Claims
- 1. A rotary switch for a people mover guideway including a fixed guideway configuration having a predetermined two tire path, guidebeam and electric rail configuration, said rotary switch providing for routing a transit car from one entry guideway path to at least either of two exit guideway paths or vice versa of the fixed guideway configuration and comprising:
- an elongated structural switch frame member provided with guidebeam, electric rail and tire path structure on one side compatible with the fixed guideway configuration of the people mover guideway to provide car routing to one of the two exit paths; said switch frame member further provided with guidebeam, electric rail and tire path structure on another side compatible with the fixed guideway configuration to provide car routing to the other of the two exit paths;
- first shaft means disposed at one end of said switch frame member;
- second shaft means disposed at the other end of said switch frame member;
- drive means for driving at least one of said first and second shaft means to rotate said switch frame member about said first and second shaft means between first and second frame positions;
- said switch frame having its one side aligned with the entry guideway and the one exit guideway path in said first frame position and having its other side aligned with the entry guideway path and the other exit guideway path in said second frame position;
- lock means for locking said frame member against rotation from said first or second frame position;
- first means for supporting said frame member in fixed longitudinal relation to one of said shaft means; and
- second means for supporting said frame member relative to the other of said shaft means and for allowing relative longitudinal movement between said frame member and said other shaft means to allow said frame member to expand and contract longitudinally under thermal and/or car loading, said first and second supporting means cooperating with said lock means to permit pivotal frame deflection to occur about said first and second supporting means and said lock means at both ends of said frame with translational load forces applied to said first and second supporting means and said lock means essentially in the vertical direction.
- 2. A rotary guideway switch as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first and second supporting means and said lock means are disposed at the two ends of said frame member so as to form respective laterally extending hinge lines about which said frame member deflects pivotally.
- 3. A rotary guideway switch as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first and second supporting means include respective first and second spherical bearing means for supporting the respective shaft means.
- 4. A rotary guideway switch as set forth in claim 3 wherein said frame member has first and second laterally extending end beams at the respective ends thereof, each of said spherical bearings has a bearing seat and said end beams respectively support said bearing seats and in turn said shaft means which respectively extend through said bearing seats.
- 5. A rotary guideway switch as set forth in claim 4 wherein said first supporting means comprises spacer means supported by one of said first and second shaft means against the associated bearing means to fix said frame against longitudinal movement relative to said one shaft means, and said second supporting means supports the other of said first and second shaft means within the other of said bearing means to permit longitudinal expansionary movement of said frame relative to said other shaft means.
- 6. A rotary guideway switch as set forth in claim 5 wherein said first shaft means is the only shaft means operated by said drive means and said first shaft means is said one shaft means that supports said spacer means.
- 7. A rotary guideway switch as set forth in claim 6 wherein said drive means includes crankarm means secured to said one shaft means and said frame to rotate said frame when drive force is applied by said drive means.
- 8. A rotary guideway switch as set forth in claim 4 wherein said lock means includes a first lock means associated with said first end beam and a second lock means associated with said second end beam, and further comprising third spherical bearing means to support said first lock means relative to said first end beam, fourth spherical bearing means to support said second lock means relative to said second end beam, and wherein a first laterally extending hinge line extends through said third and said first bearing means and a second laterally extending hinge line extends through said fourth and said second bearing means with said frame deflecting pivotally about said hinge lines.
- 9. A rotary guideway switch as set forth in claim 8 wherein said lock means includes a third lock means associated with said first end beam and a fourth lock means associated with said second end beam, and further comprising fifth spherical bearing means to support said third lock means relative to said first end beam, sixth spherical bearing means to support said fourth lock means relative to said second end beam, and wherein said hinge lines respectively extend through said fifth and sixth bearing means.
- 10. A rotary guideway switch as set forth in claim 9 wherein said drive means includes crankarm means secured to said one shaft means and to said first end beam for rotating said frame when drive force is applied by said drive means; and further comprising, seventh spherical bearing means for supporting said crankarm means relative to said first end beam, and wherein said first hinge line extends through said seventh bearing means.
