Vehicle unit and moving type track maintenance device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle unit and a moving type track maintenance device capable of adjusting a position with respect to a track.SOLUTION: The present invention provides a vehicle unit 10 for traveling on a rail R. The vehicle unit 10 includes: a vehicle body 20 on which a facility 11 for track maintenance is mounted; pairs of right and left wheels 12 for rail traveling provided respectively at least at front and rear positions of the vehicle body 20 at an interval corresponding to a width L1 of the rail R; pairs of right and left jack mechanisms 40 provided respectively at front and rear positions of the vehicle unit 10 and configured to raise and lower the vehicle body 20 with respect to the rail R; and moving mechanisms 50 configured to relatively move the vehicle body 20 in a lateral direction with respect to the jack mechanism 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle unit and a mobile track maintenance device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in order to maintain a track composed of rails, sleepers, ballast (crushed stone), etc., for example, Patent Document 1 proposes a vehicle equipped with equipment for track maintenance. As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, this vehicle includes a transport vehicle 90 and a vehicle unit 110. The transport vehicle 90 mounts the vehicle unit 110 on a loading platform 91, and has road wheels 92 made of rubber tires capable of traveling on the ground such as roads, and rail wheels 94 made of iron capable of traveling on a rail R such as a rail. The vehicle unit 110 has equipment 113 for track maintenance mounted on its main body, and iron rail wheels 112 capable of traveling on the rail R. The equipment 113 for track maintenance is, for example, a roadbed compaction device or a track ballast maintenance device.

[0003] The transport vehicle 90 travels on the road by the road wheels 92 for ground travel, enters the track from a level crossing near the work site, and travels on the rail by the rail wheels 94 for rail travel (FIGS. 10(A) and 10(B)). When arriving at the work site, the vehicle unit 110 is lowered onto the rail R.

[0004] When lowering the vehicle unit 110 from the transport vehicle 90 onto the rail R, first, the main body of the vehicle unit 110 is lifted from the loading platform 91 of the transport vehicle 90 using a jack mechanism 114 provided in the vehicle unit 110 (FIGS. 11(A) and 11(B)). Then, the transport vehicle 90 is moved from under the vehicle unit 110 (FIGS. 12(A) and 12(B)). Thereafter, the main body of the vehicle unit 110 is lowered onto the rail R using the jack mechanism 113.

[0005] Then, while the vehicle unit 110 travels on the rail R by the rail wheels 112 for rail travel, operations such as polishing of the rail R, roadbed compaction, and track ballast maintenance are performed using the equipment 113 for track maintenance.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, when the vehicle unit 110 is lowered from the transport vehicle 90, if the wheels 12 for track travel are not positioned above the track R of the track, lowering the vehicle unit 110 as it is will cause the wheels 112 for track travel not to ride on the track R of the track. In such a case, the vehicle unit 110 is placed back on the loading platform 91 of the transport vehicle 90 again, the position of the transport vehicle 90 is adjusted, and the vehicle unit 110 is lowered from the transport vehicle 90 again. For this reason, it has taken time and effort to align the wheels 112 for track travel of the vehicle unit 110 with respect to the track R.

[0008] The present invention has been made paying attention to the above - described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle unit and a mobile track maintenance device in which positioning of wheels for track travel is facilitated.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] To achieve the above object, the present invention includes the subject matters described in the following items.

[0010] Item 1: A vehicle unit for track travel, a vehicle body equipped with facilities for track maintenance, a pair of wheels for track travel provided at least at the front - rear positions of the vehicle body at intervals corresponding to the width of the track in the left - right direction orthogonal to the track, a pair of left - right jacking mechanisms provided at the front - rear positions of the vehicle unit for raising and lowering the vehicle body with respect to the track, A vehicle unit comprising a moving mechanism for relatively moving the vehicle body in the left - right direction with respect to the jack mechanism.

[0011] Item 2: The moving mechanism is a cylinder composed of a cylinder body and a rod that expands and contracts in the left - right direction from the cylinder body, The vehicle unit according to item 1, wherein one of the tip of the cylinder body or the rod is attached to the vehicle body, and the other is attached to the jack mechanism.

