Passenger car provided with a through platform above the bogie and external access steps at the side doorways
By designing movable external entry steps in railway passenger cars and optimizing the position of bogie support components, the problem of limited space in the side door passage above the bogie was solved, enabling a comfortable entry method and automatic adjustment function for passengers.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- BOMBARDIER TRANSPORTATION GMBH
- Filing Date
- 2021-04-13
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-28
AI Technical Summary
In passenger cars used in railway transportation, when external access steps are installed at the side door passage located above the bogie, space is limited, making it difficult to meet the standard requirements for ergonomics and passenger comfort.
Design an external access step that can move between a retracted position and a protruding position, providing independent space to meet depth and height requirements through bogie support positioning optimization, and equipped with actuators and sensors for automatic adjustment.
It achieves a balance between platform height and passenger comfort. The external access steps meet the operator's requirements, provide a comfortable entry method, and automatically adjust to minimize gaps when the platform height changes.
Smart Images
Figure CN113525435B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to passenger cars for railway transport, and more particularly to the problem of accessing the passenger car from a platform located at a horizontal position below the floor of the passenger car's passageway. Background Technology
[0002] Passenger cars used for rail transport are provided with one or more side doors, which may be positioned near the longitudinal ends of the passenger car or distributed along the length of the passenger car. Doors positioned near the ends of the passenger car also provide the advantage of allowing access to adjacent cars via interconnections. This allows for the clear separation of the passageway from the saloon, for example, using doors or partitions, and maximizes the space allocated to the saloon. In passenger cars with two decks, the passageway at the ends of the passenger car is typically located at the intermediate level between the two decks, and the passageway provides access to the staircases of both the upper and lower decks.
[0003] The body of a passenger car is typically supported on one or more bogies, which are usually positioned near the ends of the car body, or, in the case of an articulated rail vehicle, the bogies are located between the cars. In this case, the access platform and side doors are usually at least partially located above one of the bogies.
[0004] Whenever a passenger car is on a curved track next to a curved platform at a railway station, the side door located above the bogie provides an additional advantage: in this case, the passenger car's side wall is at a distance from the platform that varies with the curvature of the platform, and these variations are kept to a minimum at the level of the bogie.
[0005] When the platform is at a low height, it may be necessary to provide one or more external steps at the doorway between the platform and the access platform. Finding space to accommodate the external steps becomes challenging whenever the access platform and side door are located above the bogie, due to space requirements that conflict with the bogie. One solution is a pivotable step that pivots 90° about a horizontal pivot axis between a vertical and a horizontal position, as disclosed, for example, in DE9421209U1. The horizontal pivot axis is typically located below the sill and as far as possible from the longitudinal center plane of the car body to avoid interference with the bogie when it rotates relative to the car body about the vertical axis of rotation. However, the depth of the pivotable step is limited for at least two reasons. First, any interference with the platform should be avoided before the step reaches its working position, which involves considering safety margins when defining the distance between the pivot axis and the edge of the platform. Second, the depth of the pivotable step cannot exceed the distance between the sill and the pivot axis, which is directly related to the height of the external step relative to the sill. However, standards typically require that the maximum height of the external step (usually 200 mm) should be less than the minimum depth of the external step (usually 240 mm). Therefore, pivotable steps do not easily meet the standard requirements in terms of ergonomics and passenger comfort. Summary of the Invention
[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a vehicle configuration in which the side door passage located above the bogie can be provided with an external access step having a comfortable depth.
[0007] According to a first aspect of the invention, a passenger car for railway transport is provided, the passenger car comprising: a body and at least one bogie for supporting the body. The body is provided with a platform, at least one side door passage on the left or right side of the body for boarding and alighting from the platform, and a side door for closing the side door passage. The platform includes a floor. The platform also includes at least one internal step lower than the floor, located at the side door passage, between the floor and the side door in a closed position. This internal step is useful when the platform is particularly low. The body also includes an external access step movable in the lateral direction of the passenger car between a retracted position and at least one protruding position. The bogie includes a front set of left and right wheels and a rear set of left and right wheels for rolling on left and right guide rails respectively, and a front set of left and right supports and a rear set of left and right supports for guiding the front set of left and right wheels and the rear set of left and right wheels respectively. The door passage is at least partially located between the front vertical cross-plane containing the rotation axes of the front left and right wheels and the rear vertical cross-plane containing the rear left and right wheels. The front left and right supports, and the rear left and right supports, are located between the left and right wheels of the front left and right wheels, and between the left and right wheels of the rear left and right wheels, respectively. The internal step and the external access step in the retracted position are located laterally outside the bogie. In the retracted position, the external access step is below the internal step of the passageway, while in the projected position, the external access step is lower than the internal step and extends at least partially in front of the side door passage.
