Drainage device for the floor of a rail vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a drainage device for the floor (30) of a rail vehicle, comprising an outer housing designed as a sleeve (1) which can be inserted into an opening (31) in the floor (30) of the rail vehicle. This device is intended to enable reliable drainage of the car body of the rail vehicle even with small amounts of condensate and to permanently ensure the pressure tightness of the car body. According to the invention, this is achieved by the drainage device further comprising a cylindrical rotating element (2) which is arranged in the interior of the sleeve (1) enclosed by the sleeve (1) and is rotatably mounted therein about the central longitudinal axis (A) of the sleeve (1). The sleeve (1) has at least one inlet (11) on a first end face (10) and at least one outlet (13) on the second end face (12) opposite the first end face (10).wherein each inlet (11) and each outlet (13) forms an interior opening (112, 132) oriented towards the gyratory body (2), the gyratory body (2) has at least one hollow chamber (20) which is open in the outer circumferential surface of the gyratory body (2) oriented towards the sleeve (1), wherein the at least one inlet (11) and the at least one outlet (13) are arranged in the sleeve (1) offset from each other by such an angle of rotation (α) with respect to the central longitudinal axis (A) of the sleeve (1) that the hollow chamber opening (21) of the gyratory body (2) in a first relative positioning of the gyratory body (2) with respect to the sleeve (1) is exclusively connected to the interior opening (112) of the inlet (11), and in a second relative positioning of the gyratory body (2) with respect to the sleeve (1) rotated about the central longitudinal axis (A) thereto, is exclusively connected to the interior opening (112) of the inlet (11), and in a second relative positioning of the gyratory body (2) with respect to the sleeve (1) rotated thereto about the central longitudinal axis (A) with the interior opening (132) of the outlet (13) is in a fluid-permeable connection.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a drainage device for the floor of a rail vehicle, which has an outer housing designed as a sleeve, which can be inserted into an opening in the floor of the rail vehicle.

[0002] In passenger rail vehicles, warm and humid interior air causes condensation. The resulting condensate collects behind the passenger compartment's paneling and beneath the floor structure on the interior surfaces of the car body shell, runs off, and tends to accumulate in the lower areas of the floor panels. This necessitates draining the condensate from these areas. Otherwise, corrosion damage to the car body will occur, the repair of which is very complex and expensive. Furthermore, even the smallest leaks in tanks, pipes, or fittings can cause damage through corrosion or to the interior fittings, such as swelling of wooden floors.

[0003] For rail vehicles operating at relatively low speeds (e.g., in regional transport with frequent stops at short intervals), it is sufficient to allow condensate to drain or drip away through holes in the floor panels that open towards the track bed. In contrast, rail vehicles operating at very high speeds require pressure-tight car bodies to prevent pressure surges or abrupt pressure changes in the passenger compartment caused by the strong pressure fluctuations that occur at speeds exceeding 250 km / h. The interiors of pressure-tight car bodies are protected against externally induced pressure fluctuations.

[0004] According to current technology, the underbody of such pressure-tight car bodies is equipped with drain openings that can be closed using shut-off valves. These must be manually opened and closed by maintenance personnel for drainage. This incurs high costs and carries the risk that the shut-off valves will not be closed due to time constraints or will be forgotten, negatively impacting the pressure tightness of the rail vehicle during subsequent operation. In some cases, the shut-off valves cannot be reached or operated manually due to the confined installation space on the rail vehicle, almost inevitably leading to corrosion damage in these areas.

[0005] EP 2 789 529 A1 discloses a drainage device that opens automatically when condensate accumulates and the sealing element floats to the surface. However, the drainage only functions with a certain minimum amount of liquid; as long as the amount of liquid collected on the base plate is too small for the sealing element to float, no drainage occurs. The risk of corrosion damage to the car body of the rail vehicle due to incompletely drained condensate remains. Furthermore, this drainage device has proven susceptible to contamination in practice. Even the slightest contamination of the valve seat leads to a failure of the seal against external pressure surges.

[0006] The invention is therefore based on the technical problem of providing a drainage device of the generic type for the floor of a rail vehicle, which overcomes this aforementioned disadvantage and, in particular, enables reliable drainage of the car body of the rail vehicle even with small amounts of condensate. In particular, the pressure tightness of the car body should be permanently guaranteed.