[0012] Item 3: The vehicle unit further comprises a guide mechanism for guiding the movement of the vehicle body in the left - right direction, The vehicle unit further comprises a guide mechanism for guiding the movement of the vehicle body in the left - right direction, The guide mechanism is A rod - shaped guide member provided at at least the front - rear positions of the vehicle body and extending in the left - right direction, A holding member attached to the guide member and holding the vehicle body so as to be movable in the left - right direction along the guide member, The vehicle unit according to item 1 or item 2, comprising

[0013] Item 4: The vehicle unit according to item 3, wherein the jack mechanism is attached to the left - right direction end portion of the guide member.

[0014] Item 5: The vehicle unit according to any one of items 1 to 4, wherein the jack mechanism is provided on the vehicle unit so as to be able to rise and fall freely.

[0015] Item 6: A vehicle unit according to any one of items 1 to 5, and A transport vehicle capable of loading and unloading the vehicle unit in a loadable manner, The transport vehicle is A mobile track maintenance device comprising a loading platform on which the vehicle unit is loadably and unloadably loaded, and a pair of left - right ground - running wheels provided at at least the front - rear positions of the transport vehicle.

Advantages of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle unit and a mobile track maintenance device that facilitate the positioning of wheels for rail travel.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] (Overall Configuration) The mobile track maintenance device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. The mobile track maintenance device 100 is for maintaining tracks such as railways. The track is formed by laying ballast made of crushed stones on a roadbed to form a roadbed P, arranging sleepers at regular intervals thereon, and fastening a pair of rails (tracks) R on the sleepers at a defined width L1 (track gauge). The mobile track maintenance device 100 includes a vehicle unit 10 for traveling on the rails equipped with equipment 11 for track maintenance, and a transport vehicle 90 capable of loading and unloading the vehicle unit 10.

[0019] In the following description, the traveling direction of the mobile track maintenance device 100 or the vehicle unit 10, that is, the direction parallel to the direction in which the rail R extends, is referred to as the front-rear direction. The direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction and the width direction of the mobile track maintenance device 100 or the vehicle unit 10, that is, the width direction of the rail R, is referred to as the left-right direction. The direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction and the left-right direction is referred to as the up-down direction.

[0020] (Transport vehicle 90) The configuration of the transport vehicle 90 is the same as the configuration of the prior art shown in FIGS. 10 to 12. The transport vehicle 90 includes a loading platform 91 on which the vehicle unit 10 can be loaded and unloaded, a pair of left and right ground-traveling wheels 92 provided at at least the front and rear positions of the transport vehicle 90, and a driver's seat 93. The ground-traveling wheels 92 are provided in a pair on the left and right at at least the front and rear positions of the transport vehicle 90 (in this embodiment, a total of three positions including the front and rear positions and the positions between the front and rear positions). The ground-traveling wheels 92 are made of, for example, rubber tires.

[0021] In this embodiment, the transport vehicle 90 further includes a pair of left and right rail-traveling wheels 94 at at least the front and rear positions of the transport vehicle 90. The interval between the rail-traveling wheels 94 matches the width L1 of the rail R (FIG. 7(A)). The rail-traveling wheels 94 are, for example, iron wheels.

[0022] The wheels 94 for running on the rail are provided so as to be able to protrude and retract freely below or above the wheels 92 for running on the ground by a cylinder or the like (not shown). When the mobile track maintenance device 100 runs on the ground, the wheels 94 for running on the rail are located above the wheels 92 for running on the ground. When the mobile track maintenance device 100 runs on the rail R, the wheels 94 for running on the rail are moved downward and protruded below the wheels 92 for running on the ground and placed on the rail R. That is, the vertical relative positional relationship between the wheels 94 for running on the rail and the wheels 92 for running on the ground is reversed (Figs. 10 to 12). Thereby, the mobile track maintenance device 100 can run on the rail R.

[0023] Note that the configuration of the transport vehicle 90 is not limited to the above. As long as it includes a loading platform 91 on which the vehicle unit 10 can be loaded and unloaded, a pair of left and right wheels 92 for running on the ground provided at least at the front and rear positions of the transport vehicle 90, and a driver's seat 93, any type can be used. The transport vehicle 90 may not be provided with the wheels 94 for running on the rail. In this case, it runs to the rail R near the work site by the wheels 92 for running on the ground.

