speed. Such a controller may be electronic, mechanical or electro-mechanical.

The sub-frame 55 and the components mounted thereon may be removable from the vehicle 1.

As seen from Figure 4, the electrical generator 12 is driven by the belt 48 sitting in groove 45 and the hydraulic pump 11 is driven by the belt 49. A hydraulic fluid suction line 50 is attached to one side of the hydraulic pump 11 with a hydraulic fluid return line 51 attached to the other side fo the pump 11. These two hydraulic fluid lines are connected to the hydraulic power drive unit 16 (not shown in Figures 4 and 5).

Figure 6 illustrates a transfer sleeper 60 which comprises in one of its surfaces a plurality of balls 61, each ball mounted in a cup 62, the cup attached to the transfer sleeper 60 in this embodiment by means of screws 63. The surface of the transfer sleeper 60 includes a plurality of recesses, one ball 61 and cup 62 being located in one of the plurality of recesses.

The transfer sleeper 60 may be made from any suitable material, such as plastic or timber.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the vehicle 1 is provided with two transfer sleepers 60. The transfer sleeper 60 may be used to assist in transferring heavy objects, such as the wheel lathe 15 and the wheel set drive 19 from the vehicle 1 to a location adjacent the track where the equipment is to be used. When so used, transfer sleepers 60 are position between the vehicle 1 and the track 26, the gantry crane 14 lifts the pieces of equipment on to the transfer sleepers 60. The pieces of equipment can then be moved along the transfer sleepers 60 on the rollers 61. The need to lift equipment manually is largely removed by provision of the transfer sleepers 60. The equipment may need to be manipulated into position after having been moved on the transfer sleepers 60, but lifting is reduced to a minimum.

The special purpose vehicle of the invention provides for the stowage and transport of equipment in the load carrying space. The vehicle is capable of traversing unsurfaced roads and is capable of deploying equipment safely and efficiently to a position adjacent the wheel or wheels of a railway vehicle that is to be serviced. The vehicle is provided with a rear camera which allows the driver to position the vehicle in the optimum position for equipment such as the wheel lathe, wheel lathe drive and other heavy objects to be positioned accurately using the gantry crane in close proximity to the railway vehicle wheel that is to be serviced. The power take off gear box allows the vehicle provides power in different forms, that is hydraulic, electric and pneumatic without requiring separate engines. As such these power sources may be mounted permanently in the load space of the vehicle.

Claims

Claims 1. A special purpose vehicle comprising a load carrying space, an engine, a drive shaft, a driven rear axle and a power take off gearbox that is powered by the drive shaft and situated between the engine and the rear axle, a generator, a compressor, a hydraulic pump, a hydraulic power pack having a hydraulic fluid reservoir, at least one pressurised hydraulic fluid outlet and a corresponding hydraulic fluid return, and a crane, wherein at least the crane is mounted in the load carrying space.
2. A vehicle according to Claim 1, wherein the hydraulic power pack may include a flow control valve.
3. A vehicle according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the hydraulic power pack may include a directional control valve.
4. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, wherein the compressor and/or the hydraulic power pack are mounted in the load carrying space.
5. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, further including a compressed air reservoir connected to the compressor.
6. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, wherein the load carrying space is enclosed.
7. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, wherein an input shaft of the hydraulic pump is connected to an output shaft of the power take off gearbox and/or an input shaft of the electrical generator is connected to an output shaft of the power take off gearbox.
8. A vehicle according to Claim 7, wherein connection of the output shaft of the power take off gearbox to the input shaft of the hydraulic pump and/or the electrical generator is by means of gear wheels, chains or belts.
9. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, wherein the power take off gearbox includes a housing and the hydraulic pump and/or the electrical generator are attached to the housing.
10. A vehicle according to Claim 9, wherein the vehicle comprises a gearbox having an input shaft and a plurality of outputs, and wherein the drive shaft comprises two parts, a first part attached to the engine and the input shaft of the gearbox and the other part connectable selectively to the rear axle and an output of the gearbox and wherein another of the outputs is selectively connectable to the power take off shaft.
11. A vehicle according to Claim 10, wherein the gearbox comprises a clutch that is mounted slidably on the input shaft for rotation therewith and wherein in a first position on the input shaft the clutch is engaged with the second part of the drive shaft and disengaged from the power take off and in a second position the clutch is disengaged from the second part of the drive shaft and engaged with the power take off.
12. A vehicle according to Claim 11, where the clutch is attached to a cable and the cable is moveable to move the clutch between the first and second positions.
13. A vehicle according to Claim 12, wherein the cable is attached to a lever whereby movement of the lever moves the clutch between the first and second positions.
14. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, including a power take off engagement sensor, an engine controller, wherein the engine controller is configured to receive a signal from the power take off engagement sensor and to adjust the engine speed upon receipt of a signal from the power take off engagement sensor indicating that the power take off is engaged.
15. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, wherein the crane is an overhead gantry crane comprising a gantry extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and comprises at least two parts, the first part mounted in fixed relationship to the vehicle and the second slidable relative to first such that in a retracted state the gantry crane rests within the load carrying space and in an extended state a part of the gantry crane extends beyond the load carrying space.
16. A vehicle according to Claim 15, wherein the gantry crane is supported by two spaced apart sub-frames, each of the sub-frames attached to a structural element of the vehicle, and preferably to the chassis.
17. A vehicle according to Claim 16, further comprising an electricity distribution board that is connected to the electricity output of the generator.
18. A vehicle according to any preceding claim, wherein the air compressor and the hydraulic power pack are mounted on a frame and the frame is mounted removably in the vehicle.
19. A transfer sleeper, the transfer sleeper including in one of its surfaces a plurality of balls, each ball mounted in a cup, the cup attached to the sleeper.
20. A transfer sleeper according to Claim 19, wherein each cup is mounted in recess in the surface of the sleeper.
21. A vehicle according to any of Claims 1 to 18, wherein the vehicle is provided with at least one transfer sleeper according to any of Claims 18 to 20.
22. A vehicle according to Claim 21, wherein the vehicle is provided with a plurality of transfer sleepers.
23. A method of maintaining a railway vehicle located on a railway track, the method comprising the steps of: providing a vehicle according to any of Claims 1 to 22; positioning the vehicle alongside the railway vehicle on the railway line; positioning the wheel lathe adjacent one wheel of a wheel set of the railway vehicle; positioning the wheel set friction drive adjacent the other wheel of a wheel set of the railway vehicle; engaging the power take of gearbox to drive the hydraulic pump and the electrical generator; connecting the wheel set friction drive to hydraulic spool valves of the hydraulic power pack; operating the control valves of the hydraulic power pack to drive the wheel set friction drive.
24. A method of maintaining a railway vehicle located on a railway track according to Claim 23, wherein the method includes the steps of: positioning the at least one transfer sleeper between the vehicle and a wheel of the railway vehicle; lifting the wheel lathe from the load space with the crane to a position outside the load space; lowering the wheel lathe on to the at least one transfer sleeper and releasing the wheel lathe from the crane; moving the wheel lathe along the at least one transfer sleeper to a position adjacent the wheel of the railway vehicle.
25. A method of maintaining a railway vehicle according to Claim 23 or 24, wherein the method includes the steps of: lifting the wheel set friction drive from the load space with the crane to a position outside the load space; lowering the wheel set friction drive on to the at least one transfer sleeper and releasing the wheel lathe from the crane; moving the wheel set friction drive along the at least one transfer sleeper to a position adjacent the wheel of the railway vehicle.