Abstract
A method and a system for checking the correct rail position of a guide member of a guided vehicle. The system is based on the use of an electrical switch designed to cooperate with a guide member of the vehicle guided by at least one guide rail. The switch has two states, respectively a first state and a second state. In one of the states the electrical switch is open and in the other state the electrical switch is closed. The switch is mounted on a load-bearing structure such that it is able to interact with the guide member. The switch is able to switch from the first state to the second state by interacting with at least one part of the guide member.
Claims
1. An electrical switch assembly for cooperating with a guide member of a vehicle guided by at least one guide rail, the electrical switch assembly comprising: an electrical switch configured to assume two states, respectively a first state and a second state, wherein said electrical switch is open in one of the two states and said electrical switch is closed in the other one of the two states; said electrical switch being mounted on a load-bearing structure, enabling said electrical switch to interact with the guide member when the guide member passes in a vicinity of said load-bearing structure; said electrical switch being configured to switch from the first state to the second state by an interaction with at least one part of said guide member and to return automatically to the first state once the interaction is interrupted or terminated; said switch including a first contact and a second contact mounted on a load-bearing structure said interaction being a mechanical interaction comprising a simultaneous and direct contact of said at least one part of said guide member with both of said first contact and said second contact; and said electrical switch being connected to a rail position signaling system for enabling a checking of a correct or incorrect position of the guide member on the guide rail in dependence on the state of said electrical switch.
2. The electrical switch assembly according to claim 1, wherein said first and second contacts are electrically insulated from the guide rail.
3. The electrical switch assembly according to claim 2, which comprises an isolating base formed with a lower face attached to an upper surface of the guide rail and an upper face, and wherein said first and second contacts are arranged longitudinally beside one another on said upper face of said isolating base.
4. The electrical switch assembly according to claim 1, wherein said load-bearing structure is the guide rail.
5. A monitoring system for monitoring a rail position of a vehicle guided by at least one guide rail, the vehicle having at least one guide member configured to require the guided vehicle to follow a path described by the guide rail and the monitoring system being powered electrically, the monitoring system comprising: a number m of electrical switches according to claim 1, where m1, and each of said electrical switches being arranged to interact with a part of the guide member of the guided vehicle; means for connecting each of the contacts of the electrical switch to a rail-position signaling system; and an input terminal A and an output terminal B, and a connection of each of said electrical switches between said input terminal A and said output terminal B.
6. The monitoring system according to claim 5, wherein the number m of electrical switches is equal to a number of guide members fitted to a coach of the guided vehicle.
7. The monitoring system according to claim 5, which comprises a retaining device for retaining a value of a rail-position signal that is measurable at said output terminal B.
8. The monitoring system according to claim 7, wherein said retaining device comprises a supplementary electrical switch being an electrical switch according to claim 1, said supplementary electrical switch being arranged downstream of said m electrical switches.
9. A guide rail for a vehicle guided by at least one guide member, the guide rail comprising a number m1 of electrical switches each according to claim 1.
10. The guide rail according to claim 9, wherein the number m of electrical switches is equal to a number of guide members fitted to a coach of the guided vehicle.
11. The guide rail according to claim 10, which comprises, on an upper part configured to face a chassis of the guided vehicle, at least one low relief hollowed out of said guide rail, said low relief being configured to receive one of said m electrical switches, said electrical switch being arranged in the low relief so that upper faces of said contacts are in a common plane, said plane also including the upper face of said upper part disposed to face the chassis of the guided vehicle.
