Device for adjusting the pantograph arms of an overhead bus current collector

Abstract

Device for adjusting the pantograph arms (3) of an overhead bus pantograph into a position parallel to the vehicle axis, wherein the pantograph is pivotably connected to a vehicle frame (1) and a turntable (5), and wherein each of the pantograph arms (3) is housed on an independent turntable (5) connected to a tension element (4), characterized by wherein the towing element (4) with its ends (41) projecting laterally from the turntable (5) is connected to a towing device (6) connected to the vehicle frame (1), characterized in that that the towing device (6) consists of an arm (61) joined to the vehicle frame (1) by means of a joint and is connected to free ends (41) of the towing elements (4), wherein a compressed air bellows is provided as a pressure element (62) between the arm (61) and the vehicle frame (1).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device for adjusting the pickup rods of a trolleybus current collector into a position parallel to the vehicle axis, wherein the current collector is connected to a turntable pivotably mounted on the frame of the vehicle roof and wherein each of the pickup rods is mounted on an independent turntable connected to a traction element.

[0002] The adjustment of a trolleybus pantograph's poles to a position parallel to the vehicle's axis, as well as any other handling, has traditionally been performed manually on older types of trolleybuses, using a cord connecting the end of the pantograph to a winch mounted on the rear wall of the vehicle body. Upwardly projecting hooks are mounted on the rear part of the roof, into which the pantograph poles are hooked. The action of lifting springs, which otherwise serve to press the pantograph shoes toward the contact wires, pushes the pantograph poles toward the inside of the hook. This stabilizes the position of the pantograph poles parallel to the trolleybus axis. To perform this operation, the operator must leave the vehicle, which must first be secured, regardless of the weather conditions.

[0003] The solution described in EP 0 030 906 A1 consists of a gear ring with which a rotating disk is provided. A bevel pinion is housed against the gear ring, which is not in permanent mesh with the gear ring. The pinion is controlled in and out of engagement by a clutch, which axially displaces the pinion. The alternating engagement and disengagement of the pinion with the gear ring significantly increases the wear of the teeth of both the pinion and the gear ring. Such a gear is primarily exposed to the effects of industrial environments polluted by dust and exhalations. Consistently covering it is difficult to implement. In a gear transmission designed in this way, shocks to the assembly are not dampened, but rather the shocks are transmitted directly from the gear ring to the pinion and thus to the roof structure.

[0004] Another known solution from KIEPE is a turntable supporting the pantograph rod, located on the roof frame of the trolleybus. It is equipped with an arm positioned on the pantograph axis, in front of the pantograph pivot axis in the direction of travel of the vehicle. A pneumatic cylinder connected to the arm by a joint is connected to the frame. The pull of the pneumatic cylinder allows the turntable to pivot and the pantograph rod to be aligned with the vehicle axis. At the same time, the pivoting movement of the turntable is braked in the required position by recesses in plastic locking shoes. A pin connecting the piston rod of the pneumatic cylinder to the turntable is pushed in by the action of the pneumatic cylinder. Before this operation, the pneumatic cylinders designed to lower the pantograph rods must be activated.Each of the pantograph's pickup rods is then centered against a roller mounted on the pole by an upwardly directed fork. The fork's lifting movement is initiated by the pneumatic cylinder. This type of pickup rod adjustment is supplemented by tiltable hooks mounted in the rear roof area. When the pickup rods are adjusted to a position parallel to the vehicle axis, the hooks are tilted. Once the pickup rods are adjusted to a position parallel to the trolleybus axis, the hooks are automatically raised, and the pneumatic drives designed to lower the pickup rods are released. The lifting springs force the pickup rods against the inner walls of the hooks, and the pantographs are secured.In operation, this solution has proven to be quite prone to failure, particularly due to the incomplete delimitation of the turntable position by the plastic locking shoes, which frequently results in the pickup rod and, at the same time, the roller outside the forks deflecting, leading to mutual damage.

