A device for moving loads that roll along 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 a device for moving heavy loads rolling on railway rails.

Background Art

[0002] Most railway companies have rolling loads such as vehicles, trains or locomotives, which need to be moved, especially in workshops, in order to service, maintain and repair the rolling loads.

[0003] For this purpose, it is known to use a moving device, which is particularly driven by a motor and comprises a roller engaging one rolling surface of the wheels of the rolling load to move the latter.

[0004] In this regard, Patent Document 1 describes a driving device including a transport carriage having two rolling cylinders and a driving cylinder arranged above the rolling cylinders and operated by a traction motor. When the driving device comes into contact with the wheels of the rolling load, a frictional contact is established between the driving cylinder and the rolling cylinders, and the carriage moves by the rotation of the driving cylinder, and at the same time, the rolling load moves by the rotation of the wheels driven by the rotation of the driving cylinder. The carriage further preferably has a handle having a control mechanism such as a switch or the like, to which a cable, sheath or similar element for supplying power to the motor is attached.

[0005] This type of driving device is effective but has the major drawback that it has to be attached only to one end of the rolling load to be moved and thus cannot be attached between its axles. Furthermore, this type of driving device needs to use a long power cable. Finally, with this type of driving device, once moving, the rolling load does not stop at a predetermined position and stops only when its kinetic energy becomes zero.

[0006] Other types of drive systems are described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, but they also suffer from many drawbacks, such as 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] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-080076 [Patent Document 3] U.S. Patent No. 4125029 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

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

[0009] Therefore, the present invention provides a device for moving a load that is equipped with wheels and rolls on rails, the moving device comprising at least the following: - Geared motor with a shaft having a horizontal rotation axis, - A drive roller mounted on the free end of the shaft of a geared motor and rotated by it, the drive roller being positioned to contact one of the wheels of a load being moved, - Two support rollers, positioned to contact the rails of the track that receive the wheels of the moving load, and configured to rotate by contact with the drive rollers. Equipped with, The aforementioned mobile device comprises at least the following: - An arm rigidly connected at one end to the shaft of the geared motor, extending horizontally and perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the shaft, - A brake shoe is rigidly connected to the free end of the arm and positioned on the one hand near the wheel of a load that is moved on the opposite side from the drive roller, and on the other hand in contact with the rail that receives the wheel. It is characterized by having the following features.

[0010] This configuration allows the moving device according to the present invention to consist of only a single geared motor-drive and support roller assembly, thereby making the device more compact and lighter, while simultaneously allowing the rolling load to be easily stopped in a predetermined position.

[0011] An advantage is that the length of the arm can be adjusted.

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

[0013] This particular configuration allows the brake shoes to be positioned on both sides of the wheels of the rolling load, making it easier to implement the load-moving device according to the present invention as needed.

[0014] Advantageously, the arm includes a hinge joint located on the same side as the end that is rigidly connected to the shaft of the geared motor, thereby allowing the arm to move from a fully straight "extended" position to a "folded" position.

[0015] The brake shoe is preferably a cylinder portion having an overall shape with an isosceles triangle cross-section, including a horizontal base surface positioned to rest on a rail and two inclined surfaces positioned to receive the wheels of the load.

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

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

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

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

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

[0021] The mobile device preferably includes the following: - A handlebar rigidly connected to the rear of the carriage, adjustable in height and foldable to maintain ergonomics in all situations. - A control station, advantageously rigidly connected to the handlebar and equipped with all the elements necessary to control the mobile device, and - A rechargeable battery type energy storage element for supplying power to a geared motor in particular.

[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.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023] [Figure 1] Front perspective view of a drive device for driving a rolling load according to the invention [Figure 2] Rear perspective view of the drive device shown in Figure 1 [Figure 3] Front perspective view of the drive device according to the invention in the folded position [Figure 4] Partial side view of the drive device shown in Figure 1 with the wheel in the lowered position [Figure 5] Partial side view of the drive device shown in Figure 1 with the wheel in the raised position [Figure 6] Partial front view of the drive device shown in Figure 1 mounted on the wheel of a rolling load [Figure 7] Enlarged detailed view of the drive device shown in Figure 6 [Figure 8] Side view of the drive device shown in Figure 7 [Figure 9] Enlarged partial view of the drive device shown in Figure 1

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0024] Figures 1 to 8 show, for example, a vehicle, a train or a locomotive, etc., and an apparatus 1 for moving a rolling load (not shown) provided with wheels R configured to roll on a railway rail V.

[0025] In this case, the rail V is assumed to be horizontal, but it is needless to say that it may be more or less inclined with respect to the horizontal, and in that case, it is necessary to adapt the terms horizontal, horizontally, vertical or vertically.