12. A method for automatically checking a correct position on a guide rail of one or more guide members of a guided vehicle with coaches k.sub.i, where i is an index ranging from 0 to n1, and n is a number of coaches in the guided vehicle, the method comprising: a) carrying out a first movement of a coach k.sub.i of the guided vehicle to a first monitoring point, the first monitoring point being located downstream of at least one electrical switch of a system for monitoring the rail position of the guided vehicle, the electrical switch being arranged to interact with a part of the guide member, the first movement being effected so as to match the position of each electrical switch with the position of at least one part of the guide member of the coach k.sub.i of the guided vehicle, the part being configured to cooperate with the electrical switch so as to enable a change of state of the electrical switch; b) changing a state of the electrical switch by interaction with the part of the guide member only if the guide member is correctly positioned on the guide rail; c) outputting a signal indicating a correct rail position of the guided vehicle only if each electrical switch has changed state; and d) carrying out a second movement of the coach k.sub.i of the guided vehicle downstream of the monitoring point only if the correct rail-position signal has been output.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the first monitoring point is arranged to simultaneously match, for all of the guide members of the coach k.sub.i of the guided vehicle, the position of the part of each guide member with the position on or near the guide rail of an electrical switch arranged to interact with the part of the guide member of the coach of the guided vehicle.
14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the second movement of the coach k.sub.i is a movement from the first monitoring point to a second monitoring point, wherein a distance separating the first monitoring point from the second monitoring point is equal to a length of one coach of the guided vehicle.
15. An electrical switch assembly for cooperating with a guide member of a vehicle guided by at least one guide rail, the electrical switch assembly comprising: an electrical switch configured to assume two states, respectively a first state and a second state, wherein said electrical switch is open in one of the two states and said electrical switch is closed in the other one of the two states; said electrical switch being mounted on a load-bearing structure, enabling said electrical switch to interact with the guide member when the guide member passes in a vicinity of said load-bearing structure; said electrical switch being configured to switch from the first state to the second state by an interaction with at least one part of said guide member and to return automatically to the first state once the interaction is interrupted or terminated; said electrical switch being connected to a rail position signaling system for enabling a checking of a correct or incorrect position of the guide member on the guide rail in dependence on the state of said electrical switch; and wherein said switch includes a first contact and a second contact mounted on a load-bearing structure so as to enable a mechanical interaction of at least one of said contacts with said guide member, and wherein said first and second contacts are electrically insulated from the guide rail.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
(1) To aid comprehension of the present invention, exemplary embodiments and applications are provided by the following:
(2) FIG. 1 Exemplary embodiment of a guide member correctly positioned on a guide rail.
(3) FIG. 2 Exemplary embodiment of a derailed guide member.
(4) FIG. 3 Exemplary embodiment of a guide member correctly positioned on a guide rail with no railhead.
(5) FIG. 4 Exemplary embodiment of an electrical switch according to the invention.
(6) FIG. 5 Exemplary embodiment of a monitoring system according to the invention cooperating with a guide member.
(7) FIG. 6 Exemplary embodiment of a guide rail according to the invention.
(8) FIG. 7 Illustration of a cooperation of a guide member with the monitoring system according to the present invention.
(9) FIG. 8 Schematic illustration of the operation of a monitoring system according to the present invention.
(10) FIG. 9 Exemplary embodiment of a monitoring system according to the present invention.
(11) FIG. 10 Schematic representations of the operation of the monitoring system according to the invention.
(12) FIG. 11 Another exemplary embodiment of an electrical switch according to the invention.
(13) FIG. 12 Example positions of said electrical switch.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(14) The same reference characters are used in the different figures to represent identical or similar objects.
(15) FIG. 1 shows a pair of rollers 1, 2 arranged in a V shape of a guide member known to the person skilled in the art. The pair of rollers 1, 2 clamps the guide rail 3 with which it is in contact and thus forces the guide member to follow a path defined by the rail 3, said path being consequently followed by the steering axle of the guided vehicle that is cooperating with said guide member. The present invention is intended to rapidly and reliably check that all of the rollers 1, 2 of the guide member of a guided vehicle are correctly positioned on the rail (see FIGS. 1 and 3), in particular when said guided vehicle passes through a check zone. This check zone is preferably in a location where a loss of guidance is most probable, such as at the exit of a siding or workshop (where the guide rail has no railhead), after a switch (change of guide rail), or following a guide rail fitted with an expansion joint (discontinuous rail).
