A device for moving luggage that rolls on rails

Abstract

The present invention relates to a moving device (1) for moving loads having wheels and rolling on railway rails, the moving device (1) comprising: a geared motor (8) whose shaft (9) has a horizontal axis of rotation, a drive roller (10) rotated by the shaft (9) of the geared motor (8), and two support rollers (11) rotated by contact with said drive roller (10), said moving device (1) comprising at least: an arm (12) fixed by one of its ends and extending horizontally and perpendicular to said axis of rotation, and a brake shoe (13) fixed to the free end of said arm (12) and configured to be placed in the vicinity of the wheel (R) of the load to be moved on the side opposite to the drive roller (10).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of devices for moving heavy rolling loads, and more particularly to devices for moving heavy loads rolling on railway rails. [Background technology]

[0002] Most railroad companies have rolling loads, such as cars, trains or locomotives, which need to be moved, particularly in workshops, for servicing, maintenance and repair of said loads.

[0003] For this purpose it is known to use a moving device, in particular one that is driven by a motor and that comprises a roller that engages with the rolling surface of one of the wheels of said rolling load to move the latter.

[0004] In this regard, the patent application WO 2005 / 023334 describes a drive device including a conveying carriage with two rolling cylinders and a drive cylinder operated by a traction motor and arranged above said rolling cylinders, so that when the drive device comes into contact with the wheels of the rolling load, a frictional contact is established between the drive cylinders and the rolling cylinders, so that the carriage moves by the rotation of the drive cylinder and at the same time the rolling load moves by the rotation of the wheels driven by the rotation of the drive cylinder. The carriage further has a handle, preferably fitted with a cable, sheath or similar element for supplying power to the motor and with a control mechanism such as a switch or similar element.

[0005] This type of drive, although effective, has the major drawback that it must be attached only to one end of the rolling load to be moved and therefore cannot be mounted between its axles. Furthermore, this type of drive requires the use of long power cables. Finally, with this type of drive, once in motion, the rolling load does not stop in place, but only when its kinetic energy becomes zero.

[0006] Other types of drives are described in US Pat. No. 5,393,323 and US Pat. No. 5,493,633, but they also suffer from a number of drawbacks, such as, for example, excessive weight or lack of autonomy, or are difficult to implement. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 1984 / 002119 [Patent Document 2] JP 2014-080076 A [Patent Document 3] U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,029 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The object of the present invention is therefore to overcome the above mentioned drawbacks and to provide an alternative to known devices for driving rolling loads, which is autonomous, compact, easy to move, can be mounted by a single operator regardless of where it is mounted on said rolling load, and allows said rolling load to be easily stopped in a predetermined position. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The invention therefore provides a device for moving loads comprising wheels and rolling on a railway rail, the device comprising at least: - geared motors, the shaft of which has a horizontal axis of rotation; a drive roller attached to the free end of the shaft of the geared motor and rotated thereby, the drive roller being arranged to abut against one of the wheels of the load to be moved; two support rollers arranged to bear against the rails of a track that receives the wheels of the load to be moved and adapted to be rotated by the contact of the drive rollers; Equipped with The mobile device comprises at least: - an arm rigidly connected at one end to the shaft of the geared motor and extending horizontally and perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said shaft; a brake shoe rigidly connected to the free end of the arm and arranged, on the one hand, in the vicinity of the wheel of the load to be moved on the side opposite the drive roller, and, on the other hand, in abutment against the rail receiving the wheel; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0010] With this configuration, the transfer device according to the present invention has only a single geared motor-drive and support roller assembly, which makes the device more compact and lighter while at the same time making it easier to stop the rolling load in position.

[0011] Advantageously, the length of the arm can be adjusted.

[0012] Preferably, the arm is mounted to pivot on the shaft of the geared motor about its axis of rotation, and the brake shoe is mounted to pivot at the end of the arm connected to it about an axis of rotation parallel to the axis of rotation of the geared motor shaft.

