JP2022140885A - Track travel vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a track traveling vehicle capable of stacking and transporting two vehicles on an automobile such as a van and having excellent mobility. A vehicle body having a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels that roll on rails, a rotational power source that outputs driving force for rotating the rear wheels, a brake mechanism that brakes the movement of the vehicle body, and a rotating vehicle. and a handle operation unit for operating a power source, wherein the vehicle body comprises at least a pair of left and right side frames, a front frame and the side portions which are horizontally mounted on the front end sides of the side frames. It is composed of a frame with a rear frame that is horizontally mounted on the rear end side of the frame, and has a seat for one person supported by a support base whose lower end is joined to the rear frame, and the front frame and the rear frame. A footrest is provided between them, a rotary power source is provided below the seat, and a handle operation part is provided on the side of the seat. [Selection drawing] Fig. 1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a track traveling vehicle (track bicycle) that travels on rails of railway tracks, and more particularly to a small track traveling vehicle equipped with a rotary power source.

In track maintenance of railway tracks, track maintenance workers visually inspect the condition of track equipment such as rails and rail fasteners while moving on the track on foot at midnight when railway vehicles are not running. It is Conventional general track patrols are carried out while walking a distance of about 6 to 10 km, so there is a problem that the physical burden on track maintenance workers is heavy.

In addition, it is possible to reduce the physical burden on track maintenance workers by carrying out comprehensive track patrols on rail bicycles equipped with an engine called Railstar, which runs on rails. Even a small one is a two-seater and weighs nearly 60 kg. In addition, unlike track vehicles such as Toro bogies, when running on rails, it is necessary to apply for work implementation in advance and register the planned route on the timetable, which is a cumbersome procedure. In addition, there was a problem with poor mobility.

Patent documents 1 to 3, for example, disclose conventional inventions relating to track traveling vehicles that are equipped with rotary power sources such as engines and motors and are designed to be compact and lightweight.
Among these, the tracked bicycle of Patent Document 1 is designed to be lightweight by excluding the scaffolding board and constructing the vehicle body with a frame. In addition, the track running vehicles of Patent Documents 2 and 3 are of a stand-on type without seats, thereby reducing the front-to-rear width of the vehicle body and reducing the size and weight.

JP 2015-9607 A JP 2018-161994 A JP 2019-89393 A

Although the track bicycle of Patent Literature 1 is light, it has two seats for two-seater, and a windshield panel is provided in front of each seat, so miniaturization is not sufficiently achieved. For this reason, it is difficult to transport the vehicle by placing it on a vehicle such as a van or a one-box car, which has a space for loading the cargo.

On the other hand, the stand-on type rail traveling vehicles of Patent Documents 2 and 3 achieve miniaturization in the front-rear direction by omitting the seats and reducing the front-rear width, but there are handrails for the passengers to catch with their hands. is provided, the miniaturization in the vertical direction has not been sufficiently achieved. Moreover, since it is a stand-on type, there is a problem that the physical burden on the passenger is not sufficiently reduced when traveling for a long time. Furthermore, because it is a stand-on type, there is a risk that it will become unbalanced during movement and pose a safety hazard.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to reduce the size and weight of the vehicle by stacking two vehicles on a vehicle such as a van or a one-box car. To provide a track running vehicle capable of carrying a load and having excellent mobility.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a small-sized track running vehicle that does not significantly reduce running stability or cause a passenger to lose balance while moving.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention
A vehicle body having a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels that roll on rails, a rotational power source that outputs driving force for rotating the rear wheels, a brake mechanism that brakes movement of the vehicle body, and the rotational power. a steering wheel for actuating a source, comprising:
The vehicle body comprises at least a pair of left and right side frames, a front frame horizontally mounted on the front end side of the side frames, and a rear frame horizontally mounted on the rear end side of the side frames. ,
a one-person seat supported by a support platform having a lower end joined to the rear frame;
A footrest is provided between the front frame and the rear frame, and
The rotational power source is disposed below the seat, and the rotational force of the rotational power source is transmitted to the rear wheels,
It is configured such that the handle operation portion is provided on the side of the seat.

According to the track traveling vehicle having the above configuration, since the vehicle body is composed of the frame, it is lightweight and can be manually carried. When another track running car is stacked upside down with the front and back reversed, the seats do not interfere with each other, and the overall height is lowered so that the two track running cars can be placed on the loading platform of an automobile such as a van. can be loaded and transported. Therefore, since it is possible to bring in a track running vehicle from any position on the track and load or untrack it, it can be used as a vehicle for various types of vehicles. Since there is no need to apply for work implementation and register it in the planned timetable, it is highly mobile, and the physical burden on track maintenance workers can be reduced because they do not need to inspect tracks on foot.

