Patent Application
20110107938
This application claims priority to German Patent Application No. 10 2009 052 382.0, filed Nov. 9, 2009, entitled “METHOD AND FREIGHT TRANSFER TERMINAL FOR TRANSFERRING SEMI-TRAILERS FROM RAILWAY TO ROADWAY, AS WELL AS TRACTION VEHICLE FOR SEMI-TRAILERS AND TRACTOR TRAILER UNITS THERETO, AS WELL AS METHOD FOR TRANSFERRING SEMI-TRAILERS FROM RAILWAY TO ROADWAY AND VICE VERSA AND FOR TRANSPORTING SEMI-TRAILERS BY RAIL” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a method for transferring semi-trailers from railway to roadway and vice versa, as well as a freight transfer terminal and a traction vehicle for semi-trailers. The present invention further relates to a tractor-trailer unit formed from the traction vehicle and a semi-trailer, and a method for transferring semi-trailers from railway to roadway and vice versa, and for transporting semi-trailers by rail.
In combined roadway-railway transportation, the freight to be transported is conveyed in containers, swap containers or semi-trailers, partially by means of special freight trains and partially by road. There is a distinction between unaccompanied and accompanied combined transportation. In unaccompanied or non-accompanied transportation, the freight is transferred without accompanying motor vehicles. Semi-trailers are uncoupled from the tractors, loaded onto the freight-train car without them and transported. The freight train is loaded and unloaded in part by means of cranes and in part by means of transverse loading. Such a method by means of transverse loading is known from EP 1993894 A1, for example.
In accompanied transport, for example, the so-called rolling highway, complete trucks, particularly semi-trailer trucks consisting of a tractor and a semi-trailer are driven one after the other in the longitudinal direction of the train onto and off of the train cars. The freight cars in this case are low-floor railcars that form a continuous driving lane across the entire train. Low-floor railcars have very small wheel diameters of, for example, 380 mm, 360 mm or 335 mm in order to guarantee that the trucks can be carried low enough to maintain the mandatory clearance profile. The drivers travel along with the semi-trailer trucks and are housed during the train trip in additionally connected accompanying cars.
The advantage of the rolling highway is that the drivers can maintain the legally prescribed rest periods without having to interrupt freight transport. Because the tractors are carried along with the semi-trailers, however, a large amount of dead weight relative to the freight load is transported. Moreover, the tractors are not available to the shipper for other use.
Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention provide a method and a freight transfer unit for transferring semi-trailers from roadway to railway and vice versa that is cost effective and saves time, wherein the freight train comprises freight cars, in particular, low-floor railcars that form a continuous driving lane across the entire freight train for moving the semi-trailers on the freight train.
Also provided are an assistance means as well as a unit for cost effective and time-saving transferring of semi-trailers.
In addition, a cost-effective and time-saving method for transferring semi-trailers from the roadway to a freight train and vice versa and for transporting semi-trailers by rail is to be provided.
Advantageous embodiments are characterized in the respective appended subordinate claims.
The invention will be described below in detail for the sake of example with reference to a drawing. therein:
a-c show schematic side views of an unmanned, self-propelled tractor-trailer unit driving onto a low-floor railcar; and
A semi-trailer truck or a tractor-trailer vehicle 1 (
The semi-trailer 3 (
A conventional low-floor car or low-floor railcar 10 (
A freight train 18 (
The traction vehicle 21 according to one embodiment of the invention (
The wheels 23 are, for example, known wheels of the type used for trucks. Two wheels 23 forming a wheelset are expediently arranged alongside one another in a horizontal transverse vehicle direction 25 and seated on the same wheel axis 27. The two wheelsets are arranged one after the other in a horizontal longitudinal vehicle direction 26 perpendicular to the transverse vehicle direction 25 (in and out of the page in
Additionally, at least one of the two wheel axles 27 or at least one wheelset is steerable. Conventionally known steering means are used for steering. In particular, the traction vehicle 21 has a steering gear and a steering servomotor. The steering servomotor is advantageously driven electrically. For this purpose the traction vehicle 21 has a battery or storage battery or a fuel driven engine in combination with a generator or other energy storage device/generator for supplying the steering servomotor. The steering servomotor is additionally connected to a control unit, which will be discussed in detail below.
