Modular low floor transport system

• US 9,623,923 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2015
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KUKA Roboter GmbH (Midea Group Co., Ltd)
• Original Assignee: KUKA Roboter GmbH (Midea Group Co., Ltd)
• Inventors: Scheuvens, Christoph, Riedel, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Walters, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Triggs, James
• Application Number:
  US14/833,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20160152288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 19/003 Multidirectional wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 19/125 with helical projections on radial outer surface translating rotation of wheel into movement along the direction of the wheel axle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/033 characterised by regulating means acting on more than one spring
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/38 Low or lowerable bed vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 99/002 Suspension details of the suspension of the vehicle body on the vehicle chassis
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 63/025 Modular vehicles superstructures for busses having modular sections B62D31/025
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/063 Automatically guided

Abstract

A modular low-floor transport system comprises at least one drive module and at least one carrier module. The drive module includes a drive base and a drive chassis connected to the drive base. The drive chassis includes at least one driven wheel coupled to a drive. The carrier module includes a carrier base and a carrier chassis connected to the carrier base. The carrier chassis includes at least one non-driven carrier wheel. The drive base and the carrier base are rigidly connected to each other with respect to a stroke direction, and the drive chassis is movably mounted in the stroke direction to the drive base.

Claims

1. A modular low-floor transport system, comprising:

at least one drive module, the drive module comprising;

a drive base, and

a drive chassis connected with the drive base, the drive chassis including at least one drive wheel that is coupled with a drive; and

at least one carrier module, the carrier module comprising;

a carrier base, and

a carrier chassis connected with the carrier base, the carrier chassis including at least one driveless carrier wheel;

wherein the drive base and the carrier base are rigidly connected to each other with respect to a stroke direction; and

wherein the drive chassis is movably mounted in the stroke direction to the drive base.

2. The modular low-floor transport system of claim 1, wherein the drive chassis comprises one or two rotational degrees of freedom relative to the drive base.

3. The modular low-floor transport system of claim 1, wherein the drive chassis is resiliently supported in the stroke direction by a drive force element.

4. The modular low-floor transport system of claim 3, wherein the drive force element is adapted in such a way that a contact force of the drive chassis on a common planar contact area perpendicular to the stroke direction is smaller than a contact force of the carrier chassis for at least a portion of a jounce travel of the drive chassis against the drive base in the stroke direction.

5. The modular low-floor transport system of claim 4, wherein for at least a portion of the jounce travel, a stiffness of the drive force element is less than a stiffness of the carrier module in the stroke direction.

6. The modular low-floor transport system of claim 3, wherein the drive force element comprises at least one of:

a spring, wherein the spring is at least one of a mechanical, pneumatic, or hydraulic spring;

or

an actuator.

7. The modular low-floor transport system of claim 1, wherein the carrier chassis is movably mounted to the carrier base in the stroke direction, and resiliently supported by a carrier force element.

8. The modular low-floor transport system of claim 7, wherein the carrier force element comprises at least one of a mechanical spring or an actuator.

9. The modular low-floor transport system of claim 3, wherein at least one of the drive module or the carrier module comprises at least two pivot points configured for selectively removably attaching at least one of the drive force element or the carrier force element.

10. The modular low-floor transport system of claim 1, wherein the drive chassis is adapted for a translational travel in at least one direction of travel and/or for a rotary travel.

11. The modular low-floor transport system of claim 10, wherein at least one drive wheel of the drive chassis comprises rollers that are rotatably mounted such that axes of rotation of the rollers are inclined towards an axis of rotation of the drive wheel.

12. The modular low-floor transport system of claim 1, wherein the drive chassis is connected to the drive base and/or the carrier chassis is connected to the carrier base via at least one swivel joint and/or at least one sliding joint.

13. The modular low-floor transport system of claim 1, wherein an outer contour of the drive base and an opposing outer contour of the connected carrier base are in contact with each other or are spaced apart from each other.

14. The modular low-floor transport system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the drive base or the carrier base comprises an angular shaped outer contour.

18. The modular low-floor transport system of claim 2, wherein the axes of rotation of the rotational degrees of freedom are perpendicular to at least one of the stroke direction or to each other.

19. The modular low-floor transport system of claim 6, wherein the drive force element comprises and actuator that is electronically controllable.

20. The modular low-floor transport system of claim 8, wherein the carrier force element comprises and actuator that is electronically controllable.

21. The modular low-floor transport system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the drive base or carrier base is plate-like in form.

22. The modular low-floor transport system of claim 14, wherein the angular shaped outer contour is triangular, rectangular, hexagonal, or octagonal.

15. A drive module for a low-floor transport system, the drive module comprising:

a drive base, the drive base configured to be rigidly connected to a carrier base of the low-floor transport system with respect to a stroke direction; and

a drive chassis connected with the drive base, the drive chassis including at least one drive wheel that is coupled with a drive;

wherein the drive chassis is movably mounted in the stroke direction to the drive base.

16. A carrier module for a low-floor transport system, the carrier module comprising:

a carrier base, the carrier base configured to be rigidly connected to a drive base of the low-floor transport system with respect to a stroke direction; and

a carrier chassis connected with the carrier base, the carrier chassis including at least one driveless carrier wheel.

17. A method of assembling a low-floor transport system having a plurality of drive modules and a plurality of carrier modules, each drive module comprising a drive base and a drive chassis connected with the drive base, the drive chassis including at least one drive wheel that is coupled with a drive, each carrier module comprising a carrier base and a carrier chassis connected with the carrier base, the carrier chassis including at least one driveless carrier wheel, the method comprising:

selectively connecting at least one drive module with at least one carrier module such that the drive base and the carrier base are rigidly connected to each other with respect to a stroke direction;

the drive chassis being movably mounted in the stroke direction to the drive base.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein selectively the drive module with the carrier module comprises selectively removably connecting the drive module with the carrier module.