Straddle Monorail Escape Door Pivoting Into Rail Cavity

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing straddle-type monorail train designs with escape passages are costly, occupy excessive space, and compromise stability due to additional structures that increase weight and unpredictability during emergencies.

Innovation Solution

A rail vehicle design featuring a vehicle body with compartments hinged along the rail length, incorporating a straddle recess for the bogies, an escape door that pivots and tilts into the rail, and a retractable escape ladder, eliminating the need for external escape structures and reducing weight and space occupancy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If additional frame and floor structures are provided to form an escape passage, then passenger evacuation capability is improved, but manufacturing costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepassenger evacuation capabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The escape passage structure is merged with the rail itself. The rail is designed with a hollow internal cavity that serves as the escape passage, eliminating the need for separate frame and floor structures. This integration reduces manufacturing costs while maintaining evacuation capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The rail structure serves dual functions: it provides structural support for the monorail system and simultaneously serves as the escape passage for passenger evacuation. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for dedicated escape structures, reducing overall manufacturing costs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If additional frame and floor structures are provided to form an escape passage, then passenger evacuation capability is improved, but occupied space increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepassenger evacuation capabilityVSAvoidoccupied space
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The escape passage is nested within the hollow internal cavity of the rail structure. This nesting approach allows the escape passage to occupy space that would otherwise be unused, minimizing the additional space required while maintaining full evacuation capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

3Reliability

If additional frame and floor structures are provided to form an escape passage, then passenger evacuation capability is improved, but weight borne by the rail increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepassenger evacuation capabilityVSAvoidweight borne by the rail
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSWeight of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The escape passage structure is merged with the rail itself. The rail is designed with a hollow internal cavity that serves as the escape passage, eliminating the need for separate frame and floor structures. This integration reduces manufacturing costs while maintaining evacuation capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Reliability

If additional frame and floor structures are provided to form an escape passage, then passenger evacuation capability is improved, but structural stability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepassenger evacuation capabilityVSAvoidstructural stability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The escape passage structure is merged with the rail itself. The rail is designed with a hollow internal cavity that serves as the escape passage, eliminating the need for separate frame and floor structures. This integration reduces manufacturing costs while maintaining evacuation capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP3501935B1Rail vehicle
Publication Date: 2022.05.04 BYD CO LTD
  • EP3501935B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3501935B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3501935B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

The present disclosure discloses a rail vehicle. The rail vehicle includes: bogies, where the bogie has a straddle recess suitable for straddling a rail; and a vehicle body, where the vehicle body is connected to the bogie and pulled by the bogie to travel along the rail, and the vehicle body includes a plurality of compartments hinged sequentially along a length direction of the rail; and in the length direction of the rail, a surface that is of a compartment at at least one end of the vehicle body and that faces away from an adjacent compartment is provided with an escape door that can be opened and closed. The rail vehicle according to this embodiment of the present disclosure facilitates optimization the structure of an escape passage, reduction in costs, reduction in occupied space and the weight borne by the rail, and improvement in stability.