Monorail switching device

{
  "publication_number": "US3702590A",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A",
  "title": "Monorail switching device",
  "abstract": "A vehicle switching arrangement comprises an overhead monorail guideway that includes a mainline section and a diverging section merging with the mainline section to define a switching station. In addition, a bogie unit is arranged for rollable transport along the guideway and includes port and starboard main wheels rollably engaging the guideway. The bogie unit also includes a guide arrangement for selectively acting against the guideway to load either the port or the starboard main wheels in excess of the normal vehicle load thereof for establishing a vehicle heading through the switching station. Furthermore, stationary fail-safe cams are provided on the guideway to cooperate with cam followers carried by the bogie unit for ensuring safe transit through the switching station in the event of malfunction.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A vehicle switching arrangement comprising: overhead monorail guideway means including a first mainline upper track plate, a first lower track plate aligned beneath said upper track plate, a second upper track plate spaced laterally from said first upper track plate and having a first section paralleling said first mainline upper track plate and a second section divergent from said mainline section and cooperating to define a switch, and a second lower track plate aligned beneath said second upper track plate; and bogie means arranged for rollable transport along said guideway means, including port and starboard main wheel means rollably engaging said lower track plates, port and starboard upper guide wheel means carried by said bogie and rollably engageable with said upper track plates, and power-actuated means for forcing a selected one of said port and starboard upper guide wheel means into engagement with one of said first and second upper track plates whereby substantially the entire vehicle load is carried by the selected main wheel means during transit through said switch for establishing vehicle heading.",
    "2. A vehicle switching arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said bogie means includes fore and aft port main wheel means, fore and aft starboard main wheel means, fore and aft port upper guide wheel means, and fore and aft starboard upper guide wheel means and wherein said power-actuated means includes cable-and-pulley means interconnecting said upper guide wheel means and an actuator coupled to said cable-and-pulley means for directing coordinated movement of said upper guide wheel means.",
    "3. A vehicle switching arrangement according to claim 2 wherein said guideway means further includes substantially vertically disposed steering blade means having laterally outwardly facing steering surfaces and wherein said bogie means further includes lower guide wheel means swingably situatable into guiding engagement with a said steering surface to cooperate in directing transit of said bogie means through said switch, said cable-and-pulley means being connected to said lower guide wheel means for actuation thereof by said actuator.",
    "4. A vehicle switching arrangement according to claim 3 wherein said guideway means further includes substantially vertically disposed cam blade means located upstream from said switch and wherein said lower guide wheel means includes a lower guide wheel for coaction with said steering blade means and a pair of cam followers mounted respectively outboard of said lower guide wheel for engagement with said cam blade means for directing safe transit of said bOgie means through said switch in the event said actuator fails to operate properly.",
    "5. A vehicle switching arrangement according to claim 4 wherein said cam followers are cam rollers.",
    "6. A vehicle switching arrangement according to claim 4 wherein said cam blades are constant acceleration cams.",
    "7. A vehicle switching arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said guideway means further includes substantially vertically disposed steering blade means having laterally outwardly facing steering surfaces and wherein said bogie means further includes lower guide wheel means swingably situatable into guiding engagement with a said steering surface to cooperate in directing transit of said bogie means through said switch.",
    "8. A vehicle switching arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said bogie means further includes coupling means interconnecting said upper guide wheel means for coordinated operation, said upper guide wheel means having a neutral position in which said upper guide wheel means reside in a common overhead planar position, said upper and lower track plates being disposed a first distance apart in normal running sections thereof and in a second, greater distance in the switch section thereof whereby to permit situation of the selected one of said port and starboard guide wheel means in engagement with a selected upper track plate and the other of said port and starboard guide wheel means away from the other of said upper track plates.",
    "9. A vehicle switching arrangement according to claim 8 wherein said bogie means further includes guide wall means pendent from each of said upper track plates in said switch section for restraining said selected one of said guide wheel means against lateral movement.",
    "10. A vehicle switching arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said bogie means further includes guide wall means pendent from each of said upper track plates in said switch section from restraining said selected one of said guide wheel means against lateral movement.",
    "11. A vehicle switching arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said bogie means further includes upper and lower lateral restraint means.",
    "12. A vehicle switching arrangement according to claim 11 wherein said guideway means further includes sidewall means and wherein said lateral restraint means comprise wheels rollably engageable with said sidewall means.",
    "13. A vehicle switching arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said bogie means includes electric motor means drivingly connected to said main wheel means; wherein said guideway means includes electrical power bus means mounted interjacent the respective upper and lower track plates; and wherein said bogie means further includes lateral electrical power collector means engaging said power bus means.",
    "14. A vehicle switching arrangement according to claim 13 wherein said bogie means includes power-operated means connected to said lateral electrical power collector means for moving said lateral electrical power collector means into and out of engagement with said second power bus means.",
    "15. A vehicle switching arrangement according to claim 14 wherein the power-actuated means for said upper guide wheel means includes cable-and-pulley means interconnecting said upper guide wheel means and an actuator coupled to said cable-and-pulley means; and wherein said power-operated means includes link means connected to said lateral electrical power collector means and to said cable-and-pulley means.",
    "16. A vehicle switching arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said bogie means includes electric motor means drivingly connected to said main wheel means; wherein said guideway means includes first electrical power bus means mounted adjacent said upper track plates in said mainline section and second electrical power bus means mounted interjacent the respective upper and lower track plates adjacent said switch; and wherein said bogie means further includes upper electrical power collector means engaging said first power bus mEans during normal transit and lateral electrical power collector means engaging said second power bus means during transit through said switch.",
    "17. A vehicle switching arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said power-actuated means includes an actuator having a cylindrical housing, piston rod means extensibly and retractably disposed in said housing, abutment means fixed relative to said housing, locking piston means slidably mounted on said piston rod means, locking means acting between said abutment means, said piston rod means and said locking piston means to lock said piston rod means relative to said housing in one position, and means biasing said locking piston means away from said one position whereby to allow unlocking of said piston rod means upon failure of the fluid supply to said actuator."
  ],
  "cpc": [
    "E01B 25/26",
    "B60M 7/00",
    "B61C 13/04",
    "B61L 23/002"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "ROBERT W COREY"
  ],
  "filing_date": "1970-10-27",
  "publication_date": "1972-11-14",
  "grant_date": "1972-11-14",
  "priority_date": "1970-10-27",
  "application_number": "US-3702590D-A",
  "family_id": "22183904",
  "citations": [
    "US2602710A",
    "US3059591A",
    "US3086478A",
    "US3098454A",
    "US3152559A",
    "US3225704A",
    "US640050A",
    "US997690A"
  ]
}