[0024] (Vehicle unit 10) (Overall configuration) The vehicle unit 10 includes a vehicle body 20 on which equipment 11 for track maintenance is mounted, a pair of left and right wheels 12 for running on the rail provided at least at the front and rear positions of the vehicle body 20 with an interval corresponding to the width of the rail R, a jack mechanism 40 provided in a pair on the left and right at the front and rear positions of the vehicle unit 10 for raising and lowering the vehicle body 20 in the vertical direction with respect to the rail R, a moving mechanism 50 for relatively moving the vehicle body 20 in the left - right direction with respect to the jack mechanism 40, and a guide mechanism 60 for guiding the left - right movement of the vehicle body 20.

[0025] In FIGS. 1 to 6, for the sake of explanation, the frame 21 of the vehicle body 20 which is the main part of the vehicle unit 10, the jack mechanism 40, the moving mechanism 50, the guide mechanism 60, etc. are shown, and the illustration of the wheels 12 for track running and the details of the equipment 11 for track maintenance are omitted. Further, in FIG. 5, for the sake of explanation of the moving mechanism 50, the description of the jack mechanism 40 and the drive mechanism 70 for causing the jack mechanism 40 to perform a lifting operation is omitted, and the first and second guide rods 62 and 63 of the guide mechanism 60 are partially cut out. In FIGS. 6(A) and 6(B), the guide mechanism 60 and the first and second frame members 22 and 23 are shown.

[0026] (Vehicle body 20) The vehicle body 20 has a floor surface 24 attached to the frame 21. The frame 21 includes rod-shaped frame members 21A to 21D that form a rectangle when viewed from a plane and extend in the front, rear, left, and right directions, and first and second rod-shaped frame members 22 and 23 that are arranged side by side at two positions in the front-rear direction when viewed from the plane shown in FIG. 1. Both left and right ends of the first and second frame members 22 and 23 are connected to the left and right frame members 21B and 21D. Note that the first and second frame members 22 and 23 may be configured as a single rod-shaped member. The frame 21 is made of iron, but it may be made of other metals.

[0027] Equipment 11 for track maintenance is arranged on the floor surface 24. Track maintenance refers to maintenance and inspection work performed to safely run the vehicle, and is not limited to the maintenance of the track R, sleepers, and ballast, but also includes the removal of weeds and trees around the track. The equipment 11 for track maintenance is, for example, a rail trimming device 120 as shown in FIG. 9 in this embodiment. The rail trimming device 120 includes a grindstone 121 for trimming the rail, a rotary drive unit 122 for rotating the grindstone, a vertical drive unit 123 for moving the grindstone up and down with respect to the rail, and the like. Note that the equipment 11 for track maintenance is not limited to this, and may be any equipment such as a ballast tamping device, a rail lifting device, a boiler unit, a bessel (dump), a vacuum (suction) unit, an aerial work platform, a cutter for tree removal, etc.

[0028] At least at the front and rear positions (two positions in the front and rear in this embodiment) of the lower surface of the frame body 21 or the floor surface 24, a pair of left and right wheels 12 for running on the rail are provided (FIGS. 7 and 8). The interval between the wheels 12 for running on the rail coincides with the width L1 of the rail R. The wheels 12 for running on the rail are, for example, iron wheels. Note that the wheels 12 for running on the rail may be provided not only at the front and rear positions of the frame body 21 or the floor surface 24 but also at the central position between the front and rear positions or at a plurality of positions. The vehicle unit 10 is not provided with wheels 92 for running on the ground.

