EP3885229B1

EP3885229B1 - Door for high-speed trains

Info

Publication number: EP3885229B1
Application number: EP18940507.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Juan CARRIÓN ESPELTA; Rafael FERNÁNDEZ SOLER
Original assignee: Jc Disseny Ingenieria I Aplicacions SL
Current assignee: Jc Disseny Ingenieria I Aplicacions SL
Priority date: 2018-11-21
Filing date: 2018-11-21
Publication date: 2023-11-01
Anticipated expiration: 2038-11-21
Also published as: EP3885229A4; ES2966193T3; WO2020104708A1; EP3885229C0; EP3885229A1

Description

The present invention relates to a door for high-speed trains.

Background of the invention

In the railway sector and with regard to rolling stock, access doors shall meet a series of requirements and benefits that are normally linked to the type of train units in which they are equipped, diversifying these into trams, subways, commuter trains, medium-distance trains, long-distance trains and high-speed trains.
Thus, High Speed units are those that require access doors capable of offering the highest performance in terms of structural strength and level of ride comfort.
The high degree of mechanical stress to which these types of doors are subjected is due to the pressure/pressure drop waves that the outer surface of the leaf supports in the closed and locked position, during the crossing of trains with commercial service speed of more than 300 km/h and/or at their entrance in tunnels.
These situations can cause pressures in the leaves that can exceed +/- 8000 Pa which, translated into forces on a leaf whose outer surface is approximately 2m², can impose loads on the resistant elements of 1600 kg of force. This, together with the accelerations in the 3 axes to which any equipment fixed to the structure of a railway vehicle is subjected, implies that the loads on the resistant elements of a high-speed door are the highest of the whole range of types that are currently designed.
The high structural resistance of this type of door is also the design response that is needed to fulfill another of the characteristics that a door of this type must fulfill: to ensure a comfortable ride for the passenger inside the vehicle.
Regarding the origin of the problem, it can be indicated that the human ear, when the pressure difference between both sides of the tympanic membrane reaches certain levels, tries to balance them through the reflex or conscious mechanisms that humans have: yawning, swallowing, communication of the inner face of the membrane with the atmosphere through the Eustachian tube, etc.
But if the pressure variations occur in a short space of time, of a few seconds, then there is no time to provoke said balance, producing sensations that, in a high percentage, are unpleasant.
As indicated above, the pressure variations to which a train of this type is subjected at commercial service speed (> 300 km/h) are of very high magnitude and of a very rapid variability in time. The transitions between pressure and depression are very fast and this could affect the air pressure inside the vehicle, which could cause clearly perceptible discomfort for the passenger, as explained above.
To minimize this discomfort for the passenger, the design intention is to create trains with a high degree of air tightness, that is, to isolate the pressure inside the vehicle as much as possible with respect to the pressure variations that occur outside of it.
As the door, by definition, is a communication zone between the exterior and the interior of the vehicle, the design specifications require that the door comply with this air-tightness feature, as this ability is technically known.
When it is required that a door be airtight, it is specifically being said that it behave as a barrier as closed as possible to stop the entrance to the interior of the vehicle of pressure differences that occur on the outside of it due to the aerodynamic effects indicated above and caused by the speed of the train itself, the crossing with the other trains of the same line that circulate in the opposite direction and/or the entry into the tunnels (also already designed with specific entrance ports to minimize sudden pressure variations as much as possible).
Currently there are basically two types of design solutions to seal the door opening:

