MX2009013903A - Intelligent system for opening and closing the access doors in trains. - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is related to the industry for manufacturing access doors for automotive vehicles. More particularly, the invention is related to the industry for manufacturing sliding doors actuated in an automatic manner for opening and closing doors. The advantages of the foregoing invention over the state-of-the-art systems is that the same avoids the problems related to the pneumatic actuating mechanism, and important damages caused to users upon boarding the train and closing the doors. The invention includes an engine which is directly coupled to a spindle, ball screws for surrounding said spindle which are mechanically coupled to motive supports in the doors so as to be driven and slid for opening or closing the doors, also including a control means for controlling the operation of the doors.

Description

INTELLIGENT SYSTEM OF OPENING AND CLOSING OF DOORS OF ACCESS TO TRAINS FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention is related to the manufacturing industry of access doors for motor vehicles. More specifically, it is related to the manufacturing industry of sliding doors operated automatically, both for closing and for opening.

OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION One of the objects of the present invention is to achieve a door operating mechanism that is safe for the user.

Another goal is to achieve a drive of access doors to trains with precise control of travel.

Still another objective is to achieve a door drive device with a minimum of components.

And all those advantages and qualities that will become evident from reading the present description, supported by the attached drawings.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION For the operation of sliding doors, formed by two leaves whose lateral ends coincide in the center when they are closed, different solutions have been given.

We have for example the closing mechanism disclosed in US Patent 4,698,938 which describes a drive mechanism for fully automatic door openings. Said mechanism comprises two mechanisms for supplying two different speeds of movement to the doors. A main motor for the highest speed moves a spindle-gear, a low capacity motor for low speed moves a profile bar. A round gear moves the spindle-gear and a pinion slidably mounted on the profile bar engages with everything and is contained in a sliding carriage which guides the sliding door via a pin. The common or selective impeller of both motors results in several combinations and makes possible an adaptation to the requirements for variable door speeds.

Although in the patent it is mentioned that it is a simple and cheap structure, it has too many transmission mechanisms which makes it complicated and inefficient in terms of the use of 'the' energy. The changes of direction of the transmitters of the potency and the existence of several couplings through gears diminishes the efficiency of the mechanism.

Another of the mechanisms of the state of the art to achieve the driving of sliding doors for access in electric trains, consists of those whose force is provided by a pneumatic motor.

This mechanism has the disadvantage of having many components, such as pipes, electrovalves, air filters, compressors and piston drive.

In addition to an excess of parts, this type of system constantly presents leaks and faults, due to the difficulty of handling pressurized air and the facility for this air to escape. Even, according to data of the Collective Transport System Metro, the mechanism of the wagons that has more faults is this one, occupying the first place of faults in the year 2008.

This problem directly affects the transportation of users, decreasing the number of trains available and frequently causes the eviction of trains that were already in operation, which severely affects the service.

Therefore, a structure of mechanism for driving doors that solves the presented problem, would mean an important advance in the state of the art of this technological area.

OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION One of the objects of the invention is to make possible a mechanism for opening and closing sliding doors with two leaves that saves all the problems of pneumatic actuating mechanisms.

Another objective is to achieve a mechanism for opening and closing sliding doors with control that prevents significant damage to users, for trying to board the train when the doors are closing.

Still another objective is to achieve a mechanism that allows to avoid important damages during the opening process.

And all those objectives and advantages that will become evident with the description, which together with the drawings, will be done next.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This consists of an electrical-electronic drive system (stepper motor or servo motors and a new design of the spindle drive system) that controls the opening and closing of the access doors to trains by means of a programmable logic controller (PLC) . This development can be used in any railway system for passenger transport.

For this reason it is invented and developed the electrical-electronic control system for access doors to pneumatic or ferrous trains, which presents improvements in its operation and maintenance, and reduces the number of system components.

The different modalities of this system are the opening and closing of doors manually or automatically, based on a PLC programming for greater control of it.

The principle of operation is designed under the programming of the PLC or PIC who sends the indications by means of optical fiber or by cable or via wireless to the motor; this, in turn, converts the electrical impulse into rotary motion; The one that is transmitted to the spindle becomes linear movement with the ball screws anchored to the doors, which gives the movement to the doors along the guide rail.

