Vehicle wheel support device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10870439-B2
Application number	US-201616087592-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2016
Priority date	Mar 29, 2016
Publication date	Dec 22, 2020
Grant date	Dec 22, 2020

Abstract

Two support frames support opposite wheels rollably on a rail and support the vehicle body through suspension systems. At one end, four L-shaped links and four support links are each coupled, bilaterally symmetrically and in front of and behind the wheels, to the two support frames in a manner allowing rotation on the support frames about an axis in the front-rear direction below and above the center axis of the wheels. In a bending portion in the middle, the L-shaped links are supported by the vehicle body rotatably about an axis in the front-rear direction, and the L-shaped links and support links are coupled at the other end to each other so as to allow rotation about an axis in the front-rear direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle wheel support device for supporting wheels of a vehicle that runs on a railroad track including two rails laid parallel to each other, comprising:
a first support frame rotatably supporting a first wheel so that the first wheel can roll on one of the rails, the first support frame supporting a vehicle body of the vehicle through a suspension system;
a second support frame rotatably supporting a second wheel facing the first wheel in a lateral direction orthogonal to a traveling direction of the vehicle so that the second wheel can roll on the other of the rails, the second support frame supporting the vehicle body through a suspension system;
first to fourth L-shaped links each having a middle bending portion that is pivotally supported by the vehicle body; and
first to fourth support links, one ends of which are respectively pivotally joined to upper ends of the first to fourth L-shaped links,
wherein
the first and third L-shaped links are disposed symmetrically in the lateral direction with respect to the second and fourth L-shaped links,
the first and third L-shaped links are pivotally supported by a lower portion of the first support frame, and other ends of the first and third support links one ends of which are respectively joined to the upper ends of the first and third L-shaped links, are pivotally joined to an upper portion of the second support frame,
the second and fourth L-shaped links are pivotally supported by a lower portion of the second support frame, and other ends of the second and fourth support links one ends of which are respectively joined to the upper ends of the second and fourth L-shaped links, are pivotally joined to an upper portion of the first support frame.

2. The vehicle wheel support device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first to fourth L-shaped links and the first to fourth support links support the first support frame and the second support frame, to enable maintenance of: (i) a transverse wheel distance between the first and second wheels, and (ii) an angle between the first wheel and a railroad track plane and an angle between the second wheel and the railroad track plane against up-and-down movements of the vehicle body and an inclination of the vehicle body in the lateral direction, the railroad track plane being a plane touching upper surfaces of the two rails.

3. The vehicle wheel support device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first L-shaped link, the second L-shaped link, the first support link and the second support link are arranged more forward than central axes of the first wheel and the second wheel in a front-rear direction parallel to the traveling direction of the vehicle, and
the third L-shaped link, the fourth L-shaped link, the third support link and the fourth support link are arranged more backward than the central axes of the first wheel and the second wheel in the front-rear direction.

4. The vehicle wheel support device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first L-shaped link and the third L-shaped link are pivotally supported by the first support frame below the central axis of the first wheel,
the second L-shaped link and the fourth L-shaped link are pivotally supported by the second support frame below the central axis of the second wheel,
one ends of the first support link and the third support link are respectively pivotally joined to the upper ends of the first L-shaped link and the third L-shaped link, and other ends of the first support link and the third support link are pivotally supported by the second support frame above the central axis of the second wheel, and
one ends of the second support link and the fourth support link are respectively pivotally joined to the upper ends of the second L-shaped link and the fourth L-shaped link, and other ends of the second support link and the fourth support link are pivotally supported by the first support frame above the central axis of the first wheel.

5. The vehicle wheel support device according to claim 1 , wherein
as viewed in projection on a plane orthogonal to a front-rear direction parallel to the traveling direction of the vehicle in a state in which the first wheel and the second wheel are motionless on the horizontal railroad track plane:
(a) a position of a shaft of the first L-shaped link joining the first L-shaped link to the first support frame matches a position of a shaft of the third L-shaped link joining the third L-shaped link to the first support frame,
(b) position of a shaft of the second L-shaped link joining the second L-shaped link to the second support frame matches a position of a shaft of the fourth L-shaped link joining the fourth L-shaped link to the second support frame,
(c) a position of a shaft of the first L-shaped link joining the first L-shaped link to the vehicle body matches a position of a shaft of the third L-shaped link joining the third L-shaped link to the vehicle body,
(d) a position of a shaft of the second L-shaped link joining the second L-shaped link to the vehicle body matches a position of a shaft of the fourth L-shaped link joining the fourth L-shaped link to the vehicle body,
(e) a position of a shaft of the first L-shaped link joining the first L-shaped link to the first support link matches a position of a shaft of the third L-shaped link joining the third L-shaped link to the third support link,
(f) a position of a shaft of the second L-shaped link joining the second L-shaped link to the second support link matches a position of a shaft of the fourth L-shaped link joining the fourth L-shaped link to the fourth support link,
(g) a position of a shaft of the first support link joining the first support link to the second support frame matches a position of a shaft of the third support link joining the third support link to the second support frame, and
(h) a position of a shaft of the second support link joining the second support link to the first support frame matches a position of a shaft of the fourth support link joining the fourth support link to the first support frame.

6. The vehicle wheel support device according to claim 1 , wherein
as viewed in projection on the plane orthogonal to a front-rear direction parallel to the traveling direction of the vehicle in the state in which the first wheel and the second wheel are motionless on the horizontal railroad track plane:
(a) the position of the shaft of the first L-shaped link joining the first L-shaped link to the first support frame and the position of the shaft of the second L-shaped link joining the second L-shaped link to the second support frame are symmetric with respect to a plane that runs along the center line between the two rails and that is perpendicular to the railroad track plane,
(b) the position of the shaft of the first L-shaped link joining the first L-shaped link to the vehicle body and the position of the shaft of the second L-shaped link joining the second L-shaped link to the vehicle body are symmetric with respect to the plane that runs along the center line between the two rails and that is perpendicular to the railroad track plane,
(c) the position of the shaft of the first L-shaped link joining the first L-shaped link to the first support link and the position of the shaft of the second L-shaped link joining the second L-shaped link to the second support link are symmetric with respect to the plane that runs along the center line between the two rails and that is perpendicular to the railroad track plane, and
(d) the position of the shaft of the first support link joining the first support link to the second support frame and the position of the shaft of the second support link joining the second support link to the first support frame are symmetric with respect to the plane that run

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Hashimoto Michinori
• Terasawa Hideo

Classifications

• B61F5/52

  Bogie frames · CPC title

• B61F3/16 Primary

  with a separate axle for each wheel · CPC title

• B61F5/06

  incorporating metal springs · CPC title

• B61F5/38

  Arrangements or devices for adjusting or allowing self- adjustment of wheel axles or bogies when rounding curves, e.g. sliding axles, swinging axles · CPC title