RAILWAY VEHICLE WITH TILTING CARRIAGE AND RAILWAY SYSTEM THEREFOR

Abstract

Railway system includes a railway vehicle movable along a railway guide system, the railway vehicle including a chassis and a carriage rotatably supported on the chassis via a pivot coupling. The railway vehicle further includes a pivot actuation system including an actuator and a control system connected to the actuator and to sensors for actuation and control of the rotation of the carriage relative to the chassis. The carriage is rotationally supported relative to the chassis about a pivot axis (P) that remains in a static position with respect to the chassis, the carriage having a mass distribution forming a centre of gravity (CG) positioned below the pivot axis (P), the pivot actuation system serving to assist and dampen passive rotation of the carriage relative to the chassis due to the torque generated by centrifugal force acting upon the centre of gravity about the pivot axis (P).

Claims

1.-15. (canceled)

16. Railway system comprising a railway vehicle movable along a railway guide system, the railway vehicle comprising a chassis and a carriage rotatably supported on the chassis via a pivot coupling, the railway vehicle further comprising a pivot actuation system comprising an actuator and a control system connected to the actuator and to sensors for actuation and control of the rotation of the carriage relative to the chassis, wherein the carriage is rotationally supported relative to the chassis about a pivot axis (P) that remains in a static position with respect to the chassis, the carriage having a mass distribution forming a center of gravity (CG) positioned below the pivot axis (P), the pivot actuation system serving to assist and dampen passive rotation of the carriage relative to the chassis due to the torque generated by centrifugal force acting upon the centre of gravity about the pivot axis (P).

17. The railway system according to claim 16, wherein the actuator of the pivot actuation system comprises at least one set of electromagnets on one of the carriage or the chassis magnetically coupled to at least one of a set of magnetic motor elements on the other of the carriage or chassis, forming together an electromagnetic motor configured for rotating the carriage relative to the chassis.

18. The railway system according to claim 17, wherein said at least one set of electromagnets are mounted on the carriage.

19. The railway system according to claim 18, wherein said at least one set of electromagnets are mounted on an outer periphery of the carriage.

20. The railway system according to claim 19, wherein the electromagnets are positioned around a top end of the carriage.

21. The railway system according to claim 19, wherein the electromagnets are positioned around a bottom end of the carriage.

22. The railway system according to claim 16, wherein said at least one set of magnetic motor elements is mounted on an outer housing or frame of the chassis.

23. The railway system according to claim 16, wherein said at least one set of magnetic motor elements is mounted on a wall portion of a tube of the railway guide system.

24. The railway system according to claim 16, wherein the railway vehicle comprises a plurality of carriages interconnected by an inter-carriage coupling comprising a tubular section of compliant material allowing a certain degree of elastic rotational displacement between adjacent carriages.

25. The railway system according to claim 16, further comprising a pivot coupling limiter mechanism comprising at least one movable pin mounted on one of the carriage or chassis movably engageable in at least one recess formed on the other of the chassis or carriage, the movable pin actuated actively in an unlocked position and passively movable by a spring into a locking position in the recess, configured to limit the amplitude of rotational displacement of the carriage relative to the chassis and/or to lock the carriage relative to the chassis in a fixed position.

26. The railway system according to claim 25, wherein the pivot coupling limiter mechanism comprises at least one pair of movable pins.

27. The railway system according to claim 25, wherein the recess of the pivot coupling limiter mechanism comprises a shallow portion and a deep portion, the shallow portion extending over an arcuate angle greater than an arcuate angle over which the deep portion extends.

28. The railway system according to claim 16, wherein the pivot coupling comprises a peripheral bearing comprising rollers arranged between the chassis and the carriage over an arcuate angle (α) around a bottom periphery of the carriage.

29. The railway system according to claim 16, wherein the pivot coupling comprises a centre bearing aligned with the pivot axis (P).

