FR2836882A1 - SYSTEM FOR THE TRANSPORT OF ROAD VEHICLES ON TRAINS MADE OF ROLLING EQUIPMENT AND SPECIAL HANDLING DEVICES - 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

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State of the art and state of the art: Freight transport by road is growing rapidly. Its implementation allows end-to-end control of the transport chain with a single means: the truck and its driver. It is currently faster but above all better structured than rail, river or maritime transport solutions. However, it poses several problems: 'In the short term, the saturation of certain traffic lanes, the nuisance caused to local residents and road safety problems.

. In the medium term for Europe, internal and external competition in an economic field difficult to control, which will cause social problems.

'In the long term, faced with the depletion of petroleum resources, a predictable fuel supply crisis.

 In the short, medium and long term, an important source of pollution due to combustion emissions: greenhouse effect, pollution by nitrogen oxides, particles, ...

The only alternative in a geographical area such as Europe is to develop rail transport. But it is clear that except for certain heavy industries, it is out of the question to connect each industrialist or each logistics platform to the rail network. Combined rail-road transport is therefore a compulsory and unavoidable crossing point.

The containerization of goods and their transport combining special wagons and adapted road trailers is an excellent solution. Unfortunately it imposes significant delays linked to the necessary transshipments as well as the difficulty of managing most often three parties: the truck manager who takes care of the container on departure, the rail network manager, and the truck manager who brings the container to final destination, not to mention recycling the container. This therefore leads to direct costs equal to or even higher than those of direct transport by road and to longer times (which generates costs of immobilizing stocks). In practice, container transport is mainly used when goods have to pass through a maritime segment.

Another solution is to load the trucks on trains for part of their journey. It has been implemented in segments where trucks cannot circulate for obvious reasons, such as for the Trans-Manche link or the crossing of Alpine passes in Switzerland. These examples are worth studying.

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In both cases, special trains are used. In the Swiss case, the trucks form queues, embark on the platforms of the shuttles, and disembark in the same order by the other end of the train on arrival; We use, to be able to run trains on an old network, lowered wagons fitted with small wheels, which poses problems of wear of the wheels and rails, adaptation of the train detection pedals and speed of the convoys. .

In the case of Trans-Manche, the trucks embark by the side of the wagons, which are fitted with wheels of normal diameter. The link having been specially built to accommodate this type of traffic, the gauge is much greater than the usual railway gauge.

It is clear that the ideal solution is to be able to use the existing railway infrastructure (tunnels in particular) and to be able to load the road assemblies to European standards (length 18.5 m, width 2.60 m, height 4.30 m , weight 40 t), respecting the current standards for railway equipment (axle load and wheel diameter). These two constraints combined impose the development of special low-loader wagons and devices for loading trucks. A solution was proposed a short time ago, consisting in pivoting a base forming part of a special wagon, which makes it possible to tranship a road assembly there without lifting. The base is aligned with the axis of the wagon when it is routed on the track, and offset by an angle of around 30 degrees when the train is in the station. This solution, admittedly ingenious, is open to criticism for the following reasons: Transshipment, stowage and stalling operations are long and immobilize the train. As a result, the system only works if the transfer stations are very far from each other (typically 500 km).

Due to the length of these operations, the trains cannot follow one another quickly, which leads to underuse of the tracks.

. The speeds that can be reached are limited to what road trailers are supposed to support (many have tarpaulins). In practice, little more than
100 km / h at top speed.

Safety is not ensured in the event of a fire, especially in tunnels due to the effect of air draft. Certain recent accidents in rail or road tunnels make this constraint very critical for operators.

The obligation to provide the wagon with a mechanical assembly making it possible to rotate part of it makes the latter fairly heavy and costly, but wagons are to be produced in

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 large numbers for the system to generalize and also the traction of heavy trains is a problem (especially in the mountains).

Apart from the cost, the parameters which condition the acceptance of a transhipment by rail for the managers or drivers of trucks, are the total time of the journey from end to end, the proportion of this time deducted in driving time and the possible distance supplements linked to the location of embarkation and disembarkation points: this leads to bringing stations closer to one another, therefore increasing their number. However, the reduction in the distance between stations makes it crucial, in determining commercial speed, the time the train stops in intermediate stations. It is therefore essential to reduce this downtime as much as possible. Modern signaling systems allow trains to run fairly close to one another, with an order of magnitude of one train every three to six minutes depending on the level of equipment of the link. This therefore supposes, if all trains have to stop at a given station, that the stopping time is less than this value (for example five to six minutes), otherwise the system will be blocked.

Another constraint to take into account, with regard to conventional rail routes (excluding special TGV tracks) is the difficulty of managing traffic, on the same axis of passenger trains traveling at high speeds (of the order of 160 km / h) and freight trains traveling at lower speeds (of the order of 100 km / h). The resulting constraints, apart from the fact that they constitute a headache for traffic controllers, lead to underuse of the tracks.

To reduce the journey times of 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 poses problems of motorization, but also of protection (the wagons must be closed and not opened).

Last constraint posed by the rail network: some tracks in mountain areas have significant slopes, which limits the mass of trains that can run there. As with speed, we come up against problems with the motorization of convoys. The objective of the present invention is to be able to make the piggyback trains cross 35 mm / m slopes: the maximum encountered on mountain lines.

Apart from the specific problems posed by the transport of lorries (in particular of heavy sets), a significant part of the traffic of goods is done by smaller lorries or by vans. Rail-road solution should be offered to charterers and drivers of this type of vehicle.

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 Although this is a different problem and likely to be applied to other solutions (rental, etc.), part of the traffic of light vehicles (cars) 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 timetables: there are certainly many more potential customers for the piggybacking of light vehicles during the day than at night, and this provided that commercial speeds are important in order journey times are close to what they can be by using the motorway network.

Finally, although there are specific solutions, freight trains, special wagons, specialized yards, for transporting containers by rail, the question arises as to whether a piggyback system capable of transporting road vehicles could not, with inexpensive adaptations, also transport containers.

We will see below that this is quite possible.

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

The object of the invention is to allow road vehicles - trucks, light commercial vehicles, passenger cars - as well as containers to be loaded on trains made up of special wagons adapted to high speed (160 km / h and more), able to use the railways in the standard gauges ("Bl" or "C") to operate the existing network, to climb the steepest ramps of the network (35 per 1000) and to minimize downtime in transfer stations (objective 5 min) so that we can optimize the speed on the tracks and the overall efficiency of the infrastructure. These reduced downtime will allow for a tight network of stations (100 to 200 km away) without penalizing users who travel long distances: in fact, the combination of train speed and the brevity of stops, allows a significant commercial speed. The proximity of the stations allows them, by increasing the number of embarkation or disembarkation points on the route, to offer a better service to the users, therefore to increase their number and consequently the profitability of the system. The speed of these trains, comparable to that of passenger trains, makes it possible to optimize the speed on the lines by simplifying their control, including in the situation where, on certain sections, passenger traffic and piggyback traffic coexist.

All of this uses simple principles of modularity and techniques from the field of industrial automation, in order to reduce the costs of using the system and to quickly reach the profitability of the necessary investments.

The basic principle is not to load road elements, trucks, trailers, .... directly on wagons, but to use an intermediate support called

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 "passable": a kind of large pallet capable of receiving a truck, a road trailer, vans, containers or even cars. The trains are made up of special low-frame wagons specially designed to load passenger cars. The stations, which are specially adapted to this type of traffic, consist of a road traffic zone connected to the road or motorway network, an zone comprising the tracks for stopping trains, and an intermediate zone located between the two previous ones, in which the passables are handled by automated devices. The crux of the invention is in the presence of this "site" of automated loading and unloading, which implies the definition of the practicable as basic module handled by said site, and which induces the total restructuring of the train as a whole. able to load and move passables.

To reach high speeds, it is necessary to cover the wagons, because one cannot leave in the open air road trailers designed for speeds of the order of 100 km / h. The fact of covering the wagons thus makes it possible to provide another functionality for protection against fire, in particular in tunnels.

To cross significant slopes it is necessary to motorize the wagons, which also makes it possible to give the trains significant accelerations allowing them to better integrate into traffic: this requires to distribute the motorization along the trains and to develop them as "self-propelled" in the railway sense Having said this, it is possible to envisage a deployment in several stages of a commercial system according to the principles of the present invention, to abandon or defer some of the functional constraints set out above: this results in cheaper systems, the implementation of which may require shorter times. The following variant embodiments may be cited: It is possible not to put a cover on the wagons, leaving the road vehicles in the open air during their transport. This obviously limits the possible speeds and leaves the problem of safety against fires in tunnels, but on the contrary would give a definite advantage in terms of usable railway gauge ("Bl" instead of "C").

