Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7891303?dq=6181294
Timestamp: 2014-09-16 09:34:02
Document Index: 139196309

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 30', 'art 29', 'art 67', 'art 67', 'art 93', 'art 93', 'art 100', 'arts 30', 'art 28']

Patent US7891303 - System for guiding a vehicle along at least one guiding rail - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign in<nobr>Advanced Patent Search</nobr>PatentsA system for guiding a vehicle along a guiding rail includes a guide roller device, with at least one rolling bearing roller and at least one lateral roller having a diameter and shape contacting the rail so that the lateral roller has the same speed at a point of contact with the rail as the central...http://www.google.com/patents/US7891303?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7891303 - System for guiding a vehicle along at least one guiding railAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7891303 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 10/573,411PCT numberPCT/FR2004/002496Publication dateFeb 22, 2011Filing dateOct 1, 2004Priority dateOct 2, 2003Also published asCA2540813A1, CA2540813C, EP1667885A1, US20070119333, WO2005032905A1Publication number10573411, 573411, PCT/2004/2496, PCT/FR/2004/002496, PCT/FR/2004/02496, PCT/FR/4/002496, PCT/FR/4/02496, PCT/FR2004/002496, PCT/FR2004/02496, PCT/FR2004002496, PCT/FR200402496, PCT/FR4/002496, PCT/FR4/02496, PCT/FR4002496, PCT/FR402496, US 7891303 B2, US 7891303B2, US-B2-7891303, US7891303 B2, US7891303B2InventorsBernard Dupont, Luo Boulat, R�mi ForgetOriginal AssigneeSociete Europeenne d'Ingeniere Mecanique - EurodimExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (24), Referenced by (6), Classifications (13), Legal Events (2) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetSystem for guiding a vehicle along at least one guiding railUS 7891303 B2Abstract A system for guiding a vehicle along a guiding rail includes a guide roller device, with at least one rolling bearing roller and at least one lateral roller having a diameter and shape contacting the rail so that the lateral roller has the same speed at a point of contact with the rail as the central bearing roller on a rolling surface on the rail. The system can be used for tramways.
1. A system for guiding a vehicle along a guiding rail, having a rolling surface and at least one side surface that constitutes a guiding surface, the system comprising:
a guiding roller device cooperating with the rolling surface and the side surface of the rail and including
a rolling part having a peripheral surface for rolling contact with the rolling surface of the rail, and
at least one side part for contact with the side surface of the rail that faces the at least one side part, wherein
the rolling part and the side part are rotationally connected to each other so that the side part rotates at the same speed that the rolling part rolls on the rolling surface of the rail,
the side part includes at least one side roller,
the side roller has, in radial section, a portion with a convex profile, with an outermost surface that contacts the side surface of the rail, and
the rail has a substantial planar side surface for contacting the outermost surface of the convex profile of the side roller, so that the side roller, when in contact with the side surface of the rail, establishes a point of contact with the side surface of the rail.
the rolling part includes at least one rolling support roller, and
the side part has a diameter and a shape for contacting the side surface of the rail so that the side roller, at the point of contact contacting the side surface of the rail, has the same rotational speed as the rolling part contacting the rolling surface of the rail.
3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the guiding system has two parallel guiding rails having respective exterior side surfaces as guiding surfaces, and the guiding system comprises a support roller and a side roller for each guiding rail.
4. A system for guiding a vehicle along a guiding rail, having a rolling surface and two side surfaces that constitute guiding surfaces, the system comprising:
a guiding roller device cooperating with the rolling surface and the side surfaces of the rail and including
a central roller having a peripheral surface for rolling contact with the rolling surface of the rail, and
two side rollers for contact with respective side surfaces of the rail that face the respective side rollers, wherein
the central roller and the side rollers are rotationally connected,
each of the side rollers has, in radial section, a portion with a convex profile having an outermost surface that contacts one of the side surfaces of the rail, and,
the rail has substantially planar side surfaces for contacting the outermost surfaces of the convex profiles of the side rollers, so that the two side rollers, when in contact with the respective side surfaces of the rail, contact the respective side surfaces of the rail at respective points of contact, and the two side rollers in contact with the respective side surfaces of the rail, rotate at the same speed that the central roller rolls on the rolling surface of the rail.
