Retrofittable air curtain for a rail vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a retrofittable air curtain (3, 3´, 3´´) for a rail vehicle (12). The retrofittable air curtain (3, 3´, 3´´) has an electrical fan unit (8) that is separate from an air-conditioning system (13) of the rail vehicle (12) for drawing in air (KL, WL) from the interior (7) of the rail vehicle (12). Also forming part of the retrofittable air curtain (3, 3´, 3´´) is a fan outlet (6), installed in the side region (4) of an entrance and exit region (1) of the rail vehicle (12) and having an air control unit (5) for setting the air flow direction of the air (GL) flowing out from the fan outlet (6). In addition, the retrofittable air curtain (3, 3´, 3´´) comprises a transfer line (9) between the fan outlet (6) and the electrical fan unit (8). A method is described for operating a retrofittable air curtain (3, 3´, 3´´) for a rail vehicle (12). A rail vehicle (12) is also described.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a retrofittable air curtain for a rail vehicle. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for operating a retrofittable air curtain. Moreover, the invention relates to a rail vehicle.

[0002] Such a retrofittable air curtain is known, for example, from document JP S52 130 813 U.

[0003] Rail vehicles are exposed to widely varying temperatures during operation. Due to the large window panes, a greenhouse effect occurs in the interior, particularly in the passenger area. Without countermeasures, this would lead to extremely high temperatures inside the vehicle, especially during strong sunlight and high outside temperatures. To provide passengers with comfortable temperatures regardless of the season, air conditioning systems are typically used. These systems cool the interior air when outside temperatures are high and heat it when outside temperatures are low.

[0004] Especially on short-distance routes, train stops frequently, during which the doors in the passenger area are opened. If the interior temperature differs from the exterior temperature, this temperature difference creates a temperature gradient when the door is open, causing an airflow between the interior and the outside environment of the train. At higher outside temperatures, this airflow consists of a cold airflow out of the train and a warm airflow into it, and at lower outside temperatures, a corresponding warm airflow out of the train and a cold airflow into it. The air exchange, particularly at higher outside temperatures, conventionally leads to increased energy consumption by the train's air conditioning system to compensate for the loss of cooled air in the passenger area.

[0005] In stationary systems, such as department stores, air curtains are already used at the entrances to keep the conditioned air inside. Often, air from the store's ventilation or air conditioning system is used to operate such a system. However, in rail vehicles, connecting an air curtain to the air conditioning system would require complex modifications and would therefore pose a particular obstacle to retrofitting existing rail vehicles. Furthermore, direct access to the air conditioning system would reduce its performance during door openings if some of the air conditioning's fan power were diverted to the air curtain.

[0006] The task is therefore to reduce the energy consumption for air conditioning in the interior of rail vehicles, including existing rail vehicles, compared to the energy consumption of conventional air conditioning systems in rail vehicles.

[0007] This problem is solved by a retrofittable air curtain for a rail vehicle according to claim 1, a method for operating an air curtain according to claim 10 and a rail vehicle according to claim 11.

[0008] The retrofittable air curtain according to the invention features an electric blower unit for drawing in air, separate from the air conditioning system of a rail vehicle. An air curtain, also known as a gate air curtain, door air curtain, or air barrier system, is a device that, at frequently opened doors, uses powerful blowers to separate differently conditioned air masses by means of a barrier of flowing air, thus preventing or at least significantly reducing their exchange. This barrier comprises a directed airflow that circulates between the outlet and intake openings of the air curtain. Preferably, air is drawn in from the interior of the rail vehicle, as this air is then pre-conditioned.

