EP1494906B1 - System of transporting road vehicles on trains - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a system of transporting road vehicles on trains, comprising adapted stations, handling systems and carriages. According to the invention, each carriage comprises: a connecting bar (19) which connects two bogies, the bogie/bar sequence forming trains; a removable shell (1), known as a passable shell, comprising the frame which is open at the two ends thereof, road vehicles being able to enter said shell; and a rigid lining at the central part. The carriages can support the weight of a standard modern road trailer. Said trains can withstand speeds of the order of 200 km/h and can travel on gradients of 35 mm/m due to the fact that the motorisation is distributed over the bogies. Automated handling devices are installed in the stations in order to load/unload the passable shells onto/from the trains. The vehicles embark/disembark the passable shells simultaneously at several points, such that stopping times in train stations of the order of 6 minutes are achieved.

Description

Position of the problem and state of the art:

The modal shift of traffic from road to rail in a geographical area such as Europe is essential. Solutions already exist to transport on the train cars (shuttles), heavy goods vehicles (piggyback), containers (combined transport).

A piggyback solution applied in Switzerland or the English Channel, known as the "rolling road", consists in having truckloads loaded by their own means on a continuous platform made up of special wagons. Another experimented solution between France and Italy consists of special wagons equipped with a pedestal on which it is possible to tranship a road vehicle without lifting. The base is aligned with the axis of the wagon when it is transported on the track, and offset by an angle of about 30 degrees when the train is in the station: this solution has the advantage of allowing loading / unloading partial train in the station, which allows to provide links with several segments.

• Les opérations de transbordement, d'arrimage et de calage sont longues et immobilisent le train. Il en résulte que le système n'est performant que si les gares de transbordement sont très éloignées les unes des autres (typiquement, 500 km), sauf cas particulier des liaisons de point à point destinées à franchir des obstacles naturels.
• Du fait toujours de la longueur de ces opérations, les trains ne peuvent pas se succéder rapidement, ce qui conduit à une sous utilisation des voies.
• Les vitesses qu'on peut atteindre sont limitées à ce que sont censés supporter des remorques routières (beaucoup sont munies de bâches). Dans la pratique, guère plus de 100 km/h en vitesse de pointe.
• La sécurité n'est pas assurée en cas d'incendie, notamment dans les tunnels à cause de l'effet d'appel d'air. Certains accidents récents dans des tunnels ferroviaires ou routiers rendent cette contrainte très critique pour les exploitants.

These two solutions are open to criticism for the following reasons:

• The transhipment, stowage and stowage operations are long and immobilize the train. As a result, the system performs only if the transshipment stations are far apart (typically 500 km), except for the special case of point-to-point links to overcome natural obstacles.
• Because of the length of these operations, the trains can not succeed one another quickly, which leads to underutilization of the tracks.
• The speeds that can be achieved are limited to what road trailers are supposed to support (many are equipped with tarpaulins). In practice, hardly more than 100 km / h in top speed.
• Safety is not ensured in case of fire, especially in tunnels because of the draft effect. Some recent accidents in rail or road tunnels make this constraint very critical for operators.

We start from the premise for the present system that we should not reason in terms of "jumping natural obstacles" but in the context of a mesh network, on a European scale. Apart from the cost, the parameters that condition the acceptance of an iron transfer for truck drivers or drivers are the total end-to-end journey time, the proportion of this time counted in driving time and the eventual distance supplements related to the location of embarkation and disembarkation points: this leads to bringing the stations closer to each other, thus to multiply their number. But the reduction in the distance between stations makes it crucial in the determination of commercial speed, the stopping time of the train in stations intermediate. It is therefore essential to reduce as much as possible this downtime. Modern signaling systems make it possible to drive the trains close together, with an order of magnitude of one train every three to six minutes depending on the level of equipment on the route. This assumes, therefore, if all the trains must stop at a given station, the downtime is less than this value (for example five to six minutes), otherwise the system will be blocked.

• Pour ce qui concerne les axes ferroviaires classiques (hors voies spéciales TGV) la difficulté est de gérer la circulation, sur un même axe de trains de voyageurs roulant à des vitesses importantes (de l'ordre de 160 km/h) et de trains de marchandises roulant à des vitesses plus faibles (de l'ordre de 100 km/h). Les contraintes qui en résultent conduisent à une sous utilisation des voies.
• La traction de trains lourds pose problème (notamment en montagne) par obligation de multiplier les locomotives : sur une pente à 30 pour mille, une locomotive (par exemple de 90 tonnes) ne peut tirer que quatre fois son poids (soit 360 tonnes) pour rester en conditions d'adhérence quelles que soient les conditions météo.

Technological constraints must be taken into account:

• Regarding conventional railways (excluding highways TGV) the difficulty is to manage traffic on the same axis of passenger trains traveling at high speeds (of the order of 160 km / h) and trains of goods traveling at lower speeds (of the order of 100 km / h). The resulting constraints lead to underutilization of the channels.
• Traction of heavy trains is problematic (especially in the mountains) by the need to multiply the locomotives: on a slope of 30 per thousand, a locomotive (for example 90 tons) can only pull four times its weight (or 360 tons) for stay in grip conditions whatever the weather conditions.

In order to reduce travel times for piggyback users and optimize the use of the current network, trains carrying road vehicles should be run at a higher speed than current freight trains, which raises motorisation problems, but also protection (cars must be closed and unopened). To meet the constraints of use on the mountain lines, it is the objective, in the present invention, to be able to cross the trains piggy slopes 35 mm / m: value commonly encountered on mountain lines.

Although this is a different problem and may be affected by other solutions (leasing, etc.), some light vehicle (car) traffic would be likely to use a combined rail-road system. But it is clear that the demand for this type of traffic is strongly linked to the timetable: there are certainly many more potential customers for the piggybacking of light vehicles during the daytime than at night, provided that the commercial speeds are important so that travel times are close to what they can be by taking the motorway network.

Finally, although there are specific solutions, freight trains, special wagons, specialized yards, to transport containers or swap bodies by the iron, one can ask the question of whether a piggyback system capable of transporting road vehicles could not, with inexpensive adaptations, also carry containers or swap bodies. It will be seen below that it is quite possible.

Presentation of the functionalities of the devices that are the subject of the invention.

The object of the invention is to allow the loading of road vehicles - trailers, trucks, passenger cars - as well as containers or swap bodies on trains consisting of special wagons adapted to high speed (160 km / h and plus), whose loading level is lowered to make the most of the existing network, to climb the steepest ramps in the network (35 per 1000 or more), and to minimize downtime in the transhipment stations (in the order of six minutes) so that we can optimize the throughput on the tracks and the overall efficiency of the infrastructure. These reduced downtimes will allow to have a tight mesh of the stations (100 to 200 km of distance) without penalizing the users who carry out long distances: indeed, the combination of the speed of the trains and the brevity of the stops, allows a significant commercial speed. The proximity of the stations between them makes it possible, by increasing the number of embarkation or disembarkation points on the route, to offer a better service to the users, and to improve the profitability of the system, as well as to better distribute on the territory the points of concentration of nuisance that constitute the stations. The speed of these trains, comparable to that of passenger trains, makes it possible to optimize the throughput on the lines by simplifying their control, including in the situation where certain sections coexist with passenger traffic and piggyback traffic.

It uses simple principles of modularity and techniques from the field of industrial automation, to reduce the costs of using the system and to quickly achieve the return on investment required.

The basic principle is not to load road elements, trucks, trailers, ..., directly on wagons, but to use an intermediate support called "passable": a kind of large pallet capable of receiving a truck, a road trailer, containers or automobiles. The trains consist of special low-frame wagons specially designed for loading walkways. Stations, which are specially adapted for this type of traffic, consist of a road traffic zone connected to the road or motorway network, an area comprising the tracks for stopping trains, and an intermediate zone situated between the two previous ones, in which the walkways are handled by automated devices. The node of the invention is in the presence of this "site" loading and unloading automated, which implies the definition of passable as basic module manipulated by the said site, and which induces the total restructuring of the train as a whole able to load and move passable.

