US3777668A - Monorail switching device - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle switching arrangement comprises an overhead monorail guideway that includes a mainline section and a diverging section merging with the mainline section to define a switching station. In addition, a bogie unit is arranged for rollable transport along the guideway and includes port and starboard main wheels rollably engaging the guideway. The bodie unit also includes a guide arrangement for selectively acting against the guideway to load either the port or the starboard main wheels in excess of the normal vehicle load thereof for establishing a vehicle heading through the switching station. Furthermore, stationary fail-safe cams are provided on the guideway to cooperate with cam followers carried by the bogie unit for ensuring safe transit through the switching station in the event of malfunction.

Description

United States Patet 1 1 Corey Dec. 11, 1973 MONORAIL SWITCHING DEVICE Primary ExaminerGerald- M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-D. W. Keen [76] Inventor: Robert W. Corey, c/o Monarch Inc., Olson et a1 2700 Oakland Ave.. Garland, Tex. 75041 [57] ABSTRACT [22] Flled: July 1972 A vehicle switching arrangement comprises an over- [21] Appl. No.: 274,338 head monorail guideway that includes a mainline section and a diverging section merging with the mainline .Relmed U's? Apphcanon Data section to define a switching station. In addition, a [62] Dmslo of sen 84,274 277 1970, bogie unit is arranged for rollable transport along the guideway and includes port and starboard main wheels rollably engaging the guideway. The bodie unit also [52] US. Cll. 104/105 includes a guide arrangement for Selectively acting [SI] IIIL C E0) 25/26 against the g y to load either the p or the Field Of Search I05, Starboard main wheels in excess of the normal vehicle load thereof for establishing a vehicle heading through [56] References Cited the switching station. Furthermore, stationary fail-safe UNITED STATES PATENTS cams are provided on the guideway to cooperate with 3,628,462 12/1971 Holt 104 105 cam followers camed by t i F i e-nsmmg 3,712,238 1 1973 Colovas 104 130 Safe trans" through the Swltchmg anon m the event of malfunction.

3 Claims, 25 Drawing Figures mm 1 1 ms 3; 777' 668 SHEET 2 UP 9 F N wqw h .L wmm mm mm w mmm m, ms 3w JV RR mm m @mw QQQM w TR NQN Wm] PIIIYIH PATENIED DEC 1 1 I975SHEET 7BF 9 SWN MONORAIL SWITCHING DEVICE CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a divisional case of my copending application Ser. No. 84,274, filed Oct. 27, 1970, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,702,590.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to monorail transportation systems and more particularly to devices for switching a monorail vehicle from one heading to another.

According to conventional practice, mechanical switching arrangements for altering the direction of a transportation vehicle include a section of movable track which is pivoted or otherwise shifted in the route selection process. A considerable amount of power is commonly required to cause the movable track to execute these transitions and the process is time consuming. Slow switching of movable track sections can be permitted in transportation systems operating on a fixed schedule where the presence of a vehicle at a particular switch and at a particular time can be predicted; and having advance knowledge of vehicle destination, track personnel can have the switch readied for passage of the vehicle. Such complicated preparations are impossibly difficult in transportation systems operating in response to the demands on the system and without fixed schedules. The utilization of prior art switching arrangements of the movable track type has heretofore prevented demand systems from achieving their potential in speed and efficiency.

An important object of the present invention is therefore to provide a vehicle switching arrangement in which all movable parts involved in route selection are carried onboard the vehicles.

A more general object of the invention is to provide a new and improved switching arrangement for trackborne vehicles.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vehicle switching arrangement which is fail-safe in operation. I

Still another object of the invention is to provide a vehicle switching arrangement which achieves a coordinated response to switching elements carried respectively by a pair of coupled bogies.

A further object of the invention is to provide a vehicle switching arrangement which accomplishes a smooth transition of the vehicle through the switching station.

A yet further object of the invention is to provide a vehicle switching arrangement which is reliable in operation.

These and other objects and features of the invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the following descriptions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 2 is an enlarged end elevational view of the monorail guideway arrangement of FIG. 1 showing the guideway arrangement suspended from a support column and illustrating the normal running condition of the vehicle bogies in the guideway;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a guideway section defining the entrance portion of a switching station;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of FIGS. 3 and 13;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the guideway section of FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged end elevational view showing the action of the upper and lower guide wheels and cooperating guideway structure in negotiation of a switching station;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of the bogies employed in driving the monorail vehicle of the present invention, the means for uniting the bogies and the lower guide wheel assemblies being removed for clarity in illustrating various other arrangements;

FIG. 11 is a view similar to the showing of FIG. 10, illustrating the means for uniting the bogies but with certain of the related structures removed and others shown in broken lines for clarity of illustration;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main drive wheels used in the bogies;

FIG. 13 is a bottom view of a left-turn switching station constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a bottom view of a merging switching station construction in compliance with the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a low angle perspective view showing the fail-safe mechanism employed in the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken through the guideway of the invention and illustrating the power bus arrangement and cooperating takeoff used at a switching station;

FIG. 17 is an end elevational view of the guideway and bogie arrangements taken in partial cross-section to show the power bus arrangements and collectors and taken along the line 17-l7 of FIG. 16, certain of the means for positioning the lateral power collectors being removed for clarity of illustration;

FIG. 18 is a longitudinal sectional view of the fluidactuated jack used in manipulating the upper and lower guide wheels of the bogie units;

FIG. 19 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 19--19 of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is an enlarged perspective view of a lower guide wheel assembly and related electrical switching components;

FIG. 21 is an enlarged, fragmentary plan view of the lateral power collectors and related positioning means used in picking off electrical power from the guideway during transit of a bogie unit through a switching station, taken along the line 21-21 of FIG. 16;

FIG. 22 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of the cam and link members used with the positioning arrangement of FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is an enlarged, side elevational view of the electrical switching arrangements used with the lower guide wheel assembly of FIG.

