The Trackless Tram: Is It the Transit and City Shaping Catalyst We Have Been Waiting for?

Recent innovations in transport technology are now providing mobility that is cheaper, autonomous, electric, and with improved ride quality. While much of the world’s attention has been on how this can be applied to cars, there have been rapid adoption of these and other technologies in High Speed Rail and Metro Rail systems that run between and across cities. This paper shows how such innovations have now been applied to create the next generation of urban transit system called a Trackless Tram. Trackless Trams are effectively the same as traditional light rail except they run on rubber tyres avoiding disruption from construction for Light Rail, but they retain the electric propulsion (with batteries) and have high ride quality due to rail-type bogies, stabilization technologies and precision tracking from the autonomous optical guidance systems—with infrastructure costs reduced to as low as one tenth of a Light Rail system. As with Light Rail, a Trackless Tram System provides a rapid transit option that can harness the fixed route assurance necessary to unlock new land value appreciation that can be leveraged to contribute to construction and running costs whilst creating urban regeneration. The paper considers the niche for Trackless Trams in cities along with its potential for city shaping through the creation of urban re-development along corridors. The paper suggests that the adoption of Trackless Tram Systems is likely to grow rapidly as a genuine alternative to car and bus systems, supplementing and extending the niche occupied by Light Rail Transit (LRT). This appears to be feasible in any medium-sized or larger city, especially in emerging and developing economies, and case studies are outlined for Perth and Thimpu to illustrate its potential.

Leapfrog Technology and How It Applies to Trackless Tram

Rapid innovation and development of modern technology has brought about the opportunity for developing economies to technological leapfrog. In particular, rather than going through all the learning curve and costly process experienced by developed countries, emerging economies instead can take advantage of the opportunities presented by technological shifts. However, inadequate infrastructure is the cause of most challenges that these developing economies presently face. Energy, road, transport and telecommunication networks are the most critical infrastructure needed to drive a sustainable development and economic growth. As seen in many emerging economies, small private cars are still dominating the public transport sector, even though it is evident that they are congesting the poorly managed and crumbling road infrastructure. Most emerging economies’ cities are currently experiencing rapid urbanisation that is leading to massive population explosion. These rapidly growing cities should adopt latest technologies, such as Trackless Trams Systems (TTS). There is no doubt that TTS can probably help in dealing with most of the transport problems experienced in rapidly growing urban areas within emerging economies. This paper seeks to explore the opportunities presented by TTS to bring about the needed technological leapfrogging for the developing countries that are resource constrained to build modern and expensive mass public transport infrastructure. An ideal example of a recent successful technological leapfrog in emerging economies is the low-cost mobile phones and increasingly expanding wireless access in urban areas. As such, countries have been able to eliminate the challenge of building fixed-line telecommunications infrastructure, which is capital-intensive. In this study we are undertaking a literature appraisal on technological leapfrogging, and demonstrate how TTS measure up as a potential technology to aid the leapfrogging for the urban transport systems more so in developing countries. The study discusses the features, quality, and proficiencies of the new technology. To consider technology for leapfrogging, it ought to be economical enough, less technical, lends itself to partnership, lends itself to community engagement, allows co-development, and fulfils sustainable development goals (SDGs). The paper is organized into four sections, the introduction, literature appraisal, experiential evidence and debate on Trackless Trams, and conclusion.

Low-Carbon Routing Based on Improved Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm for Electric Trackless Rubber-Tyred Vehicles

Trackless rubber-tyerd vehicles are the core equipment for auxiliary transportation in inclined-shaft coal mines,and the rationality of their routes plays the direct impact on operation safety and energy consumption.Rich studies have been done on scheduling rubber-tyerd vehicles driven by diesel oil,however,less works are for electric trackless rubber-tyred vehicles.Furthermore,energy consumption of vehicles gives no consideration on the impact of complex roadway and traffic rules on driving,especially the limited cruising ability of electric trackless rubber-tyred vehichles(TRVs).To address this issue,an energy consumption model of an electric trackless rubber-tyred vehicle is formulated,in which the effects from total mass,speed profiles,slope of roadways,and energy management mode are all considered.Following that,a low-carbon routing model of electric trackless rubber-tyred vehicles is built to minimize the total energy consumption under the constraint of vehicle avoidance,allowable load,and endurance power.As a problem-solver,an improved artificial bee colony algorithm is put forward.More especially,an adaptive neighborhood search is designed to guide employed bees to select appropriate operator in a specific space.In order to assign onlookers to some promising food sources reasonably,their selection probability is adaptively adjusted.For a stagnant food source,a knowledge-driven initialization is developed to generate a feasible substitute.The experimental results on four real-world instances indicate that improved artificial bee colony algorithm(IABC)outperforms other comparative algorithms and the special designs in its three phases effectively avoid premature convergence and speed up convergence.