To reach high speeds, it is necessary to cover the wagons, because we can not leave in the open road trailers designed for speeds of the order of 100 km / h. Covering the wagons thus ensures another feature: fire protection, especially in tunnels.

To cross important slopes it is necessary to motorize the wagons, which gives the trains important accelerations allowing them to better fit into the traffic: it requires to distribute the motorization along the trains and to develop them as "self-propelled "in the railway sense

• Il est possible de ne pas mettre en place de couverture sur les wagons, laissant les véhicules routiers à l'air libre durant leur transport. Cela limite évidemment les vitesses possibles et laisse subsister le problème de sécurité face aux incendies dans les tunnels, mais à l'inverse donnerait un avantage certain en terme de gabarit ferroviaire utilisable (par exemple "B1" au lieu de "C").
• Il est possible de ne pas s'imposer la contrainte du franchissement aisé de rampes de montagne et de renoncer aux accélérations importantes pour produire des wagons passifs traditionnels tractés par des motrices.

Having said this, it is possible to envisage a multi-step deployment of a commercial system according to the principles of the present invention, to abandon or defer some of the functional constraints described above: this leads to less expensive systems and whose implementation may require lower deadlines. The following variants may be mentioned:

• It is possible not to provide coverage on wagons, leaving road vehicles in the open during transport. This obviously limits the possible speeds and leaves the safety problem in case of fires in the tunnels, but on the other hand would give a certain advantage in terms of usable rail gauge (for example "B1" instead of "C").
• It is possible not to impose the constraint of crossing easy mountain ramps and to give up the important accelerations to produce traditional passive wagons towed by motor.

These variants will be detailed later in the rolling stock description.

Description of the invention

• la planche N° 1 représente, avec la figure N° 1, une rame,
• la planche N° 2 représente, avec les figures N° 2, 3, 4, un praticable,
• la planche N° 3 représente, avec la figure N° 5, un praticable double
• la planche N° 4 représente, avec la figure N° 6, le praticable en perspective
• la planche N° 5 représente, avec la figure N° 7, le concept général d'un bogie,
• la planche N° 6 représente, avec la figure N° 8, 9, 10, un bogie simple,
• la planche N° 7 représente, avec la figure N° 11, 12, le berceau porte praticable
• la planche N° 8 représente, avec les figures N° 13, un bogie motorisé,
• la planche N° 9 représente, avec les figures N° 14, 15, un wagon avec son habillage,
• la planche N° 10 représente, avec les figures N° 16, 17, l'élément de tête de rame,
• la planche N° 11 représente, avec les figures N° 18, 19, un principe de déplacement des praticables en gare dans la zone du chantier automatisé,
• la planche N° 12 représente, avec la figure N° 20, un dispositif de stockage des praticables en gare dans la zone du chantier automatisé face à un wagon,
• la planche N° 13 représente de profil, avec la figure N° 21, le cycle de mise en place de l'automanipulateur sous le wagon, pour la prise en charge du praticable,
• la planche N° 14 représente en vue de dessus, avec la figure N° 22, le positionnement relatif d'un wagon et d'un automanipulateur en vue de la prise en charge ou de la dépose d'un praticable sur un wagon par l'automanipulateur,
• la planche N° 15 représente, avec les figures N° 23, 24, 25, un principe d'automanipulateur,
• La planche N° 16 représente avec la figure N° 26 le principe général d'une gare.

The principle will be better understood with regard to boards N ° 1 to 16:

• the board No. 1 represents, with Figure No. 1, a train,
• Plate No. 2 represents, with FIGS. 2, 3, 4, a practicable,
• the board N ° 3 represents, with the figure N ° 5, a double practicable
• the plate N ° 4 represents, with the figure N ° 6, the practicable in perspective
• board No. 5 represents, with FIG. 7, the general concept of a bogie,
• board No. 6 represents, with FIG. 8, 9, 10, a simple bogie,
• the board N ° 7 represents, with the figure N ° 11, 12, the cradle door praticable
• board No. 8 represents, with FIGS. 13, a motorized bogie,
• the plate No. 9 represents, with Figures No. 14, 15, a wagon with its covering,
• the board No. 10 represents, with FIGS. 16, 17, the rowing head element,
• board No. 11 represents, with FIGS. 18, 19, a principle of movement of walk-in stations in the area of the automated worksite,
• board No. 12 represents, with FIG No. 20, a device for storing passable station in the area of the automated site in front of a wagon,
• the board N ° 13 represents in profile, with the figure N ° 21, the cycle of setting up the automanipulateur under the wagon, for the assumption of charge of the practicable,
• board No. 14 represents in plan view, with FIG. 22, the relative positioning of a wagon and an automatic manipulator for taking care of or removing a passable on a wagon by the 'automanipulateur,
• Plate No. 15 represents, with FIGS. 23, 24, 25, a principle of automanipulator,
• Plate No. 16 represents with Fig. 26 the general principle of a station.

Description of the passable.

Figures 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the boards No. 2, 3 and 4 schematically represent the principle of the mobile system called "practicable". It constitutes the carrying structure of the wagon, which will be locked on the rolling parts which will be detailed according to the figures of the boards N ° 5, 6 and 7.

Key element of the invention, the practicable is a double-walled assembly structure (1) which forms a shell providing a profile of "U" of varying thickness. This hull ends with two beams (2), located in the upper part of the vertical cheeks (3) of the "U", which largely extend beyond the length of the profile in "U" and serve as support and fixation on the plateau wagon while reporting the effects of the load inside the axles. The upper wall (4) of the shell (1) corrugated widthwise ensures the transverse rigidity of the practicable by the presence of the folds (5) and against plies (6) necessary for its realization. This rigidity is reinforced by the incorporation of the central half beam (7) running the entire length of the passable and whose complementary functionality will be better understood after the description of the figures of the boards No. 5, 6, and 7. The lower wall (8) flat ensures removal to the ground. In central part, this wall matches the profile of the upper wall (4) to create a free central passage over the entire length of the passable. Laterally two cheeks, (3) natural continuity of the elements (4, 8) ensure by their upward folding the main longitudinal rigidity of the assembly, that completes the central half beam (7). The connections between the beams (2) and the walls exterior (3) end with gussets (10) whose role is to enhance the strength of the beam (2). To ensure the connection with the bogies, the ends of the beams (2) are equipped with anchors (11) which ensure the embedment and locking of the walkable in the tray of bogies. These features will be better understood after the description of the figures of the boards No. 5, 6 and 7.

At the ends and in the center of the practicable are made folds (9) whose upper level will be identical to that of the central beam (7) thus defining a flat surface allowing the removal of a container of 40 feet, a European fund 45 feet, or two 20-foot containers, inside the walkway.

The shape of the walkways can be adapted to more specific products such as for example automobiles, empty trailers that could be loaded on two levels, as described on the plate No. 3.

The principle of the use of a removable and interchangeable feasible serving as a frame for the wagon, the reservation made in its lower part, half beam (7), which allows its embedding in the beam of bogie link (19), described in plate No. 5, the U-shaped forms guaranteeing the best rigidity of the assembly, positioning and locking on the half-trays of the wagon made possible by exceeding the upper beams (2).

Variants in various materials.

Note that the practicable, instead of being made of metal by cutting techniques, folding, welding, may consist of a double shell composite materials, the whole being assembled around the two beams (2) that would keep any their functionality and a filling material following the principle of "structural counter molding". Note that other materials, other methods of manufacture and other forms are possible for practicable, which would not question the principle of the present invention.

Description of the wagon

Although we speak of "wagons" and their bogies, referring to a conventional design of railway material, we must rather reason in terms of an alternating succession of bogies and intermediate elements of transport of the load - passable - s 'pressing at their ends on two consecutive bogies, bogies which they share with the previous and next feasible.