FIG. 24 is a fragmentary plan view of the electrical switching arrangementsof FIG. 23; and

FIG. 25 is a schematic view suggesting the relative motion in the lower guide wheel assembly which is sensed by the associated electrical switching arrangement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION concrete pedestals orfootings 36 and from which the guideway is suspended, and a suitable number oftransportation vehicles 38 which are adapted to run on theguideway 32. In order to afford flexibility in the routing of thevehicles 38, theguideway 32 is arranged to include amainline section 40, asecondary line section 42 and a parking section 44, thesecondary line section 42 and the parking section 44 diverging from the mainline section atswitching stations 46. As will be appreciated, the transportation system of the invention includes a multiplicity of secondary line sections and parking sections in accordance with the requirements of the facility being served by the system. It is to be appreciated that the instant transporation system will include various boarding and destination stations and that the term diverging" when applied to sections of theguideway 32 shall encompass switching stations which accomplish merging as well as shunting.

Referring to FIG. 2, thetransportation vehicle 38 includes a suitably sprungsuspension 48 which is hung from a pair of bogies 50 (one of which is shown) by means ofaspindle 52. Eachbogie 50 includes a pair of laterally alignedmain drive wheels 54 which are rotatably mounted on a centralmain frame 56, and theguideway 32 comprises a hollowbox girder unit 58 which surrounds thebogies 50 and defines bearing surfaces for thedrive wheels 54. Each of thebogies 50 also includes a pair ofupper guide wheels 60 which are eccentrically rotatably mounted on ashaft 62 as will be described more fully hereinafter. As will also be described more fully hereinafter, theguidway 32 additionally includes an overheadpower bus arrangement 64 from which the bogies derive electrical energy for powering thevehicle 38.

Theguideway 32 is suspended from thesupport columns 34 by means including ahanger bracket 66; and when it is desired to suspend the guideway resiliently, as for example on sections of the guideway where thevehicles 38 might reach top speed, thehanger bracket 66 is connected to acable 68 which is threaded overpivoted sector plates 70 within the interior of thecolumns 34 to be fastened elsewhere in the column by means ofa mounting bracket (not shown). A threadedstud 72 is swaged or otherwise suitably secured to the outer end of thecable 68 so that thehanger bracket 66 may be fastened to the end of the cable by means of anabutment plate 74 andlocknuts 76. In addition,lateral stabilizer arms 78 are mounted in horizontal position between the side of the support column and the guidway.

In accordance with an important feature of the invention, the switching stations or sections of theguideway 32 are completely static; and all movable switching parts are carried by thevehicle 38. More specifically, to accomplish route selection at one of the switching sections, a selected set of theupper guide wheels 60, that is, either the port or starboard set of upper guide wheels, is urged into forcible engagement with the corresponding ceiling portion of the guideway so that substantially the entire vehicle load is borne by the correspondingmain drive wheels 54. Where a turn in the route coincides with a switching maneuver, the main drive wheels on the inside of the turn are preferably selected to bear the vehicle load. This action of the upper drive wheels is continued during vehicle transit through the switch in order to establish the selected heading.

Continuing with reference to FIG. 2 and recalling that the guideway shown therein is an ordinary or normal running section of the guideway rather than a switching section thereof, the box girder comprising theguideway 32 is shown to include a firstupper track plate 80, a firstlower track plate 82 aligned beneath theupper track plate 80, a secondupper track plate 84 spaced laterally from the firstupper track plate 80, and a secondlower track plate 86 aligned beneath theupper track plate 84. Turning for the moment to FIG. 13, thelower track plate 82 is seen to comprise acontinuous mainline section 88 while thelower track plate 86 comprises afirst section 90 which parallels themainline section 88 and asecond section 92 which diverges from themainline section 88 to define a switch at theswitching section 46. Theguideway 32 additionally includes a lowertrack plate section 94 which parallels the divergingsection 92 and which merges with the downstream portion of the divergingsection 90 at acommon section 96. It will be appreciated that the upper track plates corresponding to the lower track plates illustrated in FIG. 13 trace patterns similar to those shown and described relative to the lower track plates. It will also be appreciated that the space or slot defined between thetrack plate section 88 and 90 and 'between thetrack plate section 92 and 94 accommodate passage of thespindles 52 which support thevehicle 38 from thebogies 50.

It has been described hereinabove that the upper guide wheels are selectively actuated to impose substantially the entire vehicle load on one set of the main drive wheels during transit through a switch. This condition of abogie 50 is illustrated in FIG. 9; and considering the direction of vehicle movement to be out of the page, the track plates and 82 become, respectively, the starboard upper and lower track plates. Correspondingly, thetrack plates 84 and 86 can be designated, respectively, the upper and lower port side track plates. Continuing in this framework of terminology, starboardupper guide wheel 60 is disposed in forcible engagement with the starboardupper track plate 80; and the starboardmain drive wheel 54 forcibly engages the starboardlower track plate 82 through the reaction caused by its common connection to thecentral frame 56 of thebogie 50. Cooperatively, the port sideupper guide wheel 60 is disposed out of engagement with the ceiling plate portions of the guideway.

