Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 03111379 2021-03-02
WO 2020/049443
PCT/IB2019/057396
DESCRIPTION
"Loading System and transporting wheeled vehicles on
railway network"
* * *
The present invention relates to a loading system and
transporting wheeled vehicles on railway network.
In particular, in the present invention relates to a
loading System and transporting wheeled vehicles on railway
network, and in particular of articulated semi-trailer, of
the type that can be integrated to an "intelligent
management system" in the meaning that at the end was
attributed with reference to the wagons of a rail transport
system with automatic composition of the trains described
in Italian patent No. 0001416154, assigned to the same
Applicant.
As it is known, for the transport of railway wagons
from factories to the delivery destination, or, conversely,
by picking places in factories delivery free of tracks
connected to the rail network, it is necessary to charge the
wagon on a special vehicle equipped with wheel pulled by a
tractor up to the rail delivery or pickup station of
destination.
An attempt has been made to overcome the excessively
high costs of this transfer method by loading semi-trailers
1
CA 03111379 2021-03-02
WO 2020/049443
PCT/IB2019/057396
of articulated lorries on locked-up trains in the railway
stations, loading them from the top on "few" wagons , using
a bridge crane. This solution is, however, competitive only
on ports that handle a large number of semi-trailers, as
the infrastructure has very high costs. Therefore, only a
few stops can be connected, at acceptable costs.
Another known solution is the so-called "rolling
highways", consisting in loading an entire train
sequentially starting from a series of wheeled vehicles.
This procedure, however, presupposes that the drivers of the
vehicles also have to travel with the same train, in
addition to the constraint that the connection is only
between two points, the one of departure and the one of
arrival.
It has been also tried to overcome this problem by
designing autonomous mixed rail / wheeled vehicles that
able to be moved with the two modes. However, these known
vehicles are specific drives with very specific functions.
So, these are not adapted to make long trips, or can be
adapted to be used as systems for the transport of goods.
Moreover, these known vehicles do not lend themselves to
interact with "smart" systems or vehicles which exchange
information, for example to be able to move independently
on the rail network and / or to automatically engage or
2
CA 03111379 2021-03-02
WO 2020/049443
PCT/IB2019/057396
unhook thanks to the presence of computerized systems, such
as those present in the "intelligent" wagons of the
aforementioned patent of the same Applicant.
One solution to this problem has been reported in the
Italian patent application No. UB2016A001791, which
describes a transport vehicle capable of circulating
ambivalently on the road network or on the railway network
comprising: - a floor equipped at the bottom with a first
system of rear railed wheels and a second system of front
railed wheels and at least one pair of rear rubber wheels;
- an exchange system between the position of the rear and
front railed wheels and of the rear rubber wheels according
to the type of wheels required for road or rail traffic;
and - a computerized system configured to automatically
manage the movements of the transport vehicle in the
configuration of railway circulation and to carry out the
coupling with the tractor of an articulated vehicle hooking
up the means of transport; in which the exchange system
comprises movable mechanical elements connected, at a first
end, in a rotary manner, to hooking brackets placed below
the floor and, at a second end, to axes around which the
rear rubber wheels are respectively rotatable. The mobile
mechanical elements are configured to be automatically
3
CA 03111379 2021-03-02
WO 2020/049443
PCT/IB2019/057396
controlled by the computerized system via an actuator
system.
However this solution suffers from the problem that the
presence on board of both the rail and road circulation
systems, and of the other components of the smart wagon, like
the batteries, overloads the vehicle particularly during
the road circulation, reducing the net load. Furthermore,
the passage from road to rail mode may present operational
difficulties in correctly managing the alignment maneuver
on the rails.
The scope of the present invention is to provide a
system for loading and transporting on railway network
wheeled vehicles comprising at least one articulated
vehicle equipped with a drive and semitrailer, in
particular semi-trailers, who can, with a very high level
of automation, switch from wheeled mode to rail mode and
viceversa reducing the costs of the logistics of goods,
since, while maintaining the ductility of the rubber of the
sampling points and delivery operated by a conventional
trucks, carries out, for the most part of the path, the
transfer of only semitrailers with no drive along the
railway line, with significant reduction in energy and
personnel costs, having features such as to overcome the
4
CA 03111379 2021-03-02
WO 2020/049443
PCT/IB2019/057396
limitations that still affect the solutions previously
described and with reference to the prior art.
