Protective Wall for the Protection of People from Moving Rail Vehicles

• US 20160207542A1
• Filed: 06/02/2014
• Published: 07/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Christoph Lieber
• Original Assignee: Christoph Lieber
• Inventors: Lieber, Christoph
• Granted Patent: US 10,053,114 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B61B 1/02 General arrangement of stations and platforms including protection devices for the passengers B61B1/005 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E06B 11/022 characterised by the manner of movement

Abstract

A protection device for the protection of people against moving rail vehicle in a railway station area comprises an inner- and an outer protective wall (11, 12, 76, 77, 88, 89). The station area contains a platform (4) whereby the platform (4) contains a platform edge (2, 22). A first side of the platform edge (2, 22) has tracks and a second side of the platform edge (2, 22) has a platform plateau (23). The platform plateau (23) is designed as a waiting area for people. The protective wall (11, 12, 76, 77, 88, 89) is directly adjacent or near to the platform edge (2, 22) and between a retracted state and an extended state adjustable in such a way that in the extended state (11, 12, 76, 77, 88, 89) access to the tracks is obstructed, in the retracted state access to the tracks is free.

Claims

1. A protection device for the protection of people in a station area from moving rail vehicles, whereby the station area contains at least one platform, whereby the platform contains at least one platform edge and on a first side of the platform edge tracks for a rail vehicle are arranged and on a second side of the platform edge a platform plateau exists, which is designed as a waiting area for people, whereby a protective wall, is situated directly adjacent or near to the platform edge and between a retracted state and an extended state adjustable in such a way that in the extended state of the protective wall an access to the tracks is obstructed, in the retracted state the access to the tracks is free, characterized in that the protective wall comprises an inner protective wall and an outer protective wall.

2. Protection device according to claim 1, whereby the outer protective wall is installed between the platform edge and the inner protective wall or the outer protective wall forms the platform edge or is installed directly adjacent to the platform edge.

3. Protection device according to one of claim 1, whereby the protective wall contains at least each a driving device.

4. Protection device according to claim 1, whereby the protective wall in the retracted state is housed in a cavity.

5. Protection device according to claim 4, whereby the cavity is situated below the platform plateau.

6. Protection device according to claim 4, whereby a removable plate element is provided for closing the cavity.

7. Protection device according to claim 1, whereby the protective wall in the extended state is movable from the platform edge in the direction of the platform plateau.

8. Protection device according to claim 1, whereby in the cavity a pillar is arranged, which can serve as a support for the removable plate element.

9. Protection device according to claim 1, whereby at least at one of the protective walls a sensing element, a warning element, a triggering element or an indicating element is arranged.

10. Protection device according to claim 9, whereby a control element for the control of the driving device is provided which can be connected with an interlocking.

11. Protection device according to claim 3, whereby the driving device contains at least a drive cylinder or a vertical drive.

12. Protection device according to claim 1, whereby between the outer protective wall and the inner protective wall a mechanical system is arranged to seal the space between the outer protective wall and the inner protective wall.

13. Protection device according to claim 12, whereby the mechanical system is formed as an extendable intermediate element.

14. Protection device according to claim 12, whereby the extendable intermediate element comprises a frame which comprises two frame components which contain a spring element.

15. Protection device according to claim 1, whereby one of the protective walls is equipped with a hinged flap by which the space between the two protective walls is coverable.

16. Protection device according to claim 15, whereby the hinged flap is integrated into in the outer protective wall or is fixed on a separate support element.

17. Protection device according to claim 16, whereby a sensor is provided at the protective wall or at the hinged flap.

18. Protection device according to claim 16, whereby a fixation is provided at the rear wall of the outer protective wall or at the support element, so that the outer protective wall or the support element only can be lowered if the hinged flap is in a pulled-back state.

19. Protection device according to claim 16, whereby the length of the hinged flap corresponds at least to the distance between the outer protective wall and the inner protective wall.

20. Protection device according to any one of claims 16, whereby the push-out movement of the hinged flap can be caused at least by one of the following options:

by a drive at the mounting of the hinged flap on the outer protective wall at the upper end of the hinged flap, by a rotatable horizontal pole, whereby the rotatable horizontal pole is connected with a drive below the hinged flap, by a spring element, by an auxiliary pole, by a retractable bollard.