铁路隧道TBM施工物料运输方式对比分析

为便于选择TBM施工物料运输方式,以铁路隧道为工程背景,首先,简要总结有轨运输和无轨运输2种运输方式的特点及其工程应用情况;然后,根据施工实践拟定典型工况,研究典型工况下的运输方案及设备配置,并从设备配置和工期2个方面对有轨运输和无轨运输进行详细对比分析。研究结果表明:1)有轨运输和无轨运输在铁路隧道TBM施工中技术上都是可行的,总工期无明显差异。2)我国配合TBM施工的内燃机车质量明显不高且突破难度较大,应努力提升电动机车的工程适应性、可靠性、耐久性以及人性化设计;同时,需要规范有轨运输设备配置要求、轨道铺设和维护质量,以提升有轨运输的效率。3)需要研究适合TBM施工工况且成本低、通用性好的无轨运输设备。

基于前馈补偿LQR与PID的矿井无轨胶轮车横纵向控制研究

无人驾驶技术是实现无轨胶轮车井下安全、智能、高效运输的重要方案之一,为了提高无人驾驶过程中的轨迹跟踪精度,提出了基于前馈补偿的横向线性二次型调节器(Linear Quadratic Regulator,LQR)与纵向比例积分微分(Proportion Integration Derivative,PID)位移速度调节器相结合的控制策略,实现车辆的横纵向协调控制。通过建立考虑轮胎侧偏特性的2自由度无轨胶轮车动力学模型和跟踪误差模型,并采用井下无轨胶轮车实车参数建立其电机模型,得到车辆的驱动制动输出。利用Carsim和Matlab/Simulink搭建联合仿真环境,分别在井下双车道工况、单车道工况与颠簸路面工况下进行了轨迹跟踪仿真验证。结果表明:在3种工况下车辆轨迹跟踪过程中的最大横向误差仅为5 cm,最大纵向误差仅为10 cm,速度误差控制在1 m/s以内,航向误差范围为±0.1 rad,前轮偏转角变化平稳未出现抖动现象。为验证控制器在井下实际环境下的跟踪性能,使用实验室小车于陕西某井下巷道进行了现场试验验证,结果表明:井下实际巷道下试验结果误差仍在合理范围内,解决了车辆运行过程中的速度和路径的时变问题,反映出该控制器具有较高的精度和较好的稳定性。

煤矿井下无轨胶轮车弯道事故风险综合预警研究

针对煤矿井下无轨胶轮车弯道事故多发的问题,提出了综合考虑多因素的风险预警指标体系。基于UWB定位轨迹数据及客观因素数据,以五级计分法为预警因素量化指标,建立了煤矿井下无轨胶轮车弯道事故风险分级预警机制;构建了SSA-BP神经网络预警模型,进行了仿真学习与训练,并与BP、SVM模型进行了对比。结果表明,建立的分级预警指标机制对煤矿井下无轨胶轮车弯道安全性提升有所帮助,构建的SSA-BP神经网络模型对煤矿井下车辆弯道事故风险预警具有较高的准确性与稳定性。

无轨胶轮车在煤矿辅助运输中的应用研究

无轨胶轮车具有灵活、机动、快速、安全、高效等特点,运用无轨胶轮车辅助运输方式可解决传统煤矿的辅助运输方式抑制大幅度提高生产能力的瓶颈问题。介绍了无轨胶轮车辅助运输的特点、各型号胶轮车的适用条件以及工程应用效果,为无轨胶轮车在煤矿辅助运输中的普及应用提供了参考。

