US1480635A - Truck construction for moving platforms - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 15 1924- H. S. PUTNAM TRUCK CONSTRUCTION FOR MOVING PLATFORMS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 1923 I vwemtoz Jan. 15 1924'.

H. s. PUTNAM TRUCK C ONS TRUGT I ON FOR MOVI NG PLATFORMS Filed June 22 1923 3 Shets-Sheet 2 Jan. 15, i924,

I 1,480,635 H. S. PUTNAM TRUCK CONSTRUCTION FORVMOVING' PLATFORMS Filed Jime 22, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet Swveuboz Patented Jan. 15, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,480,635 PATENT OFFICE;-

HENRY S. P UTNAM, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO CONTINUOUS TRANSIT COM- PANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

TRUCK CONSTRUCTION FOR MOVING- IPLATFORMS.

Application filed .Tufie 22, 1923. Serial No. 647,136.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY S. PUTNAM, a citizen of the United States, a resident of 118 E. 54th St., New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Truck Construction for Moving Platforms, of which the following is a specification.

, The invention relates to trucks or cars adapted to be coupled together to make up a train or moving platform, and particularly to trains or moving platforms which are propelled by means of driving elements disposed along a trackway and cooperating with complementary driving elements .dis-

posed on the trucks to actuate the latter.

Such a moving platform is described, for example, in prior Patents Nos. 1,437,549 and 1,437,550, both issued to me on December 5th, 1922.

The primary object of the invention is to so construct trucks of the above nature that their driving elements may be brought into the exact position relative to the complementary driving elements disposed along the track which is necessary to insure that the above elements will cooperate properly to propel the train or platform. In certain of its aspects the invention is applicable to both mechanical and electrical drives for platforms as above described, while certain other features of the embodiment of the invention hereinafter described, are designed more particularly for mechanical drives.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious and in part specifically pointed out in the description hereinafter contained, which,-taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment of the invention; such embodiment, however, is to be considered merely as illustrative of its principles. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view illustrating a truck constructed in accordance. with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view showing coupling devices for connecting the trucks into a train or endless platform.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic plan view of an endless platform made up of trucks, in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 6 is a side view of certain of the trucks which appear in Fig. 5, and their cooperating driving elements.

The truck shown in the illustrated embodiment of the invention is a body made up of longitudinal supporting members 1,

a draw bar 5 supported by one of the cross pieces 2, and having a hole 6 adapted to receive a king pin 7. This king pin also extends through a trunnion member 8, which is shown as a plate having transversely extending hubs 9 which are received between ears 10 on the rear axle 3 of the truck next preceding. Thus each truck is provided near each of its opposite ends with an element of a pivotal connection, thereby permitting the trucks to move angularly with regard to each other when passing around curves; also the trunnion members 9 being slid-ably and pivotally engaged with the ears 10, permit the trucks to shift vertically as may be necessary to enable the platform to accommodate itself to charges in grade.

The trucks are provided with driving elements 11 extending lengthwise thereof and adapted to cooperate with complementary driving elements disposed along the trackway to drive the trucks, and these driving elements may be of various types. In some instances an electric drive may be employed consisting of primary coils of the induction motor type disposed along the track, in which case the driving elements 5 will be in the form of SllOlt-(llCllllGd secondaries, all as is described in greater detail in my prior patents above referred to; in other instances a mechanical drive may be employed. in which case the driving elements 5 may take the form of racks, engaging driving pinions or gears disposed along the trackway, or friction rails engaging friction wheels disposed along the trackway.

In accordance with the present invention, the trucks are so constructed that the spacing between the ends of the driving elements 11 upon adjacent trucks, may be altered.-

This is accomplished in the illustrated em bodiment of the invention by so supportin the draw bar members 5 from the bodies 0 the trucks that the distance between the pivot points of the trucks may be altered;

as shown, the draw bar 5 is clamped to one of the cross pieces 2 by means of bolts 12 and one or more spacing devices 13, which may be merely flat sheets or plates, is interposed between the draw bar 5 and cross piece 2. Thus if the driving elements 11 are racks driven by pinions disposed along the trackway, the spacing between adjacent racks 11 may be obtained which will bring the teeth on the racks into phase with-each other, whereby the driving pinion Wlll pass from one rack to the next succeeding, without a jerky or improper engagement which would injure or strain the parts.v Where the trucks are assembled in an endless mpving platform, the above construction also enables the efl'ective lengths of the trucks to be adjusted to correspond to theperimeter of the track.

