JP5336491B2 - Vehicle guidance and ground-based electrical energy capture device, and urban traffic vehicles equipped with such a device - Google Patents

Abstract

Ground electric-power pickup and guiding device for a vehicle (5), comprising bare conductors (22) under voltage, these being placed in a channel (2) made in the roadway (C) and closed off by a cover (3), whereas a pickup means (4), associated with the vehicle (5), comes into contact with the conductors (22) by passing via a slot (32) made in the covering (3). The conductors (22) consist of rails, while the pickup (4) consists of a carriage capable of running along the rails (22) and of being guided by them. The carriage (4) is mechanically linked to the vehicle (5) through an articulated arm (6), the direction and amplitude of the displacements of which, relative to the carriage (4), are measured and sent to the steering member control means of the vehicle (5).

Description

  The present invention relates to an on-ground electrical energy intake and guidance device for vehicles, and an urban traffic vehicle comprising such a device.

  The invention particularly relates to the field of urban public transport, which is not automatic or automatic.

  In this field of urban public transport, a number of technologies are known and implemented, some with or without much success. These techniques differ depending on the propulsion method and / or the guidance method and / or the electrical energy capture method.

  Propulsion is generally electric, while guidance is performed via one rail or multiple rails.

  Regarding the method of capturing electrical energy, the most frequently used technique consists of placing an aerial cable on the track of the vehicle and connecting the vehicle to that cable. The shortcomings of this technology are primarily landscape, and alternatives to powering underground have been proposed to solve it.

  A number of systems are known in the field of underground power supply, but all of them must meet the same demands to enable energy supply to vehicles without risking people. In fact, since feeding is performed through the applied bare wires, it should be understood that humans must not be able to access those bare wires.

  The most popular technique is, for example, as described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, and according to this, the applied bare wire is formed in a roadway and placed in a groove closed by a floor plate. On the other hand, the intake means coupled to the vehicle comes into contact with the bare wire through a tear formed in the floorboard. Such a system requires that the guidance of the vehicle be made accurately with respect to the bare wire and therefore with respect to the groove in order for the capture means to remain in contact with the bare wire. It is essential to use at least one guide rail.

  In Patent Document 1, guidance is performed through rails arranged on both sides of the floor board, and a moving vehicle travels on the rail. On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, guidance is performed at the position of a tear formed in the floor board. ing.

  However, the guidance by rail has a number of drawbacks because the curve is steep in urban areas. The disadvantages include noise, especially due to the high pressure applied by the weight of the vehicle, and premature wear of rails and / or wheels or bearing galets. In order to eliminate this drawback, it is indispensable to perform a part of traffic at a very low speed without regard to the user's request.

  Further, according to Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4, a guide and power device buried in the ground is known, and the device similarly includes a groove, and the towing vehicle can move in the groove, Thereby, the vehicle guided on the road surface is pulled.

  In Patent Document 3, the towing vehicle travels on a vertical wall on the side of the groove and is moved by a mechanical energy source generated inside the groove. Such devices have the disadvantages associated with wear of the components that make up the device, and the safety disadvantages since the motor means are housed in the grooves and there is little possibility of direct intervention in case of malfunction. . Furthermore, the guidance by the rails of the vehicle on the road surface has the disadvantages of noise and wear.

  Patent Document 4 also describes a tow vehicle that travels in a lower structure and takes in energy necessary for advancing on a bare line arranged along the ceiling plate of the lower structure. Runs on rails and has the same drawbacks as above.

  The vehicle targeted by Patent Document 5 has a feature that it has two power units, on the one hand, it has a combustion motor, and on the other hand, a place where silence is required and / or a place where exhaust gas should not be released. When passing, it is connected to an underground tow truck that operates with electrical energy to replace the combustion motor. The vehicle is guided on a road surface via a side guide rail, and a side wheel having a vertical axis rotates with respect to the guide rail. Although this vehicle does not have the disadvantage of rail guidance, it still takes up space because it requires a dedicated lane with a guide rail.

  Existing vehicle electrical energy capture and guidance devices all have drawbacks primarily in terms of ground vehicle guidance means. The present invention does not allow humans to approach the bare wire, but can supply electrical energy to the vehicle through the bare wire, and only requires the substructure and can be released from the superstructure. An object of the present invention is to propose an on-ground electric energy intake and guidance device for a vehicle and to solve the above-mentioned various problems.