[0029] (Guide mechanism 60) As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the guide mechanism 60 includes a rod-shaped guide member 61 and a holding member 64. The guide member 61 is composed of hollow first and second guide rods 62 and 63. The first and second guide rods 62 and 63 are arranged parallel to the first and second frame members 22 and 23 at the upper positions of the first and second frame members 22 and 23, respectively. The guide member 61 guides the lateral movement of the first and second frame members 22 and 23. The position of the guide member 61 is not limited to this, and it may be at the lower positions of the first and second frame members 22 and 23 of the vehicle body 20. Jack mechanisms 40A are provided at both left and right ends of the guide member 61 in the lateral direction. Specifically, a left jack mechanism 40A is attached to the left end of the first guide rod 62, and a right jack mechanism 40B (also simply referred to as "jack mechanism 40" when there is no need to distinguish) is attached to the right end of the second guide rod 63.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 6(B), the holding member 64 has a U-shaped cross section and holds the first and second frame members 22 and 23 before and after the vehicle unit 10 on the guide member 61. As shown in FIG. 2, a total of four holding members 64 are provided on the guide members 61 at the rear position and the front position, two on each side with respect to the center in the left-right direction. On the upper side of the inner surface 64a of the holding member 64, the first and second guide rods 62 and 63 of the guide member 61 are fixed by screws 65. A width adjustment spacer 66a for adjusting the width of the holding member 64 and the widths of the first and second guide rods 62 and 63 is provided between the inner surface 64a of the holding member 64 and the side surfaces of the first and second guide rods 62 and 63. As shown in FIG. 2, the length of the width adjustment spacer 66a in the left-right direction is longer than the length of the holding member 64 in the left-right direction.

[0031] The first and second frame members 22, 23 of the vehicle body 20 penetrate the lower side of the inside of the holding member 64. The first and second frame members 22, 23 can move back and forth in the left and right direction relative to the holding member 64 and the guide member 61. In a cross-sectional view, a sliding member 67 is provided on the lower side of both inner surfaces 64a and the bottom surface 64b of the holding member 64. The sliding member 67 is used to smoothly move the first and second frame members 22, 23 relative to the holding member 64. The sliding member 67 has a plate shape and may be made of any material that has lubricity relative to the first and second frame members 22, 23, for example, cast metal such as cast steel or cast iron, reinforced plastic, etc. Also, it may be a metal plate coated with a friction reducing agent such as fluororesin. When the first and second frame members 22, 23 move, the sliding member 67 comes into contact with the side surfaces 22a, 23a of the first and second frame members 22, 23, and moves while being in contact with the lower surfaces 22b, 23b of the first and second frame members 22, 23. The frictional force generated between the sliding member 67 and the first and second frame members 22, 23 is smaller than the frictional force generated between the sliding member 67 and the first and second frame members 22, 23 when the sliding member 67 is not present and the first and second frame members 22, 23 directly abut against the inner surface 64a of the holding member 64. Therefore, the first and second frame members 22, 23 move smoothly relative to the holding member 64. The sliding member 67 also functions as a spacer for adjusting the width of the holding member 64 and the width of the first and second frame members 22, 23.

[0032] In this embodiment, two sliding members 67 are provided at the top and bottom of both inner surfaces 64a of the holding member 64, and two sliding members 67 are provided at the front and back of the bottom surface 64 at portions corresponding to the first and second frame members 22, 23. However, one sliding member 67 may be provided at the top and bottom of both inner surfaces 64a, and one sliding member 67 may be provided at portions corresponding to the first and second frame members 22, 23 of the bottom surface 64, and the number of sliding members 67 is not limited. Furthermore, bearings may be used as the sliding members 67.

[0033] A slight gap is provided between the lower surfaces 62b and 63b of the first and second guide rods 62 and 63 of the guide member 61 and the upper surfaces 22c and 23c of the first and second frame members 22 and 23 so that no frictional force is generated between the guide member 61 when the first and second frame members 22 and 23 move. Incidentally, the first and second frame members 22 and 23 may move even when the lower surfaces 62b and 63b of the guide member 61 are in contact with the upper surfaces 22c and 23c of the first and second frame members 22 and 23.

[0034] (Moving mechanism 50) The moving mechanism 50 moves the vehicle body 20 relative to the jack mechanism 40 and includes a cylinder 51. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, four moving mechanisms 50 are provided, one each on the side surfaces 22a and 23a of the first and second frame members 22 and 23 located in the front and rear of the vehicle body 20.