It is possible not to impose the constraint of easy crossing of mountain ramps and to give up important accelerations to produce traditional passive wagons towed by power cars.

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

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Description of the invention.

The principle will be better understood with regard to the boards? 1 to 16: the board? 1 shows, with figure N 1, a train, the board? 2 shows, with Figures N 2, 3,4 and 5, a walkable, the board? 3 represents, with the figure? 6 the attachment of bogies, in the general concept of a wagon, the board? 4 represents, with the figure? 7 a simple bogie, in the general concept of a wagon, the board? 5 shows, with the figure? 8 a self-propelled bogie, in the general concept of a wagon, the board? 6 shows, with the figures? 9 and 10, a wagon, the board? 7 represents, with the figures NO Il and 12, a wagon with its covering, the board? 8 shows, with Figures NO 13 and 14, the head and end of the train element, the board? 9 shows, with figures NO 15 and 16, a principle of movement of passable in station in the area of the automated site, # the board NO 10 represents, with figure N 17, a device for storing passable in station in the area of the automated site facing a wagon, the board NO It represents in profile, with figure N 18, the wagon with a load on the track, the board NO 12 represents in profile, with figure N 19, the setting cycle place of the automanipulator under the wagon, for taking charge of the practicable, the board NO 13 represents in profile, with figure N 20, the movement of the practicable by the automanipulator between the wagon and the quay the board NO 14 represents in top view, with figure N 21, the relative positioning of a wagon and an auto-manipulator with a view to the taking in or the removal of a passable on a wagon by the auto-manipulator, the board NO 15 represents , with figures N 22, 23 and 24, a principal e of the auto-manipulator, Plate N 16 represents with figure NO 25 the general principle of a station.

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Description of the floor area.

Figures NO 2, 3,4 and 5 on the board? 2 schematically represent the principle of the mobile system called "passable". It constitutes the load-bearing structure of the wagon, which will lock onto the rolling parts which will be detailed according to the figures in plates NO 3, 4,5 and 6.

A key element of the invention, the floor area consists of an overall structure (1) with a double wall which forms a shell making a U-shaped profile of variable thickness. This shell ends with two beams (2) located in the upper part of the vertical cheeks (3) of the U, they extend very much beyond the length of the U profile. The upper wall (4) of the shell (1) corrugated in the direction of the width ensures the transverse rigidity of the passable by the presence of the folds (5) and against folds (6) necessary for its realization. This rigidity is reinforced by the incorporation of the central half beam (7) running over the entire length of the floor area and the additional functionality of which will be better understood after the description of the figures of the planks NO 3, 4.5 and 6. The lower wall (8) flat ensures removal to the ground. In the central part, this wall follows the profile of the upper wall (4) to create a free central passage over the entire length of the floor area. Laterally two cheeks, (3) natural continuities of the elements (4-8) that constitute the floor with double walls of the floor area, by their bending upward, provide the main longitudinal rigidity of the assembly, which is completed by the central half beam ( 7). In the upper part of the floor area and inside the beams (2) are incorporated four reservations (10) which will serve to position and immobilize the floor area on the wagon. These hollow cylindrical lock systems, the entrances of which are funnel-shaped (11), will be positioned on sets of movable fingers whose operation will be better understood after the description of the figures of the planks NO 3, 4,5 and 6. The connections between the beams (2) and the external walls (3) end in gussets (12) which will have a double role, namely to reinforce the mechanical resistance of the beam (2) and especially to prohibit the lateral disengagement of the passable by breakage of a connection point between passable and bogie. Always to ensure safety in the event of a coupling breakage, the ends of the beams (2) are fitted with anchors (13) which ensure that the passable vehicle is embedded in the bogie platform in all configurations of use. These functionalities will be better understood after the description of the figures of plates NO 3, 4,5 and 6.

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

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 inside the floor area. These boss surfaces can be fitted with devices for immobilizing the containers, such as centering pins, wedges, etc. : these devices could be removable or include several positioning positions, at the place / upside down, inside / outside, to manage the variety of loads (vehicles on wheels, containers of various types). Between said surfaces, in boss, the space is sufficient to wedge and immobilize a rolling load.

It is obvious that the shape of the practicable could be adapted to more specific products such as for example automobiles that could be loaded on two levels: we will retain as characteristic elements of the invention the fundamental principle of the use of a removable floor space serving as a chassis for the wagon, the reservation made in its lower part, half beam (7), which allows it to be embedded in the bogie connecting bar, described in board NO 3, the U-shaped shapes guaranteeing the best rigidity of the assembly, positioning and locking on the half trays of the wagon made possible by passing the upper beams (2). This positioning and this locking will be described on plates NO 2, 3,4, 5 and 6.

Variant in composite materials.

Note that the walkable, instead of being made of metal by cutting, folding, welding techniques, can consist of a double shell of composite materials, the whole being assembled around the two beams (2) which would keep all their functionality and a filling material according to the principle of "structural countermolding". This extremely efficient technique in terms of lightness and mechanical resistance has proven itself in shipbuilding. It will be noted that other materials, other methods of manufacture and other forms are possible for the passable, which would not call into question the principle of the present invention Description of the wagon The figures of the boards NO 3, 4, 5 and 6 show a special wagon, which includes two end bogies. These bogies define the support plates (14) which will receive the ends of the passable surfaces.

It must be clear that, although we speak of "wagons" and their bogies, when referring to a classic conception of railway equipment, we must rather reason in terms of a succession alternating bogies and intermediate elements of transport of the load - passable-based at their ends on two consecutive bogies, bogies which they share with the previous and next passable.

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 The support plates (14) are interconnected with a fastening beam (19) which constitutes the longitudinal connection structure of the train in the absence of the platform described in FIG. NO. 2. The connections between the plates (14) and the attachment beams (19) are provided by multidirectional damping assemblies (20) located at each end of the beam (19) and taking support on either side of the heads (18) protruding from the beam (19 ).

Incorporated in double pairs inside and on either side of the chainrings (14), they are able to absorb the articulation constraints of the train in the curves and in the acceleration and deceleration phases. The lowered beam (19) guarantees a rail clearance of 140 mm. The connections (20) obey the rules of the art specific to railway construction. The attachment beam (19) maintains the interval necessary for the passage of the passable between the walls (21) of two consecutive bogies and allows the passage from one wagon to another throughout the train, electrical power and control fluids, braking circuits, hydraulic connections for the trim lift system, etc. The plates (14) are extended at the feet of the walls (21) of counter plates (15) whose functionality will be better described in plate NO 12. These counter plates are situated at the lower level of the beam (19) and help to support, they define the ground clearance of 140 mm.

On the plates (14) of the bogies are integrated ruptures of levels (17): with regard to the bosses (13) described in the board NO 2, they ensure by embedding the longitudinal safety of the convoy. In the axis of the ruptures (17) of the plates (14) are incorporated the assemblies (22) for anchoring and locking the floor area. Each break (17) has two anchor points, a bogie therefore has four anchor points: two for the upstream passable two for the downstream passable Each anchor point is mounted on a horizontal damping system (24) bidirectional, identical in principle to those installed on the attachment beam (19). The active parts of each anchorage are in the form of a cylindrical axis (22) male having a conical inlet (23) and solitary of a mobile base strongly guided in the chassis of the bogie, it is caught between the two springs (24) which have the function: to keep the anchoring centered in the absence of practicable (therefore longitudinal effort), train stopped, to compensate for variations in length in the curves, to absorb the constraints longitudinal in the different phases of dynamic operation of the train, and this in parallel with the spring and shock absorber systems arranged at the end of the attachment beam (19).

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 In addition to these mechanical functions, it is necessary to provide a directional hydraulic compensation system (25-26) composed of hydraulic cylinders whose action, which could be described as programmable springs and dampers, is to soften the connection to low speed, especially in small radius curves, and on the contrary to harden the connection when the train travels at high speed on straight tracks or large radius curves.

In the event of one of the axes (22) breaking, a safety system is incorporated into the complementary geometric shapes of the passable (13) and the bogie (17). It is capable of ensuring: keeping the wagon and its load in line, respecting the spaces along the train and the survival of the longitudinal beam. The integrity of the said beam is indeed essential for the transmission of the information necessary for driving the convoy, so that the latter can, in this case of rupture, clear the tracks independently.

As described in the figures on the plate? 2 the floor area has at its center and lengthwise a cavity in the form of a half beam (7) which, while making it possible to reinforce its rigidity, allows it to be embedded in the attachment beam (19) of the wagon.