- 11. A rotary guideway switch as set forth in claim 10, and further comprising second crankarm means secured to said other shaft means and said second end beam, and eighth spherical bearing means for supporting said second crankarm means relative to said second end beam, and wherein said second hinge line extends through said eighth bearing means.
- 12. A rotary guideway switch as set forth in claim 2 and further comprising means for continuously electrically connecting said switch electric rail structure to corresponding fixed guideway electric rail structure.
- 13. A rotary guideway switch as set forth in claim 2 wherein said electric rail and guidebeam structure on both of said switch sides is disposed above the associated tire path structure and between the two tire paths.
- 14. A rotary guideway switch as set forth in claim 1, wherein said switch frame member is rotatable about an axis that is parallel to the center line of the entry guideway path.
- 15. A rotary guideway switch as set forth in claim 1, said side and said other side are separated by an angle of 180.degree..
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The following related and concurrently filed and coassigned patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference:
U.S. patent application No. 07/218,206, filed concurrently, entitled ELECTRIC COUPLING FOR ROTARY GUIDEWAY SWITCH and filed by Thomas J. Burg.
U.S. patent application No. 07,211,734, filed concurrently, entitled SAFETY LOCKING STRUCTURE FOR A ROTARY GUIDEWAY SWITCH and filed by Thomas J. Burg, William K. Cooper and Robert J. Anderson.
U.S. patent application No. 07,211,725, filed concurrently, entitled GUIDEWAY STATION FOR A ROTARY GUIDEWAY SWITCH and filed Thomas J. Burg, Robert J. Anderson and Ronald H. Ziegler.
U.S. patent application No. 07/211,726, filed concurrently, entitled ROTARY GUIDEWAY SWITCH HAVING SINGLE TIRE PATH LOADING and filed by Thomas J. Burg, William K. Cooper, Robert J. Anderson, Ronald H. Ziegler and John W. Kapala.
U.S. patent application No. 07,211,735, filed concurrently, entitled SELF-ALIGNING ROTARY GUIDEWAY SWITCH and filed by Thomas J. Burg.
U.S. patent application No. 07/211,610, filed concurrently, entitled SINGLE TURNOUT ROTARY GUIDEWAY SWITCH AND A DUAL LANE CROSSOVER STATION EMPLOYING THE SAME and filed by Thomas J. Burg, William K. Cooper, Robert J. Anderson, Ronald H. Ziegler and John W. Kapala.
U.S. patent application No. 07/211,736, filed concurrently, entitled DOUBLE TURNOUT ROTARY GUIDEWAY SWITCH and filed by Thomas J. Burg, William K. Cooper, Robert J. Anderson, Ronald H. Ziegler and John W. Kapala.
U.S. patent application No. 07/211,721, filed concurrently, entitled IMPROVED ELECTRIC, GUIDANCE, AND TIRE PATH CONFIGURATION FOR A PEOPLE MOVER GUIDEWAY and filed by William K. Cooper, Thomas J. Burg, and John W. Kapala.
U.S. patent application No. 07/211,724, filed concurrently, entitled ROTARY GUIDEWAY SWITCH HAVING GUIDEBEAM AND/OR ELECTRIC RAIL STRUCTURE LOCATED ABOVE AND BETWEEN GUIDEWAY TIRE PATHS, filed by Thomas J. Burg, William K. Cooper, Robert J. Anderson, Ronald H. Ziegler and John W. Kapala.
The present invention relates to people mover systems and more particularly to guideway switches for such systems.
In the operation of people mover systems, passenger vehicles having rubber tires are operated automatically over dedicated guideways to move people between stations in the system. The guideway is typically provided with a pair of spaced running surfaces for the rubber tires. The running surfaces are normally formed by the top surface of interconnected, elongated concrete pads which are located at or below or above the ground level.
The guideway is provided with a guide beam that runs parallel to and between the running surfaces. Horizontal guide wheels on the vehicle run along the guide beam to provide vehicle steerage as the vehicle moves along the guideway. The guide wheel assembly or a secondary guidance assembly locks the vehicle on the guide beam continuously throughout the guideway to prevent derailment due to equipment failure or hurricane type winds.