Turning now to a consideration of FIG. 10, thetransportation vehicle 38 is seen to be suspended from a pair of bogies which, for purposes of distinction, shall be referred to asfore bogie 50a and aft bogie 50b. The bo gies 50a and 50b are substantially identical except reversed in position, thebogie 50a being driven by a forwardly disposedelectric drive motor 100 and the aft bogie being driven by a similar but rearwardly disposedelectric drive motor 102. It should be observed that the fore and aft bogies are mechanically coupled exclusively through their common attachment to thevehicle 38. Themotors 100 and 102 power the respectivemain drive wheels 54 by means ofpulleys 104 mounted on the motor output shafts, endlessflexible drive belts 106 and suitable pulleys secured to the drive wheels, as will be described more fully hereinafter with respect to FIG. 12.

Themain frame 56 forms the principal positional reference and mounting base for eachbogie 50. For example,motor mounting arms 108 extend longitudinally from themain frame 56 to receive and be coupled with the housings ofmotors 100 and 102 respectively. In addition, laterally spaced upper guide wheelshaft mounting ears 110 are connected with themain frame 56 byshoulder brackets 112, the upper guide wheel shafts being journalled in theears 110. Considering FIG. 9 in conjunction with FIG. 10, theupper guide wheels 60 are rotatably mounted onshafts 114 which are, in turn, fastened to oppositely extendingeccentric plates 116, theplates 116 being rigidly mounted on theguide wheel shaft 62.

In accordance with the features of the present invention, means are provided on thebogies 50 for restraining thetransportation vehicle 38 against such forces and moments as wind and the centrifugal force encountered during negotiations of a curve. Specifically and with reference to FIG. 10, a pair of upperlateral restraint rollers 118 are mounted intermediate the fore and aft pairs ofupper guide rollers 60 by means of mounting yokes which merge into the mountingshoulders 112. Eachroller 118 is freely rotatably mounted on anupright shaft 122 affixed to thecorresponding yoke 120. The upperlateral restraint rollers 118 are arranged to come into contact with the side of the guidway only when the bogie assembly leans away from the vertical direction. In addition, two sets of eccentrically mountedlower restraint wheels 124 are connected to themain frame 56 by means oflongitudinally extending mountingarm assemblies 126. The lowerlateral restraint wheels 124 are rotatably mounted on eccentricallydisposed stub shafts 128, as is best shown in FIG. 9; and these lower lateral restraint wheels may be preloaded against the lower sides of theguideway 32 by springs or other suitable means, not shown. In order to provide contact surfaces for the lowerlateral restraint wheels 124, thelower track plates 82 and 86 are provided withupturned flanges 130 disposed to confront the edges of the lower lateral restraint wheels.

Continuing with reference to FIG. 9, it is advantageous to provide themain drive wheels 54 with rubelesspneumatic tires 132; and in order to protect against mishaps which might occur in the event ofa flat tire or the unintentional overloading of the vehicle,metal safety wheels 134 are mounted on the hubs ofwheels 54 to rotate therewith. Thesafety wheels 134 are of somewhat lesser diameter than the diameter ofmain drive wheels 54 when the latter are under normal load. Thus, the safety wheels do not ordinarily engage the track plates ofguideway 32.

In compliance with the features of the present invention, the activities of theupper guide wheels 60 are coordinated in order to insure that all of the guide wheels of the fore and aft bogies a and 5012 move in unison. Referring to FIG. 11, the means for coordinating the action of the upper guide wheels include a single pneumatic actuating cylinder orjack 136 and a cableand-pulley unit 138. Thecylinder 136 is affixed to thecentral frame 56 of aft bogie 50b by abracket 140, and thecylinder 136 includes an extensible andretractable piston rod 142 which is pivotally mounted to a radial arm 144. The arm 144 is rigidly mounted on apulley 146 which is, in turn, non-rotatably mounted on the forward upper guide wheel shaft of the bogie 50b. Thecylinder 136 is thus capable of directing the forward pair of upper guide wheels into and out of forcible engagement with the ceiling'of the guideway. In order to coordinate the movements of the rear pair of upper guide wheels with the forward pair, the cable-andpulley unit 138 includes a pulley 147 which is nonrotatably affixed to the rear upperguide wheel shaft 62, and anendless cable 148 is threaded over thepulleys 147 and 148 in the manner illustrated. In similar manner, the forward and rear upperguide wheel shafts 62 offore bogie 50a are coupled for coordinated action by components of the cable-and-pulley unit 138. Specifically, a pulley 150 is non-rotatably secured to the forward upper guide wheel shaft, apulley 152 is nonrotatably mounted to the rear upper guide wheel shaft, and an endless cable 154 is threaded over thepulleys 150 and 152 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 11.

