INTERCIRCULATION DEVICE BETWEEN TWO CARS OF TRAIN PASSENGERS ENGAGED ONE BY ONE, CORRESPONDING TRAIN TROLLEY AND TRAIN
DEPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an intercirculation device between two adjacent train passenger carriages that extend according to a longitudinal direction, the carriages being in two levels and each possessing a lower level and a level superposed, of the type comprising different passages of intercirculation, allowing passengers to pass from one of the cars to the other, including at least a first intercirculation passage that extends between the lower levels of the cars, a second passage of intercirculation that extends between the upper levels of the cars and a third intercirculation passage that extends between the lower level of one of the two cars and the upper level of the other of the two cars. EP 0 616 935 debes an intercirculation device of the aforementioned type, in which the first and second intercirculation passages are superimposed. However, this intercirculation device requires the use of independent wheels with no axis, so that the first and second passages each have a height REF. : 180671
enough, respecting a maximum height for the cars. An object of the invention is to provide an intercirculation device between two carriages with two levels, to facilitate the circulation of the passengers between the carriages, having a less important impact on the structure of the carriages. For this purpose, the invention proposes an intercirculation device of the aforementioned type, characterized in that one of the first, second and third passages is located transversely between the two other passages. According to other embodiments, the intercirculation device comprises one or more of the following characteristics, taken alone, or according to all the technically possible combinations: the second intercirculation passage is situated transversely between the first passage and the third passage; each intercirculation passage leads to each car between the end of the car hooked to the other car and the passenger compartment of the level of the car to which the passage empties; - at least one intercirculation passage leads to a level of one car on a boarding platform, located longitudinally between the end of this car attached to the other car, and the passenger compartment of the level of the car to which the passage of intercirculation
it empties, the carriage being provided with at least one side access door that allows embarking to the interior of the car by accessing the platform; each of the first, second and third passages comprises only two accesses, one that leads to one of the levels of one car and the other to one of the levels of the other car; - each of the first, second and third passages passes over the wheels of a cart for supporting and guiding the carriages along a railway track; - the passages have a horse cart between them; the third passage comprises a stairway extending between a first level and a second level higher than the first level, located in one of the two carriages, and a staircase extending between the second level and a third level higher than the second level in the second level; another of the two cars.
The invention also relates to a train passenger carriage with two levels, which has a lower level and an upper level superimposed, characterized in that it comprises a first end portion and a second end portion opposed by the carriage link to other carriages , the first complementary portion of the second portion being, so that the first portion forms, when attached to a portion of
tip of another car identical to the second limb portion, an intercirculation device as defined above. The invention also relates to a train comprising at least two adjacent passenger carriages, and an inter-circulation device between the two carriages as defined above. The invention and its advantages will be better understood on reading the following description, given only by way of example, and made with reference to the appended figures, in which: - Figure 1 is a schematic side view of an intercirculation device according to the invention, which extends between two passenger cars of two levels; Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the intercirculation device of Figure 1; - Figure 3 is a schematic view from above of the intercirculation device of figure 1, on which passenger flows are illustrated; and Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view in the plane IV-IV of the intercirculation device of Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1, an intercirculation device 2 according to the invention, extends between two adjacent cars 4, 6 of a train 8, and allows
the passengers pass from one of these two cars to the other without leaving the train 8. The cars 4 and 6 extend along a longitudinal direction L, and are placed in a row and joined to each other by their portions of respective extremities 10, 12 adjacent. The intercirculation device 2 comprises the portions 10, 12 and an intercirculation 14, for example, of the known type of bellows, sandwiched between the portions 10 and 12. The portions 10 and 12 are provided with openings facing each other, and joined, known manner, by the intercirculation 14 to allow the circulation of passengers between the carriages 4 and 6. The portions 10, 12 rest on a cart 16 for supporting and guiding the carriages 4, 6 along a railway track, located on horseback between the carriages 4 and 6. The cart 16 is preferably a motor car, provided with propulsion means for the movement of the train 8. The car 16 ensures the linking of the carriages 4 and 6 between them. Other types of link between the carriages 4 and 6 are displayed. Each carriage 4, 6 is of two levels, and comprises a lower level 18, respectively 19, and a higher level 20, respectively 21, superimposed. The car 4 has, in the vicinity of the portion 10, side access doors 22 that allow the passengers
embarking on, or disembarking from the carriage 4. The doors 22 provide access to an access platform 24 located longitudinally along the carriage 4 between the end portion 10 and a passenger compartment. By passenger compartment, it means a zone of a certain level, equipped with seats for passengers. As shown in FIG. 2, the intercirculation device 2 comprises three different intercirculation passages 26, 28, 30 which allow each to pass from one of the carriages 4 and 6 to the other. The passage 26 extends between the platform 24 and the passenger compartment of level 21. The passage 26 is located longitudinally between the platform 24 and this compartment. The passage 26 comprises a gangway 32 that extends above the cart 16, located at an intermediate level between that of the platform 24 and that of the level 21, and attached at one end to the platform 24 by a lower staircase 34, and at the extremity opposite, at level 21 by an upper stair 36. The passage 28 extends between platform 24 and the passenger compartment of level 19. The passage 28 comprises a gangway 38 that extends above the cart 16, and to the ends of the gangway 38, going back down
the stairs 40 to each of the levels 18 and 19. The passage 30 extends between the passenger compartment of level 20, and that of level 21. The passage 30 comprises a gangway 42 that extends between the passenger compartments of levels 20 and 21. In one variant, level 18 is devoid of platform 24 adjacent to portion 10 and passages 26 and 28 open into the passenger compartment of this level. The passages 26, 28 and 30 extend substantially parallel to each other, following the direction L. The passages 26, 28 and 30 are different and transversely displaced relative to the direction L. The passage 30 is located transversely between the passages 26. and 28. More precisely, the footbridge 42 is located transversely between the footbridges 32 and 38, the footbridges 32 and 38 being located substantially at the same level, and the footbridge 42 being located at a higher level than that of the footbridges 32 and 38. Such as shown in figure 3, a passenger accessing the platform 24 has the possibility either to enter the compartment of level 18 of the car 4, or to pass in the car 6 taking the passage 26 to reach the level 21 ( Arrow Fl) or take passage 28 to access level 19 (Arrow F2).