[0009] This means the air is already cooled by the air conditioning system and has a relatively low CO₂ content, as the air conditioning system ensures sufficient air circulation between the outside environment and the interior. A blower unit is defined as a unit for drawing in air, preferably from the vicinity of the blower unit or from the vicinity of an inlet of the blower unit, and for conveying the drawn-in air. Part of the retrofittable air curtain is also a blower outlet located in the side area of ​​an entrance / exit area near a passenger door of the rail vehicle. This outlet includes an air guide unit for determining the direction of the airflow from the blower outlet. To determine the direction of the airflow, the air guide unit comprises air guide elements whose spatial arrangement restricts or directs the airflow to a desired direction.The side area is defined as the area to the right and left of a recess formed by the passenger door opening. Figuratively speaking, this is the area where the side panel of the door frame is located and the side area of ​​the associated entrance and exit area of ​​the rail vehicle runs. This side area is usually fitted with panels and forms the side part of the door frame, but typically extends further into the interior of the rail vehicle. The existing panels in the entrance and exit area can advantageously be used to accommodate the blower outlet, particularly one or more air outlets encompassed by the blower outlet.Preferably, the blower outlet includes air outlets on both sides of the inlet and outlet area, so that the partial flows of the air flowing laterally from the air outlets combine to form a total flow which, since the two transverse components of the two partial flows ideally cancel each other out, is perpendicular to the door opening. . The airflow flows in the exact opposite direction to the restrictive airflow. Due to the lateral arrangement of the blower outlet, the airflow direction of the partial flows is preferably oriented horizontally and diagonally to the door and the entry / exit direction. The resulting overall airflow, however, is directed parallel to the entry / exit direction and vertically to the door opening.

[0010] Furthermore, the retrofittable air curtain includes a transmission line between the blower outlet and the electric blower unit. By using its own blower unit, the air curtain according to the invention can be installed independently of a rail vehicle's air conditioning system. In particular, the installation does not need to take into account the technical features of the rail vehicle's air conditioning system, as the air curtain is installed completely independently of the air conditioning system's technical components. Advantageously, this independence of the air curtain also means that the capacity of the air conditioning system's fan or blower is not reduced or impaired. This means that the full capacity of the air conditioning system remains available for cooling the rail vehicle's interior. By using a separate blower unit and thus an additional, separate airflow, the overall performance is reduced.Air conditioning performance is increased during simultaneous operation of both systems in the passenger compartment. Since the airflow direction of the air exiting the blower outlet is adjustable and fixed via the air guide unit, it is possible to counteract the airflow that occurs when the passenger door opens between the external environment of the rail vehicle and the passenger compartment, thus providing thermal insulation for the interior. This thermal insulation prevents a sharp increase in the power consumption of the rail vehicle's air conditioning system when the passenger door is opened. In particular, higher operating states of the air conditioning system are only reached at higher outside temperatures than would be the case without the retrofittable air curtain. Consequently, the energy consumption of the rail vehicle's air conditioning system is reduced, and wear-inducing peak loads during operation are avoided.Since the separate electric blower unit draws air from the interior, the CO2 content in the interior is reduced because the air conditioning system supplies air with a lower CO2 content from the outside environment of the rail vehicle.

[0011] In the inventive method for operating a retrofittable air curtain for a rail vehicle, an electric blower unit, separate from the rail vehicle's air conditioning system, is started to draw air from the interior. The air is then transferred via a transmission line between the electric blower unit and a blower outlet located in the side area near a passenger door or in the side area of ​​an entrance / exit area of ​​the rail vehicle that is closed off by the passenger door. This blower outlet includes an air guide unit for determining the direction of airflow. Finally, the air is discharged from the blower outlet in the determined airflow direction. The inventive method shares the advantages of the inventive air curtain.

[0012] According to the invention, the blower unit is controlled by a door opening signal and / or by a temperature difference between the external environment of the rail vehicle and the interior. As will be explained in detail later, synchronizing the activity of the blower unit with the opening of the passenger door advantageously saves energy for the operation of the air curtain. The activity of the blower unit can also be advantageously limited to situations in which there is a significant difference between the outside temperature of the external environment of the rail vehicle and the inside temperature of the passenger area. In this context, "control" means that the operation of the blower unit is started when the passenger door is opened and the operation of the blower unit is stopped when the passenger door is closed.Preferably, the blower unit is only started if there is a sufficient temperature difference between the external environment and the interior or passenger area of ​​the rail vehicle, so that operating the blower unit is also worthwhile from an energy perspective.