• de maintenir centré l'ancrage en l'absence de praticable (donc d'effort longitudinal), train à l'arrêt,
• d'encaisser les contraintes longitudinales dans les différentes phases de fonctionnement dynamique de la rame.

The figures of plates N ° 5, 6 and 7, show the elements of a special wagon, which includes two bogies of boards ends N ° 5-6. Each bogie supports two trays supports (14) which ensure the articulation of the train and receive on planes shifted (17) the ends (2) passables. The trays (14) extend at the feet of the walls (21) of against trays (15) whose functionality will be better described in the plate No. 13. The counter plates (15) of two successive bogies are interconnected by a beam attachment (19) to form - Figures No. 11 and 12 - the longitudinal connection structure of the train in the absence of practicable described in Figure No. 2. The connections between two cons trays (15) and the beam of fastener (19) are provided at each end of the beam (19) by rigid recesses (20). Does not allow the transmission of traction forces during the running of the train, the beam (19) ensures, however, stationary stop maintaining the interval necessary to pass the passable between the walls (21) of two consecutive bogies ; it allows the passage of a bogie to the other all along the train, electric fluids of power and control, braking circuits, links, etc. The beam (19) has the same thickness as the counter plates (15) in which it is flush. On the trays (14) bogies are integrated level breaks (17), compared to the bosses (11) described in the board No. 2, they provide by embedding and in the presence of practicables the rigidity of the convoy. In the axis of the breaks (17) of the trays (14) are incorporated the sets (22) - jacks, knee pads ... - locking of the walkable (2). Each plate (14) has two anchor points, a bogie therefore has four anchor points: two for the upstream walkable, two for the downstream passable. The connection between the plate (14) and the bogie is provided by a horizontal longitudinal damping system (25) located in the center of articulation of each half-wagon. The active parts of each anchor are in the form of a cylindrical plate (24) embedded in the frame of the bogie and a mobile (23) - itself attached to the plate (14) - caught between the two springs (25). ) whose function is:

• to maintain centered the anchorage in the absence of practicable (thus of longitudinal force), stationary train,
• to collect the longitudinal stresses in the various phases of dynamic operation of the train.

In addition to these mechanical functions it is necessary to provide a directional hydraulic compensation system (26-27) composed of hydraulic cylinders whose action, which could be described as springs and programmable dampers, is to soften the connection to low speed, especially in curves with small radius, and on the contrary to harden the connection when the train is traveling at high speed on straight tracks or large radius curves.

As it is described in the figures of the board No. 2 the practicable disposes at its center and in the longitudinal direction of a cavity in the form of a half beam (7) which while allowing to strengthen its rigidity allows its embedding in the attachment beam (19) of the wagon. This embedding function is one of the key elements of the invention.

To achieve the engagement or the disengagement of the practicable of the beam of attachment (19), it is necessary to equip the system of a raising of practicable therefore the load. This system can be installed either on bogies or in stations. The description of plates No. 13, 14 will better understand the need.

A certain number of variants can be described on the basis of the principle explained above, without thereby constituting a modification of the scope of the invention.

Variant with separate bogies.

Although this appears to be less efficient in terms of cost and mechanical space constraints, the invention would retain its full value if one-piece wagons, each equipped with two clean bogies end, and coupled to each other following each other were designed the scheme generally used in railway construction.

Motorized variant

FIG. 8 of plate 6 and FIG. 13 of plate 8 represent what could be three-axle bogies each comprising two free axles (28) and a drive axle (29), which is linked to a set consisting of an electric motor (31), a gearbox (32), a transmission, all ensuring the motorization of the bogie. The gearbox may have a fixed gear or constitute a gearbox with several gears. In connection with this mechanical assembly is set up an electronic control unit and power supply (34) specific to each bogie. This electromechanical assembly will be incorporated in a frame (33), integral with the bogie plate (30), capable of providing protection. The connection with the control station installed at the head of the train will be performed by a bus-type power line, preferably DC, for the power, and by a set of control signals: computer network, safety signals. Clearly we will not change the principle of the invention by designing a bogie with two or three drive axles instead of the described version with two free axles plus a motorized. Figure N ° 1 of plate N ° 1 prefigures what could be a succession of self-propelled bogies connected by beams (19)

Non-motorized variant

The bogies, with two or three axles, may comprise only free axles (28) in sufficient number to meet the loads constraints. The motorization of the train must be done in a traditional way, by traditional motor. The logic of this solution would be to make the decision to limit the bogie to two axles, which must authorize the axle load of 22.5 tons, and would limit the length of a railcar equivalent to 17.5 m instead 19 m, but with severe disadvantages, especially on mountain lines.

Note in conclusion that the advantages of the motorized variant, in terms of costs, of manufacturing with smaller power equipment in greater numbers for power units, in terms of operational availability, with fault tolerance and ease of operation. maintenance, in terms of the universality of trains capable of driving both in the plains and in the mountains, should largely offset the extra cost, in study and production, to deploy a large-scale piggyback solution.

Variant with dressing.

The figures in plate N ° 9 describe a response to the constraints imposed namely the dressing of the wagon to allow speeds of the order of 200 km / h, to ensure fire safety, to reduce the aerodynamic resistance and high speed noise.

These figures allow to have a vision in place of the various elements of the invention while giving a visual perspective of a load. The design of this cladding is strongly related to the place that will be released by the calculation of the mechanical stresses supported by the platform of the wagon, that is to say the practicable described with the figures of the plate N ° 2, by the jig maximum of the infrastructure on which the trains (tunnels) will be used and the height of the trailers which are admitted by the system. It is also necessary to provide a device capable of absorbing length variations due to changes in the geometry of the trains in the various dynamic work configurations (curve transition, dynamic forces along the train). The cladding must constitute with the practicable a set most closed possible to serve as containment in case of fire of a load. For this, the design of the frame (33), described in the figure of plate No. 8, comprises a watertight partition (32) separating this frame into two distinct zones: one reserved for the power block, regulator and controller. servo, the other to the establishment of a gas reserve (46) and an injection assembly (45). A control system, equipped with sensors capable of detecting fumes or sources of heat, can activate a set of solenoid valves diffusion of an inert gas, such as carbon dioxide. It can thus extinguish or at least contain a fire.

Concerning the mechanical realization of the cladding (plate N ° 9), two approaches are possible:

• the cladding is part of the wagon,

the covering is then designed from the cradle described by Figures No. 11,12 of the board No. 7 which is added at each end a hoop (34) secured to the plate (14), all following the profile of the frames (33) described in the figures of the plate No. 8. Each cradle is incorporated the cylinder (35) which allows the lifting of the one-piece lid (36) running between the two hoops (34) to form the upper cover of the next car a transverse profile offering sufficient resistance to bending. This lifting is necessary to clear the practicable beam (19) and recesses (17).

The two lateral faces can be made by pivoting doors (37-38) which, from the roof (36) which supports them by a set of joints, are raised by sets of cables (39) and return pulleys. (40). The latter, in sufficient number and judiciously distributed over the length of the structure, allow the lifting from a central axis (41) secured to the roof (36) supported by a geared motor (42). Similarly, the practicable described by the figures of the board No. 2 serves as a support base for the panels (37-38) and ensures the low seal of the structure. The tightness at the ends is against the frames (33) by flexible or inflatable joints, whose secondary function is to limit the noise due to the relative movements of the elements together.

• dressing is an integral part of the walkable,

the solution is identical to the previous case, the hoops (34) becoming integral with the passable (1).

It is possible to replace the trim, as described above, with a mechanically simpler one-piece cover that should be put in place and removed by devices built into the stations. This method, simple to implement, has not been described in the figures and would not change anything within the scope of the present invention.

Variation without dressing.

There is nothing particular to describe, except that the elements explained in the preceding paragraph are absent. Note that the combination of the variant without dressing with the non-motorized variant leads to a single car.