[0035] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the moving mechanism 50 includes a cylinder 51 composed of a cylinder body 52 and a rod 53 that expands and contracts from the cylinder body 52. As shown in FIG. 2, the cylinder body 52 is attached to the side surface 22a of the first frame member 22 so that the rod 53 expands and contracts in the left-right direction. The tip of the rod 53 is attached to a connecting plate member 54 fixed to the side surface 62a of the first guide rod 62 of the guide member 61. Since the jack mechanism 40 is attached to the end of the guide member 61, it can be said that the tip of the rod 53 is attached to the jack mechanism 40 via the connecting plate member 54 and the guide member 61.

[0036] For the moving mechanism 50 attached to the side surface 23a of the second frame member 23, the cylinder body 52 is attached to the side surface 23a of the second frame member 23, and the tip of the rod 53 is attached to a connecting plate member 54 fixed to the side surface 63a of the second guide rod 63 of the guide member 61.

[0037] When the rod 53 expands and contracts, the vehicle body 20 reciprocates in the left - right direction relative to the jack mechanism 40 by the length of the expansion and contraction of the rod 53. FIG. 2 shows a state where the rod 53 of the moving mechanism 50 attached to the side surface 22a of the first frame member 22 is contracted. FIGS. 4 and 5 show a state where the vehicle body 20 has moved to the right with respect to the state of FIG. 2. In FIGS. 4 and 5, the rod 53 (53A) of the moving mechanism 50 attached to the side surface 22a of the first frame member 22 extends, and the rod 53 (53B) of the cylinder 51 provided on the second frame member 23 contracts.

[0038] When the vehicle body 20 moves to the left, the rod 53A of the cylinder 51 provided on the first frame member 22 contracts, and the rod 53B of the cylinder 51 provided on the second frame member 23 extends.

[0039] Note that the cylinder body 52 may be provided on the first guide rod 62 (or the second guide rod 63) of the guide member 61, and the tip of the rod 53 may be connected to the first frame member 22 (or the second frame member 23).

[0040] Also, the moving mechanism 50 may be provided on only one of the first and second frame members 22 and 23. Even in this case, since the first and second frame members 22 and 23 and the frame members 21A - 21D constituting the frame body 21 of the vehicle body 20 are integrally formed, the moving mechanism 50 enables free movement in the left - right direction.

[0041] (Drive mechanism 70) A drive mechanism 70 is provided for each of the pair of left - right jack mechanisms 40. The jack mechanism 40 can rise and fall freely with respect to the upper surfaces of the first and second guide rods 62 and 63 by the drive mechanism 70.

[0042] The drive mechanism 70 is composed of a support plate 74 and a tilting cylinder 71. The support plate 74 is a flat iron plate and is substantially right-angled triangular along the plane orthogonal to the front-rear direction in FIG. 2 (when looking at the vehicle unit 10 from the back). The jack mechanism 40 is connected and fixed to the edge portion 74a along one side constituting the inner angle of the right angle. Among the three corner portions of the triangle of the support plate 74, the corner portion that is the farthest from the edge portion 74a to which the jack mechanism 40 is connected and is on one side of the hypotenuse is rotatably supported by a support shaft 74b at the upper end portions of the first and second guide rods 62 and 63. At the corner portion on the other side of the hypotenuse, the tip end portion of the tilting rod 73 of the tilting cylinder 71 is rotatably connected by a support shaft 74c via a connecting piece 74d.

[0043] The tilting cylinder 71 of the drive mechanism 70 has its base end side rotatably supported by a connecting piece 75 provided on the upper surfaces of the first and second guide rods 62 and 63. It is composed of a tilting cylinder main body 72 and a tilting rod 73 that expands and contracts from the tilting cylinder main body 72. In the state where the tilting rod 73 is contracted, as shown in FIG. 2, the jack mechanism 40 lies on the upper surfaces of the first and second guide rods 62 and 63. When the tilting rod 73 extends, the jack mechanism 40 rotates and stands up along the plane including the vertical direction and the horizontal direction with the support shaft 74b at the first corner portion of the support plate 74 as a fulcrum, as shown in FIG. 3. In the standing posture, the pair of jack mechanisms 40 are respectively positioned outside the left and right frame members 21B and 21D of the vehicle body 20 in the left-right direction.

