COMBINED ROAD/RAIL WHEEL DEVICE FOR FOAD AND RAIL OPERATION

Abstract

A combined road/rail wheel device that is adjustable by an adjusting device between road operation and rail operation, the combined road-/ rail wheel device comprising a wheel that is driven or not driven and configured to rotate about a wheel axis and includes a road tire with a tire running surface at an outer radial circumferential surface of the wheel and an axial inside and an axial outside oriented away from the axial inside; the adjusting device; a wheel flange arranged at the axial inside or the axial outside of the wheel, connected to co-rotate with the wheel and extendable by the adjusting device in its entirety or partially from a radially retracted position for road operation to a radially extended position for rail operation.

Claims

1. A combined road/rail wheel device that is adjustable by an adjusting device between road operation and rail operation, the combined road/rail wheel device comprising: a wheel that is driven or not driven and configured to rotate about a wheel axis and includes a road tire with a tire running surface at an outer radial circumferential surface of the wheel and an axial inside and an axial outside oriented away from the axial inside; the adjusting device; a wheel flange arranged at the axial inside or the axial outside of the wheel, connected to co-rotate with the wheel and extendable by the adjusting device in its entirety or partially from a radially retracted position for road operation to a radially extended position for rail operation; a radially outer wheel flange circumferential surface of the wheel flange that extends radially at the most to the tire running surface in the radially retracted position and extends radially beyond the tire running surface in the radially extended position, wherein a wheel flange side surface of the wheel flange is oriented perpendicular to the wheel axis and configured to engage a side flank of a rail head of a rail of a track section in the radially extended position of the wheel flange, or wherein the wheel flange circumferential surface of the wheel flange is configured to engage a track channel of a groove rail of a rail track in the radially extended position of the wheel flange.

2. The combined road/rail wheel device according to claim 1, wherein the wheel flange includes plural wheel flange sectors or wheel flange segments that are guided along plural radial guides, and wherein the wheel flange sectors or segments are adjustable with respect to their radial positions between the radially retracted position and the radially extended position by the adjustment device.

3. The combined road/rail wheel device according to claim 2, wherein the wheel flange sectors or wheel flange segments are distributed over an entire circumference of the wheel flange.

4. The combined road/rail wheel device according to claim 2, wherein the wheel flange sectors or wheel flange segments respectively form a circular sector or a circular segment in cross section.

5. The combined road/rail wheel device according to claim 2, wherein the wheel flange sectors or wheel flange segments are guided retractable and extendable at a wheel flange base element of the wheel flange.

6. The combined road/rail wheel device according to claim 2, wherein the adjustment device is configured and controlled so that it performs the following adjustments when establishing a radially extended position of the wheel flange: all wheel flange sectors or wheel flange segments are moved from the radially retracted position into the radially extended position, or only a wheel flange sector or wheel flange segment or wheel flange sectors or wheel flange segments are moved from the radially retracted position into the radially extended position which are in a circumferential portion of the wheel flange which is adjacent to the rail or groove rail when the wheel rotates and the remaining wheel flange sectors or wheel flange segments are moved into the radially retracted position or maintained in the radially retracted position.

7. A combined road/rail chassis of a combined road/rail vehicle, the combined road/rail chassis comprising: at least one axle; and at least two combined road/rail devices according to claim 1 rotatably arranged at the axle.

8. The combined road/rail wheel chassis according to claim 7, wherein wheels of the two combined road/rail wheel devices have a track width at the axle which is adapted to a track width of the rail track.

9. A road/rail vehicle system, comprising: a combined road/rail vehicle including: at least one combined road/rail vehicle chassis according to claim 7, at least one super structure attached at the combined road/rail chassis and removeable therefrom without destruction, wherein the super structure includes a cab configured to transport persons or loads, at least one drive device coupleable with the combined road/rail wheel device and configured to drive at least one wheel of the combined road/rail wheel device of the combined road/rail chassis.

10. The combined road/rail vehicle system according to claim 9, wherein the drive is integrated in a module together with the combined road/rail chassis.

