Track running cart for motor tricycle

Abstract

To provide a track running cart which can make a vehicle for railway track running without changing specification of an existing motor tricycle running on a road.SOLUTION: A track running cart 10 comprises: an underframe 12 equipped with a wheel 11; a front wheel guide rail 13 which guides a front wheel 21 of a motor tricycle 20 forward from a rear end part of the underframe 12; a guide slope 14 which is so provided as to capable of projecting rearward from the underframe 12, and guides the front wheel 21 of the motor tricycle 20 onto the front wheel guide rail 13; a pair of rear wheel shaft support mechanism 15 which are located inside a vehicle body of a rear wheel 22 of the motor tricycle 20 when the front wheel 21 of the motor tricycle 20 has moved to the front of the front wheel guide rail 13; a pantograph jack 16 which provided on the rear wheel shaft support mechanism 15; and a rear wheel shaft holding member 17 which holds an axle 22a of the rear wheel 22 and applies a load of the motor tricycle 20 to the underframe 12 by elevation of the pantograph jack 16.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a track-running bogie for a motor three-wheeled vehicle, and more particularly to a track-running bogie used to convert an existing motor three-wheeled vehicle that runs on roads into a vehicle that can run on a railway track. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a dual-purpose vehicle equipped with road wheels for use on roads and track wheels for use on rails of a railway track has been used as a running vehicle used for performing maintenance work on railway tracks, etc. When this dual-purpose vehicle runs on rails of a railway track, it runs onto the track using the road wheels, and then operates a lifting mechanism to position the track wheels on the rails and run on the rails (for example, see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3761369 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the dual-purpose vehicle of Patent Document 1 mentioned above must be equipped with wheels for running on roads, wheels for running on tracks, and a lifting mechanism, necessitating a complex mechanism, which increases costs and the weight of the vehicle.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a track-running bogie that can be adapted to run on railway tracks without changing the specifications of existing three-wheeled motor vehicles that run on roads. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the track running bogie for an automatic three-wheeled vehicle of the present invention is a bogie for an automatic three-wheeled vehicle that is equipped with a pair of left and right rear wheels and a single front wheel, and in which the width between the pair of rear wheels matches the rail width of a railway track, and that is placed on the rails of the railway track and runs on the rails of the railway track, and the track running bogie comprises an underframe having wheels on both the left and right sides that roll on the rails, a front wheel guide rail that extends forward from the rear end of the underframe and guides the front wheels of the automatic three-wheeled vehicle forward from the rear end of the underframe, and a guide slope that is provided rearward from a portion of the frame and that guides the front wheels of the three-wheeled vehicle to the front wheel guide rail; and a pair of rear wheel axle support mechanisms that are provided rearward of the frame and that are respectively positioned inside the body of the rear wheels of the three-wheeled vehicle when the front wheels of the three-wheeled vehicle move forward of the front wheel guide rail, the rear wheel axle support mechanisms having a lifting device and a rear wheel axle holding member that is attached to the lifting device and that rotatably holds the rear axle as the lifting device is raised.

[0007] It is also preferable that the front wheel guide rail is provided with a stopper at the front for restricting the forward movement of the three-wheeled vehicle.

[0008] Furthermore, the lifting device is preferably a pantograph jack. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the track-running bogie for a three-wheeled vehicle of the present invention, the track-running bogie is placed on rails, the front wheels of the three-wheeled vehicle are guided along the front wheel guide rail via a guide slope to the front part of the frame, and the pair of rear wheels are placed on the rails. The rear axle is rotatably held by the rear axle holding member by raising the lifting device of the rear axle support mechanism disposed inside the vehicle body of the rear wheels, and the rear wheels are held in a state where they are placed on the rails. By driving the rear wheels of the three-wheeled vehicle, the three-wheeled vehicle can run on the rails via the track-running bogie.

[0010] In this way, by using the track-running bogie described above, an existing motor tricycle that runs on roads can be made into a vehicle that runs on rails without changing the specifications. Also, by combining it with a track-running bogie with a simple structure, a motor tricycle can be made into a vehicle that runs on rails, which can reduce costs. Furthermore, because the rear axle is rotatably held by the rear axle holding member, the motor tricycle can be moved forward and backward along the rails in a stable state via the track-running bogie.

