Emergency front door for pneumatic vehicles on elevated tracks

Abstract

The invention relates to an emergency front door for a pneumatic vehicle on an elevated track. The front door (1) is tilted in the vehicle (VP) structure by an upper hinge (2) and is connected to the internal structure (4) of the front door (1) and the vehicle structure by a damper (3). The lower part (5) of the front door is hinged to the vehicle (VP) structure by a lower hinge (6). When the front door (1) is opened, the lower part (5) of the front door is extended outwards by the action of a cable (15) and a pulley (16). When the lower part (5) of the front door is opened, a retractable staircase (7) is extended. When the retractable staircase (7) is retracted, it is folded under the vehicle floor (8). The front door (1) is opened from the inside by the passenger using a control lever (9), which turns a rod (10) which moves an axis (11) axially to unlock the door lock mechanism (12). This internal unlocking relies on an electromagnetic safety key, and the front door (1) can be opened when a vehicle failure occurs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of safety engineering and more particularly to an emergency front door for a pneumatic vehicle on an elevated track. The invention therefore relates to an improvement of the emergency exit of this type of vehicle, making it simple in structure, adaptable to a large number of vehicle body designs, with a large front area that is semi-transparent and easily accessible to the emergency escape route.

[0002] The front door is driven by a rod, by which the door can be unlocked if the vehicle is not moving. In addition, the front door also comprises an inclined staircase, which automatically extends when the front door is opened. Background Art

[0003] Driverless vehicles travelling on elevated tracks must have what it takes to evacuate passengers quickly and safely in adverse emergency situations, without the need for external assistance.

[0004] The most common technique involves the use of doors with walkway emergency exits, which are usually made of metal structures and installed on both sides of the elevated track along the length of the elevated track.

[0005] The weight of the structure has economic implications. The difference in level between the vehicle floor and the walkway and the visual obstruction caused by the large shadows cast by the surface components make access to the emergency route difficult.

[0006] Although less numerous, there are also some applications that involve using the two opposite ends of the vehicle as a means for emergency evacuation, which eliminates the side walkways and uses the upper plate of the elevated track itself for movement. These solutions are for different types of vehicle technology, use complex drive systems, and are difficult for passengers to operate.

[0007] U.S. Patent No. 8,083,282 (entitled "Door") discloses an emergency exit door at the front of a vehicle that utilizes a complex door opening system. The door opening system extends the door upward via two hinged pantograph-style articulated arms, which maintain the door in the same vertical position. One of the disadvantages of this door is that it is narrow, allowing only one passenger to exit at a time, which is not ideal for use in an emergency. The door also does not have a convenient internal lever that would allow passengers to quickly open the door themselves. In addition, the door is not connected to stairs or similar devices, and the floor of the vehicle is higher than the floor of the track, making it impossible for passengers to descend. In addition, only a small area of ​​the door is translucent, which hinders passenger visibility.

[0008] European Patent 2748045, entitled Emergency Exit Unit for Rail Vehicles. This emergency exit unit describes an emergency exit door located at the front of the vehicle, which actuates from the inside and releases an emergency exit ramp. However, the ramp must be lowered manually by a technician and is not suitable for ordinary passengers. In addition, this patent presents the same limitations as reported in the analysis of the previous patents. Summary of the invention

[0009] The present invention solves the problems of the prior art by means of an emergency front door having a downwardly inclined lower portion and an upwardly inclined upper portion. The lower portion of the door is located below the floor and covers a retractable door compartment. The base of the upper portion of the door is flush / layered with the floor. Since the door opens in two parts, its operation is simple and flexible, supported by a universal mechanism, as only the front portion of the door is lifted. The present invention also includes an emergency exit staircase that remains retracted and automatically extends when the front door is opened without the need for external force to open. When the retracted staircase is retracted into the underfloor compartment, the retracted staircase does not interfere with the interior space of the vehicle. In order to improve the safety of the passengers, the present invention includes an electromagnetic key that prevents the door from opening when the vehicle is moving.

[0010] The object of the present invention is therefore to provide an emergency front door for a pneumatic vehicle moving along an elevated track defined by guide beams, wherein the front door covers a large frontal area of ​​the vehicle, comprises a translucent surface, is mounted in a frame fixed to the vehicle body and is equipped with an automatic opening gas spring that holds the door open.

