Temporary carriage for vehicle body transportation

Abstract

To provide a temporary truck for car body conveyance for accurately lifting a railroad car body.SOLUTION: A plurality of temporary trucks for vehicle body conveyance that support a front and a rear of a long railway vehicle body and convey the railway vehicle body by traveling along a traveling rail in a railway vehicle factory, the temporary trucks comprising: The temporary carriage for vehicle body conveyance includes the vertically movable lifting and lowering device 33 that supports the railway vehicle body, the control device 35,36 that controls driving of the lifting and lowering device 33, the lifting and lowering detector 38 that detects the lifting and lowering amount by the lifting and lowering device 33, and the wireless communication means 37 that transmits and receives information to and from the control device 35,36, and each control device 35,36 controls driving of the corresponding lifting and lowering device 33 according to the lifting and lowering amount from another lifting and lowering detector 38 obtained by transmission and reception of the wireless communication means 37.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a temporary carriage for transporting railway car bodies, which carries railway car bodies at the front and rear and runs along rails within a factory. [Background technology]

[0002] In railway vehicle factories, the railway car bodies that passengers ride on and the railway bogies that support them so that they can run are manufactured separately, and railway cars used for commercial operation are periodically disassembled into the railway car bodies and railway bogies for inspection and repair. For example, such inspection and repair factories are equipped with work facilities for various tasks, such as a dismantling yard, an outfitting yard, a repair yard, and a painting yard. Therefore, railway car bodies to be inspected and repaired are moved to the respective locations where the work facilities are located, and the required work is carried out. For the various work carried out at different locations, a temporary car body transport bogie (hereinafter simply referred to as a "temporary bogie") that runs along rails laid within the factory is used to move the railway car bodies without the railway bogies within the inspection and repair factory. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-060050 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Among the various types of work performed on railway car bodies, workers may enter underneath the car body to replace parts or repair and inspect equipment. Such work may require lifting the car body to raise its position. In such cases, a lifting jack, such as that described in Patent Document 1, may be used. However, lifting jacks have the drawback of increasing equipment costs and narrowing the work space. Alternatively, a temporary bogie may be equipped with a lifting device, and the car body may be lifted using two temporary bogies supporting the front and rear of the car body. However, in the past, the two temporary bogies supporting the car body were independently operated, requiring two workers in separate locations to communicate with each other and operate the two bogies to raise and lower the car body in unison.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a temporary carriage for transporting a railway car body that can accurately raise and lower the railway car body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The temporary car body transport bogies of the present invention are a plurality of temporary car body transport bogies that support the front and rear of long railway car bodies and transport the railway car bodies by running along running rails within a railway car factory, and include a lifting device that can be raised and lowered and supports the railway car body, a control device that controls the drive of the lifting device, a lifting detector that detects the amount of lifting by the lifting device, and wireless communication means for sending and receiving information between the control devices, and each of the control devices controls the drive of the corresponding lifting device in accordance with the amount of lifting from other lifting detectors obtained by sending and receiving via the wireless communication means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the above configuration, the railway car body can be transported by running along the running rails within the railway car factory, and when the control device controls the drive of the lifting devices that support the long railway car body at the front and rear, the amount of lifting is detected by the lifting detector, and information is sent and received between the control devices by wireless communication means, and the lifting heights at the front and rear of the railway car body can be made uniform according to the amount of lifting from the other lifting detectors. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] This diagram shows the locations of the inspection and repair workshops where the two traversers will move. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a simplified side view of a railway car body mounted on a temporary bogie. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the basic configuration of the temporary carriage. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a simplified functional configuration of a driving provisional carriage and a driven provisional carriage. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an automatic transport system for railway car bodies. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a confirmation screen for the position and driving status of a body transport vehicle within an inspection and repair factory. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an operation status screen showing the operation status at one factory within an inspection and repair factory. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a screen during operation for setting the transportation of a railway car body. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a confirmation screen for a transportation route created based on a setting operation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An embodiment of a temporary bogie for transporting car bodies according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows a distribution location in an inspection and repair shop where two traversers move. This inspection and repair shop 1 is equipped with an automatic transport system that uses traversers 3 and temporary bogies 6 (see Figure 2) as car body transport vehicles to automatically transport a railway car body 5 to a predetermined position.