煤矿无轨胶轮车用防爆换热装置设计

以防爆柴油机作为动力源的无轨胶轮车经常遇到低温或者高温的现象,造成设备启动困难、磨损加大、功耗增加等问题。通过对无轨胶轮车动力传动系统热源的分析研究,分析计算不同子系统工作状态对温度的要求,设计出一种基于传动油、冷却液、防爆柴油机尾气三者之间热能切换的换热装置。在换热装置内,3种介质由温度差形成热对流、热传导,调节3种介质参与度,实现不同系统对热能的需求,解决无轨胶轮车因低温或高温引发的多种问题。该换热装置可以提高装备的功能性、经济性、可靠性,具有现实的工程应用价值。

防爆柴油机机油保护液压启动系统设计

防爆柴油机是煤矿辅助运输装备的主要动力源之一,安全保护与启动系统是防爆柴油机必备系统,小型辅助运输装备的高度集成化给防爆柴油机提出了新要求。通过对无轨胶轮车防爆柴油机保护及启动系统进行研究,设计了一种基于机油保护、液压马达启动的防爆柴油机机油保护液压启动系统。通过采用机油保护液压启动,综合运用装备本身自带资源,实现防爆柴油机的正常启动与保护,满足小型低矮紧凑装备在性能及空间布置的需求,提高装备的功能性、经济性、可靠性,提升装备的应用价值。

基于路权优先的井下无轨运输车辆调度研究

制定有效的井下无轨运输车辆调度策略,是提高地下矿山生产效率和保障生产安全的重要手段。针对地下矿山无轨运输路况复杂、车辆避让困难等特点,分析了井下巷道结构对运输能力产生的影响。在获取井下车辆实时位置与载重信息的基础上,确定了井下无轨运输车辆在不同线路结构下的路权优先原则;以总运输功最小和车辆等待时间最短为目标,构建了基于GA算法和逻辑关系的井下无轨运输车辆调度目标优化模型。采用某矿山井下无轨车辆的实际运行数据,对建立的目标优化模型进行了求解。结果表明:①建立的路权优先原则能够有效降低车辆在非错车段相遇和由此引发安全事故发生的概率,提高了车辆运行效率;②以案例矿山实际运行数据为基本参数,采用GA算法对所建立的总运输功目标函数进行求解,获得了总运输量为4730 t/d时,最小总运输功为2399.21 t·km的最佳路径方案;③在当日运输功最小的基础上,通过逻辑关系对不同出矿方案的车辆等待时间进行求解,得到了不同方案下的车辆具体运输路线及运行时刻,为矿山生产调度提供了最佳车辆调度方案,有利于降低运输成本和提高车辆运行效率。

煤矿无轨运输机器人多智能体控制系统关键技术研究

为了解决煤矿下井无轨辅助运输效率低、柴油机尾气污染较大、智能化、信息化水平较低等问题,提出了以锂离子电池为动力源的煤矿井下无轨运输机器人的设计方案。无轨运输机器人具备零排放、环境感知、多信息融合、自主路径规划、自导航、自主行走等功能,以及煤矿井下特定区域的物料自主转运功能。给出了无轨运输机器人的技术架构;详细介绍了无轨运输机器人的底盘结构与底盘电气系统设计、逻辑控制过程和无轨运输机器人无线通信与自主定位设计方案;介绍了环境感知与路径规划的方案设计。

煤矿井下无轨胶轮车行车岔路口和弯道识别方法

针对煤矿运输路线复杂,巷道内岔路口和弯道较多的现状,易给井下运输安全带来隐患;设计了一种煤矿井下无轨胶轮车行车岔路口和弯道识别方法。首先,将中线点结构化,形成巷道地图;其次,利用相邻时刻的车辆位置关系,确定行进方向;再次,结合巷道地图结构属性,判定车辆前方是否存在岔路口或弯道;然后,采用迪杰斯特拉(Dijkstra)算法,求解车辆当前位置至疑似目标的最短路径,进而判定是否为对向目标;最后,借助车载终端为司机提供安全性语音提示。在某矿的试验结果表明:方法逻辑判断准确,逻辑响应时间约为32 ms。