This embedding function is one of the key elements of the invention. Indeed, the evolution in volume of road trailers and the constraints of existing rail lines, even brought to their maximum extension, necessarily impose the optimum use of the space available in tunnel infrastructure. The presence of the covering of the wagons becomes a critical element at this level since it implies an increase in height above the on-board road vehicles and therefore a greater constraint relative to the maximum height rating imposed by the gauges.

If a vertical gauge in the tunnel of 4,800 m above the rail is retained (gauge C), a rail guard fixed at 0.140 m, and a trailer height of 4.300 m. reduced to 4.150 m by purging the suspension, we see that there remains 0.510 m for the load-bearing elements of the wagon, the cover and the functional guards. If the lower part of a traditional chassis is around 0.250 m, there is only 0.260 m left for the cover and the functional guards: with an internal guard in the wagon of 0.050 m. and a guard outside the wagon 0.050 m., this leaves a roof thickness of 0.160 m., which seems insufficient to guarantee the rigidity of the structure at the targeted speeds.

One answer to solve this problem is to lower the position of the trailers relative to the rails, which means that the lower part of the floor area and therefore the trailer wheels must be located as close as possible to the rail clearance level. (140 mm. Retained in the case of the present invention): there is only space left for "putting material" outside of said wheels, where the sides (3) of the passable are located, and between say them

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 wheels or takes place the cavity (7) of the floor which comes to cover the attachment beam between the bogies (19).

To engage or disengage the practitioner from the fastening beam (19), it is necessary to equip the system with a lifting of the practitioner and therefore of the load. This system can be installed either on bogies or in stations. The description of plates NO 9, 10 will allow a better understanding of the need.

A number of variants can be described from the principle set out 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 were designed, each provided with two clean bogies at the end, and coupled to each other according to the scheme generally used in railway construction.

Motorized variant The figure? 8 of the board? 5 shows what could be bogies with three axles each comprising two free axles (16) and a driving axle (27), which will be linked to an assembly consisting of an electric motor (28), a reduction gear (29) and a transmission to the driving axle (31). The reduction gear could have a fixed ratio or constitute a gearbox: in fact, the presence of a gearbox makes it possible to adapt the kinematic chain to the load, the terrain and the target speeds-heavy or light train, journey in plain or in the mountains - and this with a motorization (electronics and motor) of lower power than without the use of a gearbox. The powers being distributed along the train, we are faced with power ranges that are conventionally found on road tractors: it is therefore possible to consider a gear change during the running of the train without leading to monstrous mechanical configurations as would be the case to implement this functionality on a conventional locomotive. The installation of the gearmotor assembly will be made perpendicular to the axis of the axle and upwards to allow normal operation of the suspension; in connection with this mechanical assembly, a control and power supply group (30) specific to each bogie is installed. This electromechanical assembly will be incorporated in a frame (33) integral with the bogie plate (14) capable of ensuring its protection and serving as a support for the covering which will be described.

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 in the figures on the board? 7. The connection with the control station installed at the head of the train will be carried out by an electric line of the bus type, preferably with direct current, for the power, and by a set of control signals: computer network, security signals ( 27). Obviously, the principle of the invention will not be modified by designing a bogie with two or three driving axles in place of the version described comprising two free axles plus a motorized one. The figure ? 9 of the board? 6 foreshadows what could be a succession of self-propelled bogies connected by beams (19) Non-motorized variant The bogies, with two or three axles, can only comprise free axles (16) sufficient to meet the constraints of the loads. The figure ? 7 of the board? 4 shows such an embodiment. The motorization of the train must be done in a conventional manner, by power cars. Such a variant is less expensive to study and to deploy, since there is no need to design the "motorization" part of the trainsets and that existing traction equipment can be used. The logic of this solution, taken to the extreme considering that the distributed engine has no future, would be to make the decision to limit the bogie to two axles, which must allow the axle load of 22.5 tonnes , and would limit the length of a wagon equivalent to 17 m instead of 19 m.

However, we draw attention to two drawbacks of this solution. On the one hand, the traction forces are then concentrated on the couplings located as close as possible to the drive units. The design of the spring-shock absorber (20,24) and hydraulic (25,26) elements must take account of much stronger constraints, making the application of the principle of "practicable structure" difficult to implement. On the other hand, the constraints specific to mountain lines would make this type of train very difficult to manage, because of the obligation to put many power trains to ensure grip. These two drawbacks would be major in the event that we would like to build long trains - 1500 m - to improve profitability.

To conclude, we note that the advantages of the motorized variant in terms of manufacturing costs, with lower power equipment in greater number for the power components, in terms of operational availability, with fault tolerance and ease of maintenance. , in terms of the universality of trains capable of running both on the plain and in the mountains, should more than compensate for the additional study cost to deploy a piggyback solution on a large scale. The generalization of such a solution would also make it possible to make enormous savings on the drilling of long

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 tunnels under mountain passes, which have no other function than to allow trains to cross the said passes with slight slopes.

Variant with cover.

The figures on the board? 7 describe the answer, namely the dressing of the wagon, to the last constraints imposed: allow speeds of the order of 200 km / hour and ensure fire safety. These figures make it possible 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 covering is strongly linked to the space which will be freed up by calculating the mechanical stresses supported by the platform of the wagon, that is to say the floor area described with the figures of the board NO 2, by the maximum gauge. the infrastructure on which the trains (tunnels) will be used and the height of the trailers which are accepted by the system.

'garantir la protection des charges à grande vitesse, permettre la mise en place d'un ensemble pare-feu par l'injection en cas d'incendie d'un gaz inerte à l'intérieur de l'habillage, . diminuer la résistance aérodynamique et le bruit à grande vitesse. This covering must respond in the context of the invention to a triple function,

'' guarantee the protection of loads at high speed, allow the installation of a firewall assembly by injection in the event of fire of an inert gas inside the casing,. decrease aerodynamic resistance and noise at high speed.

The installation of the passable requires providing for the lifting of the entire covering from the bogie plates (14) described in the figures of the plates NO 3, 4, 5, 6, to allow the load to exit. It is moreover necessary to provide a device capable of absorbing the variations in length due to the modifications of the geometry of the trains in the various dynamic working configurations (passage in curve, dynamic forces along the train).

With these constraints, the covering can be designed around the two ends which constitute the fixed frames (33) described in the figures of the sheet NO 7. Each lifting frame is incorporated with the lifting cylinder (35), which by means of the axis (36) itself integrated into a longitudinal compensation system (37) ensures the length modifications according to the dynamic stresses to which the wagon is subjected. These systems are integral with a one-piece cover (38), running between the two frames (33), which constitutes the top cover of the wagon along a transverse profile offering sufficient inertia to bending.

The two lateral faces can be produced by pivoting doors (39-40) which, from the roof (38) which supports them by a set of articulations, are raised by

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 sets of cables (41) and pulleys (42). The latter, in sufficient number and judiciously distributed over the length of the structure, make it possible to carry out the lifting from a central axis (43) integral with the roof (38) supported by a geared motor (44).

The bogies (14), on which the frames (33) are fixed, serve as supports for the locks.

Similarly, the floor area described by the figures on the board? 2 serves as a support base for the panels (39.40) to seal the closed structure. The whole of the sealing is done by flexible or inflatable seals therefore the secondary function is to limit the noises due to the relative movements of the elements between them.

The covering must constitute with the floor space a unit as closed as possible which will serve as containment in the event of fire of a load. For this, the design of the frame (33), described in the figure of the board NO 5, comprises a watertight partition (32) separating this frame into two distinct zones: one reserved for the power block and servo control, the other to the establishment of a gas reserve (46) and to an injection assembly (45). A control system, equipped with sensors capable of detecting fumes or heat sources, can activate a set of solenoid valves which ensure the diffusion of an inert gas (such as carbon dioxide). We can thus extinguish or at least contain a fire.

It is possible, although this seems less optimal in the technical and economic sense, to replace a cover as described above, which has its own means of opening at the station, with a cover that is mechanically simpler and which should be put in place. and removed by devices integrated into the stations. This process, simple to set up, has not been described in the figures and would obviously not change anything within the scope of the present invention.

Variant without skin.

There is nothing special to describe, except that the elements explained in the previous paragraph are absent. It will be noted that the combination of the variant without cladding with the non-motorized variant leads to a set of relatively flat single wagons, fairly comparable to those used in the solutions currently known in piggybacking, but with however a capital advantage in that which concerns the loading and unloading times thanks to the principle of passables.

