EP-4737259-A1 - PASSIVE SAFETY PROTECTIVE BELLOWS STRUCTURE FOR ROLLING STOCK, ROLLING STOCK AND METHOD

EP4737259A1EP 4737259 A1EP4737259 A1EP 4737259A1EP-4737259-A1

Abstract

A passive safety protective bellows structure for rolling stock, a rolling stock and a method, which solve the problem in the prior art that bellows structures fail to effectively buffer carriages against compression therebetween, and have the beneficial effects of effectively resisting to impact force and avoiding secondary collisions. The specific solution is as follows: the passive safety protective bellows structure for rolling stock comprises a capsule (2); the capsule (2) is mounted on rolling stock by means of a bellows mounting base (18); an empty chamber (1) is formed between the capsule (2) and the bellows mounting base (18); an air curtain (5) is provided in the empty chamber (1); the air curtain (5) is expandable; the air curtain (5) is supported by means of a plurality of fixing devices (3); the fixing devices (3) are arranged in the circumferential direction of the rolling stock; each fixing device (3) comprises a fixing base (14) mounted on the bellows mounting base (18); each side of each fixing base (14) is movably connected to a support member by means of a rotatable member (19); an elastic member (13) is provided between the rotatable member (19) on each side and the fixing base (14); the support members are connected to a fixing cover (7), with a space (20) formed therebetween to limit the air curtain (5) while supporting the air curtain (5).

Inventors

YUAN, Honglei
CHE, Quanwei
ZHAO, Sicong
CHEN, DAWEI
WANG, JUNJIE

Assignees

CRRC QINGDAO SIFANG CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20250325

Claims (11)

A passive safety protective bellows structure for a rail vehicle, comprising a capsule which is installed on the rail vehicle via a bellows mounting seat, wherein: a chamber is formed between the capsule and the bellows mounting seat, and an expandable air curtain is disposed in the chamber and is supported by a plurality of fixing devices arranged along a circumferential direction of the rail vehicle; each fixing device comprises a fixed seat which is mounted to the bellows mounting seat and is movably connected on each side to a support member via a rotatable member, and an elastic member is movably disposed between the rotatable member and the fixed seat on each side of the fixed seat; and the support member is detachably connected to a fixing cover with a space formed therebetween to both support and restrain the air curtain therein, the support member comprises a retractable part, the retractable part is configured to be in an extended state under action of the elastic member, and to retract as the air curtain expands such that the support member is separated from the fixing cover under pressure exerted by the expanding air curtain.
The passive safety protective bellows structure for the rail vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the air curtain is formed with an airflow port connected to an inflation device and a deflation device through pipelines, a switch is disposed at the airflow port, and each of the switch, the inflation device, and the deflation device is connected to a control unit coupled to a main controller of the rail vehicle; or the air curtain is a safety airbag.
The passive safety protective bellows structure for the rail vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the support member comprises two vertical stoppers arranged oppositely and connected to an open-ended stopper and a closed-ended stopper respectively, a groove is formed in a side portion of the open-ended stopper, a side portion of the closed-ended stopper is inserted into the groove of the open-ended stopper, and the closed-ended stopper is movable relative to the groove so as to form the retractable part; a distance between the two vertical stoppers is less than a width of the fixed seat; and the fixed seat has the same length as the support member.
The passive safety protective bellows structure for the rail vehicle according to claim 3, wherein both the open-ended stopper and the closed-ended stopper are bent; and each of the open-ended stopper and the closed-ended stopper is connected to a top side or a middle portion of the corresponding vertical stopper.
The passive safety protective bellows structure for the rail vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the groove of the open-ended stopper has a predetermined depth, rotatable rollers are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the groove at intervals and are rotatable relative to the open-ended stopper.
The passive safety protective bellows structure for the rail vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the fixing cover is U-shaped, and the vertical stoppers are connected to opposite side walls of the U-shaped fixing cover by means of snap-fit fasteners, respectively.
The passive safety protective bellows structure for the rail vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the fixed seat is provided with lateral seats on opposite sides of the fixed seat, and the rotatable member is provided at each end of each lateral seat, and the rotatable member comprises a linkage assembly, which comprises two links, each link is pivotally connected at one end to the vertical stopper and is pivotally connected at the other end to the lateral seat, wherein the two links, the vertical stopper, and the lateral seat form a parallelogram mechanism, a third link is connected between the two links, and one of the two links is connected to the elastic member.
The passive safety protective bellows structure for the rail vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the elastic member comprises a support spring, one end of which is mounted to the fixed seat via a support seat, and the other end of which is connected to the rotatable member.
The passive safety protective bellows structure for the rail vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the fixed seat is formed with a hole, and the fixed seat is mounted to the bellows mounting seat by means of a fastener passing through the hole.
A rail vehicle, comprising the passive safety protective bellows structure for the rail vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 9.
A method for operating the passive safety protective bellows structure for the rail vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising: mounting the fixed seat of each fixing device on the bellows mounting seat, and supporting the air curtain by the support member; arranging the fixing cover of each fixing device on one side of the air curtain and connecting the fixing cover to the support member, so as to support and constrain the air curtain by the fixing device to prevent the air curtain from swaying in the chamber during operation of the rail vehicle; installing the capsule onto the bellows mounting seat; inflating the air curtain following a collision of the rail vehicle, wherein the air curtain expands rapidly during inflation so as to apply pressure to the support member and the fixing cover, and under the pressure, the support member is moved relative to the fixing cover and towards the fixed seat; disengaging the fixing cover from the support member by compression of the elastic member and retracting of the retractable part of the support member during movement of the support member; and further expanding the air curtain until it conforms to an inner wall of the capsule, at which point bellows structures of adjacent carriages have been filled with air, and the air curtain bears part of impact force to prevent direct contact between end walls of the adjacent carriages, and deflating the air curtain at the end of the collision to absorb, through deflation process, energy generated by the collision between the adjacent carriages.