Inflatable seal:
The inflatable seal consists of an elastic cavity of more or less reinforced rubber that is placed on the perimeter around the entire contour of the leaf as a ring and that is inflated in the closed door position, increasing its volume and sealing the space between the door opening and the leaf itself. It has greater adaptability to the differences in dimension between the door opening and the door and accepts the deformation of the leaf under load better than the static seal solution. In addition, it is possible to monitor its status, verifying the pressure of the pneumatic circuit that supplies it. On the contrary, it needs pneumatic pressure to function and to be equipped with a supply and pressure verification system in the more or less complex circuit that, like any mechanical element, has its failure rate. Furthermore, the inflatable seal itself is still an elastic pressure container that can be punctured and totally lose its effectiveness. To cover well the opening when the seal swells, the finish of the door opening must be uniform and without sudden gaps.
Static seal:
The static seal is a continuous rubber ring that is placed on the perimeter around the entire contour of the leaf and that rests on a sealing frame prepared in the door opening for this purpose. It does not need any type of external power supply (neither electrical nor pneumatic), since its sealing principle is the deformation of the ring when resting on its frame due to the effect of the closing force provided by the mechanism that operates the leaf. Said solution (static seal) is preferred to the previous one (inflatable seal), since it does not require added elements (compressed air supply system, inflation system, inflation verification system, etc.) that may fail, probabilistically, more than the simple system of a seal compressed by the closing action of the leaf. If the sealing frame is correctly adjusted and is continuous, which are tasks that are carried out and verified during the assembly phase of the door system in the car and that do not require maintenance, the sealing is ensured. However, this sealing system is more sensitive to structural deformations of the leaf under load and requires the leaf to be structurally more robust to avoid deformations as much as possible and thus ensure that the seal maintains its compression on the frame within the values of loads on the leaf (pressure/pressure drop) stipulated in the specification of the design.

Having said that, it is clear that it is important to have a leaf structure that is as rigid as possible to avoid deformations under load as much as possible and thus maintain the maximum sealing features to pressure/pressure drop waves of the door to ensure the comfort of the traveler.
To stiffen the leaf in the closed and locked door position, a leaf structure is designed as non-deformable as possible and, in addition, it is fixed at various points along its contour, Seeking that the distances between fixing points are as short as possible to minimize the deformation arrows due to the pressures/pressure drops that act on the surface of the leaf.
All these fixing elements give the door system a very high rigidity that minimizes the leaf bending effect due to the loads applied to it, allowing the static air-tight seal to fulfill its task correctly.
The current door systems for High Speed used by manufacturers are also based on the use of a static seal and the search for the maximum rigidity of the leaf, also using several fixing points. However, the locking systems of all these points are based on inverse point kinematics that require, at critical moments of the door opening or closing kinematics, a large energy consumption of the system, and the necessary power must be greatly oversized to be able to carry out a complete opening or closing cycle.
Furthermore, the elements not located in the mechanism itself are motorized to lock independently of it, using electric or pneumatic actuating elements that must be powered and monitored separately.
According to current regulations and legislation, a door system must have an operating element called an "emergency exit device". Said element is used to unlock a locked door in order to allow manual opening of the door from the inside in an emergency. The force that operates this device must not exceed 150 N.
Translating this situation to the manual opening operation of this type of doors, it happens that, due to the large number of locking points that the door must have to ensure its function and the system used to ensure locking at different points (reverse point), it is very difficult to meet the requirement that the manual effort for unlocking does not exceed 150 N.
EP0312450A1 discloses a swinging sliding door for a fast train, wherein the forward edge of the leaf is guided by a slide presenting an oblique region for the engagement of the leaf in the frame near to the closed position. The forward edge of the leaf engages in a groove in the corresponding post in the closed position.
US2017183018A1 discloses a front door for railcars. The front door includes a hinge provided at a first vertical side portion on the front door, the hinge supporting the front door rotatably toward the car interior side, a lock mechanism provided at a second vertical side portion on the front door, the lock mechanism locking the front door, and an emergency support mechanism that holds the front door on the end panel upon collision of an object with the front door in a locked state.
Therefore, an objective of the present invention is to provide a door for high-speed trains that uses a static seal system with much lower energy consumption than is necessary for doors with the same performance, and with less effort required for manually opening the door in case of emergency.