. soit de supprimer le système de relevage du praticable et de l'ensemble des asservissements qui lui sont liés, mécanisme qui sera décrit dans la figure NO 19 de la planche NO 12 : en effet le gabarit de 4, 800m. permet alors de passer largement la However, it should be noted that abandoning this wrapping functionality would allow:

. or to remove the lifting system of the floor area and of all the servo-systems linked to it, a mechanism which will be described in FIG. NO 19 of the board NO 12: in fact the template of 4,800 m. then allows to largely pass the

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trailer height 4,300m. plus the 0.140m. of the guard on rails. Should this linkage be replaced by a simple vertical mechanization of the axes (22) described in the figures? 6 and 7 of the boards? 3 and 4 or to highlight, by preserving the lifting and embedding system, the advantages of the present invention to be able to travel on lines with the current gauge "B 1". If a vertical gauge in the tunnel of 4.320 m above the rail is retained, a rail guard fixed at 0.140 m, and a trailer height of 4.300 m. brought back to
4,150 m. by purging the suspension, we see that there is 0.030 m for the thickness of the floor area (<0.015 m) and the functional clearance under the gauge: the height of the rail convoy would in this case be 4.305 m.

Description of service wagons They are essential for drivers and passengers of on-board road vehicles. These cars could have a layout on one or two levels. In addition, to facilitate the change of composition of trains depending on the circumstances, day / night, transport of cars or heavy goods vehicles, one could very well conceive of the service wagon as a "passenger container", capable of being installed or removed from the train in stations with the same devices as passable. The additional constraint to take into account, compared to a passable, is that a passenger wagon must be connected to the energy distribution system of the train, in order to be able to have lighting, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, safety devices, etc. It will therefore be necessary to provide cables between the bogies or the motorization blocks integrated into the bogies and the said service wagons. Given the fact that boarding a service wagon on the train is an infrequent operation, it is not necessarily useful to provide for the automated connection of connections when the service wagon is placed on the train. : manual connection seems sufficient.

Head and / or oar tail elements.

The description of the wagons above, with the motorized variant of the bogies, requires proposing for the train an overall architecture in which there would be no power cars in the conventional sense. Indeed, certain functions cannot be distributed in the bogies, others have no interest in being distributed for economic reasons. A solution is therefore proposed which will be better understood after description of FIGS. NO 13 and 14 of the plate NO 8. At each end of a reversible train is a head element which comprises: 'a driving cabin,

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system block sensors,. track-train remote transmission elements, a computerized train control system, safety elements, a current collection system on the catenary (pantograph), an electrical protection system (circuit breaker), a current transformation system to convert 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 above description only takes up the list of elements that a conventional powerplant comprises, with the exception of the motors and their control electronics. Insofar as, according to the figures on the board? 6 the bogies of the train are motorized, it is very conceivable that the bogie (14) which supports 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) wagon of the train. On the other side, that is to say under the driving cabin, a passive bogie (60) will suffice. We will refer to Figure NO 13 of the board? 8 for a description of this principle.

But we can go further and, given the infrastructure required in stations, provide an original and innovative principle that fits well with the spirit of the present invention. The oar head and tail elements are constructed as follows.

As for the wagons making up the train, these elements are constructed with a chassis whose central part is the same level with respect to the rails as the passables at the time of their entry by the passable handling system. At the end, head or tail of the train, there is a structure consisting of the driver's cab, block system sensors, track-to-train remote transmission elements, the computer system of train control, elements of safety, a passive bogie (60) and a motorized bogie (14) and pantographs.

* 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. In the hollow released in the central and lowered part of the chassis takes place a removable energy block (61). This energy block includes: 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, the connection connections to the train.

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 For a train which would only run on one type of electrical supply (for example in France on 25 kV 50 Hz), this breakdown would be of little interest. But it is very interesting for trains which have to travel in Europe where four different electrical voltage systems coexist. Each energy unit would be able to manage a given power system. It would be enough, when the train stops in the stations where the change of power supply takes place, to come and place the energy blocks on the head and tail oar elements, and replace them with blocks adapted to the continuation of the journey.

This would avoid having the additional cost necessary for adaptation by "polycurrent" of trains or the concern of managing a train fleet composed in part of single-current elements restricted in their possible routes and of multi-current elements capable of crossing borders.

We can even go even further: nothing prevents the provision of a somewhat particular energy unit 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 block to use non-electrified tracks.

The manipulation of the energy blocks could be done after opening one of the side doors (64) facing the service quay, by the same devices which are used to load / unload the passable on cars, Figure NO 14. The only problem concrete posed by the use of this principle is that, in a border station, supposing that one always uses the same track for traffic in the even direction and the other in the odd direction, one would be obliged to recycle the energy blocks between the even path and the odd path: they arrive on one path and leave on the other! This is not a big problem: we will see later that the handling device provided in stations would be able to transfer the energy blocks over long distances, and we can consider recycling them over or under the trains. , by transferring them by a level crossing, or by a special device located between the even track and the odd track. This particular point of the implementation of the invention will not be detailed.

Principle of the station In the following, for understanding, we will qualify, "boarding / disembarking" the operation of placing / removing the load on the passable, "loading / unloading" the operation of setting place / remove the floor area on the wagon.

The structure of the piggyback station according to plate NO 16 is part of the invention. In addition to the speed of the trains, the fundamental parameter, which conditions the performance, the acceptance by the users, and therefore the profitability of a piggyback system, is the downtime of the trains at the station. Current piggyback solutions

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 lead to train downtime exceeding thirty minutes. This is not acceptable economically for a large-scale implementation of piggyback in a mesh network: it must descend to five or six minutes. The design of the trains and passables, described above, make 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 handle the road vehicles, which are not standardized, but passable which support them. Various solutions are possible, emerging from the techniques used in robotics, in flexible workshops, to achieve such results. But it is not enough to reduce the times in the transits between the automated zone and the train if, on the other hand, the embarkation / disembarkation of road vehicles on / from passable areas, an operation carried out by humans and not automated systems, cannot follow rhythm. However, it is clear that humans are less efficient than automatisms, at least if we introduce criteria of regularity in performance. It is therefore advisable to leave time to humans, and even much more than automatisms require, to execute the operations entrusted to them. The solution to this type of problem consists in planning to work "in parallel" or even in "hidden time" in the border area between road traffic and automated systems, that is to say providing for several embarkation / disembarkation stations. vehicles to / from passable areas next to each loading / unloading station on the train, specifically to the right of each station wagon stop position.

The solution that is presented here? 9 and described below by the boards NO 1 0, Il, 12, 13 and 14 consists in placing on a "boarding quay" four "cells", each capable of receiving a walkable, arranged on an axis perpendicular to the axis of the railway track, and taking the same space in the direction of the axis of the railway track as a wagon The operations of embarkation / disembarkation of vehicles on / from the passables can therefore be broken down and conducted simultaneously, in "masked time", on four stations, which allows, very roughly, to have four times more time to execute them than the basic period given by the rhythm of succession of the trains.

Once this principle has been established, it remains to be determined which automation solutions make it possible to manipulate the walkables between the boarding platform and the train. Solutions arising from "mechanization" techniques are possible. One can imagine moving the walkways by transferring them to load-bearing devices located on the ground, capable of making them execute the necessary journeys, which necessarily involves translations, rotations, vertical engagement / disengagement movements. The scales of

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 distance and masses transported being far beyond what is usually found in automated manufacturing workshops, it appears that conventional mechanization solutions would be expensive to implement in such stations.

In the description of the present invention, therefore, we are moving towards a solution for handling by automated self-propelled carts. The space between the railroad track and the boarding platform is therefore made up of an area in which trolleys circulate, hereinafter called "self-propelled", capable of ensuring the transfer of a trainer between the train and the platform. boarding and vice versa.

Structure of the loading / unloading site.

These principles being exposed, one can describe the essential structure of the station, namely the automation zone (50) located between the railway and the road traffic zone. The concept of work in masked time, requires storage of a certain numbers of passable, some in the process of boarding and loading and others in the process of unloading and disembarking. These operations being repeated in extreme cases for each wagon at each train stop, it is necessary to organize the movements of the passable in an area between the road platform and the railway. This storage capacity allows the work to be broken down into elementary functions. In theory, the total time required for a complete cycle divided by the number of positions will define the time the train is stationary at a station.

Between the embarkation platform (51) made up of a series of cells (54) and the railway track is arranged a circulation area (50) of about 30 m in width having a smooth horizontal floor in which the In the figures NO 15, 16 of board NO 9, it is clear that this traffic area (50) is lower than the rails (52) and themselves lower than the traffic area (51) . It will be retained as an absolute necessity that the level of the embarkation / disembarkation quay (51) must be at the same level as the underside of the passable on the train in the released position of the beam (19) and that the offset between the levels (50 -51) must allow the passage of the auto-manipulator, with the resulting construction constraints. This space (50) can be provided with wire guidance devices integrated into the ground and with interactive systems for taking cues, which allow the automanipulators to locate and move on the ground.