In order to coordinate the upper guide wheels ofbogies 50a and 5012, the cable-and-pulley unit 138 includes anendless cable 156 which is threaded, as shown, over the upper sheave portion of adouble pulley 158 which is associated withbogie 50a and the upper sheave portion of adouble pulley 160 which is associated with the aft bogie 50b. Thecable 156 is situated generally interjacent the pairs ofdrive wheels 54 proximate the center line of the coupledbogies 50a and 50b, and the opposite end loop of thecable 156 may encompass therespectivecentral frames 56 of the two bogies or reside on one side thereof. Each of thepulleys 158 and 160 is rigidly mounted on anabbreviated shaft 162 that is journalled in abracket 164,brackets 164 being welded, bolted or otherwise suitably affixed to the respectivecentral frames 56. Rotary motion is transmitted from thedouble pulleys 158 and 160 to the associated upper guide wheel shaft by other components of the cable-and-pulley unit 138. Specifically, an

endless cable 166 is threaded over the lower sheave portion of each double pulley and over a pair of drive pulleys 168 fastened, respectively, to the rear upper guide wheel shaft ofbogie 50a and the forward upper guide wheel shaft of bogie 50b.Idler rollers 170 mounted on theframes 56 direct thecable 166 in a path around the other components of the bogie assembly.

While the fail-safe guidance mechanism will be described more fully hereinafter with respect to FIGS. 3-8, 13-15, 20 and 23-25, it will be valuable at this juncture to delineate the construction of that portion of the fail-safe guidance mechanism which is directly operated by the cable-and-pulley unit 138. Continuing therefore with reference to FIG. 11, a lowerguide roller assembly 172 is fastenedto eachshaft 162 to rotate generally with the corresponding double pulley. Each of theassemblies 172 includes a T-shapedframe 174 comprising a lowerguide wheel arm 176 and ayoke 178. Thearm 176 is non-rotatably attached to theshaft 162 and carries a rotatablelower guide roller 180 in upright position,yoke 178 being rotatably affixed to theshaft 162. A pair ofoutboard cam rollers 182 are rotatably mounted on theyoke 178 in upright position.

it is contemplated that a system of mechanical linkages could be substituted for the cable-and-pulley unit 138.

Turning now to FIG. 18 for a description of the construction of the pneumatic actuating cylinder orjack 136, that unit comprises, in addition to the extensible andretractable piston rod 142, a cylindrical housing orshell 184, apiston 186 secured to therod 142, and a pair of end plate members 188 and 190. Thepiston 186 is longitudinally slidably disposed within thehousing 184 and an O-ring 192 is situated in an annular, radially outwardly openinggroove 194 to provide a seal between the piston and the housing. Thepiston 186 is secured to therod 142 by a pair of longitudinally spaced retainer rings 196, therod 142 being fashioned withgrooves 198 for reception of these rings. A small O-ring 200 is situated in agroove 202 located centrally of thepiston 186 to form a seal between the piston and therod 142.

The end plate member 188 is similarly provided with inner and outer seals, specifically a radially outwardly disposed O-ring 204 which seals against the inner wall ofhousing 184 and a radially inwardly disposed O-ring 206 which effectuates a seal against therod 142. The end plate member 188 is securely fastened in permanent position by means of a pair of spaced retainer rings 208 which are fitted into appropriate grooves fashioned in the inner side wall of thehousing 184.

The end plate member 190 is likewise secured and sealed in the housing. In particular, an outer O-ring 210 is situated in a groove 212 formed in the end plate member to confront the inner wall ofhousing 184 and provide a seal thereagainst; and an O-ring 214 is located in agroove 216 to confront thepiston rod 142 and provide a seal against that element. A pair oflongitudinally spaced retainer rings 218 are received in grooves formed in the inner side wall ofhousing 184 to hold the member 190 in place.

As will be appreciated, thepiston 186 divides the space between the end plate members 188 and 190 into a pair ofvariable volumne chambers 220 and 222; and a combination inlet-outlet line 224 which is fastened to the side wall ofhousing 184 by a mountingblock 226 and communicates with thechamber 220 through alateral aperture 228 fashioned in the side wall ofhousing 184. The mountingblock 226 also receives threadedly a set screw 230 which normally closes avent port 232 and which is secured in place by alocknut 234. Thechamber 222 likewise communicates with an inlet andoutlet line 236 through aport 238 fashioned in the sidewall ofhousing 184, the end ofline 236 being fastened to thehousing 184 by a mountingblock 240. Avent port 242 is normally closed by aset screw 244 that is secured by alocknut 246.

in compliance with the features of the present invention, thepneumatic jack 136 is arranged to take a locked position when the bogies and guidway are in the normal running mode and to be unlocked in the event of a leak or failure of the pneumatic system or in the event of a failure in the electrical control circuitry. For

this purpose, the end plate member 190 is provided with atubular extension portion 248 which passes slidably through apiston 250. A suitable number ofball bearings 252 are located in asemitoroidal groove 254 formed in the periphery ofpiston rod 142 to establish a lock in the manner to be described shortly, and theextension portion 248 is apertured to pass theball bearing 252 radially into an unlocked position. An O-ring 256 establishes a seal between thepiston 250 and thehousing 184, and an O-ring 258 provides a seal between thepiston 250 and theextension portion 248. In order to provide a stop for thepiston 250, theextension portion 248 is fashioned with anannular shoulder 260 confronting thepiston 250. in addition, theextension portion 248 is provided with arelieved section 262 between theshoulder 260 and theadjacent retainer ring 218. Anannular chamber 264 is thus defined between theportion 262, the adjacent regions of theextension portion 248 and thepiston 250. An inlet-outlet conduit 266 communicates with this annular chamber through a mountingblock 268 and alateral aperture 270 provided in the sidewall ofhousing 184,aperture 270 being aligned with the space betweenshoulder 260 and theadjacent retainer ring 218 in order that abutment of thepiston 250 with theshoulder 260 will not close off communication with theconduit 266.