[0011] To make it easier to open from the inside and allow passengers to exit, the front doors open upwards and are held in a horizontal position by dampers connecting the door to the frame. The front doors can be opened by pressing the interior lever to unlock.

[0012] The emergency front door of the present invention also has a safety device to prevent the interior lock from being released when the vehicle is moving. This device is called a solenoid switch, which acts on the pin in the front door latch and prevents accidental actuation of the interior lever.

[0013] Alternatively, the interior front door latch can be unlocked by an exterior lever. In this case, the electromagnetic key has no effect, because it can only access the exterior lever when the vehicle has stopped, such as when the vehicle is being serviced.

[0014] The technical features proposed by the present invention meet the application requirements with high demands on equipment availability, stability and safety.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the emergency front door for an inflatable vehicle proposed by the present invention has the following advantages:

[0016] A modular solution that can be adapted to a wide variety of vehicle front geometries with minimal adjustments;

[0017] Can be internally actuated and externally actuated;

[0018] Accessed via an elevated track via stairs invisible to the user, it is automatically actuated when the front door is opened, without the need for human intervention;

[0019] There is no need to reduce the translucent area in front of the vehicle;

[0020] It can be operated by passengers themselves, without the need for trained technicians.

[0021] When the door opens, the staircase automatically extends outward;

[0022] The floor is completely flat and unobstructed, with no level differences preventing passengers from leaving. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In the present description, the components shown in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating examples of aspects of the invention that may be represented in simplified form.

[0024] In order to enable the present invention to be fully understood and implemented by those skilled in the art, the present invention is clearly and fully described based on the attached drawings.

[0025] Figure 1 is a front view of a vehicle on an elevated track.

[0026] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle with the front doors closed.

[0027] Figure 3 It is a perspective view of the vehicle with the front door open.

[0028] Figure 4 is a side view of the front of the vehicle with the front door closed.

[0029] Figure 5 is a side view of the front of the vehicle with the doors open.

[0030] Figure 6 It is the rear view of the front door.

[0031] Figure 7 It is the front view of the front door.

[0032] Figure 8 is a three-dimensional view of the interior of the door frame and shows the door lock drive mechanism.

[0033] Fig. 9 is a three-dimensional view of the interior of the door frame and shows the opening mechanism connected to the lower part of the door.

[0034] Fig.10is a perspective view of the interior of the door frame and shows the opening mechanism connected to the upper part of the door.

[0035] Fig.11 It is a three-dimensional diagram of a retractable staircase. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The passenger or freight vehicle (VP) moves along an elevated track (VE) having sections equipped with guardrails (GC) along the sides, equipped with emergency lights, to protect and guide passengers out of the vehicle in the event of an accident. The elevated guide rail (VE) is usually supported by columns (CL). The vehicle (VP) is equipped with a wheeled bogie (RD) that rolls along a track (TR) supported by the elevated track (VE).

[0037] like Figure 2-5 As shown, the front door (1) is tilted on an upper hinge 2 of the vehicle structure (VP) and is connected to an inner structure 4 of the front door 1 and the vehicle frame structure via a damper 3. The front door 1 has a lower part 5, which is tilted to the vehicle body structure (VP) via a lower hinge 6.

[0038] When the front door 1 is opened by the action of the cable and the pulley, the lower part of the front door 5 automatically extends outward, as described below. When the lower part of the front door 5 is opened, the telescopic stairs 7 are extended. When the telescopic stairs 7 is retracted, it is tucked back under the floor 8 of the vehicle.

[0039] Based on the modular concept, the front door 1 is preferably straight, so as to adapt to any desired curvature of the glass front cladding. The front door 1 is tilted upwards and is kept in a horizontal position by a damper 3, leaving enough space for passengers to pass quickly. The front door 1 has a large translucent area extending to the floor 8, so that the viewing area is not obstructed when the vehicle (VP) moves.