The passable are placed and propped on the ground on the level of road traffic (51). Embarkation / disembarkation of road vehicles is done at level, "while driving" for trailers and tractors.

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As far as light vehicles and cars are concerned, as we have seen, it is necessary to provide a passable area on two levels. To access the high level, an access ramp (55) is provided which is articulated and integral with the quay. Nothing will be changed in principle of the invention by making the upper floor mobile as movable as on a road transport of cars: the access ramp would then be partially or totally integrated into the practicable.

The auto-manipulator slides under a walk-in to take it over or, on the contrary, place it on the quay. On the side of the track, the self-manipulator has its upper part at the level of the bottom of the walkable out of the beam (19), which allows it to be loaded / unloaded onto / from the train by a horizontal transverse movement easy to perform.

Figure NO 17 of plate NO 10 shows the waiting platform (51) which has repetitive structures (54) -alveoli-shaped "T" located along the length of the station perpendicular to the running direction of the train according to a modulation corresponding to a submultiple of the length of a wagon: four in the example drawn. The "T" shapes allow on the upper wings of two successive "T" s the removal of a walkable and the passage of the automanipulator between the uprights created by the legs of the "T" s. This makes it possible to make the best use of the space available in width to ensure the stability of the load by widening the seat of the auto-manipulator as much as possible.

The vacuum formed by the intervals, in the lower part of the alveoli (54), allows the passage of the automanipulator which will carry out the removal or the assumption of responsibility of the passable from below, this method will be better understood after the description of the automanipulator. presented by the board NO 15 figures NO 22, 23 and 24. This solution of quays staggered in height also has the advantage of separating the road functions from the loading and unloading functions, therefore clearly defining the safety zones specific to each body professional When the trains stop at the station, the wagons must be positioned a few meters in front of the loading stations, which can be done manually, the driver of the train being guided by stall information fixed to the platform or automatically, on-board computer control of the final train stop phase using suitable sensors.

Description of automanipulators These are special devices capable of moving the floor areas and the loads that they support in the site described in the previous paragraph. We will find one

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 description in the figures of plate NO 15. Their principle is analogous to that of wire-guided trolleys used in flexible production workshops.

They ensure the transfer operations of the floorboards and their load between the loading docks and the platform of the wagons and the reverse operation, they position them precisely in the housings provided for this purpose. Given the position constraints, it is mandatory that the automanipulators have three degrees of freedom on the horizontal plane, namely that they can move longitudinally and laterally, as well as turn in place. Figure NO 18 shows in profile the wagon with a load on the track (52), the succession of positions (from top to bottom) in Figure NO 19 shows, in profile, the cycle of setting up the passable on a wagon Figure NO 20 shows in profile the movement of the floor area by the auto-manipulator between the wagon and the platform (51), Figure NO 21 represents a top view of the relative positioning of a wagon and an auto-manipulator during the handling or removal of a passable car on a wagon by the self-manipulator, * Figures NO 22, 23 and 24 represent a possible design of a self-manipulator.

The auto-manipulator can be in the general form of a pallet truck whose height is equal to the height between the ground level (50) on which it moves and the height of the passable in raised position on the bogies, height which as we have said, it will be identical to that of the platforms (51) on which the passable vehicles are level with the road platform. To take charge of the floor area on the waiting platform (51), the self-manipulator is equipped with four short-stroke hydraulic cylinders (70) which lift and immobilize it while it is released from the socket (54). .

The self-manipulator has on top of two raceways (71), located at the end of a structure, the length of which will be very slightly less than the value defined by the walls (21) of two successive bogies connected to the same bar of connection (19) described according to the figure? 9 of board NO 6. Their conical front shape (72) will be positioned under the counter plate (15) of the wagon, described by boards No 3,4, 5 and 6, at the moment of the penetration of the automanipulator under The cart. Between the raceways (71) and the floor area are positioned sets of rollers (73) which allow the load to roll under the combined action of the translation systems (74 and 75).

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These rollers are connected to the differential mechanization system (74) and (75) which ensures the movement of the load under the action of a screw or a jack. The first (74) is connected directly to the raceways (73) to ensure that no slipping occurs during movement, the second (75) is supported by the arms (76) in the reservations ( 9), practiced in the floor area described in Figure NO 2. To achieve the engagement and release of the arms (76) in the floor area, the latter and made pivoting under the action of the jack (77). This set of arms will lock the passable on the automanipulator during these movements between the different working positions.

The application of this principle, well visualized by the phases of figure NO 19 of the board NO 12 allows a displacement of the load, between the wagon and the automanipulator, twice more important than the displacement of the rollers.

Figure NO 19 shows the need for positioning as close as possible to the rail (52) of the auto-manipulator, this in order to limit the consequences of the overhang of the load at the time of taking into account or depositing the passable on the wagon by the sets of rollers (73) of the automanipulator. The effect of this overhang is canceled out by the presence at the same height of the counter plates (15) previously described and the specific shape of the ends of the raceways (72). Indeed, to meet the constraints of transhipping a load of this importance between two means of transport, it is necessary to ensure that at no time can the load be in cantilever between these two means. The penetration of the sets of rollers (73) may in no case exceed the attachment beam (19) of the wagon described according to the figures in plate NO 3, 4, 5 and 6.

The movement of the auto-manipulator is ensured by 4 gearmotor groups (77) each mounted on a pivoting vertical axis of more than 180, under the action of either a centralized control (78) or by the installation in each group of advance of two independent motors (79). Everything is controlled by the electronics on board the automanipulator and slaved in direction to the guide wires incorporated into the ground. The self-manipulating computer system may also include a reading system identifying the edge of the wagon or the cell, as well as computer data exchange systems with the station, by radio network or other means, and / or with the train or even with the passable by the use of electronic labels readable from a distance.

All solutions are possible concerning the energy sources on board the automanipulators: production on board by internal combustion engine, preferably powered by gas for pollution reasons, production on board by fuel cell,

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 electrical storage in batteries, pneumatic storage in the form of compressed air, kinetic storage in the form of a flywheel, etc. Any variant concerning the energy source on board will fall within the scope of the present invention.

Lifting the floor area in the station.

One of the essential elements of the invention is to allow the use of the maximum of the section available in the profile of a railway infrastructure, due in particular to the embedding of the passable in the connecting beam (19). To allow the exit of the floor area it is therefore necessary to provide a lifting system. It is possible, as already written, to equip the wagons with this lifting system. But it is also possible, and probably more economical overall, to equip stations with this functionality.

To do this, two groups of two jacks (81) will be incorporated in between the rails, opposite each wagon stop. The latter are provided with an anti-rotation system (84) which connects the two rods (82) of the jacks (81) situated on the same level of track, it carries and maintains the rollers (83) along an axis parallel to the direction rails. The two sets of these four cylinders are capable of lifting and supporting a high load, of the order of 25 tonnes each, must be regulated in speed to guarantee a uniform lifting of a passable.

These assemblies will have the secondary function of maintaining the balance of the load during its movement between the wagon and the auto-manipulator and vice versa to avoid tilting of the floor area when the rollers (73) pass, from the raceway (71) to the against plate (15). It is simply to note that this system should avoid the obstacles constituted by the rails and the central beam (19) and that it should provide relative to the length of the beam (19) therefore two bogies (15) a margin allowing to have a certain inaccuracy at the level of the stop position of the trains.

Approach of the wagons by automanipulators.

As it was stated above, the guidance of the automanipulators on the ground will preferably be done with a wire guidance system. Such a system, the principle of which is well known, need not be described in the context of the present invention. Note that it will be necessary to add specific sensors, to compensate for the inaccuracies in stopping the train. Indeed, it should be noted that there must be positioning errors for each wagon relative to its nominal position in the station, taking into account the imprecision at standstill, the flexibility of the couplings and the manufacturing tolerances. . These cumulative inaccuracies being of the order of a meter, and wire guidance does not in fact allow

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 move more than a few centimeters from the predefined guide lines, it is necessary to add another guidance system called approach. Various solutions are possible: optics, sensors integrated in the station, sensors integrated in the automanipulator, exchange of information with the wagon or the passable ... It should be noted that in the last phase of approach of the wagon, the automanipulator will have to "leave" its preferred positioning mode (wire-guiding) to enslave on specific sensors allowing it to find the position of the wagon and conversely to return to the wire-guiding in the other direction.

Precise guidance of automanipulators.

