Rail vehicle car, rail train comprising such a car

Abstract

Rail vehicle car, rail convoy comprising such a car This rail car is configured to be coupled to a locomotive, in particular an electric traction locomotive and comprises an electrical power supply device configured to electrically power said locomotive. The rail car (6) comprises an auxiliary traction device (22) comprising an electric traction motor coupled to an axle of the car and a braking device coupled to an axle of the car, the auxiliary traction device being electrically powered by the electrical power supply device and being controllable independently of the locomotive. Figure for abstract: 1

Description

Title of the invention: Railway vehicle carriage, railway convoy comprising such a carriage

[0001] The present invention relates to a railway vehicle car and a railway train comprising this railway vehicle car.

[0002] The invention relates more generally to the field of rail transport.

[0003] Locomotives, particularly electric traction locomotives, have long been used to haul railway trains.

[0004] In some cases, a railway car, such as a tender, comprising means for storing and / or producing electricity, may be coupled to the locomotive to provide it with the electrical power necessary for its operation.

[0005] This allows the locomotive to operate in an area without overhead lines or any other external electrical power supply device.

[0006] This is also of interest when a locomotive, for example a thermally powered locomotive (for example equipped with a diesel engine), temporarily needs an ecological mode of propulsion, for example to travel in an area where exhaust gas emissions and / or noise emissions are regulated.

[0007] This is also of interest for temporarily towing a broken-down locomotive.

[0008] A problem arises when a railway convoy thus formed has to change direction of travel and the locomotive has to be replaced at the opposite end of the convoy, for example because the railway convoy is not configured to travel reversibly.

[0009] For safety and regulatory reasons, the tender must be placed behind the locomotive. A change in the direction of travel of the convoy therefore requires detaching the locomotive from the tender, and then replacing them in the correct order at the opposite end of the convoy.

[0010] When the turning maneuver takes place in an area without overhead lines, the locomotive cannot be separated from the tender, because otherwise it could no longer be supplied with electricity and therefore could no longer move.

[0011] The use of a shunter to move the locomotive and the tender wagon individually remains a restrictive solution in terms of operating costs and lost time and must therefore be avoided.

[0012] It is these drawbacks that the invention more particularly intends to remedy by proposing a railway vehicle carriage used to power an electric locomotive making it easier to turn around a railway convoy.

[0013] To this end, one aspect of the invention relates to a railway car configured to be coupled to a locomotive, in particular an electric traction locomotive, the railway car comprising an electrical power supply device configured to electrically power said locomotive. The railway car comprises an auxiliary traction device comprising an electric traction motor coupled to an axle of the car and a braking device coupled to an axle of the car.

[0014] The auxiliary traction device is electrically powered by the electrical power supply device and is controllable independently of the locomotive.

[0015] Thanks to the invention, when the convoy has to change direction of movement, the car comprising the electrical power supply device can be detached from the locomotive and moved independently of the locomotive to be placed in the desired position, without needing to use a shunter or an external means of movement.

[0016] Furthermore, the auxiliary traction device is relatively simple and inexpensive, compared to the case where the car is fully motorized.

[0017] According to advantageous but not obligatory aspects, such a railway car may incorporate one or more of the following characteristics, taken in isolation or in any technically admissible combination:

[0018] - the traction device is integrated into a bogie of the railway car, the bogie comprising said axle.

[0019] - the traction device comprises a control system configured to control the traction motor and the braking device of the railway car, the control system being further configured to be remotely controlled by a remote control.

[0020] - the power supply device comprises an energy storage device electrical such as a storage battery or a fuel cell.

[0021] - the railway car includes auxiliary lighting and / or signaling devices railway development.

[0022] According to another aspect, a railway convoy comprising a locomotive, in particular an electric traction locomotive and a railway car as described above, the railway car being coupled to the rear of the locomotive and being connected to an electrical power supply circuit of the locomotive for electrically powering the locomotive.

