Patent Application
20140013992
The present invention concerns cable transport installations such as trams, funicular railways or shuttles. There exist self-propelled systems, such as trains that are propelled by linear or non-linear electric motors or diesel engines, and cable traction systems.
This type of installation includes cars or wagons that necessitate traction means and support means to guide them. Guidance is most often achieved by two rails on which the car, which is equipped with wheels, travels. These rails provide guidance via two wheels. Depending on the system used, each rail is in contact with either one wheel or two wheels. Either each wheel rolls on a rail or the two wheels roll on either side of the same rail.
Traction is provided by one or more cables, each cable forming a closed loop running in the same direction or alternately in one direction and then the other, depending on the system used.
The car or wagon is connected to the cable either in a fixed manner or in a removable manner. When the car is connected to the cable in a fixed manner, the cable runs in a first direction to move the car from one terminal to the other and then in the opposite direction for the return journey. When the car is connected in a removable manner, as described in European patent EP 611 220, a fixing clamp enables the changeover from one cable to the other and thus changing cable either at the end of the line or mid-route in the case of so-called “long loop” systems in which there is a plurality of successive cables along the route, these changeovers constituting relays along the route, as it were.
These various systems lead to large infrastructures for guiding the cars and attempts have been made to reduce their overall size by using single-track systems. These systems necessitate the creation of passing areas, also known as “bypasses”, so that at least two cars can travel at the same time. These passing areas are usually located at station stops.
However, these systems can necessitate complex switches to enable the cars to enter each passing area. When each wheel travels on its own rail, the switch must include two mobile rails to direct the wheels of each car and the switch is then heavy to manipulate and bulky.
Another system has been developed that consists in placing an auxiliary rail at the entry to the passing area; said rail is located on the outside to guide the outside wheel of the car from one side to the other, the inside wheel being temporarily unguided as far as the entry to the station.
If the car is guided by only one rail, the route comprises two rails each dedicated either to the outward journey or to the return journey, the car changing rail at the end of its route (at the termini).
The drawback of these types of systems is that they necessitate at least one continuous lateral wall over the whole of the route of the car in order to place the guide rail or rails thereon, which leads to a greater overall size. The space available for installing these transport systems can be limited if they must be inserted into existing streets and enable circulation of other vehicles and pedestrians.
The object of the present invention is to propose a transport system that is both simple and compact.
The transport system in accordance with the invention comprises a car for receiving passengers, a guidance system and a cable traction system, and is characterized in that the guidance system consists of a single central rail (i.e. a rail located in the middle of the car) with which cooperate elements such as wheels attached to the car, for example, or skids if the train moves at low speed. Thus there is no longer any lateral wall to support the guide rail or rails, which makes it possible to limit the width of the roadway neutralized by the system. The wheels of the car may be situated laterally on either side of the central rail.
According to one particular feature, the traction system is disposed on at least one side of the car. Each car is therefore pulled by a cable situated beside the track, which represents much less of a penalty than the rail because this cable requires only localized support, which necessitates the installation of only supporting posts, and not a wall.
According to one particular feature, the traction system may comprise two cables disposed one on each side of the car. In this case, each of these cables is assigned to one direction of travel of the car. This is the case in particular when there is a single track and avoidance arrangements so trains can pass each other.
In one variant, the car is attached to the cable of the traction system in a fixed manner. Thus each car has its own traction cable and if there is only one track the distance between cars and the way in which movement of the cars is controlled are defined so that the cars can pass only in passing areas when these are provided.
In another embodiment, the car is attached to the traction cable in a removable manner, by means of a clamp. The advantage of this configuration is that the cars can change cable either at the end of the route at the termini, to leave in the other direction, or mid-route in so-called “long loop” configurations.
In accordance with one particular feature, the traction cable forms a closed loop. The cable constitutes a closed loop running between two end pulleys and intermediate pulleys.
In a variant, the traction system comprises a plurality of closed loop cables having overlap areas. This is a “long loop” system, the overlap areas being used to transfer the car clamp from one of the cables to the other so that the car can continue to travel the next section.
In another variant, the car travels at least partially on a single track and said track comprises car passing areas in which the track is divided into two tracks. The advantage of a single track is the small overall size of the system. The cars pass each other in these passing areas, which are usually stations at which passengers can disembark from the cars. The car can also circulate entirely on a single track. A single track is conceivable with a central rail and a train operating in “shuttle” mode or a single track with a short circuit or “bypass” employing a central rail and two trains in “shuttle” mode or two parallel tracks, i.e. two single tracks with a central rail and a train in “shuttle” mode.
In accordance with one particular feature, the single track is divided into two tracks by a switch.
In a first variant, the switch is constituted of two blades each articulated to one of the two tracks. Each blade is articulated to one of the two tracks of the passing area and, depending on whether it is required to direct the car onto one or the other of the tracks, the blade corresponding to the track onto which the car is to be transferred is made continuous with the single track.
In a second variant, the switch is constituted of two rigid blades connected to each other by at least one crosspiece. The blades are connected in a convergent manner on the crosspieces; the assembly of the two blades and the crosspieces is able to slide to make one of the two blades continuous on one side of the switch with the single track and on the other side of the switch with one of the tracks of the passing area.
In accordance with one particular feature, the car is mounted on air cushions. If the car is guided not by rolling on rails but by lateral contact of the wheels on the rail, the car must be supported in order to move, which support is in this case provided by means of air cushions.
The invention also covers other modes of movement such as a pneumatic mode.
Other advantages will become more apparent on reading the following detailed description given by way of nonlimiting illustration and with reference to the appended drawings in which:
bis represents a “long loop” system with one track, one station at each end and at least one intermediate relay station,
a represents a front view of a first prior art car with two lateral guide arrangements per vehicle,
b represents a front view of a second prior art car with one lateral guide arrangement per vehicle,
c represents a front view of a third prior art car,
d represents a front view of a fourth prior art car with two lateral guide arrangements per vehicle,
bis shows a variant of the previous system known as a “long loop” system in which an intermediate station S2 enables the car 1 to pass from a first cable 3 to a second cable 3′.
In
The car 1 shown in
In
The car 1 shown in
It can be seen that a number of these embodiments necessitate lateral rails 20 placed outside the track. These rails 20 are fixed to a lateral wall 21 that runs all along the track.
It is possible without departing from the scope of the present invention to use either wheels with tires or iron wheels.
The switch 22 shown in
The mode of travel of the cars 1 in accordance with the invention will now be described.
The cars 1 leave a terminus or an intermediate station S2 guided by the central rail 20 and pulled by a cable 3 located on the right-hand side of the track, for example. On approaching a station S2 or a passing area a switch 22 placed at the entry directs a first car 1 to the side of the station S2 on which the cable 3 is located, in the preceding example the right-hand side. At the exit from the station, the switch 22 at the exit, which was positioned to direct a second car 1 traveling in the opposite direction onto the other side of the station S2, is moved to redirect the car 1 onto the central rail 20 after leaving the station S2.
In the case of a “long loop” track, some stations S3 also serve to transfer the clamp of the car 1 when stopped from a cable 3 to a cable 3′.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1256648 | Jul 2012 | FR | national |