Thepiston 250 is biased toward theshoulder 260 by acompression spring 272 which is confined between ashoulder 274 generated on the piston and anut 276 which is turned onto the threaded end section 278 ofextension portion 248. Thepiston 250 is provided with acounterbored cavity 280 for purposes which will appear immediately hereinafter.

At the opposite end of thepneumatic cylinder 136, aneyebolt 282 threadedly engages the exposed end portion ofpiston rod 142 to be secured in position by means of alocknut 284. Theeyebolt 282 provides a convenient means for connecting the piston rod to the cable-and-pulley unit 138.

As will be appreciated, thepiston rod 142 is locked against movement relative to thecylinder housing 184 when thepiston 250 is disposed in the position illustrated in FIG. 18. Specifically, pneumatic pressure in thechamber 264 situates thepiston 250 in the illustrated location, compressing thespring 272 and retaining theball bearings 252 in thegroove 254 and between the end section 278 and the remainder ofextension portion 248. Thus, theball bearings 252 lock thepiston rod 142 to thestationary extension portion 248. When it is desired to actuate the cable-and-pulley unit 138, the pneumatic pressure inchamber 264 is exhausted throughconduit 266, allowing thepiston 250 to move against theshoulder 260 in response to the force stored inspring 272. As thepiston 250 moves toward theshoulder 260, thecavity 280 is moved into radial alignment with theball bearings 252 to allow these ball bearings to escape into the cavity and out of thegroove 254 thereby releasing thepiston rod 142 to the action ofpiston 186. Thepiston rod 142 may be returned to its locked position by again pressurizing thechamber 164, theball bearings 252 being directed into thegroove 254 by aconical guide surface 286 disposed at the inner end ofcavity 280.

Referring now to FIGS. 38 for a description of the stationary switching arrangements associated with the monorail guideway, thebox girder unit 58, at a normal running region, has the upper track plates and 84 spaced above thelower track plates 82 and 86 by a distance A, as shown in FIG. 4. This spacing accommodates the neutral position of theupper guide wheels 60 shown in FIG. 2 wherein all of the guide wheels reside in contact with the corresponding upper track plates. In addition, thelower track plates 82 and 86 are provided withinner edges 288 and 290 respectively which are elevated slightly above the corresponding outer edges at theflanges 130. This cambering of the lower track plates promotes even tracking of the main drive wheels during transit of the bogies through the guideway.

The guideway section illustrated in FIGS. 3-8 is that section of the switching station in which the bogies are readied to negotiate a divergence or convergence of the vehicle routes; and the first guideway transformation in the guideway configuration comprises a gradual increase of the spacing between the upper and lower track plates to the dimension B shown in FIG. 5. This increase in the spacing between the upper and lower track plates allows rotation of the upperguide wheel shaft 62 so as to lower either the port or starboard upper guide wheels while raising the opposite upper guide wheels in the manner illustrated generally in FIG. 9. It is also advantageous to reduce gradually the camber of thelower track plates 82 and 86 as the spacing between the lower and upper track plates is gradually increased.

The next transformation of the guideway includes the initiation of a pair of pendent inboard flanges or guidewall members 292 and 294 from the ceiling of the guideway as is shown in FIG. 6. These flanges cooperate with corresponding outboard flanges or guidewall members 296 and 298 and with theupper track plates 80 and 84 to define a pair of downwardly opening slots orchannels 300 and 302 respectively. These slots or channels capture and retain the elevated set of upper guide wheels as is shown in FIG. 9. With the appearance of theflanges 292 and 294, the camber oflower track plates 82 and 86 continues to recede, and these occurences are accompanied by the initiation of the firstpendent cam blade 304 which is secured to thelower track plate 86 as is shown in FIGS. 3 and 6. With reference to FIG. 3, thecam blade 204 curves from a generallyoutboard position 306 to a moreinboard position 308. Furthermore, thecam blade 304 cooperates with asecond cam blade 310 in a defining the stationary members of the fail-safe guidance arrangement. Like thecam blade 304, thecam blade 310 curves from a generallyoutboard position 312 to a more generallyinboard position 314. Thecam blades 304 and 310 are advantageously arranged as constant acceleration cams. Thecam blades 304 and 310 coact with theroller assemblies 172 in a manner to be described more fully hereinafter with reference to FIGS. 13-15, and 23-25.

The arrangement shown in FIG. 7 illustrates the final transition before theguideway 32 develops a switching gap or enlargement ofthe space between thelower track plates 82 and 86. At this juncture, a port sidelower steering blade 316 has appeared, and the camber of thelower track plates 82 and 86 has been completely eliminated. A short distance downstream from this point, a starboardlower steering blade 318 appears, steeringblades 316 and 318 being secured respectively to the inner edges oflower track plates 86 and 82 and having respective laterally outwardly facing steering surfaces. As will be seen in FIG. 13, thesteering blades 316 and 318 continue through the switching section until such point as the switching maneuver has been accomplished.