The servomotor, which can also be coupled directly or through a motoreductor, to a spindle, when receiving the different signals from the PLC or from the PIC, transmits in a very efficient manner the power that turns said spindle. In addition, with direct control of the PLC or PIC, the changes in speed and direction of rotation are instantaneous.

The PLC or PIC detects if the signal received is closing, opening or emergency. If the PLC or PIC detects the emergency signal, it de-energizes the system and puts it on hold for instruction. In this way the doors can be operated manually.

When the PLC or PIC the signal of closing or opening, sends a signal to feed the motor to steps or servomotor to initiate the movement of closing or opening of doors, in case of detecting an obstruction the PLC or PIC sends a signal so that the servomotor or stepper motor returns the leaves to a position 10 cm anterior. If, after a number of attempts, the obstruction persists, the PLC or PIC sends a signal to the driver so that he can take action on the matter. If before this number of pre-established attempts the PLC or PIC sends the signal to the servomotor so that it completes the opening or closing cycle and is put on hold for a new indication.

A brief description will now be made of the drawings which, for illustrative but not limitative purposes, form an integral part of the present description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Figure 1 shows an isometric view of the mechanism that provides movement to the doors.

Figure 2 illustrates the detail of the mechanism with the ball screw and its mechanical connection with the door support copper slide.

Figure 3 shows the detail of the non-motor door support on the slide.

Figure 4 shows the mechanism attached to the sliding doors.

Figure 5 illustrates the procedure that was carried out to achieve the mechanism that is intended to protect.

Figure 6 illustrates in block diagram the algorithm of the PLC or PIC for the control of the opening and closing of the doors.

For a better understanding of the invention, a detailed description will be made of some of the modalities thereof, shown in the drawings that are annexed to the present description with non-limiting illustrative purposes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The mechanism for opening and closing access doors to pneumatic or ferrous trains comprising the teachings of the present invention is composed of a stepper motor, or a servomotor, a ball screw and a guide rail, with ball slide. All this controlled by a PLC or PIC and the concept of its operation.

The stepper motor or servo motor must have a power required to achieve a force of 10 kgf in the door leaves. This motor, is in direct mechanical coupling to the threaded spindle found in its two halves, so that when turning make the ball screws move in the opposite direction to make one of the leaves move in a direction and the other in the opposite direction to open and close.

The components of the mechanism object of the present description comprises the following elements: A PLC or a PIC (programmable interface circuit) · A reducer A drive for the stepper motor, or an amplifier for the servomotor A wired lot for control and strength A batch of optical fiber for control · A new design of the spindle and its corresponding ball screw, with better mobility characteristics If necessary, an encoder (encoder.) These components will be connected and adapted to a door mechanism, as described below: Operation concept The programming of the PLC or the PIC that will control the opening and closing of doors will be based on the following operating logic: Closure: at controlled speed and controlled torque in two steps Opening: at controlled speed and controlled torque When there is an interference at the time of closing, the door should open a minimum distance and retry the closure.

· In case of failure of the door, it can remain closed or open, as necessary In cases of emergency, without power, the door will open manually For a joint operation, each door will open and close without affecting the operation of the other doors of the set Once the door is calibrated, it will never lose its location, nor the parameters of speed and torque, both for opening and closing doors.

Operation diagram This arrangement of motor-electronic control-programming provides a controlled movement of rotation to the ball screw, which in turn gives a longitudinal movement to the sliding doors of access to trains.

Figure 1 shows an isometric view of the mechanism that provides movement to the doors. The servomotor, 1 or stepper motor, when receiving the signal from the PLC or PIC, rotates, through a motor-reducer 2, the spindle 3. Even with the same direction of rotation, since the spindle has the rope or threaded in opposite directions, in one half and in the other, while the first half displaces the ball screw 4 in one direction, the second half of this spindle moves the ball screw in the opposite direction achieving closure or opening.

The spindle 3 has three supports 5 for its correct operation, one at each end and one central.