[0013] This particular configuration allows brake shoes to be placed on both sides of the wheels of the rolling load, making the device for moving loads according to the invention easier to implement if required.

[0014] Advantageously, the arm includes a hinge joint located on the same side as the end rigidly connected to the shaft of the geared motor, which enables said arm to move from a completely straight "unfolded" position to a "folded" position.

[0015] The brake shoe is preferably a section of a cylinder having the overall shape of an isosceles triangle in cross section, including a horizontal bottom surface arranged to rest on the rail and two inclined surfaces arranged to receive the wheels of the luggage.

[0016] Advantageously, the brake shoe is made of an elastomer.

[0017] According to an advantageous embodiment, the moving device comprises a guide plate rigidly connected to at least the support roller on the side opposite the geared motor and extending beyond said support roller on the side opposite the drive roller, and a guide plate rigidly connected to the brake shoe on the side opposite the geared motor and extending beyond the bottom surface of said brake shoe on the side opposite the inclined surface.

[0018] The guide plate rigidly connected to the brake shoe is preferably combined with a retractable guide plate rigidly connected to the brake shoe on the geared motor side and may or may not extend beyond the bottom surface of said brake shoe 9.

[0019] The moving device comprises a carriage which at least partially houses a geared motor, a drive roller, two support rollers, an arm and a brake shoe, said geared motor being oriented such that its shaft extends beyond the front face of the carriage, said carriage comprising, on the one hand, at least one first retractable wheel which allows said moving device to be easily moved on the ground from its storage location to its place of use, and, on the other hand, at least one second wheel which moves said moving device in place of the first wheel or wheels when used to roll the load to be moved.

[0020] Each second wheel is advantageously height adjustable and is of the "jockey" wheel type.

[0021] The mobile device preferably includes: - A handlebar that is rigidly connected to the rear of the carriage, adjustable in height and foldable to maintain ergonomics in all conditions; a control station, advantageously rigidly connected to the handlebar and comprising all the elements necessary to control the mobility device, and -Rechargeable battery type energy storage elements, especially for powering geared motors.

[0022] Other advantages and features will be better understood from the following description of an embodiment of the invention, given with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a drive device for driving a rolling load according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the drive unit shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a drive unit according to the invention in a folded position; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a partial side view of the drive unit shown in FIG. 1 with the wheels in a lowered position; [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a partial side view of the drive unit shown in FIG. 1 with the wheels in a raised position; [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a partial front view of the drive unit shown in FIG. 1 mounted on a wheel of a rolling load; [Figure 7] An enlarged detailed view of the drive mechanism shown in FIG. [Figure 8] 8 is a side view of the drive unit shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial view of the drive device shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] 1 to 8 show a device 1 for moving rolling loads (not shown), such as, for example, a vehicle, a train or a locomotive, which is provided with wheels R arranged to roll on a railway rail V.

[0025] In this case, the rail V is assumed to be horizontal, but it may of course be more or less inclined to the horizontal, in which case the terms horizontal, horizontally, vertical or becoming vertical must be adapted.

[0026] With reference to Figures 1 to 5, the mobile device 1 according to the invention comprises a carriage 2 which, on the one hand, has at least one, and preferably two for obvious stability reasons, first wheel 3 which allows said mobile device 1 to be easily moved on the ground S from its storage place to its place of use, and, on the other hand, has at least one, and preferably two for obvious stability reasons, second wheel 4 which moves said mobile device 1 in place of the one or more first wheels 3 when used for rolling the load to be moved.

[0027] To facilitate movement, each first wheel 3 preferably includes a tire 5 mounted on a rim 6 and is mounted to pivot on the carriage 2 about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the sagittal plane (the vertical plane oriented from front to rear) of the movement device 1.

[0028] The term "front" as used herein refers to any element or part of an element of the mobile device 1 according to the present invention located on its front side along the normal direction D of its movement, represented by the arrow in Figure 1, and the term "rear" as used herein refers to any element or part of an element of said mobile device 1 located on the opposite side.

