High-speed low-drag lightweight car walking mechanism

Abstract

This invention provides a high-speed, low-wind-resistance, lightweight trolley traveling mechanism, comprising multiple sets of trolley traveling mechanisms. Each set includes a connecting flange, a primary balance beam, and multiple trolleys. The primary balance beam is hinged to the connecting flange via a primary balance pin. Multiple trolleys are respectively arranged on both sides below the primary balance beam. Each trolley includes a trolley frame and is hinged to the end of the primary balance beam via a secondary balance pin, which is a semi-Haver hinge pin. In each set of trolley traveling mechanisms, the wheels at the two ends along the trolley's running direction are flanged wheels, while the wheels in the middle are flangeless wheels. A horizontal wheel device is arranged on the trolley at the beginning. This application aims to solve the problems of high self-weight and structural height in existing rail-mounted trolley traveling mechanisms, leading to high wheel pressure and wind resistance at docks, by improving the overall lightweighting, reducing wind resistance, and simultaneously improving the stress on the pins and enhancing the ease of assembly and disassembly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of crane technology, and more specifically, to a high-speed, low-drag, lightweight trolley traveling mechanism. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of automated terminals worldwide, green, low-carbon, energy-efficient, and high-performance technologies have become the main themes of the industry. As the core equipment for horizontal transportation in the backyard of automated terminals, the market demand for rail-mounted gantry cranes is strong, and competition is becoming increasingly fierce. Users' focus has shifted from simple price and delivery time to sustainable development indicators such as terminal infrastructure investment, equipment energy consumption, operational efficiency, maintenance costs, and carbon emissions.

[0003] Taking a typical automated rail-mounted gantry crane (ASC) as an example, the current mainstream ASCs are generally quite heavy. The weight of the equipment directly affects the energy consumption of operation, so lightweight design is crucial for reducing energy consumption and dock wheel pressure.

[0004] Against the backdrop of accelerated automation transformation in global container terminals, the performance indicators and operational efficiency requirements for automated rail-mounted gantry cranes are continuously increasing, and users are paying more and more attention to total cost of ownership (TCO). To achieve overall machine lightweighting, innovative ideas and technologies must be introduced. As the only mechanism that directly contacts the crane with the terminal—the trolley traveling mechanism—its design concept must be consistent with the overall goal of low wind resistance and lightweighting. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides a high-speed, low-wind-resistance, lightweight trolley traveling mechanism, which aims to solve the problems of high self-weight and structural height of existing rail-mounted trolley traveling mechanisms, resulting in high wheel pressure and wind resistance at docks, as well as unsatisfactory stress state of the balance pin and inconvenient installation and maintenance. It improves the overall lightweighting and energy efficiency, reduces wind resistance and construction costs, and improves the stress on the pin and enhances the ease of disassembly and assembly.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a high-speed, low-drag, lightweight trolley traveling mechanism, comprising multiple sets of trolley traveling mechanisms, each set of trolley traveling mechanisms including a connecting flange, a primary balance beam, and multiple trolleys; The primary balance beam has a through hole in the middle, and the primary balance beam is hinged to the connecting flange through a primary balance pin passing through the through hole. Multiple trolleys are respectively arranged on both sides below the primary balance beam. Each trolley includes a trolley frame and each trolley is hinged to the end of the primary balance beam through a secondary balance pin. The secondary balance pin is a half-Haval hinge pin; In each group of the trolley traveling mechanism, the wheels located at the beginning and end along the trolley's running direction are flanged wheels, and the wheels located in the middle are flangeless wheels. In each group of the trolley traveling mechanism, a horizontal wheel device is arranged on the trolley at the head end along the trolley's running direction.

[0007] In one embodiment, the semi-Haval hinge shaft includes a balance pin, an upper hinge seat, and a lower hinge seat; the primary balance beam is connected to the upper hinge seat, the lower hinge seat is connected to the trolley frame, and the upper and lower hinge seats are detachably clamped and fixed to the balance pin.

[0008] In one embodiment, the trolley includes an active trolley, on which a drive system including a vertical motor gearbox is installed. The motor gearbox is connected to the trolley frame of the active trolley via a torque arm device to balance the drive counter-torque.

[0009] In one embodiment, the torque arm device includes a trolley torque arm connected to the trolley frame and a gearbox side bracket connected to the motor gearbox. The trolley torque arm and the gearbox side bracket are connected by a hinge shaft, and the gearbox side bracket is engaged with the hinge shaft by a single-stage self-lubricating spherical bearing.