Description of the service wagons

They are indispensable for the drivers and passengers of on-road vehicles. These cars could have a one or two tier layout. In addition, to facilitate the change in the composition of trains depending on the circumstances, day / night, transport of cars or trucks, the service wagon could very well be conceived as a "passenger container", which could be put in place or removed from the train in stations with the same devices as the passable. The additional constraint to be considered in relation to a passable is that a passenger car must be connected to the train's power distribution system in order to be able to dispose of the lighting, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, safety devices, etc. It will therefore be necessary to provide for cables between the bogies or the engine blocks integrated into the bogies and the said service wagons. Given the fact that boarding a service car on the train is an infrequent operation, it is not necessarily useful to provide for the automated connection of the connections when setting up the service car on the train. : a manual connection seems sufficient.

Head and / or rowing tail elements.

• une cabine de conduite,
• les capteurs du block système,
• les éléments de télétransmission voie - train,
• un système informatique de contrôle de la rame,
• les éléments de sécurité,
• un système de captation de courant sur la caténaire (pantographe),
• un système de protection électrique (disjoncteur),
• un système de transformation de courant permettant de convertir l'énergie distribuée par le réseau vers le système choisi pour le "bus énergie" le long du train (par exemple 25 kV 50 Hz pour la caténaire, 1500 V continu pour le bus énergie).

The description of the wagons above, with the motorized variant of the bogies, imposes to propose for the train a global architecture in which there would be no motor in the classical sense. Indeed, certain functions can not be distributed in the bogies, others do not have interest to be for economic reasons. A solution is therefore proposed which will be better understood after description of FIGS. 16 and 17 of plate No. 10. At each end of a reversible train is an element which comprises:

• a driving cabin,
• the sensors of the system block,
• elements of remote transmission channel - train,
• a computer system for controlling the train,
• security elements,
• a system for capturing power on the catenary (pantograph),
• an electrical protection system (circuit breaker),
• a current transformation system for converting the energy distributed by the network to the system chosen for the "energy bus" along the train (for example 25 kV 50 Hz for the catenary, 1500 V DC for the energy bus).

In fact, the description above merely repeats the list of elements that a conventional power unit has, with the exception of motors and their control electronics. Insofar as, according to the figures of plate No. 8, the bogies of the train are motorized, it is quite conceivable that the bogie (14) supporting this head element, on the side of the train, is identical to the bogies of the wagons. , and is shared between said head element and the first (or last) car of the train. On the other side, that is to say under the driver's cab, it will be enough of a passive bogie (60). Reference is made to Figure 16 of Plate 10 for a description of this principle.

But we can go further, given the infrastructure needed in the stations. The rowing head and tail elements are constituted as follows. As for the wagons composing the train, these elements are built with a chassis whose central part is even level with respect to the rails that passable at the time of their entry by the handling system of practicables. At the end, head or tail of the train, is provided a structure consisting of the driver's cab, sensors of the system block, elements for remote transmission between the track and the train, of the computer system for controlling the train, safety elements, a passive bogie (60), a motorized bogie (14) and pantographs.

• une liaison électrique avec le système de captation de courant,
• le système de protection électrique (disjoncteur),
• le système convertissant l'énergie distribuée par le réseau au système choisi pour le "bus énergie" le long du train,
• la connectique de raccordement au train.
  Pour un train qui ne circulerait que sur un seul type d'alimentation électrique (par exemple sur du 25 kV 50 Hz), cette décomposition ne présenterait guère d'intérêt. Mais elle est très intéressante pour des trains qui doivent voyager en Europe où quatre systèmes de tensions électriques différentes coexistent. Chaque bloc énergie (62) serait capable de gérer un (ou deux) système(s) d'alimentation donné(s). Il suffirait, lors de l'arrêt du train dans une gare, de venir déposer les blocs énergie sur les éléments de tête et queue de rame, et de les remplacer par des blocs adaptés à la zone d'alimentation que l'on va rencontrer lors de la poursuite du trajet. On éviterait ainsi d'avoir le surcoût nécessaire à l'adaptation en "poly-courant" des trains ou le souci de gestion d'un parc de trains composé en partie d'éléments mono-courant restreints dans leurs parcours possibles et d'éléments poly-courant capables de franchir les frontières. Le fait de pouvoir disposer deux blocs énergie distincts sur le même élément de tête permettrait d'en effectuer les échanges dans les gares spécialisées pour le système, forcément éloignées des points de changement de tension aux frontières.
  On peut même aller encore plus loin : rien n'empêche de prévoir un bloc énergie un peu particulier qui serait constitué d'un groupe électrogène (63), diesel ou turbine ou pile à combustible, avec son réservoir de carburant, donnant la possibilité aux trains qui chargeraient ce type de blocs d'emprunter des voies non électrifiées.
  La manipulation des blocs énergie pourrait être faite après ouverture d'une des portes latérales (64), par les mêmes appareillages qui servent à charger / décharger les praticables sur les wagons, figure N° 20. Une difficulté posée par l'utilisation de ce principe est que, dans une gare où l'on échange les blocs énergie, en supposant que l'on utilise toujours la même voie pour le trafic dans le sens pair et l'autre dans le sens impair, on se trouverait obligé de recycler les blocs énergie entre la voie paire et la voie impaire : ils arrivent sur une voie et repartent sur l'autre ! Cela n'est pas un gros problème : on verra plus loin que le dispositif de manutention prévu dans les gares serait capable de transférer les blocs énergie sur des distances importantes, et l'on peut envisager de les recycler par-dessus ou par-dessous les trains, en les transférant par un passage à niveau, ou encore par un dispositif particulier se trouvant entre la voie paire et la voie impaire. On ne détaillera pas ce point particulier de la mise en oeuvre de l'invention.

In the recessed hollow in the central and lowered part of the chassis are located one or two "energy block" removable (61). These energy blocks include:

• an electrical connection with the current collection system,
• the electrical protection system (circuit breaker),
• the system converting the energy distributed by the network to the system chosen for the "energy bus" along the train,
• connection connection to the train.
  For a train that would run on only one type of power supply (for example on 25 kV 50 Hz), this decomposition would be of little interest. But it is very interesting for trains that have to travel to Europe where four different electrical voltage systems coexist. Each energy block (62) would be able to handle one (or two) given power system (s). It would be sufficient, when stopping the train in a station, to come to deposit the energy blocks on the elements of head and tail of oar, and to replace them by blocks adapted to the zone of supply which one will meet when continuing the journey. This would avoid the extra cost necessary to adapt "multi-stream" trains or the concern of managing a fleet of trains composed in part of single-stream elements restricted in their possible routes and elements poly-current capable to cross the borders. The fact of being able to have two separate energy blocks on the same head element would make it possible to exchange them in the specialized stations for the system, necessarily remote from the voltage change points at the borders.
  We can even go even further: nothing prevents to foresee a rather particular energy block which would consist of a generator (63), diesel or turbine or fuel cell, with its fuel tank, giving the possibility to trains that would load this type of blocks to use non-electrified tracks.
  The manipulation of the energy blocks could be made after opening one of the side doors (64), by the same apparatus which are used to load / unload the walk-ons on the wagons, figure N ° 20. A difficulty posed by the use of this principle is that, in a station where the energy blocks are exchanged, assuming that the same way is always used for the traffic in the even direction and the other in the odd direction, one would have to recycle the energy blocks between the even and the odd way: they arrive on one path and start again on the other! This is not a big problem: we will see later that the handling device provided in the stations would be able to transfer the energy blocks over long distances, and we can consider recycling them over or under trains, by transferring them by a level crossing, or by a particular device located between the even and the odd way. This particular point of the implementation of the invention will not be detailed.

Principle of the station

For the understanding of the continuation, one will qualify, of "loading / unloading" the operation of setting up / withdrawal of the load on the practicable, of "loading / unloading" the operation of setting up / withdrawal of the practicable on the wagon.