[0029] Furthermore, in order to be able to replace it with one or more second wheels 4, each first wheel 3 is advantageously vertically storable between a "low" position in which it abuts the ground S and the one or more second wheels 4 are not in contact with said ground S, and a "high" position in which it no longer contacts the ground S and thus the one or more second wheels 4 abut the ground S, moving the moving device 1 when used to roll the load to be moved.

[0030] It is further clearly seen that, in order to adapt the position of the moving device 1 to the dimensions of the load to be moved and / or of the rail V, the position of each second wheel 4 is advantageously adjustable in height. For this purpose, each second wheel 4 is rigidly connected to the carriage 2 by a length-adjustable vertical profile member 7. Moreover, in order to facilitate the movement of the moving device 1, each second wheel 4 is advantageously of the "jockey" wheel type, pivoting about a horizontal axis, but also able to pivot about a vertical axis.

[0031] According to the embodiment shown, the transfer device 1 comprises at least the following elements, at least partially contained in a carriage 2: a geared motor 8, whose shaft 9 has a horizontal axis of rotation parallel to, and preferably internal to, the sagittal plane of the movement device 1, the geared motor 8 being oriented such that the shaft 9 extends beyond the front face of the carriage 2; a drive roller 10 attached to the free end of the shaft 9 of the geared motor 8 and rotated thereby, the drive roller 10 being arranged to abut against one of the wheels R of the load to be moved (see FIG. 7 ); and - two support rollers 11 arranged to abut one of the railway rails V which receive the wheels R of the load to be moved and adapted to be rotated by close contact with said drive rollers 10;

[0032] Regarding the last point, the support rollers 11 pivot about a horizontal axis that is in the same plane as and parallel to the rotation axis of the shaft 9 of the geared motor 8, and are positioned on either side of and lower than the drive roller 10, so that when the drive roller 10 rotates, it rotates the two support rollers 11 by contacting them closely.

[0033] The mobile device 1 further includes: an arm 12 rigidly connected at one end to the shaft 9 of the geared motor 8 and extending horizontally and perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said shaft 9, and a brake shoe 13 rigidly connected to the free end of the arm 12 and arranged, on the one hand, in the vicinity of the wheel R (see FIG. 6) of the load to be moved in the opposite direction, and, on the other hand, in abutment against the rail V of the track receiving said wheel R.

[0034] It goes without saying that the moving device 1 can comprise a single support roller 11 while remaining within the scope of the present invention. However, it is expressly understood that for obvious stability reasons the moving device 1 advantageously comprises two support rollers 11 arranged in the above-mentioned configuration.

[0035] To improve adhesion, the drive roller 10 and the support roller 11 are each coated with a polymer coating.

[0036] The length of the arm 12 can advantageously be adjusted to make it possible to adapt the position of the brake shoe 13 to the size of said wheel R of the load to be moved.

[0037] Moreover, in order to make it possible to mount the drive roller 10-support roller 11 assembly of the transfer device 1 on both sides of the wheel R of the load to be moved, the arm 12 can advantageously be mounted to pivot on the shaft 9 of the geared motor 8 about an axis of rotation, and a brake shoe 13 can be arranged on both sides of the drive roller 10-support roller 11 assembly. According to this hypothesis, it is clearly understood that the brake shoe 13 is mounted to pivot at the end of the arm 12 connected to it about an axis of rotation parallel to the axis of rotation of the shaft of the geared motor 8, with the bearing surface of the brake shoe 13 being accurately positioned on the rail V of the track receiving said wheel R.

[0038] To make the moving device 1 compact when not in use (see Figure 3), the arm 12 includes a hinge joint located on the same side as the end rigidly connected to the shaft 9 of the geared motor 8, which enables the arm 12 to move from an "unfolded" position in which it is completely straight, to a "folded" position in which the portion of the arm 12 extending from the hinge joint 14 to the brake shoe 13 pivots to form an angle of 60° to 120°, advantageously 90°, with the portion of the arm 12 extending from the hinge joint 14 to the shaft 9 of the geared motor 8.