Here, desirably, the front frame is mounted between the pair of side frames at a position shifted rearward from the front end thereof, and
The pair of rear wheels are attached to both ends of a single axle, while the pair of front wheels are individually supported by short shafts to form an axleless configuration,
A space with one side open is formed in front of the front frame.

According to such a configuration, since the front wheels are axle-less and the front frame is shifted rearward, the front frame has a space for the seat when another track traveling vehicle is stacked upside down in an upside-down posture. Since it is secured in front of the , the overall height when stacked can be reduced, and even if the storage space of the loading platform is relatively narrow, two track traveling vehicles can be loaded and transported at the same time. can be done.

Further, preferably, the front frame has an upper surface that bulges higher than the upper surface of the side frame and a cross-sectional shape that is larger than that of the side frame. .
According to such a configuration, in the vehicle body frame configured such that the front wheels are axleless and a space is provided in front of the front frame, the frame can be prevented from being deformed during traveling and when another track traveling vehicle is piled up. .

Further, preferably, the pair of front wheels are formed to have an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the pair of rear wheels, and the axial width of the boss portion through which the shaft is inserted is equal to the width of the pair of rear wheels. is formed so as to be larger than the width of the boss portion in the axial direction.

According to the above configuration, the seat is positioned above the rear frame and the rotary power source is arranged below the seat, so that the center of gravity is positioned at the rear of the vehicle body, but the rear wheels The large diameter allows the weight to be firmly supported, and the small diameter of the front wheels makes it possible to reduce the weight of the front wheels, thereby reducing the weight of the vehicle as a whole.
In addition, since the axial width of the front wheel boss is larger than the axial width of the rear wheel boss, even if the front wheel is configured without an axle, the rotating shaft does not tilt, and the rear wheel does not move around the axle. Since it is the structure which has, it can prevent that running stability falls. As a result, there is no risk of the passenger losing balance while moving.

Further, desirably, the handle operation portion includes a rod portion arranged in the front-rear direction, and a handle portion which is provided at the front end of the rod portion so as to protrude upward and which can be grasped by the passenger. , the handle portion is configured to rotate about an axis and tilt in a horizontal direction.

According to this configuration, the handle portion of the handle operation portion can be rotated about the axis and tilted in the horizontal direction. The height can be reduced to avoid point contact with other inverted and stacked rail car seats, and the overall height can be reduced.

According to the track traveling vehicle of the present invention, it is possible to achieve a reduction in size and weight, and it is possible to stack and transport two vehicles in a vehicle such as a van or a one-box car, and to move it manually. Excellent mobility because it can. In addition, there is an effect that it is possible to reduce the size of the vehicle while avoiding a large decrease in running stability and a tendency for a passenger to lose balance while moving.

1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a track traveling vehicle according to the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of the track traveling vehicle of the embodiment of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the track traveling vehicle of the embodiment of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a rear view of the track traveling vehicle of the embodiment of FIG. 1 as seen from the rear in the traveling direction; 3A and 3B are enlarged cross-sectional views showing details of front wheels and rear wheels of the track traveling vehicle of the embodiment of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main portion showing details of a steering wheel operating portion of the rail traveling vehicle of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

Hereinafter, one embodiment of a track traveling vehicle according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a track traveling vehicle 100 of this embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a side view thereof.
A first feature of the track traveling vehicle 100 of the present embodiment is that it is configured as a one-person vehicle for a worker to ride on and travel on rails, thereby achieving weight reduction. In addition, when configured for one-person use, during a general track inspection to inspect the track condition of a double-track section, one unit can be placed on each of the rails of the inbound line and the outbound line so that inspection can be performed by running in parallel. Therefore, two track traveling vehicles are loaded on a vehicle such as a van or a one-box car and transported to the destination. The second feature is that the size and weight are reduced for the purpose of making it possible for an operator to perform the operation manually.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the track traveling vehicle 100 of this embodiment includes a vehicle body 10 having four wheels 11A to 11D that roll on rails, a seat 12, and a seat 12 that supports the seat 12. seat support base 13, a gasoline engine 14 as a rotational power source for outputting driving force to rotate the wheels 11, a case 15 containing a power transmission mechanism consisting of pulleys and belts for transmitting the rotation of the engine to the axle, and wheels 11D. A brake mechanism 16 for braking rotation, a handle 17 operated by a passenger, and the like are provided.