The structure of the piggyback station according to plate No. 16 is part of the invention. The design of trains and walkways, described above, makes it clear that in the case of standardized mechanical elements, the operation of loading / unloading a train can be carried out by automated devices which do not directly manipulate the trains. road vehicles, which are not standardized, but the practicable ones that support them. The embarkation / disembarkation operations being manual, it is advisable to leave enough time to carry them out, to take into account the necessary time and the hazards related to the human factor: one will thus work in "masked time" with several boarding stations / landing at the right of each loading / unloading station.

The solution which is presented plate No. 11 and described later by the boards No. 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 is to have on a "loading dock" several "cells" (by example four), capable of receiving each a passable, arranged on an axis perpendicular to the axis of the railway, and taking the same space in the direction of the axis of the railway as a wagon. The operations of loading / unloading vehicles on / from the walkways can therefore be broken down and conducted simultaneously, in "hidden time", on four stations, which allows more time to execute them (for example four times more) than the basic period given by the rhythm of train succession.

Many solutions are possible to manipulate the practicable, which would not question the principle of the present invention. For reasons of efficiency and versatility, the description of the present invention is directed towards a solution for handling by automated self-propelled trucks. The space between the railway and the embarkation platform therefore consists of an area in which carriages circulate, hereinafter referred to as "auto-manipulators", capable of ensuring the transfer of a practicable space between the train and the platform. boarding and vice versa.

Structure of the loading / unloading site.

The notion of working in masked time, requires the storage of a certain number of passable, some in the process of loading and loading and others in the process of unloading and unloading. These operations being repeated in extreme cases for each car at each train stop, it is necessary to organize the movements of practicables in an area between the roadside and the railway. This storage capacity allows a division of work into basic functions. In theory, the total time required for a complete cycle divided by the number of positions will define the rate of succession of trains in the station.

These principles being exposed, we can describe the essential structure of the station, namely the automation zone situated between the railway and the traffic zone. Between the loading dock (51) consisting of a series of cells (54) and the railway is arranged a circulation zone (50) having a smooth horizontal ground in which the self-manipulators move. It is clear in Figures No. 18 of the board No. 11, that this circulation zone (50) is lower than the rails (52) and themselves lower than the traffic area (51). As an absolute necessity, the level of the loading / unloading platform (51) must be at the same level as the bottom of the platform on the train in the open position of the beam (19) and the difference between the levels (50 -51) must allow the passage of the automanipulator, with the construction constraints that result. This space (50) can be provided with ground-based wire guidance devices and interactive marker systems, which allow self-manipulators to locate and move on the ground.

The walkways are placed and grounded on the level of road traffic (51). The loading / unloading operations of road vehicles are level, "rolling" for trailers and tractors.

As regards light vehicles - cars - it is necessary, as we have seen, to provide a practicable two-level. To access the high level is provided an access ramp (55) articulated and secured to the dock. Nothing will change the principle of the invention by making mobile the upper floor of the practicable as on a road transport of cars: the access ramp would then be integrated partially or totally practicable.

The automanipulateur comes to slip under a passable to take care of it or on the contrary to deposit it on the quay. On the side of the track, the auto-manipulator has its upper part at the bottom of the passable out of the beam (19), which allows to load / unload on / from the train by a transverse horizontal movement easy to achieve.

FIG. No. 20 of plate No. 12 shows the waiting platform (51) which has repetitive structures, cells (54) in the shape of a "T" implanted along the length of the station perpendicular to the direction of travel of the oar. The forms in "T", allow on the upper wings of two successive "T" the removal of a passable and the passage of the automanipulator between the amounts that create the legs of "T". This makes the best use of the space available in width to ensure the stability of the load by maximizing the seat of the automanipulator. The void that is the intervals, in the lower part of the cells (54), allows the passage of the automatic manipulator that will perform the removal or the management of the passable from below: this method will be better understood after the description of the automanipulateur presented by the boards N ° 13, 14 and 15. This solution of platforms offset in height also has the advantage of separating the road functions of the functions of loading and unloading, thus to well define the zones of security peculiar to each professional body.

Description of self-manipulators

These are special devices capable of moving the walkways and the loads that they support in the site described in the previous paragraph. Their principle is similar to that of wire trolleys used in flexible production workshops.

• la succession des positions (du haut vers le bas sur la figure N° 21) représente, de profil, le cycle de mise en place du praticable sur un wagon, ou inversement,
• la figure N° 22 représente en vue de dessus le positionnement relatif d'un wagon et d'un automanipulateur lors de la prise en charge ou de la dépose d'un praticable sur un wagon par l'automanipulateur, le praticable n'étant représenté que sur la partie gauche,
• les figures N° 23, 24 et 25 représentent une conception possible d'un automanipulateur. Pour assurer la prise en charge du praticable sur le quai d'attente (51) l'automanipulateur est équipé de quatre vérins hydrauliques (70) de faible course qui assurent le levage et l'immobilisation du praticable pendant son dégagement de l'alvéole (54).

They carry out the transfer operations of the walkways and their load between the loading docks and the platform of the wagons and the reverse operation. They position them specifically in the housing provided for this purpose. Given the positional constraints, it is mandatory that the self-manipulators have three degrees of freedom on the horizontal plane, namely that they can move longitudinally and laterally, as well as turn on the spot.

• the succession of positions (from top to bottom in Figure N ° 21) represents, in profile, the cycle of implementation of the passable on a wagon, or conversely,
• FIG. 22 represents a top view of the relative positioning of a wagon and an automatic manipulator when taking care of or removing a passable on a wagon by the automatic manipulator, the practicable being represented only on the left side,
• Figures 23, 24 and 25 show a possible design of an automanipulator. To ensure the support of the practicable on the waiting platform (51) the automanipulateur is equipped with four hydraulic cylinders (70) of short stroke that ensure the lifting and immobilization of the passable during its release from the cell ( 54).

The self-handling device has on the top two bearing tracks (71) located at the end of a structure whose length will be much smaller than the value defined by the walls (21) of two successive bogies connected to the same link rod (19) described in Figure No. 11 of the board No. 7. The chamfered front forms (72) of these bearing races will come at the time of the penetration of the automanipulator under the wagon to position itself under the counter plate (15). ) of the wagon described by the plate No. 7. Between the raceways (71) and the practicable position are sets of rollers (73) which allow the displacement of the load under the combined action of the translation systems (74 and 75) with screw or cylinder. The first (74) is connected directly to the bearing tracks (73) to ensure that no slippage occurs during the movement, the second (75) is supported by the arms (76) in reservations in lower part of the feasible described in Figure No. 2. To achieve the engagement and release of the fingers (76) in the passable, they are rotated under the action of the cylinders (77). This set of pivoting fingers will ensure the locking of the passable on the automanipulateur during these movements between the different work positions.

The application of this principle - well visualized by the phases of Figure N ° 21 of Plate N ° 13 - allows a shift of the load between the wagon and the automanipulateur. The effect of overhang, caused by the passage of the load from one to the other, is canceled by the embedding of the trays (15) previously described and the specific shape of the ends of the races (72). ).

The automatic manipulator is moved by 4 motor-reduction units (79) each mounted on a vertical pivot axis of more than 180 °, under the action of either a centralized control (78) or by the implantation in each advance group of two independent motors (79). Everything is controlled by the electronics embedded on the automanipulateur and enslaved towards the guidance system. The computer system of the automatic manipulator may further comprise a reading system identifying the edge of the wagon or the cell, as well as computer data exchange systems with the station, by wireless network or other means, and / or with the train or even with the practicables by the use of electronic labels remotely readable. It will also be possible to set up a passive identification system on bogies and / or passable cars.

All solutions are possible with regard to the on-board self-piping energy sources: production on board by internal combustion engine, preferably fueled by gas for reasons of pollution, production on board by fuel cell, electrical storage in batteries, pneumatic storage in the form of compressed air, kinetic storage in the form of a flywheel, etc.