30. The railway system according to claim 16, wherein the railway guide system comprises a magnetic levitation railway track and a vacuum tube.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which by way of example illustrate embodiments of the present invention and in which:

[0027] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a railway vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0028] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a railway vehicle according to another embodiment of the invention;

[0029] FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a portion of a railway vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention, illustrating a coupling between carriages of the railway vehicle;

[0030] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a control of the tilting angle of a carriage of the railway vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0031] FIG. 5 is a simplified schematic representation of a portion of a carriage of a railway vehicle illustrating the pivot axis and the centre of gravity of the carriage;

[0032] FIG. 6 is a simplified schematic cross-sectional view of a railway vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0033] FIG. 7 is a simplified cross-sectional view of a railway vehicle in a railway guide system according to another embodiment of the invention;

[0034] FIG. 8 is a simplified schematic view in cross-section of a railway vehicle according to another embodiment, illustrating a peripheral bearing of a carriage of the railway vehicle;

[0035] FIG. 9a is simplified schematic representation in cross-section of a carriage of a railway vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention, illustrating a pivot coupling limiter;

[0036] FIG. 9b is a view similar to FIG. 9a illustrating the pivot coupling limiter in a locked position;

[0037] FIG. 9c is simplified schematic representation in longitudinal cross-section of the pivot coupling limiter in a disengaged position;

[0038] FIG. 9d is a view similar to FIG. 9c showing the pivot coupling limiter in a locked position;

[0039] FIG. 9e is a view similar to FIG. 9c showing the pivot coupling limiter in a partially engaged position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0040] Referring to the figures, a railway system according to embodiments of the invention comprises a railway vehicle 2 that is guided by a railway guide system comprising a railway track 3 that may either be a wheel type railway track or a magnetic levitation type railway track. In certain embodiments, the railway guide system may comprise a railway tube 26 which may in particular be configured for applying a partial vacuum in the railway tube. The aforementioned railway guide systems 3 that may be implemented within the scope of this invention are per se known and need not be described in further detail.

[0041] Embodiments of the invention may thus be implemented with various types of railway systems, including an electromagnetic suspension rail (EMS) or an electrodynamic suspension rail (EDS) operating at ambient pressure or under conditions of reduced pressure (i.e. vacuum rail systems such as vactrain or hyperloop), as well as conventional railways including trams and subways moving on rails using wheels with rolling parts located in the vehicle chassis.

[0042] The railway vehicle 2 comprises at least one chassis 4 and at least one carriage 5 mounted on the chassis 4 via a pivot coupling 6. The carriage 5 is rotatably mounted with respect to the chassis 4 for rotation of the carriage relative to the chassis about a pivot axis P. The pivot axis P is in a fixed position or substantially fixed position relative to the chassis 4, the carriage 5 thus being rotatable relative to the chassis without any translational displacement. It may be noted that this distinguishes over conventional systems in which the axis of the centre of rotation of the carriage also has a translational movement component. An advantage of embodiments of the invention is that it can be adapted if needed to fit into railway gauges of existing infrastructures while providing larger angular displacement of the carriage than conventional vehicles for higher speed operation or for more comfort on curved sections of track.

[0043] The chassis 4 comprises a railway track engaging member 11 which may either comprise wheels for rolling engagement on a wheel type railway track, or a magnetic levitation system for non-contact engagement with a magnetic levitation railway track which may have various configurations as per se known in the art. The railway track engaging member may also be a combination of wheel type and magnetic levitation type systems which may for instance be used low speed operation, respectively high speed operation on various railway tracks, for instance for integrating in an existing infrastructure. The chassis 4 further comprises a drive system which may include a motor for providing propulsion force to the railway vehicle 2.

[0044] The railway vehicle further comprises a pivot actuation system 7 for control and actuation of the rotation of the carriage relative to the chassis 4 about the pivot axis P. The pivot actuation system comprises an electrically driven actuator 12 preferably mounted in the chassis 4, coupled via a mechanical and/or electromagnetic transmission to the carriage, according to an embodiment of the invention. The pivot actuation system 7 in other embodiments may however comprise an electrical actuator 12 comprising electromagnetic motor elements 30a mounted in the carriage 5 coupling electromagnetically to complementary elements 30b in the chassis 4, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 8. In a variant, the complementary motor elements 30b may be mounted in the railway tube 26 as schematically illustrated in FIG. 7.

[0045] The pivot actuation system 7 further comprises a control system 14 connected to sensors including at least a sensor for measuring the rotation position of the carriage 5 relative to the chassis 4 and at least a sensor 14b for measuring centrifugal forces, for instance an inertial sensor. Various position sensors measuring the position and displacement of the carriage relative to the chassis that are per se well known in the sensing art may be used, such as optical, magnetic, capacitive, or inductive sensors or a combination of such sensors may be employed. Moreover, the position sensors may be independent and/or integrated in the drive system. Centrifugal (inertial) sensors are also well known and need not be further described herein.