According to the present invention, a system for
loading and transporting on railway network wheeled
vehicles comprising at least one articulated vehicle
equipped with a drive and semitrailer is provided, as
defined in claim 1.
For a better understanding of the present invention,
a preferred embodiment is now described for semi-trailers,
purely by way of non-limiting example, with reference to
the attached drawings, in which:
- the figure 1 shows a three-dimensional view of a
system for loading and transporting on railway network
wheeled vehicles comprising at least one articulated
vehicle equipped with a drive and semitrailer in a phase of
arrival of an articulated vehicle at the station, according
to the invention;
- the figure 2 shows a three-dimensional view of a smart
elevator wagon of the system for loading and transporting
on railway network wheeled vehicles, according to the
invention;
- Figures 3a-3c show respectively a top view and side
views with a lowered loading platform and a raised loading
5
CA 03111379 2021-03-02
WO 2020/049443
PCT/IB2019/057396
platform of the smart elevator wagon of Figure 2, according
to the invention;
- figures 4a- 4c show a top view and side views with the
lowered loading platform and raised loading platform of the
smart elevator wagon of figure 2 with an articulated truck
loaded on the smart elevator wagon of figure 2, according
to the invention;
- figures 5a-5d show respectively a top view, a side
view and sectional views with a raised loading platform and
with a lowered loading platform of a smart carrier wagon,
according to the invention;
- Figures 6a-6c show atop view and side views of the
smart elevator wagon of Figures 5a-5d with an articulated
truck loaded above, according to the invention;
- figure 7 shows a top view of a railway station set up
to interface with the system for loading and transporting
on railway network wheeled vehicles, according to the
invention;
- figure 8 shows a three-dimensional view of a smart
elevator wagon of the system for loading and transporting
on railway network wheeled vehicles and of the articulated
vehicle when approaching the articulated vehicle to the
elevator wagon, according to the invention;
6
CA 03111379 2021-03-02
WO 2020/049443
PCT/IB2019/057396
- figure 9 shows a three - dimensional view of the
elevator wagon of the system for loading and transporting
on railway network wheeled vehicles with the articulated
vehicle loaded, according to the invention;
- figure 10 shows a three-dimensional view of the
elevator wagon in elevation phase and of the carrier wagon
of Figure 9, with positioning of the carrier wagon,
according to the invention;
- figure 11 shows a three-dimensional view of the
elevator wagon and of the carrier wagon of Figure 9 in the
loading phase of the articulated vehicle on the smart
carrier wagon, according to the invention;
- figure 12 shows a three-dimensional view of the
elevator wagon and of the smart carrier wagon during the
release of the tractor from the semitrailer on the smart
carrier wagon, according to the invention;
- figure 13 shows a three-dimensional view of the
elevator wagon on which the motor drive of the articulated
vehicle and of the smart carrier wagon on which the semi-
trailer of the articulated vehicle is loaded, according to
the invention;
- figure 14 shows a three-dimensional view of the
elevator wagon during the unloading of the tractor unit of
the articulated vehicle and of the smart carrier wagon with
7
CA 03111379 2021-03-02
WO 2020/049443
PCT/IB2019/057396
the semi-trailer of the articulated vehicle being moved
towards a railway train in the composition phase, according
to the invention.