[0010] Two traverser running rails 11 are laid in the center of the inspection and repair factory 1, and a distribution area 10 is provided where two traversers 3 move. The inspection and repair factory 1 has multiple buildings on either side of the distribution area 10, and pairs of distribution rails 12 extending to the work facilities within the buildings are laid so as to intersect perpendicularly with the traverser running rails 11. As shown in the figure, 20 sets of distribution rails 12 for entering and exiting each building are provided. In addition, entrance and exit rails 13 connecting to the main line are provided so that railway vehicles can enter and exit the inspection and repair factory 1.

[0011] The traverser 3 is configured so that it can carry a railway car body 5 supported on a temporary bogie 6, and two loading rails 23 parallel to the upper surface of a rectangular car body 21 are provided in the longitudinal direction. Traveling devices 22 that enable travel along the traverser traveling rails 11 are provided at both longitudinal ends of the car body 21. The two traveling devices 22 have the same configuration, and two traveling wheels 25 are journaled that run forward and backward along the traverser traveling rails 11, with one of the traveling wheels being connected to a traveling motor 26 via a gear. The two traveling devices 22 located at both longitudinal ends are connected to a vehicle control device 24, allowing for independent travel control of each other.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a side view showing a simplified view of a railway car body mounted on the temporary bogie 6. The temporary bogie 6 supports the railway car body 5 at two locations, the front and rear. One of the two is a self-propelled driving vehicle equipped with a running motor 31 (hereinafter referred to as the "driving temporary bogie 601"), and the other is a driven vehicle without a running motor (hereinafter referred to as the "driven temporary bogie 602"). Therefore, the temporary bogie 6 is driven by the running motor 31 of the driving temporary bogie 601, and the rotation is transmitted to the wheels 26 via a reducer, thereby pulling the driven temporary bogie 602, which is integrated with the mounted railway car body 5, and enabling transport travel along the rails. In addition, both the driving temporary bogie 601 and the driven temporary bogie 602 have elevating devices 33 at the front-rear center portions of the bogie frame 32, and support the supported railway car body 5 so that it can be raised and lowered. The driving temporary bogie 601 is equipped with a vehicle control device 35 for driving and controlling the running motor 31 and the lifting device 33, and the driven temporary bogie 602 is equipped with a vehicle control device 36 for driving and controlling the lifting device 33.

[0013] 3 is a plan view showing the basic configuration of the temporary bogie 6. The temporary bogie 6 is composed of an H-shaped bogie frame 32 in which two side beams 321 that are parallel to each other along the rails 15 are connected by a cross beam 322. The bogie frame 32 has two axles supported by the left and right side beams 321, and the axles are provided with wheels 34 that roll on the rails 15 so as to be positioned at the front, rear, left and right of the bogie. If the temporary bogie 6 having such a basic configuration is a driving temporary bogie 601, a running motor 31 is mounted on the bogie frame 32, and the rotation of the motor is transmitted to one of the wheels 34, enabling automatic running.

[0014] The lifting devices 33 of the provisional bogie 6 are provided at both ends of the cross beam 322 so as to be positioned outside the side beams 321. Although not shown in detail, the lifting devices 33 are configured with actuators such as hydraulic cylinders or electric cylinders, and stroke adjustment is possible through drive control by the vehicle control devices 35, 36. In particular, since the railway car body 5 is supported on both sides in the width direction, a pair of left and right actuators are synchronously controlled to prevent tilting. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the lifting devices 33 of the driving provisional bogie 601 and the driven provisional bogie 602 are configured to be synchronously controlled for all actuators.

[0015] 4 is a block diagram showing a simplified functional configuration of the driving provisional bogie 601 and the driven provisional bogie 602. The vehicle control devices 35, 36 are provided with a wireless communication unit 37 for transmitting and receiving information. Each actuator of the lifting device 33 is provided with a linear encoder 38 so that its stroke can be detected. Therefore, for each temporary bogie 6, drive control is performed so that the stroke amounts of the left and right actuators of each lifting device 33 match based on the detection value of the linear encoder 38. Furthermore, for each lifting device 33 of the driving provisional bogie 601 and the driven provisional bogie 602 located at the front and rear, drive control is performed so that the stroke amounts of the actuators match by transmitting and receiving the detection value of the linear encoder 38 via the wireless communication unit 37.

[0016] Next, the railway car body 5 to be inspected and repaired is transported to a predetermined work facility while being loaded onto a temporary bogie 6, using the traverser 3 along the way. In the inspection and repair factory 1 of this embodiment, an automatic transport system for automatically transporting the railway car body 5 is constructed, and running management is performed for the temporary bogie 6 and traverser 3. FIG. 5 is an image diagram of the automatic transport system for railway car bodies. In this embodiment, the automatic transport system enables information communication between a comprehensive management device 7 configured using a computer or the like and all of the car body transport vehicles, the traversers 3 and the temporary bogies 6 for driving, that move within the inspection and repair factory 1.

