ROLLING DEVICE FOR RAIL / ROAD CONVEYOR

Abstract

The invention relates in particular to a rolling device (1), in particular for a transporter (12) comprising at least one drive wheel whose rotation ensures the movement of said transporter (12), said transporter being able to be moved on terrain in particular rough terrain, said rolling device (1) being designed to allow movement of said transporter (12) on rails.The rolling device (1) comprising for this purpose at least one rail wheel (2), said rail wheel (2) being mounted to rotate about its axis (X) in a wheel support (3), an arm (9) adapted to removably connect said wheel support (3) to a chassis (10) of said transporter (12), and a shaft (8) having a first end (82) equipped with a removable mounting system (83) for attaching to said at least one drive wheel of said transporter and a second end connected to a transmission mechanism (14) for transmitting a rotational movement from said shaft (8) to said rail wheel (2). Figure for the abbreviation: Fig. 1.

Description

Description Title of the invention: ROLLING DEVICE FOR RAIL / ROAD TRANSPORTER The invention relates to a rolling device for a rail / road transporter. A rail / road transporter is understood to be a transporter vehicle capable of moving on rails or on a road, a path, or more generally on all kinds of terrain. We are familiar with tracked transporters used along railway lines to load and transport equipment needed by workers. The equipment is brought via the tracked transporter to a platform mounted on rails. The equipment is then unloaded from the tracked transporter and placed onto the platform, which is then moved along the rails to the worksite where the tools are needed. Transporting the equipment therefore requires the use of two means of transport (the tracked transporter and the rail platform) which must be loaded and / or unloaded: these operations take time and are arduous for the workers. The invention was therefore originally intended to simplify the work of workers and to shorten the time required to transport equipment. Document EP 0 556 161 describes a piece of construction equipment fitted with its own means of transport (traditional wheels) and equipped with a rolling device fitted with rail wheels. This rolling device is mounted to move between two positions (active and inactive) to allow or prevent the construction equipment from being placed on rails. In other words, designed in this way, the construction equipment can either move on solid ground or on rails, depending on whether the rolling device is in the active or inactive position. To enable the transformation of the construction equipment, the rolling system includes a platform mounted on the chassis. The platform carries an axle to which the rail wheels are attached. A hydraulic cylinder system raises or lowers the platform, moving it from its inactive to its active position (or vice versa). This type of device could not be mounted on a tracked carrier because the method of driving the rail wheels requires the presence of actual wheels whose rotational drive powers the rotational drive of the rail wheels. Furthermore, this type of device is complex to implement. The invention aims to enable the transformation of a tracked transporter into a rail transporter, which is easy to implement and inexpensive to design. To this end, the invention relates to a rolling device, in particular for a conveyor, comprising at least one drive wheel whose rotation ensures the movement of said conveyor, said conveyor being suitable for movement over terrain, particularly uneven ground, said rolling device being designed to allow movement of said conveyor on rails, said rolling device comprising for this purpose: - at least one rail wheel, said wheel being mounted to rotate freely around its axis in a wheel support, - an arm capable of removably connecting said wheel support to a chassis of said transporter, and - a shaft, one end of which is equipped with a removable assembly system to at least one drive wheel of said transporter, and the other end of which is connected to a transmission mechanism for a rotational movement of said shaft to said rail wheel. Designed in this way, the invention allows for the temporary conversion of a tracked carrier into a rail carrier, easily and at a lower cost, thanks to the removable arm and the removable mounting system for the shaft on the drive wheel. Thus, modifications to commercially available tracked carriers are minimal, as the only changes required are to the arm's attachment system to the chassis and to the shaft's end on the drive wheel. Furthermore, the implementation of the rolling device according to the invention is simpler than that described in document EP 0 556 161 because it does not require the provision of technical means for retracting the rolling device: it is therefore also less expensive. Indeed, it is not necessary, for example, to provide systems with jacks to move the rolling device from an active position to an inactive position or vice versa. The rolling device according to the invention may also include the following characteristics, taken separately or in combination: - said assembly system may include a coupling hub for said shaft to said drive wheel, - said transmission mechanism may include a first toothed wheel rotationally linked with said second end of said shaft, a second toothed wheel rotationally linked with said rail wheel, and a transmission chain surrounding said first and second toothed wheels, - said transmission mechanism may include a third toothed wheel engaging with said transmission chain, said third wheel having a movable axle mounted in a slot formed in a plate of said wheel support, the third toothed wheel ensuring the tension of said transmission chain by displacing the axle of the third wheel within said slot, - said system connecting said wheel for rail to said chassis of the transporter may include a chassis frame suitable for being fixed to said chassis of said transporter, - said arm may have a first arm end adapted to be removably attached to said chassis frame and a second arm end carrying said wheel support, - said support arm may have an angled section. The invention also relates to a tracked carrier equipped with a device as defined above. Advantageously, the transporter includes at least one drive wheel whose rotation ensures the transporter's movement and is suitable for movement over particularly rough terrain. According to an embodiment which will be presented later, said at least one drive wheel of said transporter drives a track in rotation. The invention finally relates to an assembly comprising a chassis frame on which are fixed two rolling devices as defined above and two second rolling devices each comprising a rail wheel, said rail wheel of each of said second rolling devices being mounted freely in a wheel support. Other advantages and features of the invention will become apparent upon examination of the detailed description of a non-limiting embodiment and the accompanying drawings, in which: [fig.1] is a perspective view of a rolling device according to the invention, [fig.2] is a perspective view of several devices according to the invention implemented on a chassis frame, and [fig.3] is a perspective view of a tracked carrier equipped with rolling devices according to the invention. In the following description, the terms "lower," "upper," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," etc., are used with reference to the drawings for ease of understanding. They should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the invention. Figure | shows a rolling device 1 according to the invention which is designed to be fixed to a chassis frame 10 or to a chassis of a carrier 12, shown in Figure 3. The transporter 12 is a tracked transporter 13, designed to move over rough terrain, in particular, it can thus be moved along a railway on a dirt track, for example. To