RU2817227C1 - Vehicle step - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: railway transport.

SUBSTANCE: footboard comprises main unit of steps, made with possibility of extension parallel to car floor, and a lower step mechanically connected to the unit of steps, installed with two degrees of freedom with possibility of being actuated by a common drive of the footrest. Lower step comprises step for boarding/disembarking passengers, which is mechanically fixed on brackets with possibility of linear movement. Brackets are fixed on sides of step unit. Lower step elevation angles lie in range from 0 to 90° relative to the vehicle floor level. Lower step is made with possibility of fixation relative to step unit in retracted position and retention in extended position due to the lower stage drive in the fully extended position of the main unit, and the lower stage lifting is determined by the lower stage drive.

EFFECT: higher reliability of steps operation in areas with snow-covered, uneven, and damaged railway platforms.

4 cl

Description

The invention relates to the field of railway transport, in particular, to retractable steps of passenger cars, allowing passengers to board and disembark.

Known (US 3876230, publ. 04/01/1974) is a folding step, adapted for mounting under a door, mounted on a vehicle trailer to facilitate access to it, and consisting of an upper step having an elongated support element attached at one end to it and protruding downwards from said upper step, a lower step having an elongated pivot arm attached to one end thereof that extends upward from the lower step, the upwardly extendable end being hinged to a support member to allow the lower step to be rotated up and down relative to the upper step about a horizontal axis of rotation, limiters associated with the support element and the swing arm, to limit the arc movement when turning the lower step down to hold the steps in an inclined, vertical state while maintaining the horizontal surfaces, means for locking the support element and the swing arm, ensuring a sliding connection of the support element and a pivot arm on the pivot axis to allow the pivot arm to slide longitudinally downward relative to the pivot axis automatically in response to bringing the lower step into an upper folded position over the upper step, the locking means including means for preventing further rotation of the lower step and automatically locking the lower steps in position above the top step in response to downward sliding of the swing arm.

The disadvantages of the known device are the insufficient reliability of fastening the folding step to the vehicle body when traveling over rough terrain.

Known (RU, patent 178817, publ. 04/19/2018) is a retractable step of a vehicle, containing movable racks with steps, a supporting bracket located on the frame of the vehicle with a horizontal support-cross member placed on it, a limiter for fixing the retractable step in the working position, the upper parts of the racks are equipped with thrust elements for interaction with the limiter; the retractable footrest additionally contains a latch with a locking mechanism for holding the racks in the transport position, including L-shaped support beams, made with a bend to accommodate the steps in the transport position, rigidly connected at one end to frame, and the other end with a horizontal support-cross member, a shutter with a drive handle, shutter guides rigidly connected to L-shaped support beams, and a locking element interacting with the shutter, rigidly mounted on the L-shaped support beams.

The disadvantage of the known technical solution is the limited scope of application - only freight cars.

Known (US patent 5228707, published 07/20/1993) is a vehicle step. The known step contains a retractable flight of stairs located under the floor of the vehicle, a drive with a screw mechanism and sliding guides. The flight of stairs is located in a closed area, which is protected from external influences by a spring-loaded door. The flight of stairs is helped to assume a working position by rollers and hinges, which together with the sliding guides provide the given trajectory of movement of the flight of stairs. The movement of the flight of stairs is ensured by a drive with a screw mechanism.

The disadvantage of the known step is that it can only be extended linearly, which will not allow the formation of a flight of stairs that meets the requirements, and, therefore, to ensure the safety of passengers, there will be a need for an additional step to reduce the flight distance, which will increase the overall dimensions of the structure.

The technical problem solved by using the developed device is to develop the design of the passenger car step.

The technical result achieved by implementing the developed technical solution is to increase the reliability of operation of the running boards in areas with snowy, uneven and damaged lower landing platforms.

To achieve the specified technical result, it is proposed to use a vehicle step of the developed design. It contains a main block of steps, made with the ability to extend parallel to the floor of the car, and a lower step mechanically attached to the block of steps, installed with two degrees of freedom with the possibility of driving it from the general drive of the step, the lower step contains the actual stage for boarding/disembarking passengers, it is mechanically fixed to brackets with the possibility of linear movement, the brackets are fixed to the sidewalls of the step block and ensure linear movement of the lower step parallel to the floor of the vehicle, the lifting angles of the lower step lie in the range from 0° to 90° relative to the level of the vehicle floor, while the lower step made with the possibility of fixing relative to the block of steps in the retracted position and holding in the extended position due to the drive for moving the lower step in the fully extended position of the main block, and the lifting of the lower step is caused by the drive for moving the footboard of the railway vehicle of the lower step.

In a preferred embodiment, gas springs or shock absorbers are used as a drive for lifting the lower stage.

Mostly gas springs or shock absorbers are an integral part of the overall mechanism for extending and retracting the footrest.