[0010] In one embodiment, the trolley torque arm is connected to the hinge shaft via a connecting pin and a bushing, and the connecting pin has a lubrication channel.

[0011] In one embodiment, the tread width of the flanged wheel is greater than the track running width at the horizontal wheel assembly. In another embodiment, the connecting flange is provided with a positioning hole, and the primary balance beam includes a lower crossbeam with a positioning ring pre-welded onto it, the positioning ring passing through the positioning hole.

[0012] In one embodiment, the high-speed, low-drag, lightweight trolley traveling mechanism further includes an adjustment device, which uses four sets of bolts to fine-tune the trolley traveling mechanism in the vertical track direction.

[0013] In one embodiment, the primary balance beam is a box-shaped welded structure, a self-lubricating copper sleeve is installed at the through hole of the primary balance beam, and the primary balance pin passes through the self-lubricating copper sleeve.

[0014] In one embodiment, buffer devices are also installed at both ends of the primary balance beam to buffer the impact load when adjacent cranes collide; and a broken shaft protection block is installed at the bottom of the trolley.

[0015] The present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. The secondary balancing pin of this invention adopts a semi-Haval hinge design, ensuring that the load application point is always located between the two support points. The balancing pin only bears pure shear and compressive stresses, not bending stresses, thus eliminating the need for local reinforcement. The pin can be designed to be thinner, which is beneficial for reducing structural height and weight. Simultaneously, this semi-Haval hinge allows for quick assembly and disassembly through a detachable connection between the upper and lower hinge seats. This solves both the problems of reasonable force distribution and convenient assembly / disassembly, with the two aspects complementing each other without interference.

[0016] 2. The flanged wheels at both ends act as anti-derailment devices under extreme working conditions. Their tread width is greater than the track running width at the horizontal wheel, ensuring stable operation of the trolley along the track. The trolley at the front end is equipped with a horizontal wheel device, which uses rolling friction instead of the traditional sliding friction between the wheel flange and the track. This can withstand lateral forces and reduce running resistance.

[0017] 3. In this invention, the gearbox side bracket of the torque arm device is connected to the hinge shaft through a single-stage self-lubricating spherical bearing. This not only adaptively adjusts the installation deviation in the vertical track direction, but also avoids the instability caused by the additional degrees of freedom that may be introduced by using two-stage spherical bearings. This simplifies the structure and improves the smoothness of operation. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a high-speed, low-drag, lightweight trolley traveling mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the AA cross-sectional structure; Figure 3 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the BB cross-sectional structure; Figure 4 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the EE cross-sectional structure; Figure 5 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the FF cross-sectional structure; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a two-stage balance pin according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the lower hinge seat according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] 1 is the primary balance beam; 11 is the positioning ring; 12 is the lower crossbeam; 13 is the buffer device; 2 is the connecting flange; 3 is the trolley frame; 32 is the trolley torque arm; 321 is the bushing; 322 is the connecting pin; 323 is the grease nipple; 324 is the cotter pin; 33 is the broken shaft protection block; 34 is the sweeper; 4 is the secondary balance pin; 41 is the balance pin; 42 is the upper hinge seat; 43 is the lower hinge seat; 44 is the end cover; 45 is the extension tube; 46 is the anti-loosening gasket; 5 is the horizontal wheel device; 6 is the drive system; 61 is the gearbox side bracket; 62 is the gearbox side bracket pin; 63 is the spherical bearing; 64 is the snap ring; 65 is the spacer; 66 is the retaining ring; 7 is the torque arm device; 8 is the primary balance pin; 91 is the flanged wheel; 92 is the flangeless wheel; 10 is the adjusting device; 101 is the bolt. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of a high-speed, low-drag, lightweight trolley traveling mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. It includes multiple sets of trolley traveling mechanisms, each set of which includes a connecting flange 2, a primary balance beam 1, and multiple trolleys. The first-stage balance beam 1 has a through hole in the middle, and the first-stage balance beam 1 is hinged to the connecting flange 2 through a first-stage balance pin 8 passing through the through hole. Multiple trolleys are respectively arranged on both sides below the primary balance beam 1. Each trolley includes a trolley frame 3 and each trolley is hinged to the end of the primary balance beam 1 through a secondary balance pin 4. Among them, the secondary balance pin 4 is a half-Haval hinge pin; In each group of the trolley traveling mechanism, the wheels located at the beginning and end along the trolley's running direction are flanged wheels 91, and the wheels located in the middle are flangeless wheels 92. In each group of the trolley traveling mechanism, a horizontal wheel device 5 is arranged on the trolley at the head end along the trolley's running direction.