[0044] Since the jack mechanism 40 can be tilted freely, when the jack mechanism 40 is not used, the jack mechanism 40 is folded, saving space.

[0045] (Jack mechanism 40) The jack mechanism 40 is constituted by a jack cylinder 41. A disk-shaped base portion 43a is provided at the tip of a jack rod 43 that moves in and out with respect to a jack cylinder main body 42. When the base portion 43a is pressed against the ground by the extension of the jack rod 43 in the upright posture of the jack mechanism 40, the jack cylinder main body 42 is pushed up by the reaction force from the ground against the base portion 43a. Since the vehicle body 20 is held by a support plate 74 and a guide member 61 on the jack cylinder main body 42, the vehicle body 20 is pushed up when the jack cylinder main body 42 of the jack mechanism 40 is pushed up. When the jack rod 43 contracts, the vehicle body 20 is lowered.

[0046] In the upright posture of the jack mechanism 40, when the jack rods 43 of the pair of left and right jack mechanisms 40 extend, the length L3 between the inner sides of the base portions 43a of the pair of left and right jack rods 43 is longer than the maximum length L2 in the left-right direction of the transport vehicle 90, that is, the width of the transport vehicle 90 (FIG. 7(C)). Thereby, when the transport vehicle 90 retreats from below the vehicle unit 10, the movement of the transport vehicle 90 is not hindered by the jack rods 43.

[0047] In the present embodiment, the jack mechanisms 40A and 40B are provided at both ends in the left-right direction of the guide member 61, but the present invention is not limited to this. As long as it is provided integrally with the vehicle body 20 and can lift the vehicle body 20, it may be provided at any position. For example, it may be provided on the frame members 21B and 21D of the frame body 21. In this case, the drive mechanism 70 is provided at a position where the jack mechanism 40 can be raised and lowered, such as on the floor surface 24.

[0048] (Operation of the mobile track maintenance device 100) Figures 7 and 8 show the operation of the mobile track maintenance device 100. The mobile track maintenance device 100 travels on the road by means of wheels 92 for ground travel and enters the track from a level crossing near the work site. Then, it lowers the wheels 94 for rail travel on the track and switches from the wheels 92 for ground travel to the wheels 94 for rail travel. The mobile track maintenance device 100 travels on the track R by means of the wheels 94 for rail travel to the work site and stops at the work site (Figure 7(A)). In this state, the jack mechanism 40 is in a lying posture. Then, the drive mechanism 70 is operated to set the jack mechanism 40 in an upright posture (Figure 7(B)), and the jack rod 43 of the jack mechanism 40 is extended. The base portion 43a at the tip of the jack rod 43 is pressed against the ground, the jack cylinder body 42 is pushed up, and accordingly, the vehicle body 20 of the vehicle unit 10 is lifted from the loading platform 91 of the transport vehicle 90 (Figure 7(C)).

[0049] In this state, when the transport vehicle 90 retreats from under the vehicle body 20 of the vehicle unit 10, the space under the vehicle body 20 of the vehicle unit 10 becomes empty (Figure 8(A)). Then, the jack rod 43 of the jack mechanism 40 is contracted to lower the vehicle unit 10 onto the track R (Figure 8(B)). At this time, the position of the wheels 12 for rail travel of the vehicle unit 10 may be displaced in the left-right direction with respect to the position of the track R. In such a case, first, the rod 53 of the moving mechanism 50 is extended and contracted to move the vehicle body 20 in the left-right direction with respect to the jack mechanism 40 (Figures 2 and 4), so as to adjust the position of the wheels 12 for rail travel of the vehicle unit 10 and position the wheels 12 for rail travel of the vehicle unit 10 above the track R. Then, the wheels 12 for rail travel of the vehicle unit 10 are lowered onto the track R. The jack rod 43 is completely contracted, and the drive mechanism 70 is operated to set the jack mechanism 40 in a lying posture (Figure 8(C)). After this, the vehicle unit 10 travels on the wheels 12 for rail travel and performs operations such as rail trimming.