  The ground electrical energy intake and guidance device for a vehicle according to the present invention comprises an applied bare wire formed in a roadway and disposed in a groove closed by a floor plate, while the intake means is said floor plate. In contact with the bare wire through a tear formed in the vehicle, on the other hand, the vehicle is powered by the take-in means and comprises an electric motor which can move the vehicle directly or indirectly, The apparatus comprises: the bare wire comprises a rail; the take-in means comprises a wagon suitable for running on and guided by the rail; and the wagon via the articulated arm It is mechanically connected to the vehicle, measures the direction and width of the displacement of the arm relative to the wagon, and transmits these data to the control means of the vehicle direction device. Comprising a measuring means provided so as to be suitable, thus, it is characterized in that it is possible to modify the trajectory of the vehicle.

  Vehicle guidance is performed by acting on a vehicle direction device. When the direction of the rail changes, the wagon follows the rail, but not the vehicle, thereby causing displacement of the articulated arm relative to the wagon and more particularly relative to the moving main axis of the wagon. The measuring means senses the direction and width of this displacement of the arm, and these data are transmitted to the control means of the direction device, at which time the control means corrects the track of the vehicle.

  According to a supplementary feature of the ground-based electrical energy intake and guide device according to the invention, the wagon is equipped with four wheels, each of which has a conical rotor and a guide flange, two in a rotating manner. The rails are mushroom-type while connected.

  According to another supplementary feature of the ground electrical energy intake and guidance device according to the invention, the wagon is located in front of the articulated arm and is pushed by the vehicle.

  According to another supplementary feature of the ground-based electrical energy intake and guidance device according to the invention, the wagon is located behind the articulated arm and is pulled by the vehicle.

  According to yet another supplementary feature of the ground electrical energy intake and guidance device according to the present invention, the articulated arm comprises a substantially horizontal portion, one end of which is a ball joint type first. It is connected to the vehicle by a joint, and the other end is connected by a ball joint type second joint to a column that stands up from the wagon and fits into a longitudinal tear, said second joint being connected to the roadway It is arrange | positioned on the floor board which closes the groove | channel formed in.

  According to yet another supplementary feature of the ground electrical energy intake and guiding device according to the invention, the articulated arm is coupled to a control means, which on the one hand is in the longitudinal direction of said arm and the vehicle. Capture means suitable for measuring the angle formed by the axis of the vehicle and, on the other hand, means acting on the direction of the vehicle suitable to allow proportional trajectory correction.

  Such ground-based electrical energy capture and guidance devices have particular application in the field of urban traffic, and can realize lightweight vehicles that are automatic or not automatic for public transport.

  Therefore, the present application also provides for the free travel of the roadway across the groove mounted on the rubber tire wheel or tire and closed by the floorboard, and the electrical energy is taken up by the ground electric energy intake and guiding device as described above. Aimed at vehicles for urban public transport, supplied and guided.

  The vehicle is preferably implemented by a variable displacement hydraulic pump driven by an asynchronous or synchronous electric motor that rotates at a constant speed, and includes a hydraulic propulsion device that drives one or more hydraulic motors.

  Advantages and features of the ground electric energy intake and guidance device according to the present invention will become more apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments are described. The present invention is not limited at all.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a ground electrical energy intake and guidance device according to the present invention. It is a schematic plan view of a part of the same apparatus. 2 is a partial schematic side view of the same device. FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a vehicle equipped with a ground electrical energy intake and guidance device according to the present invention. It is a schematic plan view of the same vehicle.

  Referring to FIG. 1, a ground electrical energy intake and guide device 1 according to the present invention for placement on a roadway C is illustrated.

  This device 1 comprises a groove 2 made of concrete, the upper part of which is closed by a floorboard 3 formed by two parts 30 and 31 separated by a longitudinal tear 32, The width of the fissure is such that a human hand cannot enter it, and therefore cannot approach the groove 2.

  The groove 2 has a moat 20 in the vertical direction at the lower part, and two projecting portions 21 are arranged at the middle height on the side surfaces on both sides of the moat 20, and each of the projecting portions is a rail. 22 and a part 23 made of an electrically insulating material inserted between the protruding portion 21 and the rail 22 are supported.

  The groove 2 also includes a notch 24 formed in the lateral and longitudinal directions above the height of the protruding portion 21, and the notch is annularly arranged in the groove 2 although not shown. A high voltage conductor 25 capable of supplying power to the transformer is accommodated. Such a transformer is for applying to the rail 22 which comprises a bare wire.

  Referring also to FIG. 2, it can be seen that a wagon 4 having a chassis 40 attached to four wheels 41 is arranged on the rail 22.

  The wheel 41 is a railway type, is made of metal, includes a conical rotating body 42 and a guide flange 43, and the rail 22 is a mushroom type.

  Referring also to FIG. 3, the wagon 4 is connected to the vehicle 5 traveling on the road C above the groove 2 via the articulated arm 6. The arm 6 has a substantially horizontal portion 60, one end of which is connected to the vehicle 5 via a ball joint 61, and the other end to the wagon 4 more precisely via a ball joint 62. Is connected to the end of a column 44 fixedly coupled to the wagon 4. The column protrudes vertically from the groove 2 through the tear 32 of the floor plate 3.