In accordance with the present invention, means are provided for insuring a continuous supply of electric power to the bogie assemblies during transit through a switching section. Specifically and with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17, electricity is normally supplied to the bogie assemblies from the overhead electricpower bus arrangement 64 which is mounted in the ceiling of the guideway at ordinary running sections of the guideway. Apower pickup 320 is mounted on themain frame 56 offore bogie 50a by means of a mounting plate 322 and a suitable number ofcoil springs 324, springs 324 urging acollector carriage 326 upwardly toward thepower bus arrangement 64. Thebus arrangement 64 includes threepower conductors 328 which terminate inpendent,conductive channels 330. Cooperatively, thecollector carriage 326 includes three upstanding collector bars 332 which ride in thechannels 330 in sliding contact with the walls of the channels in order to lead power through acable 334 to the motor and other electrically operated components of the bogie. Theconductors 328 are housed in an insulatingblock 336 and receive power fromrespective lines 338. In addition, thecollector carriage 326 includes insulative side guides 340 and inboard insulative bars 342.

In order to avoid unduly complicated electrical arrangements at the cross-over region of a switching station and in order to insure continuity of electrical supply, theguideway 32 is "provided with oppositely disposed, electricallyinsulative sidewall panels 344 at the switching section; and a laterally disposedpower bus arrangement 346 is mounted to each of thepanels 344 to supply power to the bogie during transit through the cross-over region. Eachpower bus arrangement 346 includes three vertically spaced, horizontally disposedrectangular conductors 348, and eachconductor 348 is supplied with current through acable 350. A pair ofpowercollectors 352 are laterally swingably mounted to anextension portion 354 of themain frame 56 for taking power off of alateral bus arrangement 346, and it will be appreciated that two such collectors are provided in order that suitable electric circuits may be completed regardless of whether the bogie is in the lefthand turn or right-hand turn condition. Each of thecollectors 352 comprises aninsulative panel 356 to which there are affixed three pairs of conductive brushes 358.

a Eachbrush 358 makes sliding electrical contact with theconductors 348, and suitable electrical connections are accomplished by means ofcables 360.

It has proved advantageous to mount thecollectors 352 so that they may be moved laterally to the proper position during transit through a switching section. It has also proved desirable to provide for positioning of thecollectors 352 in coordinated fashion with theupper guide wheels 60 and thelower guide wheels 180. With reference now to FIGS. 21 and 22 and with particular reference first to FIG. 21, each of theinsulative panels 356 is mounted to atriangular cage 362 which is itself swingably mounted to theextension 354 by twohorizontal links 364 and a pair of pivot pins 366 and 368,pivot pin 368 being a common connection for thelinks 364 at theframe extension 354. Thecages 362 are biased in the generally forward direction by means of tension springs 370 which are connected between the cages andrespective flanges 372 extending laterally from themain frame 56. Powered control of the motion of thecages 362 and therefore thebrushes 358 is accomplished by means of horizontallyreciprocal links 374 which are swingably mounted to the cages bypins 376 and which are joined to generally vertically disposed links, indicated in FIG. 22 by thereference numeral 378, by means of ball-and-socket units 380.

Continuing with reference to FIG. 22, thelinks 378 are both journalled on ahorizontal shaft 382 and carrycam rollers 384 at their upper ends. Theshaft 382 is supported between a pair of upwardlyinclined arms 386 which are affixed to themain frame 56, and atension spring 388 biases eachcam roller 384 into engagement with acorresponding cam 390, thecams 390 being rigidly secured to the upperguide wheel shaft 62 for actuation by means of thecylinder 136 and the cable-and-pulley unit 138.

It is contemplated that the overhead power bus arrangement may be eliminated entirely and the lateral power bus arrangements be relied on exclusively for power collection. In the latter instance, the described means for repositioning thebrush cages 362 ensures a synchronized break-before-make action of power collection from one side of the guidewayto the other during negotiation of a switch.

As described hereinabove with reference to FIG. 2, all of theupper guide wheels 60 are pre-loaded against the guideway ceiling when operating in their neutral or normal running conditions. This pre-loading permits the upper guide wheels to provide rotational and pitch restraint for the vehicle; and in addition, the lateral friction between these wheels and the guideway ceiling provides a yaw restraint. As described with reference to FIG. 2, all four of theupper guide wheels 60 are positioned in rollable contact with the guideway ceiling in this normal running condition, pre-loading of these upper guide wheels being accomplished by proper selection of the distance between the lower track plates and the upper track plates, that is, the dimension A illustrated in FIG. 4. The dimension A is selected so that, upon full inflation of thepneumatic tires 132 and despite a loading of thevehicle 38 to its full capacity, the upper guide wheels are situated in forcible contact with theupper track plates 80 and 84. This creates a moderate lateral distension of thetires 132 as is shown in FIG. 12.

Continuing with reference to FIG. 12, thetires 132 are mounted onwheel rims 392 and 394, therim 394 being provided with a flange which is formed into a drivenpulley 396. The rim ofpulley 396 is appropriately grooved to receive thedrive belts 106.

In order to mount the wheel rims 392 and 394 to themain frame 56, bearingassemblies 398 are rigidly affixed to the main frame; andhub units 400 are secured on the rotatable outer member of the respective bearing assemblies. Eachhub unit 400 includes ahemispherical body 402 which abuts the edge of acentral aperture 404 in the wheel rim, each hub unit additionally including a radially outwardly extendingflange 406 which drilled to pass mountingbolts 408.Bolts 408 extend slidably through appropriately sized apertures in the wall of the wheel rim to receive mountingnuts 410 on their threaded ends. Thebolts 408 and thenuts 410 may also be employed in mounting thesafety wheels 134 as is suggested in the left-hand portion of the figure. In addition, theflanges 406 advantageously terminate in collars ordrums 412 which cooperate withshoes 414 of conventional automotive type brakes.