21. Protection device according to claim 1, whereby at least one of the inner- or outer protective walls is designed in several parts.

22. Protection device according to claim 21, whereby the protective wall comprises a multiplicity of intermateable wall elements.

23. Protection device according to claim 1, whereby a multiplicity of retractable intermediate walls is arranged between the outer protective wall and the inner protective wall.

24. Protection device according to claim 1, whereby at least one of the inner or outer protective walls forms an angle of less than 90°

with the plane of the platform plateau.

25. Protection device according to claim 1, whereby a tilting device is provided so that at least one of the inner or outer protective walls are convertible from a vertical position to a tilted position.

26. Protection device according to claim 1, whereby retaining elements are arranged in the interspace between the inner and the outer protective wall.

27. Protection device according to claim 1, whereby the inner protective wall may comprise a continuous protective wall or may comprise poles standing close together.

28. Method for operating a protection device for the protection of people against moving rail vehicles in a railway station area, whereby in a first step a protective wall starts to be lowered as soon as the rail vehicle approaches the station area and/or the approaching velocity has slowed below 20 km/h and/or an actuating signal to operate a driving device for the protective wall is received, in a second step the protective wall is lowered completely into the retracted state when the rail vehicle reaches its stop position, in a third step after reaching the retracted state the doors of the rail vehicle are opened so that a passenger exchange can take place, in a fourth step a signal to leave the retracted state is transmitted to the driving device of the protective wall as soon as no passengers are situated no more between the protective wall and the rail vehicle and a signal to close the doors of the rail vehicle has been transmitted, so that the protective wall gets lifted to the extended state and in a fifth step the rail vehicle can start to move again as soon as the protective wall reached the extended state, whereby the protective wall comprises an inner protective wall and an outer protective wall, whereby shortly before the entry of the rail vehicle the outer protective wall gets lifted, as soon as the outer protective wall has been lifted, the inner protective wall is lowered and shortly before the passenger exchange the outer protective wall is lowered again into the retracted state so that a passenger exchange can take place, whereby after the passenger exchange the rail vehicle only starts to move when the outer protective wall is in the extended state again.

29. Method according to claim 28, whereby the signal to lift the protective wall is linked to the signal for door closing of the doors of the rail vehicle.

30. Method according to claim 28, whereby the protection device is equipped with a transmitter and/or a receiver to interact with a rail vehicle.

31. Method according to claim 28, whereby the lifting process of the outer protective wall is triggered by an enforced door closing in the rail vehicle and/or the lowering of the outer protective wall is triggered by a door release control system.

32. Method according to claim 28, whereby the outer protective wall starts to be lifted before all the doors of the rail vehicle are closed.

33. Method according to claim 28, whereby the outer protective wall gets lifted after all the doors of the rail vehicle are closed.

34. Method according to claim 28, whereby at least one of the protective walls contains sensors which detect the speed of the rail vehicle and/or the distance of the rail vehicle to its stop position.

35. Method according to claim 28, whereby after the passenger exchange and the outer protective wall got lifted to the extended state, a mechanical system is moved until the mechanical system has a sufficiently steep inclination so that in the further process people standing on the platform are pushed safely to the platform-oriented side of the inner protective wall, whereby the mechanical system is moved together with the inner protective wall when the inner protective wall gets lifted and as soon as the inner protective wall reached the extended state, the outer protective wall and the mechanical system start to be lowered to the level of the platform plateau.

36. Method according to claim 35, whereby the outer protective wall gets lifted before a rail vehicle reaches the railway station area, whereby the mechanical system remains on the level of the platform plateau, whereby after the lowering of the inner protective wall also the outer protective wall is lowered again into the retracted state before the passenger exchange.

37. Method according to claim 36, whereby the mechanical system comprises an extendable intermediate element, a hinged flap or a multiplicity of intermediate walls, which can get lifted by a drive.

38. Method according to claim 35, whereby the mechanical system comprises a track-oriented frame component and a platform-oriented frame component, whereby the track-oriented frame component and the platform-oriented frame component and the inner protective wall move upwards with the same speed, so that the inclination of the mechanical system remains constant.