Raising the passable in the station.

One of the essential elements of the invention is to allow the use of the maximum section available in the profile of a railway infrastructure, due in particular to the embedding of the feasible in the connecting beam (19). To allow the exit of the practicable one must thus provide a system of raising. It is possible, as we have already written, to equip the wagons of this system, in this case the cylinders are incorporated in the plate (14) under the beams (2) of the passable (1). But it is also possible to equip the stations of this device which will be incorporated between the rails, in front of each car stop, in groups of two cylinders (81) whose upper parts are located on the same level as the track. The assembly that constitutes these four cylinders is capable of lifting a load of the order of 50 tons, must be regulated in speed to ensure a uniform lifting of a passable.

Approach of wagons by automanipulators.

As stated above, guidance of self-manipulators on the ground will be done with a proven system (wire guidance, laser guidance, ...), whose principle - well known - does not have to be described in the context of the present invention. It will be noted that it will be necessary to add specific sensors to compensate for the inaccuracies of stopping the train. Indeed, it must be noted that there must be errors in the positioning of each car relative to at its nominal position in the station, given the inaccuracy at standstill, the flexibility of the couplings and the manufacturing tolerances. Since these cumulative inaccuracies are of the order of one meter, it is necessary to add another approach correction system. Various solutions are possible: optics, integrated sensors at the station, sensors integrated into the automanipulator, information exchange with the wagon or the passable ...

Variant with air cushions.

The principle of the invention will not be changed by incorporating, under the automatic manipulator, a complementary air-lift system (80) for relieving the pressure on the ground and thereby limiting the forces on the wheels and the size of the wheels. mechanical members acting on said wheels. The same principle of air cushion can be used between the raceways (71) and the passable (1), to replace the sets of rollers (73) which allow the displacement of the load under the action of the translation systems. (74 and 75). These incorporations by a judicious implementation will be used to lift the load at the different support positions and replace the lifting cylinders (70) on the automanipulateur: indeed the operation of the air cousin will cause a rise of 30 to 60 mm . the automanipulator, so the load, lift enough to clear the load in the cells. According to the operating phase, the self-manipulator could thus circulate on its wheels (empty), on air cushion (under load). In the second case, the wheels, maintained on the ground by appropriate active suspensions, would serve to ensure propulsion and guidance.

Description of the operating cycle of the station.

In order to fully describe the invention and assess its feasibility, it is necessary to describe a complete cycle of work. It will be considered for the simplicity of the text that the diagram which will be described corresponds to the stop of the train in an intermediate station of low flow but of varied need. In the waiting period the station received road vehicles that were guided to passable walkways on boarding docks above the alveoli. The cycle is described for wagons comprising a covering: it would be simplified if a variant of wagons without clothing is used. We will consider what happens for a single car, supposed both unloaded and reloaded in the station. Note that a car, even empty, must necessarily circulate with a passable and a dressing in place.

• déchargement d'un praticable depuis le train,
• chargement d'un praticable sur le train,
• embarquement d'un véhicule sur un praticable,
• sortie du véhicule du praticable au débarquement.

The automated operations on the passables on the one hand, loading / unloading and manual on the other hand, embarkation / disembarkation, are performed "in masked time", that is to say according to cycles with simultaneous evolutions. To do this, it was necessary to the two functions above are distinguished, the former using special device maneuvers using mechanized and automated lifting and moving principles, and the second using road vehicles "on their tires" by drivers. Either the following four operations or sequences:

• unloading a passable from the train,
• loading a passable on the train,
• boarding a vehicle on a passable,
• exit of the vehicle of the practicable landed.

The sequences described below do not prejudge their position in time but more the need for their realization. Some operations can be done without the presence of the train, or can be shared by several automanipulators, which allows a significant time saving in the start of the cycle and its progress.

1. 1. arrêt et positionnement relatif de la rame,
2. 2. préparation du wagon (sécurités, ouvertures, ...),
3. 3. levage du praticable par les vérins intégrés à la gare,
4. 4. approche finale de l'automanipulateur qui vient au contact du wagon,
5. 5. immobilisation et calage de l'automanipulateur,
6. 6. engagement du dispositif de transfert latéral sous le praticable,
7. 7. transfert latéral du praticable pour l'amener au droit de l'automanipulateur,
8. 8. dégagement latéral du praticable par l'automanipulateur, départ vers un poste de débarquement libre.
9. 9. Engagement de l'automanipulateur sous l'alvéole
10. 10. Abaissement de l'automanipulateur et dépose du praticable sur le quai

The first "unloading" sequence is:

1. 1. stopping and relative positioning of the train,
2. 2. preparation of the wagon (security, openings, etc.),
3. 3. lifting of the passable by the integrated cylinders at the station,
4. 4. final approach of the automanipulator which comes into contact with the wagon,
5. 5. immobilization and stalling of the automanipulator,
6. 6. engagement of the lateral transfer device under the practicable,
7. 7. lateral transfer of the passable to bring it to the right of the automanipulator,
8. 8. Lateral clearance of the passable by the automatic manipulator, departure to a free unloading station.
9. 9. Engagement of the auto-manipulator under the cell
10. 10. Lowering the auto-manipulator and removing the walkway on the platform

• 11. l'automanipulateur s'engage dans une alvéole, sous un praticable prêt à partir,
• 12. l'automanipulateur soulève le praticable, puis part vers le wagon,
• 13. approche finale de l'automanipulateur qui vient au contact du wagon,
• 14. immobilisation et calage de l'automanipulateur,
• 15. transfert latéral du praticable pour l'amener au droit du wagon,
• 16. rentrée du dispositif de transfert de l'automanipulateur,
• 17. dégagement latéral de l'automanipulateur qui part effectuer une autre tâche,
• 18. descente des vérins et verrouillage du praticable sur les bogies,
• 19. préparation du wagon (sécurités, ouvertures, ...),
• 20. lorsque tous les wagons sont prêts, la voie libre et l'heure de départ arrivée, départ de la rame.

The second "loading" sequence is:

• 11. the automanipulator engages in a cell, under a practicable ready to leave,
• 12. the automatic manipulator raises the passable, then leaves towards the wagon,
• 13. final approach of the auto-manipulator that comes into contact with the wagon,
• 14. immobilization and stalling of the automanipulator,
• 15. lateral transfer of the passable to bring it to the right of the wagon,
• 16. return of the transfer device of the automanipulator,
• 17. lateral release of the auto-manipulator that goes off to perform another task,
• 18. lowering of the cylinders and locking of the passable on the bogies,
• 19. preparation of the wagon (security, openings, ...),
• 20. when all the cars are ready, the free lane and the time of departure arrived, departure of the train.

Operations from 1 to 20 correspond to the stopping time of the train in a station. Depending on the time values that will be assigned to these stops, the sequences will be conducted in parallel, in series or in series / parallel on the wagons to be processed by multiplying the number of automanipulators.

• 21. approche d'un nouveau véhicule désirant s'embarquer et mise en place de celui-ci sur le praticable,
• 22. coupure du moteur, freinage de ce véhicule, descente du conducteur,
• 23. dissociation de l'ensemble tracteur remorque si nécessaire,
• 24. mise en place des dispositifs de maintien du véhicule sur le praticable,
• 25. attente du train prévu, le conducteur rejoint le wagon de service.

The third sequence "boarding", supposes a practicable vacuum in place in a cell of the road dock.

• 21. Approaching a new vehicle wishing to embark and set up it on the practicable,
• 22. engine shutdown, braking of this vehicle, descent of the driver,
• 23. dissociation of the tractor unit trailer if necessary,
• 24. putting in place the devices for keeping the vehicle on the practicable,
• 25. Waiting for the planned train, the driver rejoins the service car.