(16) A preferred exemplary embodiment of the monitoring system according to the invention is shown in FIGS. 4 to 8. The monitoring system includes an electrical switch 13 preferably installed on the guide rail 3 and a signaling system which may be installed on the ground. Specifically, said signaling system may also include a retaining device as described above and/or a rail position indicator installed on the ground (for example signal lights) or on the guided vehicle (for example luminous indicator).
(17) A preferred embodiment of the electrical switch 13 according to the invention is shown in FIG. 4. Said electrical switch 13 includes an isolating base 14 and two contacts, respectively a first contact 15 and a second contact 16 assembled rigidly on said isolating base 14. The unit comprising said isolating base and said contacts forms a contact strip. Each of said contacts can be connected to said signaling system using connection means. For example, for each of said contacts, a conducting cable enables one extremity 151, 161 of said contact to be connected to said signaling system of the monitoring system according to the invention. The first contact 14 and the second contact 15 are in particular isolated from one another. However, if a conductive object simultaneously touches said contacts, for example the upper face 153, 163 of said contacts, the extremities 151, 161 and the cables connected to said extremities are then connected electrically, said switch then working as a closed contactor or switch.
(18) Said electrical switch 13 is preferably installed on the guide rail, either directly attached to an upper face of said guide rail able to face the chassis of the guided vehicle (see FIG. 5), or attached in a recess formed in the mass of an upper part 75 of said guide rail (see FIG. 6), such that the upper faces of said contacts are at the same level as the upper surface 31 of said upper part 75 of said guide rail 3, the depth of said recess being equal to the thickness of said electrical switch. Advantageously, the recess or low relief 17 hollowed out of an upper part of said guide rail is arranged to match the level of the upper surface 31 of the guide rail 3 and the level of the upper faces 153, 163 of said contacts, such that a part 121 of a guide member intended to electrically contact said upper surface 31 of the rail 3 does not encounter any steps when moving from said upper surface 31 of the rail 3 to said upper faces 153, 163 of said contacts 15, 16. Preferably, if said electrical switch 13 is attached directly to the upper part 75 of the rail 3, the isolating base 14 can then have a trapezoid shape such as to include at each of the lengthways extremities thereof a ramp between the level of the upper face 31 of the rail 3 and the level of the upper faces 153, 163 of the electrical switch, thereby obviating the formation of a step between said faces and upper surfaces.
(19) Preferably, the width L of said switch is less than the minimum distance D separating the tires 9 (see FIG. 2) of the rollers of the guide member. Furthermore, to ensure that the cables connected respectively to each of the extremities of said contacts are not disturbed/cut by the rollers of the guide member, said rail 3 in particular includes two holes formed in the body thereof to create a corridor inside the body of said guide rail, between a lower part of the web of said rail, for example below the position of the lower extremities 201, 101 of the two rims 10 surrounding the railhead 7 when correctly positioned on the rail, and the upper part where said electrical switch according to the invention is arranged.
(20) The conductive object that closes said first and second contacts 15, 16 is a part of the guide member arranged to be in contact with or close to said guide rail when the guide member is correctly positioned on the rail. The present invention is therefore intended to create an interaction, in particular a mechanical interaction, between said electrical switch and an existing conductive part of the guide member. In other words, the present invention ingeniously uses a geometric arrangement of the guide member to engage/disengage said switch. Said existing part may be the lower extremities 201, 101 of the rims which could act on a push-button electrical switch, lever switch or contactless sensor, or said existing part can be a sliding contact 121 including a conductive surface 19 intended to make electrical contact with said rail 3. Thus, the passage of said conductive surface 19 of said sliding contact 121 over the upper faces 153, 163 of said contacts 15, 16 enable said contacts to be connected electrically to one another and an electrical current to be transmitted between the contacts 15, 16. Said sliding contact 121 includes in particular an attachment device to the guiding member that is able to maintain a contact between the conductive surface 19 thereof and said upper part of said guide rail 3 if the rail position is correct. Once the guide rollers have lost the correct rail position (see FIG. 8), the contact between said conductive surface 19 and said contacts 15, 16 is broken, said electrical switch then operating as an open contactor or switch.
