1. A road and rail vehicle, comprising:
a towing vehicle having a plurality of axles coupled to an elongate frame with road wheels disposed on the axles, and including at least one rear drive axle;
rail guide wheels movably coupled to the frame and movable between a lowered position engageable with a pair of fixed rails of a railroad track and a raised position away from the rails;
a crane coupled to the frame rearward of a rearmost road wheel; and
a tag axle pivotally coupled to the frame rearward of the crane and pivotal between a lowered position engageable with a roadway and a raised position adjacent the crane.
2. The road and rail vehicle of claim 1, wherein the crane and tag axle are positioned with respect to the frame such that a combined weight of the tag axle and the crane is at least partially carried by the road wheels of the at least one rear drive axle when the tag axle is in the raised position, and a weight of the crane is at least partially carried by road wheels on the tag axle when the tag axle is in the lowered position.
3. The road and rail vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a mounting fixture coupled to a rear portion of the frame, the mounting fixture further comprising:
a plate coupled to the frame and having a pair of apertures, each aperture sized and shaped to receive an elongate beam of the frame;
a pair pivot brackets coupled to the plate, each pivot bracket having a pair sides bracketing the elongate beam of the frame extending through the aperture, the sides extending away from the plate to a pivot connection coupled to an arm of the tag axle; and
a gusset extending between the pair of pivot brackets and rearward to a pivot connection coupled to a railcar coupler.
4. The road and rail vehicle of claim 1, wherein the rail guide wheels further includes a pair of forward guide wheels associated with a front portion of the towing vehicle and a pair of rearward guide wheels associated with a rear portion of the towing vehicle.
5. The road and rail vehicle of claim 1, wherein the crane is positioned directly over a rearmost pair of rail guide wheels.
6. The road a rail vehicle of claim 1, wherein the crane further includes a boom pivotally coupled to a stanchion, the boom being configured to move loads on and off a cargo bed of the towing vehicle.
7. The road and rail vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a railcar coupler coupled to an end of the frame and configured to couple to a corresponding coupler disposed on a railcar positioned on a railroad track.
8. The road and rail vehicle of claim 7, wherein the railcar coupler is positioned between a pair of parallel arms of the tag axle such that the railcar coupler is accessible for engagement with a railcar when the tag axle is in the raised position and inaccessible for engagement with a railcar when the tag axle is in the lowered position.
9. The road and rail vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a controller operatively coupled to the tag axle and the rail guide wheels and operable to selectively lower the tag axle to allow the towing vehicle to travel on a roadway and to raise the tag axle and simultaneously lower the rail guide wheels to shift the weight of the tag axle over the drive axle and to allow the towing vehicle to travel on a railway.
10. A road and rail vehicle, comprising:
a towing vehicle having a frame and a plurality of axles with road wheels coupled to the frame for supporting the towing vehicle on a roadway, the plurality of axles including a drive axle for propelling the towing vehicle on the roadway and the railway by at least one road wheel; and
a crane coupled to the frame rearward of a rearmost road wheel; and
a tag axle pivotally coupled to the frame rearward of the crane and pivotal between a lowered position engageable with a roadway and a raised position adjacent the crane;
a railcar coupler coupled to a rear end of the frame; and
rail guide wheels movably coupled to the frame rearward of a rearmost road wheel and below the crane, and movable between a lowered position engageable with a pair of fixed rails of a railroad track and a raised position.
11. The road and rail vehicle of claim 10, wherein the crane and tag axle are positioned with respect to the frame such that a combined weight of the tag axle and the crane is at least partially carried by the road wheels of the at least one rear drive axle when the tag axle is in the raised position, and a weight of the crane is at least partially carried by road wheels on the tag axle when the tag axle is in the lowered position.
12. The road and rail vehicle of claim 10, further comprising a mounting fixture coupled to a rear portion of the frame, the mounting fixture further comprising:
a plate coupled to the frame and having a pair of apertures, each aperture sized and shaped to receive an elongate beam of the frame;
a pair pivot brackets coupled to the plate, each pivot bracket having a pair sides bracketing the elongate beam of the frame extending through the aperture, the sides extending away from the plate to a pivot connection coupled to an arm of the tag axle; and
a gusset extending between the pair of pivot brackets and rearward to a pivot connection coupled to the railcar coupler.
13. The road and rail vehicle of claim 10, further including a pair of forward guide wheels associated with a front portion of the towing vehicle.
14. The road and rail vehicle of claim 10, wherein the crane is positioned directly over the rail guide wheels.
15. The road and rail vehicle of claim 10, further comprising a controller operatively coupled to the tag axle and the rail guide wheels and operable to selectively lower the tag axle to allow the towing vehicle to travel on a roadway and to raise the tag axle and simultaneously lower the rail guide wheels to shift the weight of the tag axle over the drive axle and to allow the towing vehicle to travel on a railway.
