Turntable for rail-road vehicles

Abstract

To easily adjust a stop position for vehicle turning of a road-rail vehicle with respect to a trajectory to a desired position in a work of mounting on a railway in a railroad crossing.SOLUTION: A vehicle turning device for a road-rail vehicle comprises: a jack for vehicle turning that can expand / contract downward; an upper plate that is provided on a lower end of the jack for vehicle turning; a lower plate 135 that is provided rotatably around a vertical axis O under the upper plate; a road surface detector that has left and right road surface detectors 100L and 100R to detect the shape of the road surface in the front and rear directions on the left and right sides of a vehicle body; and a stop position setting unit that determines the stop position for vehicle turning for carrying out the work of mounting on a railway on the basis of the detection result of the road surface detector. The road surface detector detects the shape of the road surface in the direction of travel and detects the positions of a pair of recesses provided along the inside of a rail 61 that extends across a railroad crossing 50. Then, the stop position setting unit determines the stop position for vehicle turning at which a road-rail vehicle should be stopped within the railroad crossing 50 on the basis of the position of the recess detected by the road surface detector.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a bogie device for a track-land vehicle that can travel on roads and railway tracks. In particular, the present invention relates to a bogie device for a track-land vehicle having a function of facilitating the line loading operation of positioning the track-land vehicle on the track within a level crossing.

Background Art

[0002] A track-land vehicle is configured to be able to travel on roads by road-running wheels (hereinafter also referred to as tire wheels) provided on the front, rear, left, and right of a vehicle body that can travel freely on roads, and each has a track-running wheel (hereinafter also referred to as an iron wheel) that can be extended / retracted. In a state where this iron wheel is extended, it has a track-running device that can travel on a railway track (rail), and is widely used when performing construction and inspection of railway facilities such as trolley lines on the track. In addition, a track-land vehicle usually includes a loading / unloading device for facilitating the operation of placing the vehicle body on the track from the road (for example, a level crossing), or lowering the vehicle body from the track to the road within the level crossing. Here, placing the vehicle body on the track is called "line loading", and lowering the vehicle body from the track is called "line unloading".

[0003] Conventionally, as a type of loading / unloading device, a bogie device equipped with a turntable is known. The turntable is provided below the vehicle body of the track-land vehicle so as to be telescopically extendable downward. When performing the line loading operation or line unloading operation of the track-land vehicle, for example, within a level crossing, the turntable is extended downward to lift the vehicle body from the ground, and the vehicle body is supported so as to be rotatable in the horizontal direction. From this state, when performing the line loading operation, an operator pushes the vehicle body to change the direction of the vehicle body in the laying direction of the track, and after extending the iron wheel, the turntable is contracted upward to place the iron wheel on the track (rail) and place the vehicle body on the track.

[0004] During track installation work, the rail-road vehicle is driven to a level crossing in road-driving mode (with the steel wheels retracted into the vehicle body and running on tire wheels). After moving the vehicle body to a position where it straddles the track, the turntable is extended as described above to lift the vehicle body and rotate it horizontally, and the steel wheels are extended and placed onto the track. In this case, when moving the vehicle body to a position where it straddles the track, in order to position the steel wheels directly above the track, it is necessary to precisely align the rotation center of the turntable with the center of the left and right rails that form the track, and this alignment presents a problem as it is difficult. For this reason, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes a rail-road vehicle equipped with a device that makes this alignment easier. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-81459 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] The device proposed in Patent Document 1 above has a configuration in which multiple sensors are arranged at equal intervals on a circle around the rotation center on the underside of the turntable, and these sensors detect the position of the vehicle relative to the rails. However, this device has problems such as the wiring becoming complicated due to the arrangement of multiple sensors, and the difficulty of installing and replacing the sensors because they are mounted on the underside of the turntable. In addition, although each sensor detects the rails, in the case of level crossings, the road surface is formed so that it is at the same height as the top surface of the rails, which makes it difficult for the sensors to detect the rails.

[0007] This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a turntable for rail-road vehicles that has the function of easily aligning the stopping position of the rail-road vehicle for turning with respect to the left and right rails forming the track to a desired position when the rail-road vehicle travels on a road and moves into a level crossing to perform track installation work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a turntable for rail-road vehicles for loading and unloading a rail-road vehicle (for example, a turntable 110 in an embodiment) that is capable of traveling on roads and rails, having road-traveling wheels (for example, steering wheels 3S and drive wheels 3D in the embodiment) and rail-traveling wheels (for example, front iron wheels 12F and rear iron wheels 12R in the embodiment), comprising: a turntable jack provided on the body of the rail-road vehicle and extending and retracting vertically toward the lower part of the body; and a rotating plate support member (for example, a rotating plate support member in an embodiment) provided at the lower end of the turntable jack. The system comprises an upper plate 131 constituting the rotation support table 130, a grounding rotating plate (for example, a lower plate 135 constituting the rotation support table 130 in the embodiment) rotatably mounted on the lower part of the rotating plate support member around a vertical axis, a road surface detector (for example, left and right road surface detectors 100L, 100R and road surface detection unit 81 in the embodiment) that detects the shape of the road surface in the front-rear direction on both the left and right sides of the vehicle body, and a stop position setting unit (for example, a stop position setting unit 82 in the embodiment) that determines the stop position for the turntable to perform track installation work based on the detection results of the road surface detectors. The road surface detector detects the shape of the road surface in the direction of travel on both the left and right sides of the vehicle body when the rail-road vehicle is driven into the level crossing in a road driving state, and detects the position of a pair of recesses provided along the inside of a pair of rails that constitute the track extending across the level crossing on both the left and right sides, and the stop position setting unit determines the stop position for the turntable based on the positions of the pair of recesses on both the left and right sides of the vehicle body detected by the road surface detectors.

[0009] In the aforementioned turntable for rail-road vehicles, it is preferable that the stop position setting unit determines the central position of each pair of recesses on the left and right sides (for example, point C shown in Figure 9 or intersection P3 shown in Figure 12 in the embodiment) based on the positions of a pair of recesses on the left side of the vehicle body detected by the road surface detector and the positions of a pair of recesses on the right side of the vehicle body detected by the road surface detector, and then determines the turntable stop position relative to this central position.

[0010] Furthermore, it is preferable that in the stop position setting unit, the position where the central position coincides with the vertical axis which is the rotation center of the grounding rotating plate is set as the stop position for the turntable.

[0011] Furthermore, it is preferable that the stop position setting unit be equipped with a guide device that guides the rail-road vehicle to travel to the turntable stop position determined by the stop position setting unit.

[0012] Furthermore, in the turntable for rail-road vehicles, it is preferable that the guide device includes a notification device that indicates the distance between the position of the rail-road vehicle and the turntable stopping position by sound or light when the rail-road vehicle is moving within the level crossing.

[0013] Furthermore, in the turntable for rail-road vehicles, it is preferable that the guide device displays the positional relationship between the position of the rail-road vehicle and the turntable stopping position by image display when the rail-road vehicle is traveling within the level crossing.

