GB2204082A

GB2204082A - Platform door

Info

Publication number: GB2204082A
Application number: GB08714271A
Authority: GB
Inventors: M J Wilkins
Original assignee: Westinghouse Brake and Signal Co Ltd
Current assignee: Siemens Mobility Ltd
Priority date: 1987-04-27
Filing date: 1987-06-18
Publication date: 1988-11-02
Anticipated expiration: 2007-06-18
Also published as: GB2204082B; GB8709929D0; GB8714271D0

Abstract

A railway-platform door system in which the door is movable from its closed position to an open position such that the leading edge of the door lies further outwardly of the platform screen in the direction of the track than it does in the closed position so as thereby to offer an obstruction to human passage past the door to the space between the screen and a railway vehicle when present on the track.

Description

Rtilway-platform Door Systems It is known to provide platform screens extending parallel to the railway track to prevent access to the track save where doors are provided in the screen which doors, when a railway vehicle is present on the track, are aligned with doors on the railway vehicle to allow access to the railway vehicle via the aligned doors.

"Railway" is herein to be understood to include not only conventional railway but also light-vehicle railways and so-called "people movers".

The present invention relates to systems for such doors in a platform screen.

It is conventional that, for a variety of reasons, the platform screens are spaced 15 cms or more from the actual edge of the platform alongside the track. This spacing provides a potential hazard in that, when the platform-screen doors are open, a child or slim adult could move or be forced by a crush of passengers into this space. Were this to happen, subsequent closing. of the doors could trap the child or adult between the railway vehicle-and the screen with consequent danger to life or limb as the vehicle moved off.

To obviate this danger, the present invention provides a railway-platform door system of which the door is movable from its closed position to an open position in which at least the leading edge of the door lies further outwardly of the screen in the direction of the track than it does in the closed position of the door so as thereby to offer an obstruction to human passage past- the door to the space between the screen and a railway vehicle. when present 01! th3 track cdJRcent the platform.

The door may be arranged to be driven in a path in which it is first moved bodily away from the screen and is thereafter moved bodily parallel to the screen or, alternatively, may be arranged to be driven in a manner such that the leading edge only of the door is moved outwardly of the screen towards the platform edge and, thereafter, the door is moved bodily in the direction of the edge of the platform with the door at an angle to the screen.

The door may be arranged to be driven via a toothed belt or chain to which the door is secured. In this case and in the case of a door arranged to be driven as described above in the first alternative, the door may be secured to the belt or chain adjacent both the leading and the trailing edges of the door whereas in the case of a door arranged to be driven as described above in the second alternative the door may be secured to the belt or chain adjacent its leading edge only.

In both alternative, there may be provided only a single such belt or chain mounted either above or below the door or there may be two such belts or chains one mounted above and the other below the door. In all such cases, there may also be provided guide tracks by which the movement of the door is guided.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Fig. 1 is a schematic drawing of one configuration of movement of the door, Fi3. 13 A -schemaW drawing of an alternative configuration of movement of the door, Fig. 3 is a schematic drawing of the belt drive for the door of Fig. ", and Fig. 4 is a schematic drawing of the belt drive for the door of Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1, there is represented the platform screen 1 which, as conventionally extends the length of the platform parallel to the platform edge 2. Again, as conventionally, the screen 1 is spaced from the platform edge-2 a distance "x" which is some 15-20 cms or so. In the screen 1 is a doorway 3 closable by a pair of doors 4 the leading edges 5 of which meet, in the closed position of the doors 4 at the centre line of the doorway 3. The doors are drivable from their closed position 4a to their fully-open position 4b by the doors 4 first being moved bodily away from the screen 1 through position 4c into position- 4d and - thereafter bodily parallel to the screen 1 to its fully-open position-4b.

In the fully-open position 4b, it will be seen that the door lies further outwardly of the screen 1 in the directi-on-- of the platform edge 2 and, in this position, the leading edge 5 offers an obstruction to human passage past the door 4 to the space 6 between the screen 1 and a railway vehicle when present on the track adjacent the platform.

As is conventional, a railway vehicle will be positioned on the track adjacent the platform with the doors of the railway vehicle aligned with the doorway 3. Thus, when both the doors 4 and the doors cf ,ie thus positioned railway vehicle are opened, passengers can freely move to and from the platform from and to the railway vehicle via the aligned doors. However, by virtue of the positioning of the door 4 in its fully-opened position, passengers cannot move or be forced by a crush of other passengers into the space 6 which will now be between the screen 1 and the railway vehicle.