[0023] The invention will be better understood and other advantages thereof will appear more clearly in the light of the following description of an embodiment of a railway car given solely by way of example and with reference to the single appended drawing, in which:

[0024] - [Fig.l] [Fig.l] is a schematic representation of a railway convoy comprising an electric traction locomotive and a railway car conforming to the invention used to electrically power the locomotive.

[0025] [Fig.l] schematically represents a railway convoy 2.

[0026] For example, convoy 2 is a freight train, or a passenger train.

[0027] Convoy 2 comprises a locomotive 4, a rail car 6 coupled to locomotive 4, and one or more cars 8 (or wagons 8) hauled by the assembly formed by the association of locomotive 4 with car 6.

[0028] Car 6 is placed behind locomotive 4.

[0029] To simplify [Fig.l], only one car 8 is drawn, but in practice convoy 2 can include a greater number of cars 8.

[0030] The locomotive 4, the car 6 and each car 8 (or wagon 8) have railway wheels 10 allowing them to travel on a railway track 12. The normal direction of travel of the convoy 2 is represented by an arrow in [Fig.l].

[0031] In practice, the locomotive 4, the car 6 and each car 8 (or wagon 8) are mechanically coupled two by two by means of couplings 14.

[0032] The locomotive 4 is preferably an electric traction locomotive and comprises a traction motor 16. The traction motor 16 is coupled to at least one wheel 10 of the locomotive 4 to drive the locomotive 4 in motion along the railway track 12.

[0033] For example, the locomotive 4 may include an electrical power supply circuit for supplying traction current to the motor 16.

[0034] In certain embodiments, the locomotive 4 may also comprise one or more pantographs which make it possible to collect a traction current supplied by catenaries, this or these pantographs being coupled to the electricity distribution circuit to route the collected current to the traction motor 16.

[0035] The car 6 comprises an electrical power supply device 20 configured to electrically power said locomotive 4.

[0036] The device 20 may, for example, comprise means for storing and / or producing electricity. Preferably, the electrical power supply device 20 comprises an electrical energy storage device, such as a storage battery or a fuel cell, or any equivalent means, or any combination of these means.

[0037] In practice, the car 6 makes it possible to supply the locomotive 4 with the electrical power necessary for its operation when the locomotive 4 is running in an area without catenaries or any other external electrical power supply device (such as a third rail). For example, in such a case, the locomotive 4 is powered entirely by the car 6.

[0038] Car 6 may be referred to as a “tender wagon” in this description.

[0039] For example, when car 6 is coupled to the rear of locomotive 4 the device power supply 20 is connected to the locomotive 4 (e.g. to the power supply circuit of the locomotive 4) by means of one or more cables, for example in order to provide the traction current necessary for the operation of the traction motor 16.

[0040] The invention is also applicable to locomotives provided with another propulsion mode, for example thermal propulsion means (an internal combustion engine such as a Diesel engine).

[0041] In these variants, since the traction motor 16 is not necessarily an electric motor, the electrical power supply device 20 is then more particularly configured to provide electrical power to ancillary systems of the locomotive.

[0042] Generally, the car 6 comprises an auxiliary traction device 22 comprising an electric traction motor 24 coupled to an axle of the car 6, as well as a braking device 26 coupled to an axle of the car 6.

[0043] The auxiliary traction device 22 is controllable independently of the locomotive 4. In addition, the traction device 22 is electrically powered by the electrical power supply device 20. Thus, the car 6 can move alone, even when it is uncoupled from the locomotive 4.

[0044] For example, the traction motor 24 and the braking device 26 of the auxiliary traction device 22 are associated with different axles of the same bogie of the car 6. For example, the traction motor 24 is associated with a first axle 22a and the braking device 26 is associated with a second axle 22b.

[0045] Alternatively, the traction motor 24 and the braking device 26 can be associated with the same axle of the car 6.

[0046] In certain embodiments, the auxiliary traction device 22 is integrated into a bogie of the railway car 6, the bogie comprising said axle (or said axles 22a and 22b).

[0047] Preferably, only one bogie of the car 6 (and even more preferably, only one axle of the car 6) is associated with the auxiliary traction device 22. This makes it possible to reduce the cost and complexity of the traction device 22. Indeed, in practice, the device 22 only needs to be used occasionally.