[0008] Due to the specific location of the support components, the bogie has a reduced width, which provides space for the external access step in the retracted position. Therefore, given constraints on platform height and passenger comfort, the depth and height of the external access step can be defined independently of each other, and can more easily meet the operator's requirements.
[0009] In a preferred embodiment, the retracted external access step is lower than the upper ends of the front left and right wheels and the rear left and right wheels. Therefore, the vehicle body access ramp can still be accessed from a very low platform using only one external access step.
[0010] The movement of the external access step between the retracted and protruding positions is preferably planar, i.e., parallel to a plane, and more preferably parallel to a plane tangential to the vertical plane. The extendable external access step serves two functions. When the platform is low, the extendable external access step acts as an intermediate step between the internal step and the platform. When the platform is higher than the external access step, the external access step can still extend to provide a gap filler between the internal step and the platform.
[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the external access step is guided to remain parallel to itself between a retracted position and a protruding position. Advantageously, an actuator is provided to move the external access step from the retracted position to any of a plurality of operating positions between the retracted and protruding positions, and to hold the external access step in said operating position. Therefore, the position of the external access step relative to the platform can be adjusted. In an embodiment, the passenger vehicle is also provided with sensors for detecting the position of the platform or the contact or proximity between the external access step and the platform, and the controller for controlling the actuator based on the sensor signals. Automatic adjustment is performed on each platform so that the gap between the external access step and the platform can be minimized.
[0012] The external access step can be guided to translate between a retracted position and a protruding position. In one embodiment, the external access step is guided to translate between the retracted and protruding positions in a vertical plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle body. Alternatively, the movement of the external access step between the retracted and protruding positions can be a combination of rotation and translation, such as movement generated by deformation of a parallelogram linkage.
[0013] Preferably, the bogie includes a bogie frame, a main suspension located between the front left and right supports and the rear left and right supports and the bogie frame, and a sub-suspension located between the bogie frame and the vehicle body, wherein the sub-suspension includes a set of left vertical springs and a set of right vertical springs. In practice, the vehicle body may include a chassis, and each of the left and right vertical springs of the sub-suspension preferably has an upper end fixed in the vertical direction relative to the chassis and a lower end fixed in the vertical direction relative to the bogie frame. The vertical springs may include one or more of the following: pneumatic springs, coil springs, and rubber springs.
[0014] In one implementation, to provide more space for accommodating external access steps, the center of gravity of the footprint of the set of left and right vertical springs in the horizontal plane is located within a rectangle tangent to the footprint of each set of left and right wheels, at least when the passenger vehicle is stationary on a horizontal straight track.
[0015] In one embodiment, the bogie frame includes a set of left and right longitudinal beams located between the left and right wheels of each set of left and right wheels, and at least one transverse beam integral with the set of left and right longitudinal beams, and the main suspension connects each set of left and right support members to the left and right longitudinal beams, respectively. The bogie frame may be made of a single piece of steel, cast iron, or light metal, or it may be assembled from several parts by welding or other means.
[0016] In one embodiment, the vehicle body has a lower deck and an upper deck, in which case the floor over the platform is preferably located at an intermediate level between the lower and upper decks. Alternatively, the passenger vehicle may have a single deck, in which case the floor is preferably flush with the deck.
[0017] If necessary, the internal step is lower than the upper ends of the front left and right wheels and the rear left and right wheels.
[0018] In one implementation, the side door is a double-leaf side door. Alternatively, the side door may also be a single-leaf side door.
