Electric side-hung door of heavy haul railway locomotive and control method of electric side-hung door

Abstract

The invention discloses a heavy haul railway locomotive side-hung electric door and a control method. Comprising a door body used for sealing a locomotive door frame; the driving device is arranged at the bottom of the door body and is used for driving the door body to execute flat opening and closing actions; the guide rail is arranged at the bottom of the locomotive door frame and used for guiding the door body to move along a preset track; the control system is electrically connected with the driving device and is used for controlling the starting, stopping, steering and speed of the driving device; and the safety protection device is in signal connection with the control system and is used for triggering the control system to execute a protection action when an obstacle or abnormal pressure is detected. The heavy haul railway locomotive door can solve the problems of space utilization, mechanical reliability and intrinsic safety of the current heavy haul railway locomotive door.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of heavy haul railway locomotive, in particular to a heavy haul railway locomotive vertical sliding electric door and a control method. BACKGROUND

[0002] At present, the door system of a railway locomotive, especially a heavy haul railway locomotive which undertakes the heavy task of bulk cargo transportation, is a key component for connecting the locomotive with the outside world and ensuring the safety of personnel and equipment access. The performance and reliability of the door system are directly related to the transportation efficiency and operation safety. However, the existing locomotive door system still faces a series of problems to be solved in design and application.

[0003] Firstly, most electric sliding doors need to be arranged with a relatively long track and transmission mechanism along the horizontal direction of the door side wall. This means that enough physical space must be reserved on both sides of the running path of the door body to avoid interference when the door is opened, which to a large extent occupies the valuable internal space of the locomotive. For equipment-intensive mechanical rooms or compactly laid-out cab side doors, this space occupation may cause inconvenience in equipment installation, personnel access or daily maintenance, limiting the optimization and utilization efficiency of the locomotive internal design.

[0004] Secondly, the existing electric door driving device performs poorly when facing the special operating conditions of heavy haul locomotives. The locomotive is long-term operated in a harsh environment with vibration, dust and large temperature difference, and the door needs to withstand the aerodynamic pressure during high-speed operation and frequent start-stop cycles. The existing system is prone to problems such as accelerated wear of parts, loosening of transmission mechanism, frequent triggering of motor overload protection and even failure under the working conditions of long-term heavy load and high-frequency start-stop, resulting in increased failure rate of the door system such as running jam, abnormal noise, and failure to open and close, shortening the maintenance cycle, and increasing the operating cost and failure risk.

[0005] Thirdly, many electric doors lack sensitive and effective obstacle detection and anti-pinch protection mechanisms during the closing process. Once the door body encounters personnel limbs, equipment or other obstacles in the closing path, the system often cannot identify and respond in time to stop or reverse, but continues to execute the closing action, which is likely to cause safety accidents such as pinching personnel and damaging objects. This safety hazard is particularly prominent in places such as locomotive depots and marshalling stations where operations are busy and personnel access frequently. Although individual high-end systems may be equipped with simple contact-type anti-pinch strips, their response speed, reliability and detection ability for non-contact obstacles are limited, and it is difficult to provide comprehensive and reliable safety protection.

