FR2970456A1 - RAILWAY EQUIPMENT COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE MODULE EXTRACTIBLE FROM BATTERIES. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a railway vehicle delimited by a first side 13 and a second side 14 and whose displacement is operated by at least one electric motor powered by at least one electrical storage device 7 on board the vehicle, characterized in that that the electrical storage device 7 is separated into at least a first battery module 17 and at least a second battery module 18, and that the machine comprises a first extraction means 21 of the first battery module 17 on the first side 13 of the machine and a second extraction means 22 of the second battery module 18 on the second side 14 of the machine. Application to the railway field.

Description

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RAILWAY EQUIPMENT COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE BATTERY EXTRACTIBLE MODULE

The technical sector of the present invention is that of railways and more particularly devices adapted to receive and hold together a plurality of batteries mounted on a railway vehicle for towing oars or convoys. The known locomotives employ a plurality of electric motors generally mounted on bogies, assembled to a platform constituting the locomotive. These motors receive electrical power from a catenary or from a generator installed on the locomotive. In this second case, this current generator is coupled to an internal combustion engine, which consumes a large amount of fuel, including diesel fuel.

The scarcity of oil resources has led the builders and operators of this type of locomotive to develop railway engines that operate from new sources of energy capable of storing and returning electrical energy. It has therefore been envisaged to provide the electrical energy necessary to pull the locomotive from batteries on board the vehicle. However, the constraints relating to the maintenance of these batteries have not been taken into account, so that the maintenance of these batteries can not be achieved in a reliable, efficient, safe manner with respect to personnel and consistent with the downtime constraints of a locomotive.

Moreover, the position of these batteries relative to the locomotive has not been optimized in that it negatively impacts, on the one hand, the left-right mass balance of the locomotive, and of on the other hand the position of the center of gravity of the locomotive. The object of the present invention is therefore to solve the disadvantages described above mainly by splitting into at least two subassemblies the battery pack necessary to pull the machine and allowing a relative movement of these subassemblies by relative to the craft in order to make them

accessible laterally with respect to the machine. The invention therefore relates to a railway vehicle delimited by a first side and a second side and whose movement is operated by at least one electric motor powered by at least one electrical storage device on board the craft. The machine is innovative in that the electrical storage device is separated into at least a first battery module and at least a second battery module, and in that the machine comprises a first extraction means of the first battery module. batteries on the first side of the machine and a second extraction means of the second battery module on the second side of the machine. According to a first characteristic of the invention, the first extraction means and the second extraction means respectively translate the first battery module and the second battery module in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the machine.

According to a second characteristic of the invention, the first extraction means and / or the second extraction means each comprise at least one male slide which slides in an armature. The machine comprises a support of a multiplicity of battery modules interposed between each extraction means and a platform constituting the machine. In such a situation, the support comprises at least one electrical connection means between one of the battery modules and the support. Advantageously, the electrical connection means comprises a device for fast connection between the battery module and a bar constituting the support. Advantageously, the electrical connection means comprises a protection which covers the quick connection device. The connection device is said to be "fast" in that it does not require any intervention to establish the electrical connection or disconnection other than the insertion or extraction movement that results from the movement of the battery module. According to one characteristic of the invention, the support comprises a device

of solidarity which is supported on an upper face of the platform. According to another characteristic of the invention, the first battery module and the second battery module are identical and are distributed on either side of a median longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

Advantageously, the machine comprises at least two bogies connected to the platform and wherein the electrical storage device extends under the platform and between the bogies. Advantageously, at least one battery module comprises a plurality of batteries installed in a reception device comprising a bottom and a peripheral wall delimiting a housing receiving the batteries, and an inner wall which extends into the housing and which delimits a conduit. circulation of an air flow. Advantageously, all the battery modules constituting the electrical storage device are made according to the preceding characteristics.

