Pre-assembled Rail Vehicle Mounting Unit for Simplified Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complex geometry and decentralized arrangement of cable ducts and supply lines in rail vehicles due to individual installation and maintenance of electrical and pneumatic equipment lead to high installation and maintenance efforts, limited accessibility, and inefficient space utilization.
Innovation Solution
A pre-assembled assembly unit with a carrier that can be fastened inside the car body structure, featuring pre-connected supply lines and devices, interfaces for easy connection, and integrated components like lighting and air conditioning, allowing for factory testing and simplified maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If cable ducts and supply lines are individually installed and arranged in the car body structure, then flexibility in component placement is improved, but device complexity and installation effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individually installed components (cable ducts, supply lines, electrical equipment, pneumatic devices) into a single pre-assembled assembly unit that is installed as one integrated module in the car body structure, thereby reducing installation complexity while maintaining placement flexibility
Solution Approach 2:
The assembly unit is pre-assembled and pre-tested in a factory setting before installation in the rail vehicle, allowing connections between supply lines and devices to be established in advance, which simplifies on-site installation and reduces commissioning effort
2Area of stationary object
If supply facilities are decentralized and located behind tightly closed inspection flaps, then space utilization in the passenger compartment is improved, but accessibility for maintenance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The assembly unit is designed as a self-contained modular segment with integrated inspection access, allowing maintenance personnel to access supply facilities through dedicated openings in the assembly unit itself rather than through tightly closed flaps in the car body structure
Solution Approach 2:
The assembly unit serves as an intermediary structure that provides dedicated maintenance access points and inspection openings, mediating between the need for compact space utilization and the requirement for easy maintenance accessibility
3Adaptability or versatility
If components are installed individually and tested separately, then manufacturing flexibility is improved, but productivity during assembly and commissioning deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple components are pre-assembled and pre-tested in the factory before final installation, which consolidates assembly operations and reduces the time required for on-site installation and commissioning, thereby improving productivity without sacrificing manufacturing flexibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple separate assembly operations into a single integrated assembly unit installation, reducing the number of separate mounting operations and connection steps required during rail vehicle assembly
4Ease of manufacture
If cable ducts are designed as pure carriers with simple geometry, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but adaptability to complex routing requirements deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates cable ducts with supply lines and support structures into a multi-functional assembly unit, where the duct system is combined with other components to provide both structural support and routing functionality within a single integrated structure
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a mounting unit (1) for installation in a carriage body structure of a rail vehicle, which, to simplify the mounting and maintenance of the supply devices and lines of the rail vehicle, is provided with a girder (2), which can be fastened on the carriage body structure, in particular in the ceiling area, having at least one supply line (3a, 3b), which is pre-mounted on the girder (2), having multiple supply devices (4a, 4b, 4c), which are pre-mounted on a girder (2), having a first interface (5), which is pre-mounted on the girder (2) and is connected to the least one supply line (3a, 3b) and/or to one of the supply devices (4a, 4b, 4c), and having a second interface (6), which is pre-mounted on the girder (2) and is connected to the at least one supply line (3a, 3b) and/or to one of the supply devices (4a, 4b, 4c). Furthermore, the invention relates to a corresponding rail vehicle and a corresponding method for producing a rail vehicle.