The drive means for driving the movable traction vehicle 21 have a drive motor as well as a gearbox for transferring the drive torque from the drive motor to the wheels 23, preferably to a wheelset. The drive motor is expediently driven electrically and supplied by means of the same battery as the steering servomotor. Alternatively, the drive motor can also be configured as an internal combustion engine, hybrid drive unit, fuel cell drive unit, hydraulic motor or with other motor principles. The drive motor is also connected to the control unit and can be controlled by means of the latter, which will likewise be discussed in detail below.
The fifth wheel coupling 24 (
The traction vehicle 21 according to the invention is also preferably dimensioned such that it can drive under the front end of an uncoupled semi-trailer 6, i.e. into the area of the trailer support surface 5 and can preferably be arranged when driven straight aligned with it, as viewed in the vertical direction. That is to say, the traction vehicle 21 does not project laterally or frontwards from the semi-trailer 6 at all, or only to a slight extent. The mass of the traction vehicle 21 is also preferably dimensioned such that the traction vehicle 21 can pull or push a semi-trailer 21 without problems. In particular, the traction vehicle 21 has a mass of 2.0 to 7.0 tons, preferably 3.0 to 5.0 tons.
The control unit is used in particular for controlling the motion of the traction vehicle 21, i.e., the displacement of the traction vehicle 21. The control unit is consequently used for controlling the driving and the steering of the traction vehicle 21. The control unit also expediently serves to control additional elements of the traction vehicle 21, in combination with the sensor system and appropriate actuating members, e.g., servomotors or hydraulic units, for example.
For instance, the motion of the traction vehicle 21 is remote-controlled or partially remote-controlled. In particular, an automated interaction of the control unit on the traction vehicle 21 with a central control device set up outside the traction vehicles 21 is possible.
A communication of the control units arranged on the traction vehicles 21 with one another is likewise conceivable, so that the traction vehicles 21 can coordinate with one another. The remote-controlled movement of the traction vehicles 21 by human operating personnel is likewise possible.
For example, the external control device has one or more transmission/reception devices arranged outside of and remote from the traction vehicle 21, and the control unit of the traction vehicle 21 has a transmission/reception device arranged on the traction vehicle 21 for receiving and processing the signals arriving from the transmission device(s) and for driving the corresponding actuating members to execute the respective command.
The communication between the reception device(s) on the traction vehicles 21 and the control device can take place, for example, by means of radio transmission (e.g., WLAN, wireless local area networks) or other transmission means such as infrared. Alternatively, the evaluation of GPS (Global Positioning System) data can serve to detect the positions of the traction vehicles 21. The control unit in this case has a GPS data receiver.
Another possibility for identifying the positions of the traction vehicles 21 in the freight transport terminal and/or on the freight train 18 is controlling by means of orientation with respect to painted markings5 present on the floor of the freight transport terminal and on the low-floor railcars 10. In this case the control unit has optical sensors for detecting painted markings.
Controlling can additionally be accomplished by means of orientation based on induction loops that are present on the floor of the freight transport terminal and on the low-floor railcars 10. In this case the control unit has, for example, magnetic/electrical sensors for identifying induction loops or other electromagnetically operating markings.
Other methods of location, for example radiolocation are also conceivable for detecting the position of the traction vehicles 21.
The transfer method or loading/unloading method according to the invention by means of the invented unmanned traction vehicles 21 will now be described further.
The manned semi-trailer trucks 1 to be transported arrive at a freight transfer terminal or freight transfer train station according to the invention. The semi-trailer trucks 1 are expediently parked by the drivers at predetermined positions in the freight transfer terminal and the semi-trailers 3 are uncoupled from the tractors 2. The support legs 7 are extended, preferably by an operator, e.g., the truck driver, so that the semi-trailers 3 rest on the support legs 7. The tractors 2 are driven away from the semi-trailers 3 by the drivers and can subsequently leave the freight transfer terminal or be coupled to arriving semi-trailers 3 and leave the freight transfer terminal with them.
Then the traction vehicles 21 according to the invention are coupled to the waiting uncoupled semi-trailers 3. For this purpose, a traction vehicle 21 drives up to each waiting semi-trailer 3. The height of the trailer plate 28 is adjusted if necessary and matched to the height of the trailer support surface 5 of the respective semi-trailer 3. This is done manually and mechanically by an operator, or by means of sensors on the traction vehicle 21 by which the height of the semi-trailer support surface 5 is measured, whereupon the control unit drives a corresponding actuation member to adjust the height of the trailer plate 28. Alternatively, the heights of the trailer support surface 5 of the semi-trailers 3 to be transferred are stored in a database so that the correct height of the trailer plates 28 can be adjusted based on this data by driving appropriate actuating means of the traction vehicle 21 by means of the control device.