[0017] The general control device 7 and all traversers 3 and temporary bogies 6 (hereinafter collectively referred to as "car body transport vehicles (3, 6)") are equipped with wireless communication devices, and driving commands are sent from the general control device 7 to each car body transport vehicle (3, 6), and conversely, driving information is sent from the car body transport vehicles (3, 6) to the general control device 7. The automatic transport system is also provided with a portable operation terminal 8 as a user interface connecting the general control device 7 and the worker. The operation terminal 8 stores a transport setting program that allows the worker to check the situation within the factory and set up transport settings for the railway car body 5 by touch operation.

[0018] The multiple body transport vehicles (3, 6) move within the spacious inspection and repair factory 1, and transporting items in buildings other than the building where the comprehensive management device 7 is installed is also performed. For this reason, wireless APs (access points) are installed at various locations in the automated transport system to ensure proper wireless communication. In addition, in wireless communication, the received signal level and noise level are important values ​​in determining the communication status and communication environment. Therefore, in this embodiment, the access points are installed so that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR = signal strength - noise level) exceeds 15 from any location within the factory. For example, for communication between factories in different buildings, access points are installed near windows facing each other.

[0019] First, in the automatic transport system of this embodiment, in order to accurately stop the car body transport vehicles (3, 6), for example, as shown in Fig. 3, an ID tag 45 having position information and a stopping magnet 46 corresponding to a magnetic sensor are provided as a set of stop control members. The ID tag 45 and the stopping magnet 46 are provided at a plurality of stopping positions where the positioning of the railway car body 5 is required within the inspection and repair factory 1. The plurality of stopping positions include work positions equipped with work equipment as well as standby positions where work is awaited.

[0020] A pair of ID tag 45 and stopping magnet 46 is provided at each stopping position, with the ID tag 45 located on the front side and the stopping magnet 46 located on the rear side when viewed in the direction of travel of the vehicle body guided vehicles (3, 6). The distance between the ID tag 45 and the stopping magnet 46 is set as a deceleration control section until the vehicle body guided vehicles (3, 6) stop. The stopping magnet 46 indicates the stopping position of the vehicle body guided vehicles (3, 6), and the ID tag 45 triggers the deceleration of the traveling vehicle body guided vehicles (3, 6) so that they can be stopped by the stopping magnet 46.

[0021] The temporary carriage 6 (hereinafter, the same applies to the traverser 3) is provided with a reader 47 that reads the position information of the ID tag 45, and a stop detector 48 that detects the magnetism of the stop magnet 46. The ID tag 45 is a so-called passive RFID tag, and a signal (electromagnetic wave) transmitted from an antenna by driving a control circuit of the reader 47 is received by an antenna on the ID tag 45 side. At this time, in the ID tag 45, the signal is converted into a direct current by a rectifier circuit of the antenna, and the generated power drives the control circuit, allowing the reader 47 to read the position information stored in the memory.

[0022] 6 to 9 are diagrams showing the screens of the operation terminal 8. First, Fig. 6 schematically shows a confirmation screen 41 showing the position and running status of temporary carriages 6, which are car body transport vehicles, in the inspection and repair factory 1. The confirmation screen 41 shows frames indicating a first factory 51, a second factory 52, and a third factory 53, which are divided into multiple buildings in the inspection and repair factory 1, oval temporary carriage marks 55 indicating the stopping positions of the temporary carriages 6 in each factory, and square traverser marks 56 indicating the traversers 3 connecting the factories. Note that the traverser marks 56 indicate the positional relationship of movement and do not correspond to the actual number of vehicles.

[0023] The temporary carriage marks 55 indicate the positions where the temporary carriage 6 can stop. They are arranged vertically and horizontally within each factory frame, but the direction of movement is horizontal. For example, the second factory 52 has four sets of running rails, each with four stopping positions. The four stopping positions are work positions equipped with work equipment, as well as waiting positions for work. The second factory 52 has a total of 16 such stopping positions, each of which is equipped with an ID tag 45 and a stopping magnet 46, just like the stopping positions of the temporary carriage 6 described using Figure 3. The same is true for the first factory 51 and the third factory 53.