[0014] Furthermore, in the turntable for rail-road vehicles, it is preferable that the guide device includes an automatic stopping device that stops the rail-road vehicle when it moves to the turntable stopping position while the rail-road vehicle is traveling within the level crossing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] As described above, the turntable for rail-road vehicles according to the present invention comprises a turntable jack, a rotating plate support member, a grounding rotating plate, a road surface detector, and a stop position setting unit. The road surface detector detects the shape of the road surface in the direction of travel on both sides of the vehicle body when the rail-road vehicle is driven into a level crossing while traveling on a road, and detects the position of a pair of recesses provided along the inside of a pair of rails that constitute a track extending across the level crossing. The stop position setting unit determines a turntable stop position for stopping the rail-road vehicle within the level crossing based on the positions of the recesses on both sides of the vehicle body detected by the road surface detector, making it easy to determine the stopping position within the level crossing during track installation work.

[0016] Incidentally, within a level crossing, the road surface is formed to be at the same height as the top surface of the rails, making it difficult to distinguish between the rails and the road surface. In this invention, attention is paid to the fact that recesses are formed along the inside of each of the pair of rails that make up the track in order to allow the flanges of the steel wheels of the train running on the track to pass through, and the road surface detector is used to detect these recesses. As a result, the rail position can be easily and accurately detected, and the stopping position for the turntable that stops the rail-road vehicle can also be easily and accurately determined.

[0017] Furthermore, it is preferable to determine the central position of the pair of recesses on the right side detected by the road surface detector on the right side of the vehicle body and the positions of the pair of recesses on the left side detected by the road surface detector on the left side of the vehicle body, and then determine the turning stop position relative to this central position. This makes it possible to determine the turning stop position accurately and reliably.

[0018] In this case, it is preferable to configure the system so that the central position coincides with the vertical axis, which is the rotation center of the grounding rotating plate, as the stop position for the turntable. Generally, track-running wheels (steel wheels) are provided in the turntable system at positions symmetrical with respect to the rotation center of the grounding rotating plate. However, if the track-running wheels (steel wheels) are provided asymmetrically with respect to the rotation center of the grounding rotating plate, it is necessary to set the stop position for the turntable taking this asymmetry into consideration.

[0019] Furthermore, it is preferable that the above-described turntable for rail-road vehicles is equipped with a guide device that moves the rail-road vehicle to the turntable stop position set as described above. By providing this guide device, when performing track-laying work within a level crossing, the rail-road vehicle can be easily moved to the desired turntable stop position by using the guide device as a guide.

[0020] Furthermore, in the above-described turntable for rail-road vehicles, it is preferable that the guide device includes a notification device that indicates the distance between the position of the rail-road vehicle and the turntable stopping position by sound or light when the rail-road vehicle is traveling within the level crossing. This allows the rail-road vehicle to be easily moved to the turntable stopping position using the notification from the notification device when it is traveling to the turntable stopping position.

[0021] Furthermore, in the above-described turntable for rail-road vehicles, it is preferable that the guide device displays the positional relationship between the rail-road vehicle's position and the turntable's stopping position on an image display device when the rail-road vehicle is traveling within the level crossing. This makes it easy to move the rail-road vehicle to the turntable's stopping position while viewing the image display device.

[0022] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned bogie device for a rail vehicle, it is preferable that the guide device has an automatic parking device that stops the rail vehicle when the rail vehicle moves to the bogie stop position while traveling inside the level crossing. Thereby, when guiding the rail vehicle to the bogie stop position by running the rail vehicle, the automatic parking device automatically stops the rail vehicle at the bogie stop position just by running the rail vehicle inside the level crossing, so that the position setting can be easily performed.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0023] [Figure 1] It is a side view showing the appearance of a rail vehicle provided with a bogie device for a rail vehicle according to the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a plan sectional view showing an enlarged outline configuration of the lower part of the above-mentioned bogie device for a rail vehicle. [Figure 3] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system for performing operations (loading line operation and unloading line operation) of switching between road running and track running using the above-mentioned bogie device for a rail vehicle. [Figure 4] It is a plan view showing a state where the above-mentioned rail vehicle enters the level crossing, and a graph showing the relationship between the signals detected by the left and right road surface detectors provided on the above-mentioned rail vehicle and the position of the above-mentioned rail vehicle. [Figure 5] It is a sectional view showing the configuration of the rail arrangement part inside the level crossing. [Figure 6] It is a sectional view showing a state where an iron wheel is placed on a rail when a train or the like runs on the track inside the above-mentioned level crossing. [Figure 7] It is a plan view showing a state where the above-mentioned rail vehicle further enters from the position in FIG. 4 inside the above-mentioned level crossing, and a graph showing the relationship between the signals detected by the left and right road surface detectors provided on the above-mentioned rail vehicle in this entering state and the position of the above-mentioned rail vehicle. [Figure 8] It is a plan view showing a state where the above-mentioned rail vehicle enters to the center of the track inside the above-mentioned level crossing, and a graph showing the relationship between the signals detected by the left and right road surface detectors provided on the above-mentioned rail vehicle in this entering state and the position of the above-mentioned rail vehicle. [Figure 9]This graph shows the relationship between the entry position of the rail-road vehicle when it enters the rail crossing and the signals detected by the left and right road surface sensors installed on the rail-road vehicle. [Figure 10] This is a plan view showing the state in which the rail-road vehicle enters a level crossing where the rails cross the road diagonally, and a graph showing the relationship between the signals detected by the left and right road surface detectors installed on the rail-road vehicle and the position of the rail-road vehicle. [Figure 11] The diagram shows a plan view of the rail-road vehicle entering the level crossing where the rails intersect the road at an angle, with the vehicle positioned in the center of the rails, and a graph showing the relationship between the signals detected by the left and right road surface detectors installed on the rail-road vehicle and the position of the rail-road vehicle in this entry state. [Figure 12] This graph shows the relationship between the entry position of the rail-road vehicle when it enters the level crossing where the rail tracks intersect the road at an angle, and the signals detected by the left and right road surface detectors installed on the rail-road vehicle. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0024] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows a side view of a rail-road work vehicle 1 equipped with a rail-road vehicle turntable according to the present invention. In Figure 1, the rail-road work vehicle 1 has a body 2 with a driver's cabin 4 at the front, and is based on a truck vehicle that can travel on roads with road-traveling wheels consisting of a pair of left and right tire wheels, which are steering wheels 3S, arranged at the front of the body 2, and a pair of left and right tire wheels, which are drive wheels 3D, arranged at the rear of the body 2. The body 2 has a body frame consisting of a chassis frame 5 and a subframe 6 mounted on the chassis frame 5. Here, although only the left steering wheel 3S and drive wheel 3D of the body 2 are shown in Figure 1, the same steering wheel 3S and drive wheel 3D are also provided on the right side of the body 2.

