Patent ID: 8869707
Filing Date: 2014-10-28
Classification: B61B,E01B

Abstract:
1. A branching device that leads a track vehicle, which is guided by a central guide rail disposed in the center of a travel track and travels, to one of a main line travel track or a branch line travel track branching off from the main line travel track, wherein the track vehicle includes central guide wheels that are allowed to be engaged with the central guide rail and a pair of branch guide wheels that are arranged side by side in a vehicle width direction and are disposed at both sides of a vehicle body, the branching device comprising: a branch line side guide rail which is disposed from the main line travel track to the branch line travel track at one side of these travel tracks, and with which the branch guide wheel of the one side of the track vehicle is engaged to lead the track vehicle to the branch line travel track; a main line side guide rail which, based on a branch starting position at which the branch line travel track begins to branch off from the main line travel track, is disposed from a near side main line travel track, which is the main line travel track of a traveling-direction near side of the branch starting position, to the far side main line travel track, which is the main line travel track of a traveling far side, at the other side of the main line travel tracks, and with which the branch guide wheel of the other side of the track vehicle is engaged to lead the track vehicle to the far side main line travel track; a switching mechanism that realizes a branch line guide position at which the branch guide wheel of the one side is engaged with the branch line side guide rail and the branch guide wheel of the other side is unable to be engaged with the main line side guide rail, and a main line guide position at which the branch guide wheel of the other side is engaged with the main line side guide rail and the branch guide wheel of the one side is unable to be engaged with the branch line side guide rail; a near side central guide rail which is the central guide rail of the near side main line travel track, and which is configured so that, at a traveling-direction near side with respect to a portion at which a central position of the far side main line travel track in a travel track width direction crosses the branch line travel track, and a traveling far side with respect to the branch starting position is set as a traveling far side end; a far side central guide rail which is the central guide rail of the far side main line travel track, and which is configured so that a traveling far side with respect to a portion at which the central position of the far side main line travel track in the travel track width direction crosses the branch line travel track is set as a traveling near side end; and a branch line central guide rail which is the central guide rail of the branch line travel track, and which is configured so that a traveling far side with respect to a portion at which the central position of the branch line travel track in the travel track width direction crosses the far side main line travel track is set as a traveling near side end, wherein positions of a lower edge of the branch line side guide rail and a lower edge of the main line side guide rail are higher than a position of an upper edge of the central guide rail.