[0024] The temporary bogie marks 55 are distinguished by the display method shown in the explanation box 54 of the confirmation screen 41 based on the position information of the read ID tag 45 so that the actual situation can be understood. The explanation box 54 displays, from top to bottom, "empty" when no temporary bogie 6 is present at the stop position, "on track" when the temporary bogie 6 is stopped at the stop position, "in motion" when the temporary bogie 6 has passed the position and is in motion, and "candidate location for transfer" where the moving temporary bogie 6 is aiming for its destination. Regarding the traverser 3, a black arrow indicates that it is "in motion" in a predetermined direction. Therefore, from the confirmation screen 41 shown in FIG. 6, it can be seen that, for example, in the second factory 52, there are three temporary bogies 6 (more precisely, three sets of temporary bogies 6 including a driven car) each equipped with a railway car body 5 and one temporary bogie 6 moving toward the candidate location for transfer.

[0025] The confirmation screen 41 shown in Fig. 6 changes to the operation status screen shown in Fig. 7 by touching the frame of each factory. On this screen, the temporary bogie mark 57 changes to a square, and a running mark 58 with an arrow indicating the running direction is added. For example, 27 temporary driving bogies 6 exist in the inspection and repair factory 1, and information management is performed in the general management device 7 based on the numbers assigned to each of them. Based on this information, the operation status screen 42 displays the numbers of each temporary bogie 6 present in the second factory 52 on the temporary bogie mark 57.

[0026] For temporary bogies 6 that are stopped, the numbers NO12, NO20, and NO27 are displayed superimposed on the "On Track" display, and for temporary bogies 6 that are moving, the number NO4 is displayed superimposed on the "Moving" display. However, for temporary bogies 6 that are moving, the number NO4 is also displayed superimposed on the "Possible Moving Location" display, and temporary bogies 6 that are "Moving" are displayed with the number NO(4) in parentheses. Furthermore, the running mark 58 located in front of the temporary bogie mark 57 that displays the number NO(4) flashes, indicating that the temporary bogie 6 is moving.

[0027] The transport setting of the railway car body 5 mounted on the temporary bogie 6 can be performed on the operation status screen 42 shown in FIG. 7. First, by touching the temporary bogie mark 57 "on track" displayed on the operation status screen 42, the movement of the corresponding temporary bogie 6, i.e., the transport setting of the loaded railway car body 5, can be started. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, when the temporary bogie mark 57 of No. 20 is touched, the mark changes to the "moving" display similar to No. (4) and starts flashing. This identifies the target of the transport setting, and information on the actual temporary bogie 6 is displayed as a pop-up on the temporary bogie mark 57, as shown in the figure.

[0028] The information in the pop-up display 61 includes the number assigned to the temporary driving bogie 6, the track number assigned to the rail that is the current position within the factory, the status (e.g., whether the vehicle is simply stopped or undergoing work), whether there are any abnormalities, and the vehicle number of the railway car body 5 on which it is mounted. If the object of transportation can be confirmed based on this information, the destination of transportation is then set. On the other hand, if the object of transportation is incorrect, the setting operation can be canceled by touching the flashing temporary bogie mark 57 of No. 20 again, and the temporary bogie mark 57 will return to the original display of "on track" as shown in Figure 7.

[0029] If the transfer setting is to be continued, the transfer destination is set by touching the temporary cart mark 57 corresponding to the transfer destination. As shown in the figure, when the temporary cart mark 57 corresponding to the third factory 53 is touched, the mark flashes to indicate "candidate transfer location," and the travel mark 58, which is an arrow indicating entry into that stop position, also flashes. In this case, too, by touching the flashing temporary cart mark 57 again, the setting of this stop position as the transfer destination is canceled, and the temporary cart mark 57 returns to its original display.

[0030] After the target temporary bogie 6 and its transport destination have been determined in the above manner, pressing the execute button 62 sends these conditions to the general control device 7. In the general control device 7, a transport route for temporary bogie No. 20 6 is created based on the position information of the other body transport vehicles (3, 6) in the inspection and repair factory 1. Then, on the operation terminal 8 to which the transport route information has been sent, a pop-up display 63 shown in FIG. 9 appears on the operation status screen 42. The pop-up display 63 displays a guide message, the transport route, and operation buttons. The transport route displays the departure point, destination, and the use of a traverser (TRV) 3.

[0031] When the execute button 65 is pressed, the transport settings are finalized, the pop-up display 63 disappears, and the screen returns to the operation status screen 42 shown in FIG. 7, where transport of the railway car body 5 on the temporary bogie 6 No. 20 begins. The transport of the railway car body 5 is carried out by a travel control command from the comprehensive management device 7 to the traverser 3 and the temporary bogie 6. Note that the temporary bogie mark 55 No. 20 stops flashing and displays "in motion," and the temporary bogie mark 57 of the transport destination in the third factory 53 also stops flashing and displays "candidate transport location." On the other hand, when the cancel button 66 is pressed, the pop-up display 63 disappears on the operation terminal 8, and the screen returns to the confirmation screen 41 shown in FIG. 6.

