System for connecting vehicle traffic lanes

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for connecting vehicle traffic lanes comprising a fixed structure (1) with a circular gap (11) accessed by traffic lanes (V), said circular gap having a circular ring (2) therein that rotates about a Z axis and comprises a first and second group of tracks (21, 22). The system further comprises a circular plate (3) comprising a diametral axis (X) of rotation between two end positions coplanar with the circular ring (2), actuation means for actuating the rotational movement, and two opposite faces (A, B) respectively carrying a first group of tracks (31) and a second group of tracks (32) which, in the end rotation positions, connect different pairs of tracks (22) and traffic lanes (V).

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] System for connecting vehicle traffic lanes.

[0003] Technical sector.

[0004] The present invention falls within the field of technology relating to systems for the interconnection of different vehicle traffic routes at intersections or confluence zones, and in particular of routes equipped with rails, running tracks or guides for vehicle traffic.

[0005] Prior art.

[0006] Utility model ES 1 128 605 U of the same holder of the present invention describes a crossing ring for guidance systems in public transport comprising a circular-planed turntable having one or more running paths on at least its faces, and mounted on a support comprising: one or more drive devices mechanically connected to the turntable and suitable for transmitting a rotary motion to the turntable; one or more turntable guide devices; one or more turntable locking devices; one or more drive control devices; one or more turntable positioning devices; and one or more locking device devices.

[0007] This crossing ring allows two or more traffic lanes or guidance systems to be connected simultaneously, by conveniently orienting the turntable so that the roadways attached to it face the ends of the traffic lanes to be connected.

[0008] This crossing ring simultaneously connects several traffic lanes, allowing multiple vehicles to travel on the same lane without their paths intersecting. To achieve this, the lanes on the turntable must not cross and must be sufficiently spaced to prevent contact between vehicles traveling on adjacent lanes. This obviously limits the number of lanes that can be arranged on the turntable and the operational capacity of the crossing ring. Explanation of the invention.

[0009] The system for connecting vehicle traffic lanes, the subject of this invention, has technical characteristics whose objective is to significantly increase the connection capacity of traffic lanes of the aforementioned precedent, without the need to expand the surface occupied by it.

[0010] The solution proposed in this invention to achieve the proposed objective consists of combining a circular ring, provided on its upper face with a first and a second group of raceways, with a circular plate arranged within said circular ring and comprising on two opposite faces a first and a second group of raceways with different trajectories, said circular plate being mounted with respect to the circular ring, with the possibility of rotation between two extreme positions in which the first or second group of raceways face the first and second group of circulation paths of the circular ring.

[0011] The aforementioned circular ring is capable of rotating on an axis (Z) perpendicular to it, in order to bring the outer ends of said roadways into contact with different fixed circulation lanes, oriented radially with respect to said circular ring, giving continuity to the guidelines of the sections of the circulation lanes and the roadways of the circular ring and the circular plate.

[0012] The combination of the circular ring with the aforementioned circular plate allows doubling the connection possibilities between the fixed tracks, by rotating the circular plate towards one of the extreme positions and rotating the assembly of the circular ring and the circular plate, with respect to a fixed external structure, to face the operational running paths of the circular ring and the circular plate with the fixed tracks to be connected.

[0013] The features of the invention, included in the attached claims, will be more easily understood in view of the embodiment examples in the figures.

[0014] Brief description of the content of the drawings.

[0015] To complement the description being made and in order to facilitate the understanding of the characteristics of the invention, a set of drawings is included with this descriptive report in which, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, the following has been represented:

[0016] Figure 1 shows a plan view of an example of the system for connecting vehicle traffic lanes, according to the invention, in which the external structure is partially shown, and the circular plate is shown in one of its extreme rotational positions, with its face (A) in the operative position. The first group of roadways on face (A) of the circular plate, opposite the first group of roadways on the circular ring, is shown with a solid line, and the second group of roadways corresponding to its face (B) is shown with a dashed line.