drive the tracks 13 in motion, the carrier 12 has two drive wheels 11 in the context of the example described and illustrated. The rolling device 1 according to the invention is designed to be removably attached to the carrier 12 to allow the movement of the carrier 12 on rails. Thus, in this way, the transporter 12 can be used normally along a railway track or equipped with the rolling device 1 for movement on rails. It is therefore no longer necessary to unload the transporter of the material it carries to place it on a railcar: the transporter itself is equipped to allow its movement on the rails. To enable the movement of the transporter 12 on rail, it is equipped with two rolling devices 1 conforming to the invention and two second rolling devices which will be described later. Reference will now be made to Figure 1 to describe an example of a rolling device 1 conforming to an embodiment of the invention. The rolling device 1 according to the invention comprises a rail wheel 2 which is mounted to rotate freely about its axis X in a wheel support 3. The wheel support 3 has two parallel plates 4 and 5, of elongated, substantially rectangular shape with rounded corners. The X axis of the wheel for rail 2 is perpendicular to the plates 4 and 5: in the figure |, this X axis is located in the lower part of the plates 4 and 5. The wheel for rail 2 is placed between the plates 4 and 5. Platforms 4 and 5 each also have, in their upper part, two through openings 6 and 7: through opening 6 allows passage to a tree 8 and through opening 7 allows passage to an arm 9. The arm 9 connects the wheel support 3 to a chassis 10 of a transporter 12 (chassis not shown in Figure 1, shown in Figures 2 and 3). The arm 9 has a square cross-section: it passes through the opening 7 of the platform 4 and one of its ends 91 is fixed through the opening 7 of the platform 5. The other end 92 of the arm 9 is fixed in a sleeve 100 provided on the chassis 10 by means of a threaded knob 101. The end of the arm 9 can therefore be fixed very easily by hand by threading the end 92 into the sleeve 100 and screwing the knob 101. It will be noted that the arm 9 has an angled part 93, which helps to limit the height of the rolling device 1 around the carrier 12. The shaft 8 ensures the rotation of the rail wheel 2: to do this, the shaft 8 has an end 82 which is suitable for being fixed to a drive wheel 11 of the transporter 12 (see figure 3) and another end 81 which is connected to a transmission mechanism 14 of the rotational movement of the shaft 8 (this movement being itself transmitted by the drive wheel 11 of the transporter) to said rail wheel 2. The end 82 of the shaft 8 has a coupling hub 83 which secures the shaft 8 to the drive wheel 11 of the carrier 12. The transmission mechanism 14 is shown in particular in figures 1 and 3: it includes a first toothed wheel 15 which is linked in rotation with the end 81 of the shaft 8: thus, when the shaft 8 is driven in rotation by the drive wheel 11 of the transporter, the toothed wheel 15 is also driven in rotation. The said transmission mechanism 14 also includes a second toothed wheel 16 which is rotationally linked with the wheel for rail 2 (see figures 1 to 3 in particular). To link the movement of the first gear 15 and that of the second gear 16, a roller transmission chain 17 surrounds the two gears 15 and 16. The transmission mechanism 14 also includes a third toothed wheel 18: this third wheel has the function of tensioning the roller transmission chain 17 after its installation. The third gear 18 has an axle which is mounted movable in a slot 19, the slot being made through the plate 5. The position of the axle of the gear wheel 18 in the slot 19 is fixed by a bolt 20 (see figure 3). As explained previously, the fixing of the rolling device according to the invention is done in particular by fixing the arm 9 onto a chassis 10. The chassis 10 can be the chassis of the carrier 12. It can also include a chassis frame which is attached to the existing chassis of the carrier 12. In the example illustrated in Figures 2 or 3, two rolling devices according to the invention are fixed to a chassis frame 1O which has been attached to the existing chassis of the transporter. In such a case, the chassis frame remains on the transporter after the rolling devices 1 have been removed (when the transporter needs to move on land again). It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the presence of an added chassis. Similarly, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the presence of a sleeve to fix the end of the arm 9: other means of fixing could be provided without going out of the scope of the invention. Figure 3 shows a transporter 12 (illustrated schematically) which is equipped with two rolling devices 1 such as that shown in figure 1. The transporter 12 has only two drive wheels 11: the two rolling devices 1 are mounted on the two drive wheels 11. Two other rolling devices 21 (or second rolling devices 21) are then provided, which are of a simpler design: each of the second rolling devices has two platforms 22 and 23, pa- parallels between them and identical. The two platforms 22 and 23 are roughly rectangular in shape with rounded corners. The platforms 22 and 23 have through openings 24 and 25 which are crossed by an arm 9 (identical to the arm 9 of the rolling device 1). Each of the second rolling devices includes a rail wheel 2 identical to the rail wheel of the rolling device 1. However, the rail wheels 2 of the second devices 21 are mounted freely around their axis X1, the axis X1 being perpendicular to the plates 22 and 23. The rail wheel 2 of the second devices 21 is positioned between the two platforms 22 and 23 and its axle X1 is fixed on each of the platforms 22 and 23 through two through openings 26 and 27. Figure 2 shows that the second rolling devices are fixed to the chassis frame 10 by means of the arms 9 in the same way as the rolling devices 1: the ends of the arms 9 are inserted into sleeves 100 fixed to the chassis frame 10. Once inserted, the ends of the arms 9 are held in position in the sleeves 100 by means of threaded knobs 101. When it is desired to be able to use the tracks of the transporter 12 again, it is possible to maintain the rolling devices according to the invention and the second rolling devices on the frame of the transporter chassis: indeed, thanks to the design of the arms 9 and their means of assembly on the frame, it is possible to fix the arms by orienting them differently. After unscrewing the knobs 101, the arms are removed from the sleeves 100. They are then rotated 180°, for example, by orienting the track wheels 2 upwards, and reinserted into the sleeves 100 where they are again secured in position by screwing the knobs 101 back on. The square cross-section of the arms 7 and the sleeves 100 facilitates assembly: indeed, the square shape of the arms and sleeves ensures that the orientation of the arms 7, once inserted into the sleeves, remains fixed. If the sleeves and arms had a round cross-section, it would be necessary to hold the arm in position within the sleeve to fix its orientation relative to the sleeve by screwing in the knob. The square cross-section therefore has the advantage of facilitating both the assembly and the orientation of the arm within the sleeve. In this position, the rail wheels 2 are no longer in contact with the rails and thus the tracks touch the ground and can be used to drive the transporter in movement. This embodiment thus makes it possible to avoid having to store the rolling devices when they are not in use. It is clear from the preceding description how the invention makes it possible to easily transform a tracked carrier into a rail carrier, without having to significantly modify the tracked carrier. It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the specifically described embodiment and that it extends to the implementation of any equivalent means.