In compliance with the features of the present invention, the lowerguide roller assemblies 172 are constructed so as to unlock thepneumatic cylinder 136 in an equipment failure situation, this being done so that thecam rollers 182 may cooperate with the fail-safe cam arms 304 and 310 in effectuating proper route selection. More specifically, motion in the connection between the lowerguide wheel arm 176 and thecam roller yoke 178 is sensed electrically, and the resultant signal is used to trip the lock ofcylinder 136.

With reference to FIG. 20, aslip ring switch 416 is configurated to trip on relative motion between thearm 176 and theyoke 178, theyoke 178 being centered on thearm 176 by opposed tension springs 415. Turning for the moment to FIGS. 23 and 24, theswitch 416 includes a top switch plate 418 which is fabricated from an electrically conductive material, such as stainless steel, and which is attached to a bracket portion of the lowerguide wheel arm 176. Aninsulator 422 is advantageously disposed between the plate 418 and thebracket portion 420 to prevent electrical contact. In addition, a pair of electrically insulative inserts 424 are situated in spaced recesses formed in the top plate 418 to define aconductivetrack 426 therebetween as is best seen in FIG. 24. Abracket portion 428 of theyoke 178 secures aswitch housing 430 in horizontal alignment with the top plate 418; and a switch pin 432 is slidably mounted in thehousing 430 to be urged into mechanical and electrical contact with the conductive edge of top switch plate 418 by acompression spring 434.

Cooperatively disposed with respect to the top switch plate 418 and arranged for movement with thecam roller yoke 178 is abottom switch plate 436 which is mounted to theyoke 178 by suitable means such as screws, not shown, abottom switch insulator 438 being disposed between thebottom switch plate 436 and the yoke in order to provide electrical insulation. Thebottom switch plate 436 carries a generallyboomerangshaped spring 440 which is fabricated from an electrically conductive spring material such as beryllium copper and which carries acontact element 442 in biased engagement with the underside of top switch plate 418. So situated, thecontact 442 is able to complete a circuit from theconductive channel 426 to aswitch pin 444 contained in a switch housing 446 through aconductive insert 448 and a pair ofrivets 450 which mount the boomerang-shapedspring 440 to thebottom switch plate 436. As with the case of-switch pin 432, theswitch pin 434 is biased toward the corresponding switch plate by means of acompression spring 452.Cables 454 and 456 complete an electrical control circuit which serves to exhaust thechamber 264 ofpneumatic jack 136 through a normally closed, solenoid-operated valve upon breaking of the associated circuit throughcontact 442 being displaced fromconductive channel 426 and onto either of the insulative inserts 424.

Having thus described one construction of the invention, it is important now to state how the illustrated embodiment operates in both its normal running mode and the failure situation.

The normal running configuration of thebogies 50 and theguideway 32 is illustrated generally in FIGS. 2 and 4; and these configurations appear at portions of the guideway not actually comprising a switching station, an approach to a switching station, or a departure from a switching station. In this normal running mode, thevehicle 38 is supported from both the port and starboard main drive wheels of each bogie assembly; and theupper guide wheels 60 are urged uniformly into forcible engagement with the upper track plates, the upper guide wheels being carried in the level or neutral condition by thepneumatic cylinder 136 which is locked in this configuration. As described hereinabove, forcing of the upper guide wheels into contact with the upper track plates preloads thepneumatic tires 132 and promotes stability in vehicular transit. The camber of thelower track plates 82 and 86 cooperates in promoting this stability.

In this normal operating mode, the energy for thepropulsion motors 100 and 102, as well as that for other electrical components, is collected from the overheadpower bus arrangement 64. Furthermore, the

lower guide wheels 180 are situated in the neutral condition aligned longitudinally of the coupledbogies 50a and 50h as is shown in FIG. 11. Lateral restraint in this transportation mode is accomplished by the pairedlower wheels 124 and the pairedupper wheels 118. At the entrance or approach to a switching station, an information signal is received in the control circuitry for the vehicle propulsion arrangement; and this signal is timed to coincide generally with the beginning of the first order alteration of the guideway configuration (illustrated in FIG. This information signal is used to unlock the pneumatic cylinder through control of the pressure inchamber 264 and contains the sense information indicating which of the routes immediately ahead has been selected for travel. The information signal is also used to actuate thepneumatic cylinder 136 for raising the selectedupper guide wheels 60 and rotating the lowerguide roller assemblies 172 through the cable-and-pulley unit 138. This rotation on theassemblies 172 situates thelower guide rollers 180 so that they will operate outboard of the selectedroute steering blade 316 or 318 (as is suggested in FIG. 13 in broken outline). Such relative motion between the lowerguide roller arm 176 and thecam roller yoke 178 as is experienced during this rotation has no effect on the various guidance activities since thepneumatic cylinder 136 has previously been unlocked by the information signal.

Second and third order alterations of the guideway configuration are shown respectively in FIGS. 6 and 7 where the guide rollers selected for guidance activity will have been captured by one of thependent plates 292 and 294; and thelower guide wheels 180 will have been situated outboard of the corresponding stering blade 31-6 or 318. In addition, the camber of thelower track plates 82 and 86 will have disappeared. As will be appreciated, in this normal, switch approach, thecam rollers 182 will have been rotated in powered fashion and will have not engaged either of the fail-safe cam blades 304 and 310.