The vehicle body 10 is made of a lightweight material such as fiber reinforced plastic as a frame for weight reduction. there is Specifically, the vehicle body 10 includes left and right side frames 10A and 10B, a front frame 10C and a rear frame 10D that are horizontally mounted between the side frames 10A and 10B, and a frame between the front frame 10C and the rear frame 10D. A footrest portion 10E having a trapezoidal shape when viewed from the top is provided, and is configured to have a substantially rectangular shape as a whole when viewed from the top.

The seat support 13 has a flat upper portion and left and right side portions in a V-shape, and a lower end thereof is coupled to the upper surface of the rear frame 10D of the vehicle body 10 to be stably supported. , a seat 12 is placed and fixed on the upper flat portion. A case 15 containing a gasoline engine 14 and a power transmission mechanism is disposed behind the footrest 10</b>E and below the seat 12 .

In addition, the track traveling vehicle 100 of the present embodiment has rear wheels 11C and 11D fixed to both ends of an axle rotatably disposed in the rear frame 10D, and driven through a power transmission mechanism in the case 15. It is configured to be rotationally driven by transmission of the power of the gasoline engine 14 . On the other hand, the front wheels 11A and 11B are rotatably attached to the front ends of the side frames 10A and 10B by short rotating shafts, and are configured to be freely rotatable independently.

As described above, in the track traveling vehicle 100 of the present embodiment, the front wheels 11A and 11B are axleless, so that the position of the front frame 10C is shifted rearward from the original position where the axle is provided, An empty space is formed in front of the front frame 10C. By providing the empty space in this way, when the other rail traveling vehicle 100 is turned upside down and stacked upside down, the seats 12 do not interfere with each other, and the space into which the seat 12 enters can be created. The two rail traveling vehicles 100 can be secured in the front part, and the overall height when stacked can be lowered so that the two rail traveling vehicles 100 can be loaded and transported on a loading platform of an automobile such as a van.

It is conceivable to reduce the front-rear width of the body frame by providing the rotation shafts of the front wheels 11A and 11B at the position of the front frame 10C, thereby miniaturizing the body frame. Although the distance between 11A, 12B and the rear wheels 11C, 11D is shortened and the running stability is lowered, the running stability is sacrificed by shifting only the position of the front frame 10C rearward as described above. An empty space can be formed in front of the front frame 10C.
In addition, like the track traveling vehicle of Patent Document 2, it is conceivable that the rear wheels 11C and 11D as well as the front wheels 11A and 11B are axleless. In addition, since the wheels cannot be rotated by a common axle, the power transmission mechanism becomes complicated, and weight reduction cannot be sufficiently achieved.

Furthermore, in the track traveling vehicle 100 of the present embodiment, the bending rigidity of the front frame 10C is increased by expanding the upper portion of the front frame 10C higher than the other portions of the vehicle body frame. As a result, when the load of the vehicle body or the weight of the passenger acts on the front wheels 11A and 11B attached to the front ends of the side frames 10A and 10B, the vehicle body frames are less likely to deform. Further, when another track traveling vehicle 100 is turned upside down and stacked, even if the upper surface of the other seat 12 abuts and the weight of the vehicle is applied, deformation can be prevented.
The parts (two places) denoted by reference numeral 10F are openings provided in the vehicle body 10, and the weight reduction of the vehicle body is achieved by providing the openings 10F. As shown in FIG. 1, a light mounting portion 19 to which a commercially available portable light (flashlight) 20 can be attached is provided on the top surface of the front end of the side frame 10B.

Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the outer diameter of the front wheels 11A and 11B in (A) is made smaller than the outer diameter of the rear wheels 11C and 11D in (B), and the shafts are inserted. The relative diameter of the central boss portion is increased, and the axial width of the boss portions 11a, 11b of the front wheels 11A, 11B is greater than the width of the boss portions 11c, 11d of the rear wheels 11C, 11D. . This is to prevent the front wheels 11A and 12B from being supported by the short rotating shafts, thereby preventing the axles from easily tilting and lowering the running stability. The front wheels 11A and 12B are made of a synthetic resin such as nylon in order to reduce vibration transmitted to the body frame, and the rear wheels 11C and 11D electrically connect the left and right rails to the track circuit through the axle. It is made of a metal such as aluminum for passing a signal current. However, the material of the wheel may be appropriately changed according to the application, such as a resin layer formed on the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical metal core.