[0025] Work jacks 15 are provided behind the steering wheels 3S and behind the drive wheels 3D on the vehicle body 2. The work jacks 15 consist of an upper jack body 15a fixed to the vehicle body frame, a lower jack body 15b disposed within the upper jack body 15a so as to be movable downward, and a jack cylinder 16 provided inside the lower jack body 15b, connecting the upper jack body 15a and the lower jack body 15b. As the jack cylinder 16 extends and retracts, the lower jack body 15b moves downward relative to the upper jack body 15a. The work jacks 15 are mainly used when the rail-road work vehicle 1 is performing work. The extension and retraction of the jack cylinder 16 causes the lower jack body 15b to move downward, lifting and supporting the vehicle body 2, thereby stably supporting the entire vehicle body 2. On the rear side of the work jack 15 behind the steering wheel 3S, there is a front iron wheel 12F supported so as to be able to swing up and down relative to the vehicle frame, and a front iron wheel swing cylinder 13F for swinging the front iron wheel 12F up and down between a stowed position (shown by a dashed line in the figure) and an extended position (shown by a solid line in the figure). Also, on the rear side of the work jack 15 behind the drive wheel 3D, there is a rear iron wheel 12R supported so as to be able to swing up and down relative to the vehicle frame, and a rear iron wheel swing cylinder 13R for swinging the rear iron wheel 12R up and down between a stowed position (shown by a dashed line in the figure) and an extended position (shown by a solid line in the figure).

[0026] Here, the storage position described above refers to the position in which the front iron wheel 12F and rear iron wheel 12R are raised to a predetermined height above the road surface when the rail-road work vehicle 1 travels on a road or the like using the steering wheel 3S and drive wheel 3D (the position of the front iron wheel 12F and rear iron wheel 12R shown by the dashed line in Figure 1). The extended position described above refers to the position in which the front iron wheel 12F and rear iron wheel 12R are extended to a position in which they are located on the track, the steering wheel 3S and drive wheel 3D are located above and away from the track R, and the front iron wheel 12F and rear iron wheel 12R can travel on the track R using the front iron wheel 12F and rear iron wheel 12R.

[0027] Although Figure 1 only shows the front iron wheel 12F and rear iron wheel 12R on the left side of the vehicle body 2, the same front iron wheel 12F and rear iron wheel 12R are also provided on the right side of the vehicle body 2. Furthermore, although only the work jack 15, front iron wheel oscillating cylinder 13F, and rear iron wheel oscillating cylinder 13R provided on the left side of the vehicle body 2 are shown, the same work jack 15, front iron wheel oscillating cylinder 13F, and rear iron wheel oscillating cylinder 13R are also provided on the right side of the vehicle body 2.

[0028] The operation of extending and retracting the front wheel oscillating cylinder 13F and the rear wheel oscillating cylinder 13R, thereby causing the front wheel 12F and the rear wheel 12R to oscillate up and down between the retracted and extended positions, is controlled by an operator operating the wheel oscillating control device 72 (see Figure 3). The wheel oscillating control device 72 is located at the rear end and side end of the vehicle body 2 in a position easily accessible to the operator. By operating the wheel oscillating control device 72, the operator extends and retracts the front wheel oscillating cylinder 13F and the rear wheel oscillating cylinder 13R, causing the front wheel 12F and the rear wheel 12R to oscillate up and down between the retracted and extended positions.

[0029] The system that performs this operation control is configured as shown in Figure 3. As shown in Figure 3, the operation signal from the wheel oscillating control device 72 is input to the controller 80, and the controller 80 controls the operation of the wheel control device 86. The wheel control device 86 consists of, for example, a hydraulic pump driven by an engine or electric motor, and a hydraulic control valve that controls the supply of hydraulic fluid discharged from this hydraulic pump to the front wheel oscillating cylinder 13F and the rear wheel oscillating cylinder 13R. The controller 80 controls the operation of the hydraulic control valve of the wheel control device 86 and controls the supply of hydraulic fluid to the front wheel oscillating cylinder 13F and the rear wheel oscillating cylinder 13R in response to the operation of the wheel oscillating control device 72. As a result, when an operator operates the wheel oscillating control device 72, the front wheel oscillating cylinder 13F and the rear wheel oscillating cylinder 13R are extended and retracted in response to the operation, and the front wheel 12F and the rear wheel 12R are made to oscillate up and down between the retracted position and the extended position.

[0030] A turntable 110 is provided at the lower center of the vehicle body 2. As shown in Figure 1, the turntable 110 consists of a turntable jack 120 provided at the lower part of the vehicle body 2 and capable of extending downwards, and a rotating support table (turntable) 130 provided at the lower end of the turntable jack 120. The turntable jack 120 has two telescopic posts (left telescopic post 121L and right telescopic post 121R) that are offset from each other in the front-rear direction and spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction (vehicle width direction). The left telescopic post 121L is configured to extend downwards in the vertical direction by the extension and retraction operation of a turntable extension and retraction cylinder 122L provided inside it. Similarly, the right telescopic post 121R is configured to extend downwards in the vertical direction by the extension and retraction operation of a turntable extension and retraction cylinder 122R provided inside it. Furthermore, the extension range of the left telescopic post 121L and the extension range of the right telescopic post 121R can be adjusted to be the same, or they can be adjusted to be different. The turntable jack 120 is configured to extend and retract vertically downwards towards the vehicle body by the vertical extension and retraction of the two telescopic posts 121L and 121R.

[0031] The operation of extending and retracting the telescopic posts 121L and 121R in the vertical direction is controlled by an operator operating the turntable operating device 71 (see Figure 3). The turntable operating device 71 is located at the rear end or side end of the vehicle body 2 in a position that is easy for an operator to operate. By operating the turntable operating device 71, the operator extends and retracts the left and right turntable extension cylinders 122L and 122R, which in turn extends and retracts the left and right telescopic posts 121L and 121R in the vertical direction, causing the turntable jack 120 to extend and retract downwards, and causing the rotating support table (turntable) 130, which is provided at the lower end of the turntable jack 120, to move up and down.

[0032] The system that performs this operation control is configured as shown in Figure 3. In this system, an operation signal from the turntable operating device 71 is input to the controller 80, and the operation of the turntable control device 85 is controlled by the controller 80. The turntable control device 85 consists of, for example, a hydraulic pump driven by an engine or electric motor, and a hydraulic control valve that controls the supply of hydraulic fluid discharged from this hydraulic pump to the left and right turntable telescopic cylinders 122L and 122R. The controller 80 controls the operation of the hydraulic control valve of the turntable control device 85 and controls the supply of hydraulic fluid to the left and right turntable telescopic cylinders 122L and 122R in accordance with the operation of the turntable operating device 71. As a result, when an operator operates the turntable operating device 71, the left and right turntable telescopic cylinders 122L and 122R are extended and retracted in accordance with the operation, the turntable jack 120 is extended and retracted downwards, and the rotating support table (turntable) 130 provided at the lower end of the turntable jack 120 is moved up and down.