As the vehicle approaches the switching station and begins the actual negotiation of that region of the switching station where the track plates experience a lateral spacing wider than normal, application of power to themain drive wheels 54 will be continued; but all of the combined vehicle and passenger load will be borne by either the port or starboard wheels in accordance with the selected switching configuration. During this transitional configuration, electrical supply is supplied from one of the laterally disposedpower bus arrangements 346. Furthermore, the reaction loads on turning will be taken up by the cooperation of lower guide wheel and the selected lower steering blade and by the corresponding upper guide wheels and the associatedpendent blade 292 or 294. This transitional configuration is illustrated generally in FIG. 9.

Upon passing through the switching station, the guidance elements will be returned to the neutral configuration in reverse sequence. The vertical spacing between the upper and lower track plates will decrease; theblades 292, 294, 316 and 318 will disappear; the camber of thelower track plates 82 and 86 will reappear; and thepneumatic cylinder 136 will be actuated to resituate theupper guide wheels 60 in neutral condition and will itself be locked in its neutral condition.

In the failure mode of operation, a substantially similar approach will be made to the switching section inasmuch as all of the switching gear on the guideway is static and does not change in response to the failure condition. However, the turn signalling circuitry or the pneumatic control system will have experienced a failure, and the lowerguide roller assembly 172 and theupper guide wheel 60 will not have been rotated into the selected configuration prior to the fore bogie arriving at the initiation of the first fail-safe cam blade.

It is advantageous to arrange the fail-safe cam blades 304 and 310 to direct the vehicle into the mainline direction upon experiencing a system failure; and this type of predetermined vehicle direction is shown in both the left-turn switching station of FIG. 13 and the merging switching station of FIG. 14.

Continuing with reference to FIG. 13, by way of example, initial engagement of thecam blade 304 by theadjacent cam roller 182 will tend to rotate theyoke 178; and because prior failure of either the electrical system not involvingswitch 416 or the pneumatic system will have prevented unlocking of thecylinder 136, thelower guide wheel 180 will tend to remain in longitudinal alignment with the corresponding bogie due to friction in the corresponding cable-and-pulley unit 138. A resultant relative motion between he lowerguide wheel arm 176 and theyoke 178 occur as is suggested in the left-hand portion of FIG. 25. Theswitch contact 442 will thus be relocated onto one of the insulative inserts 424 to break the holding circuit to thepneumatic cylinder 136, unlocking the cylinder and permitting further response of the lower guide roller assembly to thecam blades 304 and 310. As will be appreciated, the resultant rotation of theguide roller assembly 172 will relocate the upper and lower guide wheels through the interconnection established by the cable-and-pulley unit 138. This preselected rotation of the lowerguide roller assembly 172 is shown in FIG. 4 as well as in FIG. 13.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described with specificity. Equivalents, variations, and modifications of the principles of the invention will be apparent from the specific disclosures herein; and it is intended that the true spirit and scope of the invention be limited only as defined in the appended claims.

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. A vehicle switching arrangement comprising: overhead monorail guidway means including a mainline section and a divergent section merging with said mainline section, the confluence of said sections defining a including a lower guide wheel for coaction with said steering surfaces and a pair of cam followers mounted respectively outboard of said lower guide wheel for engagement with said cam blade means for directing transit of said bogie means through said switching station. 2. A vehicle switching arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said cam followers are cam rollers.

3. A vehicle switching arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said cam blades are constant acceleration cams.

Pa e t 77, Dated DECEMBER 11, 1973 RGBERT W. COREY Inventor-(s) It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

After the name if the inventor, change to ---'-1 ionoc.Tb, Inc.-line 7 "bodie" should be --bogie-- "to" should be of-- "rubeless" should be--tubeless---- "volumne" should be --volume-- "204" Should be -304-- after "in" delete --a-- after, "guideway" insert -32-- "5" should be --is-- "on" should be --of-- "ste ring" should be steering-- he" should be "the-- "Fig. 4" should be --Fig. l4-- "c/o Monarch, Inc.

Abstract, Column 1, line 4.6, Column 5,line 58,Column 7,line 48,Column 9, line 44,Column 9, line 47,

line 12line 62, line 37, line 53,line 42,line 54,

Column Column Column Column Column Column Signed and sealed this, 9th day of April. lQYL (SEAL) Attest:

C; MARSHALL DANN EDWARD M.FLETCHER, JR.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer FORM PO-1050 (10-69) USCOMM-DC 60376-P69 v: 11.5. sovzmmsm PRINTING OFFICE: 1969 o-ass-au

Claims (3)

1. A vehicle switching arrangement comprising: overhead monorail guidway means including a mainline section and a divergent section merging with said mainline section, the confluence of said sections defining a switching station, said guideway means further including substantially vertically disposed steering blade means having laterally outwardly facing steering surfaces, said guideway means further including substantially vertically disposed cam blade means located upstream from said steering surfaces; and bogie means arranged for rollable transport along said guidway means, including lower guide wheel means swingably situatable into guiding engagement with a said steering surface for directing transit of said bogie means through said switching station, said lower guide wheel means including a lower guide wheel for coaction with said steering surfaces and a pair of cam followers mounted respectively outboard of said lower guide wheel for engagement with said cam blade means for directing transit of said bogie means through said switching station.

2. A vehicle switching arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said cam followers are cam rollers.

3. A vehicle switching arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said cam blades are constant acceleration cams.

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