• 26. le conducteur descend du wagon de service et rejoint l'alvéole où son véhicule va débarquer,
• 27. l'automanipulateur vient déposer un praticable sur les bords de l'alvéole,
• 28. enlèvement des dispositifs maintenant le véhicule en position sur un praticable venant d'être débarqué,
• 29. éventuellement, approche d'un tracteur routier et attelage,
• 30. montée du conducteur, mise en route du moteur et départ du véhicule situé sur ce praticable.

The fourth sequence "landing", supposes a cell of the empty road dock.

• 26. the driver gets off the service wagon and rejoins the cell where his vehicle will disembark,
• 27. the automanipulator comes to deposit a passable on the edges of the cell,
• 28. removal of devices holding the vehicle in position on a passable landed,
• 29. possibly approaching a road tractor and driving equipment,
• 30. driver climb, engine start and departure of the vehicle located on this passable.

In the case where a wagon enters and leaves the station without loading or unloading, the sequences described above are obviously incomplete. The operations of the first and second sequences use an automated device. The operations of the third and fourth sequence involve an operator who advises and guides road drivers, sets up or removes the vehicle holding devices on the passable, under the control of the driver.

The description above could suggest that it is sufficient to provide two cells in the loading dock for each car: one to load, one to unload. it could be sufficient in the case of a station intermediate animated. But in the case of a very busy station and in the event that the trains follow one another quickly, every ten minutes for example, it would be advisable to provide several cells facing each wagon station. One could thus multiply the cycles calling for human operations: handling, displacements. One could be sure to never delay a train because of an incident or boarding maneuver longer than expected. By arranging four cells in a wagon step of 19 m, we obtain an interval between two cells of 4.75 m, and a time left to the boarding operations of the order of 40 minutes, which seems optimal. As described so far, the station operates assuming that only one of the two sides of the track is equipped with loading / unloading / loading / unloading devices. This leaves the other side available for a passenger dock and / or another lane in the opposite direction. But one could imagine, for an intensive use of a station, for example in end of line, that both sides of the way are used for the loading / unloading automated, with eight cells available to the right of each wagon of the train.

Road infrastructure of the station.

A first approach to the problem is to think that piggyback is a solution of spatial and temporal continuity between road and rail. The first level of design of the system, as explained above, takes into account this problem, for heavy goods vehicles as well as for light vehicles accompanied by their driver. But the economic analysis shows that an important source of profitability, as far as goods are concerned, is not to move tractors or their drivers, but only trailers, containers or swap bodies. In the latter case, if the spatial continuity is still unavoidable, the station is the link between the road and the rail, it is clear that one can - and one must even - introduce wait times to the boarding or disembarkation and no longer strictly respect the temporal continuity. Indeed, trailers or containers embarking alone on the rail must be brought to a piggyback station with a tractor truck and, in the second case, a container trailer. Same during their landing. At boarding there will not necessarily be places available immediately on the train. When unloading, the tractor and the driver are not necessarily available at the precise moment when they are needed. Moreover piggyback with driver will probably be more common day, driverless at night. It is therefore more than likely that in the latter case the supply of trailers or containers for delayed boarding will be mainly the evening, their kidnapping at the station in the morning. Finally, the filling rate of the trains being an important parameter of the profitability, it is interesting for the operator to have trailers or containers in the stations, ready to embark, which makes it possible better to fill the trains. All this leads to the structuring of the piggyback station to ensure these two functions: management of boarding vehicles and immediate removal and management of trailers and containers on boarding and delayed collection.

1. 1. Entrée en gare depuis le réseau routier et embarquement immédiat
2. 2. Débarquement depuis le train et sortie immédiate vers le réseau routier
3. 3. Entrée en gare depuis le réseau routier, stockage sur parc
4. 4. Prise sur parc par un engin de manoeuvre, embarquement sur le train
5. 5. Prise sur le quai de débarquement par un engin de manoeuvre, stockage sur parc
6. 6. Enlèvement sur parc et sortie vers le réseau routier

Six distinct cycles can be identified corresponding to a division of traffic according to the principle explained above:

1. 1. Entry into the station from the road network and immediate boarding
2. 2. Disembarkation from the train and immediate exit to the road network
3. 3. Entrance to the station from the road network, storage on the park
4. 4. Take on the park by a maneuvering machine, embarkation on the train
5. 5. Taken on the landing platform by a maneuvering machine, storage on the park
6. 6. Park removal and exit to the road network

The first two cycles concern light or heavy goods vehicles traveling accompanied by their driver, as well as trailers alone. Cycles 3 and 6 concern trailers or containers carried by a road tractor and / or container trailer. Cycles 4 and 5 concern transfers of trailers or containers by specialized vehicles, internal to the station, driven by agents. This type of gear does not pose any technical problem and exists, especially in port or railway yards, to handle road trailers or containers.

During the entry operations - cycle 1 and 3 - the connection ramps from the road network as well as the necessary waiting and toll stations are required. Conversely, during operations 2 and 6, an exit control is required, if only to prevent the theft of vehicles or goods, and the connection ramps to the road network. These infrastructures - braces, expectations, tolls, controls - are not described in the present patent application, not calling for any particular innovation.

• un quai central (100), partagé entre les deux sens de circulation des trains, destiné aux déplacements des passagers et des agents,
• la voie ferrée (101),
• le chantier de chargement et déchargement automatisé (102), limité par les alvéoles (54),
• une zone de manoeuvre (103), au droit des alvéoles, permettant la mise en ligne des véhicules avec les alvéoles,
• des zones d'attente temporaire (104), différentes pour les poids lourds et les véhicules légers, destinées à permettre la fluidité des manoeuvres d'embarquement et débarquement.
• une voie de circulation montante (105), à sens unique, pour les véhicules à destination ou en provenance de la zone de manoeuvre.
• une voie de circulation descendante (106), à sens unique,
• une voie de circulation desservant un parc de stockage (107) et se répartissant le long de la gare sur les diverses zones,
• une zone de manoeuvre sur le parc de stockage (108),
• le parc de stockage proprement dit (109), avec des emplacements matérialisés au sol.

Figure No. 26 of Plate No. 16 gives a description of a possible embodiment of the road traffic of the station. The figure represents only a quarter of the station. There are, well distinguished, going from the central axis of the station to the outside:

• a central platform (100), shared between the two directions of movement of the trains, intended for the movements of passengers and agents,
• the railway (101),
• the automated loading and unloading yard (102), bounded by the cells (54),
• a maneuvering zone (103), at the right of the cells, allowing vehicles to be put in line with the cells,
• temporary waiting zones (104), different for trucks and light vehicles, intended to allow the fluidity of boarding and disembarking maneuvers.
• a one-way vehicle taxiway (105) for vehicles to or from the maneuvering area.
• a descending taxiway (106), one-way,
• a traffic lane serving a stockyard (107) and distributed along the station on the various zones,
• a maneuvering area on the stockyard (108),
• the stockyard proper (109), with locations marked on the ground.

Note that the connection between the upstream direction and the downward direction is made by roundabouts (110) located at the end of the rising and falling tracks. These roundabouts are connected to each other on both sides of the railway track (111) which, to pass under the railway, borrows the underpass (112).

The flows described above and the various zones will be easily matched. Streams No. 1 and 2 take the ascending path (105). Streams Nos. 3 and 6 take the descending route (107 and 106). Streams 4 and 5 take the three lanes and pass from one to the other through the roundabouts (110). The elements described above may be otherwise provided for, and in particular the extension of the ground occupancy of the delayed loading / unloading storage yard, allowing the piggyback system to expand its market share to the market. traditional combined transport. This can be done by arranging the stockyard otherwise, with locations placed parallel or perpendicular to the axes of the station, with a double row of storage locations facing each other, etc. It will be considered that the various geometrical variants resulting from the principle of decomposition into distinct zones and flows explained above, resulting from road layout techniques in the technical zone, do not have to be exhaustively analyzed in the context of the this patent application.