[0033] The rotary support table 130 is composed of an upper plate 131 horizontally provided at the lower end of the turntable jack 120 so as to connect the lower ends of two telescopic posts 121L and 121R, and a lower plate 135 horizontally provided below the upper plate 131 so as to be rotatable around a vertically extending rotational axis O. As shown in Figure 2, a rotary drive motor 132 is provided on the side of the upper plate 131, and a pinion gear (not shown) is attached to a drive shaft that protrudes downward from this rotary drive motor 132. On the other hand, a large-diameter rotary gear 136 is attached to the upper surface of the lower plate 135, and driven gear teeth 136a are formed on its outer circumference. The pinion gear attached to the drive shaft of the rotary drive motor 132 meshes with these driven gear teeth 136a. Therefore, when the rotational drive motor 132 rotates the pinion gear, the rotational driving force is transmitted to the rotating gear 136 via the driven gear teeth 136a that mesh with it, causing the lower plate 135 to which the driven gear 136a is attached to rotate relative to the upper plate 131.

[0034] In the turntable 110, the turntable jack 120 can be extended downward to bring the lower plate 135 of the rotating support table 130 into contact with the ground, thereby lifting and supporting the vehicle body 2. With the vehicle body 2 in this lifted and supported state, the direction of the vehicle body 2 can be changed by rotating the upper plate 131 and the turntable jack 120 relative to the lower plate 135, allowing for track loading and unloading operations. This direction change is performed by the operator pushing the vehicle body while it is lifted and supported by the turntable 110, thereby rotating the upper plate 131 and the turntable jack 120 relative to the lower plate 135. Alternatively, the rotation can be performed by using a rotary drive motor 132 to rotate the upper plate 131 relative to the lower plate 135.

[0035] The turntable 110 is located at the lower center of the vehicle body 2, and the rotation center axis O, which extends vertically and serves as the rotation center of the lower plate 135 relative to the upper plate 131, is located in the center of the width direction of the vehicle body 2. Furthermore, the left and right pair of front iron wheels 12F, 12F are positioned symmetrically in the width direction of the vehicle body, and the left and right pair of rear iron wheels 12R, 12R are also positioned symmetrically in the width direction of the vehicle body. That is, as shown in Figure 4, the left and right pair of front iron wheels 12F, 12F and the left and right pair of rear iron wheels 12R, 12R are positioned symmetrically with respect to the front and rear axis A1 which extends front and rear through the rotation center axis O. In addition, the front iron wheel axis A3 connecting the left and right pair of front iron wheels 12F, 12F and the rear iron wheel axis A4 connecting the left and right pair of rear iron wheels 12R, 12R are parallel to the left and right axis A2 which extends in the width direction through the rotation center axis O and are perpendicular to the front and rear axis A1.

[0036] In the turntable 110, as described above, the turntable jack 120 is extended downward to extend the rotating support table 130 downward to support the vehicle body and perform track loading and unloading operations. However, when traveling on the road or track, the turntable jack 120 is retracted upward to move the rotating support table 130 upward and store it. When storing and holding in this way, as shown in Figure 4, the lower plate 135 is held in a rotational position in which its longitudinal direction extends in the left-right direction (direction of the left-right axis A2) and its short direction extends in the front-rear direction (direction of the front-rear axis A1).

[0037] At least one road surface detector 100 (left road surface detector 100L and right road surface detector 100R) is provided on each of the left and right side ends of the vehicle body 2 (subframe 6) in the middle of the vehicle body's longitudinal direction. The road surface detector 100 is for detecting the road surface shape in the longitudinal direction at the left and right side ends of the vehicle body 2, and is, for example, made of LiDAR, which irradiates light, infrared light, etc., in a scanning manner while oscillating back and forth, and measures the time it takes to receive reflected light from the road surface. The information measured in this way is sent to the road surface detection unit 81 of the controller 80, where the road surface shape is determined. That is, the road surface detector 100 and the road surface detection unit 81 measure and detect the road surface shape (road surface irregularity) along a line extending in the longitudinal direction through the positions where the road surface detectors 100 are installed at the left and right side ends of the vehicle body 2. Although not shown in Figure 1, an activation switch 73 (see Figure 3) for operating the road surface detector 100 is located inside the driver's cabin 4 of the vehicle body 2, as well as at the rear and side ends, in positions easily accessible to the operator. The operator turns on the activation switch 73 to perform the measurement and detection of the road surface shape described above.

[0038] At the front of the mounting area (front of the subframe 6) behind the driver's cabin 4, there is a turntable 20 that is driven by a slewing motor 21 and is configured to rotate horizontally. A boom 30 is attached to a support column 22 extending upward from this turntable 20, so as to be able to swing (luff) up and down around a foot pin 23. The boom 30 is composed of a base boom 30a, an intermediate boom 30b, and a tip boom 30c, which are nested together and attached to the support column 22 by the foot pin 23 so as to be able to luff. A boom telescopic cylinder 31 is provided inside the boom 30, and the boom 30 can be extended and retracted in the longitudinal direction by the extension and retraction of this boom telescopic cylinder 31. A boom luffing cylinder 32 is mounted between the base boom 30a and the support column 22, and the boom 30 can be luffed in the vertical plane by the extension and retraction of this boom luffing cylinder 32.

[0039] A work platform support bracket 35 is attached to the tip of the boom 30c so as to be able to swing within the luffing surface of the boom 30. The work platform support bracket 35 is configured so that its upper surface is always kept horizontal regardless of the luffing angle of the boom 30, by the extension and retraction of a leveling cylinder 36 located inside it. The extension and retraction of the leveling cylinder 36 is controlled according to the detection value of an inclination angle sensor (not shown) that detects the inclination angle of the work platform 40. The work platform 40 is mounted on the upper surface of this work platform support bracket 35 so as to be able to rotate horizontally. A swivel motor 41 is provided inside the work platform support bracket 35, and by driving this swivel motor 41, the work platform 40 can be rotated horizontally (swivel operation) relative to the work platform support bracket 35. As described above, the upper surface of the work platform support bracket 35 is always kept horizontal, so that the floor surface of the work platform 40 is also kept horizontal regardless of the luffing angle of the boom 30. The work platform 40 is equipped with a work platform operation box 42 which has an operating device for controlling the operation of various hydraulic actuators such as a slewing motor 21, a boom extension cylinder 31, a boom luffing cylinder 32, and a swivel motor 41.

[0040] The rail-road work vehicle 1 configured as described above can travel on roads and other surfaces by retracting the front iron wheels 12F and rear iron wheels 12R and using the steering wheels 3S and drive wheels 3D, and can also travel on rails by extending the front iron wheels 12F and rear iron wheels 12R. Thus, it is equipped with the aforementioned turntable 110 to switch between road travel and rail travel. The configuration of the control system that performs the operation of switching between road travel and rail travel (track loading and track unloading) using this turntable 110 will be described below with reference to Figure 3.