11. The combined road/rail vehicle system according to claim 9, wherein a group of different super structures is provided, and wherein coupling devices are provided so that a super structure selected from the group is configured to be coupled by the coupling devices with the combined road/rail chassis or decoupled therefrom.

12. The combined road/rail vehicle system according to claim 8, comprising: plural combined road/rail vehicles coupleable by coupling devices to form a vehicle interconnection in rail operation or in road operation.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] The invention is subsequently described based on advantageous embodiments with reference to drawing figures, wherein:

[0045] FIG. 1 illustrates a cross sectional view of a combined road/rail wheel device according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention including a wheel and a radially extendable and retractable wheel flange, fixed at the wheel so that it co-rotates with the wheel; and

[0046] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective inside view of the combined road/rail wheel device according to FIG. 1 with a wheel flange sector of the wheel flange in the radially extended position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0047] The advantageous embodiment of a combined road/rail wheel device illustrated in FIG. 1 is adjustable between road operations and rail operations by an adjustment device including at least one actuator 2. As evident from FIG. 1, a combined road/rail wheel device 1 is rotatably arranged at an end of an axle. The axle is part of a combined road/rail wheel device of a combined road/rail vehicle which is also switchable between road operation and rail operation due to plural combined road/rail vehicle devices in or at the combined road/rail chassis.

[0048] The combined road/rail wheel device 1 includes a wheel that is not driven in this embodiment and configured to rotate about the axle. The wheel 4 is rotatably supported at the axle by a wheel hub 5 and includes a rotor 6 with a tire running surface at its radially outer circumferential surface or rim shoulder. The road tire 6 which can also be configured for off road operations contacts a road surface in road operations with a tire running surface 7 or as illustrated contacts an upper running surface 8 of a rail head 9 of a groove rail 10 in rail operation wherein the groove rail is e.g. integrated in a road surface and typically configured to guide a trolley or tram. A track channel 11 of the groove rail 10 extends parallel to the running surface 8 in the same horizontal plane viewed in an operating position wherein the track channel is configured to guide a wheel flange 12 of the wheel 4.

[0049] A wheel disc 13 is arranged between the wheel hub 5 and the radially outer circumferential surface of the wheel 4 wherein the wheel disc includes an inside 14 and an outside 15 that is oriented away from the inside 14. The inside 14 and the outside 15 refer to a combined road/rail wheel device 1 rotateably arranged at an end of the axle wherein the insides 14 of the wheel disc 13 are oriented towards each other and the outsides 15 are oriented away from each other.

[0050] Thus, the wheel flange 12 is arranged e.g. at the inside 14 of the wheel disc 13 so that the wheel flange 12 co-rotates with the wheel 4. The wheel 4 can be in particular a conventional wheel of a road vehicle where the wheel flange 12 and the adjustment device 3 have been retrofitted.

[0051] The wheel flange 12 is adjustable in its entirety or partially by the adjustment device 3 between a radially retracted position for road operations and a radially extended position for rail operations.

[0052] FIG. 1 shows the radially extended position of the wheel flange 12 in solid lines and the radially retracted position of the wheel flanged 12 in dashed lines. A radial movement direction of plural wheel sectors or wheel flange segment 16 which form the wheel flange 12, e.g. in combination with a disc shaped wheel flange base element 17 that is attached in particular at the inside 14 of the wheel disc 13 is designated in FIGS. 1 and 2 with arrows 18.

[0053] In the radially retracted position, a radially outer wheel flange circumferential surface 19 of the wheel flange does not extend viewed from a radial inside towards the tire running surface 7 of the road tire 6 but is offset from the tire running surface e.g. by a radial distance d, wherein the radially outer wheel flange circumferential surface 19 is represented herein by the radially outer wheel hub circumferential surfaces of the wheel flange sectors or wheel flange segments 16.

