US2522654A

US2522654A - Trolley for monorail systems

Info

Publication number: US2522654A
Application number: US10463A
Authority: US
Inventors: William G Wamsley
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1948-02-24
Filing date: 1948-02-24
Publication date: 1950-09-19
Anticipated expiration: 1967-09-19

Description

P 1950 w. cs. WAMSLEY 2,522,654

TROLLEY FOR MONORAIL s s'rgms Filed Feb. 24, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 F/g. o

William G. Wams/ey INVEN TOR.

awn/puny 5% P 1950 w. G. WAMSLEY 2,522,654

TROLLEY FOR MONORAIL SYSTEMS Filed Feb. 24, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 3 l7 5 28 W 0* W O .I '2 6 i t l 25 25 O 9 B I O 35 9 l5 l9 l5 l9 l7 /4 v 20 20 Y t:

l \7 E: (LE; 8 William 6. Wams/ey .4; l0 INVENTOR.

Sept. 19, 1950 w. G. WAMSLEY TROLLEY FOR MONORAIL SYSTEMS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 24, 1948 William 6. Wams/aay INVENTOR.

Patented Sept. 19, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE '7 Claims.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in trolleys for monorail systems and more particularly to the provision of interconnected guide rollers for travelling on the opposite side edges of the rail.

An important object of the invention is to provide interconnected front and rear guide rollers for maintaining the trolley head in a true course on both straight and curved portions of the track.

A further object of the invention is to provide a trolley head construction whereby wear on the flanges of the track wheels as well as on the side edges of the rail is reduced and shimmying f the trolley head is practically eliminated.

A further object of the invention is to provide interconnected front and rear guide rollers at each side of the trolley head swingably mounted for movement toward and away from the rail and further providing yieldable means connecting the rollers at the opposite sides of the trolley head to each other for uniform movement and urging the rollers inwardly toward the rail together with adjustable stop means limiting inward movement of the rollers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a trolley head construction which is strong and durable, efficient and reliable in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which- Figure l is a side elevational view;

Figure 2 is a top plan view;

Figure 3 is an end elevational view;

Figure 4-. is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on a line 4-6 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken On a line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of one of the connectors for the front and rear guide rollers;

Figure 7 is a group perspective view of one of the rockable guide roller mountings;

Figure 8 is a plan view showing the action of the guide rollers when traveling along a curved track to reduce wear on the flange of the track rollers, and

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of the connection for the vertical shaft of one of the rear guide rollers taken substantially on a line e s. of Figure '2.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration 1 have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention the numeral 5 designates a trolley head generally which includes a substantially U-shapedframe composed of a pair of vertically elongated side plates 'l, a lower cross bar or brace 8 and an intermediate cross bar or brace 9 connected to the side plates by bolts or the like lil. An eye bolt l is secured in a vertical position to the

cross bars

8 and 9 with the eye l2 thereof extending downwardly below the frame 5.

Reinforcing plates I3 are secured to the outer surfaces of the side plates 1 at the upper portion thereof and the upper portion of the side plates and reinforcing plates 13 having one end of shafts it supported therein which projects inwardly of the frame for rotatably supporting a pair of track rollers l5 thereon travelling on the flanges it of an inverted T-shaped track H. The rollers l5 are formed with flanges l8 engaging the opposite edges of the track.

The upper ends of side plates l are rolled to provide bearings It in which guide roller mountlugs 20 are rockably supported.

The guide roller mountings 20 are of L-shaped construction with their horizontal portions positioned longitudinally in the bearings l9 and their vertical portions 2| extending downwardly at one end of the head 5.

A head 22 is threaded or otherwise suitably secured 0n the end of the horizontal portion of the mounting 2D and in which the upper end of a vertical shaft 23 is suitably secured and which extends downwardly from the mounting in spaced parallel relation with respect to the vertical end portion-2! of the mounting. A rear guide roller 24 is journalled on the lower end of shaft 23 for travelling along the adjacent edge of track flange It. A front guide roller 25 is journalled on the lower end of the vertical portion 2! of the mount.- ing for likewise travelling along the adjacent edge of track flange 16.

The shaft 23 above the roller 24 and the vertical end portion 2i of mounting 20, above roller 25, are connected to each other by a longitudi nally extending connecting bar 26 having eyes 21 at each end suitably secured to the shaft 23 and vertical end portion 2| respectively. Stop screws 28 are threaded in openings 29 in the connector 26 with their inner ends bearing against the reinforcing plates [3 and secured in adjusted position by nuts 30.

Flat vertical extensions 3| are suitably secured to the lower ends of the vertical portion 2! of mounting 20 beneath the rollers 25 and in which a transverse rod 32 is slidably supported, each end of the rod having a coil spring 33 mounted thereon outwardly of the adjacent extension 3| and secured in position by a nut 34 and washer 35, one end of the spring bearing against the washer and the other end of the spring bearing against the adjacent extension 3| as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings.

The horizontal portion of roller mounting 20 ,is held against longitudinal sliding movement in bearings I 9 by a shoulder 36 on the mounting bearing against one end of the bearing [9 while the head 22 bears against the opposite end of bearing l9.

