Patent Publication Number: US-2017369079-A1

Title: Bogie For A Railway Vehicle

Description:
The invention relates to a bogie for a rail-borne vehicle and also to rail-borne vehicles that are equipped with bogies. 
     There are currently two types of biaxial bogies used in the field of railway technology, said types being namely such biaxial bogies in which each of the two axles is each equipped with a dedicated traction motor and such biaxial bogies that do not have a motor or a drive at all. 
     The object of the invention is to provide a bogie having improved characteristics in comparison to the prior art. 
     The object is achieved in accordance with the invention by means of a bogie having the features in accordance with the patent claim  1 . Advantageous embodiments of the bogie in accordance with the invention are disclosed in subordinate claims. 
     Accordingly, it is provided in accordance with the invention that in the region of one of the track-guiding units, referred to hereinunder as the first track-guiding unit, a traction motor is provided that drives this first track-guiding unit, and in the region of another, non-driven track-guiding unit, referred to hereinunder as the second track-born unit, a converter is provided for supplying current to the traction motor that is driving the first track-guiding unit. 
     A significant advantage of the bogie in accordance with the invention relates to its asymmetrical construction or, in other words, to the fact that one track-guiding unit is driven and another track-guiding unit is not driven. This asymmetrical arrangement renders it possible to distribute the traction power over a rail-borne vehicle, in particular over a train of railcars, in a more uniform manner than in the case of conventional bogies, as a consequence of which the starting acceleration and the braking acceleration can be improved in all weather conditions. 
     A further essential advantage of the bogie in accordance with the invention resides in the fact that the installation space that is required in the case of bi-axially driven bogies for one of the two traction motors and in the case of the bogie in accordance with the invention is not required for a further traction motor can be used for the installation of the current convertor (or traction current convertor) for the remaining traction motor. 
     In addition, it is advantageous in the case of the bogie in accordance with the invention that said bogie forms an autonomous unit as a result of the current convertor being arranged on the bogie in a manner in accordance with the invention. This autonomous unit renders it possible to mount the bogie on the railcar bodies rapidly or to dismount the bogie from the railcar bodies rapidly since a connecting site for connecting the current convertor requires relatively little expenditure with regard to the cabling. 
     A further significant advantage of the bogie in accordance with the invention resides in the fact that both the weight and production costs are reduced since—as mentioned—the cabling expenditure is reduced in comparison to conventional bogies. 
     A further essential advantage of the bogie in accordance with the invention resides in the fact that it is possible using current convertors provided in the individual bogies to create a uniform connecting site for supplying energy and by way of said connecting site it is possible to route for example an intermediate circuit voltage through the entire rail-borne vehicle or the entire train of railcars. This state creates in an advantageous manner standardization options and renders possible as a consequence economies of scale in the area of procurement and also advantages as a result of fewer different replacement parts being required. 
     It is regarded as being particularly advantageous if the axis of rotation of the bogie divides the bogie—when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the bogie—into a front and a rear section, and the traction motor and the current convertor are arranged in different sections. The axis of rotation of the bogie can be formed by way of example by means of a swivel pin or a swivel pin receiving arrangement of the bogie. 
     It is preferred that the bogie comprises precisely two track-guiding units, namely the mentioned first driven track-guiding unit and the mentioned second, non-driven track-guiding unit. 
     The track-guiding units are preferably axle-based track-guiding units and it is accordingly regarded as being advantageous if the track-guiding units each comprise an axle and two wheels and the traction unit drives the axle of the first track-guiding unit. 
     It is preferred that the bogie comprises two axles, of which one is equipped with a block brake and the other is equipped with a wheel disc brake. 
     It is possible to provide as an alternative that both axles are equipped in each case with a block brake or in each case with a wheel disc brake. 
     The bogie is preferably an externally-mounted bogie, in other words a bogie where the wheels are located between the axle bearings that support the axles. 
     It is possible to provide as an alternative that the bogie is internally mounted bogie, in other words a bogie where the axle bearing is located between the wheels. 
     The invention relates in addition to a rail-borne vehicle, in particular a railway train. In accordance with the invention, it is provided with respect to such a rail-borne vehicle that said rail-borne vehicle is equipped with at least one bogie as is described above. 
     With regard to the advantages of the rail-borne vehicle in accordance with the invention, reference is made to the above statements in connection with the bogie in accordance with the invention. 
     In the case of the rail-borne vehicle, this can be by way of example an individual railcar train having at least two individual railcars. In the case of such an embodiment, it is regarded as being advantageous if the bogies of the individual railcars are embodied either with a traction motor and current convertor or are not provided with a drive—as described above. 
     It is particularly advantageous if all bogies of all individual railcars of the individual railcar train are each equipped with a traction motor and current convertor—as described above. 
     The rail-borne vehicle can be as an alternative an articulated train in which at least two railcar bodies are supported on the same bogie. In the case of such an embodiment, it is regarded as being advantageous if at least one of the bogies is equipped with a traction motor and a current convertor, as described above. 
     It is advantageous if all bogies of the articulated train are equipped in each case with a current convertor and a traction motor. 
    