[0013] Furthermore, depending on the temperature difference between the external environment of the rail vehicle and the interior, the blower outlet can be controlled to adjust the airflow direction. As explained in detail later, the blower outlet can comprise two differently positioned air outlets. Particularly preferably, the blower outlet comprises two air outlets arranged one above the other, most preferably a floor-level air outlet and a ceiling-level air outlet. That is, one of the two superimposed air outlets, the floor-level air outlet, is located closer to the floor of the rail vehicle's interior, and the ceiling-level air outlet is located closer to the ceiling of the rail vehicle's interior. Preferably, both air outlets cover approximately half the interior height of the rail vehicle.

[0014] In such a scenario, the air outlet near the floor or the air outlet near the ceiling is preferably activated or deactivated depending on the temperature difference between the external environment of the rail vehicle and the interior of the rail vehicle. Advantageously, at high outside temperatures, cooled interior air can be blown against the relatively dense interior air flowing out at floor level via the air outlet near the floor, and at low outside temperatures, warm interior air can be blown against the relatively lighter warm interior air flowing out at the ceiling level via the air outlet near the ceiling.

[0015] Furthermore, the airflow directions of the floor-level and ceiling-level air outlets can be adjusted depending on the temperature difference between the outside environment and the interior of the rail vehicle. Advantageously, at higher outside temperatures, warm outside air can be blown against the incoming warm outside air via the ceiling-level air outlet, and cold inside air can be blown against the outgoing cold inside air via the floor-level air outlet. Conversely, at lower outside temperatures, warm inside air can be blown against the outgoing warm inside air via the ceiling-level air outlet, and cold outside air can be blown against the incoming cold outside air via the floor-level air outlet. Consequently, the thermal insulation effect of the air curtain is further enhanced when the passenger door is open due to the doubled number of counter-flows directed in different directions.

[0016] The rail vehicle according to the invention has an air conditioning system for climate control of the interior of the rail vehicle and an air curtain according to the invention (retrofittable or retrofitted). The rail vehicle according to the invention shares the advantages of the air curtain according to the invention.

[0017] Some of the aforementioned technical functions of the air curtain according to the invention can be implemented wholly or partially in the form of software modules in a processor of a corresponding computer system, e.g., a control unit of a rail vehicle. A largely software-based implementation has the advantage that even previously used computer systems can be easily retrofitted by means of a software update to operate in the manner of the invention.Therefore, the problem is also solved, with the addition of additional hardware such as a blower unit, a transmission line, and a blower output, by a corresponding computer program product with a computer program that can be directly loaded into a computer system, containing program sections to execute the steps of the method according to the invention, at least those steps executable by a computer, in particular the steps for controlling the blower unit and the blower output. In addition to the computer program, such a computer program product may optionally include additional components, such as documentation, and / or additional components, including hardware components, such as hardware keys (dongles, etc.) for using the software.

[0018] For transport to and / or storage on or in the computer system or control unit, a computer-readable medium, such as a memory stick, a hard drive, or other portable or permanently installed data carrier, can be used. This medium stores the program sections of the computer program that can be read and executed by a computer system. The computer system may, for example, include one or more cooperating microprocessors or similar components.

[0019] The dependent claims and the subsequent description each contain particularly advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention. In particular, the claims of one claim category may also be further developed analogously to the dependent claims of another claim category and their descriptive parts. Furthermore, within the scope of the invention, the various features of different embodiments and claims may also be combined to form new embodiments.

[0020] Preferably, the blower outlet of the retrofittable air curtain according to the invention is arranged in the lower part of the side area of ​​a passenger door area or entrance and exit area of ​​the rail vehicle. Advantageously, with a blower outlet arranged near the floor, cool interior air flowing towards the outlet can be retained when the outside temperature is high. Conversely, when the outside temperature is low and the direction of the counter-airflow changes, cold outside air, which also flows primarily near the floor into the interior, can be retained before it enters the interior.