[0048] The auxiliary traction device 22 further comprises a control system 28 configured to control the traction motor 24 and the braking device 26.

[0049] For example, the control system 28 may comprise a control console allowing a user to operate the traction motor 24 and the braking device 26.

[0050] Optionally, the car 6 may include auxiliary lighting and / or railway signaling devices 32. This allows the car 6 to travel alone on a railway track.

[0051] For example, the car 6 may include at least one headlight and / or one position light, arranged at the front and at the rear of the car 6.

[0052] The railway signaling device may be coupled to the auxiliary traction device 20 and be configured to prevent the vehicle 6 from passing a closed railway signal and / or from exceeding a maximum speed (for example by triggering emergency braking by actuating the brake 26). The railway signaling device is, for example, compatible with a railway signaling system such as the KVB (Speed Control by Beacons) system or the ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System) system.

[0053] In advantageous but nevertheless optional embodiments, the control system is further configured to be remotely controlled by a remote control 40.

[0054] For this purpose, the control system 28 comprises a radio communication interface 30 comprising a radio antenna.

[0055] The remote control 40 here comprises a radio communication interface comprising an antenna 42.

[0056] The remote control 40 further comprises a user interface allowing a user to control the car 6 remotely. The user interface may for example comprise one or more control members 46 and / or a display device 44. For example, the control members 46 may be buttons, switches, levers, rotary knobs, one or more touch screens, or any equivalent device.

[0057] Thanks to the invention, when the convoy has to change direction of movement, the car comprising the electrical power supply device can be detached from the locomotive and moved independently of the locomotive to be placed in the desired position, without needing to use a shunter or an external means of movement.

[0058] Furthermore, the auxiliary traction device is relatively simple and inexpensive, compared to the case where the car is fully motorized.

[0059] An example of application is now described, for example when convoy 2 must change direction in an area without overhead lines, for example in a railway depot or on a non-electrified track, such as a particular branch line, comprising one or more switches.

[0060] First, the assembly comprising the locomotive 4 and the car 6 is detached from the rest of the convoy and then moved onto a portion of track. Next, the car 6 is detached from the locomotive 4 and then moved, by means of the device 22, to be attached to the opposite end of the locomotive 4 which, preferably, is a reversible locomotive (for example with a driver's cab at each end). To do this, the Car 6 is moved onto a section of track with one or more switches to be brought to the desired position. Then, car 6 is coupled to locomotive 4. The assembly comprising locomotive 4 and car 6 is then attached to the head of the rest of the convoy, in order to pull convoy 2 in the opposite direction of travel.

[0061] The embodiments and variations contemplated above may be combined with each other to create new embodiments.

Claims

Claims

1. Railway car (6) configured to be coupled to a locomotive (4), in particular an electric traction locomotive (4), the railway car comprising: - an electrical power supply device (20) configured to electrically power said locomotive, - an auxiliary traction device (22) comprising an electric traction motor (24) coupled to an axle (22a) of the car and a braking device (26) coupled to an axle (22b) of the car, the auxiliary traction device being electrically powered by the electrical power supply device and being controllable independently of the locomotive, characterized in that the railway car comprises auxiliary devices (32) for lighting and / or railway signaling.

2. A railway car according to claim 1, wherein the traction device is integrated in a bogie of the railway car, the bogie comprising said axle (22a, 22b).

3. A railway car according to any preceding claim, wherein the traction device comprises a control system (28) configured to control the traction motor and the braking device of the railway car (6), the control system being further configured to be controlled remotely by a remote control (40).

4. A railway car according to any preceding claim, wherein the electrical power supply device (20) comprises an electrical energy storage device such as a storage battery or a fuel cell.

5. A railway convoy (2) comprising a locomotive (4), in particular an electric traction locomotive (4), and a railway car (6) according to any one of the preceding claims, the railway car being coupled to the rear of the locomotive and being connected to an electrical power supply circuit of the locomotive for electrically powering the locomotive.

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