Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B61—RAILWAYS
  • B61B—RAILWAY SYSTEMS; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B61B13/00—Other railway systems
  • B61B13/04—Monorail systems
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B61—RAILWAYS
  • B61B—RAILWAY SYSTEMS; EQUIPMENT THEREFOR NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B61B5/00—Elevated railway systems without suspended vehicles

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a light urban passenger transport network and, more particularly, to a cabin for such a network.
• these networks are networks with two parallel lanes in opposite directions of traffic, with radial lines with, possibly, a circular line tending to avoid the urban center, or with grid lines.
• the lines are particularly dense at the level of the urban center, with redundancy of transport offers, and serve relatively poorly the urban areas far from the center by creating gray areas in the collection of passengers.
• complex connecting stations between the lines must be provided.
• Document FR-A-2597424 relates to a single-track, two-way traffic system, specific zones being provided for crossing cabins. Such a system then requires a complex synchronization of the cabins which does not allow effective and tight mailing of an urban area.
• hectometric systems have been proposed in a dedicated site ensuring the folding of the passengers towards the ends of conventional radial lines. These hectometric systems are generally single track in closed loop, the cabins then being towed by a complex system of cables making it possible to slow down or stop the cabins at the level of the planned stations.
• the document US-A-4 690 064 relates to a cabin carried pendularly by its roof by means of a carrier trolley circulating in a profiled rail in order to take up the forces in play.
• the rail is located completely at the 'exterior of the cabin, and it is doubly profiled to determine on both sides a raceway for carrier carriages traveling in opposite directions.
• the drive wheel as shown in Figure 1 of this document, has a vertical axis and rolls on a vertical wall of the rail profile, while taking up the horizontal component of the forces tending to tilt the cabin; a freewheel with horizontal axis, rolls on a horizontal plane to essentially take up the vertical component of the forces; and a reaction wheel with a vertical axis rolls on a vertical plane opposite to that of the drive wheel to allow the installation of a damping device limiting any lateral pendulum movement of the cabin ; this last free reaction wheel also takes up the horizontal component of the forces at play.
• This means comprises a single longitudinal rail of conventional shape on the two sides of which circulate two wheels with a vertical axis.
• Three complementary wheels with a horizontal axis rolling on horizontal planes take up the vertical components of the forces at play.
• the power losses by friction become ultra-significant (without counting the sources of relative vibrations).
• the wheel system is placed under the cab and laterally to it.
• Document DE-A-1 935769 describes a transport system comprising first and second rails intended for guide wheels, and a third rail for a driving wheel.
• the invention therefore relates to a self-propelled cabin of small size, in particular for a light urban transport network not presenting these difficulties and drawbacks.
• Such a light network is, for example, constituted by a plurality of one-way loops of circulation of the cabins, the loops having between them at least one point of tangency for determining fast correspondence stations of the "quay to quay" type.
• Such a network which one will say “in daisy”, requires only a light infrastructure determining a clean site, for example raised above the ground.
• document FR-A-2381863 suggests the use of a single rail in the form of a support beam on which the cabs rest and are guided.
• a system requires a multiplicity of wheels to ensure at the same time an acceptable vertical stability and the guiding of the vehicle.
• the object of the invention is to obviate all of these drawbacks, preferably, but not exclusively, in a daisy chain network, with low structural and operating costs.
• the invention therefore relates precisely to a self-propelled cabin with a reduced size for a light urban passenger transport network with a single rail having a vertical core surmounted by a horizontal part, the cabin - not suspended - comprising a cockpit of elongated shape for the passengers, and mounted on at least one frame including two carriages each of which is provided with rollers circulating on rolling zones formed on the rail.
• the passenger compartment being mounted in cantilever on the frame, the rail and the frame protrude laterally inside the passenger compartment.
• each of the carriages comprises a first support roller with a vertical axis resting on one side of the vertical core of the rail opposite to the passenger compartment, a second support roller with a horizontal axis taking on a horizontal part located near the vertical core of the rail on the side opposite to that of the first roller, and at least one drive roller bearing on the horizontal part of the rail.
• the drive roller bears on the upper face of the horizontal part of the rail, and it is, for example, guided by means of a longitudinal rib formed on this upper face.
• each carriage comprises a second drive roller bearing on a lower face of a horizontal part of the rail on the side opposite the first roller. holding, this lower face being, for example, that of a second horizontal part of the rail parallel to the aforementioned first horizontal part.
• the second retaining roller is supported on a horizontal metal running sole connected to the base of the vertical core of the rail.
• This second retaining roller will then preferably be electrically conductive and will constitute a means of earthing the carriage by means of the tread.
• at least one of the holding rollers must be electrically conductive to ensure the return of current by the rail itself.
• the frame and the rail thus project into a lateral part of the passenger compartment where they are hidden from the view of the passengers by means of seats.
• the passenger compartment is then provided with an access door on the side opposite to that occupied by the carriages.
• Figure 1 shows schematically in section a rail of suitable shape for implementing the invention