In order to achieve a smooth sliding, the free supports of the doors 8 and the motor supports 9 slide in a ball slide 7 which moves in the channel 6. This assembly allows an almost horizontal movement without twisting upwards or downwards.

Figure 2 illustrates the detail of the mechanism with the ball screw and its mechanical connection with the door support on the slide. That is, the motor support of doors. In this figure the corresponding elements can be seen in figure 1, but the door support 9 and its connection to the joining means 10 and the bar 11 supporting both the motor support 9 of doors and the free support are seen in greater detail. 8 of doors. There is a bar 11 for each door leaf Figure 3 illustrates the detail of the non-motor door support 8 in the slide 7. In this figure, the spindle support 3 and the thread or step 13 of this spindle 3 are seen in greater detail. The rest of the elements are the corresponding to Figure 1.

Figure 4 shows the mechanism attached to the sliding doors 14. All the other elements are the corresponding ones in figure 1.

Figure 5 illustrates the procedure that was carried out to achieve the mechanism that is intended to protect. The inventive activity can be observed from the identification of the problem, in the analysis of the problem and in the proposed solution with a change of technology. The implementation of the technology is the implementation of the same giving body to the invention.

Figure 6 illustrates in block diagram the algorithm of the PLC or PIC for the control of the opening and closing of the doors. This algorithm makes a first discrimination of what sequence of actions to take. Depending on whether it is an opening, closing or emergency operation or without power.

It also detects if there is a situation of obstruction both to the closing and to the opening, to avoid damaging the users of the transport system. In the event that the PLC, or the PIC, detects unusual resistance to closing or opening, it gives the instruction to retract in the movement it had to retry, seconds later, the closing or opening operation, which was carried out.

The invention has been described sufficiently so that a person with average knowledge in the art can reproduce and obtain the results mentioned in the present invention. However, any person skilled in the art who is competent in the present invention may be able to make modifications not described in the present application, however, if for the application of these modifications in a certain structure or in the manufacturing process thereof, the subject matter claimed in the following claims is required, said structures should be understood within the scope of the invention.

Claims (4)

R E I V I N D I C A C I O N S Having sufficiently described the invention, I consider as a novelty and therefore claim as my exclusive property contained in the following clauses.

1. Intelligent system for opening and closing access doors to trains characterized by comprising a motor means coupled directly to a spindle, ball screws that wrap around said spindle and which are mechanically coupled to the motor supports of the doors, so that through these, the doors receive the impulse to slide and open or close and a means of control to control the operation of the doors; said control means detects whether the received signal is closing, opening or emergency; if the control means detects the emergency signal, it de-energizes the system and puts it on hold for instruction, thus making the doors can be operated manually; when the control means receives the closing or opening signal, it sends a signal to feed the motor means to initiate the closing or opening movement of doors, in case of detecting an obstruction the control means sends a signal for that the engine medium returns the leaves to a position 10 cm above, if after a number of attempts the obstruction persists, the control means sends a signal to the driver indicating the situation, if the obstruction condition disappears, the means The control sends the signal to the servo motor so that it completes the opening or closing cycle and is placed on hold for a new indication.

2. Intelligent system for opening and closing train access doors, as claimed in the preceding claim, characterized in that said motor means is selected from a servo motor or stepper motor.

3. Intelligent system for opening and closing train access doors, as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a motor reducer is inserted between the motor means and the spindle.

4. Intelligent system for opening and closing train access doors, as claimed in any of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the control means is selected from a PLC and a PIC. SUMMARY The present invention is related to the manufacturing industry of access doors for motor vehicles. More specifically, it is related to the manufacturing industry of sliding doors operated automatically, both for closing and for opening. The advantages of the present invention with respect to those of the state of the art is that it avoids all the problematic of the pneumatic drive mechanisms, avoids important damages to the users, when they try to board the train when the doors are closing, by comprising a motor means coupled directly to a spindle, ball screws that wrap around said spindle and which are mechanically coupled to the motor supports of the doors, so that through these, the doors receive the impulse to slide and open or close and a means of control to control the operation of the doors.