For coupling, the respective traction vehicle 21 drives backwards under the trailer support surface 5 of the respective semi-trailer 3. In the process, the kingpin 6 moves into the introduction slot of the central plate 28 and into the opening of the rotary catch so that the latter is rotated in such a manner that it encloses the kingpin, particularly in the area of the circumferential groove. In this position the rotary catch is automatically locked by means of the locking lever using an interlocking mechanism. The trailer support surface 5 now rests on the trailer plate 28. Consequently the support legs 7 are again retracted, preferably by the operating personnel, especially by cranking. A semi-trailer 3 with a coupled traction vehicle 21 forms a respective unmanned movable tractor-trailer unit 30 (
Now the semi-trailers 3 are driven onto a waiting freight train 18 in the longitudinal direction 20 of the train (
In addition, after appropriately blocking and securing the track section, a rotatable entry and exit bridge (not shown) can be pivoted over the track 33 so that the loading and unloading of the freight train 18 need not necessarily take place at the end of a track.
Alternatively a foldable entry ramp can be mounted on the first or last railcar (not shown).
The tractor-trailer units 30 consisting of the traction vehicle 21 and a coupled semi-trailer 3 are moved individually in succession one after the other onto the freight train 28 in the longitudinal direction 20 of the train via the entry and exit ramp 29. The semi-trailers 3 are preferably pulled by the traction vehicles 21. The front, first tractor-trailer unit 30 of the series of tractor-trailer units 30 travels on the continuous driving lane formed by the low-floor railcars 10 the length of the entire freight train 18 up to the locomotive 19, stopping a predetermined distance away. The other tractor-trailer units 30 drive one after the other likewise over the continuous driving lane the remaining length of the freight train 18 until they can be placed a predetermined distance away from the front tractor-trailer unit 30.
In order to hold the self-propelled, unmanned tractor-trailer units 30 in place on the low-floor railcars 10, wedges can be placed in front of and behind the wheels 8 of the semi-trailers 3.
Alternatively or additionally, the traction vehicles 21 can expediently also be held in place on the low-floor railcars 10. For example, the traction vehicles 10 can have laterally extendable spindles or other mechanical constructions such as levers or latches that can be extended sufficiently until they strike on the interior against the two side walls 16 of the railcar and are pressed against them or move into a positive engagement with corresponding opposing parts on the railcar.
The side walls 16 or the base walls 15 of the railcar can be equipped with special stops, perforated strips or racks that allow form-fit or force-fit catching or engagement for locking the traction vehicle 21 in place.
Thereby the traction vehicles 21 are non-positively or positively locked in place horizontally in both the longitudinal direction 20 of the vehicle and perpendicular thereto. The spindles expediently engage in grooves in the side walls 16 of the railcar. Alternatively, the traction vehicles 21 and the low-floor railcars 10 have other means for locking the traction vehicles 21 in place horizontally on the low floor railcars 10, particularly by form-fitting means.
Once all tractor-trailer units 30 have been locked in place, the freight train 18 is ready to depart. The tractor-trailer units 30 are conveyed by the freight train 18 to the destination freight transfer terminal or the destination transfer rail station. There the freight train 18 is again maneuvered with one end against an entry and exit ramp 29 or an entry and exit bridge (not shown). The end of the train that lies at the front in the travel direction of the traction machines 21 is expediently chosen.
Alternatively, loading ramps present on the platform or the railcars can be folded out or swung in.
As soon as the freight train 18 has reached its final stopping position, the wedges are removed and the locking of the traction vehicles 21 in place with the low-floor railcars 21 is released. The tractor-trailer units 30 are then driven individually, successively and one after the other down from the freight train 28 over the entry and exit ramp 29 in the longitudinal direction 20 of the train, with the semi-trailers 3 being towed by the traction vehicles 21.
In the destination freight transfer terminal, the individual tractor-trailer units 30 are positioned at predetermined positions and the traction vehicles 21 are uncoupled from the semi-trailers 3. For that purpose, the support legs 7 are extended, especially by the operating personnel. Then the locking of the rotary catches of the fifth wheel coupling 24 is released. This is done, for example, manually by an operator who pulls on the unlocking handle, whereby the locking lever is actuated in such a manner that the locking of the rotary catch is released. The rotary catch then snaps back into its open position due to the spring force, so that the kingpin 6 is released.
The traction vehicle 21 then lowers the semi-trailer 3 onto the support legs 7 by lowering the trailer plate 9.
