US3786204A

US3786204A - Balanced support mechanism for a linearly movably current collecting head

Info

Publication number: US3786204A
Application number: US00167912A
Authority: US
Inventors: D Laurent
Original assignee: Merlin Gerin SA
Current assignee: Merlin Gerin SA
Priority date: 1971-05-11
Filing date: 1971-08-02
Publication date: 1974-01-15
Anticipated expiration: 1991-01-15
Also published as: FR2137032B1; FR2137032A1

Abstract

A balanced support mechanism for a collector head guided in a longitudinal current supplying passageway which extends parallelly to the trackway of a high-speed vehicle. The mechanism is pivotally attached to the vehicle and comprises a counterweight tending to maintain the collector head in neutral equilibrium. The counterweight is sustained by a pantograph or by a telescoping arrangement.

Description

United States Patent 1191 Laurent [111 3,786,204 1451 Jan. 15,1974

[ BALANCED SUPPORT MECHANISM FOR A LINEARLY MOVABLY CURRENT COLLECTING HEAD [75] Inventor:

[73] Assignee: Merlin Gerin, Societe Anonyme,

Grenoble, France 22 Filed: Aug. 2, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 167,912

Daniel Laurent, Grenoble, France [30] Foreign Application Priority Data May 11, 1971 France 71.17071 [52] US. Cl. 191/48, 191/66 [51] Int. Cl B60] 5/12 [58] Field of Search 191/48, 45, 47, 66, 191/67-70 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS.

2,700,705 1/1955 Anjeskey et a1. 198/48 X Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza, Assistant Examiner-R. B. Johnson AttorneyStevens, Davis et a1.

[57] ABSTRACT A balanced support mechanism for a collector head guided in a longitudinal current supplying passageway which extends parallelly to the trackway of a highspeed vehicle. The mechanism is pivotally attached to the vehicle and comprises a counterweight tending to maintain the collector head in neutral equilibrium. The counterweight is sustained by a pantograph or by a telescoping arrangement.

9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEUJM 15 1am FIG.2

SHEET 2 0F 4 PATENIEDJAK 15 m4 3786204 saw u or 4 BALANCED SUPPORT MECHANISM FOR A LINEARLY MOVABLY CURRENT COLLECTING HEAD The invention relates to a balanced currentcollecting head support mechanism for use with a highspeed vehicle movable along a trackway.

A device of this kind is described in the copending US. application Ser. No. 105,300, entitled Balanced Support System for a Current Collector, especially for Vehicles with Ground Effect, and assigned to MER- LIN GERIN, assignee of the present invention. In this device, the collector head is guided in a passageway extending parallelly to the trackway and comprising a plurality of current supplying conductor rails, generally three to define a three-phase supply system, which are symmetrically disposed around the collector head. The collector head comprises for each rail a row of contact shoes which are resiliently biased against the rail so that the collector head is guided in the passageway by the conductor rails. In order not to disturb the equilibrium of the collector head at high drive speeds of the vehicle, the support mechanism connecting the collector head to the vehicle has an arm depending from the vehicle and an end of which is swingably attached to the center of inertia (center of gravity, of mass) of the collector head. The arm is connected to a balanced support mechanism carried by the vehicle and permitting the collector head toexecute small movements around its mean position with respect to the vehicle, such movements resulting for instance from irregularities of the trackway and of the trajectory of the conductor rails or from transversal inertia movements of the vehicle and of the collector head.

The support system described in the above mentioned application comprises a relatively great number of jointed bars and it is an object of the present invention to improve this prior art support system with respect to simplicity of construction and of operation, bulkiness, cost price and liability.

It is another object of this invention to provide a simple support mechanism for a high-speed linearly moving collector head wherein the entire support mechanism ispivotally mounted on a single pivot axis of the vehicle.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a balanced support mechanism of the kind mentioned having a counterweight sustained in a very simple manner.

A further object of the invention is to provide an advantageous arrangement of the current supplying conductor laterally of the vehicle permitting to connect the collector head to the vehicle by a short, substantially horizontal arm.

These and other features and advantages will become apparent upon reading of the following description of several embodiments shown in the annexed drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a schematic view, in perspective, of a vehicle equipped with a current collector head in accordance with the invention, a part of the collector track being broken away in order to show the collector head.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 showing a detail of the latter, a part of the covering being broken away.

FIG. 3 shows schematically the diagram of the forces for two different positions of the articulated system.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view ,of another embodiment of the invention.