With reference to this and the figures and, in
particular, to figure 1, a system for loading and
transporting on railway network wheeled vehicles comprising
at least one articulated vehicle equipped with a drive and
semitrailer, in a phase of arrival of an articulated
vehicle in the station is shown, according to the
invention. More specifically, the system 100 for loading
and transporting on railway network wheeled vehicles
comprising at least one articulated vehicle 50 equipped
with a drive and semitrailer comprises: a "station"
computerized system, a smart elevator wagon 101 and a smart
carrier wagon 102 interfaced with the station computerized
system, in the meaning of terms used with reference to the
wagons of a rail transport system with automatic train
composition described in the Italian patent No. 0001416154
in the name of the same Applicant; and a carriageable road
infrastructure 103 that allows connection of the road
network to an area where a service binary of the railway
network is located, this area being connected to the railway
line of the same railway network and being dedicated to the
loading / unloading of the semi-trailer, subject to the
8
CA 03111379 2021-03-02
WO 2020/049443
PCT/IB2019/057396
asphalting of an adequate section of roads. The carriageable
road infrastructure 103 must allow both access and the exit
of the articulated vehicle 50 in the moving direction and
in its opposite.
Figure 2 shows, in detail, the smart elevator wagon
101 comprising a platform 101a, configured to accommodate a
wheeled vehicle, for example an articulated vehicle 50
equipped with a drive 51 and a semi-trailer 52, equipped,
at a first end, of a first tipping plane 101b hinged at the
first end and, at a second end, opposite to the first, of a
second tipping plane 101c hinged at the second end,
laterally of external containment fenders 121 configured to
achieve the perfect alignment of the articulated vehicle 50
and laterally to the containment fenders 121, a gangway 122
for the passage of an operator. The platform 101a is
coupled at the bottom to a linear structure 101d equipped,
for example in a central portion, with an electronic control
system 123 and, at its ends, of carriages 101da with
motorized rooms . Furthermore, the smart elevator wagon 101
includes scissor lifting structures 101e, at least two,
fixed between the linear structure 101d and the platform
101a. Each lifting structure 101e is composed of two
scissor systems (of the pantograph type), allowing a
movement in the vertical direction and supporting the
9
CA 03111379 2021-03-02
WO 2020/049443
PCT/IB2019/057396
platform 101a. Even more detailed, each scissor system is
composed of four metal bars connected, two by two, by
central pins and, at the ends, by upper and lower hinges.
According to an aspect of the invention, the lifting
structures 101e are configured to lift and lower the
platform 101a of the smart elevator wagon 101 through
actuators, for example two lifting pistons for each lifting
structure 101e, not shown in the figure.
According to an aspect of the invention, the
electronic control system 123 is positioned between the two
lifting structures 101e is positioned.
Advantageously according to the invention, the
lifting of the platform 101a of the smart elevator wagon
101 can be controlled both by manual mode and by automatic
mode.
Advantageously according to the invention, the smart
elevator wagon 101 comprises a computerized system like that
typical of smart wagons of the aforementioned Applicant's
patent application, configured to be able to further
automatically manage the raising/ lowering of the platform
101a and the movement of the elevator wagon 101 along the
railway infrastructure to position itself in the specific
areas set up for interaction with the smart carrier wagon
102 to be able to carry out the pick-up / delivery of the
CA 03111379 2021-03-02
WO 2020/049443
PCT/IB2019/057396
semi- trailer 52 of the articulated vehicle 50 positioned
on the platform 101a, as shown in Figure 3, and in the
subsequent Figures 10-12.
Advantageously according to the invention, the smart
carrier wagon comprises at least two locking systems 101f
that rise during the displacement maneuvers of the wagon
and are lowered during the loading maneuvers of the
articulated vehicle 50 preventing the movement of the
elevator wagon 101 and providing support for load support.
Advantageously according to the invention, the smart
elevator wagon 101 comprises load sensors configured to
detect the presence on board of a vehicle, to check the
tolerability limits of the load, and to check the
compatibility of the load distribution.
Advantageously according to the invention, the smart
elevator wagon 101 comprises systems to aid loading and
unloading operations and movement of the articulated
vehicle 50or the single drive51.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the
computerized system 123 located on the smart elevator wagon
101 is configured to interact with the computerized system
of station, as described in the aforementioned patent
application of the same Applicant, and to operate the
raising / lowering of the loading platform 101a through the
11
CA 03111379 2021-03-02
WO 2020/049443
PCT/IB2019/057396
systems 101e, which are adapted to cause the switch of the
platform 101a position from a next level position at the
street level to an elevated position aligned to the height
of the upper standard buffers of the usual railway wagons
and viceversa, compatibly with data coming from on-board
sensors, in particular of load sensors and other sensors.