Then the respective traction vehicle 21 preferably travels forward under the trailer support surface 5 of the respective semi-trailer 3. In this process the kingpin 6 moves out of the fifth wheel coupling 24. Alternatively, the locking lever is automatically released by an appropriate control command from the control unit and the actuation of a control member.
The traction vehicles 21 are now again free for another loading process and are moved either to the next freight train 18 to be loaded or into a waiting position. After the traction vehicles 21 have been uncoupled from the semi-trailers 6, waiting manned tractors 2 are driven to the semi-trailers 6 and coupled to them in a conventional manner. The tractor-trailer units 1 are then driven to their destination.
As already explained above, the traction vehicles 21 are moved during the entire loading and unloading process either by remote control or a remote controller, or automatically or semi-automatically, or by an automated controller based on predetermined data and/or by means of data acquired by sensors and a data processing program.
In case of remote control, the traction vehicles 21 are moved by virtue of the fact that an operator controls the transmitting device correspondingly and drives the traction vehicles 21 to the tractor-trailers 3 and away from them, as well as driving the tractor-trailer units 30 up onto the freight train 18 and down again, and stops them at the predetermined positions. The actuation of the locking lever of the fifth wheel coupling 24 and the extension and retraction of the spindles for locking and detaching the locking can also be accomplished by remote control.
With the GPS-based automated control, the traction vehicles 21 are each moved to the predetermined position on the basis of GPS data that is processed by the control unit by means of a data processing program. The necessary position data, such as the position of the semi-trailers 3 to be coupled and the position of the low-floor railcars is stored in a database, for example. Markings on the ground and on the tracks of the freight transfer terminal can serve as orientation for the truck drivers and train engineers as to where they should position their vehicle or the train. The actuation of the locking lever of the fifth wheel coupling 24 and the extension and retraction of the spindles for locking and releasing the locking can also be done automatically as soon as the traction vehicle 21 has reached the respective predetermined position and this is recognized by the control unit.
For the automated controlling by means of orientation to paint markings or induction loops, the traction vehicles 21 pass the various predetermined, pre-programmed stations or positions one by one.
The traction vehicles 21 can also communicate by means of their controller units if needed, and thus guarantee the monitoring and control of the predetermined drive-up order or specified position. Communication among them can also be used to avoid accidents. The traction vehicles 21 can likewise use position measurements relative to one another for control.
It is of course also possible to combine several types of control with one another.
One advantage of the invention is firstly that the tractors 2 and their drivers are no longer conveyed on the freight train 18. This saves costs for the shipper, since the tractors 2 and the drivers can be used elsewhere or for multi-shift operation. In addition, space is saved on the low-floor railcars 21 due to the compact structure of the invented automatically movable traction vehicles 21, which have no driver's cab 4 in contrast to conventional manned tractors 2, so that more semi-trailers 3 per train can be conveyed. Furthermore, the traction vehicles 21 according to the invention have a lower weight than the conventional tractors 2, so that the transported dead weight is less. This likewise saves expense.
Due to the very high degree of automation of the loading and unloading process, additional time and costs are saved and errors are avoided.
A further advantage of the invention is the decoupling of the presence times of the tractor 2 from the stopping times of the freight trains—the truck drivers deliver the semi-trailers 3 to the respective interim parking lots and pick up the arriving semi-trailers 3 from these parking lots; they no longer need to go by loading times and train stopping times. Large savings of time and the flexibility of the delivery and pickup times are important advantages from the standpoint of the users.
Another advantage of the invention is the utilization of the traction machine 21 for other loading processes, e.g., the loading of ship ferries with semi-trailers 3 or the shunting of semi-trailers 3 in terminals for assembling trains, etc. It is also within the scope of the invention to drive the semi-trailers 2 onto the freight train 18 and down from it with only one traction vehicle 21. In this case, the traction vehicle 21 is uncoupled on the freight train 18 and driven down from the freight train 18 or carried down by means of a crane. The semi-trailers 2 are thus transported without traction vehicles 21 on the freight train 18. The unloading of the freight train 18 takes place inversely. Moreover, several traction vehicles 21 can be used.
It also lies within the scope of the invention for the traction vehicles 21 to have RFID (radio frequency identification) chips, by means of which an identification of the traction vehicles 21 and/or reporting of the traction vehicles 21 to central control means is possible, for example, when driven onto and off of the freight train 18.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2009 052 382.0 | Nov 2009 | DE | national |