    
     
       The invention is further explained hereinunder with reference to exemplary embodiments; in the drawings by way of example: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary embodiment for an internally mounted bogie in accordance with the invention, 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary embodiment for an externally mounted bogie in accordance with the invention, 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary embodiment for a rail-borne vehicle in accordance with the invention in the form of a three-part articulated train, 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a further exemplary embodiment for a rail-borne vehicle in accordance with the invention in the form of a three-part articulated train, 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary embodiment for a rail-borne vehicle in accordance with the invention in the form of a four-part articulated train, 
         FIG. 6  illustrates as exemplary embodiment for a rail-borne vehicle in accordance with the invention in the form of a three-part individual railcar train and 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a further exemplary embodiment for a rail-borne vehicle in accordance with the invention in the form of a three-part individual railcar train. 
     
    
    
     For the sake of clarity, the same reference numerals are always used in the figures for identical or comparable components. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an internally-mounted bogie  10  that comprises a first axle  20  and a second axle  30 . The bogie  10  can rotate or pivot about an axis of rotation  40  that can be formed by means of a swivel pin that is attached to the bogie frame  11  of the bogie  10  or by means of a swivel pin receiving arrangement. 
     In each case, two wheels  50  are attached to each of the two axles  20  and  30 ; the axle bearings  60  that guide or support the respective axles on the bogie frame  11  are located between the wheels  50  of each axle. 
     The two axles  20  and  30  are also equipped with brakes that for reasons of clarity are not illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The brakes are preferably block brakes or wheel disc brakes. Depending upon the design of the bogie  10 , the two axles  20  and  30  can be equipped in each case with block brakes and in each case wheel disc brakes; it is also possible to equip one of two axles with a block brake and the other of the two axles with a wheel disc brake. 
     The bogie  10  is equipped with a traction motor  100  that drives one of the two axles, in this case by way of example the first axle  20 . The current supply to the traction motor  100  is provided by way of a current line  110  that connects the traction motor  100  to a current convertor  120 . The current convertor  120  is arranged spatially in the region of the second axle  30  and is used to generate a traction current I that is supplied to the traction motor  100  by way of the current line  110 . 
     When viewed in the longitudinal direction L of the bogie  10 , the axis of rotation  40  divides the bogie  10  into a front section  200  and a rear section  210 . The traction motor  100  and the current convertor  120  are arranged in different sections: in the case of the exemplary embodiment in accordance with  FIG. 1 , the traction motor  100  is located in the front section  200  and the current converter  120  is located in the rear section  210 ; alternatively the traction motor  100  and the current converter  120  can also be allocated in a converse manner, in other words the traction motor  100  can be located in the rear section  210  and the current convertor  120  can be arranged in the front section  200 . Irrespective of whether the traction motor  100  is located in the front section  200  or in the rear section  210 , it is advantageous if—as illustrated in  FIG. 1 —the traction motor  100  and the current convertor  120  are located in different sections or are arranged in the region of different axles  20  or  30  of the bogie. It is possible as a result of arranging the traction motor  100  in a different section to the current convertor  120  to also describe the bogie  10  in accordance with  FIG. 1  as an asymmetrical bogie. 
     As a result of arranging the two components in different sections of the bogie  10 , the current line  110  that connects the traction motor  100  and the current convertor  120  passes a virtual separation line S that is defined by the axis of rotation  40  and is located between the sections  200  and  210  of the bogie  10 . 
     The bogie  10  comprises two receiving regions so as to receive the traction motor  100  and the current convertor  120  and said receiving regions are described in  FIG. 1  by the reference numerals  101  and  121 . 
     The two receiving regions  101  and  121  are preferably dimensioned and arranged in such a manner that the traction motor  100  could be mounted alternatively in the receiving region  121 , in other words in the proximity of the second axle  30 , and the current convertor  120  could be mounted alternatively in the receiving region  101 , in other words in the proximity of the first axle  20 . 