The computerized system 123 also automatically manages
the movement of the elevator wagon 101 to position itself
in the maneuver or rest areas according to the indications
received electronically from the station computerized
system.
According to an aspect of the invention, the smart
elevator wagon 101 includes a battery that can be recharged
automatically installing an induction system in the where
the wagon 101 operates, or positioning the wagon 101 in a
specific area where the connection to the electricity
network can be done in automatic or manual mode.
Figure 5 schematically shows the smart carrier wagon 102,
in the sense that it comprises all the implementations
present in the patent previously mentioned in the name of
the same Applicant, comprising a linear structure equipped
with two wheel systems 102aa among which a loading platform
102a is included configured to receive the semi- trailer 52
of the articulated vehicle 50 and configured to be lowered
12
CA 03111379 2021-03-02
WO 2020/049443
PCT/IB2019/057396
and raised, on command of the computerized systempresent on
the wagon, so that it can be raised up to the level of the
buffer 102ab level to allow horizontal transit of the semi-
trailer 52.
According to an aspect of the invention, a first end
of the carrier wagon 102 comprises a flat portion 102ca
configured to house the front part of the semi- trailer 52
after it has been loaded onto the loading platform 102a,
and to be able to lock it by means of an adjustable locking
system 102cb. Moreover, the flat portion 102ca is equipped
on each side with a tipping platform 102c for the passage
of an operator.
The front part of the loading platform 102a positioned
in correspondence of the parking stands of the semitrailer
52 when it is loaded, it is equipped with a self-leveling
platform 102d to facilitate the support of the semi- trailer
52 during the loading or unloading phase to allow the
disengagement of the drive.
In addition, to fix the semi-trailer 52 during
transport, in addition to the lock system 102cb, there is
also a rear-wheel lock system.
Eventually another locking system of the front wheels
may also be present.
13
CA 03111379 2021-03-02
WO 2020/049443
PCT/IB2019/057396
Advantageously according to the invention, the self-
leveling platform 102d prevents the trucker from releasing
and resting the parking stands on the ground manually, for
the release of the drive 51. With the automatism of the
platform, the truck driver will have to limit himself to
manually disable the connections (electrical and other
installations) and finally unblock the drive 51.
With an automatic control of the electronic system of
the wagon, the lowering of the self-leveling platform
realizes the leveling of the semi-trailer 52 in the best
position to carry out the transport.
Figure 6 shows the smart 102 with the smart carrier
wagon 102 with the semitrailer 52 of the articulated vehicle
50 loadedon the loading platform 102a.
Advantageously according to the invention, the smart
carrier wagon 102 comprises load sensors to determine if the
weight of the semitrailer is suitable for transport in
relation to the characteristics of the railway section to
be traveled.
Advantageously according to the invention, the smart
carrier wagon 102 comprises systems to aid loading and
unloading operations and movement of the articulated
vehicle or the single drive.
14
CA 03111379 2021-03-02
WO 2020/049443
PCT/IB2019/057396
Moreover, advantageously according to the invention,
the stations can be equipped with an apparatus 104 for the
automatic control of the shape of the wheeled vehicle,
adapted to perform an automatic verification of the
compatibility of silhouettes of wheeled vehicles loaded on
the wagons, with the characteristics of the route of the
railway network to be covered for delivery. In particular,
such a verification apparatus 104 of the silhouettes of the
loaded wagons can be implemented with sensors, cameras, or
other detection systems detecting the shape of the objects.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the
movements of all road and rail vehicles operating in the
area in which the system 100 operates, are managed by the
station computerized system which has the full and
exclusive control of the area where are the tracks, when it
is necessary to manage loading / unloading operations of
wheeled vehicles.