[0040] like Figure 6-8 As shown, the front door 1 is preferably opened from the inside by a passenger using a lever 9, i.e. the lever 9 rotates a rod 10, which moves an axis 11 axially, thereby unlocking a door lock mechanism 12. For safety reasons, this internal unlocking relies on an electromagnetic safety key, which allows the front door 1 to be opened when a vehicle malfunctions. The front door 1 also has an external handle 13, which fastens a cable 14, which is used to disconnect the door lock mechanism 12, so that it can be opened from the outside of the vehicle, for example, for maintenance.

[0041] Figure 9-10 The preferred structure of the pulley and cable system is shown in detail, which controls the opening of the lower part 5 of the front door through the hinge 6 hingedly fixed to the vehicle (VP) structure when the upper part of the front door 1 is opened. The cable 15 is fixed to the front door 1 and passes through the pulley 16 to the lever, which is part of the hinge 6, for moving the lower part of the front door 5.

[0042] Fig.11 and Fig.10 The preferred structure of the retractable staircase 7 is shown in detail. The retractable staircase is located under the floor 8 of the vehicle (VP) and is composed of retractable steps 71 connected together via hinged rods 67. When the front door 1 is closed, the retractable staircase 7 remains retracted and folded in the lower compartment 73. The hinged rod 72 is coaxially mounted on the outside of the step 71. The side plate 74 guides the retraction of the staircase. When the front door 1 is raised, the lower part 5 of the front door is hinged, and the hinged rod 76 pulls the side arm 75 to rotate the staircase 67, and the staircase automatically extends to the lower part of the guide rail to provide a safe passage for passengers.

[0043] For safety reasons, the front door 1 locking system is equipped with an automatic control system that prevents it from being released by the locking action of the electromagnetic safety key when the vehicle is moving. To this end, the electromagnetic key receives vehicle speed and movement information from the vehicle's logic circuit. When the vehicle is moving (speed greater than 0), the electromagnetic key fixes the pin that locks the door, making it impossible to open the door. When the vehicle is stopped (speed equals 0), the electromagnetic key keeps the pin out, allowing the door to be opened by the internal lever.

Claims

1. An emergency front door for a pneumatic vehicle on an elevated track, wherein the vehicle (VP) moves along an elevated track (VE), the elevated track having a section equipped with side guardrails (GC), the section equipped with emergency lights, which are used to protect and guide passengers out of the vehicle in the event of an accident, the front door (1) being tilted in the vehicle (VP) structure by means of an upper hinge (2) and being connected to an inner structure (4) of the front door (1) and to the vehicle frame structure by means of a damper (3), wherein The front door (1) has a lower part (5) which moves on the vehicle (VP) frame structure via a lower hinge (6), wherein the lower part automatically protrudes outwards by the action of pulleys and cables, the emergency front door has a retractable staircase (7) which extends outwards when the lower part (5) of the door is opened, and when the retractable staircase (7) is retracted, the retractable staircase (7) is folded under the vehicle floor (8), characterized in that the front door (1) is opened by a passenger inside the vehicle using a control lever (9), the control lever (9) causing a lever (10) to rotate, and the lever (10) axially moves a shaft (11) to unlock a door lock mechanism (12); The lower part (5) of the front door (1) is opened by a cable (15) which is fixed to the front door (1) and reaches a lever via a pulley (16) which is part of a hinge (6) for moving the lower part (5) of the front door (1); When the retractable staircase is retracted, it is located below the floor (8) of the vehicle (VP). The retractable staircase (7) is formed by retractable steps (71) connected together via a first hinged rod (72). When the front door (1) is closed, the retractable staircase (7) remains retracted and folded in the lower compartment (73). The first hinged rod (72) is coaxially mounted on the outside of the steps (71). The side plate (74) guides the retraction of the staircase. When the front door (1) is raised, the lower part (5) of the front door is hinged. The second hinged rod (76) pulls the side arm (75) to rotate the retractable staircase (7), so that the retractable staircase (7) is automatically lowered outward. The front door (1) also has an outer handle (13), the outer handle (13) fastens a second cable (14), and the second cable (14) is used to disconnect the door lock mechanism (12); The front door (1) locking system is equipped with an automatic control system, which prevents it from being released when the vehicle (VP) moves by locking the electromagnetic safety key, which receives vehicle speed and movement information from the vehicle's logic circuit.

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