[0006] In summary, current heavy-haul railway locomotive door systems have significant shortcomings in terms of space utilization, mechanical reliability, and inherent safety, failing to fully meet the requirements of modern heavy-haul railways for high efficiency, reliability, intelligence, and safety. It should be noted that the information disclosed in this background section is only for understanding the background technology of the present invention and therefore may include information that does not constitute prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this application discloses a swing electric door for heavy-haul railway locomotives and a control method therefor, which can solve the problems of space utilization, mechanical reliability and intrinsic safety of current heavy-haul railway locomotive doors.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following technical solution: Electric swing doors for heavy-haul railway locomotives include: The door body is used to enclose the locomotive door frame; A drive device is provided at the bottom of the door body for driving the door body to perform opening and closing actions; A guide rail is provided at the bottom of the locomotive door frame to guide the door body to move along a predetermined trajectory; A control system, electrically connected to the drive device, is used to control the start, stop, steering, and speed of the drive device; A safety protection device is connected to the control system via a signal and is used to trigger the control system to perform a protective action when an obstacle or abnormal pressure is detected.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, the driving device includes a motor, a reducer connected to the output shaft of the motor, and a drive wheel that transmits the output power of the reducer to the guide rail.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the motor is a brushless DC motor.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, a limit device is provided on the guide rail to limit the maximum opening angle and closing position of the door.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the control system uses a programmable logic controller as the core control unit and includes sensors for monitoring the position, speed, and status of the door.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the control system further includes a wireless communication module for connecting with the locomotive's central control system to achieve remote control and monitoring.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the safety protection device includes: An infrared sensor is installed on the edge of the door to detect obstacles in the door's movement path; A pressure-sensitive switch is installed on the contact surface of the door to detect abnormal pressure during the closing process of the door.

[0015] In addition, this application also discloses a control method for the electric swing door of a heavy-haul railway locomotive, including the following steps: Receive door opening or closing commands; The drive device is activated to drive the door to open or close along the guide rail. During the movement, the safety protection device monitors obstacles and pressure signals in real time. When the safety protection device is triggered, it controls the drive device to stop its current movement and perform a reverse action or alarm. When the door moves to the preset position determined by the limiting device, the driving device is controlled to stop.

[0016] This application discloses a swing electric door for heavy-haul railway locomotives and its control method, which has the following advantages: This invention adopts a bottom-driven swing-open design. The drive unit and guide rail are integrated into the bottom of the door and the bottom of the locomotive door frame, eliminating the need to reserve complex transmission and sliding spaces on the sides or top of the door, greatly saving installation and movement space on the locomotive side walls and inside, resulting in a more rational layout.

[0017] The drive unit is directly installed at the bottom of the door, resulting in a short power transmission path and a robust structure. Utilizing a combination of a motor, reducer, and drive wheels, power is effectively transmitted to the bottom guide rail, ensuring smooth operation. This design is particularly suitable for the frequent, heavy-duty opening and closing operations of heavy-duty locomotive doors and offers a long service life.

[0018] The core control system employs a programmable logic controller (PLC), which can precisely control the movement parameters of the gate according to a preset program. Combined with a wireless communication module, it can be linked with the locomotive's central control system, supporting remote command control and status monitoring, thus improving the modernization level and operational convenience of locomotive gate management.

[0019] It integrates a dual safety protection mechanism of infrared sensors and pressure-sensitive switches. The infrared sensors enable non-contact obstacle detection, while the pressure-sensitive switches provide contact pressure sensing. Working together, they can immediately trigger the protection program when an obstacle is encountered during the door's closing process, effectively preventing pinching accidents and providing ample safety assurance. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below.

[0021] Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a front view of an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Enlarged view of the bottom; Figure 3 This is a top view of an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 yes Figure 1 Enlarged view at the top. Detailed Implementation

[0023] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below. Obviously, the described embodiments are some embodiments of this application, but not all embodiments.

[0024] Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0025] Example 1 This embodiment focuses on describing the mechanical structure, electrical system, and integration of the heavy-haul railway locomotive's swing-out electric door. This electric door is a comprehensive mechatronic device, whose core components include the door body 1 as the closing body, the drive device providing power, the guide rail 3 constraining and guiding the movement trajectory, the control system making logical decisions, and the safety protection device ensuring operational safety. These components work together through precise physical connections and an electrical signal network to achieve the smooth, reliable, and intelligent opening and closing of the door body 1.