[0019] In one embodiment, the vehicle body includes opposite side door passages on opposite left or right sides of the vehicle body for boarding and alighting from a platform of the vehicle body, opposite side doors for closing the opposite side door passages, the platform including opposite internal steps, the opposite internal steps being lower than the floor of the platform, the opposite internal steps being located at the opposite side door passages, the opposite internal steps being located between the opposite side doors and the floor of the platform when the opposite side doors are in the closed position, and the opposite internal steps being located laterally outside each set of left and right wheels of the bogie.
[0020] In one embodiment, the bogie is located longitudinally between two longitudinal ends of the vehicle body. In an alternative embodiment, the bogie protrudes from the longitudinal ends of the vehicle body to form a Jacob bogie. Attached Figure Description
[0021] Other advantages and features of the invention will become more apparent from the following description of specific embodiments of the invention, given only as non-limiting examples and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0022] - Figure 1 This is a side view of a passenger vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0023] The door opens;
[0024] - Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Details of the end section of the passenger car, in which the door is open;
[0025] - Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Details of the end section of the passenger car, where the door is closed;
[0026] - Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A schematic isometric view of the bogie of a passenger car;
[0027] - Figure 5 yes Figure 1 A cross-section of the end section of a passenger vehicle, wherein the door is closed;
[0028] - Figure 6 yes Figure 1 A cross-section of the end section of a passenger vehicle, wherein the door is open and outwards.
[0029] The part extends into the step;
[0030] - Figure 7 yes Figure 4 A top view of the bogie;
[0031] - Figure 8 yes Figure 1 A cross-section of the end section of a passenger vehicle, wherein the door is open and outwards.
[0032] The part extends into the step;
[0033] - Figure 9 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the retracted position of the external entry steps of a passenger vehicle;
[0034] - Figure 10 yes Figure 9 A schematic diagram showing the external entry step in the extended position;
[0035] - Figure 11 It is used for Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the control circuit for controlling the external entry of the step.
[0036] In each of the accompanying figures, the corresponding reference numerals refer to the same or corresponding parts. Detailed Implementation
[0037] Reference Figure 1 The passenger car 10 used for railway transportation includes a body 12, which is supported on a pair of bogies 14.
[0038] The body 12 includes a chassis 16, left and right side portions 18, and a top 20, which extend along the longitudinal axis 100 of the passenger vehicle 10 between two opposite longitudinal ends 22 of the body 12. The body can be divided into two end sections 24 and a middle section 26, each end section including one of the ends 22 of the body 12, and the middle section 26 located between the end sections 24. The middle section 26 occupies more than half the total length of the body 12 and accommodates one or two decks 28, 30 equipped with passenger seats (not shown). One or both end sections 24 may be provided with a driver's cab (not shown) or end door passages 32 for access to adjacent bodies, such as... Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown in the diagram. In this embodiment, each end segment 24 is provided with two side door passages 34 on the left and right sides 18 of the vehicle body 12 for getting on and off the vehicle via the passageway 36 of the vehicle body 12. The side door passages 34 are closed by double side doors 38. It is understood that this configuration is not limiting: the side door passages 34 may be provided only at one end 24 of the vehicle body 12 or only on one side 18. Additional side door passages may be provided in the middle segment 26.
[0039] The platform 36 includes a floor 40 and at least one internal step 42, which is lower than the floor 40 and located at the side door passage 34. The internal step 42 is positioned between the side door 38 and the floor 36 when the side door 38 is in the closed position. Figure 5 As shown in the diagram. In the case of the double-deck passenger vehicle 10, the access platform 36 is preferably located at an intermediate height between the upper deck 28 and the lower deck 30.
[0040] Figure 4 and Figure 7 The illustrated bogies 14 are each located below one of the end sections 24 of the body 12, and each bogie is at least partially located below the ramp 36. Each bogie 14 includes: a bogie frame 44; a front set of left and right wheels 46 and a rear set of left and right wheels 46 for rolling on the track; a front set of left and right supports 48 and a rear set of left and right supports 48 for guiding the front and rear sets of wheels 46 respectively; a main suspension 50 between each set of left and right supports 48 and the bogie frame 44; and a secondary suspension 51 between the bogie frame 44 and the underframe 16 of the body 12. Each set of wheels 46 may be independent or mounted on a common axle 54. The front support set 48 is located between the left and right wheels 46 of the front set of wheels, while the rear support set 48 is located between the left and right wheels 46 of the rear set of wheels.