[0021] Preferably, the air guidance unit is designed to direct the airflow of the retrofittable air curtain according to the invention towards the interior. Advantageously, this prevents the outflow of cooled air at high outside temperatures and the outflow of warm air at low outside temperatures. This dual effect is achieved particularly when the air outlets of the blower outlet extend over the entire interior height or at least a significant portion thereof, and both the flow of warm air in the upper part of the inlet and outlet area and the flow of cold air in the lower part of the inlet and outlet area can be inhibited. The air guidance unit preferably includes a flexibly adjustable air guide grille. The adjustable air guide grille is aligned such that the airflow from the blower outlet is directed in a predetermined direction.Advantageously, the airflow direction can be adjusted to different outside temperatures. An air guide grille has a grid-like or louvered air-permeable structure, with which a desired airflow direction can be set, depending on the grille's or louver's configuration. Preferably, the adjustable air guide grille is oriented such that the airflow is directed inwards. As already mentioned, this orientation of the air guide grille advantageously prevents cooled air from escaping the interior of a rail vehicle at high outside temperatures and warm air from escaping at low outside temperatures.

[0022] According to the invention, the retrofittable air curtain comprises a control unit which is designed to control the following functional units: the blower unit, the blower outlet.

[0023] In the context of the blower unit, "controlling" means starting or stopping its operation. In the context of the blower outlet, "controlling" means controlling the airflow. For example, setting the airflow direction.

[0024] Advantageously, the individual functional units can be adapted in their behavior to changing environmental conditions by means of the control system, so that the air curtain according to the invention can be used flexibly and effectively.

[0025] The control unit of the retrofittable air curtain according to the invention is particularly preferably configured to control the blower unit depending on a door opening signal. Advantageously, the blower is only operated when a passenger door is open. Therefore, the air curtain can be operated in a particularly energy-efficient manner.

[0026] The control unit of the retrofittable air curtain according to the invention is particularly preferably configured to control the blower unit depending on a temperature difference between the external environment of the rail vehicle and the interior. Advantageously, the operation of the blower can be limited to scenarios in which energy can be saved by operating the air curtain due to a significant temperature difference between the interior and the external environment.

[0027] In a variant of the retrofittable air curtain according to the invention that is particularly suitable for different outside temperatures, the blower outlet has two air outlets arranged one above the other, a floor-level air outlet and a ceiling-level air outlet, and the control unit is designed to activate or deactivate the floor-level air outlet or the ceiling-level air outlet depending on a temperature difference between the outside environment of the rail vehicle and the interior.

[0028] This variant can be particularly advantageous when the floor-level or ceiling-level air outlet is activated or deactivated depending on a temperature difference between the external environment of the rail vehicle and the interior. Advantageously, at high outside temperatures, cooled interior air can be blown against the outgoing cooled interior air via the floor-level air outlet, and at low outside temperatures, warm interior air can be blown against the outgoing warm interior air via the ceiling-level air outlet.

[0029] To further improve the air curtain according to the invention, the control unit of the retrofittable air curtain according to the invention can be designed to adjust the airflow directions of the floor-level air outlet and the ceiling-level air outlet depending on a temperature difference between the external environment of the rail vehicle and the interior.

[0030] Advantageously, when outside temperatures are high, warm outside air can be blown against the incoming warm outside air through the ceiling-mounted air outlet, and cold inside air can be blown against the outgoing cold inside air through the floor-mounted air outlet. Conversely, when outside temperatures are low, warm inside air can be blown against the outgoing warm inside air through the ceiling-mounted air outlet, and cold outside air can be blown against the incoming cold outside air through the floor-mounted air outlet. This further enhances the thermal insulation effect of the air curtain when the passenger door is open.

[0031] To generate such counter-air currents with different temperatures, the separate electric blower unit of the retrofittable air curtain according to the invention has a first and a second separate blower. The first separate blower is designed to draw in air from the interior of the rail vehicle, and the second separate blower is designed to draw in air from the external environment of the rail vehicle.

[0032] To direct the differently tempered airflows to the desired positions or air outlets, the control unit of the retrofittable air curtain according to the invention is configured to connect the first separate blower to the floor-level air outlet and the second separate blower to the ceiling-level air outlet, depending on a temperature difference. This is advantageous at high outside temperatures when warm air is drawn in from the environment and cold air is drawn in from the passenger compartment. Conversely, it connects the first separate blower to the ceiling-level air outlet and the second separate blower to the floor-level air outlet, which is advantageous at low outside temperatures when warm air is drawn in from the passenger compartment and cold air is drawn in from the environment. The opposing airflows acting in both directions are advantageously used to...The increase in the number of effective counter-air flows and the use of outside air to generate a counter-flow against air flowing into the interior from the outside further improves the energy-saving effectiveness of the retrofittable air curtain according to the invention.