16. A method for varying a load on a drive axle of a road and rail vehicle, the drive axle providing propulsion to the vehicle on a roadway and on fixed rails of a railroad track, the method comprising:
a) distributing at least a portion of a weight of a crane coupled to a rear end of the towing vehicle between a pivotable tag axle coupled to a rear portion of a frame of the road rail vehicle and the drive axle by moving the tag axle from a raised position to a lowered position to allow road wheels coupled to the tag axle to contact the roadway;
b) engaging the drive axle to turn road wheels coupled to the drive axle to propel the towing vehicle along the roadway;
c) moving the tag axle to the raised position to increase the weight on the drive axle;
d) driving the towing vehicle onto the fixed rails of the railroad track such that the road wheels of the drive axle contact the fixed rails;
e) moving rail guide wheels coupled to the frame of the towing vehicle from a raised position to a lowered position to engage the fixed rails of the railroad track; and
f) engaging the drive axle to turn the road wheels coupled to the drive axle to propel the towing vehicle along the railway.
17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
a) moving the rail guide wheels to the raised position;
b) driving the towing vehicle off the fixed rails of the railroad track and onto a roadway; and
c) moving the tag axle to the lowered position to allow the road wheels coupled to the tag axle to contact the roadway.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claims which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A temporary component-carrier tape comprising:
a device-retaining layer;
a plurality of apertures for receiving and storing components;
a top cover layer securable to a surface of the device-retaining layer and covering at least a portion of each of the plurality of apertures; and
at least one weakened region included in at least one of the device-retaining layer and the top cover layer between an adjacent pair of apertures of the plurality of apertures.
2. The temporary component-carrier tape of claim 1, wherein the device-retaining layer has a thickness about equal to or greater than a component to be disposed within one of the plurality of apertures.
3. The temporary component-carrier tape of claim 1, wherein the device-retaining layer comprises a flexible layer of paper, cardboard, or polymer.
4. The temporary component-carrier tape of claim 1, wherein the device-retaining layer comprises a thermoplastic polymer foam.
5. The temporary component-carrier tape of claim 1, wherein the device-retaining layer comprises an electrically conductive material.
6. The temporary component-carrier tape of claim 1, further comprising an adhesive for securing the top cover layer to the surface of the device-retaining layer.
7. The temporary component-carrier tape of claim 6, wherein the adhesive comprises a pressure-sensitive adhesive.
8. The temporary component-carrier tape of claim I, wherein the plurality of apertures extends partially through the device-retaining layer.
9. The temporary component-carrier tape of claim 1, wherein the plurality of apertures extends completely through the device-retaining layer.
10. The temporary component-carrier tape of claim 9, further comprising a bottom cover layer securable to another surface of the device-retaining layer so as to cover at least a portion of each of the plurality of apertures.
11. The temporary component-carrier tape of claim 10, wherein the bottom cover layer includes at least one weakened region positionable between adjacent apertures of the plurality of apertures.
12. The temporary component-carrier tape of claim 10, further comprising an adhesive for securing the bottom cover layer to another surface of the device-retaining layer.
13. The temporary component-carrier tape of claim 12, wherein the adhesive comprises a pressure-sensitive adhesive.
14. The temporary component-carrier tape of claim 1, wherein at least the device-retaining layer includes a plurality of advancement wheel holes formed therethrough and arranged in at least one row located substantially along an edge of the device-retaining layer.
15. The temporary component-carrier tape of claim 1, wherein the at least one weakened region extends at least partially across the temporary component-carrying tape in a direction substantially perpendicular to a length thereof.
16. The temporary component-carrier tape of claim 1, wherein the at least one weakened region comprises a crease.
17. The temporary component-carrier tape of claim 1, wherein the at least one weakened region comprises an elongated slot.
18. The temporary component-carrier tape of claim 1, wherein the at least one weakened region comprises a plurality of perforations through at least one of the device-retaining layer and the top cover layer.
19. The temporary component-carrier tape of claim 1, wherein the at least one weakened region comprises a thinned region of at least one of the device-retaining layer and the top cover layer.
20. A method of designing a temporary component-carrying tape comprising:
configuring a device-retaining layer;
configuring a plurality of apertures for receiving and storing components;
configuring a top cover layer to be secured to a surface of the device-retaining layer and to cover at least a portion of each aperture of the plurality of apertures; and
configuring at least one weakened region in at least one of the device-retaining layer and the top cover layer to be positioned between an adjacent pair of apertures of the plurality of apertures.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein configuring the device-retaining layer comprises configuring a thickness of the device retaining layer to be equal to or greater than a thickness of a component to be stored within an aperture of the plurality of apertures.
22. The method of claim 20, wherein configuring the device-retaining layer comprises configuring the device-retaining layer to be flexible.