The driving elements 11 are also supported by the body of the truck in such manner that the elevation with respect to the trackway can be altered as may be desired. In

the present instance the driving elements 11 are clamped to the bottoms of the cross, pieces 2 and rear axle 3 of each truck, by means of bolts 14, and spacing devices 15,

"which may be similar to the parts 13 abovedescribed, are interposed between'the driving elements and their respective supports Thus, if racks are employed as driving elements 11, the rack of each truck may be so positioned as to bring its teeth into proper engagement with the teeth on the driving pinion, the spacing devices 15 being emiloye-d to such extent that the driving element 11 is located parallel to the trackway, and at the desired height above the same. If an electric drive is used as above mentioned, the above features are also desirable, since the efiiciency of such a drive is dependent upon the accurate maintenance of a proper air gap between the secondaries in Fig. 6, the racks 11 may be driven by pinions or gears 16 which in turn are driven by chains 17 from electric motors 18.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it will be obvious that many changes may be made therein without departing from its spirit, as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In combination a series of trucks disposed end to end, alined racks extending respectively along the several trucks and adapted to cooperate with driving elements disposed along a trackway to propel the trucks, and means for altering the spacing between the ends of adjacent racks to bring the teeth of the racks into phase with each other.

2. In combination a series of trucks disposed end to end, coupling devices near the ends of adjacent trucks to interconnect the same, alined racks extending respectively along the several trucks adapted to coop.erate with driving elements disposed along a trackway to propel the trucks, and means associated with said couplin devices for altering the spacing between t e ends of adjacent racks to bring the teeth of the racks into. phase with each other.

3. A truck construction comp-rising body members with wheels adapted to guide the truck along a track, a rack extending lengthwise of, the truck and adapted to cooperate with driving elements disposed along the trackway to propel the truck, an element of a pivotal connection disposednear each of the opposite ends of said truck, and means for altering the distance between the pivot points ofthe last-mentioned elements.

4. A truck construction comprisingbody members with wheels adapted to guide the truck along a track, a rack extending lengthwise of the truck and adapted to cooperate with driving elementsdisposed along the trackway to propel the truck, coupling devices disposed near the opposite ends of the truck, means for clamping one of said coupling devices to the body of the truck, and a removable spacing device inter osed between said last-mentioned coupling evice and the body of the truck.

5. A truck construction comprising body members with wheels adapted to guide the truck along atrack, a driving element carried by the truck extending lengthwise thereof and adapted to cooperate with com plementary elements disposed along the trackway to drive the truck, means being provided to alter the elevation of said driving element with respect to the trackway.

6. A truck construction comprising body members with wheels adapted to guide the truck along a track, a driving element carried by the truck extending lengthwise thereof and adapted to cooperate with com- Inc having longitudinal supporting menibers,

cross pieces extending therebetween, a driving element for the truck extending lengthwise thereof beneath said cross pieces and adapted to cooperate with complementary elements disposed along the trackway to V propel the truck, and means for supporting said driving element from said cross pieces, said means permitting alteration of elevation at which said driving element is supported with respect to the trackway.

8. A truck construction including a body having longitudinal supporting members, cross pieces extending therebetween, a driving element for the truck extending lengthwise thereof beneath said cross pieces and adapted to cooperate with complementary elements disposed. alon the track, to propel the truck, means for c amping said driving element to said cross pieces and removable s acing devices interposed between said d i'iving element and said cross pieces.

9. A truck construction comprising body members with wheels adapted to guide the truck along a track, a driving element extending lengthwise of the truck and adapted to cooperate with complementary elements disposed along the trackway to propel the truck, means for altering the position of said drlving elements with respect to the trackway, and meansfor altering the distance between the pivotal connection elements.

10. An endless platform comprising a series of trucks pivotally connected together to make up a continuous loop, each of said trucks having wheels at one end' only, and mechanism or connecting the remaining end of each truck to the wheeled end of an adjacent truck, said trucks carrying racks extendin pinions dlsposed at intervals along the trackway and meshing with said racks to propel the same. I

11. An endless platform comprising a series of trucks pivotally connected together to make up a continuous loop, said trucks carrying racks extending respectively along the same, pinions disposed at intervals along' the trackway and meshing with said racks to propel the platform, and means for altering the spacing between the ends of adjacent racks to bring the teeth of the racks into phase with each other.

12. An endless platform comprising a series of trucks pivotally connected together to make up a continuous loop, said trucks carrying racks extending respectively along the same, pinions disposed at intervals along the trackway and meshing with said racks to propel the platform, and means being provided to alter the elevation of said racks with respect to the trackway.

In testimony that I claimthe foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day of June, 1923.

HENRY S. PUTN AM.

respectively along the same, and v

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