(21) FIG. 11 shows another preferred embodiment of an electrical switch 13 according to the invention. Unlike in FIGS. 4 to 8, at least one electrical switch 13 is attached, according to this other preferred embodiment, to the web 6 of said rail 3, beneath the railhead of said rail 3, at least on one side of the web 6 of said rail 3 such that it is in the running plane P.sub.r of at least one of the rollers 1, 2 of the guide member and can be actuated by pressure of the rim of said roller or guide wheel on a movable part of said electrical switch during a movement of the guide member along said rail. The switch is preferably a pushbutton that can be actuated mechanically by pressure of the rim or of the guide wheel on a movable contact 16 that is able to touch the fixed contact 15 when it is pressed by said rim.
(22) Advantageously, the monitoring system according to the invention is able to simultaneously check the correct rail position of a plurality of guide members. Indeed, if for example each axle of a coach of a guided vehicle includes a pair of guide members placed respectively upstream and downstream of said axle (see FIGS. 9 and 10), then the present invention proposes, according to a preferred embodiment, placing a number of electrical switches equal to the number of guide members of said coach on said load-bearing structure, in particular on a guide rail 3. In particular, the distances separating the electrical switches from one another are equal to the distances separating said parts of the guide members from one another, such that when one of said electrical switches interacts with a part of one of the guide members, each of the other electrical switches of said guide rail also interacts with a part of another guide member. For example, when a first monitoring point 20 is reached by said guided vehicle, four electrical switches 13A, 13B, 13C, 13D each interact simultaneously with a part of a guide member of the coach of the guided vehicle, for example with a sliding contact of said guide member. Thus, the rail positions of the four guide members of the coach of the guided vehicle can be checked simultaneously.
(23) FIG. 9A in particular represents the guided vehicle, for example a train, before it reaches the monitoring point 20. The electrical switches 13A, 13B, 13C, 13D are in particular connected in series between an input terminal A and an output terminal B. In particular, if none of said electrical switches is interacting with said part 121 of a guide member, said electrical switch is in an open state. Thus, before said guided vehicle reaches the monitoring point 20, no current can flow between the input terminal A and the output terminal B. When the guided vehicle reaches the monitoring point 20 (see FIG. 9B), each electrical switch interacts with said part of the guide member if the rail position is correct, for example the first and the second contacts of the four electrical switches (13A, 13B, 13C and 13D) are simultaneously connected by interaction with said part 121 of the guide member, for example a conductive surface of a sliding contact. Consequently, the input terminal A and the output terminal B are linked electrically to one another only if the rail position of each of the guide members is correct. Indeed, if the rail position of one or more guide members is incorrect, the electrical connection between the input terminal A and the output terminal B is not made.
(24) FIGS. 10A to 10F show another preferred embodiment of the invention, in which the monitoring system includes in particular two monitoring points, respectively a first monitoring point 20 and a second monitoring point 21, spaced at a distance equal to the length of one coach of a guided vehicle, and designed to monitor the rail position of a guided vehicle having a first and a second coach. The passage of each of the coaches beyond the first then the second monitoring point is checked by the monitoring system according to the invention, which is able to indicate, in particular by means of a first and a second rail-position indicator 22, 23, a permission to move the vehicle beyond said first then second monitoring point only if the rail positions of all of the rollers are correct. Said rail-position indicators are for example signaling lights and may preferably each be positioned respectively downstream of one of said monitoring points, as shown in FIGS. 10A to 10F. Each of said rail-position indicators 22, 23 is able to display a first signal 221, 231 and a second signal 222, 232, said first signal being able to indicate an incorrect rail position, and said second signal being able to indicate a correct rail position.