Further, an operation handle 17 is provided on the side of the seat 12 on the upper part of the seat support base 13. As shown in FIG. A rod portion 17a is provided in the direction of rotation and is rotatable in the circumferential direction, and a handle portion 17b is rotatably supported at the front end of the rod portion 17a with its upper end tilted forward. A torsion spring that biases the handle portion 17b forward is built in the rod portion 17a. When the handle portion 17b is grasped and pulled backward against the biasing force of the spring, the brake is released. While the rotation of the engine is transmitted to the rear wheels 11C and 11D and the vehicle body moves forward, when the force pulling the handle portion 17b backward is weakened, the handle portion 17b returns forward due to the urging force of the internal spring, and the brake is applied. It has become.

Further, the operating handle 17 is configured so that the handle portion 17b can be rotated 90 degrees in the horizontal direction together with the rod portion 17a and tilted so that the horizontal state (horizontal posture) can be maintained. This is because when the two track running cars 100 are placed upside down and stacked on top of each other when the track running cars 100 are transported in an automobile or the like, the operating handle 17 is a component part (seat sheet) of the other track running car. etc.) to reduce the vertical height. The operation handle 17 is not limited to a rotating type in which the handle portion 17b rotates back and forth, and may be a sliding type in which the rod portion 17a slides back and forth.

In addition, the track traveling vehicle 100 of the present embodiment is designed so that it can be turned upside down when it is transported by an automobile or the like. the engine is in use. As such an engine, for example, there is a general-purpose engine GX35 manufactured and sold by Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

The inventors of the present invention made a prototype of a track traveling vehicle having the above configuration, and were able to achieve a total weight of about 22 kg. This weight is about 1/3 of the weight of the lightest existing track running vehicle having a power source, and significant weight reduction is possible. Further, the distance that can be continuously traveled with one refueling was 15 km. Note that depending on the target weight and target travel distance, a motor and a battery may be mounted as rotational power sources instead of the gasoline engine.

As described above, according to the track traveling vehicle 100 of the present embodiment, since it is small, it can be transported by putting it on a vehicle such as a van in a state where two of them are stacked, and it is lightweight, so it can be easily transported. It can be placed in a car for use, mounted on a rail, or detached from a rail. In addition, as a result, it can be transported to an existing gate located at an arbitrary location.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the slide type operation handle 17 for moving and stopping the track traveling vehicle is provided, but the operation handle 17 may be a rotary type that tilts back and forth, or a handle. You may make it provide a pedal instead of .
Further, on the side of the upper surface of the seat support base 13 opposite to the operation handle 17, a handrail that can be tilted inward, erected vertically, or attached and detached may be provided.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 track running vehicle 10 vehicle body 11 wheel 12 seat 13 seat support 14 gasoline engine (power source)
15 case with built-in power transmission mechanism 16 brake mechanism 17 operation handle 18 push rod 19 light mounting part 20 portable light

Claims (5)

A vehicle body having a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels that roll on rails, a rotational power source that outputs driving force for rotating the rear wheels, a brake mechanism that brakes movement of the vehicle body, and the rotational power. a steering wheel for actuating a source, comprising:
The vehicle body comprises at least a pair of left and right side frames, a front frame horizontally mounted on the front end side of the side frames, and a rear frame horizontally mounted on the rear end side of the side frames. ,
a one-person seat supported by a support platform having a lower end joined to the rear frame;
A footrest is provided between the front frame and the rear frame, and
The rotational power source is disposed below the seat, and the rotational force of the rotational power source is transmitted to the rear wheels,
A track traveling vehicle, wherein the steering wheel operation portion is provided on the side of the seat. The front frame is horizontally mounted between the pair of side frames at a position shifted rearward from the front end thereof, and
The pair of rear wheels are attached to both ends of a single axle, while the pair of front wheels are individually supported by short shafts to form an axleless configuration,
2. The track traveling vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a space with one side open is formed in front of said front frame. According to claim 2, the front frame is formed so that the upper surface bulges upward from the upper surface of the side frame, and the cross-sectional shape of the front frame is larger than the cross-sectional shape of the side frame. A tracked vehicle as described. The pair of front wheels is formed to have an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the pair of rear wheels, and the axial width of the boss portion through which the shaft is inserted is equal to the width of the boss portion of the pair of rear wheels. The track traveling vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the track traveling vehicle is formed so as to be larger than the width in the direction. The handle operation unit includes a rod portion arranged in the front-rear direction, and a handle portion that is provided at the front end of the rod portion so as to protrude upward and can be grasped by the passenger,
The track traveling vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the handle portion is configured to rotate about an axis and tilt in a horizontal direction.

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