[0046] The control system 14 of the pivot actuation system comprises a control unit 14a, 14c receiving signals from the sensors and connected to the actuator 12 in a control loop seeking to reduce the centrifugal force to a value of 0 or close to 0 within the limits of full pivoting rotation of the carriage relative to the chassis. The control unit may for instance comprise a computing unit 14a connected to a runtime controller 14c.

[0047] Depending on the selected settings, the centrifugal force may not be fully compensated by the amount of tilting such that a lateral force relative to the floor of the carriage is felt, for instance within a range for instance of ±0.05 g (i.e. approximately −0.34 to +0.34 Nms.sup.−2) lateral force, or any value considered to be an acceptable lateral force applied on goods or passengers within the carriage. The angular range may also depend also on the allowable loads defined in regulation and standards e.g. to fit into railway standards where lateral and vertical load change for passengers cannot exceed 0.15 g which defines the maximum angular range to ±29.6°.

[0048] In embodiments of the invention, the carriage 5 may be configured to rotate relative to the chassis 4 within an angular range of up to ±45° relative to the gravitational vertical plane. The angular range will depend on the maximum velocity of the railway vehicle and the radius of the curve of the railway track being engaged at that velocity. An advantage of the configuration of the invention is that the angular range is not limited and may be as high as needed in view of the rotation of the carriage about a static pivot axis relative to the chassis.

[0049] The feedback control loop S1-S4 of the control unit is configured to assist in the pivoting of the carriage 5 and to provide damping to eliminate or reduce oscillations of the carriage relative to the chassis. Sensor measurement signals are fed S1 into the computing unit which processes S3 the signals and transmits them to the controller which converts S4 the signals to execution commands received S5 by the actuator for actuation of the carriage rotation.

[0050] In the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the carriage 5 is coupled to the chassis via a pivot coupling 6 comprising a center bearing aligned with the pivot axis P. In this embodiment, the pivot actuation system comprises an actuator 12 comprising a motor 19 coupled via a transmission 21 to a transmission element fixedly mounted to the carriage, for instance a pinion on a centre axle coupled to a gear box forming part of the transmission 21. Various mechanical and electromagnetic actuators are per se known and may be implemented within the scope of the present invention. The center bearing may in particular be in the form of a roller bearing or a lubricated journal bearing, such bearings being per se known and need not be further described herein.

[0051] In a second embodiment illustrated schematically in FIG. 2, the pivot coupling 6 comprises an outer peripheral bearing engaging a tubular portion of the carriage 5, for instance a tubular housing of the carriage 5. In this variant, a plurality of carriages 5 may be coupled together via an inter-carriage coupling 9 that may comprise a movable coupling, in particular an elastically movable coupling allowing adjacent carriages to rotate relative to each other by a certain amount in order to take into account varying tilting positions of the carriages as a function of the centrifugal forces acting thereupon. The inter-carriage coupling 9 may comprise a reinforced tubular joining element made of an elastomeric material with reinforcement fibers therein to limit elastic deformation of the coupling within a pre-determined range. Examples of coupling materials are rubber-based material reinforced with aramid fibers or metal rods. Rotation between carriages arising from angle differences may be performed by torsion of such material or for instance on radial shaft seals.

[0052] The peripheral bearing 17 may advantageously comprise rollers 17a mounted on a bottom portion of the chassis 4 upon which the carriage 5 rests. The carriage 5 has a portion with a cylindrical shape (portion axisymmetric about the pivot axis P) extending at least partially over a bottom portion of the carriage along a segment angle a that allows rotation of the carriage over the predefined maximum tilt angle. The bearing surface 17b on the carriage 5 may be provided with a hardened material surface and the rollers with a complementary surface that may be of the same hardness or of a lower hardness configured for low wear and high life cycle. In a variant, the rollers may be fixedly coupled to the carriage 5 and roll on a complementary bearing surface fixedly mounted on the chassis, however this is generally less advantageous than the first variant.