[0007] This is solved according to the invention by, ▪ that the drainage device further comprises a cylindrical rotating body which is arranged in the interior of the sleeve enclosed by the sleeve and is rotatably mounted therein about the central longitudinal axis of the sleeve and whose outer diameter corresponds to the inner diameter of the sleeve, ▪ the sleeve has at least one inlet on a first end face and at least one outlet on the second end face opposite the first end face, wherein each inlet and each outlet forms both a first end-face opening oriented towards the respective end face of the sleeve and a second interior opening oriented towards the inner circumferential surface of the sleeve oriented towards the gyratory body, wherein the end-face opening and the interior opening are each connected to each other in a fluid-permeable manner, ▪ the gyroscope body has at least one hollow chamber which is opened in the outer circumferential surface of the gyroscope body oriented towards the sleeve, forming a hollow chamber opening, ▪ wherein the at least one inlet and the at least one outlet are arranged in the sleeve offset from each other by such an angle of rotation with respect to the central longitudinal axis of the sleeve that the hollow chamber opening of the gyroscope body in a first relative positioning of the gyroscope body with respect to the sleeve is exclusively connected with the inner opening of the inlet and in a second relative positioning of the gyroscope body with respect to the sleeve rotated about the central longitudinal axis thereto is exclusively connected with the inner opening of the outlet in a fluid-permeable connection.

[0008] In this way, a drainage device is implemented in which a rotating gyratory body, continuously within the outer housing or sleeve and equipped with a hollow chamber, repeatedly draws condensate from a first recess forming the inlet into the hollow chamber and then, after completing a structurally predetermined rotation angle, discharges this condensate from the aforementioned hollow chamber to an outlet, from where it is then discharged into the exterior of the rail vehicle. The hollow chamber of the gyratory body thus functions as an intermediate storage reservoir in which the condensate is temporarily stored during the rotation of the gyratory body.In this way, a quasi-continuous removal of condensate accumulated in the inlet area on the side of the rail vehicle floor facing the interior is possible, allowing it to drain to an area outside the rail vehicle without requiring a direct fluid-permeable connection between the inlet and outlet. Furthermore, during its rotation, the hollow chamber of the rotating body never has a simultaneous fluid-permeable connection to the interior openings of both the inlet and the outlet (but only to one of them at a time), so that any pressure changes in the exterior of the rail vehicle body have no effect on the pressure conditions inside the body. Thus, the drainage device according to the invention does not impair the pressure tightness of the car body.

[0009] It goes without saying for the expert that the floor of the rail vehicle in the immediate vicinity of the front opening of the inlet is designed in such a way that the condensate accumulating there can flow automatically towards this front opening (e.g. by providing a corresponding slope towards the front opening).

[0010] Such a drainage device according to the invention enables the quasi-continuous conveying and drainage of moist condensate from the floor area inside a rail vehicle car body. This is independent of the amount of condensate accumulated in the drainage device and functions without restriction even with very small quantities of condensate. In extreme cases, the drainage device according to the invention can even continue to function when the inlet is dry or free of condensate. The drainage device can therefore be operated without restriction even in a dry state. Furthermore, the drainage device requires very little maintenance, as the impeller body can be easily removed from the sleeve and the cavities of the sleeve and the impeller body can be easily cleaned of any dirt deposits.

[0011] The feature whereby the outer diameter of the gyratory body corresponds to the inner diameter of the sleeve is to be understood in the context of this invention as meaning that the outer diameter of the gyratory body is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the sleeve, so that the relative mobility of the gyratory body with respect to the sleeve is ensured even when it is positioned inside the sleeve. Furthermore, "condensate" within the meaning of the invention described herein is to be understood as any type of liquid, regardless of whether it originated through condensation or entered the interior of the car body of the rail vehicle in some other way.

[0012] The invention further provides that the gyratory body is mounted in the sleeve in a manner that allows longitudinal displacement along the central longitudinal axis of the sleeve, wherein the gyratory body is guided in the sleeve in such a way that it is displaceable between a first position and a second position, such that in the first position the gyratory body comes into contact with a sealing section of the sleeve in such a way that the drainage device is sealed against external pressure.

[0013] Preferably, the sealing section is arranged at the outlet of the sleeve. Alternatively, the sealing section can also be arranged at the inlet of the sleeve.

[0014] In another preferred configuration, the drainage device is mounted in the floor of the car body such that the displacement of the rotating body from the aforementioned second position to the first position occurs against the force of gravity; for example, by arranging the rotating body higher relative to the sleeve in the first position than in the second position. Under normal ambient pressure conditions, the rotating body is in the second, lower position. A displacement to the first, higher position only occurs when pressure is applied to the rotating body, for example, due to higher ambient pressure in the outer area of ​​the car body.This enables the drainage device to close almost instantly and automatically in a pressure-tight manner when pressure surges act on the car body from the outside, as well as the equally automatic return of the rotating body from the first position to the second position after this external pressure is removed. The interruption of the drainage device's conveying process caused by a pressure surge is thus only of brief duration.