[0026] The door body 1 adopts a swing-open structure design, with its rotation axis perpendicular to the locomotive side wall plane. To adapt to the complex and harsh environment faced by heavy-haul railway locomotives during operation, such as continuous mechanical vibration, aerodynamic loads generated by high-speed operation, and potential accidental impacts, the door body 1 must possess extremely high structural strength, rigidity, and fatigue resistance. In this design, the main frame of the door body 1 is preferably manufactured using high-strength structural materials. A preferred embodiment is to use low-alloy high-strength carbon steel, which, through advanced metallurgical and rolling processes, can provide extremely high yield strength and good toughness while ensuring excellent weldability. Another optional solution aimed at achieving lightweighting is to use aerospace-grade aluminum alloys, such as specific models of 6000 or 7000 series aluminum alloys, manufactured into profiles through extrusion molding and assembled into a frame structure. The specific external dimensions and internal reinforcing rib layout of the door body 1 need to be customized and mechanically simulated based on the opening dimensions of the target locomotive door frame 6 to ensure that the fitting accuracy after installation meets the overall airtightness, watertightness, and sound insulation requirements of the locomotive. A continuous elastic sealing strip is embedded at the contact edge between the door body 1 and the door frame 6. This sealing strip is typically made of EPDM rubber or silicone rubber, possessing excellent weather resistance and resistance to permanent deformation. When the door body 1 is closed in place, the sealing strip is uniformly compressed, forming an effective sealing barrier. The bottom of the door body 1 is rigidly connected to the housing of the drive unit via a reinforced connection interface. This connection is typically secured with a set of high-strength bolts to ensure direct and efficient power transmission.

[0027] The drive unit, as the power core of the system, adopts a unique bottom-integrated layout. The entire drive unit is fixed to the bottom area of ​​the gate 1. This arrangement eliminates the space occupation caused by installing the drive mechanism on the top or side of the gate in traditional solutions, significantly improving the utilization rate of the locomotive's internal space. The drive unit contains three main functional units: a motor 21 as the prime mover, a reducer 22 for speed change and torque amplification, and a drive wheel 23 as the final actuator. The motor 21 is preferably a permanent magnet synchronous DC brushless motor. Due to its electronic commutation technology, this type of motor completely avoids the wear, sparking, and electromagnetic interference problems caused by mechanical commutation in traditional brushed motors, offering significant advantages such as high starting torque, wide speed range, high operating efficiency, and low maintenance requirements. The reducer 22 is directly connected to the output shaft of the motor 21 via a high-rigidity coupling, forming a compact integrated module. Internally, it typically uses a planetary gear or helical gear transmission structure, its core function being to convert the high-speed, low-torque output of the motor 21 into the low-speed, high-torque required to drive the heavy gate 1. The reducer 22 has a well-sealed housing filled with long-lasting grease to ensure stable and durable operation in vibrating environments. The drive wheel 23 is fixed to the output shaft of the reducer 22 by means of key connection or other methods, and its outer edge is usually covered with a wear-resistant and high-friction coefficient material such as polyurethane. As the driving wheel, the drive wheel 23 converts rotational motion into traction force to drive the door body 1 through contact with the guide rail 3.

[0028] The guide rail 3 serves as the guiding reference and load-bearing foundation for the movement of the door 1. It is securely mounted on the floor or a dedicated base below the locomotive door frame 6. The guide rail 3 body is made of surface-hardened high-carbon steel, possessing excellent wear resistance. Its cross-sectional shape must match the tread surface of the drive wheel 23; common designs include V-grooves with guide flanges or flat tracks. The spatial trajectory of the guide rail 3 precisely corresponds to the swing-opening movement path of the door 1. When a standard 90-degree swing opening is required, the guide rail 3 is machined into an arc with a constant radius of curvature, the center of which coincides with the theoretical axis of rotation of the upper part of the door 1. At the starting and ending points of the guide rail 3 trajectory, corresponding to the fully closed and fully open positions of the door 1 respectively, a limit device 31 is installed. The limit device 31 can be a rigid block that provides physical obstruction, or a proximity switch or photoelectric sensor that emits an electrical signal. Its fundamental function is to precisely define the physical endpoint of the door 1's movement, ensuring the repeatability and positioning accuracy of each opening and closing action.