[0039] According to an advantageous embodiment, the brake shoe 13 is a section of a cylinder having the overall shape of an isosceles triangle in cross section, with a horizontal bottom surface 15 arranged to rest on the rail V and two inclined surfaces 16 arranged to receive the wheels R of the load. The brake shoe 13 is made of elastomer, in particular to improve adhesion on the rail V.

[0040] Furthermore, to facilitate the guidance of the transfer device 1 along the rail V, the drive roller 10-support roller 11 assembly and the brake shoe 13 each comprise at least one guide plate 17, 18 arranged to abut an edge of said rail V. The guide plate 17 is rigidly connected to at least the support roller 11 on the side opposite the geared motor 8 and extends beyond said support roller 11 on the side opposite the drive roller 10. Similarly, the guide plate 18 is rigidly connected to the brake shoe 13 on the side opposite the geared motor 8 and extends beyond the bottom surface 15 of said brake shoe 13 on the side opposite its inclined surface 16. The guide plate 18 is advantageously combined with a retractable guide plate 19 rigidly connected to the brake shoe 13 on the side of the geared motor 8 and may or may not extend beyond the bottom surface 15 of said brake shoe 13.

[0041] To facilitate use, the mobile device 1 further includes a number of auxiliary devices. Thus, the mobile device 1 includes: - a handlebar 20 rigidly connected to the rear of the carriage 2, adjustable in height and foldable to maintain ergonomics in all situations; a control station 21, advantageously rigidly connected to said handlebar 20, and equipped with all the elements necessary to control the transport device 1, in particular to start the geared motor 8, to select its direction of rotation and to stop it in case of an emergency; and an energy storage element 22, in particular of the rechargeable battery type, for powering the geared motor 8;

[0042] The mobility device 1 may further comprise a headlight 23 rigidly connected to the handlebar 20 for illuminating the area in which the mobility device 1 is used.

[0043] With reference to Figures 6 to 8, in this configuration, for moving a load having wheels R on a rail V using the moving device 1 according to the invention, the steps are carried out as described below.

[0044] The moving device 1 is first moved using the handlebar 20 to place the two support rollers 11 on the rail V and place the drive roller 10 near the wheel R, thereby placing the drive roller 10-support roller 11 assembly near one of the wheels R. By adjusting the length and orientation of the arm 12, the brake shoe 13 is placed near the wheel R on the opposite side to the drive roller 10-support roller 11 assembly, with the horizontal bottom surface 15 of the brake shoe 13 placed on the rail V and one of its inclined surfaces 16 located near the wheel R.

[0045] The position of the second wheel 4 is adjusted by means of the vertical profile member 7 so that it abuts against the ground surface S, and then the first wheel 3 is raised to the "high" position.

[0046] Next, the geared motor 8 is started by means of the control unit 21 to rotate the driving roller 10, which causes the two support rollers 11 to rotate by contact, and the driving roller 10-support roller 11 assembly as well as the arm 12 and the brake shoe 13 to move along the rail V. When said driving roller 10-support roller 11 assembly reaches under the wheel R of the load to be moved, it is pinched between said wheel R and the rail V, and then the driving roller 10 transmits the driving torque to the wheel R by contact, thus moving the load rolling on the rail V, and the latter moves as long as the geared motor 8 is running.

[0047] Referring to FIG. 9, to avoid any sudden movement when the drive roller 10-support roller 11 assembly is pinched under the wheels R of the load being moved, the drive roller 10-support roller 11 assembly can advantageously pivot about the shaft 9 of the geared motor 8.

[0048] Finally, to stop the load at the desired position, the geared motor 8 is stopped and then the drive roller 10-support roller 11 assembly stops on the rail V, but the load continues to move forward by inertia until its wheels R are pressed against the brake shoes 13 and it stops.