[0041] As described above, this control system includes a controller 80 that receives operation signals from the turntable operation device 71, the wheel oscillating operation device 72, and the operation start switch 73, and also receives detection signals from the left and right road surface detectors 100L and 100R. The controller 80 includes a road surface detection unit 81 that detects the road surface shape within the level crossing in the direction of travel of the rail-road work vehicle 1 based on the detection signals from the left and right road surface detectors 100L and 100R when it receives an operation signal from the operation start switch 73, and a stop position setting unit 82 that determines a suitable stop position for the vehicle to turn around within the level crossing based on the road surface shape detected by the road surface detection unit 81. The controller 80 is connected to a display guide device 91 equipped with a monitor display screen, a sound and light guide device 92 that provides stopping guidance using a buzzer, lamps, etc., and an automatic stop control device 95 that applies braking to automatically stop the rail-road work vehicle 1 at a predetermined stop position for turning around. The controller 80 controls the display guide device 91, the sound and light guide device 92, and the automatic stop control device 95.

[0042] The controller 80 includes a storage unit 83a that stores the distance (position) from the line connecting the detection origins (center positions of the forward and rear detection regions) of the left and right road surface detectors 100L and 100R to the turntable center position of the turntable 110. In the specific embodiment described later, the turntable center position is located on the line connecting the detection origins of the left and right road surface detectors 100L and 100R. The controller 80 receives detection signals from the left and right road surface detectors 100L and 100R, and includes a calculation unit 83b that calculates the position of the midpoint between the inner groove 65 of the front rail 61 and the inner groove 65 of the rear rail on both the left and right sides based on these detection results, and calculates the line connecting the calculated midpoints. The calculation unit 83b of the controller 80 further calculates the distance between the line connecting the calculated midpoints and the turntable center position stored in the storage unit 83a, and outputs a signal corresponding to this calculation result.

[0043] The controller 80 includes a notification control unit 84a that changes the display mode of the display guide device 91 and the notification mode of the sound / light guide device 92 according to the signal output from the calculation unit 83b. For example, when using sound for notification, the sounding interval is changed at regular intervals of a calculated distance, and continuous sounding occurs when it is determined that the line connecting the midpoints of the inner grooves 65 of the left and right front and rear rails 61 coincides with the turntable center position stored in the memory unit 83a. The controller 80 also includes a stop control unit 84b that stops the rail-road vehicle 1 when the calculation unit 83b of the controller 80 determines that the line connecting the midpoints of the inner grooves 65 of the left and right front and rear rails 61 coincides with the turntable center position stored in the memory unit 83a. Note that the notification control unit 84a and the stop control unit 84b may be a single control unit.

[0044] Next, we will briefly explain the process of switching between road travel and track travel (track loading and track unloading) using the device system shown in Figure 3. More specific examples will be provided later.

[0045] First, the start switch 73 is operated to initiate road surface detection by the left and right road surface detectors 100L and 100R. The left and right road surface detectors 100L and 100R then irradiate the road surface in front of and behind the left and right sides of the vehicle body 2 with lasers to detect the groove 65 inside the rail 61 at the level crossing on which the rail-road work vehicle 1 is placed.

[0046] Next, when the grooves 65 of the foreground rail 61 and the grooves 65 of the background rail 61 are detected based on the detection results output by the road surface detectors 100L and 100R, the calculation unit 83b of the controller 80 calculates the position of the midpoint between the grooves of the foreground rail 61 and the background rail 61, and calculates a line connecting the left and right midpoints.

[0047] Then, the calculation unit 83b of the controller 80 calculates the distance between the line connecting the determined intermediate points and the turntable center position stored in the memory unit 83a, and outputs the calculated distance to the notification control unit 84a.

[0048] The notification control unit 84a changes the display mode of the display guide device 91, the sound activation mode of the sound / light guide device 92, and the light display mode at predetermined intervals according to the distance input from the calculation unit 83b.

[0049] Furthermore, the stop control unit 84b, based on the signal input from the calculation unit 83b, stops the rail-road work vehicle 1 when it determines that the line connecting the midpoints of the inner grooves 65 of the front and rear rails 61 on the left and right sides coincides with the turntable center position stored in the memory unit 83a.

[0050] Then, after the rail-road work vehicle 1 has stopped, the turntable (rotating support table 130) is extended downward by operating the turntable operating device 71, and the rail-road work vehicle 1 is turned so that it aligns with the direction of the rail 61. After that, the front and rear iron wheels 12F and 12R are swung downward by operating the iron wheel swing operating device 72, and the iron wheels 12F and 12R are placed on the rail 61.

[0051] Next, we will explain in detail, using a more specific example, the operation of switching between road travel and track travel (track loading and track unloading operations) using the device system shown in Figure 3. This switching operation is performed by moving the rail-road work vehicle 1 into the level crossing. First, we will explain an example of the structure of the level crossing with reference to Figures 4 to 6. Figure 4 shows a plan view of the road and track within the level crossing 50. In this level crossing 50, a track R with a pair of left and right rails 61, 61 extends perpendicularly across the road 51. In order to prevent the rails 61 from obstructing the movement of vehicles when they travel through the level crossing, the road surface is formed such that, as shown in Figure 5 (a diagram showing a cross-section along arrow IV-IV in Figure 4), the upper surface of the road 51 outside the left and right rails 61, 61 coincides with the upper surface of the rails 61, and the upper surface of the road 55 between the rails 61, 61 also coincides with the upper surface of the rails 61.

[0052] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, a protective member 52 is attached to the tip of the outer road 51 to reduce the gap between the road 51 and the rail 61, allowing vehicles to travel smoothly within the level crossing. However, as shown in Figure 6, the iron wheel 12 that rotates on the rail 61 has a flange 12b that protrudes outward from the outer circumference on the inner side of the running wheel portion 12a, and in order to allow this flange portion 12b to pass through, grooves 65 with a concave cross-section extending along the rails are formed on the inside of the left and right rails 61, 61. Such a road and track configuration within a level crossing is commonly used.

[0053] Next, the track-laying operation, which involves moving the rail-road work vehicle 1 into the level crossing 50 and making the track R drivable, will be explained with reference to Figures 4, 7, and 8. In these figures, the rail-road work vehicle 1 is shown in a simplified form, showing only its external shape, and only the lower plate 135 of the turntable 110 is shown. As described above, the lower plate 135 has a rotating gear 136 and is rotatable about a rotational axis O that extends vertically, but as shown in the figures, the lower plate 135 is stored and held in a rotational position in which its longitudinal direction extends in the left-right direction (direction of the left-right axis A2) and its short direction extends in the front-rear direction (direction of the front-rear axis A1).