[0011] In addition, by raising the lifting device of the rear wheel axle support mechanism and rotatably holding the rear wheel axle with the rear wheel axle holding member, and then further raising the lifting device to slightly lift the rear wheel axle so that the rear wheels do not leave the rails, an appropriate load can be applied to the frame and the track-running bogie can run stably. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view of a track traveling vehicle showing one embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a pantograph jack. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing a state in which a motor tricycle is arranged on a track-traveling vehicle. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing a process of placing a motor tricycle on a track traveling vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] 1 to 6 are diagrams showing one embodiment of a track-running bogie for a motor tricycle according to the present invention. The track-running bogie 10 is a bogie that enables an existing motor tricycle 20 that runs on roads to be placed on rails 30 of a railway track and run on the rails. The width of the rear wheels of the motor tricycle 20 is the same as the width of the rails between the rails 30.

[0014] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the track running bogie 10 comprises an underframe 12 having four wheels 11 on both the left and right sides that roll on rails 30 of the railway track, a front wheel guide rail 13 that extends from the rear end to the front end of the underframe 12 and guides the front wheels 21 of the motor tricycle 20 forward from the rear end of the underframe 12, a guide slope 14 that is arranged to protrude rearward from the rear end of the underframe 12 and guides the front wheels 21 of the motor tricycle 20 to the front wheel guide rail 13, and a pair of rear wheel axle support mechanisms 15 that are arranged behind the underframe 12 and are each positioned inside the body of the rear wheels 22 of the motor tricycle 20 when the front wheels 21 of the motor tricycle 20 move forward of the front wheel guide rail 13. The rear wheel axle support mechanism 15 also has a pantograph jack 16 (lifting device) and a rear wheel axle holding member 17 that is attached to the pantograph jack 16 and holds the axle 22a of the rear wheel 22 when the pantograph jack 16 is raised.

[0015] The underframe 12 is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and includes a front frame 12a and a rear frame 12b extending in the vehicle body width direction, and a pair of side frames 12c, 12c extending in the vehicle body front-rear direction and connecting the front frame 12a and the rear frame 12b, and is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from above so as to be able to be disposed between the rails 30, 30. Furthermore, two reinforcing beams 12d, 12d are provided between the two side frames 12c, 12c so as to span the vehicle body width direction. In addition, axles 11a having wheels 11, 11 fixed to both ends are respectively attached to the front and rear of the underframe 12 so as to be rotatable across the side frames 12c, 12c.

[0016] The wheel 11 has a tread portion 11b that rolls on the rail 30, and a flange portion 11c formed with a larger diameter than the tread portion 11b, and is attached to the axle 11a with the flange portion 11c facing the underframe 12. When the track traveling bogie 10 is placed on the pair of rails 30, 30, the wheel 11 is placed with the tread portion 11b on the rail 30 and the flange portion 11c on the inside of the pair of rails 30, 30.

[0017] The front wheel guide rail 13 extends from the rear frame 12b to the front frame 12a in the widthwise center of the underframe 12. The front wheel guide rail 13 is formed by bending a metal plate and includes a pair of first support pieces 13a, 13a and a first groove piece 13b provided between the first support pieces, and the front wheel 21 of the motor tricycle 20 moves on the bottom surface of the first groove piece 13b. The pair of first support pieces 13a, 13a are each formed by bending the upper end of the first groove piece 13b horizontally outward, and a guide slope 14, which will be described later, slides along the first support pieces 13a, 13a.

[0018] Further, a stopper 18 is provided at the center of the front end of the front wheel guide rail 13, which comes into contact with the front wheel 21 of the motor tricycle 20 to restrict the forward movement of the motor tricycle 20. The stopper 18 includes a support post 18a which protrudes upward from the front frame 12a and comes into contact with the front wheel 21, and a pair of retaining pieces 18b, 18b which are provided at the upper end of the support post 18a and protrude on both sides of the front wheel 21 which is in contact with the support post 18a to retain the front wheel 21.

[0019] The guide slope 14 is formed by bending a metal plate material in the same manner as the front wheel guide rail 13. The guide slope 14 includes a pair of second support pieces 14a, 14a having a groove that slidably fits into the front wheel guide rail 13, and a second groove piece 14b provided between the second support pieces 14a, 14a, and has approximately the same cross-sectional shape as the front wheel guide rail 13. The front wheel 21 of the motor tricycle 20 moves on the bottom surface of the second groove piece 14b and is guided by the front wheel guide rail 13.