[0026] Referring to Figures 1 to 5, the mobile device 1 according to the present invention includes a carriage 2 comprising, on the one hand, at least one, advantageously two for obvious stability reasons, first wheels 3 that enable the 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, at least one, advantageously two for obvious stability reasons, second wheels 4 that move the mobile device 1 in place of one or more of the first wheels 3 when used to roll a 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 on the carriage 2 so as to pivot on a horizontal axis perpendicular to the sagittal plane (vertical plane oriented from front to rear) of the moving device 1.

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

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

[0030] Furthermore, in order to adjust the position of the mobile device 1 to the dimensions of the load and / or rail V being moved, it is clearly understood that the position of each second wheel 4 is advantageously height-adjustable. For this purpose, each second wheel 4 is rigidly connected to the carriage 2 by a length-adjustable vertical profile member 7. Furthermore, to facilitate the movement of the mobile device 1, each second wheel 4 is advantageously of the "jockey" wheel type, pivoting around a horizontal axis but also capable of pivoting around a vertical axis.

[0031] According to the illustrated embodiment, the mobile device 1 includes at least the following elements, which are at least partially included in the carriage 2: - A geared motor 8 having a horizontal rotation axis parallel to the sagittal plane of the moving device 1, preferably located inside, wherein the shaft 9 is oriented to extend beyond the front surface of the carriage 2, - A drive roller 10 attached to the free end of the shaft 9 of the geared motor 8 and rotated by it, the drive roller 10 is positioned to contact one of the wheels R of the load being moved (see Figure 7), and - Two support rollers 11 are positioned to contact one of the rails V of the railway that will receive the wheels R of the load being moved, and are configured to rotate by contact with the drive roller 10.

[0032] Regarding the last point, the support rollers 11 pivot about a horizontal axis that is coplane with and parallel to the rotation axis of the shaft 9 of the geared motor 8, and are positioned on both sides of the drive roller 10 and lower than the drive roller 10, so that when the drive roller 10 rotates, the two support rollers 11 rotate in close contact with each other.

[0033] Mobile device 1 further includes: -At one end, it is rigidly connected to the shaft 9 of the geared motor 8, and the arm 12 extends horizontally and perpendicular to the rotation axis of the shaft 9, - A brake shoe 13 is rigidly connected to the free end of the arm 12, positioned on the one hand near the wheel R (see Figure 6) of the load being moved to the opposite side, and on the other hand in contact with the rail V of the track receiving the wheel R.

[0034] It goes without saying that the moving device 1 may have a single support roller 11, while remaining within the scope of the present invention. However, for obvious reasons of stability, it is clearly understood that the moving device 1 is advantageously provided with two support rollers 11 arranged in the above configuration.

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

[0036] The length of the arm 12 can be advantageously adjusted to allow the position of the brake shoe 13 to conform to the size of the wheel R of the load being moved.

[0037] Furthermore, in order to enable the drive roller 10-support roller 11 assembly of the moving device 1 to be attached to both sides of the wheel R of the load to be moved, the arm 12 is advantageously mounted to pivot on the shaft 9 of the geared motor 8 about a rotation axis, and the brake shoes 13 can be positioned on both sides of the drive roller 10-support roller 11 assembly. According to this hypothesis, the brake shoes 13 are mounted to pivot at the end of the arm 12, which is coupled about a rotation axis parallel to the rotation axis of the shaft of the geared motor 8, and it is clearly understood that the contact surface of the brake shoes 13 is precisely positioned on the rail V of the track receiving the wheel R.

[0038] To make the mobile 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 that is rigidly connected to the shaft 9 of the geared motor 8, thereby allowing the arm 12 to move from a fully straight "extended" position to a "folded" position where 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°, preferably 90°, with the portion of the arm 12 extending from the hinge joint 14 to the shaft 9 of the geared motor 8.

[0039] In an advantageous embodiment, the brake shoe 13 is a portion of a cylinder having an overall shape with an isosceles triangular cross-section, including a horizontal base 15 positioned to rest on the rail V and two inclined surfaces 16 positioned to receive the wheels R of the load. The brake shoe 13 is made of elastomer, in particular to improve contact on the rail V.

[0040] Furthermore, to facilitate the guiding of the moving device 1 along the rail V, the drive roller 10-support roller 11 assembly and the brake shoe 13 each include at least one guide plate 17, 18 positioned to abut against the edge of the rail V. Guide plate 17 is rigidly connected to at least the support roller 11 on the side opposite to the geared motor 8 and extends beyond the support roller 11 on the side opposite to the drive roller 10. Similarly, guide plate 18 is rigidly connected to the brake shoe 13 on the side opposite to the geared motor 8 and extends beyond the bottom surface 15 of the brake shoe 13 on the side opposite to its inclined surface 16. Advantageously, guide plate 18 may be coupled 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 the brake shoe 13.