[0022] In one embodiment, such as Figure 2 As shown, the connecting flange 2 is provided with positioning holes, and the primary balance beam 1 includes a lower crossbeam 12. A positioning ring 11 is pre-welded onto the lower crossbeam 12. During installation, the positioning ring 11 passes through the positioning holes. This ensures precise positioning of the four sets of trolley traveling mechanisms, effectively avoiding difficulties in secondary arrangement at the user's site due to sea transport or transshipment.

[0023] In one embodiment, the high-speed, low-drag, lightweight trolley traveling mechanism further includes an adjustment device 10, which uses four sets of bolts 101 to fine-tune the trolley traveling mechanism in the vertical track direction to meet high-precision assembly requirements.

[0024] In one embodiment, the primary balance beam 1 is a box-type welded structure, possessing good bending and torsional stiffness and lightweight characteristics. A through hole is provided in the middle of the box body of the primary balance beam 1, and a self-lubricating copper sleeve is installed in the through hole, through which the primary balance pin 8 passes.

[0025] Specifically, the lower end of the connecting flange 2 is provided with a lug plate, and the primary balance pin 8 passes through the lug plate hole of the connecting flange 2 and the through hole of the primary balance beam 1 to form a hinged connection. The self-lubricating copper sleeve is designed to reduce the frictional resistance at the hinge, so that the primary balance beam 1 can swing flexibly to balance the wheel pressure of the two trolleys.

[0026] In one embodiment, such as Figure 6 As shown, the semi-Haval hinge shaft includes a balance pin 41, an upper hinge seat 42, and a lower hinge seat 43. The primary balance beam is connected to the upper hinge seat 42, and the lower hinge seat 43 is connected to the trolley frame. The upper hinge seat 42 and the lower hinge seat 43 are detachably clamped and fixed to the balance pin 41. The upper hinge seat 42 and the lower hinge seat 43 are split axially and are joined together by detachable fasteners such as bolts to clamp and fix the balance pin 41. This split structure eliminates the need to pull the entire pin shaft axially during maintenance; simply removing the fasteners allows for the separation of the upper hinge seat 42 and the lower hinge seat 43, thus enabling quick assembly and disassembly between the primary balance beam 1 and the trolley. This simplified operation effectively reduces installation space requirements, which is beneficial for reducing the overall machine height and windward area.

[0027] Furthermore, an end cap 44 is provided on the end face of the balance pin 41. The balance pin 41 has a large diameter at both ends and a small diameter in the middle section. After the upper and lower hinge seats are connected, they are seamlessly connected to the outer surface of the balance pin. This design achieves axial positioning of the balance pin. The end cap 44 can further connect the upper and lower hinge seats, thereby further strengthening the connection between the trolley frame and the balance beam and preventing the trolley and balance beam from separating when lifting the crane. An extension tube 45 is also provided on the outside of the balance pin 41. The extension tube is part of the balance pin lubrication pipeline.

[0028] Furthermore, to prevent detachment, such as Figure 7 As shown, an anti-loosening washer 46 is provided at the lower hinge seat 43 to prevent the bolt from loosening.

[0029] When the primary balance beam 1 transfers the load to the trolley, the load application point is always located on the upper and lower hinge seats, keeping the stress section of the balance pin 41 under pure shear and compression stress, without bearing bending moment. Therefore, the balance pin 41 does not require local structural reinforcement and can be designed to be thinner, further reducing the structural height while achieving lightweighting, which aligns with the overall machine's low wind resistance design goal.

[0030] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 As shown, each set of trolley traveling mechanisms includes multiple trolleys, which are divided into the head and tail ends and the middle position along the direction of trolley travel.

[0031] Specifically, in each set of trolley traveling mechanisms, the wheels located at both ends along the trolley's direction of travel are flanged wheels 91, while the wheels in the middle are flangeless wheels 92. The flanges of the flanged wheels 91 serve as anti-derailment devices under extreme working conditions. The tread width of the flanged wheels 91 is greater than the track running width at the horizontal wheel assembly 5, ensuring stable trolley operation along the track. The flangeless design of the middle wheels helps reduce flange friction resistance and operating noise when traversing curved tracks.

