José Luis López Gómez
Independent wheel guidance for high-speed trains
Winner of the Popular Prize 2013
The invention in a nutshell
The technology uses an electronic system to calculate precisely the position of a train's wheels on the track and a mechanical system to place these wheels in their optimal position when the train rounds a curve. The electronic system monitors the speed at which the wheels are rotating. Due to the wheels' slightly conical shape and the difference in length between the inner and outer tracks on a curved section of track, the system can determine the wheels' exact contact point. Pneumatic struts attached to the wheels then move the wheels to the best position.
Societal benefit
The technology is part of a long list of enhancements - many developed by José Luis López Gómez - that make traveling aboard Talgo trains conformable and safe. The invention is particularly important during the moments when trains exit and enter turns and is a significant advance over competing technologies.
Economic benefit
Innovations developed by José Luis López Gómez among the key factors that have enabled Patentes Talgo to become one of the top manufacturers of high-speed trains worldwide, with an extensive network In Spain and projects in several other countries
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