(25) As shown in FIG. 10A, if the guided vehicle moves towards the first monitoring point 21, the electrical switches 13A, 13B, 13C, 13D, arranged for example on the rail 3, do not simultaneously change from a first open state to a second closed state. Consequently, the input and output terminals A, B are not connected electrically and the rail-position indicators 22, 23, which in particular always indicate the same state as each other, indicate a derailed state of at least one guide member by means of said first signal, preventing said vehicle from passing the first monitoring point 20.
(26) As shown in FIG. 10B, once the guided vehicle has reached the first monitoring point 20, each of the electrical switches 13A, 13B, 13C, 13D interacts simultaneously with said part of one of the guide members of the first coach of the guided vehicle and switches from said first state to said second state. Consequently, the input terminal A is connected to the output terminal B and a signal can travel from said input terminal A to said output terminal B, said signal being able to trigger a change in the rail-position indication provided by said rail-position indicators 22, 23, these latter indicating as a result a correct rail position of the guide members of the first coach by means of said second signal, thereby permitting the movement of said guided vehicle.
(27) Said guided vehicle is then authorized by said monitoring system according to the invention to move forward to the second monitoring point 21, said second coach reaching the first monitoring point 20 as a result. Preferably, in order to prevent the rail-position indicators from indicating a derailed state when the guided vehicle moves towards the second monitoring point, a retaining device enables the correct rail-position indication to be maintained temporarily as said vehicle moves towards said second monitoring point 21. For this purpose, said retaining device includes for example a bistable relay and a supplementary electrical switch 135 used to temporarily store the correct rail position state of the guided vehicle, until said supplementary electrical switch 135 interacts with said part of a guide member.
(28) As shown in FIG. 10C, when said part of the guide member located furthest downstream in relation to the direction of movement of said guided vehicle begins to interact mechanically with said supplementary switch 135, said supplementary switch switches from said first state to said second state. This change of state involves changing the value of a measurable signal at the output terminal B that switches from a nominal value to a transitory value. Said transitory value is able to transmit information intended to change the status indication supplied by said rail position indicators, such that these latter indicate a derailed state of at least one guide member. For example, said transitory value is a reset signal of said bistable relay.
(29) When said part of the guide member located furthest downstream in relation to the direction of movement of said guided vehicle passes the position of said supplementary switch 135, the rail-position indicators 22, 23 indicate a derailed state of at least one guide member. As the electrical switches 13A, 13B, 13C, 13D do not interact simultaneously with a part of the guide members of the second coach until said first coach has reached said second monitoring point 21, the rail-position indicators display the first signal.
(30) As shown in FIG. 10E, when the first coach of the guided vehicle reaches the second monitoring point 21 and the second coach reaches the first monitoring point 20, the electrical switches 13A, 13B, 13C, 13D switch from said first state to said second state, thereby connecting the input terminal A to the output terminal B and enabling a change of the signal displayed by said rail-position indicators 22, 23, which then indicate said second signal 222, 232, authorizing said guided vehicle to move beyond said second monitoring point 21.
(31) Again, during movement of said guided vehicle downstream of said second monitoring point 21 (see FIG. 10F), said supplementary switch 135 interacts mechanically with a part of a guide member and switches from said first state to said second state. This change of state causes a change of the signal indicated by said rail-position indicators, which then display said first signal 221, 231 and prevent any movement of a subsequent guided vehicle beyond said first monitoring point 20.
(32) The present invention thereby makes it possible to automatically check the correct rail position of all of the guide rollers of the guided vehicle and is able to monitor the movement of said guided vehicle by means of rail-position indicators installed on the ground, as shown in FIGS. 10A-10F, or on board said guided vehicle. The present invention proposes a simple method for monitoring the rail position of a guided vehicle, improving the reliability thereof compared to existing systems, which are susceptible to various faults, as well as reducing the cost of development, manufacture, installation and in particular maintenance, given that the present invention has no on-board systems intended to monitor rail position.