[0032] In each group of trolley traveling mechanisms, a horizontal wheel device 5 is arranged on the trolley at the head end along the direction of trolley travel. Figure 4 The EE sectional view illustrates the arrangement of the horizontal wheels. The leading trolley is equipped with a horizontal wheel device 5, which includes a horizontal wheel mounting bracket located in the center of the trolley, on both sides of the vertical track. The other trolleys omit the horizontal wheel device 5. This arrangement minimizes the number of components while maintaining lateral force resistance, achieving weight reduction. The horizontal wheel device 5 has four-way adjustment capability (up, down, left, and right), transforming the traditional sliding friction between the wheel flange and the track into rolling friction, reducing running resistance.

[0033] like Figure 3 As shown, the trolley includes an active trolley, on which a drive system 6, including a vertical motor reducer, is installed. The motor reducer, with its small wheelbase design, makes the overall structure more compact. The motor reducer is connected to the trolley frame 3 of the active trolley via a torque arm device 7 to balance the drive counter-torque.

[0034] In one embodiment, such as Figure 5 As shown in the FF cross-sectional view, the torque arm device 7 includes a trolley torque arm 32 connected to the trolley frame 3 and a gearbox side bracket 61 connected to the motor gearbox. The trolley torque arm 32 and the gearbox side bracket 61 are connected by a hinge shaft, and the gearbox side bracket 61 is engaged with the hinge shaft by a single-stage self-lubricating spherical bearing.

[0035] In one embodiment, the trolley torque arm 32 is connected to the hinge shaft via a connecting pin 322 and a bushing 321. The connecting pin 322 has a lubrication channel, and an oil nozzle 323 is provided at the outer opening of the lubrication channel. After the connecting pin 322 passes through the trolley torque arm 32, a cotter pin 324 is inserted into a small transverse hole at the tail of the connecting pin 322, and the tail of the cotter pin 324 is split and bent to prevent the pin from axially disengaging under long-term equipment vibration.

[0036] In one embodiment, the gearbox side bracket 61 is connected to the hinge shaft via a gearbox side bracket pin 62 (without grease fitting 323), a spherical bearing 63, a snap ring 64, a spacer 65, and a retaining ring 66. The spherical bearing 63 is installed into the torque arm hole on the gearbox side. The gearbox side bracket pin 62 passes through the inner ring of the spherical bearing 63. The spherical bearing 63 allows for a certain angle of spatial deflection, automatically compensating for installation deviations between the gearbox and the trolley caused by manufacturing or operation. The spacer 65 is fitted onto the gearbox side bracket pin 62, located between the end of the torque arm and the ear plates of the two side brackets. Its function is to occupy excess axial space, keep the torque arm centered, and prevent axial movement and friction during operation. The snap ring 64 is used to fix the spherical bearing 63 in the mounting hole of the torque arm, preventing the spherical bearing 63 from coming out; the retaining ring 66 can be used to limit the axial displacement of the spacer 65 or other components.

[0037] This design, on the one hand, avoids transmitting additional torque to the wheel axle by using a hinged torque arm, effectively protecting the wheel bearing system; on the other hand, the gearbox side uses a single-stage self-lubricating spherical bearing, which can adaptively adjust the installation deviation in the vertical track direction, and at the same time avoids the instability problems that may be introduced by using two-stage spherical bearings from the structural source, ensuring that the drive system 6 operates smoothly and reliably for a long time.

[0038] In one embodiment, buffer devices 13 are also installed at both ends of the primary balance beam 1 to absorb impact energy and protect the main structure from damage when adjacent cranes collide unexpectedly.

[0039] The bottom of the trolley is equipped with a broken shaft protection block 33. For example... Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, the broken axle protection block 33 is installed at the bottom of all types of trolleys. In the event of a broken wheel axle under extreme working conditions, the broken axle protection block 33 can immediately support the trolley, which is a key protective measure to ensure the safety of equipment and personnel.

[0040] In addition, a sweeper 34 can be installed on the trolley to clean particles and debris on the track surface in real time, ensuring good contact between the wheels and the track, and improving the smoothness and safety of operation.