In the operation of the device the track rollers l are mounted to travel on the flange I6 of the track I! and the

guide rollers

24 and 25 are supported at the opposite side edges of flange l6 and are held slightly spaced therefrom by the adjustment of stops 28 to limit the inward rocking movement of the rollers by the mounting and bearings [9. The coil springs 33 On the ends of transverse rod 32 hold the rollers 24 and in- Wardly.

The

guide rollers

24 and 25 have suflicient clearance with the track flange [6 to eliminate wear when traveling on a straight track and the guide rollers .are held against movement by ad- J'ustable stops 28.

The track rollers 15 have slight end play on shafts l4 to reduce friction and wear on flanges I8 of the rollers and also to provide clearance for the flange l8 of track roller 15 at the inner edge of a curved track as shown in Figure 8.

This clearance is caused by the front and

rear guide rollers

25 and 24 bearing against the inner curved edge of the track which swings the guide rollers outwardly on mounting 20 against the tension of spring 33 at the affected side of the trolley head and causing the trolley head to shift bodily slightly toward the inside of the curve to clear the inside track roller from the track.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings it is believed that a clear understanding of the construction, operation and advantages of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what claimed as new is:

1. A trolley head comprising frame, track rollers journalled on the frame for travelling on the flanges of an overhead track, interconnected front and rear pairs of inwardly and outwardly swingable guide rollers swingably suspended by the frame for travelling along the outer edges of the track flanges, individual adjustable stops for each pair of guide rollers limiting inward movement of the guide rollers, and spring means holding the guide rollers inwardly toward the track.

2. A trolley head comprising a frame, track rollers journalled on the frame for travelling on the flanges of an overhead track, interconnected front and rear pairs of inwardly and outwardly swingable guide rollers swingably suspended by the frame for traveling along the outer edges of the track flanges, individual adjustable stops for each pair of guide rollers limiting inward movement of the guide rollers, and means connecting the guide rollers at opposite sides of the track to each other for uniform swinging movement and including spring means holding the guide rollers inwardly.

3. A trolley head comprising a frame, track rollers journalled on the frame for traveling on the flanges of an overhead track, a roller mounting rockably carried by the frame at each side thereof and including downwardly extending end portions, front and rear inwardly and outwardly swingable guide rollers journalled on said end portions of the mounting for travelling along the outer edges of the track flanges, adjustable stops limiting inward movement of the guide rollers, and means connecting the mountings to each other for uniform swinging movement of the guide rollers and including spring means urging the rollers inwardly.

4. An overhead trolley unit comprising wheels journalled thereon for travelling on an overhead track, said wheels having flanges positioned at the edges of the track, interconnected pairs of guide rollers journalled on the trolley unit and positioned at the opposite edges of the track, and yieldable means holding the rollers inwardly at both sides of the track to center the wheels on the track and also holding the rollers at either side of the unit in position to contact the inside of a curved track to relieve the wheel flanges of lateral pressure with the track.

5. An overhead trolley unit comprising wheels journalled thereon for travelling on an overhead track, said wheels having flanges positioned at the edges of the track, front and rear guide rollers journalled at each side of the trolley unit and positioned at the opposite edges of the track, a swingable mounting for the rollers at each side of the unit for uniform swinging movement toward or away from the track, stop means limiting inward movement of the rollers, spring means for each mounting and holding the rollers inwardly, and means connecting the spring means to each other and tensionally equalizing the springs to center the wheels on the track when the rollers at one side of the unit contact the inside of a curved track.

6. An overhead trolley unit comprising wheels journalled thereon for travelling on an overhead track, said wheels having flanges positioned at the edges of the track, front and rear guide rollers journalled at each side of the trolley unit and positioned at the opposite edges of the track, stop means normall holding the guide rollers in substantially frictionless rolling contact with the track when traveling over a straight section thereof, a swingable mounting for the rollers at each side of the unit for uniform swinging movement toward or away from the track, and means connecting the mountings to each other and including spring means holding the rollers inwardly, said rollers at either side of the unit contacting the inside of a curved track to center the wheels on the track.

7. An overhead trolley unit comprising wheels journalled at the sides of the unit for travelling on an overhead track, said wheels having flanges at their outer sides positioned at the edges of the track, an inwardly and outwardly swingable mounting supported b the unit at each side thereof, front and rear horizontally rotatable guide rollers journalled on the mountings for traveling along the opposite edges of the tracls,

stop means between each mounting and unit limiting inward movement of the rollers, spring means carried by each mounting opposing outwardmovement of the rollers atan adjacent side of the unit, and tensioned equalizing means connecting the springs at the opposite sides of the unit to each other to center the wheels on the track. c

' WILLIAM G. WAMSLEY.

rumsmmons CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number r 927,994 1 ,o5a,4a1 F 11,558,779 ,Lavonas "2,318,354

19 Number 6 v UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Moore July 13, 1909 Spelhing Apr. 8, 1913 Bennington Oct. 27, 1925 Kruckenberg et a1. Aug. 9, 1932 Anjeskey May 4, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date England July 3, 1930