Description of the invention

With the door of the invention, the aforementioned drawbacks are resolved, presenting other advantages that will be described below.
The door for high-speed trains according to the present invention is defined in claim 1, and it comprises at least three locking points located at three different heights on the door, a first locking point located at the top of the door, a second locking point located in the middle of the door, and a third locking point located at the bottom of the door.
According to a preferred embodiment, the first locking point comprises a hook movable between a closed position and an open position, a first pin being integral with the door housed in a first slot of the first hook in the closed position and the first pin being out of said first slot in the open position.
Furthermore, also according to a preferred embodiment, the second locking point comprises a connecting rod provided with a second slot, said connecting rod being movable between a closed position and an open position, a second pin being housed in the second slot in the closed position and the second pin being outside the second slot in the open position.
The second locking point also comprises a locking cam movable between a closed position and an open position, in which, in the closed position, the locking cam blocks the movement of said connecting rod and in the open position, the locking cam releases the movement of said connecting rod.
Preferably, said locking cam is disc-shaped with a recessed portion.
The third locking point comprises an arm movable between a closed position and an open position, said arm comprising a first end provided with a rotating shaft and a third pin, said third pin being housed in a third slot located in the door in the closed position and said third pin being outside the third slot in the open position.
Furthermore, the third locking point also comprises a locking disc, which in the closed position blocks the rotation of said arm and in the open position, releases the rotation of said arm.
Said arm also comprises at its other end a rotating shaft and a projection, wherein said projection is in contact with the locking disc in its closed position and said projection is separated from the locking disc in its open position.
Furthermore, said locking disc advantageously comprises a recessed portion.
The door for high-speed trains according to the present invention also advantageously comprises a front upright that extends along the entire length of the door.
Preferably, said rotating shaft is housed in a guide of said door.
Furthermore, the door for high-speed trains according to the present invention preferably comprises two first locking points, one at each upper corner of the door.
With the door for high-speed trains according to the present invention, at least the following advantages are achieved:
A door sufficiently robust and rigid to use a static seal system that allows it to comply with the air tightness requirements indicated in the regulations and legislation in force.
Controlled energy consumption much lower than that necessary for doors with the same performance, but with conventional locking systems.
Less effort required for manual emergency door opening.
A phase of optimized fitting, closing and locking the door to be able to ensure the performance of the operation even in situations of great slope on the track (stations with a curve).

Brief description of the drawings

For a better understanding of what has been stated, some drawings are attached in which, schematically and only as a non-limiting example, a practical case of embodiment is represented.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation view of the door according to the present invention, with the door closed;
Figure 2 is a plan view along the line II-II of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation view of the door according to the present invention, with the door open;
Figure 4 is a plan view along the line IV-IV of Figure 3.

Description of a preferred embodiment

To provide maximum rigidity to a door 1 of a high-speed train, the door according to the present invention comprises the following locking elements:
Two first locking points 2 located in the upper area of door 1, one for each corner of the door.
The first locking point 2 comprises a hook 5 movable between a closed position and an open position, a first pin 6 being integral with the door 1 housed in a first slot 7 of the first hook 5 in the closed position (figure 1) and the first pin 6 being outside said first slot 7 in the open position (figure 3).
A front upright 19 of the door leaf 1, this front upright 19 being understood as the one that comes first in the closing direction of the door 1, which engages when closing with a wedge-like engagement profile over the entire length door 1.
A second locking point 3 located at a middle height of said door 1 mounted on the inside of door 1, comprising a connecting rod 8 provided with a second slot 9, said connecting rod 8 being movable between a closed position and a position opening, a second pin 10 being housed in the second slot 9 in the closed position and the second pin 10 being outside the second slot 9 in the open position.
Said second locking point 3 also comprises a disc-shaped locking cam 11 with a recessed portion movable between a closed position and an open position, in which, in the closed position, the locking cam 11 locks the movement of said connecting rod 8 and in the open position, the locking cam 11 releases the movement of said connecting rod 8.
A third locking point 4 by means of a lower arm 12. This arm 12 is basically used to transfer to the lower part of the door 1 the kinematic engagement/disengagement movement thereof conferred in the upper part by the guide present in the opening/closing mechanism and to maintain the distance from the door leaf 1 to the box of the door once this is in pure translation movement.
Said arm 12 is movable between a closed position and an open position, said arm 12 comprising a first end provided with a rotating shaft 13 and a third pin 14, said third pin 14 being housed in a third slot 15 located in the door 1 in the closed position (figure 2) and said third pin 14 being outside the third slot 15 in the open position (figure 4).
Said third locking point 4 also comprises a locking disc 16, which in the closed position locks the rotation of said arm 12 (figure 2) and in the open position, releases the rotation of said arm 12 (figure 4).
Said arm 12 also comprises at its other end a rotating shaft 17 and a projection 18, wherein said projection 18 is in contact with the locking disc 16 in its closed position and said projection 18 is separated from the locking disc 16 in its open position. For this, said locking disc 16 comprises a recessed portion.
As can be seen in Figures 1 and 3, the first locking point 2 is connected to the second locking point 3 by means of a first bar 21 and the second locking point 3 is connected to the third locking point 4 by means of a second bar 22, the movement of said locking points 2, 3, 4 being actuated by a single motor.
None of the locking points 2, 3, 4 of door 1 uses reverse point as lock assurance, which allows the energy required to lock the door 1 to be much less than with systems that do use the reverse point as a lock philosophy.
The extra energy that the system supplies and that is not used due to this locking philosophy can be used to allow both the second locking point 3 located at mid-height and the third locking point 4 below to be actively used during the end phase of engagement of the door leaf 1 in the closing operation.
The locking points 2, 3, 4 are controlled by a single motor of the door 1 opening and closing mechanism, which applies a force in the direct closing direction at the locking points 2, 3, 4 to the point where it is precise blocking, making slope closing situations, which are those that require more energy to close door 1, be carried out with less power applied to the system compared to that required in current systems and allowing compression of the static seal to ensure its function in the closed and interlocked position.
Despite the fact that reference has been made to a specific embodiment of the invention, it is clear to a person skilled in the art that the described door is susceptible to numerous variations and modifications, without departing from the scope of protection defined by the appended claims.