[0053] In another embodiment, the peripheral bearing may comprise a pneumatic, or magnetic levitation system without rollers for substantially non-contact support of the carriage 5 on the chassis 4. The pneumatic bearing system may be controlled to increase pressure during sensing of a centrifugal force to allow low friction rotation of the carriage relative to the chassis. A combination of both roller and pneumatic bearings may also be implemented within the scope of the invention. It may be noted that a magnetic levitation system between the chassis and carriage may also be provided to reduce the frictional force or to lift the carriage off the chassis during pivoting rotation.

[0054] According to an aspect of the invention, the center of gravity CG of the carriage 5 is positioned below the pivot axis P of the carriage 5. Upon engaging a curve, the centrifugal force applied on the carriage imposes a moment of rotation about the pivot axis to incline the carriage relative to the chassis towards a position tending to cancel lateral forces acting on a load supported inside the carriage. In the absence of friction between the carriage and the chassis in the rotational movement, the centrifugal force acting on the center of gravity would provide full compensation for the centrifugal force to eliminate lateral forces acting on passengers or goods within the compartment of the carriage. However, due to friction and inertial forces related to changes in height of the track or due to irregularities in the track and, the pivot actuation system receiving information from the position sensors and inertial sensors assists rotation to overcome the frictional forces and provides a force to dampen oscillations in the rotational movement of the carriage as well as to reduce excessive acceleration due to inertial forces. For passenger comfort during the travel it is also important to reduce not only acceleration but also jerking movements due to a change in acceleration. The damping and assist function of the pivot actuation system also serves to control rotation of the carriage back to the neutral or vertical position of the carriage when coming out of a curve. The pivot actuation system 7 thus requires a relatively low power for achieving such functions compared to a fully active tilting system, since the main rotational force is provided by centrifugal force acting on the carriage. In comparison to conventional railway tilting systems, the lower power required for the tilting function also leads to reduced weight embarked weight and lower power consumption, both particularly advantageous characteristics for increasing performance and reducing energy consumption.

[0055] As best illustrated in FIG. 6, the actuator 12 of the pivot actuation system may comprise an electromagnetic motor formed between the carriage 5 and an outer housing or frame 15 of a carriage support portion 13 of the chassis 4. In another embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the pivot actuation system may comprise an electromagnetic motor formed between the carriage 5 and a portion of a railway tube 26 of the railway guide system 3, for instance a top wall portion 26a of the tube.

[0056] The actuator may comprise electromagnets 30a mounted on the carriage 5, for instance around an outer top wall of the carriage 5 as illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, the electromagnets connected to the control system 14. The electromagnets 30a magnetically couple to magnetic elements 30b provided on the housing 15 or on a railway system tube 26. The magnetic elements 30b may be made of permanent magnets or electromagnets. In a variant, the magnetic elements 30b may also be in the form of soft magnetic material elements to form with the electromagnets 30a a reluctance type of motor. The electromagnets 30a coupled to the magnetic elements 30b via an airgap forms a motor configured to produce torque about the pivot axis P of the carriage.

[0057] In preferred embodiments, the motor elements mounted on a carriage are provided as electromagnets that are connected to the control unit of the pivot actuation system mounted in the railway vehicle 2 so that active control of the tilt is performed directly by the control system within the railway vehicle. In the embodiments of FIGS. 6 and 8, since both motor parts 30a, 30b for the pivot coupling are provided in the railway vehicle, the electromagnets may be provided either on the carriage 5 or on a the outer housing or frame 15 of the chassis 4, or on both the carriage 5 and the frame 15 of the chassis 4.

[0058] In a variant, the motor elements of the actuator 12 of the pivot actuation system 7 may also be provided along a bottom portion of the carriage, for instance adjacent or integrated in the peripheral bearing or separated from the bearing along any section of the bottom.

[0059] In the variants as illustrated in FIG. 7, in case the complementary motor elements 30b are mounted in the railway tube 26, this may either be in the form of electromagnets that are actuated only along the sections along which the train is moving, similar to principles already known for magnetic levitations systems that are switched progressively along the track as the railway vehicle advances.