To enable electrical operation and control, the guideway further includes an arrangement of power and signal rails that run the length of the guideway. Brushes on the vehicle contact the rails during vehicle operation to provide electrical power for tractive effort and to provide electrical signals for speed and other control functions.
Guideway switches are needed in people mover systems to enable vehicles to be switched from one system operating path to another system operating path. For example, a turnout switch may be used to enable a vehicle to turn off a main line to a station stop. As another example, a double turnout switch may be used to branch a main line into two curved paths.
Pivotal guideway switches have been the most commonly used switch type. In this switching scheme in prior Westinghouse people mover systems, the movable guidebeams pivot horizontally through about ten degrees to switch between tangent and turnout paths. To achieve path switching, the pivotable guidebeam portion includes tread plates, guidebeam, and electric rail structure that completes one guideway path in one pivotal position and completes the other guideway path in the other pivotal position.
As a vehicle moves over a switch, it is necessary that front and rear mounted vehicle brushes provide continuous electrical contact with the guideway electric rail structure. With pivotal guideway switches, it is difficult if not impossible to provide for continuous electrical contact for smaller length vehicles since the switchable guideway portion is limited in how short it can be as a result of path curvature minimums. Moreover, pivotal guideway switches have typically required vehicle slowdown and collection system ramping as the vehicle moves through the guideway switch area. Other limitations of the pivotal guideway switch have included (1) restrictions on spacing of adjacent switches due to geometric limitations imposed by power rail collection system ramping; (2) ride bumps caused by relatively large running surface gaps at tread plates; and (3) inflexibility of detailed switch designs to varying radii of curvature requirements at different system locations.
Transfer tables have also been employed for guideway switching. In this scheme, one guideway configuration is positioned to guide the vehicle over one system path, and horizontal movement of the table positions another guideway configuration to guide the vehicle over the other system path. Among other disadvantages, the transfer table scheme requires a widening of the centerline to centerline spacing between oppositely running guideway lanes in a dual lane. Both the transfer table and the previously described pivotal switches require more land area than is desirable and thus adversely affect construction costs.
The present invention is directed to the support structure for a rotary guideway switch that provides improved guideway switching operation. It operates safely with improved economy and efficiency of construction and operation, better flexibility of application and better ride quality. Other inventions embodied in the rotary guideway switch disclosed herein are set forth in the cross-referenced patent applications which are being filed together with the present patent application as a family of applications related to the rotary guideway switch.
A rotary switch for a people mover guideway having a predetermined tire path, guidebeam and electric rail configuration routes a transit car from one entry guideway path to at least either of two exit guideway paths or vice versa.
An elongated structural switch frame member has guidebeam, electric rail and tire path structure on one side compatibly with the guideway configuration to provide car routing to one of the two exit paths. The switch frame further has guidebeam, electric rail and tire path structure on another side compatibly with the guideway configuration to provide car routing to the other of the two exit paths.
First and second support means have first and second shaft means for supporting the two ends of the switch frame. Drive means operates at least one of the shaft means to rotate the switch frame between first and second rotational positions.
The switch frame has its one side aligned with the entry guideway path and the one exit guideway path in the first frame position and it has its other side aligned with the entry guideway path and the other exit guideway path in the second frame position. Lock means hold the frame member against rotation from the first or second position.
Means are provided for supporting the frame member in fixed longitudinal relation to one of the shaft means and in longitudinally expandable relation to the other of the shaft means to allow the frame member to expand and contract longitudinally under thermal and/or car loading and also to permit frame angular deflection to occur about the shaft supporting means and the lock means with translational load forces applied to the supporting means and lock means essentially in the vertical direction.
US Referenced Citations (18)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
| Number |
Date |
Country |
| 1474851 |
Mar 1967 |
FRX |
| 0589233 |
Mar 1959 |
ITX |
| 0010715 |
Mar 1895 |
GBX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
| Entry |
| "C45 Vehicle System Development Program", APTA Conference, Jun. 5-8, 1988, Westinghouse Transportation Systems and Support Division. |
Patent Grant
4970967