[0054] Figure 4 shows the rail-road work vehicle 1 approaching the level crossing 50, while the rail-road work vehicle 1 is still a short distance from the track R. When performing track-laying work, the operation start switch 73 is operated to start detecting the road surface condition (such as unevenness of the road surface) in the front-rear direction on the left and right sides of the vehicle body 2 using the road surface detectors 100L, 100R and the road surface detection unit 81 provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle body 2. In this example, the road surface detectors 100L and 100R are provided on the extension of the left-right axis A2 that passes through the rotation center axis O of the lower plate 135, and road surface detection is performed in the range of distance Lf forward from this left-right axis A2 and road surface detection is performed in the range of distance Lb backward. At the position of the rail-road work vehicle 1 shown in Figure 4, only the road surface 51 exists in the range detected by the road surface detectors 100L and 100R. Therefore, as shown on the right side of Figure 4, the shape detected by the road surface detection unit 81 based on the detection signal S(L) of the left road surface detector 100L is flat with respect to the longitudinal distance D(L) shown on the vertical axis, indicating that the road surface is flat within the detection range. Similarly, the shape detected by the road surface detection unit 81 based on the detection signal S(R) of the right road surface detector 100R is also flat with respect to the longitudinal distance D(R) shown on the vertical axis, indicating that the road surface is flat within the detection range.

[0055] Next, Figure 7 shows the state after the rail-road work vehicle 1 has entered the level crossing 50 and moved onto the track R. Once it has moved to this position, the detection area of ​​the road surface detectors 100L and 100R includes the area containing the rails 61, 61 in front. As described above, the road surface is formed such that the upper surface of the road 51 outside the left and right rails 61, 61 and the upper surface of the road 55 between the rails 61, 61 coincide with the upper surface of the rails 61, 61. Therefore, there is no difference in height between the road surface and the upper surface of the rails 61, 61. For this reason, the shape detected by the road surface detection unit 81 based on the detection signals S(L) and S(R) hardly shows any shape signals indicating the rails 61, 61. However, on the inside of the left and right rails 61, 61, grooves 65 with a concave cross-section extending along the rails are formed, and these are detected by the road surface detectors 100L and 100R.

[0056] For example, as shown on the right side of Figure 7, the shape detected by the road surface detection unit 81 based on the detection signal S(L) from the left road surface detector 100L shows that, with respect to the longitudinal distance D(L) shown on the vertical axis, a concave shape signal S(L)1 indicating a groove shape appears at the position of the groove 65 on the inner side of the rail 61 closer to the direction of travel, and a concave shape signal S(L)2 indicating a groove shape appears at the position of the groove 65 on the inner side of the rail 61 further away in the direction of travel. Similarly, the shape detected by the road surface detection unit 81 based on the detection signal S(R) from the right road surface detector 100R shows that, with respect to the longitudinal distance D(R) shown on the vertical axis, a concave shape signal S(R)1 indicating a groove shape appears at the position of the groove 65 on the inner side of the rail 61 closer to the direction of travel, and a concave shape signal S(R)2 indicating a groove shape appears at the position of the groove 65 on the inner side of the rail 61 further away in the direction of travel. This makes it possible to determine the relative positional relationship of the track R (left and right rails 61, 61) in the direction of travel with respect to the rail-road work vehicle 1 (especially with respect to the turntable 110).

[0057] To perform turntable operations, it is necessary to move the rail-road work vehicle 1 so that the rotation center O of the lower plate 135 in the turntable device 110 is located in the center of the rails 61, 61. This is because, as mentioned above, the left and right pairs of front iron wheels 12F, 12F and the left and right pairs of rear iron wheels 12R, 12R are positioned symmetrically with respect to the front and rear axis A1 that extends forward and backward through the rotation center axis O. Therefore, with the rail-road work vehicle 1 moved so that the rotation center O of the lower plate 135 is located in the center of the rails 61, 61, the turntable device 110 lifts and supports the vehicle body 2, and when the upper plate 131 and the rail-road work vehicle 1 connected to it are rotated 90 degrees relative to the lower plate 135, the left and right pairs of front iron wheels 12F, 12F and the left and right pairs of rear iron wheels 12R, 12R are positioned directly above the rails 61, 61. As can be seen from this, the central position of rails 61, 61 is the target stop position for the turntable for track installation work, and the rail-road work vehicle 1 is moved and stopped so that the rotation center axis O coincides with the target stop position. This turntable stop position is set by the stop position setting unit 82.

[0058] Figure 8 shows the state in which the rail-road work vehicle 1 has moved so that the rotation center O of the lower plate 135 of the turntable 110 is located at the center position of the rails 61, 61. At this time, as shown on the right side of Figure 8, the shape detected by the road surface detection unit 81 based on the detection signal S(L) of the road surface detector 100L on the left side shows a concave shape signal S(L)1 indicating a groove shape at the position of the groove 65 on the inside of the rail 61 on the near side in the direction of travel, and a concave shape signal S(L)2 indicating a groove shape at the position of the groove 65 on the inside of the rail 61 on the far side in the direction of travel, relative to the longitudinal distance D(L) shown on the vertical axis. The longitudinal center positions of these shape signals S(L)1 and S(L)2 coincide with the rotation center O of the turntable 110 in the longitudinal direction. Similarly, based on the detection signal S(R) from the right-side road surface detector 100R, the road surface detection unit 81 detects the following shapes: a concave shape signal S(R)1 appears at the position of the groove 65 on the inner side of the rail 61 on the near side in the direction of travel, relative to the longitudinal distance D(R) shown on the vertical axis; and a concave shape signal S(R)2 appears at the position of the groove 65 on the inner side of the rail 61 on the far side in the direction of travel. The longitudinal center positions of these shape signals S(R)1 and S(R)2 also coincide with the rotation center O of the turntable 110 in the longitudinal direction.

[0059] Then, the track installation work is performed in this state. However, in this state, as described above, the lower plate 135 of the turntable 110 is stored and held in a rotational position in which its longitudinal direction extends in the left-right direction (direction of the left-right axis A2) and its short direction extends in the front-back direction (direction of the front-rear axis A1). First, the turntable jack 120 is extended downward to a position in which the lower plate 135 can rotate, and then the rotation drive motor 132 is driven to rotate the lower plate 135 by 90 degrees to a rotational position in which its longitudinal direction extends in the front-rear direction (direction of the front-rear axis A1) and its short direction extends in the left-right direction (direction of the left-right axis A2), as shown by the dashed line in Figure 8. As a result, the lower plate 135 straddles the left and right rails 61, 61. From this state, the turntable jack 120 moves the rotation support table 130 (upper plate 131 and lower plate 135) downward, bringing the lower plate 135 into contact with the rail 61 and the road surface 55, and the turntable 110 lifts and supports the vehicle body 2. After that, the vehicle body 2 is pushed by an operator or the like to rotate the upper plate 131 and the rail-road work vehicle 1 connected to it by 90 degrees relative to the lower plate 135.