In FIG. 1, a vehicle 10 adapted to move over a track 12 formed in known manner of an inverted T-beam is supported by a fluid cushion formed between the track 12 and, the base of the vehicle 10 and is propelled by an electric linear motor (not shown). Parallel to and along the track 12, there extends an electric current distribution system 14, consisting of three conductive rails 16 arranged in known manner along the edges of a right prism with triangular base. Within the passageway defined by the rails 16 there can slide a current collector head 18 which bears brushes 20 which are elastically urged into contact with the rails 16 so as to collect the electric current and mechanically to guide the head 18 upon its displacement along the track. The vehicle 10 is guided and supported on the track 12 by fluid cushions, the thickness of which is generally so that the relative position of the vehicle 10 with respect to the head 18, guided by the track 14, varies during the displacement of the vehicle. The connection 22 between the collector head 18 and the vehicle 10 is adapted to compensate for said variations in positioning while being capable of transmitting only the traction force to the head 18. The mechanical connection 22 is of course supplemented by an electrical connection (not shown) adapted to transmit to the vehicle 10 the current which has been collected.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 2 and 3 which show a first embodiment of the invention, it is seen that the collector head is supported by an arm 22 whose free end bears a ball 24 which is housed in a corresponding socket of the collector head 18 located at the center of gravity (of mass; inertia) of the latter. The ball 24 permits free pivoting in all directions of the head 18 with respect to the support arm 22, the amplitude of this pivoting being of course limited by the structural characteristics of the collector head. The arm 22 consists of an extension of one of the sides of a pantograph mechanism 25 comprising two parallel

long sides

26, 28 pivotally connected to two parallel

short sides

30, 32. The side 32 has an extension 34 hearing a counterweight 36 at its free end. The connection 38 of the

sides

28, 30 opposite the

sides

26, 32 respectively bearing the collector head and the counter weight consists of a transverse pivot axis 40 rigidly fastened to the vehicle 10 (see FIG. 4). The photograph system 25 is so arranged that the ball 24, the

transverse axis

38, 40 and the center of gravity of the counterweight 36 are aligned. In practice, it is advisable also to take into account the weight of the different connecting rods, but for reasons of simplicity of description, this weight is assumed to be negligible. The ratio of the distance c, from the axis 38 to the center of gravity of counterweight 36 and 0 from the axis 38 to the ball 24 is inversely proportional to the ratio of the masses of the counterweight 36 and the collector head 18. A variation in the distance c of the collector head from the vehicle is permitted by deformation of the pantograph 25. One of the well-known properties of this type of articulated parallelogram, generally known as a pantograph, is that it retains the ratio of the lengths c, to c during their deformation. The mass M of the counter weight 36 is selected in such a manner as to balance the mass N of the collector head 18 and it can easily be seen that this balancing is retained in any position of the pantograph 25, the relationship M c, N applying at all time. If one designates by a and b respectively the vertical and horizontal components of the length 0 and a and b the corresponding components of the length 0 it is easily seen that the relationship M g b N g b in which g represents the acceleration of gravity, is also verified for any position of the pantograph. This equality shows that the weight of the collector head is at all times balanced by the weight of the counterweight whatever its position relative to the vehicle 10. The relationship M w ra N w ra in which the expression w r repesents centrifugal acceleration is also fullfilled at all times.

The arm 22 is preferably shaped in the form of a wing profile so as to decrease drag resistance at the high speeds reached by the vehicle and the transverse shaft 40 as well as the parts of the pantograph 25 are housed within a recess 42 provided in the side wall of the vehicle 10. A removable cover or panel 44 assures continuityof the side wall of the vehicle permitting the passage only of the arm 22 which is the only part of the support device outside the vehicle. This particular construction makes it possible to protect fragile parts such as the pivot connections of the articulated system. The

levers

26, 28 are advantageously of the triangulated type, so as to impart substantial rigidity to the assembly and the

levers

30, 32 are formed of pairs of small connecting rods which surround the triangulated

levers

26, 28. The collector head 18 is held in neutral equilibrium whatever its position with respect to the vehicle 10.

The position A shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to a high position of the vehicle 10 with respect to the collector head 18. with lateral displacement towards the left. The position B is the opposite extreme position, that is to say the low position of the vehicle with lateral displacement towards the right and it is obvious that the vehicle can assume any intermediate position. FIG. 4 shows a variant embodiment of the invention in which the collector head 18 is supported by the arm 22 which is extended by a rod 40 which is slidably mounted within a tubular support 48. The end 50 of the tubular support 48 is mounted for rotation on

trunnions

52, 54 in

bearings

56 and 58 respectively which are rigidly connected with the vehicle 10. The

coaxial trunnions

52, 54 extend parallel to the general direction of the tracks in the manner described above so as to permit a fluttering movement of the arm 22 in a plane perpendicular to said direction of the tracks. The

trunnions

52, 54 correspond to the axis of articulation 40 of the variant shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The rod 46 is advantageously cylindrical and in known manner, a toggle joint 60, one of the legs of which is articulated to the end 50 and the other to the rod 46 prevents any movement of rotation of the rod around its axis. The assembly constitutes a telescopic device articulated by the

trunnions

52, 54. A counterweight 62 is slidably mounted on the outer part of the tubular support 48 and is mechanically connected to the rod 40 in such a manner that any displacement of the latter with respect to the support 48 imposes a corresponding displacement in opposite direction on the counterweight 62. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the mass of the counterweight 62 is equal to that of the collector head 18 and the assembly is arranged in such a manner that the collector head and the counterweight are at all times in symmetrical positions with resppct to the axis defined by the

trunnions

52, 54. The assembly is substantially balanced for any position of the telescopic device, the variations, due to the unbalanced mass of the arm 22, being practically negligible.

