Material transport and distribution consist with controlled gated hopper cars and conveyor systems
US9346473B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 5, 2015 |
| Grant date | May 24, 2016 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 5, 2035 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC E)Fixed Constructions
- CPC primaryE01B27/00
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A material transport and distribution consist including an offloading car, a generator car, and hopper cars. The offloading car includes a rotatable conveyor that can offload materials forward of and to the sides of the car. The generator car powers a plurality of hopper car conveyors. The hopper cars include a longitudinal conveyor that overlaps with conveyors of forward- and aft-located cars to enable transport of materials between cars and while the cars are negotiating a turn in the tracks. The hopper car hoppers are divided into chutes with respective guillotine-style gates. Each gate includes a resilient panel that flexes to enable closure of the gate without binding on materials exiting therefrom. A control system is provided to manage the gates and conveyors during offloading based on sensed characteristics of the operation thereof. An interlock system is also provided to initiate a cascading shutdown routine when a fault is detected.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.