[0033] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying figures and exemplary embodiments. The figures show: FIG 1 A cross-sectional view of an entrance and exit area of ​​a rail vehicle to illustrate the air circulation when a passenger door is opened in this area. FIG 2 a perspective view of an entrance and exit area of ​​a rail vehicle with the door open and a retrofittable air curtain according to an embodiment of the invention, FIG 3 a sectional view from above of a retrofittable air curtain according to an embodiment of the invention, FIG 4 a flowchart illustrating a method for operating a retrofittable air curtain for a rail vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention, FIG 5 a rail vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention, FIG 6 an air curtain suitable for operation at high and low outdoor temperatures, FIG 7 an air curtain with air outlets featuring flexibly adjustable and controllable air guide grilles.

[0034] In FIG 1 is a cross-sectional view of an entrance and exit area 1 of a rail vehicle to illustrate the air circulation when a passenger door 2 is opened (see FIG 2 ) (in FIG 1 Only the interior trim 4, or the side area 4 of the passenger door 2, or of the entrance and exit area 1 covered by the passenger door 2 when closed, is shown in this area 1. If the passenger area in the rail vehicle is cooled by an air conditioning system at higher outside temperatures, cooled air KL flows out of the passenger area, and thus also out of the entrance and exit area 1 of the rail vehicle, when the passenger door 2 is open, and warm air WL flows from the surroundings U of the rail vehicle into the entrance and exit area 1 and then into the passenger area of ​​the rail vehicle. Since warm air WL is lighter than cooled air KL, at elevated outside temperatures the warm air WL from the surroundings U flows into the passenger area in the upper part of the entrance and exit area 1, and the cooled air KL flows out of the passenger area in the lower part of the entrance and exit area 1.As a result of the air exchange, there is a net heat flow into the passenger area, which is conventionally compensated by a temporary increase in the performance of the air conditioning system in the passenger area of ​​the rail vehicle.

[0035] In FIG 2 is a perspective view of what is already in FIG 1 The illustration shows the entrance and exit area 1 of a rail vehicle with the passenger door 2 open, equipped with a retrofittable air curtain 3 according to an embodiment of the invention. The air curtain 3 comprises a blower outlet 6. This blower outlet 6 includes two air outlets 6a extending vertically on both sides of the interior paneling 4 in the door area. Each air outlet 6a comprises an air guide unit 5. Each air guide unit 5 comprises an air guide grille 5a. The air guide grilles 5a comprise adjustable surface elements between which the air can flow in the direction of the surface elements' orientation. The air guide grilles 5a are then aligned so that the air GL flowing out of the air outlets 6a flows into a passenger area 7 or interior space adjoining the entrance and exit area 1.The air outlets 6a are located in the lower section of the entrance and exit area 1, so that the inward airflow GL from the air outlets 6a opposes the outward flow of cooled air KL from the passenger compartment 7. The inward airflow GL from the air outlets 6a in the lower section of the entrance and exit area 1 thus forms a counterflow to the outward flow of cooled air KL. In this way, the outward flow of cooled air KL from the passenger compartment 7 is inhibited, thereby reducing the heat energy input into the rail vehicle compared to an arrangement without a counterflow. The counterflow must be sufficiently cooled to prevent the interior air from warming up. For this purpose, the air for the counterflow can be drawn from the interior, i.e., the passenger compartment 7 of the rail vehicle.Since the interior is air-conditioned, the air drawn from it is also sufficiently cooled. In . FIG 2 A section line is shown with dashed lines and two Roman numerals "III" at the ends. A horizontal cut along the section line yields the image of... FIG 3 . When cut vertically along the axis of intersection, the following image is obtained: FIG 1 .