[0041] The bogie frame 44 includes a set of left longitudinal beams 56 and a set of right longitudinal beams 56, and at least one transverse beam 58. The set of left and right longitudinal beams 56 are laterally positioned between the left and right wheels 46 of each of the front and rear wheel sets. The at least one transverse beam 58 is integral with the set of left and right longitudinal beams 56. The main suspension 50 connects the front and rear support members 48 to the left and right longitudinal beams 56, respectively.
[0042] The sub-suspension 51 includes a set of left vertical springs 52 and a set of right vertical springs 52, which have upper ends fixed in the vertical direction relative to the underframe 16 and lower ends fixed in the vertical direction relative to the bogie frame 44. The vertical springs 52 may include one or more of the following: pneumatic springs, coil springs, and rubber springs.
[0043] Viewed from above, when the passenger vehicle 10 is stationary on the horizontal straight track 1, the center of gravity 60 of the area occupied by the set of left and right vertical springs 52 on the horizontal plane is located within the smallest rectangle 200 containing the areas occupied by each set of left wheels 46 and right wheels 46. This smallest rectangle 200 is the rectangle tangent to the areas occupied by each set of left wheels 46 and right wheels 46. Figure 7 As shown in the diagram.
[0044] This configuration provides space for accommodating the internal step 42 of the passage platform 36 and the external access step 62 extending laterally outward from the bogie 44.
[0045] The external access step 62 can be retracted below the internal step 42 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal vertical plane tangential to the vehicle body 12. Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 9 ) and the protruding position in front of the side door passage, below the internal steps 42 ( Figure 2 , Figure 6 , Figure 8 and Figure 10 The external access step 62 moves in a translational manner. The external access step 62 is moved by an actuator 64, described herein as a motor 66, which drives a pinion 68 that engages with a rack 70 formed on the lower surface of the external access step 62, while the step is guided by a runner 72. The external access step 62 may be equipped with a proximity or contact sensor 74, which is connected to a controller 76 for controlling the actuator 64, as shown in... Figure 11 As illustrated schematically in the diagram.
[0046] The extendable external access step 62 serves two functions. For example... Figure 6As illustrated, when platform 78 is lower, the external entry step 62 serves as an intermediate step between the internal step 42 and platform 78. Figure 8 As illustrated, when platform 78 is higher than external access step 62, external access step 62 can still extend to provide gap filler between internal step 42 and platform 78.
[0047] To ensure that the wheels 46 do not collide with the external access step 62 when the bogie pivots relative to the body 12 about a predetermined vertical pivot axis within a predetermined boundary, the width W of the door passage 34 and the external access step 62 is preferably shorter than the distance L between the rotation axis 300 of the front group of wheels 46 and the rotation axis 300 of the rear group of wheels 46. The external access step 62 and the door passage 34 are preferably located between the transverse and vertical planes 400 containing the rotation axis 300.
[0048] In practice, the vertical distance between the floor 40 of platform 36 and the internal step 42, and the vertical distance between the internal step 42 and the external access step 62, are between 150mm and 250mm.
[0049] In an alternative embodiment, at least one of the bogies is a Jacob bogie that protrudes from the longitudinal end of the vehicle body and is partially located below the ramp.