[0017] Figure 2 shows a plan view of the system for connecting vehicle traffic lanes, analogous to Figure 1, with the circular plate rotated 180° and its face B in the operational position. In this figure, the second group of lanes on face (B) of the circular plate, opposite the second group of lanes on the circular ring, is represented with a solid line, and the first group of lanes corresponding to its face (A) is represented with a dashed line.

[0018] Figure 3 shows a schematic elevation view of an example of the system for connecting vehicle traffic lanes, sectioned by a vertical plane, and in which the following can be observed: the axis of rotation of the circular plate with respect to the circular ring, the pins for immobilizing the circular plate in one of the extreme rotation positions, and the means for rotating the circular ring with respect to the fixed structure that delimits a circular opening and to which traffic lanes to be selectively connected have access in a radial direction.

[0019] Figure 4 shows a schematic plan view of the circular ring and the circular plate with the respective drive means.

[0020] Figure 5 shows an enlarged elevation detail of one end of the circular plate and its diametral axis of rotation, coupled to the means of actuating the rotational movement; in this case the circular plate is unable to rotate with respect to the circular ring.

[0021] Figure 6 shows the cross-section corresponding to the traffic lanes and the wheel tracks of the circular ring and the circular plate. Detailed exposition of embodiments of the invention.

[0022] As can be seen in figures 1 to 3, this system for connecting vehicle traffic lanes comprises: a fixed structure (1) that delimits a circular opening (11) and to which traffic lanes (V), to be selectively connected, are accessed radially, arranged coplanarly and defining between each other an angle that is a multiple of an angle (a); a circular ring (2) arranged in a plane parallel to the traffic lanes (V), mounted on the fixed structure (1) with the possibility of rotation about an axis (Z) perpendicular to said circular ring, and coupled to rotary drive means.

[0023] In figures 1 and 2 the angle (a) defined between the successive traffic lanes (V) is 15 degrees, and to facilitate the understanding of the explanation that follows, the angular position occupied by each of these traffic lanes (V) has been represented in degrees.

[0024] The circular ring (2) comprises on an upper face, which is always visible, a first and a second group of roadways (21, 22) provided with outer ends that define between each other an angle that is a multiple of the angle (a) defined by the traffic lanes (V) and provided to selectively face different traffic lanes (V), and inner ends close to the inner contour of said circular ring (2).

[0025] The circular plate (3), mounted inside said circular ring (2), comprises: a diametral axis (X) of rotation between two extreme positions, shown in figures 1 and 2, coplanar with the circular ring (2) and means for driving the rotational movement.

[0026] Said circular plate (3) comprises two opposite faces (A, B) bearing respectively: a first group of roadways (31) and a second group of roadways (32).

[0027] In a first extreme rotational position of the circular plate (3), shown in Figure 1, the face (A) of the circular plate (3) is oriented upwards and the raceways (31) of that face (A) connect pairs of raceways (21) of the circular ring (2) that form different angles with each other.

[0028] In Figure 1, the first group of raceways (21) of the circular ring (2) consists of four pairs of raceways, connected by the first group of raceways (31) of face (A) of the circular plate (3). The outer ends of these pairs of raceways (21) define fixed angles of 180°, 150°, 120°, and 90° with each other.

[0029] By rotating the circular ring (2) and the circular plate (3) together with respect to the Z axis, the system allows connecting the circulation lanes (V) that successively face the first group of rolling lanes (21) of the circular ring (2) and that define the aforementioned angles of 180°, 150°, 120° and 90°.

[0030] In position 0 o From the circular ring (2) and the circular plate (3), shown in Figure 1, the system connects the pairs of circulation lanes (V) that occupy the following angular positions: 0°-180°; 15°-165°; 30 o - 150° and 45 o - 135°

[0031] By rotating the circular ring (2) and the circular plate (3) together 15 degrees clockwise, the pairs of circulation paths (V) occupying the following angular positions are connected: 15°-195°; 30°-180°, 45°-165° and 60°-150°, and so on for the following 15-degree turns.