[0036] In FIG 3 Figure 1 shows a sectional view from above of a retrofittable air curtain 3 according to an embodiment of the invention. The air curtain 3 has an electric blower unit 8 which is located in FIG 3 The blower unit 8 draws in cooled air KL from the passenger compartment 7 and conveys the cooled air KL through a hose-like transmission line 9 to the air outlets 6a of the air curtain 10 in the interior paneling 4, located to the right and left of the entrance and exit areas, respectively. The air outlets 6a feature the design already described in connection with FIG 2 explained air guide grilles 5a, which are oriented inwards at an angle α to the plane of the inner lining 4. As already mentioned in connection with FIG 2 As explained, at elevated outside temperatures, the counter-flow of air GL flowing out of the air outlets 6a, thus creating a counter-flow, opposes the airflow KL of cooled air flowing from the passenger area towards the exit and thus inhibits the transfer of heat energy into the interior of the rail vehicle. The blower unit 8 is switched on and off by a control unit 11, shown schematically on the right-hand side of the image, via a control signal S. The control signal S is sent when the control unit 11 receives a control signal AS (see FIG 4 ) in the form of a door opening or closing signal and simultaneously a minimum temperature difference, for example 10 Kelvin, is measured between the external environment U of the rail vehicle and the passenger area 7. The air curtain 3 is therefore only activated if a sufficient temperature difference occurs and the passenger door 2 (see FIG 2 ) is also open.

[0037] In FIG 4 is a flowchart 400, which describes a method for operating a retrofittable air curtain 3 (see FIG 3 ) for a rail vehicle 12 (see FIG 5 ) illustrated, shown.

[0038] In step 4.I, a passenger door 2 is activated (see FIG 2 ) of a rail vehicle 12 by a control signal AS to open the passenger door 2.

[0039] In step 4.II, it is determined whether the temperature difference ΔT between the external environment of the rail vehicle 12 and the passenger compartment 7 of the rail vehicle 12 exceeds a predetermined value SW. If the predetermined value SW is exceeded, which occurs in FIG 4 If the value is marked with "y", the process proceeds to step 4.III. If the predetermined value is not exceeded, which occurs in FIG 4 If marked with "n", the procedure is terminated at step 4.IV.

[0040] In step 4.III, in response to the door opening, a separate electric blower unit 8, independent of the air conditioning system of the rail vehicle 12, is started to draw air from the interior or passenger area 7 of the rail vehicle 12. For this purpose, the electric blower unit 8 is controlled by a control signal S.

[0041] The electric blower unit 8 transports the aspirated air in step 4.V through a transmission line between the electric blower unit 8 and a blower outlet 6 located in the side area of ​​an inlet and outlet area 1 of the rail vehicle 12, which has an air guide unit 5, in particular with an air guide grid 5a, for determining the airflow direction of the air GL flowing out of the blower outlet 6.

[0042] In step 4.VI, the air GL flowing out of the blower outlet 6 is directed diagonally towards the wall cladding or interior cladding 4 of the entrance and exit area 1 from the blower outlet 6 into the entrance and exit area 1 of the rail vehicle and is directed towards a stream of cooled air KL flowing out of the interior of the rail vehicle 12.

[0043] In FIG 5 A rail vehicle 12 according to an embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

[0044] The in FIG 5 The rail vehicle 12 shown has a passenger area 7 (shown with dashed lines). The passenger area 7 comprises an entrance and exit area 1 (also shown with dashed lines), which is accessible from the outside via a passenger door 2. The rail vehicle 12 also includes an air curtain 3, which has a similar structure to the one shown in FIG 3 The air curtain 3 shown is a component of the vehicle. The air curtain 3 includes a blower unit 8, which is located on the left side of the passenger compartment 7 and draws in cooled air KL from the passenger compartment 7 when outside temperatures are high. The cooled air KL is transported via the transmission lines 9 to air outlets 6a of the air curtain 3, which are located on both sides of the entrance and exit area 1. There, the cooled air KL forms a counter-flow of air GL flowing out of the air outlets 6a, which, when the passenger door 2 is open, prevents or at least inhibits the flow of cooled air KL out of the entrance and exit area 1. The rail vehicle 12 also includes an air conditioning system 13, which generates the cooled air KL present in the passenger compartment 7.