[0020] The guide slope 14 is divided into two in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, with a short front guide section 14c at the front and a long rear guide section 14d at the rear, and the front guide section 14c and the rear guide section 14d are connected via a hinge member 14e. The guide slope 14 thus formed has the second support piece 14a disposed above the first support piece 13a and the second groove piece 14b disposed above the first groove piece 13b, and is provided so as to be slidable relative to the front wheel guide rail 13 and to be able to protrude rearward from the rear end of the underframe 12.

[0021] Furthermore, the front guide portion 14c is formed with a pair of pin insertion holes 14f, 14f through which positioning pins (not shown) for positioning with respect to the front wheel guide rail 13 are inserted. Meanwhile, the front wheel guide rail 13 is formed with a pair of first pin holes 13c, 13c through which positioning pins are inserted corresponding to the pin insertion holes 14f, 14f to position the guide slope 14 when the guide slope 14 is accommodated on the underframe 12, and a pair of second pin holes 13d, 13d through which positioning pins are inserted corresponding to the pin insertion holes 14f, 14f to position the guide slope 14 when the guide slope 14 is protruded rearward. Note that, although the second pin holes 13d, 13d are formed in this embodiment, the second pin holes 13d, 13d may be omitted because there is no risk of the guide slope 14 being displaced when the guide slope 14 is protruded rearward and placed on the ground.

[0022] Furthermore, the guide slope 14 is provided with a pair of grips 14g at the rear end of the rear guide portion 14d, and an operator can grasp the grips 14g to slide the guide slope 14. Furthermore, although not shown, a stopper member is welded to a predetermined position of the recessed groove of the second support pieces 14a, 14a that fits into the front wheel guide rail 13, so that the guide slope 14 is not pushed too far onto the underframe 12 when the guide slope 14 is accommodated on the underframe 12. As a result, the grips 14g protrude rearward from the rear end of the underframe 12 even when the guide slope 14 is accommodated on the underframe 12, and an operator can easily work by grasping the grips 14g.

[0023] When the guide slope 14 is not in use (when running on a track), as shown by the dashed lines in Figures 1 and 2, it is accommodated on the frame 12 with no part other than the handle portion 14g protruding rearward from the front wheel guide rail 13, and the guide slope 14 is fixed in a predetermined position by inserting a positioning pin through the pin insertion holes 14f, 14f and the first pin holes 13c, 13c.

[0024] 1 and 2, with the rear guide portion 14d of the guide slope 14 protruding from the rear end of the front wheel guide rail 13, positioning pins are inserted through the pin insertion holes 14f, 14f and the second pin holes 13d, 13d to position and fix the guide slope 14. As a result, the front guide portion 14c of the guide slope 14 is held at the rear end of the front wheel guide rail 13, and the rear guide portion 14d is inclined downward from the rear end of the front wheel guide rail 13 via the hinge member 14e, with its tip in contact with the ground.

[0025] The rear wheel axle support mechanism 15 protrudes horizontally rearward from both sides of the lower end of the rear frame 12b and has a jack stand 15a to which a pantograph jack 16 is attached. A pair of reinforcing pieces 15b, 15b are provided on both sides of the jack stand 15a, and the reinforcing pieces 15b, 15b and the jack stand 15a are made of stainless steel.

[0026] 4, the pantograph jack 16 is a well-known jack, and has four links 16b arranged in a pantograph shape between a base (not shown) attached to the jack stand 15a and the load receiver 16a, and a pair of connecting parts 16c, 16d connecting the upper and lower links 16b, 16b. One connecting part 16c is formed of a bearing member, and the other connecting part 16d is formed of a nut member, and a threaded rod 16e that screws into the connecting part 16d (nut member) is arranged between the connecting part 16d (nut member) and the connecting part 16c (bearing member), and the load receiver 16a is raised and lowered by electrically rotating the threaded rod 16e via an operating part 16f.