[0029] The control system is the intelligent control center of the entire electric door, and its core adopts an industrial-grade programmable logic controller. This controller is connected to the motor 21 driver in the driving device through a cable to precisely control the start, stop, rotation direction, speed, and acceleration and deceleration processes of the motor 21. To achieve closed-loop control, the system is equipped with a variety of sensors. A typical configuration is to install a high-precision rotary encoder on the shaft of the motor 21 or the reducer 22 to provide real-time feedback on the motor rotation angle and speed, and then calculate the accurate position and speed information of the door body 1. These real-time data form the feedback link of the closed-loop control system, enabling the control system to dynamically adjust the output to ensure the smooth operation and accurate positioning of the door body 1. In addition, the control system also integrates a wireless communication module. This module supports wireless communication protocols compliant with railway standards, enabling the control system to access the rolling stock network or train control system. Through this module, operators can send wireless control commands from the cab or remote terminal, and at the same time, data such as the operating status and fault information of the door body 1 can also be uploaded in real time, achieving remote monitoring and intelligent management.

[0030] The safety protection device is a crucial part to ensure the safety of personnel and equipment. In this embodiment, a dual-redundant safety detection mechanism is constructed. The first layer of protection is based on non-contact infrared sensors 51. Pairs of infrared emission and reception tubes are embedded inside the closing edge of the door body 1 and arranged vertically to form one or more invisible infrared light curtains. During the closing process of the door body 1, once any object breaks in and blocks the light curtain, the infrared sensor 51 will immediately generate a trigger signal. The second layer of protection is based on contact-type pressure-sensitive switches 52. The pressure-sensitive switches 52 are embedded in the form of strips on the contact surface of the closing edge of the door body 1. When the door body 1 is abnormally squeezed at the end of closing and the pressure exceeds the preset safety threshold, the pressure-sensitive switch 52 is triggered. Whether the infrared sensor 51 or the pressure-sensitive switch 52 is triggered, the generated signal will be sent to the control system with the highest priority. The response of the control system is to immediately interrupt the current driving command of the motor 21, make it stop quickly, and then control the motor 21 to run briefly in the opening direction at a lower speed to drive the door body 1 to retreat a safe distance to release the obstacle. At the same time, the control system will activate an audible and visual alarm to give a clear audible and visual warning to alert the on-site personnel. After completing the protective action, the system enters a safe pause state waiting for manual confirmation and reset.

[0031] Embodiment 2 This embodiment elaborates in detail the complete working process and logical sequence of the control method supporting the aforementioned electric door. This method systematically defines an automated control loop from preparation, execution, safety monitoring to termination.

[0032] The core steps of this method include receiving operation instructions, controlling the drive device to start and drive the door 1 to move along the guide rail 3, continuously monitoring the entire movement process through a safety protection device, immediately stopping the movement and executing protective reverse actions and alarms if a danger signal is detected, and controlling the door 1 to move to the preset position determined by the limit device 31 and then stopping.

[0033] The specific workflow is as follows: After the system is powered on, it first performs an initialization self-test, during which the control system checks the status of each module, sensor signals, and communication links. After the self-test passes, the system enters a standby state, continuously listening for command input. Command sources include local control buttons near the door and remote commands received through the wireless communication module, all of which are essentially requests to open or close the door.

[0034] Upon receiving a valid door-opening command, the control system first checks the safety interlock conditions. If the conditions are met, it controls the motor 21 to start forward according to the preset motion curve. The torque of the motor 21 is amplified by the reducer 22 and transmitted to the drive wheel 23. The drive wheel 23 generates traction force through its interaction with the guide rail 3, driving the bottom of the door 1 to move. Since the top of the door 1 is connected to the door frame 6 via a hinge, the traction force at the bottom causes the door 1 to rotate smoothly outward around the upper axis, thus opening the door. During this process, the control system adjusts the control quantity in real time through sensor feedback to ensure smooth operation. The safety protection device also remains in a monitoring state. When the door 1 rotates to the fully open position, the limit device 31 at the opening end is activated, and the control system immediately controls the motor 21 to stop running, completing the door-opening action and updating the system status.