[0045] In FIG 6 An air curtain 3' is shown, which is suitable for operation both in summer at elevated outside temperatures and in winter at particularly low outside temperatures. Unlike the one in FIG 3 The air curtain shown in 3 includes the one in FIG 6 The air curtain 3' shown comprises two superimposed air outlets 6a, 6b in the interior lining 4 of the door area in the entrance and exit area 1. In summer, or at elevated outside temperatures, the lower air outlet 6a is used to reduce the outflow of cooled air from the passenger compartment 7, which flows primarily from the interior of the rail vehicle near the floor. The upper air outlet 6b, on the other hand, remains unused or switched off at elevated outside temperatures in summer. In winter, i.e., at low outside temperatures, the upper air outlet 6b is used to prevent the outflow of warm air from the passenger compartment 7, which flows primarily from the area near the ceiling of the rail vehicle. For this reason, the lower air outlet 6a remains unused or switched off in winter at low outside temperatures.

[0046] In FIG 7 An air curtain 3" is shown, which corresponds to the one in FIG 6 The air curtain 3' shown is similar with respect to the arrangement of the air outlets 6a, 6b. Unlike the arrangement in FIG 6 The position of the air guide grilles 5a and the temperature of the air drawn in by the blower unit 8 are determined by the arrangement in FIG 7 The temperature difference ΔT between the passenger compartment 7 and the external environment of the rail vehicle is set via the control unit 11. For this purpose, the blower unit 8 has, in addition to an air inlet in the passenger compartment, an air inlet to the external environment (not shown) and two separate blowers 8a and 8b each for the interior and exterior air.

[0047] At elevated outside temperatures, particularly in summer, the air guide grilles 5a of the lower air outlet 6a (or floor-level air outlet) are adjusted so that the air flowing out of the lower air outlet 6a, in this case cooled air, flows inwards into the passenger compartment 7. For this purpose, the lower air outlet 6a is supplied with cooled air from the passenger compartment 7 by the blower unit 8 via a first blower 8a. The air guide grilles 5a of the upper air outlet 6b (or ceiling-level air outlet) are adjusted in the opposite direction, so that warm outside air, in this case warm outside air, flows out of the upper air outlet 6b towards the outside environment U, thus preventing warm outside air from entering the vehicle in summer or at elevated outside temperatures. For this purpose, the blower unit 8 draws in warm air from the external environment U of the rail vehicle via a second blower 8b.

[0048] At low outside temperatures, especially in winter, the air guide grilles 5a of the lower air outlet 6a are adjusted so that the air flowing out of the lower air outlet 6a, in this case cold outside air, flows towards the outside or external environment U to prevent the inflow of cold outside air. For this purpose, the blower unit 8 draws in cold air from the external environment U of the rail vehicle via the second blower 8b.

[0049] The air guide grilles 5a of the upper air outlet 6b are adjusted in the opposite direction to the air guide grilles 5a of the lower air outlet 6a, so that warm air from the passenger compartment 7 (see figure) is drawn from the upper air outlet 6b. FIG 3 ), towards the interior, i.e., out of passenger compartment 7, thus preventing warm air from escaping passenger compartment 7. For this purpose, the blower unit 8 draws warm air from passenger compartment 7 of the rail vehicle via the first blower 8b.

[0050] The blower unit 8 and the air outlets 6a, 6b are controlled via the in FIG 7 Control unit 11 shown on the right.

[0051] Finally, it should be noted once again that the methods and devices described above are merely preferred embodiments of the invention and that the invention can be varied by a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. For the sake of completeness, it should also be noted that the use of the indefinite articles "a" or "an" does not preclude the possibility that the features in question may be present multiple times. Likewise, the term "unit" does not preclude the possibility that it consists of several components, which may also be spatially distributed.