The transmission of movement between the rod 46 and the counterweight 62 can be effected in any manner well-known to those skilled in the art, and by way of example a connecting system by notched belt has been shown schematically in FIG. 4. The tubular support 48 has two grooves extending along two generatrices, an endless belt in the form of a notched

belt

64, 66 being housed in each of said grooves. Each

belt

64, 66 is stretched between two

end reversing pulleys

68, 68' and 70, 70', the two strands of the belt extending parallel from the outer and inner surfaces, respectively, of the tubular support 48. The counterweight 62 is rigidly connected with the outer strands of each of the

belts

64, 66 by fasteners 72, the rod 46 being connected to the inner strands of each of the belts by fasteners 74. It is easy to see that the displacement of the collector head 18 in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 4 causes a movement of the lower strand of the

belts

64, 66 in the direction indicated by the arrow, the upper strands moving obviously in opposite direction and driving, via the fasteners 72, the counterweight 62 along in opposite direction.

The invention is of course in no way limited to a device employing a counterweight of the same mass as the collector head 18 and it is clear that in the case of a counterweight having a mass different of that of the collector head it is necessary to provide a gearing up or down of the sliding movements by any suitable system, for instance by gearwheels, so as to maintain the desired balance. The sliding support system shown in FIG. 4 has been more particularly described in a horizontal mounting but such a system is also suitable for oblique for vertical mounting in which the

shaft

52, 54 is supported by a side tin of the vehicle 10. The assembly is obviously streamlined in a manner known per se in order to limit the drag at the high speeds reached by the vehicle.

What is claimed is:

l. A mechanism for use with a high speed vehicle movable along a trackway to drive and support a current collecting head guided in a longitudinal current supplying passageway extending parallelly to said trackway, said mechanism comprising rod means extending substantially transversely of the longitudinal direction of said passageway and having an end swingably connected to said collector head substantially in the center of inertia thereof, a counterweight, linkage means connecting said rod means to said counterweight and extending substantially transversely of said longitudinal direction, and a pivot axis on said vehicle extending substantially parallelly to said longitudinal direction, said linkage means being pivotally connected to said pivot axis and adapted to cause said counterweight to move in response to transverse movements of said collector head in a manner such that the centers of inertia of said counterweight and of said collector head and said pivot axis are substantially aligned whereby the ratio of the distances of said centers to said pivot axis is selected substantially reciprocal of the ratio of the respective masses of said counterweight and of said collector head for all relative positions of said collector head.

2. A mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said linkage means comprise pantograph means, said rod means being integral with a first bar of said pantograph means, said counterweight being sustained by a second bar of said pantograph means pivotally connected to said first bar.

3. A mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising guide means to guide said counterweight along a line substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal direction and passing substantially through said pivot axis and the center of inertia of said collector head, said pivot axis being arranged intermediate said counterweight and said collector head, said linkage means being adapted to cause said counterweight to move along said line in a direction opposed to the direction of movement of said collector head.

4. A mechanism according to claim 3, said guide means comprising a tubular guiding arm pivotally mounted on said pivot axis and in telescoping relationship with said rod means and said counterweight.

5. A mechanism according to claim 4, said linkage means comprising endless flexible belt means having a first side secured to said counterweight and a second side engaging said rod means.

6. A vehicle comprising a mechanism according to claim 1, said rod means comprising an arm extending laterally from said vehicle to support said collector head.

7. A vehicle according to claim 6,. said arm extending normally substnatially horizontally from said vehicle.

8. A vehicle according to claim 6, further comprising a stream-lined housing for said arm.

9. An electrical distribution and current-collecting system for a vehicle guided along a trackway, comprising three equidistant triangularly disposed current supplying conductor rails extending parallelly to said trackway and defining a passageway for a collector head laterally of said vehicle, a collector head having a longitudinal row of contact shoes for each conductor rail adapted for sliding contact therewith within said passageway, a support arm extending substantially horizontally from said vehicle and having an end swingably connected to said collector head substantially in the center of inertia thereof, the opposed end portion of said arm being connected to a balanced support mechanism carried by said vehicle and tending to maintain said collector head in neutral equilibrium within said passageway.

Claims

1. A mechanism for use with a high speed vehicle movable along a trackway to drive and support a current collecting head guided in a longitudinal current supplying passageway extending parallelly to said trackway, said mechanism comprising rod means extending substantially transversely of the longitudinal direction of said passageway and having an end swingably connected to said collector head substantially in the center of inertia thereof, a counterweight, linkage means connecting said rod means to said counterweight and extending substantially transversely of said longitudinal direction, and a pivot axis on said vehicle extending substantially parallelly to said longitudinal direction, said linkage means being pivotally connected to said pivot axis and adapted to cause said counterweight to move in response to transverse movements of said collector head in a manner such that the centers of inertia of said counterweight and of said collector head and said pivot axis are substantially aligned whereby the ratio of the distances of said centers to said pivot axis is selected substantially reciprocal of the ratio of the respective masses of said counterweight and of said collector head for all relative positions of said collector head.

7. A vehicle according to claim 6, said arm extending normally substantially horizontally from said vehicle.