Abstract: A rail guidance system is provided for railway vehicles using a combination of rimless support wheels running on horizontal surfaces, and guided by special opposed guide wheels and direction control wheels running on vertical surfaces on each side thereof in which the main vehicle guiding surfaces recede from their regular vertical plane in those areas where branch lines interconnect in the guidance system to avoid jamming of the guide wheels between the opposed main guiding surfaces and the auxiliary guide surfaces provided at such branch connections. The system includes additional cam control surfaces for camming the direction control wheels into engagement with auxiliary guide surfaces at the branch connections. The wheels of the invention, in addition, are comprised of lightweight materials such as aluminum, for example, or resins to reduce the degree of inertia involved when the wheels change direction of rotation from one guiding surface to another.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 6, 1975
Date of Patent:
January 4, 1977
Assignee:
Demag Aktiengesellschaft
Inventors:
Hans-Otto Hannover, Johannes Gerhard Spoler
Abstract: A vehicle adapted to travel over roads under the control of a driver operating a vehicle wheel control system or to be automatically steered along a guideway has a pair of guideway contacting wheels that control the steering when extended to a predetermined portion to contact the guideway and when retracted permit steering by the driver. A hydraulic control cylinder has oppositely disposed pistons connected by axially aligned piston rods to the respective guideway contacting wheels and movable to extend and contact these wheels. A mechanical linkage system is disposed, respectively, between one piston rod and the vehicle wheel control system.
Abstract: A first link member branched into two straight arms at a fixed angle is pivotally supported by the vehicle body at the branching point, and the free end of the first arm is linked with a connecting rod which in turn is connected to a steering arm for a road wheel while the free end of the second arm is pivoted to an end of a straight second link member which is equal to the second arm in length, the other end of which second link member is pivoted to a middle portion of a rod supporting at the ends thereof a pair of guide wheels. The rod is provided with means to move the rod relatively to the vehicle body thereby to retract the guide wheels and rotate the second link member until it forms no angle between the second arm.
Abstract: A monorail system for roller coasters comprising suspended track-bound vehicles each of which comprises a pair of distanced roller gears for movement along the track and support arms with a passenger car attached thereon arranged so as to prevent pivoting of the roller gears on the track means but permitting limited or controlled lateral swinging of the car relative to the roller gears.