These different possibilities allow each passenger to move easily on the train 8, particularly at the time of boarding and disembarkation, which reduces the time required in these operations. When the passenger accesses the platform 24, the three possibilities allow access to different sites, which makes the movements of passengers fluid, limiting the points of convergence. In addition, the provision of an intercirculation passage that allows to go from a lower level of a car to the upper level of another car in the intercirculation area located between the passenger compartments of the different levels of the cars, avoids having to foresee a staircase in the interior of a car, which increases the space available to place seats or to increase the space between the seats and improve comfort, or to accommodate technical equipment or comfort equipment for passengers. A passenger at level 21 has the possibility to take passage 26 to descend directly to platform 24 (Arrow 21), or to take passage 30 to move to level 20 of car 4 (Arrow F3). The different passages 26, 28, 30 avoid crossings between passengers of different flows. What allows to improve the fluidity of the displacement of the passengers. Each passage 26, 28, 30 comprises only two accesses,
one that leads to one of the levels 18, 19, 20 and 21 and the other on the other level between levels 18, 19, 20, 21. In particular, each passage 26, 28, 30 is devoid of access door allowing boarding in the cars. The doors 22 move relative to the intercirculation device along the carriage. The gangways 32, 38 extend above the cart 16, which makes it possible to limit the length of the device 2 and to conserve the volume available for the passenger compartments. The length 3.1 (Figure 1) of the device 2, placed between the ends of the stairs 34, 36 and 40 further away, is preferably less than 7 m, particularly less than 5.60 m. The length 12 (Figure 1) of the gangways 32 and 42, placed between their respective stairs 34, 36 and 40, is preferably less than 5 m, particularly 4.30 m. Advantageously, the carriages 4 and 6 are analogous, each one having one of the end portions identical to the portion 10 and the other identical to the portion 12, the conditioning of the carriages 4 and 6 between their ends being different. In this way, it is possible to form a train that has at least two analogous carriages having complementary end portions, forming between them an intercirculation device according to the invention.
As shown in FIG. 4, the raised central passage 30 allows a technical space 44 to be arranged between the gangway 42 and the cart 16, this space 44 being adapted to receive equipment of the carriages 4 and 6, and in particular of the hydraulic or pneumatic conduits, or of the power supply or communication cables that connect the carriages 4 and 6. A particular advantage of the invention resides in the arrangement of the passages 26, 28 and 30 with respect to each other, which allows to exploit better the available volume, in spite of the limited height of the cars 4 and 6 in the portions 10 and 12, due to the presence of the cart 16. Each of the footbridges 32, 38 and 42, and particularly the gangway 38, they pass over the cart 16, and in particular over the wheels thereof. This frees the space located transversely between these wheels and allows the use of a motor cart 16 provided with the propulsion means. The propulsion means are distributed in this way advantageously along the train. The gangway 42 is located at the center, under a higher central portion of the domed ceiling of the levels 20 and 21. In this way it is possible to provide a passage 30 having a sufficient height Hl of approximately 1.90 m, freeing a technical space 44 important under the catwalk
42. The gangways 32 and 38 are located on the sides, under the roof side portions lower than the central portion. However, a sufficient height H2, of at least 1.90 m, is available above each of the gangways 32 and 38, because they are at levels lower than that of the gangway 42. The difference in level between the gangways 38 and 40 is less than H2. In this way, the passages 26, 28 and 30 are placed side by side in a compact manner inscribed in the volume of the portions 10 and 12. It will be noted that the passage 26 comprises two stairs 34 and 36 each located in one of the two trolleys 4 and 6. The intercirculation device is integrated in the two-tier trolleys and has a reduced gauge and in particular a lower height of 4.35 meters, this gauge allows the car to take advantage of most of the current railway tracks. It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known to the applicant to carry out the aforementioned invention, is that which is clear from the present description of the invention.