23. The method of claim 20, wherein configuring the top cover layer comprises configuring at least one surface of the top cover layer to be at least partially coated with an adhesive for adhering the top cover layer to the surface of the device-retaining layer.
24. The method of claim 23, wherein configuring the top cover layer comprises configuring the at least one surface of the top cover layer to be at least partially coated with a pressure-sensitive adhesive.
25. The method of claim 20, wherein configuring the top cover layer comprises configuring the top cover layer to include a material that, when heated to an adhering temperature, will adhere the top cover layer to a surface of the device-retaining layer.
26. The method of claim 20, wherein configuring the plurality of apertures comprises configuring the plurality of apertures to extend partially through the device-retaining layer.
27. The method of claim 20, wherein configuring the plurality of apertures comprises configuring the plurality of apertures to extend substantially through the device-retaining layer.
28. The method of claim 27, further comprising configuring a bottom cover layer to be secured to another surface of the device-retaining layer and to cover at least a portion of each of the plurality of apertures extending through the device-retaining layer.
29. The method of claim 28, wherein configuring the bottom cover layer comprises configuring a surface of the bottom cover layer to be at least partially coated with an adhesive for adhering the bottom cover layer to the device-retaining layer.
30. The method of claim 29, wherein configuring the bottom cover layer includes configuring the surface of the bottom cover layer to be at least partially coated with a pressure-sensitive adhesive.
31. The method of claim 28, wherein configuring the bottom cover layer comprises configuring the bottom cover layer to include a material that, when heated to an adhering temperature, will adhere the bottom cover layer to the device-retainer layer.
32. The method of claim 20, wherein configuring the device-retaining layer comprises configuring at least one series of advancement wheel holes arranged adjacent to an edge of the device-retaining layer.
33. The method of claim 20, wherein configuring the at least one weakened region comprises configuring the at least one weakened region to extend at least partially across and substantially perpendicular to a length of the temporary component-carrier tape.
34. The method of claim 28, wherein configuring the at least one weakened region comprises configuring the bottom cover layer to include at least one weakened region.
35. The method of claim 20, wherein configuring the at least one weakened region comprises configuring a crease.
36. The method of claim 20, wherein configuring the at least one weakened region comprises configuring a thinned area.
37. The method of claim 20, wherein configuring the at least one weakened region comprises configuring an elongated slot.
38. The method of claim 20, wherein configuring the at least one weakened region comprises configuring a plurality of perforations.
39. A method for making a temporary component-carrying tape comprising:
forming a device-retaining layer;
forming a plurality of apertures in the device-retaining layer;
securing a top cover layer to a surface of the device-retaining layer so as to cover at least a portion of each of the plurality of apertures; and
forming at least one weakened region in at least one of the device-retaining layer and the top cover layer between adjacent apertures of the plurality of apertures.
40. The method of claim 39, wherein forming the device-retaining layer comprises forming the device-retaining layer from paper, cardboard, or a thermoplastic polymer.
41. The method of claim 39, wherein forming the device-retaining layer comprises forming the device-retaining layer from a thermoplastic polymer foam.
42. The method of claim 39, wherein forming the device-retaining layer comprises extruding a polymeric material through a die.
43. The method of claim 39, wherein forming the device-retaining layer comprises forming at least one series of advancement wheel holes adjacent to an edge of the device-retaining layer.
44. The method of claim 43, wherein forming the plurality of apertures comprises punching the plurality of apertures into the device-retaining layer.
45. The method of claim 39, wherein securing the top cover layer to the surface of the device-retaining layer comprises using a pressure-sensitive adhesive therebetween.
46. The method of claim 39, wherein securing the top cover layer to the surface of the device-retaining layer further comprises applying heat to at least one of the top cover layer and the device-retaining layer.
47. The method of claim 39, further comprising securing a bottom cover layer to another surface of the device-retaining layer so as to cover at least a portion of each of the plurality of apertures.
48. The method of claim 47, wherein securing the bottom cover layer to the another surface of the device-retaining layer is effected with a pressure-sensitive adhesive.
49. The method of claim 47, wherein securing the bottom cover layer to the another surface of the device-retaining layer comprises applying heat to at least one of the bottom cover layer and the device-retaining layer.
50. The method of claim 39, wherein forming the at least one weakened region comprises at least one of punching, cutting, etching, and creasing.
51. The method of claim 47, further comprising forming at least one weakened region in at least the bottom cover layer.
52. The method of claim 51, wherein forming the at least one weakened region in at least the bottom cover layer comprises at least one of punching, cutting, etching, and creasing.
53. The method of claim 39, wherein forming the at least one weakened region comprises forming the at least one weakened region substantially simultaneously with forming the plurality of apertures.
