Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~L~557~3
Thls :invention relates to t~ack switching devices provided for
two-rail tyloe tracks adapted to support an~ guide magnet;c floating type
rolling stock employed in ultra.~hig~ speed railway transportation.
In an ordinary railway, rolling stock is supported, guided, and
driven by the combination of wheels and ra:ils. However, in an ultra~high
speed railway, the function of supporting tmd guiding the rolling stock and
the function of driving the same are provided separately from each other.
A magnetic floating syst0m of magnetically floating rolling stock
in which a magnetic force is employed to support and guide the rolling stock
in a non-contact manner is known in the art. More specifically, in this
magnetic floating system, the rolling stock is supported and guided in a
non-contact manner by a magnetic attractive force or magnetic repulsive force
applied to two parallel rails.
The magnetic floating type rolling stock which is allowed to run
by being supported and guided by a two-rail track having two parallel rails
is provided with a magnetic attractive or repulsive device protruding between
the rails from the bottom thereof. Therefore, in the case of a track
switching device for the above-described two-rail track, unlike in the casa of ~.
a conventional track, it is not permitted to provide rails crossing the tracks
because of the above-described protruding device. ~.
Therefore, a conventional track switching device for two-rail .:
tracks for the magnetic floating type rolling stock is so designed as illus-
trated in Figures l(a)and ~), or ~ and ~
In the prior art shown in Figure 1, a movable m0mber 12 is pro-
vided at the joint of a track 10 and a branch track 11 in such a manner that
it can be moved perp0nd:icularly to thc direction of the track lO. Mor0
sp0cifically, the ~ovable member 12 is provided with a first track 12a which
aligns with the track lO, and a second track 12b which aligns with the
track 11. The track switching operation is achieved by moving the movable
track 12 as shown in Pigures ~a)and
: ~ However, this conventional track switching device is disadvan-
tageous in the following point. In general, the length of a track switching
r~
.: ~ .............. .
~55713~
part in the ultra-high speed railway is five to eight times as long as that
in the ordinary railway. Therefore, if such a lengthy track switching part
is made into a movable track switching device, it will become a large-scale
device. In this case, the driving device for moving the track switching
device will require a large drive capacity.
Shown in Figure 2 is also a conventional method which is an
improvement of the prior art illustrated in Figure 1. In this method) the
movable member shown in Figures l(a) and l(b? is divided into several movable
Inember 12a, 12b, 12c - - - - - - arranged along the track, whereby, the power
of a device for driving a movakle member is reduced.
However, this conventional method is also disadvantageous in
that a mechanism for driving a number of movable members is necessarlly
intricate, and that since the moving distances of the several movable members
are different from one ano~her in switching the tracks, the con~rol device
thereof becomes undoubtedly intricate also.
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to overcome all of
the above-described difficulties accompanying conventional track switching
devices provided for two-rail type tracks.
More specifically, an object of the invention is to provide a
track switching device in which a track switching operation can be achieved
by a small amount of movement of its movable member, and the number of tracks
provided on the movable part is minimized to reduce the weigh* of the track
switching dev;ce as a whole, whereby the track switching operation can be
completed quickly.
According to the present invention, there is provided a track
switching device for two-rail type tracks for guiding magnetic floating type
rolling stock including drive means with a protruding portion positioned
between the two rails of said track, said track comprising first, second and
: .
third tracks, said device having first and second movable means, said
first movable means having two rails and being positioned at a joint formed
by the second and third tracks to which said first track is selectively
coupled, each of said flrst, second and third tracks having two parallel
:
'. '~ , ," .' ' ', '. ' ,' . ' ' ' ' ~ ' ' '' : . ` . '
~57~33
rails, said second, and third tracks each having an inner and an outar rail,
the i.nner rails being located between the outer rails, said two rails of said
first movable means being positioned such that when said first movable means
is moved to switch the tracks, said two rails of the first movable means are
movable in the space between the two outer rails of said second and third
tracks for coupling a selected one of said two rails of the first movable
means to a selected one of the inner rails of sai.d second and third tracks
and for providing sufficient space between the coupled rail of said first
movable means and the parallel outer rail for said protruding portion of said
drive means; said second mova~le means being positioned between said fi.rst
track and said first movable means and having track means aligning said
first track with one of said second and third tracks through said first
movable means.
The nature and utility of this invention will become more
apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments .
when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like parts
are designated ~y like reference numerals.
In the accompany~g drawings:
Figures l(a) and l~b) are explanatory diagrams for a description
of one example of a conventional track switching device provided for two-rail
type tracks;
~ Figures 2(a~ and 2~b) are also explanatory diagrams for a
description of anothex example of the conventional track switching device for
two-rail type tracks;
Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating a first example of a
track switching device provided for two-rail type tracks according to this
invention;
Figure ~ is an explanatory diagram ~or a descript,ion of the
operation of the track switching deuice shown in Figure 3;
~ ~ Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a second example ~:
of the track switching device according to the invention;
~Figure 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI in Figure 5; ..
_3
~ '
1 1)5~7~3
and
Figure 7 is an explanat~ry diagram illustrating a third example
~f the track switching device acc~ding to the inventi~n.
' '.
.
j,...,,., - '
~OS57133
A ~irst example of this invention will be described with reference
to Figures 3 and 4.