Operationally, in the delivery phase from the road
network to the railway network , the articulated vehicle 50,
with the semi-trailer 52 to be loaded, is placed in a
special area with tracks coplanar with the street plan. The
driver of the articulated vehicle, accessing from his tablet
or other similar systems present on the drive, through a
specific application preloaded on the same tablet and which
CA 03111379 2021-03-02
WO 2020/049443
PCT/IB2019/057396
allows to interface telematically with the station
computerized system, communicates its credentials to carry
out the loading operation. After verification and acceptance
of the credentials authorizing the loading of the semi-
trailer 52 , the smart elevator wagon 101 will be managed to
move independently and, once it reaches the loading
position, it will lower one of the tipping platforms 101b
or 101c, which will act as a connection ramp to allow the
articulated vehicle 50 to always go forward. The positioning
of the elevator wagon 101 at a precise point of the tracks'
asphalted area depends on the wagon that carries out the
transport which is unidirectional since it allows
operations only on one side. Consequently the access
direction of the articulated vehicle 50 on board the
elevator wagon 101 can take place only in a specific
direction through the platforms 101b or 101c. Subsequently
the tipping platform. 101b or 101c is raised and by means of
the systems 101e for lifting the loading platform 101a , is
raised up to the height of the buffers 102ab of the carrier
wagon, made to arrive automatically at the rear of the
elevator wagon 101 , where the semi-trailer must be moved.
Then the tipping platform 101b or 101c is lowered again to
form a corridor with the carrier wagon 102 and the
articulated vehicle 50 is driven in reverse until it
16
CA 03111379 2021-03-02
WO 2020/049443
PCT/IB2019/057396
reaches the position suitable for transferring the semi-
trailer 52 onto the smart carrier wagon 102.
According to an aspect of the invention, as shown in
figure 7, the driveway road infrastructure 103 which allows
access to a service binary 203 of the railway network
connected to the railway line of the railway, includes a
load / unload line 103a comprising unsurfaced binaries to be
carriageable and connection elements 103b to the service
binary 203.
In use, the methodology of operation of the system
100 shown in figures 8-14, comprises the steps of:
1) arriving in a railway station of an articulated
vehicle 50, autonomous positioning of the smart
elevator wagon 101 in the loading zone 103 of the
vehicular road infrastructure 103, and made
available for the smart carrier wagon 102;
2) closure during the entire loading operation and
transfer ofthesemi-trailer of the pathway used for
loading by the rail vehicles, approaching of the
articulated vehicle 50 and lowering the first
tipping plane 101b or101c of the elevator wagon 101
according to the orientation of the carrier wagon
102;
17
CA 03111379 2021-03-02
WO 2020/049443
PCT/IB2019/057396
3) loading the articulated vehicle 50 on the elevator
wagon 101 and lifting the first tipping platform 101 or
101c;
4) positioning the smart carrier wagon 102;
5) Raising the
platform of the elevator wagon with
the articulated vehicle 50 on board;
6) Lowering the tipping platform 101b or 101c to
create the passage corridor with the carrier wagon;
7) moving the articulated vehicle 50 on the smart
carrier wagon 102 and release of the drive 51;
8) positioning the drive 51 on the elevator wagon,
lifting the tilting platform 101b or 101c leveling
the semitrailer by means of the platform 102d,
blocking of the rear wheels and lowering of the
semitrailer 52 placed on the platform 102a inside
the smart carrier wagon 102;
9) lowering the platform 101a of the elevator wagon
101;
10) unloading the drive 51 and managing the exit of
the same from the railway line;
11) moving the smart carrier wagon 102 towards a
train in composition on the railway line.
18
CA 03111379 2021-03-02
WO 2020/049443
PCT/IB2019/057396
More in detail, to loadthe semi-trailer 52 onto the carrier
wagon 102 , the elevator wagon 101 is positioned in the
correct position to raise theentirearticulated vehicle 50.