The alignment in the longitudinal direction of the passable assembly plus load to allow its introduction between the wagon bogies is taken into account by the matching during the final displacement of two pieces of information: one being integral with the passable (47) the other of the wagon (48). Reading them allows the edge of the wagon and the edge of the passable to be controlled in position. Similarly, for engagement in the cells of the platform (51), precise positioning is necessary. It is therefore necessary to have on the automanipulator a positioning system giving a precision (a few millimeters) greater than that of wire guidance (a few centimeters). It is possible to equip the self-manipulators, on their four angles, with rollers ensuring the final guidance. Two principles can be used at this level: Working passively: the force on the roller puts the self-manipulator back in position by forcing a constraint external to the automated guidance function. It suffices to provide, as well on the cells of the platform (51) as on the bogies of the train of the chamfers allowing the progressive engagement of the action of the rollers.

. Active work: the rollers are mounted flexible on probes and the signals from the probes correct the orders from the wire guidance upstream of the controls.

It will be noted that it is possible to implement various solutions (mechanical registration, sensors with contact, sensors without contact, etc.) to ensure the precise final guidance of the automanipulators to the stop positions, the techniques in question having made their proofs in automated production workshops, without compromising the principle of the present invention.

Note: although the technical and economic logic of operation of the loading site involves automating the movements of the automanipulators, it must be clear that they can be designed with manual control, whether for operations

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 normal operating conditions, for example in stations with very little traffic, or as part of a recovery in "emergency" mode. Any variant concerning the mode of use in the stations of automanipulators, manual or automated, will fall within the scope of the present invention.

Air cushion variant.

The principle of the invention will not be changed by incorporating in the self-manipulator an additional air cousin lift system (80) to lighten the pressure on the ground and thereby limit the efforts on the wheels and the size. mechanical drive and steering members acting on said wheels. This incorporation by a judicious implantation and a pressure control will be used for lifting the load to the different positions of support which could compensate in whole or in part for the presence of the lifting cylinders (70) on the auto-manipulator: indeed the operation of the air cousin will cause an increase in the auto-manipulator, and therefore in the load, which can vary from 30 to 60mm., sufficient lifting to release the load in the cells. Depending on the operating phase (empty or under load), the self-manipulator could therefore circulate on its wheels, in the low position, or on an air cushion, in the raised position. In the second case, the wheels, held on the ground by appropriate active suspensions, would serve to provide propulsion and guidance.

Description of the station operating cycle.

In order to properly describe the invention and assess its feasibility, it is necessary to describe a complete work cycle. For the sake of simplicity of the text, it will be considered that the diagram which will be described corresponds to the stopping of the train, in an intermediate station of low speed but of varied need. During the waiting period, the station received road vehicles which were guided to passable vehicles waiting on the loading docks above the cells. The cycle is described for wagons with a covering, it would obviously be simplified in the event of use of a variant of wagons without cladding. We will consider what happens for a single wagon, assumed to be both unloaded and recharged in the station. Note that a wagon, even empty, must necessarily travel with a passable and a covering in place.

The central point of the present invention, which makes it possible to optimize the downtime of trains at the station, is that the automated operations on the passable on the one hand, loading / unloading and manual on the other hand, boarding / disembarking, are performed "in masked time", that is to say according to cycles with simultaneous changes. To do this, he has

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been necessary to properly separate the two above functions, the first calling for maneuvers by special devices using mechanized and automated lifting and moving principles, the second for maneuvering road vehicles "on their tires" by drivers .

Either the following four operations or sequences: 'unloading a passenger from the train,. loading of a passenger on the train, boarding of a vehicle on a passenger, leaving the vehicle of the passenger on disembarkation.

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

The first "unloading" sequence is: 1. stop and relative positioning of the train, 2. preparation of the wagon (safety devices, openings, ...), 3. lifting of the floor area by the jacks integrated into the station, 4. final approach of the auto-manipulator which comes into contact with the wagon, 5. immobilization and chocking of the auto-manipulator 6. engagement of the lateral transfer device under the floor area, 7. lateral transfer of the floor area to bring it in line with the auto-floor area, 8 lateral clearance of the floor area by the self-manipulator, departure to a free landing station.

9. Engagement of the self-manipulator under the cell 10 Lowering of the self-manipulator and removal of the floor area onto the quay The second "loading" sequence is: 11. the self-manipulator engages in a cell, under a floor area ready to go 12. the auto-manipulator lifts the passable, then leaves towards the wagon 13. final approach of the automanipulator which comes into contact with the wagon, 14. immobilization and chocking of the automanipulator 15. lateral transfer of the passable to bring it to the right from the wagon,

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 16. retraction of the self-manipulator transfer device, 17. lateral release of the self-manipulator which leaves to perform another task, 18. lowering of the jacks and locking of the floor area on the bogies, 19. preparation of the wagon (safety devices, openings, ...), 20. when all the wagons are ready, the clear track and the departure time arrived, departure of the train.

Operations from 1 to 20 correspond to the time the train stops at a station. Depending on the time values which will be assigned to these stops, the sequences will be carried out in parallel, in series or in series / parallel on the wagons to be treated by multiplying the number of automanipulators.

The third "boarding" sequence assumes an empty floor space in place in a cell on the roadside platform.

21. approaching a new vehicle wishing to embark and placing it on an empty road, 22. engine shutdown, braking of this vehicle, driver's descent, 23. separation of the tractor trailer unit if necessary, 24. stalling and locking the vehicle on the road, waiting for the planned train, the driver joins the service wagon The fourth sequence "disembarking", supposes an alveolus of the empty road platform.

26. the driver gets out of the service wagon and joins the cell or his vehicle will disembark 27 the self-manipulator comes to deposit a walkable on the edges of the cell, 28. unlocking and removal of wedges keeping the vehicle in position on a walkable having just been disembarked, 29. possibly, approaching a road tractor and hitch, 30. driver's ascent, engine starting and departure of the vehicle located on this passable.

In the event that 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 call for a mechanized handling device, under more or less direct control of an operator, or even fully automated. The operations of the third and fourth sequence call for an operator who advises and

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 guides road drivers, installs or removes chocks and vehicle locks on passable areas, under the driver's control.

The sequences described above might suggest that it is enough to provide two cells in the loading dock for each wagon: one to load, one to unload. This could be enough in the case of a busy middle station. But in the case of a very busy station and in the event that the trains follow one another every ten minutes for example, it would be advisable to provide several cells facing each wagon station. We could thus multiply the cycles calling on human operations: handling, movement. We could thus be certain never to delay a train because of an incident or a boarding maneuver longer than expected. By placing four cells in a 19 m wagon pitch, we obtain an interval between two cells of 4.75 m, and a time left for boarding operations of the order of 30 min, which seems optimal. As described so far, the station operates on the assumption that only one of the two sides of the track is equipped with loading / unloading / embarkation / disembarkation devices. This obviously leaves the other side available for a passenger platform and / or another lane in the opposite direction. But one could imagine, for an intensive use of a station, that the two sides of the track are used for the automated loading / unloading: one could thus have approximately eight cells available at the right of each wagon of the train.

Road infrastructure of the station.

A first approach to the problem consists in thinking that piggybacking is a solution of spatial and temporal continuity between the road and the rail. The first level of system design, as explained above, takes this problem into account, both for heavy goods vehicles and for light vehicles accompanied by their driver. But economic analysis shows that an important source of profitability, as far as goods are concerned, is not to move road tractors or drivers, but only trailers or even containers. In the latter case, if spatial continuity is always essential, the station being the link between road and rail, it is clear that one can - and that one must even - introduce waiting times at the boarding or disembarking and no longer strictly respecting time continuity. In fact, trailers or containers embarking alone on the rail must be brought to a piggyback station with a road tractor and, in the second case, a container trailer. Ditto when they landed. When boarding there will not necessarily be places available immediately on the train. On landing, the

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 tractor and driver are not necessarily available at the exact moment when they are needed. In addition, piggybacking with a driver will undoubtedly be more frequent during the day, without a driver at night. It is therefore more than likely that in the latter case, the delivery of trailers or containers for deferred embarkation will mainly take place in the evening, their removal from the station in the morning. Finally, the train filling rate being an important parameter of profitability, it is interesting for the operator to have trailers or containers in stations, ready to board, which allow trains to be better filled.

All this leads to structuring the piggyback station to ensure these two functions: management of vehicles with immediate loading and removal and management of trailers and containers with loading and delayed collection.

We can identify six distinct cycles corresponding to a traffic division according to the principle set out above: 1. Entering the station from the road network and immediate boarding 2. Disembarking from the train and immediate exit to the road network 3. Entering the station from the road network, storage in the park 4. Pick-up in the park by a shunting machine, boarding the train 5. Taken on the landing platform by a shunting machine, storage in the park 6. Pick-up from the park and exit to the network road The first two cycles concern light or heavy vehicles traveling accompanied by their driver, as well as trailers only. Cycles 3 and 6 relate to trailers or containers transported by a road tractor and in the second case a container carrier trailer. Cycles 4 and 5 concern the transfer of trailers or containers by specialized vehicles internal to the station, driven by agents. This type of machine poses no technical problem and exists, in particular in port or railway sites, to handle road trailers or containers.