[0054] In the radially extended position of the wheel flange 12 the radially outer circumferential surface 19 of the wheel flange 12 extends by a certain distance radially beyond the tire running surface 7 so that the road tire contacts the running surface 8 of the rail head 9 and the radially outer circumferential surface 19 of the wheel flange 12 configured in this embodiment e.g. as a plate shaped body with rather small thickness, is configured to engage the track channel 11 of the groove rail 10 in order to guide the combined road/rail vehicle along the rail track. In order to facilitate this, the wheels 4 of the two combined road/rail wheel devices 1 have a track width at the axle which is adapted to a track width of the groove rails 10 of the rail track.

[0055] As evident from FIG. 2, and as stated supra, the wheel flange 12 can include plural plate shaped wheel flange sectors or wheel flange segments 16, supported in radial guides 20 of the wheel flange base element 17 connected with the wheel 4, wherein the wheel flange sectors or segments 16 are adjustable by the adjustment device 3 with respect to their radial position between the radially retracted position and the radially extended position. The wheel flange sectors or wheel flange segments 16 have e.g. a wedge-shaped contour as illustrated in FIG. 2 wherein the wedge edge forms the radially outer circumferential surface 19 of the wheel flange 12 and is configured to penetrate the track channel 11 of the groove rail 10.

[0056] Advantageously the wheel flange sectors or wheel flange segments 16 are distributed over an entire circumference of the wheel flange 12. The wheel flange sectors or the wheel flange segments 16 respectively form a circular sector or circular segment viewed in cross section, with a respective radially inner portion removed. Advantageously the wheel flange sectors or wheel flange segments 16 are distributed over the entire circumference of the wheel flange 12. Wheel flange segments 16 are supported at the wheel flange base element 17 by supports 20 in a retractable and extendable manner.

[0057] The adjustment device 3 can include e.g. electrical, hydraulic and/or pneumatic actuators 2, as well as e.g. spring elements that preload the wheel flange sectors or wheel flange segments 16 into the radially extended position or the radially retracted position. Thus, e.g. an individual actuator 2 can be provided for each wheel flange sector or wheel flange segment as illustrated in FIG. 1. Alternatively, an individual actuator 2 can be provided for all wheel flange sectors or wheel flange segments 16 or for a group of wheel flange sectors or wheel flange segments 16.

[0058] The adjustment device further includes an electronic control which controls the actuators 2 in a coordinated manner, in particular as a function of control signals of an input device which is configured to optionally determine road operation or rail operation of the combined road/rail devices 1.

[0059] The adjustment device 3 is furthermore advantageously configured and controlled by the electronic control so that it adjusts all wheel flange sectors or segments 16 from the radially retracted position into the radially extended position to establish the radially extended position of the wheel flange 12. Alternatively the adjustment device 3 can also be configured and controlled by the electronic control so that it only adjusts the wheel flange sector or segment 16 or the wheel flange sectors or wheel flange segments 16 from the radially retracted position into the radially extended position which are arranged in a circumferential portion of the wheel flange 12 which is opposite to the groove rail 10 when the wheel 4 rotates in order to establish the radially extended position of the wheel flange 12. Put differently only the wheel flange segments or wheel flange sectors 16 are adjusted from the radially retracted position into the radially extended position which are in contact with the groove rail 10 at a point in time, or which are about to come in contact with the groove rail 10. However, the remaining wheel Range sectors or segments 16 which are already out of contact with the groove rail 10 or not yet in contact with the groove rail 10 at a specific point in time are adjusted into the radially retracted position or maintained in the radially retracted position.

REFERENCE NUMERALS AND DESIGNATIONS

[0060] 1 combined road/rail wheel device [0061] 2 actuator [0062] 3 adjustment device [0063] 4 wheel [0064] 5 wheel hub [0065] 6 road tire [0066] 7 tire running surface [0067] 8 running surface [0068] 9 rail head [0069] 10 groove rail [0070] 11 track channel [0071] 12 wheel flange [0072] 13 wheel disc [0073] 14 inside [0074] 15 outside [0075] 16 wheel flange sector or wheel flange segment [0076] 17 wheel flange base element [0077] 18 arrow [0078] 19 radially outer circumferential surface [0079] 20 guide [0080] 21 side flank of rail head [0081] 22 wheel flange side surface [0082] d distance