A first advantage of the invention lies in the ability to simply extract the electrical storage device of the machine. Thus, each battery module can be translated in the manner of a drawer on each side of the railway machine, which facilitates the maintenance and servicing of the electrical storage device. Moreover, the fact of separating the electrical storage device into two distinct modules or subassemblies facilitates the organization of the workstations in the maintenance workshops of such a machine. Another advantage lies in the fact that the mass resulting from the electrical storage device is distributed in a balanced manner on both sides of the machine. The implantation of the organized electrical storage device according to the invention is thus without any negative impact on the overall distribution of the masses of the machine. Another significant advantage lies in the positioning of the electrical storage device relative to the machine. Indeed, it is advantageous that the implantation of the battery modules lowers the center of gravity of the machine because it improves the stability of the railway machine, for example in case of derailment. Other features, details and advantages of the invention will emerge

more clearly on reading the description given below for information in connection with drawings in which: - Figure 1 is a side view of the railway vehicle according to the invention; - Figure 2 is a view in perspective of the electrical storage device equipping the machine, - Figure 3 is a side view of a battery module constituting the electrical storage device, - Figure 4 is a front perspective view showing a plurality of battery modules 5 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the battery module, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the electrical connection between the battery module and the support, FIG. a partial view of the side of the railway machine according to the invention. It should be noted that the figures disclose the invention in detail to implement the invention, said figures can of course be used to better define the invention, if any. Figure 1 is a schematic view showing a first side of a rail vehicle 1 according to the invention. This machine is for example a locomotive able to tow or push a convoy on a rail network. The railway vehicle 1 comprises a platform 2 which forms a frame, carrying the various components constituting the machine. Under this platform 2, there is at least one electric machine or electric motor 3 whose function is to transform electrical energy into rotational movement to operate the movement of the railway vehicle on the rail network. The figure shows two electric motors 3 but the invention is not limited to such a number. According to this variant, the railway vehicle 1 comprises a main electrical source 4 and a plurality of secondary electric sources on board the craft among which there is at least one supercapacitor module 5, a fuel cell 6 and at least one device 7. The terms "principal" and "secondary" are used here to differentiate

electric sources without, however, implying any importance or priority of one over the other. The supercapacitor module 5 and the electrical storage device 7 differ from the main electrical source 4 in that they are arranged to store or restore the electrical energy.

The railway vehicle according to the invention also comprises a control cabin 8 where the railway machine 1 can be controlled by a driver. This control booth 8 is interposed between the main source of electricity 4 and an auxiliary module 9. This module is described as "auxiliary", in that it comprises power devices that do not participate directly in the effort to animate the movement of the machine 1. It is in particular a low-voltage accumulator whose function is to provide the electrical energy necessary for the equipment control equipment, including lighting in the cabin or the starting of the main electrical source 4, or external signaling of the craft, such as lanterns or position lights. It is also an electro-compressor responsible for ensuring the pneumatic pressure necessary for the operation of a braking system constituting the machine 1. This auxiliary module 9 may further comprise a conditioning installation of the air sent into the control cabin 8. Note that the auxiliary module 9, the control cabin 8, the main power source 4, the fuel cell 6 and the supercapacitor module 5 are installed on an upper face 10 of platform 2. These components are therefore arranged above the platform 2. The main electrical source 4 is in particular a generator that includes an internal combustion engine rotating a current generator. The internal combustion engine is, for example, a diesel engine. This figure shows the presence of a fuel tank 11 for the generator set which is interposed between the electrical storage device 7 and a bogie 12, the platform 2 being placed on two bogies 12. The components located above the platform are aligned along a longitudinal axis 23, the latter corresponding to the direction of movement of the railway vehicle on the rail network. FIG. 2 illustrates more particularly the electrical storage device

7 which is capable of supplying the electrical energy necessary to set the railway vehicle in motion. This electrical storage device is arranged to charge electric energy and discharge when requested.

This railway vehicle 1 is here delimited by a first side 13 and a second side 14, these sides being formed by the lateral faces of the machine which extend in a plane parallel or substantially parallel to the wheels carrying the machine rail. The platform 2 comprises a metal frame 15 having longitudinal reinforcements secured to lateral reinforcements. Plates 16 are installed flat on the metal frame 15 so as to close the frame and allow the installation of the various components of the machine. The electrical storage device 7 is separated into at least a first battery module 17 and at least a second battery module 18. It is understood here that the electrical storage device 7 is divided into two parts or two separate subsets of the same or similar structure. Each battery module 17 or 18 is formed by a receiving device 19 inside which is installed a plurality of batteries 20, otherwise called element batteries or elementary battery. These batteries form individual elements for example of the electrochemical type (lead acid, nickel cadmium or lithium-ion) and each comprising a positive terminal and a negative terminal. The railway vehicle according to the invention is particularly recognizable in that it comprises a first extraction means 21 of the first battery module 18 on the first side 13 of the vehicle. Similarly, there is provided a second extraction means 22 of the second battery module 17 on the second side 14 of the railway vehicle. These first and second extraction means 21 and 22 have the function of allowing a movement respectively of the first and second modules 17 and 18 with respect to the platform 2 forming the chassis of the machine. Thus, the first extraction means 21 and the second extraction means 22 translate these battery modules. This movement is carried out