5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the side rollers are rotationally synchronized with the central roller.
6. The system according to claim 4, including means for synchronizing rotation speed of the side rollers with rotation speed of the central roller, the means for synchronizing comprising teeth associated respectively with the side roller and with the central roller, and which mesh with one another.
7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the teeth are mounted on a support via sliding means sliding between the teeth and the support when a force exceeding a predetermined threshold is applied to the sliding means.
8. The system according to claim 6, wherein the means for synchronizing rotation speed of the side rollers with rotation speed of the central roller includes belts and pulleys.
9. The system according to claim 6, wherein the means for synchronizing rotation speed of the side rollers with rotation speed of the central roller comprises a ring of a nondeformable solid material in contact with a bearing surface of the central roller for frictional engagement of the side rollers with the central roller.
10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the central roller includes a support shaft, a ring rotating freely, and a support device connected to the support shaft and maintaining the ring in position.
11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the support device comprises rollers supported by the ring and that come into rolling contact with an internal annular surface of the ring.
12. A system for guiding a vehicle along a guiding rail, having a rolling surface and two side surfaces that constitute guiding surfaces, the system comprising:
a guiding roller device cooperating with the rolling surface and the two side surfaces of the rail and including
two rollers, each roller having an axial external part for contacting a respective side surface of the rail and an axial internal part for contacting the rolling surface of the rail, wherein
the two rollers are arranged in a V-shaped configuration,
the two rollers are rotationally connected to each other so that the two rollers turn at the same speed,
each of the rollers has, in radial section, a portion with a convex profile, with an outermost surface that contacts one of the side surfaces of the rail, and
the rail has substantially planar side surfaces for contacting the outermost surfaces of the convex profiles of the rollers so that the two axial external parts, when in contact with the respective side surfaces of the rail, contact the respective side surfaces of the rail at respective points of contact.
13. A system for guiding a vehicle along a guiding rail, having a rolling surface and two side surfaces that constitute guiding surfaces, the system comprising:
first and second rollers, each of the first and second rollers having an axial external part for contacting a respective side surface of the rail, the first roller having an axial internal part for contacting the rolling surface of the rail, and the second roller having a peripheral ring for contacting an annular surface of the first roller to ensure rotation of the first roller by frictional engagement of the first and second rollers so that the first and second rollers turn at the same speed, wherein
the first and second rollers are arranged in a V-shaped configuration,
each of the first and second rollers has, in radial section, a portion with a convex profile, with an outermost surface that contacts one of the side surfaces of the rail, and
the rail has substantially planar contact surfaces for contacting the outermost surfaces of the convex profiles of the first and second rollers so that the axial external parts of the first and second rollers, when in contact with the respective side surfaces of the rail, contact the respective side surfaces of the rail at respective points of contact.
14. A system for guiding a vehicle along a guiding rail, having a rolling surface and at least one side surface that constitutes a guiding surface, the system comprising:
the side part has, in radial section, a portion with a convex profile having an outermost surface that contacts the side surface of the rail and the side surface of the rail that is contacted by the portion with the convex profile is substantially planar so that the side part, when in contact with the side surface of the rail, contacts the side surface of the rail at a respective point of contact, and the side part rotates at the same speed that the rolling part rolls on the rolling surface of the rail.
15. A system for guiding a vehicle along a guiding rail, having a rolling surface and at least one side surface that constitutes a guiding surface, the system comprising:
the side part comprises a side roller having an axis of rotation, and, in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation and inclined with respect to a plane perpendicular to the rolling surface of the rail, the side roller has, in radial section, a convex profile with an outermost surface that contacts the side surface of the rail, and
the side surface of the rail is substantially planar where contacted by the side roller so that the side roller, when in contact with the side surface of the rail, contacts the side surface of the rail at a respective point of contact, so the side roller rotates at the same speed as the rolling part rolling on the rolling surface of the rail. Description
The invention relates to a system for guiding a vehicle along at least one guiding rail, having a rolling surface and at least one side surface of which constitutes a guiding surface, of the type which has a guiding roller device configured to cooperate with the rolling surface and the side surface and having a rolling bearing part intended for being in rolling contact by its peripheral surface with the upper rolling surface of the rail and at least one side part capable of coming into contact with the side surface of the rail facing it.