基于精确定位技术的无轨胶轮车超员报警检测

针对因井下车辆移动速度过快、车辆外壳屏蔽等原因造成乘车人员漏识别,车辆乘人超载无法有效管控,存在安全隐患,难以满足《智能化示范煤矿验收管理办法(试行版)》中辅运系统相关要求等问题,设计了一种基于精确定位技术的无轨胶轮车超员报警检测方法。首先,将基站输出的测距数据转换为三维坐标,生成连续性轨迹;其次,利用相邻时刻位置数据确定行进方向向量,进而对轨迹数据预处理;再次,采用动态时间规整(DTW)算法对车辆与乘车人员轨迹对齐,求解最佳路径,获得度量值;最后,以司机轨迹度量值为样本,衡量人员轨迹与样本的相似程度,进而得出人员是否为乘车人员以及车辆是否超员的判定。试验结果表明:各项功能运行正常,正确率约为95.12%,逻辑相应时间约为30 ms,现场应用状况良好。

矿用防爆无轨胶轮车用AMT技术探讨

介绍了矿用防爆无轨胶轮车用变速箱的使用现状及需求,结合工程机械常用的自动变速箱系统的特点,对其性能进行比较。根据比较结果,着重分析了机械式自动变速箱(AMT)的优缺点和国内外发展现状。根据防爆无轨胶轮车的发展趋势和煤炭市场的使用需求,综合论述了AMT在矿用防爆无轨胶轮车上推广使用的可行性及重要意义;并分析了AMT在矿用防爆无轨胶轮车上的应用前景及市场需求。

矿用无轨胶轮车启停阶段车架结构的性能分析

在无轨胶轮车运输的过程中,由于井下复杂的环境及作业内容的要求,无轨胶轮车需进行频繁的启停作业。在启停过程中,由于运载量较大,较大的加速度产生的惯性力作用对车架形成一定的冲击,同时地面状态的变化也对车架造成冲击。针对车架的结构性能在启停阶段的变化进行仿真分析,从而为胶轮车车架的稳定使用提供参考指导。

8t煤矿防爆无轨胶轮车前后车架的力学分析

为进一步探究煤矿用防爆无轨胶轮车的运行质量提升路径,以煤矿企业常用的8t级防爆无轨胶轮车为研究对象,首先结合设计图纸,建立其有限元分析模型;而后综合考虑该无轨胶轮车的几种常见运行工况,对各种工况下的车架应力分布情况进行探究,明确其受力薄弱部位;在此基础上,通过应用加厚的方式进行优化,并探究其改进效果。结果显示,本次优化方案能够在理论上提升车架的力学性能,可在今后的工作中逐步实践应用。

井下无轨车辆行驶轨迹辨别及不安全驾驶行为研究

为了提高井下车辆的驾驶安全,以无轨胶轮车的行驶轨迹为研究对象,采用红外成像以及节点判别的方法对井下车辆的行驶轨迹数据进行收集,采用风险度量的方法对不安全驾驶行为进行量化,并建立不安全驾驶行为的特征参数阈值来判断车辆是否处于安全行驶状态,为规范井下车辆安全驾驶、防止事故的发生提供一定的理论基础。

电解厂房防爆巡检机器人使用总结

介绍了防爆巡检机器人的功能及其在氯碱电解厂房的使用情况。

无轨胶轮车转向机构优化与验证

为解决无轨胶轮车转向机构在转向过程中压力振动严重,导致管路爆裂以及液压元器件损坏的问题,在对无轨胶轮车转向机构分析的基础上,分别对其关键部件(优先阀和转向器)的特性进行仿真分析;建立无轨胶轮车转向机构机液联合仿真模型,查找导致振摆问题的主要原因,并通过对左右转向油缸铰接参数进行优化,解决振摆问题,最后对优化效果进行了验证。

基于多传感器信息融合的AGV自主无轨导航技术

传统的物料搬运AGV机器人不能进行自主规划行走路径,也不能满足智能制造和数字化工厂对AGV进行科学调度、自动避障、安全可靠且不发生阻设的要求。因此,文章基于多模态传感器数据处理、SLAM地图构建等多重信号融合的原理和方法,提出了一种多传感器信息融合的AGV自主无轨导航技术,设计了AGV实物样机,并进行实验验证。结果表明,在无轨复杂场景情况下,AGV机器人的导航定位精度优于1 mm,重复定位精度优于2 mm,满足智能制造和数字化工厂对AGV的自主导航控制要求。