[0032] In a second extreme rotation position of the circular plate (3), shown in Figure 2, the face (B) of the circular plate (3) is arranged facing upwards and the second group of roadways (32), arranged on said face (B) of circular plate (3), connect pairs of roadways (22) that form different angles with each other.

[0033] In said figure 2, the second group of raceways of the circular ring (2) is formed by four pairs of raceways (22), connected by the second group of raceways (32) of the face (B) of the circular plate (3), and the outer ends of said pairs of raceways (22) define angles of 165°, 135°, 105° and 90° with each other.

[0034] By rotating the circular ring (2) and the circular plate (3) together with respect to the Z axis, the system allows connecting the circulation lanes (V) that successively face the second group of rolling lanes (22) of the circular ring (2) and that define the aforementioned angles of 180°, 150°, 120° and 90°.

[0035] In position 0 o From the circular ring (2) and the circular plate (3), shown in Figure 2, the system connects the pairs of circulation lanes (V) that occupy the following angular positions: 75°-240°; 90°-225°; 105°-210° and 255°-345°

[0036] By rotating the circular ring (2) and the circular plate (3) 15 degrees clockwise, the pairs of circulation lanes (V) occupying the following angular positions are connected: 90°-255°; 105°-240°, 120°-225° and 270°-0°, and so on for the following 15-degree turns.

[0037] As shown in Figure 3, the circular ring (2) is mounted on the fixed structure (1) by means of rolling elements (24), and the rotary drive means for the circular ring (2) comprise a toothed ring (23) fixed to the circular ring (2) and coupled to a pinion (41) driven by a servomotor (4). The servomotor (4) allows the circular ring (2) to be precisely rotated so that the associated rolling paths align with the fixed circulation paths (V) to be connected in each case.

[0038] The circular crown (2) and the circular plate (3) have an outer contour and an inner contour, facing each other, provided with at least one recess (25) and a motorized pin (34), referenced in figures 3 and 4, which in the extreme rotation positions of the circular plate (3) is housed in the corresponding recess (25), immobilizing the circular plate (3) with respect to the circular crown (2).

[0039] In Figure 5, the means for driving the rotational movement of the circular plate (3) comprise at least one pinion (51) driven by a servomotor (5) and meshed with a pinion (33) arranged at one end of the diametral axis (X) of rotation of the circular plate (3). The use of a servomotor (5) to rotate the circular plate (3) allows control of the angle of rotation of said circular plate and its precise placement in either of the two extreme rotational positions, i.e., with face (A) or face (B) facing upwards and in the operating position.

[0040] In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the diametral axis (X) of rotation of the circular plate (3) is oriented in a fixed direction with respect to the circular ring (2), rotating the circular plate (3) together with the circular ring (2) with respect to the axis (Z).

[0041] In this embodiment, the raceways (31, 32) are arranged in certain positions on opposite faces of the circular plate (3), as shown in Figures 1 and 2, so that in each of the extreme rotation positions of the circular plate (3), one of these raceways (31, 32) is arranged facing the respective pairs to be connected of the raceways (21, 22) of the circular ring (2).

[0042] However, in an alternative embodiment to that shown in Figure 5, in which the rotation axis (X) of the circular plate (3) is prevented from rotating with respect to the circular ring (2), it has been provided that the diametral axis (X) of rotation of the circular plate (3) and the means for driving the rotational movement of said circular plate (3) can be mounted on the circular ring (2) with the possibility of rotation with respect to the axis (Z) and coupled to means for driving said rotational movement; in this case it is necessary to suitably rotate the circular plate (3) with respect to the circular ring (2) to align the first or second tracks (31, 32) of the circular plate (3) with the first and second tracks (21, 22) of the circular ring (2), and to lock the circular plate (3) with respect to the circular ring (2) before rotating them together to make the connection of the selected circulation paths (V).

[0043] Figure 6 shows a section of an example embodiment of the circulation lanes (V) and the running lanes (21, 22, 31, 32) comprising two parallel guides (61) and a central running lane (62), coplanar with the upper surface of said guides (61).