Claims

1. Retrofittable air curtain (3, 3', 3'') for a rail vehicle (12), having: - an electrical fan unit (8), separate to an air conditioning system (13) of the rail vehicle (12), for drawing in air (KL, WL), - a fan output (6), which is intended to be set up in the lateral region (4) of an input and output region (1) of the rail vehicle (12), with an air guiding unit (5) for defining an air flow direction of the air (GL) flowing out of the fan output (6), - a transfer line (9) between the fan output (6) and the electrical fan unit (8), characterised in that the retrofittable air curtain (3, 3', 3") has a control unit (11) for controlling the following functional units: - the electrical fan unit (8), - the fan output (6).

2. Retrofittable air curtain according to claim 1, wherein the separate electrical fan unit (8) is embodied to draw in air (KL, WL) from the interior space (7) of the rail vehicle (12).

3. Retrofittable air curtain according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fan output (6) is arranged in the lower sub region of the lateral region (4) of the entry and exit region (1) of the rail vehicle (12).

4. Retrofittable air curtain according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the air guiding unit (5) is embodied to align the air guiding direction toward the interior space (7) of the rail vehicle (12).

5. Retrofittable air curtain according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the air guiding unit (5) comprises a directable air guiding mesh (5a).

6. Retrofittable air curtain according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (11) is set up - to control the electrical fan unit (8) as a function of a door opening signal (AS), and / or - to control the electrical fan unit (8) as a function of a temperature difference (ΔT) between the outer environment (U) of the rail vehicle (12) and the interior space (7).

7. Retrofittable air curtain according to claim 6, wherein - the fan output (6) has two air outlets (6a, 6b) arranged one above the other, an air outlet (6a) close to the floor and an air outlet (6b) close to the ceiling, and - the control unit (11) is set up to activate or deactivate the air outlet (6a) close to the floor or the air outlet (6a) close to the ceiling as a function of a temperature difference (ΔT) between the outer environment (U) of the rail vehicle (12) and the interior space (7).

8. Retrofittable air curtain according to claim 7, wherein the control unit (11) is embodied to adjust the air guiding directions of the air (GL) flowing out of the air outlet (6a) close to the floor and the air (GL) flowing out of the air outlet (6b) close to the ceiling as a function of a temperature difference (ΔT) between the outer environment (U) of the rail vehicle (12) and the interior space (7).

9. Retrofittable air curtain according to claim 8, wherein - the separate electrical fan unit (8) has a first and a second separate fan (8a, 8b), - the first separate fan (8a) is embodied to draw in air (KL, WL) from the interior space (7) of the rail vehicle (12), - the second separate fan (8b) is embodied to draw in air (WL, KL) from the outer environment of the rail vehicle (12) and - the control unit (11) is set up, as a function of a temperature difference (ΔT) between the outer environment (U) of the rail vehicle (12) and the interior space (7) - to connect the first separate fan (8a) to the air outlet (6a) close to the floor and the second separate fan (8b) to the air outlet (6b) close to the ceiling or vice versa - to connect the first separate fan (8a) to the air outlet (6b) close to the ceiling and the second separate fan (8b) to the air outlet (6a) close to the floor.

10. Method for operating a retrofittable air curtain (3, 3', 3") for a rail vehicle (12), having the steps: - starting an electrical fan unit (8), separate to an air conditioning unit (13) of the rail vehicle (12), for drawing in air (KL, WL) from the interior space (7) of the rail vehicle, - transferring the air (KL, WL) through a transfer line (9) between the electrical fan unit (8) and a fan output (6) set up in the lateral region (4) of an entry and exit region (1) of the rail vehicle (12) with an air guiding unit (5) for defining the air flow direction of the air (GL) flowing out of the fan output (6), - leading the air (GL) out of the fan output (6) in the defined air flow direction, - controlling the electrical fan unit (8) as a function of a door opening signal (AS) and / or as a function of a temperature difference (ΔT) between the outer environment (U) of the rail vehicle (12) and the interior space (7) and - as a function of the temperature difference (ΔT) between the outer environment (U) of the rail vehicle (12) and the interior space (7), activating the fan output (6) in order to adjust the air guiding direction.

11. Rail vehicle (12), having - an air conditioning unit (13) for climate control of an interior space (7) of the rail vehicle (12), - an air curtain (3, 3', 3") according to one of claims 1 to 9.

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