[0015] A key aspect of the inventive concept is that the gyratory body can be driven by an arrangement of several blades connected to the gyratory body, using the oncoming airflow. The movement of the rail vehicle, and thus the resulting airflow, is used to drive the drainage device. This ensures the drainage device operates autonomously (i.e., independently of an electrical power supply or other drive media) throughout the entire journey of the rail vehicle. Since condensation is primarily caused by the presence of passengers inside the rail vehicle during its intended use, rail vehicles that are stationary for extended periods are not expected to have passengers on board and therefore are not expected to produce significant amounts of condensation.However, the drive of the drainage device according to the invention can also take place when the rail vehicle is stationary by means of moving air flowing onto the rotary body (e.g. air flowing onto the rail vehicle when parked).

[0016] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the invention provides for the use of a Savonius rotor with two or more blade-shaped, overlapping blades. In this way, the drive of the rotor body is independent of the direction of airflow; that is, the direction of rotation of the rotor body remains constant and independent of the respective direction of travel of the rail vehicle. Furthermore, this allows the rotor body to start even at very low airflow velocities (from approximately 2 m / min) and to stop at excessively high airflow velocities (due to the resulting turbulence on the rotor blades). The rotor can also be additionally protected against external pressure surges by a check valve in its housing.

[0017] It is within the capabilities of a person skilled in the art to adapt the basic concept of the invention to the conveying capacities required in a specific case by either modifying the number of inlet and outlet pairings or the number of hollow chambers in the impeller body, or by modifying their respective receiving volumes. However, it has proven particularly advantageous and structurally easy to implement if the sleeve has three inlets and outlets arranged at an angle of 120° to each other with respect to the central longitudinal axis of the sleeve.

[0018] The invention further relates to a rail vehicle with a drainage device, which is designed according to at least one of the aforementioned claims. In rail vehicles according to the invention, the pressure tightness of their car body cannot be impaired by either incorrect operation or malfunction of their drainage devices.

[0019] The present invention is explained in more detail below with reference to two exemplary embodiments and accompanying drawings. These show: Fig. 1a to 7: a drainage device according to the invention, each with an inlet and an outlet Fig. 8a and Fig. 8b: a drainage device according to the invention with three inlets and three outlets.

[0020] Both versions relate to drainage devices that are inserted into an opening provided for this purpose in the floor of a rail vehicle and serve to drain condensate accumulating inside the rail vehicle to the outside.

[0021] From the Fig. As can be seen in the side view of such a drainage device shown in Figure 4, the drainage device is inserted into an opening (31) in the floor (30) of a rail vehicle by means of a flange plate (15) screwed to the outside of the floor plate (30) such that the drainage device projects with a first inwardly oriented end face (10) into an interior space (32) of the rail vehicle which is delimited to the outside by the floor plate (30) and is in contact with the area outside the floor plate (30) with a second outwardly oriented end face (12) arranged in the opposite direction.

[0022] In Fig. 1a and Fig. Figure 1b shows the first embodiment of the drainage device, with an inlet and an outlet, in cross-section. The drainage device comprises a sleeve (1) which forms the outer housing of the drainage device and encloses a cylindrical interior with a central longitudinal axis (A). The drainage device further comprises a cylindrical rotating body (2) arranged in this interior of the sleeve (1), the central longitudinal axis of which is identical to the central longitudinal axis (A) of the sleeve (1) and which is rotatably mounted about this central longitudinal axis (A).

[0023] The sleeve (1) comprises an inlet (11) formed by an end-face opening (110) on the inner end face (10) of the sleeve (1) and an inner-wall opening (112) on the inner wall of the sleeve (1) oriented towards the rotating body (2), wherein the end-face opening (110) and the inner-wall opening (112) are connected by a channel. The inner-face opening (10) of the sleeve (1) is shaped in the vicinity of the end-face opening (110) such that condensed liquid on the inner surface of the vehicle floor (30) oriented towards the interior of the car body (32) can flow unimpeded under the influence of gravity towards the end-face opening (110) and thus into the inlet (11).Similarly, the sleeve (1) further comprises an outlet (13) formed by an end-face opening (130) on the outer end face (12) of the sleeve (1) and an inner-wall opening (132) on the inner wall of the sleeve (1) oriented towards the gyratory body (2), wherein the end-face opening (130) and the inner-wall opening (132) are also connected by means of a channel. The gyratory body (2) has a hollow chamber (20) which is opened towards the inner wall of the sleeve (1) by means of an opening (21) in the outer circumferential surface of the gyratory body (2).