[0060] Then, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 8, the vehicle body 2 faces the direction in which the track R extends, and the pair of front wheels 12F, 12F and the pair of rear wheels 12R, 12R are positioned directly above the rails 61, 61. When the lifting support of the vehicle body 2 by the turntable 110 is released, that is, when the turntable jack 120 lifts and retracts the rotation support table 130 (upper plate 131 and lower plate 135), the pair of front wheels 12F, 12F and the pair of rear wheels 12R, 12R are placed on the rails 61, 61, resulting in the state shown in Figure 1. When the turntable jack 120 lifts and retracts the rotation support table 130, the track loading operation is completed. At this time, the lower plate 135 is in a rotational position where its longitudinal direction extends in the left-right direction of the vehicle body and its short direction extends in the front-rear direction, and is therefore stored and held in that position.

[0061] As described above, when moving the rail-road work vehicle 1 into the level crossing 50 to perform track installation work, the road surface detectors 100L and 100R detect the road surface shape, detect the position of the groove 65 that extends along the rails on the inside of the left and right rails 61, 61, and determine the relative positional relationship of the track R (left and right rails 61, 61) in the direction of travel with respect to the rail-road work vehicle 1 (particularly with respect to the turntable 110). The relative relationship between the shape signals S(L)1, S(L)2 and shape signals S(R)1 and S(R)2 indicating the position of the groove 65 when the rail-road work vehicle 1 moves towards the level crossing 50 and the direction of travel of the rail-road work vehicle 1, i.e., the front-rear position (i.e., the front-rear relative positional relationship between the line A5 indicating the center of the rails 61, 61 and the rotation center axis O of the turntable 110 of the rail-road work vehicle 1) will be explained with reference to Figure 9.

[0062] As shown in Figure 4, when the rail-road work vehicle 1 is located away from the track R, for example, the rotation axis O of the turntable 110 is located at point A in Figure 9. When the rail-road work vehicle 1 moves to the position shown in Figure 7, the rotation axis O is located at point B in Figure 9, and when it moves to the position shown in Figure 8, the rotation axis O is located at point C in Figure 9. In this way, the relative positional relationship between the rail-road work vehicle 1 and the track R as the rail-road work vehicle moves can be determined based on the road surface detection signals from the road surface detectors 100L and 100R. In order to perform track installation work, it is necessary to move the rail-road work vehicle 1 to the position shown in Figure 8, that is, until the rotation axis O is located at point C in Figure 9, so it is preferable to provide a driving guide for the rail-road work vehicle 1 as it moves to this position.

[0063] With these considerations in mind, the rail-road work vehicle 1 is equipped with a guide device (display guide device 91, sound / light guide device 92, etc.) that provides driving guidance using light, sound, images, etc., based on the relative positional relationship between the rail-road work vehicle 1 and the track R (relative to the turntable stopping position set by the stopping position setting unit 82) based on the road surface detection signals from the road surface detectors 100L and 100R. When providing light guidance using the sound / light guide device 91, for example, when the distance between the rail-road work vehicle and the track is large, the light from the light-emitting device is made to flash at large intervals, and as this distance decreases, the flashing interval is shortened, and when the position shown in Figure 8 is reached, the light is made to stay lit. When providing sound guidance using the sound / light guide device 91, for example, when the distance between the rail-road work vehicle and the track is large, an alarm sound is made intermittently at large intervals, and as this distance decreases, the alarm sound interval is shortened, and when the position shown in Figure 8 is reached, a continuous alarm sound is made. Furthermore, when guidance is provided by the display guide device 91, guidance is provided by showing the distance between the rail-road work vehicle and the track on the screen.

[0064] Furthermore, an automatic stop control device 95 may be provided, and when the rail-road work vehicle 1 reaches the position shown in Figure 8, the automatic stop control device 95 may be used to brake and stop it. In this case, for example, the vehicle may be driven automatically from the travel position shown in Figure 4 to the travel position shown in Figure 8, and when it reaches the position shown in Figure 8, the rail-road work vehicle 1 may be braked and stopped by the automatic stop device.

[0065] In the above example, a track R having a pair of left and right rails 61, 61 extends perpendicularly across the road 51 within the level crossing 50. However, as shown in Figure 10, the track R may also extend diagonally across the road 51 within the level crossing 50'. The track installation work, which involves moving the rail-road work vehicle 1 into such a level crossing 50' to make the track R drivable, will be explained with reference to Figures 10 and 11.

[0066] Figure 10 shows the state in which the rail-road work vehicle 1 has entered the level crossing 50' and moved onto the track R. When it moves to this position, the detection area of ​​the road surface detectors 100L and 100R includes the area of ​​the rails 61, 61 in front, so the groove 65 with a concave cross-section that extends along the inner rails of the left and right rails 61, 61 is detected by the road surface detectors 100L and 100R and the road surface detection unit 81. For example, as shown on the right side of Figure 10, the detection signal S(L) of the left road surface detector 100L shows a concave shape signal S(L)1 indicating the groove shape at the position of the groove 65 inside the rail 61 on the near side in the direction of travel, relative to the longitudinal distance D(L) shown on the vertical axis, and a concave shape signal S(L)2 indicating the groove shape at the position of the groove 65 inside the rail 61 on the far side in the direction of travel. Similarly, in the detection signal S(R) of the road surface detector 100R on the right side, a concave shape signal S(R)1 appears at the position of the groove 65 on the inner side of the rail 61 on the near side in the direction of travel, relative to the longitudinal distance D(R) shown on the vertical axis, and a concave shape signal S(R)2 appears at the position of the groove 65 on the inner side of the rail 61 on the far side in the direction of travel, also indicating a groove shape.

[0067] At this level crossing 50', the track R extends diagonally across the road, so as shown in the figure, the longitudinal positions of the shape signals S(L)1 and S(L)2 detected by the road surface detection unit 81 based on the left road surface detector 100L appear to be shifted in the longitudinal direction compared to the shape signals S(R)1 and S(R)2 detected by the road surface detection unit 81 based on the right road surface detector 100R. In this case, as shown in Figure 12, the intersection point P3 of the line A5 connecting the central position P1 of the shape signals S(L)1 and S(L)2 and the central position P2 of the shape signals S(R)1 and S(R)2, and the line A1 extending longitudinally through the center of the width direction of the rail-road work vehicle 1 (this line A1 coincides with the rotation center axis O of the turntable 110) becomes the target position where the rail-road work vehicle 1 should be stopped for track loading work. Therefore, the rail-road work vehicle 1 is moved until the rotational axis O of the turntable 110 coincides with this intersection P3, and the track-laying work is performed.