Claims
1. A passenger car (10) for railway transportation, said passenger car (10) comprising: - A vehicle body (12) having a passageway (36), a doorway (34) on the left or right side of the vehicle body (12) for boarding and alighting from the passageway (36), and a side door (38) for closing the side doorway (34), wherein the passageway (36) includes a floor (40) and at least one internal step (42) lower than the floor (40), the internal step (42) being located at the side doorway (34), the internal step (42) being located between the floor (40) and the side door (38) in a closed position, and the vehicle body also having an external entry step (62) movable in the lateral direction of the passenger vehicle (10) between a retracted position and at least one protruding position, wherein the external entry step (62) in the protruding position is lower than the internal step (42) and extends at least partially in front of the side doorway (34), and - At least one bogie (14) for supporting the vehicle body, the bogie (14) including a front set of left wheels (46) and right wheels (46) and a rear set of left wheels (46) and right wheels (46) for rolling on the left and right guide rails of the guide rail track (1), and a front set of left support members (48) and right support members (48) and a rear set of left support members (48) and right support members (48) for guiding the front set of left wheels (46) and right wheels (46) and the rear set of left wheels (46) and right wheels (46), wherein the bogie (14) includes a bogie frame (44) located on the front set of left support members (48) and right support members (48). The main suspension (50) between the rear left support (48) and right support (48) and the bogie frame (44), and the sub-suspension (51) between the bogie frame (44) and the vehicle body (12), wherein the sub-suspension (51) comprises a set of left vertical springs (52) and right vertical springs (52), wherein, at least when the passenger car is stationary on a horizontal straight track, the center of gravity (60) of the area occupied by each of the left vertical springs (52) and the right vertical springs (52) in the horizontal plane is located within a rectangle (200) that is the smallest rectangle (200) containing the areas occupied by each set of left wheels (46) and right wheels (46). in, - The door passage (34) is located between the front vertical transverse plane (400) and the rear vertical transverse plane (400), the front vertical transverse plane (400) includes the rotation axis (300) of the front left wheel (46) and the right wheel (46), and the rear vertical transverse plane (400) includes the rear rotation axis (300) of the rear left wheel (46) and the right wheel (46). - The front left support member (48) and right support member (48) and the rear left support member (48) and right support member (48) are respectively located between the left and right wheels of the front left wheel (46) and the rear left wheel (46) and the rear right wheel (46), and - The inner step (42) and the outer entry step (62) in the retracted position are located laterally outside the bogie. The outer entry step (62) in the retracted position is located below the inner step (42) of the passage platform (36). The outer entry step (62) in the retracted position and the protruding position is located outside the rectangle (200) between the front vertical cross-section plane (400) and the rear vertical cross-section plane (400). The outer entry step (62) is guided to translate between the retracted position and the protruding position.
2. The passenger vehicle (10) according to claim 1, wherein, The external entry step (62) in the retracted position is lower than the upper end of the wheels (46) in the front left wheel (46) and right wheel (46) and the rear left wheel (46) and right wheel (46).
3. The passenger vehicle (10) according to claim 1 further includes an actuator for moving the external access step (62) from the retracted position to any one of a plurality of operating positions between the retracted position and the protruding position, and the actuator for holding the external access step (62) in the operating position.
4. The passenger vehicle (10) according to claim 3 is further provided with a sensor and a controller, the sensor being used to detect the position of the platform or the contact between the external access step (62) and the platform or the proximity between the external access step (62) and the platform, and the controller being used to control the actuator based on the signal from the sensor.
5. The passenger vehicle (10) according to claim 1, wherein, The translation direction of the external entry step (62) is perpendicular to the longitudinal vertical plane of the vehicle body.
6. The passenger vehicle (10) according to claim 1, wherein, The bogie frame (44) includes a set of left longitudinal beams (56) and right longitudinal beams (56) and at least one transverse beam (58). The set of left longitudinal beams (56) and right longitudinal beams (56) are located between the left wheel (46) and right wheel (46) of each set of left wheels (46) and right wheels (46). The at least one transverse beam (58) is integral with the set of left longitudinal beams (56) and right longitudinal beams (56). The main suspension (50) connects each set of left support members (48) and right support members (48) to the left longitudinal beams (56) and the right longitudinal beams (56), respectively.
7. The passenger vehicle (10) according to claim 1, wherein, The inner step (42) is lower than the upper end of the wheel (46) in the front left wheel (46) and right wheel (46) and the rear left wheel (46) and right wheel (46).
8. The passenger vehicle (10) according to claim 1, wherein, The side door (38) is a double-leaf side door.
9. The passenger vehicle (10) according to claim 1, wherein, The vehicle body (12) has a lower deck (28) and an upper deck (30), and the floor (40) of the passageway (36) is located at the intermediate horizontal plane between the lower deck (28) and the upper deck (30).
10. The passenger vehicle (10) according to claim 1, wherein, The bogie (14) is located longitudinally between the two longitudinal ends (22) of the vehicle body (12).
11. The passenger vehicle (10) according to claim 1, wherein, The bogie (14) protrudes from the longitudinal end (22) of the vehicle body (12).