So, the first tipping platform 101b or 101c is lowered to
the ground, after the driver is positioned to stand on it
and has provided the credentials to the station computerized
system that coordinates all the operations, through a
dedicated application, and the articulated vehicle 50 is
loaded on the elevator wagon 101. The first tipping platform
101b or 101c is raised and then the platform 101a of the
elevator wagon 101 is lifted. The carrier wagon 102 is
appended empty to carry out the loading operation. As a
result, the second tipping platform 101b or 101c of the
elevator wagon 101 is lowered in correspondence of the
carrier wagon 102. The semitrailer 52 is loaded with its
drive 51 in reverse, and, thereafter, the support 102d placed
on the wagon platform to support the stands of the front of
the trailer is elevated. Then the driving 51 is unlocked
and is positioned on the elevator wagon 101. The first
tipping platform 101b or 101c of the elevator wagon 101 is
raised. After that a leveling of the semitrailer is made
suitably lowering the support base of the stands, that is,
the self-leveling platform 102d of the carrier wagon 102
with the blocking of the semi-trailer 52 by means of the
19
CA 03111379 2021-03-02
WO 2020/049443
PCT/IB2019/057396
towing nail with the device 102cb and the rear wheels with
the locking devices. The carrier wagon 102 is then removed
for stop in other area or insertion in a railway train.
Then the elevator wagon 101 is lowered at street level and
thenpositioned in good position (area for the disengagement
of the drive in the asphalt travel direction). Following
the second tipping platform 101b or 101c is lowered to
allow the exit of the drive 51. Then the second tipping
platform 101b or 101c of the elevator wagon 101 is raised
when the elevator wagon 101 is movedto the rest area.
For the unloading of a semi-trailer arrived with another
carrier wagon at the area 100, the elevator wagon 101 is
positioned in the correct position to make only the drive
51 of the articulated vehicle 50 rises in the correct
direction. Then the second tipping platform 101b or 101c for
the connection to the ground of the elevator wagon 101 after
the driver, who has already positioned himself to climb on
it, has supplied the credentials through the app. Then the
drive 51 is loaded on the elevator wagon 101. The first
tipping platform 101b or 101c is raised and the platform of
the elevator wagon 101 is raised too. The carrier wagon 102
is appended to carry out the unloading operation of the
loaded semi-trailer 52 . The second tipping platform 101 b or
101c of the elevator wagon 101 is lowered on the carrier
CA 03111379 2021-03-02
WO 2020/049443
PCT/IB2019/057396
wagon 101 102 and the blocks of the semi-trailer 102cb and
the blocks of the rear wheels are unhooked and the platform
102a of the carrier wagon is raised. Then the support 102d
for the elevation of the semi-trailer stands is raised. The
reversing of the drive 51 is performed to engage the semi-
trailer 52 and subsequent forward exit of the articulated
vehicle 50 (drive 51 and semitrailer 52) positioning on the
elevator wagon 101, after the platform 102d of the carrier
wagon 102 has been lowered. Then the second tipping
platform 101b or 101c of the elevator wagon 101 is raised.
The elevator wagon 101 is lowered to street level and
positioned low down in good position (area for the
disengagement of the articulated vehicle in the asphalted
direction of travel). Then the second tipping platform 101b
or 101c of elevator wagon 101 is lowered to allow the exit
of the articulated and subsequently the second tipping
platform 101b or 101c of the elevator wagon 101 and then be
moved to a parking area.
With similar easily understandable maneuvers it is
possible to load any wheeled vehicle onto carrier wagons
102, suitably configuring the wheel locking systems of the
vehicles, at least two or more than two, on the loading
platform 102a.
21
CA 03111379 2021-03-02
WO 2020/049443
PCT/IB2019/057396
Therefore, the loading system and transporting wheeled
vehicles on railway network according to the invention
facilitates the operations of maneuvering the drive of the
articulated vehicle, since it allows the access of the
articulated vehicle always in forward gear, making the
maneuver very simple.
Another advantage of the loading system and transporting
wheeled vehicles on railway network is to automatically
perform the perfect alignment of the semitrailer, which is
the most complicated part of the loading operation in reverse.
Finally, the loading system and transporting wheeled
vehicles on railway network according to the invention on a
railwaynetwork is efficient and low cost.
Finally it is clear that the loading system and
transporting wheeled vehicles on railway network, and in
particular of semi-trailers of articulated vehicles here
described and illustrated may be subject to modifications
and variations without thereby departing from the scope of
the present invention, as defined in the appended claims.
22