Description

The present application claims the priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410627511.X, titled "PASSIVE SAFETY PROTECTIVE BELLOWS STRUCTURE FOR ROLLING STOCK, ROLLING STOCK AND METHOD", filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration on May 20, 2024, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. FIELD The present application relates to the technical field of rail transit and, in particular, to a passive safety protective bellows structure for a rail vehicle, a rail vehicle, and a method. BACKGROUND The statements in this section only provide background information related to the present application, which do not necessarily constitute the prior art. In the field of rail transit, adjacent carriages are connected generally by flexible connection to ensure relative movement between the adjacent carriages. The flexible connection employs bellows for transition between the adjacent carriages to block airflow and reduce drag during operation. The conventional bellows has an internal hollow structure, and an external rubber capsule which is configured to deform under compression during operation. When a rail vehicle is involved in a tail-end collision that causes uncoupling, the adjacent carriages are compressed against each other. The inventors found that, in this accident, a conventional bellows structure cannot effectively buffer collision and compression between the adjacent carriages, so that end walls of the adjacent carriages come into direct contact during the collision. Due to high collision energy and significant impact force between the adjacent carriages, the compression between the carriages resulting from such collision inflicts secondary impact upon the carriages and occupants, causing secondary injuries to the occupants and significant damage to the carriages. SUMMARY In view of the shortcomings of the related art, a first object of the present application is to provide a passive safety protective bellows structure for a rail vehicle, which can effectively resist to the impact force and avoid formation of the secondary impact, absorb impact energy, and reduce the damage and injuries to the carriages and the occupants. A second object of the present application is to provide a rail vehicle including a passive safety protective bellows structure, which can effectively reduce damage to the rail vehicle during the collision. To achieve the above objects, the following technical solutions are proposed according to the present application. A passive safety protective bellows structure for a rail vehicle includes a capsule which is installed on the rail vehicle via a bellows mounting seat. There is a chamber formed between the capsule and the bellows mounting seat. An expandable air curtain is disposed in the chamber. The air curtain is supported by multiple fixing devices arranged along a circumferential direction of the rail vehicle. Each fixing device includes a fixed seat which is mounted to the bellows mounting seat and is movably connected on each side to a support member via a rotatable member. An elastic member is movably disposed between the rotatable member and the fixed seat on each side of the fixed seat. The support member is detachably connected to a fixing cover with a space formed between them to both support and restrain the air curtain therein. The support member includes a retractable part. The retractable part is configured to be in an extended state under action of the elastic member, and to retract as the air curtain expands such that the support member is separated from the fixing cover under pressure exerted by the expanding air curtain. In the bellows structure as described above, the multiple fixing devices are disposed in the chamber to support the air curtain. The space formed between the fixing cover and the support member effectively restrains the air curtain to prevent it from swaying in the chamber. The support member is subjected to a first force exerted by the fixing cover. The elastic member provides a second force applied to the support member via the rotatable member. In this way, the retractable part remains in an extended state under action of the elastic member. The air curtain exerts pressure on the support member during expansion, which causes the retractable part of the support member to retract so as to disengage the fixing cover from the support member as the air curtain expands. In the passive safety protective bellows structure for the rail vehicle as described above, the air curtain is formed with an airflow port connected to an inflation device and a deflation device through pipelines. A switch is disposed at the airflow port. Each of the switch, the inflation device, and the deflation device is connected to a control unit. The control unit is coupled to a main controller of the rail vehicle. Upon receiving a signal indicating the collision, the main controller of the rail vehicle transmits it to the control unit, which