[0049] One particular application of the transfer device 1 according to the invention is the movement of loads rolling on rails V of a railway track. However, it is clear that the transfer device 1 may also be adapted and used to transfer other types of loads, such as, for example, rolls of paper or steel sheets.

[0050] Finally, it goes without saying that the above-described examples of the mobile device 1 according to the invention are only specific examples and do not limit the invention in any way.

Claims

1. A moving device (1) for moving loads having wheels and rolling on a railway rail, the moving device (1) comprising at least the following: - a geared motor (8) whose shaft (9) has a horizontal axis of rotation, a drive roller (10) attached to the free end of the shaft (9) of the geared motor (8) and rotated thereby, the drive roller (10) being arranged to abut against one of the wheels (R) of the load to be moved; - two support rollers (11) arranged to bear against the rails (V) of the track that receive the wheels (R) of the load to be moved and adapted to be rotated by the contact with the drive rollers (10); - an arm (12) rigidly connected at one end to the shaft (9) of said geared motor (8) and extending horizontally and perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said shaft (9); a brake shoe (13) rigidly connected to the free end of said arm (12) and arranged, on the one hand, in the vicinity of the wheel (R) of the load to be moved on the side opposite to said drive roller (10), and, on the other hand, in abutment against the rail (V) of the track receiving said wheel (R); Equipped with The moving device (1) is mounted such that the arm (12) pivots on the shaft (9) of the geared motor (8) about its axis of rotation, and the brake shoe (13) is mounted at the end of the connected arm (12) about an axis of rotation parallel to the axis of rotation of the shaft (9) of the geared motor (8). A mobile device (1).

2. Transfer device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the length of said arm (12) is adjustable.

3. 3. The movement device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the arm (12) includes a hinge joint (14) arranged on the same side as the end rigidly connected to the shaft (9) of the geared motor (8) and enabling the arm (12) to move from a completely straight "unfolded" position to a "folded" position.

4. A transfer device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the brake shoe (13) is a section of a cylinder having the overall shape of an isosceles triangle in cross section, with a horizontal bottom surface (15) arranged to rest on the rail (V) and two inclined surfaces (16) arranged to receive the wheels (R) of the load.

5. Displacement device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the brake shoe (13) is made of elastomer.

6. 6. The moving device (1) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that it comprises a guide plate (17) rigidly connected to at least the support roller (11) on the side opposite the geared motor (8) and extending beyond the support roller (11) on the side opposite the drive roller (10), and a guide plate (18) rigidly connected to the brake shoe (13) on the side opposite the geared motor (8) and extending beyond the bottom surface (15) of the brake shoe (13) on the side opposite the inclined surface (16).

7. 7. The moving device (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that the guide plate (18) rigidly connected to the brake shoe (13) is coupled to a retractable guide plate (19) rigidly connected to the brake shoe (13) on the side of the geared motor (8) and may or may not extend beyond the bottom surface (15) of the brake shoe (13).

8. 8. The moving device (1) according to claim 1, further comprising a carriage (2) which at least partially houses the geared motor (8), the drive roller (10), the two support rollers (11), the arm (12) and the brake shoe (13), the geared motor (8) being oriented such that its shaft (9) extends beyond the front face of the carriage (2), the carriage (2) being provided with at least one first retractable wheel (3) which allows the moving device (1) to be easily moved on the ground (S) from its storage location to its use location, and on the other hand with at least one second wheel (4) which moves the moving device (1) in place of the one or more first wheels (3) when used to roll the load to be moved.

9. 9. Mobility device (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that each of the second wheels (4) is height adjustable and is of the "jockey" wheel type.

10. - a handlebar (20) rigidly connected to the rear of the carriage (2), adjustable in height and foldable to maintain ergonomics in all situations; a control station (21), advantageously rigidly connected to said handlebar (20) and comprising all the elements necessary to control said mobility device (1), and - an energy storage element (22) of the rechargeable battery type, in particular for powering said geared motor (8); A mobile device (1) according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that it comprises

Images