[0041] The high-speed, low-drag, lightweight trolley traveling mechanism provided by this invention designs the secondary balance pin 4 as a semi-Haval hinge, ensuring that when the primary balance beam 1 transmits load to the trolley, the load application point is always located on the upper and lower hinge seats. This ensures that the balance pin 41 only bears pure shear and compressive stress, not bending moment, fundamentally solving the technical contradiction of traditional pins requiring local reinforcement due to bending stress, and simultaneously achieving rapid assembly and disassembly and significant structural lightweighting. Furthermore, through a hybrid flange design of flanged wheels 91 and flangeless wheels 92, the horizontal wheel device 5 only located at the head end of the trolley, the compact drive arrangement of the vertical motor gearbox, and the gearbox side support 61 cooperating with the hinge through a single-stage self-lubricating spherical bearing, this invention significantly reduces the overall structural height, windward area, and weight while ensuring load-bearing capacity and safety reliability. This achieves the design goals of high speed, low wind resistance, and lightweighting, making it particularly suitable for large-scale automated container terminal rail-mounted gantry cranes with stringent requirements for energy consumption, efficiency, and total life-cycle cost.

[0042] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to this application. For ease of description, the dimensions of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn to actual scale. Techniques, methods, and devices known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and devices should be considered part of the specification. In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the following drawings denote similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it need not be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0043] It should be noted that, in this application, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. It should also be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatuses in the embodiments of this application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Furthermore, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0044] Furthermore, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connection" and "driving" used in the description of this application should be interpreted broadly. They can refer to direct connections, connections through an intermediate medium, or relationships within two elements. Those skilled in the art can understand their specific meaning in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0045] The embodiments described above are merely further illustrations of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention in any other way. The present invention may have many other embodiments. Without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, those skilled in the art can make various corresponding modifications and changes based on the present invention, but all such modifications and changes should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A high-speed, low-drag, lightweight trolley traveling mechanism, comprising multiple sets of trolley traveling mechanisms, each set including a connecting flange, a primary balance beam, and multiple trolleys, characterized in that: The primary balance beam has a through hole in the middle, and the primary balance beam is hinged to the connecting flange through a primary balance pin passing through the through hole. Multiple trolleys are respectively arranged on both sides below the primary balance beam. Each trolley includes a trolley frame and each trolley is hinged to the end of the primary balance beam through a secondary balance pin. The secondary balance pin is a half-Haval hinge pin; In each group of the trolley traveling mechanism, the wheels located at the beginning and end along the trolley's running direction are flanged wheels, and the wheels located in the middle are flangeless wheels. In each group of the trolley traveling mechanism, a horizontal wheel device is arranged on the trolley at the head end along the trolley's running direction.

2. The high-speed, low-drag, lightweight trolley traveling mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The semi-Haval hinge shaft includes a balance pin, an upper hinge seat, and a lower hinge seat; the primary balance beam is connected to the upper hinge seat, the lower hinge seat is connected to the trolley frame, and the upper and lower hinge seats are detachably clamped and fixed to the balance pin.

3. The high-speed, low-drag, lightweight trolley traveling mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The trolley includes an active trolley, on which a drive system including a vertical motor gearbox is installed. The motor gearbox is connected to the trolley frame of the active trolley through a torque arm device to balance the drive counter-torque.

4. The high-speed, low-drag, lightweight trolley traveling mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, The torque arm device includes a trolley torque arm connected to the trolley frame and a gearbox side bracket connected to the motor gearbox. The trolley torque arm and the gearbox side bracket are connected by a hinge shaft, and the gearbox side bracket is engaged with the hinge shaft by a single-stage self-lubricating spherical bearing.

5. The high-speed, low-drag, lightweight trolley traveling mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that, The trolley torque arm is connected to the hinge shaft via a connecting pin and a bushing, and the connecting pin has a lubrication oil passage.

6. The high-speed, low-drag, lightweight trolley traveling mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tread width of the flanged wheel is greater than the track running width at the horizontal wheel device.

7. The high-speed, low-drag, lightweight trolley traveling mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connecting flange is provided with a positioning hole, and the primary balance beam includes a lower crossbeam. A positioning ring is pre-welded onto the lower crossbeam and passes through the positioning hole.

8. The high-speed, low-drag, lightweight trolley traveling mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The high-speed, low-drag, lightweight trolley traveling mechanism also includes an adjustment device, which uses four sets of bolts to fine-tune the trolley traveling mechanism in the vertical track direction.

9. The high-speed, low-drag, lightweight trolley traveling mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The primary balance beam is a box-shaped welded structure. A self-lubricating copper sleeve is installed at the through hole of the primary balance beam, and the primary balance pin passes through the self-lubricating copper sleeve.

10. The high-speed, low-drag, lightweight trolley traveling mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The two ends of the primary balance beam are also equipped with buffer devices to buffer the impact load when adjacent cranes collide; the bottom of the trolley is equipped with a broken shaft protection block.

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