Railway Side Wall Modular Door Mounting Adaptation

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing railway passenger transport vehicles require costly adaptations and re-certifications to accommodate varying platform heights, making it difficult for manufacturers to offer suitable vehicles for different railway lines without significant development and approval processes.

Innovation Solution

A modular side face design for railway vehicles featuring a main wall with a door mounting opening larger than the door, allowing for the integration of an auxiliary wall element to define access openings at multiple heights, enabling the door to be mounted at different heights without requiring new vehicle body development or certification.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the door mounting opening dimensions are made larger than the door, then the door can be mounted at multiple heights, but the structural complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedoor height adaptabilityVSAvoidside face structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The side face is divided into a main wall and a removable auxiliary wall element. The auxiliary wall element can be selectively positioned to define access openings at different heights within the larger door mounting opening, allowing height adaptation without redesigning the entire side face structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The auxiliary wall element is designed to be movable and repositionable within the door mounting opening. This dynamic configuration allows the same main wall to adapt to different platform heights by simply repositioning the auxiliary element, transforming a static structure into a flexible one.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Adaptability or versatility

If the auxiliary wall element is made removable and repositionable, then the boarding height can be adapted to different railway lines, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveplatform height adaptabilityVSAvoidauxiliary wall element positioning precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The auxiliary wall element is pre-manufactured with predetermined positioning features and dimensions that allow it to be accurately placed in specific positions within the door mounting opening. This preliminary preparation of the auxiliary element simplifies the overall manufacturing process while ensuring precise positioning when installed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If the door mounting opening is made larger than the door, then no new vehicle body development is needed, but the mechanical strength of the side wall may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheight adaptability without redesignVSAvoidside wall mechanical strength
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The side wall structure is segmented into a main wall providing primary structural strength and a removable auxiliary wall element that defines the access opening. This segmentation allows the main wall to maintain its full structural integrity while the auxiliary element provides the necessary opening for door mounting at different heights.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The auxiliary wall element acts as an intermediary component between the main wall and the door. It transfers and distributes the mechanical loads from the door mounting opening back to the main wall, ensuring that the larger opening dimension does not compromise the overall structural strength of the side wall.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP2218622B1Side wall of the bodyshell of a passenger railway transport vehicle
Publication Date: 2013.10.23 ALSTOM TRANSPORT TECH SAS
  • EP2218622B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2218622B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3

AI summary

The face (20) has a main wall (4) integrated between a roof (32) and a chassis (28) in a body (24) of a rail transit car. An access opening (19) is formed inside the rail transit car and extended through the main wall. An access door (14) is moved with respect to the main wall. The main wall has a door mounting opening (18) whose dimension is 100 mm larger than dimension of the door for permitting mounting of the door at different heights. An auxiliary wall element (10) is fixed on the main wall, and defines the access opening inside the door mounting opening. Independent claims are also included for the following: (1) an assembly for fabricating a side face comprising a main wall (2) a method for fabricating a series of side faces.