  The floorboard is optionally provided with a lid part 33 made of a flexible material, which lid part is suitable for covering the tear 32 shown in FIG. 1 and retracts when the column 44 passes.

  Although not shown, the articulated arm 6 contains a conductor, which allows the vehicle 5 to conduct electrical energy captured by the wheels 41 on the rails 22. This electrical energy is used to power motor means suitable for driving the movement of the vehicle 5.

  According to a preferred embodiment, the rail is powered by a low-voltage current of less than 1000 V, with a single phase of 50 Hz, feeding an asynchronous or synchronous electric motor rotating at a constant speed, driving a variable displacement hydraulic pump, It powers one or more hydraulic motors.

  The electric motor, hydraulic pump, and one or more hydraulic motors are installed in the vehicle 5 as shown in FIGS. The vehicle 5 is mounted on a rubber tire wheel 50, that is, a tire, and is designed to freely travel on a roadway guided by a wagon 4 to which the vehicle 5 is connected.

  For this reason, the vehicle 5 includes directional devices that act on the wheels 50 that are the steering wheels, and these directional devices are managed by the control means. Means for measuring the angular difference formed with the longitudinal axis, i.e. the direction in which the wheel 50 which is the steering wheel is facing, and thus for correcting the trajectory of the vehicle as shown in FIG. Acts on the direction device.

  In addition to taking in electrical energy, the wagon 4 can reliably guide the vehicle 5 without applying any stress on the wheels 41 to the rails 22, so that there is little noise and little wear on the contact parts. I understand.

  Although the wagon 4 is pushed on the rail 22 by the vehicle 5, it is of course possible to consider other forms in which the wagon 4 is pulled.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric energy intake and guide apparatus 2 Groove 20 Moat 21 Protruding part 22 Rail 24 Notch 3 Floor board 32 Rupture 4 Wagon 41 Wheel 40 Chassis 42 Rotating body 43 Guide flange 44 Post 5 Car 6 Arm 61, 62 Ball joint C Roadway

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-181929 European Patent No. 1694525 French Patent Invention No. 2613305 Specification German Patent Invention No. 76067 German Patent Application Publication No. 3601128

Claims (7)

A ground electrical energy intake and guidance device for a vehicle (5), applied bare wire (in a groove (2) formed in a roadway (C) and closed by a floor plate (3) ( 22), on the one hand the capturing means (4) contacts the bare wire (22) through a tear (32) formed in the floor plate (3), on the other hand energy is transferred to the capturing means (4). ) And can move the vehicle (5) directly or indirectly, the bare wire comprises a rail (22), and the take-in means runs on the rail (22). The wagon (4) suitable for being guided by a rail, and the wagon being mechanically connected to the vehicle via an articulated arm (6) , the articulated connection Type arm (6) It has a generally horizontal portion (60), one end of which is connected to the vehicle (5) by a ball joint type first joint (61) and the other end is a ball joint type second. The joint (62) is connected to a column (44) which rises from the wagon (4) and is fitted in the longitudinal tear (32), whereby the second joint (62) is connected to the roadway (C ) Is located on the floor plate (3) that closes the groove (2) formed in the groove (2), and the direction and width of the displacement of the arm (6) with respect to the wagon (4) are measured. A device, characterized in that it comprises measuring means adapted to be suitable for transmission to the control means of the direction device of the vehicle (5) and is therefore capable of correcting the trajectory of the vehicle.   The wagon (4) has four wheels (41), each of which has a conical rotator (42) and a guide flange (43), and is connected to each other in a rotating manner, while the rails The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein (22) is a mushroom type.   Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the wagon (4) is arranged in front of the articulated arm (6) and is pushed by the vehicle (5). Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the wagon (4) is arranged behind the articulated arm (6) and is pulled by the vehicle (5) .   An articulated arm (6) is coupled to the control means, which on the one hand is a capture means suitable for measuring the angle formed by the longitudinal axis of said arm (6) and the vehicle (5) And, on the other hand, means for acting in the direction of the vehicle (5) suitable for enabling proportional trajectory correction. Attached to a rubber tire wheel (50) i.e. on the tire, a urban public transport vehicles to freely travel road (C) across the groove (2) closed by floor plate (3), according to claim 1 to 5 A vehicle characterized by being supplied with electrical energy and guided by the ground electric energy intake and guidance device (1) described in any one of the above. Is implemented by asynchronous or variable displacement hydraulic pump driven by a synchronous electric motor which rotates at a constant speed, characterized in that it comprises a hydraulic type of propulsion device for driving one or more hydraulic motors, in claim 6 The vehicle described.

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