[0024] The sleeve (1) further comprises a sealing section (14) designed as a shoulder in its interior. The gyroscope body (2) is not only rotatably mounted about the central longitudinal axis (A) with respect to the sleeve (1), but is also axially displaceable along this central longitudinal axis (A). In the Fig. In the positions shown in 1a and 1b, only gravity acts on the rotating body (2), causing it to assume a low position relative to the sleeve (1), defined by a free gap between the rotating body (2) and the sealing section (14), through which liquid can escape from the outlet (13) into the environment. In contrast, in Fig. Figure 7 shows the rotating body (2) in a position raised relative to the sleeve (1), in which the rotating body (2) is pressed axially parallel to the central longitudinal axis (A) against the sealing section (14) of the sleeve (1) by the application of an external force (pressure), and the gap between the rotating body (2) and the sleeve (1) or sealing section (14) is closed. The pressure load acting on the rail vehicle (for example, caused by an increase in ambient pressure when the rail vehicle enters a tunnel) can therefore not propagate through the drainage device into the interior of the rail vehicle.

[0025] In the Fig. Figures 2a and 2b each show a cross-section through the drainage device oriented perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis (A), wherein the Fig. 2a the first section plane “ZZ” shown is arranged somewhat closer to the first end face (10) of the sleeve (1) than the one shown in Fig. 2b shown second section plane “YY”. Here it can be seen that the inlet (11) and the outlet (13) are spaced apart from each other by a distance angle α with respect to the central longitudinal axis (A) such that the hollow chamber opening (21) of the gyratory body (2) during a rotational movement of the gyratory body (2) about the central longitudinal axis (A) is in a fluid-permeable connection exclusively with either the inner opening (112) of the inlet (11) or the inner opening (132) of the outlet (13). This is ensured if the longitudinal extent of the hollow chamber opening (21) measured in the circumferential direction on the outer circumference of the gyroscope body (2) is smaller than the arc length of the distance angle α measured on the inner circumference of the inner wall of the sleeve (1) (or the distance also measured in the circumferential direction between the inner opening (112) of the inlet and the inner opening (132) of the outlet).

[0026] In the Fig. 1a and Fig. 2a shows the drainage device in a first relative positioning of the gyratory body (2) to the sleeve (1), in which the hollow chamber opening (21) of the gyratory body (2) is open to the inner opening (112) of the inlet (11) and liquid can enter from the inlet (11) into the hollow chamber (20) of the gyratory body (2).

[0027] In the Fig. 1b and Fig. 2b shows the drainage device in a second relative positioning of the rotating body (2) to the sleeve (1), in which the hollow chamber opening (21) of the rotating body (2) is open to the inner opening (132) of the outlet (13) and liquid can flow from the hollow chamber (20) of the rotating body (2) into the outlet (13).

[0028] In this way, the rotating body (2), which rotates around its central longitudinal axis (A) during normal operation of the drainage device, transports the condensate flowing into the inlet (11) to the outlet (13) via its hollow chamber (20) during each revolution. By varying both the rotational speed and the volume of the hollow chamber (20) of the rotating body (2), the amount of liquid that can be conveyed from the interior of the rail vehicle to its external environment can be varied.

[0029] In the Fig. 3a and Fig. 3b shows the drainage device in a perspective sectional view, the representation being in accordance with Fig. 3a of the in the Fig. 1a and Fig. 2a shown the aforementioned first relative positioning of the gyroscope body (2) to the sleeve (1) and the representation according to Fig. 3b of the in the Fig. 1b and Fig. 2b corresponds to the aforementioned second relative positioning of the gyroscope body (2) to the sleeve (1).

[0030] Fig. Figure 5 shows the drainage device in a perspective view from the interior of the rail vehicle to be drained, whereby the floor (30) of the rail vehicle, which would actually cover the flange plate (15), is not shown for the sake of clarity. Furthermore, the inwardly oriented end face (10) of the sleeve (1) with the end-face opening (110) of the inlet (11) is visible.