The lower stage can be configured to be automatically controlled primarily from the driver's cabin or from the train manager's console.

The lower stage can be configured to be manually controlled, while the main unit is configured to move under the influence of manual force.

The top cover of the main unit can be made with a smooth surface and/or equipped with a heating element.

The step consists of a main block of steps, which can be extended parallel to the floor of the car, and is characterized by the presence of a lower step with two degrees of freedom, driven from the general drive of the step through a mechanical transmission. The lower step consists of the actual step for boarding/disembarking passengers, brackets, lower stops and linear guides mounted on the sidewalls and ensuring linear movement of the step parallel to the floor of the vehicle. The elevation angles range from 0° to 90° relative to the vehicle floor level.

The block of steps is fixed independently of the lower step by two hooks located on the base. When the block of steps is released, the hooks are driven by a separate linear drive (actuator); when fixed, the hooks are deflected by rollers located on the block of steps, and return to their original (fixed) position under the action of an elastic element (spring). Instead of an elastic element, the movement can be carried out by the same drive.

In the retracted position, the lower stage is fixed mechanically relative to the block of steps by a mechanical lock without a drive (but it is possible to fix it with a separate drive). In the fully extended position, the lower stage is held by the drive force; when the force is removed, the lower stage is raised by elastic elements.

The developed design of the footrest ensures the extension of the lower step in two stages: at the first stage, the block of steps is extended, and at the second stage, the lower step is extended. The stop of the lower stage occurs either when the final (lower) position is reached, or when it encounters an obstacle (for example, a passenger platform).

Retracting the footrest occurs in the reverse order. The running board mechanism is controlled by the door control unit.

The above-described design features allow:

1. Taking into account the control of the position of the moving parts (sensors, limit switches, encoders, etc.) and the necessary control program, operate the step in two modes: with extension and without extension of the lower step, when only the block of steps moves.

2. When extending, first roll out the block of steps, and then lower the lower step, and when retracting, first lift the lower step, and then roll up the block of steps.

The developed design, together with taking into account the control of the position of moving parts (sensors, limit switches, encoders, etc.) and the necessary control program, makes it possible to stop the lower stage by counter force, while the block of stages is securely fixed. Thanks to this, it is possible, as it were, to “feel” the railway platform, to carry out reliable operation of the steps in areas with snowy, uneven and damaged lower boarding platforms, since the lower stage stops independently when it encounters an obstacle and allows passengers to board/disembark.

The footrest functions as follows.

Nomination. First, the main block of steps is pulled out parallel to the floor of the car and fixed to prevent movement towards the car under the influence of external forces. The lower step is then extended so that the plane of the lower step is parallel to the planes of the main block steps during the entire extension phase. Extension occurs until the required (designed) distance is reached between the surface of the lower retractable step and the surface of the lower step of the main block, fixedly fixed to it. If an obstacle appears on the path of the step, the extension stops. Both in the case of full extension and in the case of partial extension, the lower extension stage remains stationary and is suitable for the process of boarding/disembarking passengers. Retraction occurs in the reverse order. The lower extension step is raised first and then the main unit is retracted. After the lower retractable step is fully raised and the main block is retracted, the main block and the lower retractable step are mechanically secured from spontaneous retraction.

Additional option. There is an operating mode in which the footrest is switched to the so-called manual mode using the mode switch located on the body of the main unit. In this manual mode, it is possible to extend the main unit and retract it if it was extended by applying manual force.

One more option. To protect against loss of performance in icing conditions, the top cover of the main unit has a smooth surface without protrusions and can additionally be equipped with a heating element.

The lower stage with sides can be used as a separate product with rigid fastening of the sidewalls to the vehicle; in this case, all design features not associated with the block of steps are preserved, and the force is transferred from the drive to the mechanical transmission of the lower stage directly.

Claims (4)

1. A vehicle footboard, characterized in that it contains a main block of steps, designed to be extended parallel to the floor of the car, and a lower step mechanically attached to the block of steps, installed with two degrees of freedom with the possibility of driving it from a common drive of the footboard, lower the step contains the actual step for boarding/disembarking passengers, it is mechanically fixed to brackets with the possibility of linear movement, the brackets are fixed to the sidewalls of the step block and provide linear movement of the lower step parallel to the floor of the vehicle, the lifting angles of the lower step lie in the range from 0 to 90° relative to level of the vehicle floor, wherein the lower step is configured to be fixed relative to the block of steps in the retracted position and held in the extended position due to the drive for moving the lower step in the fully extended position of the main block, and the lifting of the lower step is due to the drive for moving the lower step. 2. The footrest according to claim 1, characterized in that gas springs or shock absorbers are used as a drive for raising the lower stage. 3. The footrest according to claim 2, characterized in that gas springs or shock absorbers are an integral part of the general mechanism for extending and retracting the footrest. 4. The step according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower step is made with the possibility of automatic control.