in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 23, the latter extending in a length of the machine. FIG. 2 also shows that the electrical storage device 7 comprises a multiplicity of first modules 17 of identical or similar batteries. These first modules 17 are then assembled on a support 27, otherwise called safe, attached to the platform 2 of the machine. The first 17 battery modules can also be called drawers. Likewise, the electrical storage device 7 comprises a multiplicity of second modules 18 of identical or similar batteries. The second 1 o modules 18 of batteries can also be called drawers. These second modules 18 are also assembled on a support 27 fixed to the platform 2 of the machine. It follows from the foregoing that the machine comprises two supports 27 installed on either side of the central longitudinal axis 23 and which each receive a multiplicity of battery modules. In such a situation, the invention takes advantage that the multiplicity of first battery modules 17 is identical to the multiplicity of second battery modules 18. In the case in point, the electrical storage device 7 comprises six first battery modules 17 installed between the longitudinal axis 23 and the second side 14, and six second battery modules 18 installed between the longitudinal axis 23 and the second one. first side 13 of the machine. In such a situation, the longitudinal axis 23 is median in that it virtually shares a width of the machine in two portions of identical width. Figure 3 shows the organization of the first or second battery modules. The first extraction means 21 and / or the second extraction means 22 each comprise at least one male slide 24 which slides in an armature 25. In the example shown in FIG. 3, it can be seen that the armature 25 also serves as a housing for a slider 26 which is secured to a support 27 of the multiplicity of modules. Such an organization makes it possible to extract entirely, easily and by a single maintenance agent, the battery module 30 outside the machine, which offers the possibility of intervening on the batteries located at the bottom of the reception device 19 without be embarrassed by the craft. In other words, the first and / or second extraction means comprise a

device adapted so that the battery module is entirely out of the wheelbase of the vehicle when the battery module is in the maximum extraction position. Note finally that the first and / or the second extraction means 21, 22 may advantageously comprise two sets of male slide 24, frame 25 and slide 26, installed on either side of the receiving device 19 of the batteries. The embodiment of Figure 3 shows the existence of two battery modules 17 placed vertically one above the other. It is thus possible to operate on one or other of the modules in a space limited to the dimensions of a single battery module. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the support 27 forms a receptacle that receives a plurality of first battery modules 17 or several second battery modules 18. There is thus provided a first row of three battery modules aligned in the same horizontal plane superimposed over a second row of three battery modules, also aligned in a horizontal plane and parallel to the plane of the first row. The support 27 is formed for example by a frame or metal frame made according to a welded assembly of horizontal and vertical metal bars. This metal frame 27 defines three housings each receiving a pair of battery modules 17 installed one above the other. According to this embodiment variant, the support 27 is thus placed between the platform of the railway vehicle and the extraction means of each battery module. Such an organization makes it possible to assemble each multiplicity of battery modules on a support independently of the rest of the machine and to very simply return the pre-equipped support to the railway vehicle. The support 27 is connected to the platform of the railway vehicle by at least one securing means 28 or 29. In the variant shown in Figure 4, the support 27 comprises four first securing means 28 and four second securing means 29 , two of them being placed on either side of the support while the two remaining edge a central housing defines

by the metal frame. The securing means 28 or 29 has the particularity of being supported on the upper face (referenced 10 in FIG. 1) of the platform 2, which makes it possible to pre-position the support 27, 28 with respect to the platform beforehand. to its final fixation. This means also has the advantage of avoiding the fall of the support 27, 28 in case of loss of one or more fastening bolts. This securing means thus has a mechanical safety function. Mechanically, the weight stress of the support 27, 28 is not supported by screws or bolts but by plates 30 which cooperates with the platform. To do this, the securing means 28 or 29 comprises the plate 30 which extends in a plane parallel to, or substantially parallel to, the plane of the upper face of the platform. This plate 30 thus comes into contact with this upper face to hold the support 27 in position.

It will be particularly noted that the plate 30 of the first securing means 28 extends in a plane different from the plane of extension of the plate 30 constituting the second securing means 29. Finally, FIG. 4 shows a multiplicity of first or second means of extraction 21, 22. These are represented in the maximum extraction position while the battery modules 17 are shown inside the housing of the support 27. This representation has been chosen to make apparent the structure of the extraction means. . Figure 5 shows the constitution of a first 17 or a second 18 battery module. This module comprises a plurality of battery cells 20 and the reception device 19. This reception device 19 consists of a bottom 32 at the periphery of which extends a peripheral wall 33. The bottom 32 and the peripheral wall 33 are formed by rectilinear plates, advantageously made of metal or plastic.