[0031] Fig. Figure 6 shows the drainage device in a perspective view opposite to this one, looking from the outlet, where the vanes (22) formed on the outer end face of the rotating body (2) are visible. By means of an airflow, for example during the movement of the rail vehicle, these vanes are set into a rotational movement about the central longitudinal axis (A) and thus drive the rotating body (2) which is rotatably mounted in the sleeve (1) about the central longitudinal axis (A). This eliminates the need for a motor drive for the drainage device.

[0032] In the Fig. Figures 8a and 8b show a second embodiment of the drainage device according to the invention, with three inlets (11) and three outlets (13) in the area of ​​the sleeve (1) and three hollow chambers (20) in the area of ​​the rotating body (2), respectively. Otherwise, the Fig. 8a and Fig. 8b the illustrations for the first embodiment of the drainage device according to the invention in Fig. 2a and Fig. 2b. Only the magnitude of the angle of separation (α) between an inlet (11) and the corresponding outlet (13) is reduced by one-third compared to the aforementioned first embodiment. A drainage device modified in this way enables more continuous conveying operation, since the quantity of liquid to be conveyed per revolution of the impeller is distributed across a plurality of smaller partial conveying processes, the time intervals between which are correspondingly shortened. Reference symbol list: 1 sleeve 10 first end face of the sleeve (1) 11 Entrance 110 Front opening of the inlet (11) 112 Interior opening of the inlet (11) 12 second end face of the sleeve (1) 13 Exit 130 Front opening of the outlet (13) 132 Interior opening of the outlet (13) 14 Sealing section 15 Flange plate 2 gyroscopes 20 Hollow chamber of the gyroscope body (2) 21 Hollow chamber opening 22 Drive vanes of the gyroscope body (2) 30 Floor of a rail vehicle 31 Opening in the ground (100) 32 Interior of the rail vehicle A Central longitudinal axis α Angle of distance between inlet (11) and outlet (13) QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] EP 2 789 529 A1

[0005]

Claims

[1] Drainage device for a floor (30) of a rail vehicle, which has an outer housing designed as a sleeve (1) which can be inserted into an opening (31) in the floor (30) of the rail vehicle, characterized by , that ▪ the dewatering device further comprises a cylindrical rotary body (2) which is arranged in the interior of the sleeve (1) enclosed by the sleeve (1) and is rotatably mounted therein about the central longitudinal axis (A) of the sleeve (1) and whose outer diameter corresponds to the inner diameter of the sleeve (1), ▪ the sleeve (1) has at least one inlet (11) on a first end face (10) and at least one outlet (13) on the second end face (12) opposite the first end face (10), ▪ wherein each inlet (11) and each outlet (13) each form both a first end face opening (110, 130) oriented towards the respective end face (10, 12) of the sleeve (1) and a second interior opening (112, 132) oriented towards the inner wall of the sleeve (1) oriented towards the rotor body (2), wherein the end face opening and the interior opening of each inlet (11) or each outlet (13) are connected to one another in a fluid-permeable manner, ▪ the gyro body (2) has at least one hollow chamber (20) which is open to form a hollow chamber opening (21) in the outer circumferential surface of the gyro body (2) oriented towards the sleeve (1), ▪ wherein the at least one inlet (11) and the at least one outlet (13) are arranged offset from one another in the sleeve (1) by such an angle of rotation (α) with respect to the central longitudinal axis (A) of the sleeve (1) that the hollow chamber opening (21) of the rotor body (2) is in a fluid-permeable connection exclusively with the interior opening (112) of the inlet (11) in a first relative positioning of the rotor body (2) with respect to the sleeve (1) and exclusively with the interior opening (132) of the outlet (13) in a second relative positioning of the rotor body (2) with respect to the sleeve (1) rotated about the central longitudinal axis (A). [2] Drainage device according to claim 1, characterized by that the gyro body (2) is mounted in the sleeve (1) so as to be longitudinally displaceable along the central longitudinal axis (A) of the sleeve (1). [3] Drainage device according to claim 2, characterized bythat the gyratory body (2) is guided displaceably in the sleeve (1) between a first position and a second position in such a way that the gyratory body (2) in the first position comes into contact with a sealing section (14) of the sleeve (1) in such a way that the drainage device is closed off from external pressure. [4] Drainage device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by that the gyro body (2) can be driven in rotation by incoming air by means of an arrangement of several blades (22) connected to the gyro body (2). [5] Drainage device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by that the sleeve (1) has three inlets (11) and outlets (13) arranged at an intermediate angle of 120° with respect to the central longitudinal axis (A) of the sleeve (1). [6] Rail vehicle with a drainage device according to one of claims 1 to 5.

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