54. The method of claim 51, wherein forming the at least one weakened region in the bottom cover layer is effected before securing the bottom cover layer to the another surface of the device-retaining layer.
55. The method of claim 51, wherein forming the at least one weakened region in the bottom cover layer is effected after securing the bottom cover layer to the another surface of the device-retaining layer.
56. The method of claim 39, wherein forming the at least one weakened region is effected prior to securing the top cover layer to the device-retaining layer.
57. The method of claim 39, wherein forming the at least one weakened region is effected after securing the top cover layer to the device-retaining layer.
58. A method for using a temporary component-carrying tape comprising:
subjecting the temporary component-carrying tape to a stress;
absorbing the stress at a weakened region of at least one layer of the temporary component-carrying tape to maintain a shape of an aperture of a device-retaining layer of the temporary component-carrying tape; and
removing a cover layer of the temporary component-carrying tape to provide access to at least one component temporarily stored within the aperture;
removing the at least one component from the aperture.
59. The method of claim 58, further comprising unwinding the temporary component-carrying tape from a roll.
60. The method of claim 59, wherein unwinding the temporary component-carrier tape comprises engaging advancement wheel holes of the temporary component-carrier tape with a sprocketed advancement wheel.
61. The method of claim 60, wherein engaging the advancement wheel holes comprises moving the temporary component-carrier tape toward a pick-and-place head.
62. The method of claim 58, wherein removing the cover layer is effected with a stripper assembly that peels the cover layer away from a top surface of the device-retaining layer.
63. The method of claim 58, wherein removing the at least one component from the aperture comprises applying a vacuum from a pick-and-place head.
64. An electronic device component-carrying tape, comprising:
a device-retaining layer;
a plurality of apertures or receptacles in the device-retaining layer;
at least one electronic device in each of the plurality of apertures or receptacles;
a cover layer securable to a surface of the device-retaining layer and covering at least a portion of each of the plurality of apertures or receptacles; and
at least one weakened region included in at least one of the device-retaining layer and the cover layer between an adjacent pair of apertures or receptacles of the plurality of apertures or receptacles.
65. The electronic device component-carrying tape of claim 64, further comprising at least one of a hub and a reel upon which the electronic device component-carrying tape is wound.
66. The electronic device component-carrying tape of claim 64 in a rolled configuration.
67. The electronic device component-carrying tape of claim 64, wherein the device-retaining layer has a thickness about equal to or greater than the at least one electronic device within one of the plurality of apertures or receptacles.
68. The electronic device component-carrying tape of claim 64, wherein the device-retaining layer comprises a flexible layer of paper, cardboard, or polymer.
69. The electronic device component-carrying tape of claim 64, wherein the device-retaining layer comprises a thermoplastic polymer foam.
70. The electronic device component-carrying tape of claim 64, wherein the device-retaining layer comprises an electrically conductive material.
71. The electronic device component-carrying tape of claim 64, further comprising an adhesive for securing the cover layer to the surface of the device-retaining layer.
72. The electronic device component-carrying tape of claim 71, wherein the adhesive comprises a pressure-sensitive adhesive.
73. The electronic device component-carrying tape of claim 64, wherein the plurality of apertures or receptacles extends partially through the device-retaining layer.
74. The electronic device component-carrying tape of claim 64, wherein the plurality of apertures or receptacles extends completely through the device-retaining layer.
75. The electronic device component-carrying tape of claim 74, further comprising another cover layer securable to another surface of the device-retaining layer so as to cover at least a portion of each of the plurality of apertures or receptacles.
76. The electronic device component-carrying tape of claim 75, wherein the another cover layer includes at least one weakened region positionable between adjacent apertures or receptacles of the plurality of apertures or receptacles.
77. The electronic device component-carrying tape of claim 75, further comprising an adhesive for securing the another cover layer to the another surface of the device-retaining layer.
78. The electronic device component-carrying tape of claim 77, wherein the adhesive comprises a pressure-sensitive adhesive.
79. The electronic device component-carrying tape of claim 64, wherein at least the device-retaining layer includes a plurality of advancement wheel or indexing holes formed therethrough and arranged in at least one row located substantially along an edge of the device-retaining layer.
80. The electronic device component-carrying tape of claim 64, wherein the at least one weakened region extends at least partially across the electronic device component-carrying tape in a direction substantially perpendicular to a length thereof.
81. The electronic device component-carrying tape of claim 64, wherein the at least one weakened region comprises a crease.
82. The electronic device component-carrying tape of claim 64, wherein the at least one weakened region comprises an elongated slot.
83. The electronic device component-carrying tape of claim 64, wherein the at least one weakened region comprises a plurality of perforations through at least one of the device-retaining layer and the cover layer.
84. The electronic device component-carrying tape of claim 64, wherein the at least one weakened region comprises a thinned region of at least one of the device-retaining layer and the cover layer.