The peripheral wall 33 extends in a plane orthogonal to the plane in which the bottom 32 extends so as to delimit an area which serves as a housing 34 for receiving the plurality of batteries 20. 2970456 io

The housing 34 may for example take the form of a rectangular parallelepiped or rectangle. The peripheral wall 33 is then formed by a first sidewall installed parallel and opposite, with respect to the bottom 32, to a second sidewall which originates on the latter. The peripheral wall 33 also comprises a third blank, placed between the first flank and the second flank, and which originates on a slice of the bottom 32. Finally, a fourth flank closes the parallelepiped being disposed parallel to the third flank and between the flange. first flank and the second flank. It will be particularly noted that the peripheral wall 33, that is to say the first flank, the second flank, the third flank and the fourth flank, is perforated. In other words, the peripheral wall 33 comprises a multiplicity of through holes 35 distributed over the entire peripheral wall 33, this multiplicity of holes being illustrated only in part so as not to weigh down the figure. This allows the circulation of the air flow inside the housing 34 from or to the outside of the receiving device 19. Inside the housing 34 is provided a so-called internal wall 36 in the sense that it extends in the volume defined by the housing 34. This inner wall 36 is arranged to define a duct 37 in which circulates a flow of air. In other words, the inner wall 36 separates the volume of the housing 34 from a recess which serves as a duct 37 for circulating the flow of air. It is advantageous for the shape defined by the inner wall 36 to be identical to that defined by the peripheral wall 33. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the peripheral wall 33 and the inner wall 36 both form a parallelepiped, the parallelepiped formed by the inner wall 36 being centered in the parallelepiped formed by the peripheral wall 33. It is thus understood that the housing 34 forms an annular band around the duct 37 for circulating the air flow. The inner wall 36 is made of one or more plates, for example metal or plastic, perforated with a multiplicity of through-holes 35 (shown partially). This allows the circulation of the air flow from the housing 34 to the duct 37 for circulation of the air flow, and vice-versa if necessary. 2970456 ii

FIG. 5 shows the first module 17 or the second module 18 which comprises a plurality of batteries 20 installed in the housing 34 defined in the reception device 19. According to this exemplary embodiment, each battery 20 has a parallelepipedal section 5 and extends over a height greater than the height of the peripheral wall 33. In other words, the plurality of batteries 20 exceeds the plane formed by a free edge of the peripheral wall 33. The housing 34 is capable of receiving for example forty-eight elements of nominal voltage batteries between 1.2 V and 2 V each depending on the type of battery used, which has the advantage of constituting a battery module with a voltage below a so-called safety voltage. This guarantees the safety of personnel who work on the railway machine according to the invention. It is apparent from FIG. 5 that the recess forming duct 37 is devoid of batteries so as to allow circulation of the air flow. The batteries 20 are also distributed in rows within the housing. The duct 37, delimited by the inner wall 36, is centrally located in the housing 34. The receiving device 19 also comprises at least one receiving zone 38 without a battery. This receiving zone 38 forms a cavity in which electrical connection means of the plurality of batteries 20 are installed. In this exemplary embodiment, the receiving device 19 comprises two reception zones, referenced 38 and 39, each receiving means electrical connection. Each receiving zone 38 or 39 is formed at an angle of the housing 34 and is delimited on one side by the peripheral wall 33, and on the other by a bracket 40 installed in the housing 34. Specifically, a first receiving area 38 of a first electrical connection means is arranged at the corner of the second sidewall and the third sidewall. A second receiving area 39 of a second electrical connection means is arranged at the corner of the third sidewall and the first sidewall. Note finally that the area occupied by the first reception zone 38 or the second zone of

39 is equal to, or substantially equal to, the area occupied by a battery 20. The electrical connection means will be discussed in more detail in Figure 6 but it must be remembered that it is part of a means for conducting the current between each battery module and the support, the latter being electrically connected to an electrical power network of the machine. To limit the risk of electrocution, the invention provides a gripping means 41 secured to the receiving device 19 opposite to one or the other of the first or second receiving zones 38, 39. In other words, the manipulation of the device must be operated by manually catching an area away from the electrical contacts. To do this, the gripping means 41, which notably takes the form of a handle or a handle, is secured to the fourth flank which is opposite to the third flank with respect to the housing 34. batteries can be operated by limiting the risk of electrical contact. FIG. 6 shows the detail of the electrical connection between a battery module and the support 27. The first reception zone 38 provided in the reception device 19 serves as a housing for an electrical connection means 41. The latter provides the electrical connection between the battery module and the support 27 to provide the electrical power necessary for the movement of the railway vehicle. This electrical connection means 41 comprises a device for fast connection between the battery module and a bar 42 constituting the support.