As is show~ in Figures 3 and 4, a two-rail type track 20 branches
into two two-rail type tracks 21 and 22, and a track switching device 23
according to this invention is provided at the joint of these tracks.
The tracks 20, 21 and 22 comprise pairs of parallel rails 20a and
20b, 21a and 21b, and 22a and 22b~ respectively.
In this example, the tracks 20 and 21 run in the same direction,
while the tracks 20 and 22 run in different direction as is shown in
Figure 4.
The track switching device 23, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, is
made up of two movable members 24 and 25 which are arranged in the direction
of the track and move in parallel and independently.
The movable member 24 comprises: a base 26 which is adjacent to
the track 20 and can move perpendicularly to the direction of the track 20,
a track consisting of two parallel rails 27a and 27b provided on the base
26 for coupling the tracks 20 and 21, and a track consisting of two parallel
rails 28a and 28b on th~ base 26 for coupling the tracks 20 and 22.
The base 26 is slidably n~ounted on guide rails 29, and is coupled
2Q ~ to a hydraulic cylinder 30 so that it can be moved along the guide rails.
The aforementioned movable member 25 comprises: a base 31 which
is ~disposed in the space between the outer rail 21a of the track 21 and the
~outer rail 22b of the track 22 and is moved pe~pendicularly to the direction
of the track 21; a rail 31b provided on the base 31 for coupling to the
rail 21b of the track 21 to complete this track 21; and a rail 32a provided
on the base 31, for coupling to the rail 22a of the ~rack 22 to complete
this trak 22.
The base 31 is slidably mounted on guide rails 33a and is connected
to a hydraulic cylinder 33 so that it can be moved on the guide rails 33a.
30 ~ The operation of the first example of the track switching device
according to this invention will be described.
The tracks 20 and 21 can be coupled to each other by operating
~,: :
4-
: ~ :
~C3S57~3
-the hydraulic cylinders 30 and 33 in the same direction. More specifically,
as is illustrated in Figure 4, the bases 26 and 31 are moved lef~ so tha~ the
rails 27a and 27b on the base 26 are in alignment with the rails 20a and
20b, respectively, and the rail 27a is in alignment with the rail 21a of the
track 21, and that the rail 31b on the base 31 is in alignment with the rail
27b and the rail 21b of the track 21. Thus, these rails are disposed as
indicated by the solid lines in Figure 4.
The operation of the track switching device will be described
during move~ent from the posi~ion wherein the track 20 is coupled to the
track 21 as described above to the position wherein track 20 is coupled to
track 22.
The hydraulic cylinders 30 and 33 are energized to shift the bases
26 and 31 to be right. As a result, as is shown by the dot-dash lines in
Figure 4, the rails 28a and 28b of the movable member 24 are aligned with
the rails 20a and 20b of the track 20, and the rail 28b is aligned with ~he
rail 22b of the track-22. At the same time, by the movement of the base 31,
the rail 32a of the movabie ~rack 31 is aligned with ~he rail 28a thus moved
and the rail 22a of the track 22. Thus, coupling of the tracks 20 and 22 has
been completed.
Figures 5 and 6 show a second example of the track switching device
according to the invention, in which the movable member 24 is modified.
The movable member 24 in Figures 3 and 4 is moved horizontally, but the
~; modified movable member in Figures 5 and 6 is a rotary type movable track 40
which is designed to rotate for switching the tracks.
The rotary type movable track 40 comprises: a rotary struc~ure 41
which is rotated perpendicularly to the direction of the tracks 20 or 21.
Slmilarly as in the example in Figures 3 and 4, a pair of rails 27a and 27b
are provided on one surface of the rotary structure for coupling the track 20
to the track 21, and a pair of rails 28a and 28b are provided on another
. .
surface of ~he rotary structure for coupling the track 20 to the track 22.
Switching the tracks can be achieved by turning the rotary structure
41 through an angle 0 as shown in Figure 6~ In this case, the stroke of the
-5~
.
'.
',',"',''.':,""'' '',' ,~','''." '', '''' ;' ' " '''"' '' ."` ~'' ' ''".',' "," .'"
~6~557~3
hydraulic cylinder can be made shorter than that of the hydraulic cylinder
in the case of horizontally moving the movable member. A third example of
the tracX switching device is shown in Figure 7, which is employed where the
tracks 21 and 22 are arranged symmetrical with respect to the track 20.
This track switching device comprises a disk-shaped movable member
43 with a track having a pair of curved rails 42a and 42b. This track on
the movable member 43 is designed such that when its one end is in alignment
with the track 20, the other end is in alignment with one of the tracks 21
and 22. With this track switching device, switching the tracks can be
achieved by turning the disk 43 through the angle of 180 degrees. The
advantage of this example resides in that the track switching is achieved
merely by the rotation of the disk-shaped movable member and no parts protrude
around the track switching section. This feature increases the safety in
running rolling stock and simplifies the track supporting structure.
As lS apparent from the above description, according to this
invention, the movable members for switching the tracks can be made smaller
in size, and therefore the power of the driving device for operating the track
switching device can be reduced.
In addition, the movable members of the track switching device are
smaller in size and lighter in weight, the number of movable members is re-
duced, and the whole construction of the track switching device can be
simpllfied.
..
:: : :
-6-