Claims

Door for high-speed trains, comprising a plurality of locking points, characterized in that it comprises at least three locking points (2, 3, 4) located at three different heights on the door (1), a first locking point (2) located in the upper part of the door (1), and a second locking point (3) located in the middle part of the door (1), and a third locking point (4) located at the bottom of the door (1), and in that the third locking point (4) comprises an arm (12) movable between a closed position and an open position, said arm (12) comprising a first end provided with a rotating shaft (13) and a third pin (14), said third pin (14) being housed in a third slot (15) located in the door (1) in the closed position and said third pin (14) being out of the third slot (15) in the open position.
Door for high-speed trains according to claim 1, wherein the first locking point (2) comprises a hook (5) movable between a closed position and an open position, a first pin (6) being integral with the door (1) housed in a first slot (7) of the first hook (5) in the closed position and the first pin (6) being outside said first slot (7) in the open position.
Door for high-speed trains according to claim 1, wherein the second locking point (3) comprises a connecting rod (8) provided with a second slot (9), said connecting rod (8) being movable between a closed position and an open position, a second pin (10) housed in the second slot (9) in the closed position and the second pin (10) being outside the second slot (9) in the open position.
Door for high-speed trains according to claim 3, wherein the second locking point (3) also comprises a locking cam (11) movable between a closed position and an open position, wherein, in the closed position, the locking cam (11) blocks the movement of said connecting rod (8) and in the open position, the locking cam (11) releases the movement of said connecting rod (8).
Door for high-speed trains according to claim 4, wherein said locking cam (11) is disc-shaped with a recessed portion.
Door for high-speed trains according to claim 1, wherein the third locking point (4) also comprises a locking disc (16), which in the closed position blocks the rotation of said arm (12) and in the open position, releases the rotation of said arm (12).
Door for high-speed trains according to claim 6, wherein said arm (12) comprises at its other end a rotating shaft (17) and a projection (18), wherein said projection (18) is in contact with the locking disc (16) in its closed position and said projection (18) is separated from the locking disc (16) in its open position.
Door for high-speed trains according to claim 6, wherein said locking disc (16) comprises a recessed portion.
Door for high-speed trains according to any one of the preceding claims, which also comprises a front upright (19) that extends along the entire length of the door (1).
Door for high-speed trains according to claim 1, wherein said rotating shaft (13) is housed in a guide (20) of said door (1).
Door for high-speed trains according to claim 1, comprising two first locking points (2), one in each upper corner of the door (1).
Door for high-speed trains according to claim 1, wherein the first locking point (2) is connected to the second locking point (3) by means of a first bar (21) and the second locking point (3) is connected to the third locking point (4) by means of a second bar (22), the movement of said locking points (2, 3, 4) being actuated by a single motor.