This electrical connection means 41 consists of an electrical conductor which extends from the first zone 38 towards the outside of the receiving device 19 while passing through the third blank. The fast connection device is constituted by the electrical conductor which takes the form of an electrically conductive male pin. This pin enters a female receiver 43 secured to the bar 42. This female receiver 43 then ensures the continuity of the current on the fixed side of the railway machine, the first and second modules 17 and 18 being considered movable or extractable elements.

The connection device makes it possible to electrically connect or disconnect the battery module during the insertion or extraction movement of said module. The electrical connection means 41 also comprises a protection 44 which surrounds the electrical conductor secured to the battery module. This protection limits the direct access to the electrical conductor. The safety of personnel working on the machine is thus reinforced by the use of these protections. FIG. 7 illustrates a particularity of the invention in relation to the positioning of the electrical storage device 7 with respect to the platform 2. This feature lies in the fact that the electrical storage device 7 is installed under the platform 2, that is to say between it and the rails of the railway. Above the platform 2, there is the main electrical source 4, one of the secondary electrical sources referenced 5 or 6 and the cabin 8.

Advantageously, this electrical storage device 7 is mounted between the two bogies 12 which support the railway machine 1. This is a particularly advantageous location because it facilitates the intervention and maintenance of batteries installed in a module 17 of the batteries and contributes to lowering the center of gravity of the railway machine 1. The support 27 is also under the platform 2 when the electrical storage device 7 comprises several first modules 17 of batteries to be extracted on the second side of the machine. A second support 27 is of course provided to mechanically maintain the plurality of second battery modules 18 to be extracted on the first side of the railway vehicle.

In the description above, the first battery module 17 is distinguished from the second battery module 18 by the side of the machine from which it is extracted. When the characteristics described above are common to the first battery module 17 and the second battery module 18, the latter are not distinguished from one another and the reference pair 17, 18 is used in FIGS.

Claims (10)

REVENDICATIONS1. Railway machine (1) delimited by a first side (13) and a second side (14) and whose displacement is operated by at least one electric motor (3) powered by at least one electrical storage device (7) on board the machine, characterized in that the electrical storage device (7) is separated into at least a first battery module (17) and at least a second battery module (18), and that the device (1) ) comprises a first extraction means (21) of the first battery module (17) on the first side (13) of the vehicle and a second extraction means (22) of the second battery module (18) on the second side (14) of the machine. 2. Machine according to claim 1, wherein the first extraction means (21) and the second extraction means (22) respectively operate a translation of the first module (17) of batteries and the second (18) battery module in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis (23) of the machine. 3. Machine according to one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the first extraction means (21) and / or the second extraction means (22) each comprise at least one male slide (24) which slides in a frame (25). 4. Machine according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein there is provided a support (27) of a multiplicity of battery modules (17, 18) interposed between each extraction means (21, 22) and a platform ( 2) constitutive of the machine. 5. Machine according to claim 4, wherein is provided at least one electrical connection means (41) between one of the battery modules (17, 18) and the support (27). 6. Machine according to claim 5, wherein the electrical connection means (41) comprises a fast connection device between the module (17, 18) of batteries and a bar (42) constituting the support (27), said device fast connection being electrically disconnected by the extraction of the battery module (17, 18). 7. Machine according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the carrier (27) comprises at least one securing device (28, 29) which bears on an upper face (10) of the platform (2). 8. Machine according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first module (17) of batteries and the second module (18) of batteries are identical and are distributed on either side of a longitudinal axis (23). median of the machine. 9. Machine according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising two bogies (12) connected to a platform (2) and wherein the electrical storage device (7) extends under the platform (2) and between the bogies ( 12). Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first battery module (17) or the second battery module (18) comprises a plurality of batteries (20) installed in at least one receiving device (19). comprising a bottom (32) and a peripheral wall (33) delimiting a housing (34) receiving the batteries (20), and an inner wall (36) which extends into the housing (34) and which delimits a circulation duct of an air flow.