Claims

Claims

1. Rolling device (1), in particular for a conveyor (12) comprising at least one drive wheel (11) whose rotation ensures the movement of said conveyor (12), said conveyor being capable of being moved on terrain, in particular uneven terrain, said rolling device (1) being designed to allow movement of said conveyor (12) on rails, said rolling device (1) comprising for this purpose: - at least one wheel (2) for rail, said wheel (2) for rail being mounted so as to be able to rotate about its axis (X) in a wheel support (3), and - an arm (9) capable of removably connecting said wheel support (3) to a chassis (10) of said conveyor (12),- a shaft (8) of which a first end (82) is equipped with a removable assembly system (83) to said at least one drive wheel (11) of said conveyor and of which a second end (81) is connected to a transmission mechanism (14) of a rotational movement of said shaft (8) to said rail wheel (2).,

2. Rolling device according to claim 1, characterized in that said assembly system comprises a coupling hub (82) of said shaft (8) to said drive wheel (11).

3. Rolling device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said transmission mechanism (14) comprises a first toothed wheel (15) rotatably connected to said second end (81) of said shaft, a second toothed wheel (16) rotatably connected to said rail wheel (2) and a transmission chain (17) surrounding said first (15) and second (16) toothed wheels.

4. Rolling device according to claim 3, characterized in that said transmission mechanism (14) comprises a third toothed wheel (18) engaging with said transmission chain (17), said third toothed wheel (18) having an axis mounted movable in displacement in a slot (19) formed in a plate (5) of said wheel support (3), the third toothed wheel (18) ensuring the tension of said transmission chain (17) by displacement of the axis of the third wheel (18) in said slot (19).

5. Rolling device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a chassis frame (10) capable of being fixed to said chassis of said conveyor (12).

6. Rolling device according to claim 5, characterized in that said

7.

8.

9.

10. arm (9) has a first arm end (92) capable of being removably fixed to said chassis frame (10) and a second arm end (91) carrying said wheel support (3). Rolling device according to claim 6, characterized in that said arm (9) has a bent part. Conveyor (12) comprising at least one drive wheel (11) whose rotation ensures the movement of said conveyor and being capable of being moved on terrain, in particular uneven terrain, characterized in that it is equipped with at least one rolling device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims. Conveyor according to claim 8, characterized in that said at least one drive wheel (11) of said conveyor rotates a track (13). An assembly comprising a chassis frame (10) on which are fixed two rolling devices (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and two second rolling devices (21) each comprising a rail wheel (2), said rail wheel (2) of each of said second rolling devices (21) being mounted loosely in a wheel support.

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