[0027] The rear wheel axle holding member 17 is attached to the load receiver 16a of the pantograph jack 16 and rises as the load receiver 16a rises, holding the axle 22a of the rear wheels 22 arranged above the rear wheel axle support mechanism 15 from below. The pantograph jack 16 is further operated to slightly lift the axle 22a via the rear wheel axle holding member 17 to such an extent that the rear wheels 22 do not leave the rails 30, thereby allowing an appropriate load to be applied to the underframe 12.

[0028] Next, a process for placing the motor tricycle 20 on the track traveling vehicle 10 configured as described above will be described.

[0029] The motor tricycle 20 may be, for example, a three-seater electric motor tricycle with a width between a pair of rear wheels of 1067 mm, which matches the rail width of the railway track. As shown in Fig. 6, the motor tricycle 20 is placed on a track-running vehicle 10 via a trackbed 40 (railroad crossing) provided on the railway track. The trackbed 40 is made of concrete railway track blocks with two grooves for laying the rails 30, 30 in the track direction, and an upper surface 40a of the trackbed 40 and an upper surface 30a of the rail 30 are formed flush with each other.

[0030] When placing the motor tricycle 20 on the track traveling vehicle 10, first, the track traveling vehicle 10 is placed on the rails 30, 30 near the track bed 40, and anti-rolling wheel stoppers (not shown) are attached to either the front or rear pair of wheels 11 to restrict the movement of the track traveling vehicle 10. Next, the positioning pins are removed from the pin insertion holes 14f, 14f and the first pin holes 13c, 13c, and the handle portion 14g is grasped to pull the guide slope 14 rearward from the rear end of the front wheel guide rail 13. The rear guide portion 14d is inclined downward from the rear end of the front wheel guide rail 13 via the hinge member 14e, and its tip portion is grounded on the upper surface 40a of the track bed 40. In this state, the positioning pins are inserted through the pin insertion holes 14f, 14f and the second pin holes 13d, 13d, respectively, and the guide slope 14 is fixed in a positioned state.

[0031] Next, the motor tricycle 20 is driven up to the track bed 40, and the left and right rear wheels 22, 22 are moved forward with the left and right rear wheels 22, 22 aligned with the center of the rails 30, 30, and the front wheel 21 is moved into the second groove piece 14b of the guide slope 14. The motor tricycle 20 is driven to move the front wheel 21 along the second groove piece 14b onto the underframe 12, and further, the front wheel 21 is moved forward of the underframe 12 along the first groove piece 13b of the front wheel guide rail 13. When the motor tricycle 20 is mounted on the track traveling carriage 10, the positioning pins that have been inserted through the pin insertion holes 14f, 14f and the second pin holes 13d, 13d are removed, the handle portion 14g is grasped, the rear guide portion 14d is lifted, and it is slid onto the front wheel guide rail 13 together with the front guide portion 14c, and the guide slope 14 is stored on the underframe 12. Next, positioning pins are inserted through the pin insertion holes 14f, 14f and the first pin holes 13c, 13c, and the guide slope 14 is stored.

[0032] Next, the front wheels 21 are moved further forward along the front wheel guide rail 13, and the front wheels 21 are brought into contact with the support pillars 18a of the stoppers 18, and the front wheels 21 are held by the holding pieces 18b. As a result, as shown by the broken lines in FIG. 1, the forward movement of the front wheels 21 is restricted, and the rear wheels 22, 22 are moved to a predetermined position behind the frame on the rails 30, 30, and the rear wheel axle support mechanisms 15 are disposed on the inside of the vehicle body of the rear wheels 22, 22. Next, the pantograph jacks 16, 16 are operated, and the rear wheel axle holding members 17, 17 are raised together with the load receivers 16a, 16a to hold the axles 22a, 22a of the rear wheels 22. Furthermore, the switches of the pantograph jacks 16 are operated to raise the axles 22a, 22a by about 10 mm while balancing the left and right of the axles 22a, 22a so that the rear wheels 22 do not leave the rail 30. As a result, an appropriate load is applied to the frame 12 by the motor tricycle 20, allowing the track traveling vehicle 10 to travel stably, and the motor tricycle 20 will not come off the track traveling vehicle 10 even if it is moved backward.

