Unmanned rail vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11465653-B2
Application number	US-201716467795-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2017
Priority date	Dec 8, 2016
Publication date	Oct 11, 2022
Grant date	Oct 11, 2022

Abstract

An unmanned rail vehicle for surveillance, inspection, and/or maintenance of an industrial site is provided. The rail vehicle includes at least two carry rollers adapted for engaging on an upper rail side of a rail, wherein the center of gravity of the rail vehicle is vertically below the upper rail side; and at least one support roller connected to the chassis and adapted for rolling against a lateral rail side of the rail to laterally displace the center of gravity of the rail vehicle with respect to the upper rail side.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An unmanned rail vehicle for use in an industrial site, the rail vehicle comprising:
a chassis;
at least two carry rollers connected to the chassis and adapted for engaging on an upper rail side of a rail and for moving the rail vehicle along the rail, wherein a center of gravity of the rail vehicle is vertically below the upper rail side;
at least one support roller connected to the chassis and adapted for rolling against a lateral rail side of the rail to laterally displace the center of gravity of the rail vehicle with respect to the upper rail side;
at least one of a charging terminal and data terminal, the charging terminal being connectable to a power port of a base station for transmitting electrical power from the base station to a power source of the rail vehicle for charging the rail vehicle, the data terminal being connectable to a data port of the base station for transmitting data between the base station and a control unit of the rail vehicle,
wherein the unmanned rail vehicle is not dimensioned, equipped, or rated for transport of a human driver or passenger.

2. The unmanned rail vehicle according to claim 1 , having at least one of:
at least one electric traction motor acting on at least one of the at least one support roller and the at least two carry rollers; or
the power source being a rechargeable power source; or
an actuated brake system that acts on at least one of the rail, the at least two carry rollers, and the at least one support roller; or
a location sensor system for measuring travel distance or position; or
a remote-controlled or autonomous motion control operatively coupled to the at least one electric traction motor acting on the at least one of the at least one support roller and the at least two carry rollers for controlling motion of the unmanned rail vehicle along the rail.

3. The unmanned rail vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the rail vehicle is self-propelled.

4. The unmanned rail vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a functional module selected from the group including:
an inspection camera,
a sensor,
a manipulator, and
a combination of these.

5. The unmanned rail vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one support roller is a traction wheel actuated by a traction motor.

6. The unmanned rail vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the chassis is rigid, and/or wherein the chassis is a plurality of rigid chasses coupled by a coupling for forming a plurality of cars of the rail vehicle.

7. The unmanned rail vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the rail vehicle is self-propelled.

8. The unmanned rail vehicle according to claim 2 , further comprising a functional module selected from the group including:
an inspection camera,
a sensor,
a manipulator, and
a combination of these.

9. The unmanned rail vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one support roller is a traction wheel actuated by a traction motor.

10. The unmanned rail vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the chassis is rigid, and/or wherein the chassis is a plurality of rigid chasses coupled by a coupling for forming a plurality of cars of the rail vehicle.

11. A rail vehicle system for use in an industrial site, the rail vehicle system comprising:
a rail vehicle having:
a chassis;
at least two carry rollers connected to the chassis and adapted for engaging on an upper rail side of a rail and for moving the rail vehicle along the rail, wherein a center of gravity of the rail vehicle is vertically below the upper rail side;
at least one support roller connected to the chassis and adapted for rolling against a lateral rail side of the rail to laterally displace the center of gravity of the rail vehicle with respect to the upper rail side;
wherein the rail vehicle is not dimensioned, equipped, or rated for transport of a human driver or passenger,

a rail having an upper rail side for engaging with the at least two carry rollers so that the center of gravity of the rail vehicle is vertically below the upper rail side, and a lateral rail side adapted for supporting the at least one support roller for laterally displacing the center of gravity of the rail vehicle with respect to the upper rail side, and
at least one stationary base station,
wherein at least one of:
(a) the rail vehicle has a charging terminal, and the base station has a power port, the charging terminal being connectable to the power port for transmitting electrical power from the base station to a power source of the rail vehicle for charging the rail vehicle, and
(b) the rail vehicle has a data terminal, and the base station has a data port, the data terminal being connectable to the data port for transmitting data between the base station and a control unit of the rail vehicle.

12. The rail vehicle system according to claim 11 , wherein, in a cross-sectional view of at least a portion of the rail, the upper rail side is an upper edge of the rail.

13. The rail vehicle system according to claim 11 , wherein at least one section of the rail has a slope of >15° along the rail with respect to the horizontal.

14. The rail vehicle system according to claim 11 , wherein at, at least one position along the rail, the center of gravity of the rail vehicle, when mounted on the rail, is offset by a center-of-gravity angle of at least 10°, the center-of-gravity angle being an angle between a vertical line below the upper rail side and a straight line connecting the upper rail side and the center of gravity, in a cross-sectional plane orthogonal to a length direction of the rail.

15. The rail vehicle system according to claim 11 , wherein at at least one position along the rail, a lateral rail side portion at which the at least one support roller contacts the lateral rail side is offset by a support-roller-contact angle of at least 10° from a vertical line below the upper rail side, the support-roller-contact angle being an angle between the vertical line below the upper rail side and a straight line connecting the upper rail side and the lateral rail side portion, in a cross-sectional plane orthogonal to a length direction of the rail.

16. The rail vehicle system according to claim 11 , wherein the rail has an L-shaped cross section having
a first leg pointing approximately upwards, the upper rail side being formed by an upper edge of the first leg, and
a second leg pointing generally horizontally or downwards at an angle of up to 75° with the horizontal.

17. The rail vehicle system according to claim 11 , wherein at least one of the rail vehicle and the base station include a network interface for connecting to a data network, wherein the at least one of the rail vehicle and the base station is operatively connected to the network interface for at least one of carrying out a command received from the data network and sending device status information to the data network.

18. The rail vehicle system according to claim 17 , wherein the network interface is configured to transceive digital data between the network interface and the data network, wherein the digital data includes at least one of an operational command and device information about the rail vehicle, the base station, or the data network.

19. The rail vehicle system according to claim 11 , wherein, in a cross-sectional view of at least a portion of the rail, the lateral rail side is a side edge of the rail.

20. Use of an unmanned rail vehicle for moving the unmanned rail vehicle along a rail, the unman

Assignees

• Abb Schweiz Ag

Inventors

• Staab Harald
• Eakins William
• Lasko Daniel
• Fuhlbrigge Thomas
• Zhang Edward
• Shah Harshang
• Rakuff Stefan
• Cole Gregory
• Rossano Gregory
• Salm Andrew
• Choi Sang
• Boca Remus

Classifications

• B61B3/02 Primary

  with self-propelled vehicles · CPC title

• B61L27/70

  Details of trackside communication · CPC title

• B61D15/00

  Other railway vehicles, e.g. scaffold cars; Adaptations of vehicles for use on railways (conveyor frames mounted for movement on rail tracks B65G41/02; wheeled machines used in permanent way construction or maintenance E01B) · CPC title

• B61C3/00

  Electric locomotives or railcars (characterised by power transmission B61C9/00; electrical features B60L; H02) · CPC title

• B61B13/04

  Monorail systems · CPC title