(33) Preferably, said retaining device may also include a negative detector comprising an emitter 131 of a light beam 133, for example a laser source and a receiver 132 of said light beam 133, for example a CCD sensor, said light-beam emitter 131 being able to emit a light beam and said receiver 132 being able to receive said light beam and to generate a signal related to receipt of said light beam. In particular, said negative detector is able to actuate an auxiliary switch 134 using said signal related to the receipt of said light beam, said auxiliary switch 134 being characterized by two states, respectively a closed state and an open state. Said auxiliary switch is preferably mounted in parallel to said electrical switches between the input terminal A and the output terminal B (see FIG. 10A). The emitter 131 and the receiver 132 are in particular arranged on either side of said guide rail, either perpendicular to said guide rail or diagonally, preferably upstream of the electrical switch 13A closest to the first monitoring point that is intended to check the correct rail position of a guide member of a first axle (i.e. the one located furthest downstream) of a coach of the guided vehicle, and in particular downstream of the electrical switch 13C intended to check the rail position of the guide member of another axle of said coach of said guided vehicle. The auxiliary switch 134 and said negative detector are connected such that said auxiliary switch is in a closed state, i.e. it is electrically connecting the input and output terminals A, B, when the beam 133 emitted by the emitter 131 reaches said receiver 132, and open if the beam 133 emitted by the emitter 131 is not being received by the receiver 132. Consequently, unless the beam 133 of the negative detector is broken by a coach of the guided vehicle, the rail-position indicators 22, 23 are forced to display said second signal indicating a correct rail position, thereby authorizing movement of the guided vehicle. When said beam 133 is broken, the auxiliary switch 134 opens and said rail-position indicators 22, 23 then display said first signal, indicating an incorrect rail position. In this case, when the guided vehicle breaks said light beam, said auxiliary switch is kept in an open state by the negative detector and the rail-position indicators 22, 23 indicate a correct rail position only if each of the electrical switches 13A, 13B, 13C, 13D is interacting mechanically with said part of a guide member, as described above. Once the last coach of the guided vehicle has been checked by the monitoring system according to the invention, the rail-position indicators 22, 23 authorize it to move. Movement of the last coach towards the second monitoring point 22 releases said light beam, which will then be received by the receiver 132, which generates a signal requiring the auxiliary switch 134 to switch from the open state to the closed state, this latter forcing the rail-position indicators 22, 23 to indicate a correct rail position.
(34) Finally, FIG. 12 shows different positions of said electrical switch 13 according to the invention in the vicinity of the guide member such as to enable the correct rail position thereof to be detected. According to the present invention, said electrical switches 13 can interact mechanically or contactlessly with at least one part of the guide member. Said electrical switch 13 includes for example a sensor 73 with a detection zone 731, 732 that is for example substantially conical and through which passes a part of said guide member only if the rail position of this latter is correct (for example, the sensor 73 is positioned such that a roller correctly positioned on the rail penetrates the detection zone 731 thereof), thereby enabling the presence of said guide member and the correct rail positioned thereof to be detected. Conversely, if the guide member is not correctly positioned on the rail, there is no interaction between the sensor and the guide member, since said guide member is no longer passing through the detection zone 732 of said sensor. Said electrical switch 13, in particular the sensor or contacts thereof, is borne by said load-bearing structure 71 which enables said electrical switch to be kept in a position enabling said interaction of said electrical switch 13 with said part of the guide member only if this latter is correctly positioned on the rail. The load-bearing structure 71 includes in particular one or more supporting elements, for example metal supporting elements, each of said supporting elements being attachable to the ground or to a supporting element of said rail, and enabling in particular the position of said switch to be adjusted in relation to said part of the guide member such as to enable said interaction.
(35) In summary, the present invention provides several advantages over existing methods or devices in that: it has no on-board electronics or signal interpretation and transmission; it has no inductive sensors, thereby obviating the need for preventive maintenance work on the vehicle, which would have to be immobilized for such work to be carried out; the monitoring system is highly reliable, in that it is robust and not liable to break or suffer excessive wear; it simplifies maintenance operations; it reduces maintenance and installation costs as it does not require any on-board equipment; it requires no signal filtering, which could conceal a loss of guidance or a real problem.