[0005] These deficiencies were eliminated by the device described in patent CZ 299 140 B6 for adjusting the trolleybus pickup rods to a position parallel to the trolleybus axis by means of a compressed air cylinder. The compressed air cylinder is housed on the trolleybus frame between the frame and the turntable supporting the pickup rod. The compressed air cylinder consists of two cylinders connected on the same axis. The space in front of the piston of the first cylinder is connected by a pipe to the space below the piston, which contains the piston rod of the second cylinder. The space in front of the piston of the second cylinder, as well as the space below the piston, which contains the piston rod of the first cylinder, vent to the atmosphere. The first pipe is connected to a compressed air supply.Such an arrangement of the pneumatic cylinders and their interconnection ensure a clear delimitation of the relative piston positions in the pneumatic cylinders during the compressed air supply, specifically in their end positions. This ensures the required turntable pivoting, and the pickup rods are always set in the same position relative to the vehicle. The disadvantage of such a device is the mass of the pneumatic cylinder, which is continuously connected to the turntable. Together with the pivoting of the turntable activated by the pickup rod, it exerts a lateral movement and, due to its own mass, inhibits the pivoting movement of the turntable.

[0006] A known device is the adjustment of the pickup rods of a pantograph, which is connected to a turntable pivotably mounted on the vehicle frame. This device adjusts the pickup rods of the pantograph to a position parallel to the vehicle axis. Each of the pickup rods is mounted on a separate turntable equipped with a gear ring. A device equipped with a pinion is installed on the frame. The gear ring, together with the pinion, is wrapped by a tension element. The drive device allows for a wider application of the torque source. A drive device consisting of an electric motor has proven optimal. A belt of different design can be used as the tension element, for example, which has a lower noise level and less wear and absorbs the unit's shocks better.In addition, a belt drive meets the requirement of double insulation for protection against electric shock. Given the size of the gear ratio between the pinion and the gear ring, the drive mechanism must be slow-running. This allows such a drive mechanism to be self-locking. Therefore, it is advisable to incorporate a disengageable clutch between the drive unit and the pinion, or between the gear ring and the turntable. A device designed in this way is very reliable. It is intended for trucks with diesel-electric power transmission and is suitable for use in mine tunnels. The entire design of the pantograph assembly is subordinate to this use. In the enclosed space of the mine tunnel, where the diesel generator is switched off, power is taken from overhead lines.Manual handling involving placing the pickup rods on the overhead line is dangerous given the vehicle height and the mine environment. Because the device constructed in this way has a higher mass, it is unsuitable for the operation of a trolleybus as a means of local public transport.

[0007] Another known solution, also for adjusting the trolleybus pantograph, uses an arm equipped with a fork that moves toward a turntable under the action of a pneumatic cylinder. A finger protrudes from the turntable, which is closed by a roller. When the fork starts moving, the roller is pushed into a position where the pickup rod is parallel to the vehicle's axis. However, the pivoting movement of the turntable before the fork acts on the roller can be only slight, so that the fork acts on the roller from the outside, and the turntable then pivots into the axis position, rather than being pushed further off the axis.

[0008] To pivot the pickup rods into the axle position identical to the vehicle's axle, a tension element is also used, which connects the turntable to the frame. The tension element is a pneumatic cylinder, one end of which is connected to a turntable via a joint, and the other end to the frame. The tension of the tension element develops a force required to pivot the turntable into the desired position, which is then secured by a second pneumatic cylinder, which controls a locking shoe that engages the recess in the turntable. Therefore, two independent pneumatic cylinders are required for control, which must work in concert with one another. This makes this design more complex.

[0009] DE 318 905 A discloses a current collection device in which a frame, to which a pantograph bracket is hinged, is pivotably mounted on a turntable on the roof of an overhead line vehicle (a tram). The frame is held in a vertical position by a tension spring against a bar on the turntable. On the center axis of the turntable are a pulley for a cable, which enables the pantograph bracket to be rotated by means of a manual turning device, and another cable pulley, which simultaneously enables the frame to be tilted. There is no mention of adjusting a pantograph rod to a position parallel to the vehicle axis.

[0010] FR 2 506 234 A1 discloses a device for current collection using a single current collector rod for electric vehicles. A turntable with circumferential toothing is arranged on a central axis on the roof of an overhead line vehicle. The turntable supports a frame to which a collector rod is vertically movably hinged. The collector rod can be lowered by means of a cylinder-piston device against the action of a tension spring. To adjust the collector rod to a position parallel to the vehicle axis, a motor-driven pinion can be coupled to the circumferential toothing by means of a coupling. Although a parallel position of the collector rod is also achieved here, it is achieved using different and more complex means than in the present invention.