BACKGROUND Systems of this type are already known. These systems are suitable for cooperating with one or two rails, and their roller device has a rolling bearing surface and at least one side part in the form of a flange which is rotationally connected with the bearing part, projects radially towards the exterior, and comes in contact with the guiding surface of the rail.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To attain this objective, in the roller device according to the invention the rolling part and the side part are configured such that the side part, at its point of contact with the rail, has the same speed as the central part at the site of its rolling surface on the rail.
According to one characteristic of the invention, the roller device has at least one rolling support roller and at least one side roller forming the side part and of which the diameter and shape of the side surface intended for coming into contact with the rail are chosen such that the side roller, at its point of contact with the rail, has the same speed as the central support roller at the site of its rolling surface on the rail.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING FIGURES The invention will be better understood and other aims, characteristics, details and advantages of it will appear more clearly in the course of the following description that references the appended drawings, which are given by way of example to illustrate several embodiments of the invention and in which:
DETAILED DESCRIPTION FIG. 1 illustrates a guiding system according to the invention that makes it possible to guide a vehicle advantageously on tires rolling on a roadway, using a single rail.
Provided at the end of each axle is pivoting lever 16 with two arms 17, 18, the pivot pin of which is supported by the axle and contains, at the site of the pivot pin but oriented perpendicularly, the axis of rotation of wheel 12. Thus, lever 16 forms a triangle of orientation of the wheel. As FIG. 1 clearly shows, connecting rod 19 is inserted between front end 21 of support frame 7 and the free end of one of the arms, in the present case arm 17, of guiding triangle 16. Connecting rod 19 extends parallel to axle 11. Another connecting rod 22 interconnects the free ends of the other two arms 18 of the two guiding triangles 16.
It is easily understood that any change in orientation of the rail, such as a curvature of rail 2, is transmitted by roller device 1 to arm 5 and brings about a pivoting of the latter about its vertical shaft 8, which leads to a change in orientation of wheels 12 by the intermediary connecting rods 19, 22 and guiding triangles 16.
According to an essential characteristic of the invention, annular contact surfaces 51, 52 are convex and advantageously have, according to the radial section in FIG. 2, an arc shape, which is diagrammatically indicated with broken lines. Consequently, the contact between surfaces 51, 52 of the rollers and side surfaces 46, 47 is essentially a pin-point and therefore frictionless contact. In the figure, the pin-point contact area of convex surface 52 of roller 26 with side surface 47 of rail head 42 is designated by 54. Furthermore, the radial distance between the axes of inclined arm parts 30, 31 and the areas of contact, such as area 54 of convex surfaces 51, 52 of rollers 25, 26, is equal to the radial separation between the axis of middle part 29 and peripheral rolling surface 49 of central roller 24.
FIG. 5 shows another implementation possibility of the sound insulation. In this case, central roller 24 is provided with elastomer layer 64 for sound insulation situated inside of the roller extending over the whole width of the roller, parallel to its axis. In order also to provide sound insulation at the site of side rollers 25, 26, these rollers are produced in two parts, a central part in the form of hub 66 and annular exterior part 67, with insertion of insulating elastomer layer 68 between these two parts. Given that the hub has radial projection 69 beyond the lower edge of exterior annular part 67, insulating layer 68 has an L-shaped profile so that the sound insulation effect is optimal.
In this embodiment, side rollers 25, 26 can be rotationally connected with central roller 24 and extend in a plane parallel to the plane of the central roller. In other words, the rollers are no longer inclined as in the first embodiment. Consequently, shaft 28 is a straight shaft. By making side contact surfaces 51, 52 of the side rollers come into contact with contact surfaces 77, 78 of rail head 42 at the bottom 76 of the rail, the distances of the contact points 54 from the axis of the side rollers is identical to the distance of rolling surface 80 of the central roller from its axis of rotation, which has the consequence that the speeds of the side rollers at their contact point 54 and of the central roller at the site of its rolling surface 80 are identical.