It is well understood that during entry-cycle operations 1 and 3-it takes the connecting straps from the road network, waiting and toll booths, necessary. Conversely, during operations 2 and 6, an exit control is required, if only to avoid theft of vehicles or goods, and the connecting straps to the road network. These infrastructure-ramps, expectations, tolls, controls-are not described in this patent application, not calling for any particular innovation.

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 We will find on figure NO 25 of board NO 16 a description of a possible alternative 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 train traffic, intended for the movement of passengers and agents * The track railway (101) The automated loading and unloading site (102), limited by the cells (54) A maneuvering area (103), in line with the cells, allowing vehicles to be brought into line with the cells * temporary waiting (104), different for heavy goods vehicles and light vehicles, intended to allow fluidity of boarding and disembarking operations.

 * A rising traffic lane (105), one way, for vehicles to or from the maneuvering area.

A descending traffic lane (106), one-way, A traffic lane serving a storage yard (107) and distributed along the station in the various areas.

A maneuvering area on the storage yard (108) The actual storage yard (109), with locations marked on the ground.

It will be noted that the connection between the upward direction and the downward direction is made by roundabouts (110) situated at the end of the upward and downward tracks. These roundabouts are interconnected on either side of the railway track by the track (111 ) which, to pass under the railway, takes the underground passage (112).

We will easily make the correspondence between the flows described above and the various zones.

Flows ? 1 and 2 take the ascending route (105). Flows ? 3 and 6 take the downward route (107 and 106). The flows The flows? 4 and 5 take the three lanes and pass from one to the other via the roundabouts (110). It is certainly possible to have the elements described above differently, and in particular to plan to extend the occupancy on the ground of the storage fleet for deferred embarkation / disembarkation, which would allow the piggyback system to extend its market shares towards the market. traditional combined transport.

We can do this for storage differently, with locations placed parallel or perpendicular to the axes of the station, with a double row

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 opposite storage locations, etc. It will be considered that the various geometrical variants resulting from the principle of decomposition into zones and distinct flows exposed above, resulting from techniques of tracing road settlements in technical zone, do not have to be analyzed in an exhaustive way within the framework of the present request. patent.

Advantages of the invention.

Regarding the installation costs, it is clear that the overall number of passables is much higher than that of wagons, since at one point we can count one passable per rolling wagon plus two to four passable per module-location for wagon-in stations, so overall it is much more passable than wagons.

That said, the passable is a passive metal assembly, much cheaper than the rest of the wagon, but it is important not to forget this parameter in the calculation of the cost of a piggyback solution using the present invention.

Similarly, comparing the present solution with more traditional piggyback solutions, it will be seen that the cost of station automation is certainly high, but relatively light compared to the cost of rolling stock, passable included.

However, it will be noted that a piggyback solution based on the present invention, by the increase in performance which it allows, makes it possible to achieve much more favorable economic conditions to make a line profitable and therefore amortize the investment cost more high than with conventional solutions, especially if we consider the amount of investment per tonne x kilometer transported per year, or the times of return on investment.

Regarding the choice of a closed wagon, this allows both to reach significant speeds of the order of 200 km / h without risk for vehicles (tarpaulins flown, etc.), and to improve safety against fire risks: if a fire breaks out, you can drown the closed part of the wagon in a neutral gas-C02, ...- and you don't have to stop the train, which obviously takes everything its meaning in tunnels. The resulting train profiling reduces the energy required for movement and the aerodynamic noise.

Finally on the one hand because of the reduction in journey times, we offer a better service to users who, in return, will be willing to pay more for the service, and on the other hand we optimize the use of rolling stock which travels more kilometers at the same time.

We can therefore optimize the times of return on investment with skins on the wagons.

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 Regarding the choice of motorizing the bogies of the wagons, this allows for good acceleration, to cross significant slopes, to have a unit power well suited to the expected performance of the trains, to solve the problem of the modularity of the means of traction: no need to hitch more than one power train to build long trains. In addition, the series of electrical equipment, motors, static converters, braking resistors, protective devices, being long, namely thousands of copies to produce, we can lead to lower costs "per kilowatt" than building powerful locomotives in small series, especially since we can accept less reliability while having much higher operational availability, due to the redundancy. If a bogie breaks down, this does not immobilize the train: it suffices to provide the necessary devices so that any breakdown, electrical or mechanical, puts the bogie in freewheeling.

* 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, 'cinq véhicules particuliers, sur deux niveaux, embarquant sur un praticable spécial. Regarding modularity, we can make the assumption that we could put on a passable: * a road trailer of 15.5m for 321., 'two road tractors of 7m and 10t.,' Two vans of 7m. ,

* one 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,' five passenger cars, on two levels, embarking on a special pass.

Certain combinations are possible, truck plus van, two flatbed trailers superimposed in a passable space for cars, etc. A little special loads are possible, for example a floor loaded with caravans or motorhomes, during periods of leave. Rolling stock can be used by diverting it from its original use, for example by loading a standard container (s) onto a floor space, which would allow rolling stock to be used during off-peak periods, night, midweek , to replace conventional freight trains, with the advantage of train speed.

Concerning the management of the system, it will obviously be necessary to set up a computer system and remote transmissions which makes it possible to know in advance, in each station, which will be the places which will be released on the train in order to prepare the 'embarkation of vehicles on passable vehicles at the right of these locations. This system could depend on an intelligent reservation system which optimizes the filling of trains.

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de montagne, avec utilisation de tunnels existants (gabarit BI) * Mise en place progressive sur des voies de plaine avec exploitation de tunnels existants (gabarit Bl) et vitesse limitée (environ 120 km/h) Remise à niveau du réseau (gabarit C), augmentation de la vitesse des convois (160 à
200 km/h) . Interconnexion à grande échelle (par exemple européenne). Attention is drawn to the fact that a gradual installation of a piggyback system on a large scale may require passing through several stages such as: * Installation on isolated segments in "show jumping", in particular in the areas

mountain, with use of existing tunnels (BI gauge) * Gradual installation on lowland roads with exploitation of existing tunnels (Bl gauge) and limited speed (around 120 km / h) Upgrading of the network (gauge C) , increase in convoy speed (160 to
200 km / h). Large-scale interconnection (for example European).

It will be noted that the system proposed in the present invention would make it possible, by gradually upgrading rolling stock and tunnels, by playing on the engine and the presence of the trim, to follow the evolution of demand. But if we do not want to be forced to redo the stations and change the rolling stock every ten years, it is necessary to standardize certain elements, in particular everything concerning the "interfaces" between rolling stock, passable and station infrastructure, in having in mind such an evolution.

Generalization.

s'y embarquent ou en débarquent par leurs propres moyens, 'il en existe un nombre plus important que le nombre de wagons, les cycles qui les concernent, chargement/déchargement/embarquement/débarquement, peuvent s'effectuer totalement ou en partie en simultanéité. Must be considered as an application of the present invention any variant which would retain the principle of having an interchangeable mobile element, the passable, having the following characteristics: 'it serves as the basis for the wagon, * it rests on two bogies of ends to which they can be locked, it is provided with standardized gripping devices so that it can be handled quickly and automatically when loading and unloading the train, it can be placed on a platform so that one or more vehicles road

board or disembark there by their own means, 'there are a greater number than the number of wagons, the cycles which concern them, loading / unloading / embarkation / disembarkation, can be carried out completely or in part simultaneously .

Mention may in particular be made of the following design variants: the floor area can be produced in a metallic structure technique (as described above), with in particular the principle of the undulation of the floor to ensure transverse rigidity, but nothing prevents to make the walkable with materials

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 composites - glass fiber or carbon, filling materials, structural bonding - which techniques have proven themselves in shipbuilding, 'similarly, the connecting beam between two bogies could be made of steel by bending, of light alloy by extrusion or still in composite materials by winding and impregnation around a core of pultruded foam, each bogie of the train can be specific to a wagon, classic wagon solution, or else shared between two consecutive passables, 'all the solutions which would mechanize the loading of the passable to / from the train, by combining fixed devices integrated into the station, mechanized transfers, devices integrated into the train, guides, ranges, jacks, ..., ancillary devices, robots, automanipulators, ..., the presence or the absence of the propulsion unit integrated into the bogie, the presence of a fixed gear reducer or a gearbox with several ratios in the said unit propulsion, the arrangement on a vertical axis of this powertrain, with transmission by shaft of the movement towards the axle, or its arrangement on a horizontal axis above the axle, the transmission towards the axle being effected by a gear train or a toothed belt, the presence or absence of the covering of the wagons, the opening of the covering in the station being carried out by movable panels, as described above, or else by raising a rigid monobloc cover thanks to devices integrated into the station, taking the walkables from below, by attachment points located on the side or even from above,. the provision of passable on the embarkation / disembarkation quay. aligned in spikes, staggered, in line, etc.