• Figure 2 shows schematically in section the rail on site and the installation with the cabin according to the invention
• Figure 3 schematically illustrates in section a carriage equipping a cabin according to the invention
• Figure 4 illustrates in plan view from above the cabin according to the invention.
• the cabin according to the invention is intended to travel on a rail of the type shown in Figure 1 in section.
• This rail essentially comprises a vertical core 10 surmounted by a horizontal part 12.
• a sole 14 is also provided for its fixing and to constitute a raceway for a roller for holding the carriages, as will be seen below.
• the electrical supply track 20 is disposed between the two horizontal parts 12 and 16 which, in this way, protect it both from bad weather and from the unskillful gesture of a maintenance worker.
• Such a rail is favorably made of an electrically conductive material, the electrical supply track 20 being insulated with respect to the rail itself.
• the sole 14 can constitute the area for return of the current or for earthing the system.
• the rail advantageously comprises, in addition, a track 22 allowing an exchange of information between the cabins circulating on the network and a control center (not shown).
• a track 22 can be produced by any known means, such as a Greek, a magnetic tape or an optical tape, although it is better to avoid an optical means for obvious reasons of soiling which may affect the exchange of information.
• a squaring reinforcement 18 perpendicular to the vertical core 10 of the rail is also advantageously added at determined distances to take up the significant lateral forces when the cabin is moving.
• a longitudinal rib formed on the horizontal part or parts 12, 16 of the rail can favor the guiding of the drive roller of the carriage of the cabin.
• the cabin is cantilevered on the rail which has just been described.
• the cabin consists of a passenger compartment 28 fixed to a frame comprising two carriages 30 which are substantially identical and distant from each other so as to accept a curvature of the rail, such as that shown in FIG. 3 and which will be described below. in more detail.
• the rail and the frame protrude laterally inside the passenger compartment 28.
• the rail which has just been described can be favorably attached to the top of a mast 52 anchored to the ground by any appropriate means 54. This easily avoids significant infrastructure costs.
• the frame comprises two carriages 30 and receives, of course, the passenger compartment 28.
• two holding rollers 32, 34 are thus provided .
• the first holding roller 32 has a vertical axis and rests on the vertical core 10 on the left part thereof according to the Figures, that is to say on the side of the rail opposite to the passenger compartment 28. This roller 32 therefore clearly takes up the forces generated by the overhang of the cabin.
• the second holding roller 34 with a horizontal axis, will take up the weight carried by the carriage 30, by circulating on the sole 14.
• a first drive roller 36, with a horizontal axis is supported on the upper face of the first horizontal part 12 of the rail on which it is guided by the longitudinal rib 24.
• a second drive roller 38 is supported on the underside of the second horizontal part 16, where is also optionally guided by a longitudinal rib 24.
• An electrical energy collector 40 is in contact with the insulated electrical track 20 for the electrical supply of the motors.
• a means 42 for exchanging information between the cabin and a network control center is provided opposite the corresponding track 22 provided on the rail.
• the drive rollers 36, 38 and the holding rollers 32, 34 are mounted on the carriage 30 by means of a conventional suspension means 44 which need not be described here.
• the cabin comprises a frame comprising two carriages 30, 30 ′, such as that which has just been described under the reference 30 for a passenger compartment 28.
• These two carriages 30, 30 ′ are aligned and make it possible to accept a curvature of the aforementioned rail. They project into a side wall of the passenger compartment 28 and are preferably hidden from the view of the passengers by means of seats 46 provided on this side portion of the passenger compartment 28. A step 48 is possibly provided to access these seats 46.
• a door 50 for access to the passenger compartment is favorably provided on the part of the passenger compartment 28 opposite that of the carriages 30.
• a self-propelled cabin was thus determined which, according to an exemplary embodiment, could have an interior length of around 6.20 m and an interior width of around 1.80 m, and could transport up to 30 passengers with very low infrastructure and operating costs.
• the network can then have a radius of curvature of the order of 9 meters.
• the rail can be made of concrete with suitable conductive metal tracks, all the raceways not necessarily being electrically conductive.
• the electrical power supply track can be arranged on another part of the rail or even be produced by means of a metal cable provided substantially above the cabin.
• the current return can also be effected by means of suitable friction shoes.
• each carriage does not necessarily include two motor rollers.
• one of the two carriages per cabin described here may have no motor element, or else, the two carriages may each have only one motor element, depending on the power required in each case.
• each cabin can be operated manually as soon as an appropriate cockpit is provided.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Transportation (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Platform Screen Doors And Railroad Systems (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=9488516

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

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Family Cites Families (4)

• 1996
  • 1996-01-26 FR FR9600938A patent/FR2744087B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1997
  • 1997-01-27 AU AU15496/97A patent/AU1549697A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1997-01-27 EP EP97901678A patent/EP0888229A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1997-01-27 WO PCT/FR1997/000154 patent/WO1997027095A1/fr not_active Ceased

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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