[0033] After placing the motor tricycle 20 on the track traveling cart 10 in this manner, the anti-rolling wheel stoppers are removed and the motor tricycle 20 is driven, allowing the motor tricycle 20 to travel on the rails 30, 30 via the track traveling cart 10 by driving the rear wheels 22, 22. Furthermore, when the track traveling cart 10 travels on the rails 30, 30, the flanges 11c of each wheel 11 are positioned on the inside of the paired rails 30, 30, so there is no risk of the track traveling cart 10 derailing from the rails 30, 30.

[0034] The track traveling bogie of this embodiment is formed as described above, and by using the track traveling bogie, an existing motor tricycle that travels on roads can be made into a vehicle for railway track traveling that travels on rails without changing the specifications. In addition, by combining with a track traveling bogie with a simple structure, a motor tricycle can be made into a vehicle for railway track traveling, and costs can be reduced. Furthermore, since the rear wheel axle is rotatably held by the rear wheel axle holding member, the motor tricycle can be moved forward and backward along the rail in a stable state via the track traveling bogie. Furthermore, by slightly jacking up the rear wheel axle by the rear wheel axle support mechanism and applying an appropriate load to the frame, the track traveling bogie can be made to travel in a stable state. Furthermore, by using an electric pantograph jack as the lifting mechanism, the pantograph jack can be operated well even if the position where it is installed has a limit to the height from the rail tread to the rear wheel axle, and can be automatically operated even in a narrow place where it is difficult to reach with one's hand.

[0035] Note that the lifting device is not limited to the one using a pantograph jack as in the track-traveling cart of the above embodiment, but any lifting device can be applied, and a hydraulic jack can also be used. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the cart is made of aluminum or aluminum alloy, and the jack base and reinforcing pieces are made of stainless steel, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the material constituting the track-traveling cart is arbitrary. Also, the width between the rear wheels of the motor tricycle can be adjusted with a wheel spacer to match the rail width. Furthermore, although a three-wheeled electric motorcycle is preferable as the motor tricycle, the present invention is not limited to this, and a general gasoline-powered three-wheeled motorcycle can also be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10... Track running vehicle, 11... Wheel, 11a... Axle, 11b... Tread portion, 11c... Flange portion, 12... Frame, 12a... Front frame, 12b... Rear frame, 12c... Side frame, 12d... Reinforcement frame, 13... Front wheel guide rail, 13a... First support piece, 13b... First groove piece, 13c... First pin hole, 13d... Second pin hole, 14... Guide slope, 14a... Second support piece, 14b... Second groove piece, 14c... Front guide portion, 14d... Rear guide portion, 14e... Hinge member, 1 4f...pin insertion hole, 14g...handle portion, 15...rear wheel axle support mechanism, 15a...jack stand, 15b...reinforcement piece, 16...pantograph jack, 16a...load receiver, 16b...link, 16c, 16d...connecting portion, 16e...threaded rod, 16f...operating portion, 17...rear wheel axle retaining member, 18...stopper, 18a...support, 18b...retaining piece, 20...motor tricycle, 21...front wheel, 22...rear wheel, 22a...axle, 30...rail, 30a...upper surface, 40...track bed, 40a...upper surface

Claims

1. A track-running vehicle for a motor tricycle, which is provided with a pair of left and right rear wheels and a single front wheel, and in which the width between the pair of rear wheels matches the rail width of a railway track, is placed on rails of the railway track and runs on the rails of the railway track, The track traveling vehicle includes a frame having wheels that roll on the rails on both the left and right sides; a front wheel guide rail extending forward from a rear end portion of the underframe and guiding a front wheel of the three-wheeled motor vehicle forward from the rear end portion of the underframe; a guide slope provided so as to be capable of protruding rearward from a rear end portion of the underframe and configured to guide a front wheel of the three-wheeled motor vehicle to the front wheel guide rail; a pair of rear wheel axle support mechanisms provided at the rear of the underframe and disposed on vehicle body sides of the rear wheels of the three-wheeled vehicle when the front wheels of the three-wheeled vehicle move forward of the front wheel guide rail; The rear wheel axle support mechanism includes a lifting device and a rear axle holding member attached to the lifting device for rotatably holding the rear axle when the lifting device is raised.

2. 2. A track-running vehicle for a three-wheeled motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said front wheel guide rail is provided with a stopper at the front for restricting forward movement of said three-wheeled motor vehicle.

3. 2. The track-running vehicle for motor three-wheeled vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the lifting device is a pantograph jack.

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