[0068] Figure 11 shows the state in which the rail-road work vehicle 1 has moved so that the rotation center O of the lower plate 135 of the turntable 110 is located at the center position of the rails 61, 61 (position of intersection P3), and the track laying work is performed in this state. In this state, as described above, the lower plate 135 of the turntable 110 is stored and held in a rotational position in which its longitudinal direction extends in the left-right direction of the vehicle body (direction of the left-right axis A2) and its short direction extends in the front-rear direction (direction of the front-rear axis A1). First, the turntable jack 120 is extended downward to a position in which the lower plate 135 can rotate, and then the rotation drive motor 132 is driven to rotate the lower plate 135 to a rotational position in which its longitudinal direction extends perpendicular to the direction in which the track R extends, and its short direction extends in the direction in which the track R extends, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 11. As a result, the lower plate 135 straddles the left and right rails 61, 61. From this state, the turntable jack 120 moves the rotation support table 130 (upper plate 131 and lower plate 135) downward, bringing the lower plate 135 into contact with the rail 61 and the road surface 55, and the turntable 110 lifts and supports the vehicle body 2. Then, the vehicle body 2 is pushed by an operator or the like to rotate the upper plate 131 and the rail-road work vehicle 1 connected to it relative to the lower plate 135 until the vehicle body 2 is facing the direction of the track R, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 11.

[0069] Then, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 11, the vehicle body 2 faces the direction in which the track R extends, and the pair of left and right front iron wheels 12F, 12F and the pair of left and right rear iron wheels 12R, 12R are positioned directly above the rails 61, 61. When the lifting support of the vehicle body 2 by the turntable 110 is released, that is, when the turntable jack 120 lifts and retracts the rotation support table 130 (upper plate 131 and lower plate 135), the pair of left and right front iron wheels 12F, 12F and the pair of left and right rear iron wheels 12R, 12R are placed on the rails 61, 61, resulting in the state shown in Figure 1. When the turntable jack 120 lifts and retracts the rotation support table 130, the track loading operation is completed. At this time, the lower plate 135 is in a rotational position where its longitudinal direction extends in the left-right direction of the vehicle body and its short direction extends in the front-rear direction, and is therefore stored and held in that position.

[0070] As explained above, in the level crossing 50' where the track R crosses diagonally as shown in Figures 10 and 11, when the rail-road work vehicle 1 moves into the level crossing 50' to perform track installation work, the road surface detectors 100L and 100R and the road surface detection unit 81 also detect the road surface shape. This allows the position of the groove 65, which is provided inside the left and right rails 61, 61 and extends along the rails, to be detected, and the relative positional relationship of the direction of travel of the track R (left and right rails 61, 61) with respect to the rail-road work vehicle 1 (especially with respect to the turntable 110) is determined. The relative relationship between the shape signals S(L)1, S(L)2 and S(R)1 and S(R)2, which indicate the position of the groove 65 when the rail-road work vehicle 1 moves towards the level crossing 50', and the direction of travel of the rail-road work vehicle 1, i.e., the longitudinal position (i.e., the longitudinal relative positional relationship between the line A5 indicating the center of the rails 61, 61 and the rotational center axis O of the turntable 110 of the rail-road work vehicle 1), will be explained with reference to Figure 12.

[0071] When the rail-road work vehicle 1 is positioned as shown in Figure 10, for example, the rotation axis O of the turntable 110 is located at point D in Figure 12. When it moves to the position shown in Figure 11, the rotation axis O is located at point E in Figure 12 and coincides with the center position of the rails 61, 61 (the position of intersection P3). In this case as well, the driving guide that moves the rail-road work vehicle 1 to a position where the rotation axis O coincides with intersection P3 is performed in the same way as described above.

[0072] The above describes the on-track operation, which involves transferring the rail-road work vehicle 1, which has traveled along the road to the level crossing, onto the track R within the level crossing. However, by performing the reverse operation within the level crossing, it is possible to perform the off-track operation, which involves transferring the rail-road work vehicle 1 from the track R onto the road.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the rotation axis O of the lower plate 135 in the turntable 110 is located in the center of the width direction of the vehicle body 2, and the left and right pair of front iron wheels 12F, 12F and the left and right pair of rear iron wheels 12R, 12R are provided in a configuration that is symmetrically positioned in the width direction of the vehicle body. However, if the rotation axis O of the lower plate 135 is located off-center from the width direction of the vehicle body 2, or if the left and right pair of front iron wheels 12F, 12F and the left and right pair of rear iron wheels 12R, 12R are provided asymmetrically in the width direction of the vehicle body, the target position for stopping the rail-road work vehicle 1 for track loading work is set taking such positions into consideration. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1 Rail-road work vehicle 2 Vehicle body 3S Steering Wheel 3D Drive Wheel 12F Front steel wheel 12R Rear steel wheel R Track 61 Rails 100 (100L, 100R) Road surface detector 110 Turntable 120 Turntable jack 130-degree rotation support table

Claims

1. A turntable for rail-road vehicles, which has road-running wheels and rail-running wheels and is capable of running on roads and rails, for loading and unloading rail-road vehicles, The system comprises: a turntable jack provided on the body of the rail-road vehicle and capable of extending and retracting vertically downward toward the body; a rotating plate support member provided at the lower end of the turntable jack; a grounding rotating plate provided at the lower part of the rotating plate support member so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis; a road surface detector for detecting the shape of the road surface in the front-rear direction on both the left and right sides of the vehicle body; and a stop position setting unit for determining the turntable stop position for performing track installation work based on the detection results of the road surface detector. The road surface detector, when the rail-road vehicle is traveling through a level crossing in a road-traveling state, detects the shape of the road surface in the direction of travel on both the left and right sides of the vehicle body, and detects the position on both the left and right sides of a pair of recesses provided along the inside of a pair of rails that constitute the track extending across the level crossing. The turntable for rail-road vehicles is characterized in that the stop position setting unit determines the stop position for the turntable based on the positions of the pair of recesses on the left and right sides of the vehicle body detected by the road surface detector.

2. The turntable for rail-road vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that the stop position setting unit determines the central position of each pair of recesses on the left and right sides based on the positions of a pair of recesses on the left side of the vehicle body detected by the road surface detector and the positions of a pair of recesses on the right side of the vehicle body detected by the road surface detector, and determines the turntable stop position relative to this central position.

3. The turntable for rail-road vehicles according to claim 2, characterized in that the stop position setting unit sets the position where the central position coincides with the vertical axis which is the rotation center of the grounding rotating plate as the turntable stop position.

4. A turntable for rail-road vehicles according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is equipped with a guide device that guides the rail-road vehicle to travel to the turntable stop position determined by the stop position setting unit.

5. The rail-road vehicle turntable according to claim 4, characterized in that the guide device has a notification device that notifies the distance between the position of the rail-road vehicle and the turntable stopping position by sound or light when the rail-road vehicle is traveling within the level crossing.

6. The rail-road vehicle turntable according to claim 4, characterized in that the guide device has a display device that shows the positional relationship between the position of the rail-road vehicle and the turntable stopping position by image display when the rail-road vehicle is traveling within the level crossing.

7. The rail-road vehicle turntable according to claim 4, characterized in that the guide device has an automatic stopping device that stops the rail-road vehicle when it moves to the turntable stopping position while the rail-road vehicle is traveling within the level crossing.

Images