Staircase Adjustment Device for Railway Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing staircase adjustment mechanisms in vehicles, such as railway vehicles, often result in uneven step heights due to manufacturing and assembly variations, posing safety risks and requiring expensive and complex solutions to meet the EN 16584-1 standard of less than 2.5 mm height difference between steps.
Innovation Solution
A device that adjusts the staircase by inclining it around a pivot connection fixed to the upper floor, optionally combined with a wedging member on the lower floor, allowing for negligible step inclination variations and ensuring compliance with the standard without excessive complexity or cost.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If adjustment mechanisms are located between the staircase and the floor below, or alternatively between the staircase and the floor above, then the staircase can be adjusted to compensate for height variations, but the first step or the last step becomes higher than the others, creating a height difference greater than 2.5 mm
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a wedge element that acts in a third dimension (thickness/height) to compensate for floor height variations. Instead of adjusting the staircase position horizontally or vertically at the connection points, the wedge element provides vertical compensation at the base of the staircase, allowing the staircase to be tilted slightly to maintain uniform step heights while accommodating floor height differences up to 5 mm
Solution Approach 2:
The wedge element serves as an intermediary component between the staircase and the lower floor. This mediator absorbs the height difference between floors through its adjustable thickness, allowing the staircase to be securely connected to both floors while maintaining uniform step heights. The wedge element translates the height variation problem into a simple thickness adjustment problem
2Manufacturing precision
If each step height is adjusted individually to comply with the EN 16584-1 standard, then the step height uniformity is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the adjustment function from the staircase structure itself and places it in a separate, simple wedge element. This isolation allows the complex adjustment task to be performed by a single, inexpensive component rather than requiring complex mechanisms integrated into each step or the staircase structure. The wedge element can be easily adjusted or replaced without affecting the staircase
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the thickness parameter of the wedge element to compensate for floor height variations. By adjusting this single parameter (wedge thickness), the system achieves compliance with the 2.5 mm step height uniformity requirement without modifying the staircase structure or individual steps. This simple parameter change approach avoids complex adjustment mechanisms
3Ease of manufacture
If the staircase is manufactured using standardized methods, then the manufacturing cost is reduced, but the staircase cannot adapt to floor height variations between different vehicles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the staircase support system into two independent parts: the standardized staircase (manufactured once and reused) and the adjustable wedge element (adapted to each installation). This segmentation allows the expensive staircase to be manufactured using standardized methods while the low-cost wedge element handles the adaptation to different floor heights, achieving both economies of scale and flexibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic adjustability through the wedge element, which can be modified in thickness or position to adapt to different floor height configurations. This dynamic component allows the otherwise static, standardized staircase to adapt to varying installation conditions without requiring custom manufacturing for each vehicle
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution allows for simple and economical adjustment of staircase steps to meet the EN 16584-1 standard, ensuring safety by maintaining uniform step heights within the permissible 2.5 mm difference, while minimizing the need for costly and complex implementations.
Implementation Method 1
the connecting element comprising a pivot connection intended to be connected to the staircase. According to the invention, the position of the staircase is adjusted by tilting the staircase around the pivot joint
Implementation Method 2
the adjustment device includes a shim, intended to be supported by the lower floor and to receive a lower part of the staircase
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The adjustment device (30) includes a connecting element (32) for connecting the staircase (24) with an upper floor (18), the connecting element (24) being intended to be fixed to the upper floor (18), and the connecting element (32) comprising a pivot joint (34) intended to be connected to the staircase (24).