FIG. 9 illustrates a possibility for performing the synchronization also by gearing of the inclined rollers. For this purpose, rack rings 57, 58 are mounted, constituting bevel gears on the internal side surfaces of side rollers 25, 26 so that in case of the presence of a resistance to the rotation of a ring greater than a threshold value, the ring can slide over its support surface. For this purpose, as FIG. 9 shows, bevel gear 57 has axial annular extension 92 on which annular part 93, made of bronze, for example, which has an L-shaped cross section, is fastened by screw 94. Free limb 95 of part 93 is pressed against side support surface 96 of roller 25 by spring element 98 produced, in the example represented, as a torus made of elastomer, with insertion of a washer 99, spring element 98 being housed in connected annular part 100. This part has a cross section in the shape of an L, one limb of which is attached on support surface 96 of the roller, while the edge of the other limb is curved so as to form groove 101 for housing of spring element 98.
In this embodiment, side rollers 25, 26 are independent of roller 24 but are mounted so as to rotate on shaft parts 30, 31, which are parallel to shaft part 28, for support of the central roller. This roller device is suitable for rolling on rail head 42 whose rolling surface is planar as in the case of FIG. 2. In contrast, the side surfaces by which the side rollers are intended to come into contact with the rail are inclined in the manner represented in FIG. 7 and therefore bear the references 77 and 78. So that the rotation speeds of the rollers at points of contact 54 with rail head 42 can be identical to the rotation speed at the site of peripheral rolling surface 49 of central roller 24, on one hand, and so that the rotational synchronization of side rollers 25, 26 on central roller 24 can be ensured, on the other hand, the axes of rotation of the side rollers are offset from the axis of rotation of the central roller, and the latter has a toothed ring 104, 105 on each side on its periphery, which meshes with inwardly-toothed ring 106, 107 associated with side rollers 25, 26. Toothed rings 104, 105 of the central roller, on one hand, and rings 106, 107 of the side rollers, on the other hand, are not concentric and mesh with one another on the side of rail 2 with a certain speed-reducing ratio. So as to ensure a certain flexibility of the rotational synchronization of the rollers, each of rings 106, 107 is mounted on its roller via two plates 109, made of bronze, for example, in such a way as to obtain a connection by friction between the roller and the ring.
The preceding description showed that the guiding system for a vehicle, according to the invention, is made up of a mechanical actuating contact roller which is, on one hand, attached to the steering elements of the vehicle and which, on the other hand, rolls on the rail. The system is particularly suitable for equipping streetcars that run on tires and on rails. When such a streetcar enters a curve, the roller rolling on the rail is deflected towards the inside of the curve. Since the roller is connected to an arm, the arm pivots around its vertical axis of rotation. Assuming a certain angle, the arm influences the orientation of the wheels of the vehicle in such a way as to reduce the angle of the arm. This kinematic chain makes it possible to transmit the forces necessary for changing direction, the direction-change information being assumed on the side surfaces of the rail. The side rollers of this device make it possible to take up the forces without bringing about friction. In effect, the rollers behave like wheels. The contact between the rail and the rollers is a pin-point and frictionless contact. The invention ensures continual synchronization of the rollers. In order to ensure a certain flexibility of the synchronization and to allow, if necessary, immobilization of one of the two side rollers or the set of rollers in case of the presence of an obstacle, the invention proposes a transmission by adhesion, several implementation possibilities of which have been described as examples. Given that the contact between the central roller and the rail, on one hand, and between the side rollers and the rail, on the other hand, does not occur by friction but only by rolling, the system generates only a small amount of noise. This noise is further reduced by inserting a layer of elastomer between the rolling treads of the central roller and of the side rollers and the support of the roller device, the layer of elastomer functioning as sound insulation. The use of inclined rollers is advantageous because it requires only a narrow slot in the roadway.
Given that each of hubs 198 is connected to shaft 192, when side roller 189 or 190 comes in contact with the rail, the side roller rotates around shaft 200. This rotation makes it possible to detach friction ring 202 from central roller 188. Thus, the side roller in contact is no longer synchronized with the central roller but rather with the rail.
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