[0041] To facilitate use, the mobile device 1 further includes a predetermined number of auxiliary devices. Therefore, the mobile device 1 includes: - A handlebar 20 rigidly connected to the rear of carriage 2, with adjustable height and foldable to maintain ergonomics in all situations. -Advantageously, a control station 21 is rigidly connected to the handlebar 20 and provides all the elements necessary to control the mobile device 1, in particular to start the geared motor 8, select its direction of rotation, and stop rotation in an emergency, and - In particular, a rechargeable battery-type energy storage element 22 for supplying power to the geared motor 8.

[0042] The mobile device 1 may further include a headlight 23 that is rigidly connected to the handlebar 20 and illuminates the area in which the mobile device 1 is used.

[0043] Referring to Figures 6 to 8, in this configuration, the process described below is performed in order to move a load having wheels R on rail V using the moving device 1 according to the present invention.

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

[0045] The position of the second wheel 4 is adjusted using the vertical profile member 7 to contact the ground S, and then the first wheel 3 is raised to a "high" position.

[0046] Next, the geared motor 8 is started using the control unit 21 to rotate the drive roller 10, which in turn rotates the two support rollers 11 in close contact, causing the drive roller 10-support roller 11 assembly, as well as the arm 12 and brake shoe 13, to move along the rail V. When the drive roller 10-support roller 11 assembly reaches under the wheel R of the load to be moved, it is sandwiched between the wheel R and the rail V, and then the drive roller 10 transmits driving torque to the wheel R in close contact, so that the load rolling on the rail V is moved, the latter moving as long as the geared motor 8 is operating.

[0047] Referring to Figure 9, in order to avoid any sudden movement when the drive roller 10-support roller 11 assembly becomes pinched under the wheel R of the load being moved, the drive roller 10-support roller 11 assembly can advantageously pivot around the shaft 9 of the geared motor 8.

[0048] Finally, in order 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 comes to a stop.

[0049] One specific application of the moving device 1 according to the present invention is the movement of loads rolling on rails V of a railway line. However, it is clear that the moving device 1 may be adapted and used to move other types of loads, such as rolls of paper or steel plates.

[0050] Finally, it goes without saying that the example of the mobile device 1 according to the present invention described above is merely an example and does not limit the present invention in any way.

Claims

1. A moving device (1) equipped with wheels for moving a load that rolls on railway rails, the moving device (1) comprises at least the following: - The shaft (9) is a geared motor (8) having a horizontal rotation axis. - A drive roller (10) attached to the free end of the shaft (9) of the geared motor (8) and rotated by it, the drive roller (10) is positioned to contact one of the wheels (R) of the moving load, - Two support rollers (11) are arranged to contact the rails (V) of the track that receive the wheels (R) of the moving load, and are configured to rotate by contact with the drive roller (10), - An arm (12) is rigidly connected at one end to the shaft (9) of the geared motor (8), and extends horizontally and perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the shaft (9), - A brake shoe (13) is rigidly connected to the free end of the arm (12), positioned on one side near the wheel (R) of the load being moved on the opposite side from the drive roller (10), and on the other side in contact with the rail (V) of the track that receives the wheel (R). Equipped with, The moving device (1) is configured such that the arm (12) is mounted on the shaft (9) of the geared motor (8) so as to pivot about its axis of rotation, and the brake shoe (13) is mounted at the end of the arm (12) so as to pivot about an axis of rotation parallel to the axis of rotation of the shaft (9) of the geared motor (8). A mobile device (1) characterized by the following.

2. The mobile device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the length of the arm (12) can be adjusted.

3. The moving device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the arm (12) is positioned on the same side as the end that is rigidly connected to the shaft (9) of the geared motor (8), and includes a hinge joint (14) that allows the arm (12) to move from an "extended" position, where it is perfectly straight, to a "folded" position.

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

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

6. The moving device (1) according to claim 4, comprising: a guide plate (17) rigidly connected to at least the support roller (11) on the opposite side from the geared motor (8) and extending beyond the support roller (11) on the opposite side from the drive roller (10); and a guide plate (18) rigidly connected to the brake shoe (13) on the opposite side from the geared motor (8) and extending beyond the horizontal bottom surface (15) of the brake shoe (13) on the opposite side from the inclined surface (16).

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

8. A mobile device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising a carriage (2) that 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), wherein the shaft (9) of the geared motor (8) is oriented to extend beyond the front surface of the carriage (2), and the carriage (2) comprises, on the one hand, at least one first retractable wheel (3) that enables the 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, at least one second wheel (4) that moves the mobile device (1) in place of the one or more first wheels (3) when used to roll the load to be moved.

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

10. - A handlebar (20) rigidly connected to the rear of the carriage (2), which is height-adjustable and foldable to maintain ergonomics in all situations. - Advantageously, a control station (21) rigidly connected to the handlebar (20) and comprising all the elements necessary to control the moving device (1), and - In particular, a rechargeable battery-type energy storage element (22) for supplying power to the geared motor (8) A mobile device (1) according to claim 8 or 9, characterized by comprising:

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