[0044] Once the nature of the invention has been sufficiently described, as well as an example of a preferred embodiment, it is noted for the appropriate purposes that the materials, shape, size and arrangement of the elements described may be modified, provided that this does not imply an alteration of the essential characteristics of the invention claimed below.

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS received by the International Bureau on 11 March 2025 (11.03.2025) CLAIMS 1. System for connecting vehicle traffic lanes, characterized in that it comprises: - a fixed structure (1) that delimits a circular opening (11) and to which circulation routes (V) are accessed in a radial direction, to be selectively connected, arranged coplanarly and which define between each other an angle that is a multiple of a base angle (a); - a circular ring (2) arranged in a plane parallel to the traffic lanes (V), mounted on the fixed structure (1) with the possibility of rotation about a perpendicular axis (Z) perpendicular to said circular ring (2), and coupled to rotary drive means; said circular ring (2) comprising on an upper face a first and a second group of raceways (21, 22) provided with outer ends that define with each other an angle that is a multiple of the base angle (a) and provided to selectively engage different traffic lanes (V) and inner ends, close to the inner contour of said circular ring (2), and - a circular plate (3) mounted inside said circular ring (2) and comprising: a diametral axis (X) of rotation between two extreme positions coplanar with the circular ring; means for driving the rotational movement, and two opposite faces (A, B) bearing respectively: a first group of raceways (31) which, in a first extreme rotational position of the circular plate, connect pairs of raceways (21) of the rotating ring that form different angles with each other, and a second group of raceways (32) which, in a second extreme rotational position of the circular plate (3), connect pairs of raceways (22) that form different angles with each other.

2. System, according to claim 1, wherein the circular crown (2) is mounted on the fixed structure (1) by means of rolling elements (24), and the rotary drive means of the circular crown (2) comprise a toothed crown (23) fixed to the circular crown (2) and coupled to a pinion (41) driven by a servomotor (4).

3. System, according to any preceding claim, wherein the circular crown (2) and the circular plate (3) have an outer contour and an inner contour provided with at least one recess (25) and a motorized pin (34) which in the extreme rotational positions of the circular plate (3) is housed in the corresponding recess (25), immobilizing the circular plate (3) with respect to the circular crown (2).

4. System, according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the means for driving the rotational movement of the circular plate (3) comprise at least one pinion (51) driven by a servomotor (5) and meshed with a pinion (33) arranged at one end of the diametral axis (X) of the circular plate (3).

5. System, according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the diametral axis (X) is oriented in a fixed direction with respect to the circular ring (2), and prevents the relative rotation of the circular plate (3) with respect to the circular ring (2) about the perpendicular axis (Z).

6. System, according to claim 5, wherein the raceways (31, 32) are arranged in certain positions on opposite faces of the circular plate (3), such that in each of the extreme rotation positions of said circular plate (3) about the diametral axis (X), one of said raceways (31, 32) is arranged facing the respective pairs to be connected of rotational raceways (21, 22) of the circular ring (2).

7. System, according to any preceding claim, wherein the circulation lanes (V) and the running paths (21, 22, 31, 32) comprise two parallel guides (61) and a central running track (62), coplanar with the upper surface of said guides (61).

8. System, according to any preceding claim, wherein the outer ends of the pairs of the first group of raceways (21) of the circular crown (2), connected by the first group of raceways (31) of the face (A) of the circular plate (3), define angles of 180°, 150°, 120° and 90° with each other.

9. System, according to any preceding claim, wherein the pairs of the second group of raceways (22) of the circular crown (2), connected by the second group of raceways (32) of the face (B) of the circular plate (3), define angles of 165°, 135°, 105° and 90° between themselves.

10. System, according to claims 1 to 4, wherein the diametral axis (X) of rotation of the circular plate (3) and the means for driving the rotational movement of said circular plate (3) are mounted on the circular ring (2) with the possibility of rotation about the perpendicular axis (Z) and coupled to means for driving said rotary movement.

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