[0011] US Pat. No. 551,169 A discloses a rail car in which a square housing with an external, upper bearing block is mounted on the roof of an overhead line vehicle. A bracket is mounted in the bearing block in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The bracket supports a current collector rod in the center and two chains at each end of the bracket, two of which are connected to identical levers arranged on two axles running in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle within the housing. Coil springs on the axles in the housing hold the levers down. This arrangement enables automatic resetting of the current collector rod. A controlled resetting as in the present invention is not possible.

[0012] The object of the invention is to simplify the device and make its operation easier.

[0013] The stated problem is solved by the features of claim 1.

[0014] The invention is based on a device for adjusting the pickup rods of a trolleybus pantograph to a position parallel to the vehicle axis. The pantograph is pivotally connected to a turntable, and each of the pickup rods is mounted on an independent turntable connected to tension elements. The tension element, with its ends projecting laterally from the turntable, is connected to a tension device connected to the vehicle frame. The low mass of the tension element prevents unwanted influences on the spontaneously pivoting movement of the turntable and thus also of the pickup rods due to the undesirable effect of its own mass.

[0015] An easy-to-use device is achieved in that the pulling device consists of an arm joined to the vehicle frame by means of a joint and is connected to free ends of the pulling elements, with a pressure element consisting of a compressed air bellows being accommodated between the arm and the vehicle frame.

[0016] If a drum is mounted on the turntable which is wrapped by a tension element, then a toothed belt or a rope can be used as a tension element and thus wrapped around the drum several times.

[0017] Another solution is to have the turntable with eyelets on the sides to which the selected tension elements are anchored. Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 perspective view of the relevant part of the trolleybus pantograph with devices according to the invention, Fig. 3 the top view of the device with the partially removed pickup rod, Fig. 4 the side view and Fig. 5 the front view.

[0018] The pickup rods 3 are tiltably connected to the turntable 5, which is pivotably mounted on the frame 1 of the vehicle. Tension springs 2 are housed between the pickup rods 3 and the turntable 5. Each of the pickup rods 3 is housed on an independent turntable 5 connected to a tension element 4. The tension element 4 has free ends 41 projecting laterally from the turntable 5, which are connected to a tension device 6 connected to the frame 1 by a clamp 63. The tension device 6 consists of an arm 61 joined to the frame 1 of the vehicle by means of a joint, which is connected to the free ends 41 of the tension elements 4 by the clamp 63. A pressure element 62 is housed between the arm 61 and the frame 1, which can be either a compressed air cylinder or, as in the attached illustration, a compressed air bellows, which is more convenient for practical reasons.A drum 51 is mounted on the turntable 5, which is provided with eyelets 52 on the sides for anchoring the traction elements 4. The drum 51 can also be directly wrapped around the traction element 4. However, this design is not shown in the drawings.

[0019] To adjust the pickup rods 3 to a position parallel to the vehicle axis, the traction device 6 is activated. Compressed air is applied to the pressure element 62. This deflects the arm 61, which is joined to the frame 1 by means of a joint, and the ends 41 connected to the arm 61 by the clamp 63 initiate pressure in the traction elements 4, which pivot the turntable 5 through the eyelets 52 by means of tensile force. In this position, actions are performed by means of a further device, which is not the subject of this invention, for which the pickup rods 3 are pivoted into a position parallel to the vehicle axis. In this position, the pickup rods 3 are either secured in hooks on the rear of the vehicle or they are guided to the overhead line by means of springs 2.

Claims

[1] Device for adjusting the pickup rods (3) of a trolleybus current collector into a position parallel to the vehicle axis, wherein the current collector is pivotally connected to a turntable (5) on a vehicle frame (1) and wherein each of the pickup rods (3) is accommodated on an independent turntable (5) connected to a traction element (4), characterized by , that the traction element (4) is connected with its ends (41) projecting laterally from the turntable (5) to a traction device (6) connected to the vehicle frame (1), characterized by , that the pulling device (6) consists of an arm (61) joined to the vehicle frame (1) by means of a joint and is connected to free ends (41) of the pulling elements (4), wherein a compressed air bellows is accommodated as a pressure element (62) between the arm (61) and the vehicle frame (1). [2] Device according to claim 1, characterized bythat a drum (51) is accommodated on the turntable (5) and is wrapped around by a tension element (4). [3] Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the turntable (5) is provided on the sides with eyelets (52) for anchoring the tension elements (4). [4] Device according to claim 1, 2 or 3 characterized by that the arm (61) is connected to the free ends (41) of the tension elements (4) by a clamp (63).

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