[0060] Referring to FIGS. 9a to 9e, the railway vehicle may further comprise a pivot coupling limiter mechanism 8 that limits the amplitude of rotation between the carriage and chassis, in particular in case of power failure of the pivot actuation system. If there is a power failure of the pivot actuation system, it is desirable to fix the position of the carriage relative to the chassis to avoid swinging thereof. Moreover, pivot coupling limiter mechanism 8 may be used to prevent excessive rotation of the carriage relative to the chassis in the case of a faulty operation of the pivot actuation system. As illustrated in FIGS. 9a to 9e, the pivot coupling limiter mechanism 8 may comprise movable pins 16 that are received in a recess 22, the respective pins and recess being mounted respectively in the carriage and chassis. Each movable pin may be slidably movable and biased by a spring 18 towards the recess and further coupled to an electromagnetic, pneumatic or hydraulic actuator that biases the pin 16 away from the corresponding recess. During normal operation, the pin actuator is powered and maintains the spring biased pin out of the recess, or at least partly out of a locking portion of the recess. Upon failure of the electrical system of the tilt actuator, the pin actuator is switched off and the spring biases the movable pins into the recess 22.

[0061] The recess may advantageously comprise a shallow portion 22a extending over an arc segment having an angle β, for instance in a range of 40 to 120°, and a deep portion 22b that further formed within the shallow portion recess 22a and having an arcuate segment angle φ that is less than β.

[0062] As illustrated in FIG. 9a, in case of power failure while the vehicle is moving through a corner, the carriage is rotated out from the center position and in order to allow movement with high speeds the two movable pins 16 are inserted into the recess 22, whereby one pin 16b is inserted directly into the deep portion 22b of the recess while the other pin 16a fits into the shallow portion 22a of the recess. This prevents the carriage from uncontrolled rotation due to greater angles than projected and as soon as the vehicle drives into the straight part of the track, coming out of the curve, the carriage moves itself into the vertical position and at this moment the both pins are inserted in the deep portion 22b of the slot as illustrated in FIG. 9b. This thus secures the position of the carriage to the chassis 4 in the vertical position and prevents further rotation of the carriage.

[0063] As illustrated in FIG. 9a there may be a single pair of pins however a plurality of pairs of pins may be provided, for instance as illustrated in FIG. 9b. Moreover, other arcuate slot or recess arrangements may be provided without departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance pins may engage in their own slot portions separated from each other.

[0064] As best illustrated in FIG. 9d, the free end of the pin comprises an elastic damping element 24, for instance made of rubber or another elastomeric material to reduce the knock when the pins engage in the deep portion of the recess or in a shallow portion of the recess. The pins may be made of steel or other robust material of sufficient cross-section and strength to overcome the shocks when engaging in the recesses during rotation of the carriage relative to the chassis.

[0065] The pivot coupling limiters may be actuated during normal operation of the railway vehicle, for instance at low speeds, during travel in long sections in a straight line where there are no curves anticipated, or when the railway vehicle is stationary such that when the vehicle is not powered the carriage is blocked in a locked position to the chassis.

[0066] Although not illustrated, the carriage coupling relative to the chassis may further be provided with mechanical damping elements to further reduce oscillations between the carriage and chassis in supplement to the electromagnetic damping provided by the pivot actuation system.

LIST OF REFERENCES

[0067] Railway system 1

[0068] Railway vehicle 2 [0069] chassis 4 [0070] drive system [0071] motor [0072] railway track engaging member (wheel, magnetic levitation) 11 [0073] carriage support portion 13 [0074] outer housing/frame 15 [0075] carriage (for transport of goods and/or passengers) 5 [0076] pivot coupling 6 [0077] bearing [0078] centre bearing [0079] peripheral bearing 17 [0080] rollers 17a [0081] roller bearing surface 17b [0082] pivot actuation system 7 [0083] actuator 12 [0084] motor 19 [0085] transmission 21 [0086] motor electromagnets 30a [0087] magnetic motor elements 30b [0088] control system 14 [0089] control unit 14a, 14c [0090] sensor(s) 14b [0091] pivot coupling limiters 8 [0092] movable pin 16 [0093] spring 18 [0094] pin actuator 20 [0095] electromagnetic actuator [0096] recess 22 [0097] shallow portion 22a [0098] deep portion 22b [0099] damping cushion 24 [0100] inter-carriage coupling 9

[0101] Railway guide system 3 [0102] railway track [0103] railway tube 26 [0104] top wall portion 26a [0105] magnetic motor elements 30b