     It is particularly preferred that the receiving region  101  in which the traction motor  100  is located in the proximity of the first axle  20 —with regard to the axis of rotation  40  of the bogie  10 —is arranged in a rotationally symmetrical manner with respect to the particular receiving region  121  in which the current converter  120  is located in the region of the second axle  30 . In other words, it is regarded as being advantageous if the current convertor  120  is located in the region of the second axle  30  in the section that is close to the axis and in which the traction motor  100  is located with regard to the first axle  20 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary embodiment for an externally mounted bogie  10 . The bogie  10  comprises a first axle  20  and also a second axle  30 , that are provided in each case with two wheels  50 . In contrast to the exemplary embodiment in accordance with  FIG. 1 , the axle bearings  60  for supporting the respective axle are located externally—with regard to the wheels  50 . 
     The bogie  10  in accordance with  FIG. 2  is also equipped with a traction motor  100  that is connected by way of a current line  110  to a current converter  120 . The current convertor  120  is used to generate a traction current I that is supplied by way of the current line  110  into the traction motor  100 . 
     The traction motor  100  is located in the case of the exemplary embodiment in accordance with  FIG. 2  in the front section  200  of the bogie  10 . The current convertor  120  is arranged in the region of the second axle  30  and thus in the region of the rear section  210  of the bogie. The two sections  200  and  210  of the bogie are separated from one another by means of the axis of rotation  40  that defines a virtual separation line S between the sections  200  and  210  of the bogie  10 . 
     To summarize, it is common in the two bogies  10  in accordance with  FIGS. 1 and 2  that in each case one of the two axles, in this case by way of example the first axle  20 , is driven by means of a traction motor  100 , whereas the other (in this case by way of example the second) axle  30  does not have a motor or a drive. 
     The  FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary embodiment for a rail-borne vehicle  250  in the form of a three-part articulated train. 
     The rail-borne vehicle  250  comprises three railcar bodies  300  that share a common bogie in each case with another railcar body. The rail-borne vehicle  250  that is equipped with three railcar bodies  300  in accordance with  FIG. 3  thus manages with four bogies of which in the case of the exemplary embodiment in accordance with  FIG. 3  three bogies  10  are equipped in each case with a traction motor  100  and a current convertor  120 . 
     The traction motors  100  of the bogie  10  are located spatially in each case in the region of one of the axles of the respective bogie  10 , and the current convertors  120  of the bogie  10  are located in each case in the region of the other axle of the bogie  10 . The bogie can thus be described as asymmetrical with respect to its construction, at least with respect to the arrangement of the current convertor  120  and the traction motor  100 . 
     One of the bogies, namely the bogie that is described in  FIG. 3  by the reference numeral  400 , does not have a drive or a motor. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary embodiment for a rail-borne vehicle  10  in the form of a three-part articulated train in which all the bogies  10 , as described in connection with  FIGS. 1 and 2 , are each embodied in an asymmetrical manner and are equipped with a traction motor  100  and a current convertor  120 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary embodiment for a rail-borne vehicle  250  in the form of a four-part articulated train. Each of the railcar bodies  300  of the rail-borne vehicle  250  share in each case with another railcar body at least one common bogie  10 . 
     In the case of the exemplary embodiment in accordance with  FIG. 5 , all the bogies  10  are equipped in each case with a traction motor  100  and a current convertor  120 . In the case of the bogies  10  in accordance with  FIG. 5 , said bogies can be by way of example bogies as are described above by way of example in connection with the  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
       FIG. 6  illustrates an exemplary embodiment for a rail-borne vehicle  250  in the form of a three-part individual railcar train. Each of the railcar bodies  300  is equipped in each case with two dedicated bogies. 
     In the case of the exemplary embodiment in accordance with  FIG. 6 , all the bogies except for one comprise in each case a traction motor  100  and a current convertor  120  that are arranged in different sections of the respective bogie. The bogies that comprise a traction motor  100  and a current convertor  120  are described in  FIG. 6  by the reference numeral  10 . 
     In addition, the rail-borne vehicle  250  in accordance with  FIG. 6  comprises a bogie that does not have a motor and that is described by the reference number  400 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a rail-borne vehicle  250  in the form of a three-part individual railcar train in which each railcar body  300  is supported on two dedicated bogies. All the bogies of the rail-borne vehicle  250  in accordance with  FIG. 7  are in each case equipped with a traction motor  100  and a current convertor  120  that are arranged in different sections of the respective bogie  10 . The bogies  10  in accordance with  FIG. 7  can thus be equipped as is explained above by way of example in connection with  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     Although the invention is further illustrated and described in detail by means of the preferred exemplary embodiments, the invention is not limited by the disclosed examples and other variations can be derived therefrom by the person skilled in the art without departing from the protective scope of the invention.