Running gear with a single pair of independent left and right wheels and lateral stop means, and associated low floor rail vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11420658-B2
Application number	US-201916689482-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2019
Priority date	Nov 22, 2018
Publication date	Aug 23, 2022
Grant date	Aug 23, 2022

Abstract

A running gear for a low floor rail vehicle includes a frame, a single pair of independent left and right wheels, and a single pair of left and right rotation bearings attached to the frame that allow the left and right wheels to independently spin about a left and right spin axis, respectively. The running gear further includes a secondary suspension resting on the frame for supporting a vehicle body of the rail vehicle and lateral stop means fixed to the frame for laterally guiding the vehicle body of the rail vehicle. The lateral stop means includes a left and a right contact face facing a left and a right, respectively, transverse direction parallel to the transverse reference axis. The left and right contact faces are located between the left and right wheels.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A running gear for a low floor rail vehicle, the running gear frame comprising:
a frame defining a transverse reference axis and a vertical transverse reference plane containing the transverse reference axis, a vertical longitudinal median plane perpendicular to the transverse reference axis and a horizontal reference plane containing the transverse reference axis;
a single pair of independent left and right wheels, located on a left and a right side, respectively, of the vertical longitudinal median plane and equidistant from the vertical longitudinal median plane;
a single pair of left and right rotation bearings attached to the frame, allowing the left and right wheels to independently spin about a left and a right spin axis, respectively, aligned with the transverse reference axis;
a secondary suspension resting on the frame for supporting a vehicle body of the rail vehicle; and
a lateral stop means fixed to the frame for laterally guiding the vehicle body of the rail vehicle, the lateral stop means comprising a left and a right contact face facing a left and a right transverse direction, respectively, parallel to the transverse reference axis,
wherein the left and right contact faces are located between the left and right wheels,
wherein the frame includes a pair of left and right longitudinal beams which each support a respective one of the left and right rotation bearings, a pair of front and rear transverse beams, each extending between respective ends of the left and right longitudinal beams on opposite sides of the vertical transverse reference plane, and at least one longitudinal support beam extending between the front and rear transverse beam, and
wherein at least one of the left and right contact faces is supported by the longitudinal support beam.

2. The running gear of claim 1 , wherein the vertical transverse reference plane crosses the left and right contact faces.

3. The running gear of claim 1 , wherein at least part of the left and right contact faces is located below the horizontal reference plane.

4. The running gear of claim 1 , wherein the left and right contact faces are equidistant from the vertical longitudinal median plane.

5. The running gear of claim 1 , wherein the left and right contact faces are at least partially planar, with a planar zone parallel to the vertical longitudinal median plane.

6. The running gear of claim 1 , wherein the left and right contact faces are fixed relative to one another.

7. The running gear of claim 1 , wherein the lateral stop means comprise a set of one or more elastomeric bodies for connecting the left and right contact faces to the frame and for allowing limited movement of the left and right contact faces relative to the frame parallel to the transverse reference axis.

8. The running gear of claim 1 , wherein the frame is integral with the pair of left and right rotation bearings.

9. The running gear of claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal support beam supports the lateral stop means.

10. The running gear of claim 1 , wherein the suspension comprises a set of left and right vertical suspension springs each located above a respective one of the left and right rotation bearings.

11. A low floor rail vehicle comprising:
a vehicle body supported by a set of one or more running gears, including at least a first running gear according to claim 1 ,
wherein an underbody of the vehicle body is provided with counter stop means comprising at least a first pair of lateral contact faces each facing a respective one of the left and right contact faces of stop means of the first running gear.

12. The low floor rail vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the vehicle body rests directly on the secondary suspension of the first running gear.

13. The low floor rail vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the set of one or more running gears includes at least a second running gear according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle body is provided with at least a second pair of lateral contact faces each facing a respective one of the left and right contact faces of the second running gear.

14. The low floor rail vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the set of one or more running gears includes a pair of additional running gears, each with a single pair of independent left and right wheels, wherein each of the additional running gears is proximate a respective one of the first and second running gears, and preferably linked to the respective one of the first and second running gears.

15. The low floor rail vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the underbody extends partially in a space between the pair of left and right wheels of the first running gear, below a horizontal plane tangential to an upper end of the left and right wheels of the first running gear, and below the horizontal reference plane of the frame of the first running gear.

16. A lateral buffer system for a rail vehicle having two subassemblies including a vehicle body and a running gear, the buffer system comprising:
a first stop device and a second stop device, one of the first and second stop devices comprising lateral stop means for attachment to the running gear and the other one of the first and second stop devices comprising lateral counter-stop means for attachment to the vehicle body so as to limit the relative movement between the vehicle body and the running gear in a transverse direction of the rail vehicle,
wherein the first lateral stop device comprises:
a fixed support,
a movable carrier provided with a pair of opposite contact faces and movable relative to the fixed support in two opposite directions parallel to a reference axis of the fixed support, and
a set of one or more elastomeric bodies for resiliently connecting the movable carrier to the fixed support for allowing limited movement of the movable carrier relative to the fixed support parallel to reference axis on either side of a reference position of the movable carrier relative to the fixed support, and
wherein the second lateral stop device comprises corresponding contact faces each facing one of the contact faces of the first lateral stop device at a distance thereof, and
wherein the fixed support is formed as a tubular housing through which the movable carrier extends, and the pair of opposite contact faces of the movable carrier protrude from the ends of the tubular housing.

17. The lateral buffer system of claim 16 , further comprising at least one pair of elastic buffer bodies arranged between the movable carrier and the fixed support so as not to interfere with the limited movement of the movable carrier relative to the fixed support parallel to the reference axis on either side of the reference position below a predetermined amplitude threshold and so as to resiliently counteract further movement of the movable carrier relative to the fixed support away from the reference position beyond the predetermined amplitude threshold, each in a respective one of the two opposite directions.

18. A rail vehicle comprising two subassemblies consisting of a vehicle body and a running gear, the rail vehicle further comprising the buffer system of claim 16 , wherein the lateral stop means of said one of the first and second stop devices of the buffer system are attached to the running gear and the lateral counter-stop means of the other one of the first and second stop devices are attached to the vehicle body so as to limit the relative movement between the vehicle body and the running gear in a transverse direction of the rail vehicle.

Assignees

• Bombardier Transp Gmbh

Inventors

• Bieker Guido
• Pieper Reinhard

Classifications

• B61F5/308

  incorporating damping devices · CPC title

• B61F5/30 Primary

  Axle-boxes mounted for movement under spring control in vehicle or bogie underframes {(B61F5/36 takes precedence over B61F5/305 - B61F5/34)} · CPC title

• B61F1/14

  Attaching or supporting vehicle body-structure · CPC title

• B61F5/304

  Torsion-bar springs · CPC title

• B61F5/06

  incorporating metal springs · CPC title