Advantages of the invention

With regard to the installation costs, the overall number of passable vehicles is much higher than that of the wagons, since at a given moment it is possible to count one passable per wagon plus two to three passable per module - wagon location - in the stations. . That said, the passable is a passive metal assembly, much cheaper than the rest of the wagon.

Similarly, comparing the present solution with more traditional piggyback solutions, we can see that the cost of station automation is certainly important, but relatively light compared to the cost of rolling stock, including feasible.

It will be seen, however, that a piggyback solution based on the present invention, by increasing the performance it allows, can lead to favorable economic conditions to make a line profitable. Despite the overall cost, investments per tonne x kilometer transported per year are low and payback times are reduced.

Regarding the choice of a closed wagon, this allows both to achieve significant speeds of the order of 200 km / h without risk for vehicles (tarpaulins flying, etc.), and to improve safety in the face of fire hazards: if a fire breaks out, the closed part of the car can be drowned in an inert gas without stopping the train, which obviously makes sense in the tunnels. The resultant train profiling reduces the energy required for movement and aerodynamic noise. Finally, on the one hand, because of the shorter travel time, we offer a better service to the users who, in return, will be willing to pay more for the service, and on the other hand we optimize the use of the rolling stock which travels more kilometers at the same time. We can therefore optimize the return on investment time with skins on the wagons.

Concerning the choice of motorizing the bogies of the wagons, this makes it possible to have a good acceleration, to cross important slopes, to have a unitary power well adapted to the expected performances of the trains, to solve the problem of the modularity of the means of traction: no need to harness several engines to form long trains. In addition, the series of electrical equipment, motors, static converters, braking resistors, protection devices, being long, namely thousands of copies to be produced, can lead to costs "to the kilowatt" lower than in building small series of powerful locomotives, especially since we can accept a lower reliability while having a much higher operational availability, because of the redundancy. If a bogie breaks down, it does not stop the train: it it suffices to provide the necessary devices so that any breakdown, electrical or mechanical, will freeze the bogie.

• une remorque routière de 15,5 m. pour 32 t.,
• deux tracteurs routiers de 7 m et 10 t.,
• deux camionnettes de 7 m.,
• un conteneur 14 m de longueur, 2,6 m de largeur et 4,2 m de hauteur,
• deux conteneurs de 7 m de longueur, 2,6 m de largeur et 4,2 m de hauteur,
• une caisse européenne de 45 pieds,
• cinq véhicules particuliers, sur deux niveaux, embarquant sur un praticable spécial.

Regarding the modularity, one can make the hypothesis that one could put on a practicable:

• a 15.5m road trailer. for 32 t.,
• two 7 m and 10 t tractors,
• two 7-meter pickup trucks,
• a container 14 m long, 2.6 m wide and 4.2 m high,
• two containers 7 m long, 2.6 m wide and 4.2 m high,
• a European box of 45 feet,
• five private vehicles, on two levels, embarking on a special passable.

Some combinations are possible, truck plus van, two empty tray trailers superimposed in a pass for automobiles, etc. Loads a little special are possible, for example a practicable caravan or motorhome, during periods of leave.

Regarding the management of the system, it will obviously be necessary to set up a system of computer and teletransmissions that allows to know in advance, in each station, what will be the locations that will be released on the train to prepare the boarding of vehicles on the walkways to the right of these locations. This system could depend on a smart reservation system that optimizes the filling of trains.

It will be noted that the system proposed in the present invention would make it possible, by progressively upgrading the rolling stock and tunnels, by playing on the motorization and the presence of the cladding, to follow the evolution of the demand. But if we do not want to be obliged to rebuild the stations and change the rolling stock every ten years; certain elements should be standardized, in particular everything concerning the "interfaces" between rolling stock, practicable and station infrastructure, with the final step of such a development in mind.

Claims (13)

1. A system for transporting loads, especially road vehicle, transport containers, and swap bodies, on a train comprising wagons, each wagon comprising a dropped frame (19) connecting two bogies (14), said bogies being specific to a wagon or shared between two consecutive wagons, each wagon having an associated an interchangeable rigid mechanical element supporting the load, likely to fit into and to latch on the wagon, thus taking part in the mechanical structure of the wagon and capable of receiving at least one load, the system comprising:

   a ground infrastructure comprising laying locations capable of each receiving an interchangeable rigid mechanical element; and

   a transfer device capable of displacing the interchangeable rigid mechanical element associated with the wagon from the wagon to a laying location and, simultaneously, of displacing another interchangeable rigid mechanical element from another laying location to said wagon.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the train comprises a determined number of wagons to be unloaded, each wagon comprising an interchangeable rigid mechanical element, the ground infrastructure comprising a number of ground laying locations which is strictly greater than the determined number.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the laying locations are located on a same side of the train.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein each interchangeable rigid mechanical element comprises a U-shaped body (1) provided with an opening at at least one end for the loading and the unloading of a load when the interchangeable rigid mechanical element is laid on a laying location.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the train is formed, at least partly, of an alternation of bogies and of connection beams (19) connecting two bogies, said bogies being specific to a wagon or being shared between two successive wagons, each interchangeable rigid mechanical element comprising anchor points (11) enabling to place it and to lock it on devices for holding (17) and locking (22) the bogies.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein a covering system (36) covers at least one interchangeable rigid mechanical element and the load received by the interchangeable rigid mechanical element, the covering system being held in position and locked on the ends of the wagon associated with the interchangeable rigid mechanical element or on the interchangeable rigid mechanical element, the covering system comprising an opening system (37, 38) and/or being capable of being removed from the interchangeable rigid mechanical element to have access to said load.
7. The system of claim 6, wherein the wagon associated with the interchangeable rigid mechanical element comprises one or several sensors for detecting a fire outbreak and comprises a device (45, 46) for controlling the inflow of an inert gas under the covering system to fight the fire outbreak.
8. The system of claim 5, wherein each interchangeable rigid mechanical element comprises a hollow half-beam (7) and wherein two successive bogies forming the ends of a wagon are connected by a connection beam (19), said connection beam delimiting a determined interval between the bogies and forming a path for fluids and circuits, the hollow half-beam of the interchangeable rigid mechanical element fitting above the connection beam (19).
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the transfer device comprises at least one carriage capable of displacing at the level of a carriage circulation area (50), the carriage comprising means (70) for lifting or lowering an interchangeable rigid mechanical element to take hold of it or lay it on a laying element, and being capable of transporting an interchangeable rigid mechanical element between a position close to a wagon and a laying location, the vertical position of the carriage circulation area being lower than the vertical position of the laying locations.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the transfer device comprises a lifting and transverse displacement device (73, 74, 75) capable of displacing an interchangeable rigid mechanical element between a position in the train axis and a position at right angles with the carriage, the lifting and transverse displacement device being totally or partly connected to the train, to the ground infrastructure, or to the carriage.
11. The system of claim 9, wherein the carriage comprises wheels ensuring its displacement on the carriage circulation area (50) and air cushions (80) distributed at the level of the lower portion of the carriage, the air cushions transmitting to the ground a fraction of the weight of the carriage and of the interchangeable rigid mechanical element transported by the carriage, the remaining fraction being transmitted to the wheels.
12. The system of claim 9, wherein the ground infrastructure comprises a road circulation area, the carriage circulation area (50) being lower than the road circulation area, the limit between the road circulation area and the carriage circulation area being formed of a platform (51) with cells (54), the cells being formed by T-shaped beams, so that an interchangeable rigid mechanical element laid on the upper portion of the "T" is at the level of the road circulation area and that a carriage engaging into the lower portion of the cell (54) is likely to reach a position under an interchangeable rigid mechanical element to take hold of it.
13. The system of claim 5, wherein at least one axle of a bogie comprises a motor (31), the train comprising a front and/or rear element comprising electric components (62) capable of supplying electric current, the electric current being transmitted to the bogie to power the motor (31).

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