In Fig. 2 is shown an alternative positioning of the door 4. In this Figure li-ke references are used for like parts in Fig. 1.

The only differnce between the embodiment of Fig. 1 and that of Fig. 2, is in the fully-open position 4b of the door 4 and the movement of the door 4 moving from its closed position 4a to that fully-open position 4b. As shown in Fig. 2, in this embodiment the door 4 first swings about its trailing edge 7 through position 4c to position 4d before, thereafter, moving bodily through positions 4d, 4e and 4f to its fully-open position 4b.

In that fully-open position, it can be seen that the leading edge 5 is moved outwardly from the screen 1 towards the platform edge 2 relative to the position which it had in the closed poition of the door and that of the door 4 now lies diagonally across the space between the screen 1 and the platform edge 2. Thus, with this embodiment, the door 4 in its fully-open position serves even more effectively to prevent human access into the space 6.

The doors 4 described above can, in both embodiments conveniently be driven between their open and closed positions by a flexible belt.

For the embodiment of Fig. 1, the belt may be arranged as shown in Fig. 3. As here shown, the door 4 is secured by its leading edge 5 and by its trailing edge 7 to space points 10 and 11 on the belt 12 which passes around rollers 13. Any one of the rollers 13 may be powered by, for example, an electric motor (not shown) and one of the rollers 13 of the belt 12 of one of the doors 4 drivingly connected to one of the rollers 13 of the belt 12 of the other of the doors 4 of the doorway 3 so that the two doors 4 can sympathetically be driven from a common power source. As shown in Fig. 3, it will be seen that the belt configuration shown in Fig.

3 will cause the door 4 to be driven from its closed position 4a to its fully-open position 4b in the manner of door movement above described with reference to Fig.

1.

In an alternative to the drive above described, a linear actuator (e.g. a piston-and-cylinder arrangement) may be connected directly to one run of the belt 12.

In Fig. 4 is shown a belt drive suitable for effecting the movement of the door described above with reference to Fig. 2. Here the belt 12 passes around three rollers 13 (any one of which may be powered) and the leading edge 5 of the door 4 of Fig. 4 will be connected at 10 to the belt 12. It will be seen that movement up the run 14 of the belt 12 of the connection 10 will cause the door 4 to pivot from its closed position 4a to the position 4d and that movement up the run 15 of the belt 12 of the connection 10 will carry the door 4 from its position 4d to its fully-open position 4b.

The belt drives of Figs. 3 and'4 may be positioned either above or below the door 4 and there may be one such drive both above and below the door 4. In the latter case, the two belt drives may be coupled for sympathetic driving.

Conventional guide tracks may also be provided (again, above or below the door or both) to guide the door during - its movement.

Claims

Claims:

1. A railway-platform door system of which the door is movable from its closed position to an open position in which at least the leading edge of the door lies further outwardly of the screen in the direction of the track than it does in the closed position of the door so as thereby to offer an obstruction to human passage past the door to the space between the screen and a railway vehicle when present on the track.

2. A system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the door is arranged to be driven in a path in which it is first moved bodily away from the screen and is thereafter moved bodily parallel to the screen.

3. A system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the door is arranged to be driven in a manner such that the leading edge only of the door is moved outwardly of the screen towards the platform edge and, thereafter, the door is moved bodily in the direction of the edge of the platformwith the door at an angle to the screen.

4. A system as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the door is arranged to be driven via a toothed belt or chain to which the door is secured.

5. A system as claimed in Claim 4 when dependent on Claim 2, wherein the door is second to the belt or chain adjacent both the leading and the trailing edges of the door.

6. A sysl-En as. claimed in Claim 4 when dependent on Claim 3, wherein the door is secured to the belt or chain adjacent its leading edge only.

7. A system as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein there is provided a single such belt or chain mounted either above or below the door.

8. A system as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6 wherein there is provided two such belts or chains one mounted above and the other below the door.

9. A system as claimed in any one of the-preceding Claims, wherein there are provided guide tracks by which the movement of the door is guided.

10. A railway-platform door system substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in either Figs. 1 and 3 or Figs. 2 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.