[0035] Upon receiving a closing command, the control system, after completing the necessary condition checks, controls motor 21 to start in reverse, driving door 1 to rotate inward and close. The closing process is a critical period for safety protection; both infrared sensor 51 and pressure-sensitive switch 52 are in a high-alert state. The closing speed of door 1 can be controlled in segments; for example, a faster speed is used during the main stroke, switching to a lower speed in the final stage near closing to facilitate safety monitoring and buffering. If, during the closing process, infrared sensor 51 detects a blocked beam or pressure-sensitive switch 52 senses abnormal pressure, the safety protection device will be immediately triggered. The control system responds by forcibly stopping motor 21 and briefly moving it in the opening direction, causing door 1 to retract and release the obstacle, while simultaneously triggering an audible and visual alarm. The system then enters a safety pause state, awaiting manual intervention to reset.

[0036] If no safety protection is triggered during the closing process, door 1 will smoothly move to the fully closed position. The limit device 31 at the closing end is triggered, the control system controls motor 21 to stop, and can further activate the locking device to ensure door 1 is locked. Subsequently, the system updates its status to closed and returns to the standby state, waiting for the next command, thus forming a complete, reliable and safety-focused automated control cycle.

[0037] The above embodiments describe in detail the specific implementation schemes of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations within the scope of their technical concept, and all such modifications and variations should be considered to fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0038] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0039] Obviously, those skilled in the art will understand that the modules or steps of this application described above can be implemented using general-purpose computing devices. They can be centralized on a single computing device or distributed across a network of multiple computing devices. Optionally, they can be implemented using computer-executable program code, thereby storing them in a storage device for execution by a computing device, or fabricating them separately as individual integrated circuit modules, or fabricating multiple modules or steps as a single integrated circuit module. This invention is not limited to any particular hardware and software combination.

[0040] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A swing electric door for heavy-haul railway locomotives, characterized in that, include: The door body is used to enclose the locomotive door frame; A drive device is provided at the bottom of the door body for driving the door body to perform opening and closing actions; A guide rail is provided at the bottom of the locomotive door frame to guide the door body to move along a predetermined trajectory; A control system, electrically connected to the drive device, is used to control the start, stop, steering, and speed of the drive device; A safety protection device is connected to the control system via a signal and is used to trigger the control system to perform a protective action when an obstacle or abnormal pressure is detected.

2. The heavy-haul railway locomotive swing electric door according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive device includes a motor, a reducer connected to the output shaft of the motor, and a drive wheel that transmits the output power of the reducer to the guide rail.

3. The heavy-haul railway locomotive swing electric door according to claim 2, characterized in that, The motor is a DC brushless motor.

4. The heavy-haul railway locomotive swing electric door according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guide rail is equipped with a limit device to limit the maximum opening angle and closing position of the door.

5. The heavy-haul railway locomotive swing electric door according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control system uses a programmable logic controller as the core control unit and includes sensors for monitoring the position, speed, and status of the door.

6. The heavy-haul railway locomotive swing electric door according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control system also includes a wireless communication module for connecting with the locomotive's central control system to enable remote control and monitoring.

7. The heavy-haul railway locomotive swing electric door according to claim 1, characterized in that, The safety protection device includes: An infrared sensor is installed on the edge of the door to detect obstacles in the door's movement path; A pressure-sensitive switch is installed on the contact surface of the door to detect abnormal pressure during the closing process of the door.

8. A control method for a swing electric door on a heavy-haul railway locomotive, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Receive door opening or closing commands; The drive device is activated to drive the door to open or close along the guide rail. During the movement, the safety protection device monitors obstacles and pressure signals in real time. When the safety protection device is triggered, it controls the drive device to stop its current movement and perform a reverse action or alarm. When the door moves to the preset position determined by the limiting device, the driving device is controlled to stop.

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