All these variants would not constitute a new invention but a simple level of its application. Concerning the production techniques and as those skilled in the art will readily understand, the various constituents described as well as the exact geometry of their assembly, as set out in the present description, are liable to modifications or variants which cannot all, of necessity, be described in the context of said description, but would remain, provided they comply with the principles set out above, covered by the protection relating to this patent application.

Claims (12)

CLAIMS 1) Embarkation and conveying system of road vehicles or containers on railway convoys, consisting of railway rolling stock and a specific ground infrastructure called "station", characterized in that it employs interchangeable rigid mechanical elements called "passable", each of said passable being capable of carrying a load such as one or more road vehicles or containers, in that the rolling stock consists of wagons each comprising a lowered frame (19) connecting two end bogies (14), the said bogies being specific to a wagon or on the contrary shared between two consecutive wagons, in that the passable is fitted (7.19) and locked (11.23) on the wagons ensuring a mechanical function chassis and thus participating in the structure of the train, in that the passable is provided with a grip surface (8) allowing an automated device whose station is provided ie take it to load or unload it from the wagon, in that the passable is provided with a device (8) allowing it to rest on a loading dock (51) so that road vehicles can embark / disembark in / from the passable, in that the number of locations (54) provided on said boarding platform for passable is much greater than the number of wagons of a train so that several of the operations-specific sequences necessary, namely unloading of a practicable from the wagon, loading of a practicable on the wagon, disembarking a road vehicle from a practicable and embarkation of a road vehicle on a practicable, can take place simultaneously, and in that the station is equipped with handling devices capable of moving the users of the loading / unloading platform for road vehicles or containers to / from the places where they will be loaded / unloaded loaded on / from the wagons. 2) System according to claim 1 characterized in that the walkable consists of a low hull in "U" provided with openings at both ends for the embarkation and disembarkation of a road vehicle independently, with a cradle shape (fig.? 2 to 4), in that the passable is provided with anchoring points (10) allowing its establishment and its locking on holding and locking devices (23) integrated into the bogies, in that the weight of the passable and the load which it carries is applied to the points of contact (10) with the wagon in the vicinity of the bogies, in that the said hull may consist of folded sheet metal (3) and of longitudinal members (2) or else of a double composite material shell assembled around a filling material according to the <Desc / Clms Page number 36>  principle known as "structural countermolding" or any other material and means of manufacture allowing similar shapes to be produced and giving the necessary mechanical performance. 3) System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a covering system covers the floor area and its load (fig. NO 11 and 12), held in position and locked on the ends of the wagon (33), in that the covering is provided with an opening system (35 to 44), automated or not, in order to have access to the passable and its loading for loading and unloading operations in stations, the opening being possible by the set of mobile panels (39 and 40) and lifting devices integrated into the train, or by the use of a device for lifting the covering integrated into the station infrastructure. 4) System according to claim 3 characterized in that one or more sensors located in each wagon can detect a possible fire and in that a control device acting through solenoid valves can control the arrival of an inert gas (46) under the covering of the wagon to fight the said fire. 5) System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the passables have a hollow half-beam (7) having a width less than the minimum spacing provided between the wheels of the loaded road vehicles, in that two bogies consecutive constituting the ends of a wagon are connected by a connecting beam (19) in the low position, said beam ensuring on the one hand the mechanical intervals between the bogies and constituting on the other hand a passage for the necessary fluids and networks during operation of the train, and in that the passable is fitted during loading over the said beam (19,7) so that the lower level of the wheels of the road vehicles (4) is approximately at level of the guard necessary for the movement above the rails and that consequently the overall dimensions in the upper part are lowered by the same amount in order to allow the circulation of the trains in the gauge railroad re most favorable for circulation on existing lines, such as the gauge "C" in the case of the use of a covering according to claim 4, or the gauge "B 1" in the case of a system without dressing. <Desc / Clms Page number 37> 6) System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the handling of the walkables is carried out by devices called "self-propelled", consisting of self-propelled carriages capable of moving on the ground independently guided by adequate devices such as a wire-guiding network integrated into the ground and / or of various sensors, or even driven by a human, in that an automanipulator is fitted with driving and steering wheels (79) ensuring its movement on the ground with three degrees of freedom, namely longitudinal and transverse translation and rotation on site, in that a self-manipulator integrates a vertical movement (70) capable of raising / lowering the passable to take it / place it on the boarding platform, in that the self-manipulating functions are transport the passable between on the one hand the loading / unloading stations on / from the trains and on the other hand the positions (54) of loading / unloading of road vehicles on / from passable areas, and in that the decreasing height arrangement of the respective levels of the road area, the railway track and the ground on which the self-propelled vehicles circulate makes it possible to manipulate the passable areas with vertical movements small scale. 7) System according to claim 6 characterized in that the floor is lifted by a hydraulic device (81), in that guiding and lateral transfer devices of the floor thus lifted (71 to 75) allow the floor to pass from its position in the axis of the train to the right of the axis of the auto-manipulator at unloading and vice versa at loading, in that the said lifting and transfer devices can be either loaded on each bogie, or at a fixed position in the station, either incorporated into the automanipulator, or even combining several constituents positioned respectively on one of the three said elements, and in that suitable additional devices (72) come to bear under the wagon during the transfer operation of the passable in order to take up the efforts and in particular the overturning torque due to the cantilever of the load. 8) System according to claims 6 or 7 characterized in that the self-manipulator is provided on the one hand with driving and steering wheels ensuring its movement on the ground and on the other hand with air cushions distributed at the bottom, in that the air cushions transmit to the ground a fraction of the weight of the auto-manipulator and its load, the remaining fraction being transmitted to the wheels, in that the air cushions are used to lift the auto-manipulator, which can in particular allow to ensure the catch and <Desc / Clms Page number 38>  the removal of the passable on boarding / disembarking stations (54), and in that the wheels are mounted on devices making it possible to ensure their contact and the pressure which they exert on the ground in the presence or in the absence compressed air in the air bags depending on the operating phase. 9) System according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the limit between the road traffic area of the vehicles and the loading / unloading site where the self-manipulators operate consists of a quay (51) having cells (54), said cells being produced by "T" shaped beams, so that a walkable surface placed at the top of the "T" is level with the traffic area for embarkation / disembarkation and that a self-engaging device engaging in the lower part of the cell (54) can be introduced under a walkable to take it or deposit it. 10) System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an engine block is arranged on each bogie (14) of the train or even on some of the bogies, so that the engine of the train is distributed over the wagons and in what is available at the head and tail of each train, or of each train if the said trains consist of coupled trains, a head element similar to a power train (fig. NO 13) but whose electrical components, called "energy block" (62), only have the function of transforming the electric current of the catenary or its production on board thanks to a generator (63), the energy being transmitted to each bogie in order to be adapted and locally transformed there again (30) in the voltage and current systems necessary for supplying the motors (28), in that the said head elements include a driving cab, the electronic components , IT and means of communication specific to the management of a train or train. 11) System according to claim 10 characterized in that the head and oar tail elements consist of a lowered central frame (61) similar to that of passable wagons, in that can be put in place in said lowered part of the chassis of the interchangeable "energy blocks" (64) containing either elements for capturing, protecting, transforming electrical energy provided for a catenary supply, or a generator set with or without its fuel tank, and what stations where these energy blocks are exchanged <Desc / Clms Page number 39>  are provided with the necessary handling means, the said means being able to be identical or not to those which make it possible to load / unload the passable. 12) System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the road traffic of the vehicles is organized to manage six distinct flows, namely vehicles entering for immediate embarkation, vehicles disembarking for immediate exit, trailers or containers entering for storage on the park. , trailers or containers taken from the park for boarding, trailers or containers disembarking and brought to the park, trailers or containers removed from the park for immediate exit, in that the internal maneuvers at the station are carried out with specialized handling equipment to maneuver trailers or containers, in that the station shows areas for each direction of traffic such as platform for agents and passengers (100), railway (101), automated handling site (102), boarding area / disembarkation (103), waiting area before embarkation (104), tracks for embarkation and disembarkation flows immediate storage (105), storage yard (109), maneuvering area on storage yard (108), tracks for deferred flows serving the storage yard (106,107), and in that various connections and passages between said zones and infrastructures such as roundabouts (110), toll booths / control stations and ramps for connection to the road network ensure the control and routing of all road traffic in the station, from or to the outside.