[0050] In the prior art, when the vehicle unit 110 is lowered from the transport vehicle 90, if the wheels 12 for track running are not positioned above the track R of the track, lowering the vehicle unit 110 as it is will cause the wheels 112 for track running not to ride on the track R of the track. In such a case, the vehicle unit 110 is placed back on the loading platform 91 of the transport vehicle 90 while adjusting the position, and then the vehicle unit 110 is lowered from the transport vehicle 90 again. Therefore, it has been time-consuming and laborious to align the wheels 112 for track running of the vehicle unit 110 with the track. However, according to the above configuration, when lowering the wheels 12 for track running of the vehicle unit 10 onto the track R, the moving mechanism 50 can adjust the lateral position of the wheels 12 for track running with respect to the track R. For this reason, the wheels 12 for track running of the vehicle unit 10 can be easily positioned above the track R, the positioning of the wheels 12 for track running becomes easy, and the time and labor required for positioning can be saved.

[0051] Note that the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, etc. of the components described as embodiments or shown in the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but are merely illustrative examples. Expressions indicating that things such as "the same", "identical", "equal", and "homogeneous" are in an equal state represent not only a strictly equal state, but also a state in which there are tolerances or differences to the extent that the same function can be obtained. Expressions representing triangular, quadrangular, or circular shapes represent not only shapes in a geometrically strict sense, but also shapes including uneven portions and chamfered portions within a range where the same effect can be obtained. The expressions "comprising", "having", "including", or "possessing" one component are not exclusive expressions excluding the existence of other components. "Parallel" and "orthogonal" mean substantially "parallel" and "orthogonal", and include not only a strictly "parallel" and "orthogonal" state, but also a state including an error of about several degrees. Also, there may be cases where an expression such as "part", for example, "end part" is used. For example, the "end part" means a part having a certain range including the "end". The same applies to other expressions accompanied by "... part".

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0052] 10 Vehicle unit 11 Facilities for track maintenance 12 Wheels for running on rails 20 Car body 21 Frame body 21A to 21D Rod-shaped frame members 22, 23 First and second frame members 40 (40A, 40B) Jack mechanism 50 Moving mechanism 54 Connecting plate material 60 Guide mechanism 61 Guide member 61 First and second guide rod bodies 64 Holding member 70 Driving mechanism 74 Support plate 90 Transport vehicle 92 Wheels for running on the ground 94 Wheels for running on rails 100 Mobile track maintenance device R Rail

Claims

1. A vehicle unit for traveling on a rail, comprising: a vehicle body equipped with facilities for track maintenance; rail traveling wheels provided in a pair on the left and right, with an interval corresponding to the width of the rail, at least at the front and rear positions of the vehicle body; a jack mechanism provided in a pair on the left and right at the front and rear positions of the vehicle unit, for raising and lowering the vehicle body with respect to the rail; a moving mechanism for relatively moving the vehicle body in the left - right direction with respect to the jack mechanism. A vehicle unit comprising the above.

2. The moving mechanism is a cylinder composed of a cylinder body and a rod that expands and contracts in the left - right direction from the cylinder body, wherein one of the tip of the cylinder body or the rod is attached to the vehicle body, and the other is attached to the jack mechanism. The vehicle unit according to Claim 1.

3. The vehicle unit further comprises a guide mechanism for guiding the left - right movement of the vehicle body. The guide mechanism comprises: rod - shaped guide members provided at least at the front and rear positions of the vehicle body and extending in the left - right direction; holding members attached to the guide members for holding the vehicle body so as to be movable in the left - right direction along the guide members. The vehicle unit according to Claim 1.

4. The jack mechanism is attached to the left - right direction ends of the guide members. The vehicle unit according to Claim 3.

5. The jack mechanism is provided on the vehicle unit so as to be able to rise and fall freely. The vehicle unit according to Claim 1.

6. A mobile track maintenance device comprising the vehicle unit according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, and a transport vehicle capable of loading and unloading the vehicle unit. The transport vehicle comprises a loading platform on which the vehicle unit is loadable and unloadable, and a pair of left - and - right ground - traveling wheels provided at least at the front and rear positions of the transport vehicle. ​ ​

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