[0032] The temporary carriage 6 that has received the travel control command travels automatically along the transfer route. While traveling, the ID tag 45 is read by the reader 47, and the position information is sent to the general control device 7. Then, when the temporary carriage 6 reaches the candidate transfer location, the travel speed is reduced by reading the ID tag 45, and the temporary carriage 6 is stopped by detecting the stop magnet 46. The general control device 7 transmits travel command signals to the temporary carriage 6 and the traverser 3 along the transfer route, while acquiring position information based on the ID tag 45 from the temporary carriage 6 and the traverser 3, thereby confirming the transfer position.

[0033] When underfloor work is to be performed on the railway car body 5 transported to the candidate transfer site, the railway car body 5 is lifted by the lifting device 33 of the temporary bogie 6. At this time, lifting and lowering operations can be performed using the operation terminal 8. For example, on the operation terminal 8, pressing a predetermined menu button displays a lifting and lowering operation screen, the number of the corresponding temporary bogie 6 is selected, and the lift (or lowering) value is entered. After that, pressing the execute button sends the setting signal to the general control device 7. Then, based on the setting signal, a drive control command is sent from the general control device 7 to the corresponding temporary bogie 6, and lifting and lowering control of the temporary bogie 6 is performed.

[0034] For the front and rear temporary bogies 6 supporting the railway car body 5, a drive control command is sent from the overall control device 7 to the driving temporary bogie 601, and synchronized control is performed between the driving temporary bogie 601 and the driven temporary bogie 602 by the lifting devices 33. That is, the vehicle control devices 35, 36, which are wirelessly connected to the driving temporary bogie 601 and the driven temporary bogie 602, perform drive control of each other's lifting devices 33 with the same lift value at the same timing. When the lifting devices 33 are driven, values ​​detected by the linear encoders 38 are transmitted and received, and the stroke amounts of each other can be confirmed. Therefore, if a difference in stroke amount occurs between the front and rear lifting devices 33, an adjustment is made to eliminate the difference, for example, by temporarily stopping the one with the faster lifting speed.

[0035] Therefore, in the temporary bogie 6 of this embodiment, the driving temporary bogie 601 and the driven temporary bogie 602, which carry the railway car body 5, are wirelessly connected, and it is possible to drive the lifting device 33 at a remote location by so-called synchronous control. This eliminates the need to assign an operator to each bogie to operate them, as in the past, reducing the number of personnel required, and also improves the accuracy of the lifting height because a person does not have to check the stroke amount of the lifting device 33 at a remote location. Furthermore, in this embodiment, since it is possible to operate the temporary bogie 6 within the automatic transport system, by using the operation terminal 8, it is possible to check whether the temporary bogie 6 has stopped at the work facility even from a remote location, and then perform the lifting operation accordingly.

[0036] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the lifting operation is performed using the operation terminal 8, but an operation means such as a pendant provided on the temporary carriage 6 may also be used. Although the wireless communication system of this embodiment uses an access point (AP), the present invention is not limited to this and may use a wide area network (WAN) using a mobile phone communication network, a broadband wireless access (BWA), or satellite communication. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1...Inspection and repair shop 3...Traverser 5...Railway car body 6 (601, 602)...Temporary bogie (temporary driving bogie, temporary driven bogie) 7...General management device 8...Operation terminal 31...Travel motor 33...Lifting device 35, 36...Vehicle control device 37...Wireless communication unit 38...Linear encoder 45...ID tag 46...Stop magnet 47...Reader 48...Stop detector

Claims

1. A plurality of temporary carriages for transporting a long railway car body are provided, which support the front and rear of the long railway car body and transport the railway car body by traveling along a running rail in a railway car factory, a lifting device that supports the railway car body and is capable of moving up and down, a control device that controls the driving of the lifting device, a lifting detector that detects the amount of lifting caused by the lifting device, and wireless communication means that transmits and receives information between the lifting device and the control device, Each of the control devices controls the driving of the corresponding lifting device in accordance with the amount of lifting from another lifting detector obtained by transmitting and receiving data via wireless communication means.

2. 2. The temporary carriage for transporting car bodies according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication means is capable of wireless communication with an operation terminal, and drive control of the lifting device is performed in response to a lifting command from the operation terminal.

Images