HK1039971A1

HK1039971A1 - Step apparatus for platform

Info

Publication number: HK1039971A1
Application number: HK02101469.8A
Authority: HK
Inventors: 山口博史; 丸山彰; 高桥富治; 沟渕哲也; 高橋富治; 溝渕哲也
Original assignee: 株式会社日立制作所; 株式會社日立制作所
Priority date: 2000-05-19
Filing date: 2002-02-26
Publication date: 2002-05-17
Also published as: CN1324970A; JP2001328529A; US20010042489A1; KR20010105153A; CN1189350C; AU2326101A; KR100770435B1; JP4130293B2; AU749604B2

Abstract

In order to provide a high-safety step apparatus for a platform which is easy to be installed, eliminates a difference between the top of a platform and a train floor, and fills a gap between a train body and an edge of a platform, a step 1 is placed on the top of the platform 10, an arm is connected to the step pivotally in the horizontal direction, a cover 7 is placed over the step 1, and the step 1 is moved from the home position to the extended position.

Description

Step device for platform

The present invention relates to a step apparatus for a platform, which can fill a gap between a railway car and a platform on a curved or double track road or a gap between an elongated railway car and an edge of the platform. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a step device for a platform for reducing a gap between a surface of the platform and a floor of a train above the platform.

Such conventional devices are disclosed in Japanese unexamined patent publication No. 7-108924 (1995) and Japanese utility model patent No. 2531567. These devices fill the gap between the railway car and the edge of the platform by rotating a step horizontally by an arm. However, these devices have a movable step below the dock.

This conventional apparatus has a step under the platform and makes the difference between the step and the train floor higher than the surface of the platform large. This is an obstacle to wheelchairs and the like. Furthermore, this device also requires a space under the dock to install the device. Therefore, a lot of time and expense are required to install the device under the existing platform without the space, and to ensure the traffic and the safety of passengers.

An object of the present invention is to provide a step apparatus for a platform, which can fill a large gap between a train car and an edge of the platform and can be easily installed on the platform. It is another object of the present invention to provide a step apparatus for a platform which can reduce a difference between a surface of the platform and a train floor higher than the platform. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a step apparatus for a platform which can maximally secure the safety of passengers and is convenient to maintain.

In order to provide a step arrangement for a platform that fills a large gap between a railway car and the edge of the platform, while being easy to install on existing platforms and minimizing the difference between the platform surface and the railway floor, the steps of the present invention are located above or near the platform surface. In order to facilitate the installation of the step device on the existing platform, the arm, the rotating shaft and the driving assembly of the step device are all arranged above the step. Moreover, in order to ensure the safety of passengers, a fixed cover plate is arranged above the step. When the step arrangement is completed and the edge of the step facing the train is parallel to the railway car, the gap between the railway car and the step can be minimized by having two or more arms connected to the rotating shaft with different lengths and different angles between the step and each arm. By simultaneously using the steps and a guard rail separately provided on the platform and synchronizing the step operation with the movement of the movable guard rail or driving the steps corresponding to the movement of the train door, the passenger can be more safely.

In order to prevent the step from colliding with the train in the extended position, the step apparatus further includes a warning assembly for sounding a warning when the step is detected to be unexpectedly in the extended position. Furthermore, in order to provide for an accidental collision with a train and to make the steps safer, the step arrangement is provided with a roller made of a shock absorbing material or rubber, which can be retracted by the collision force when the railway car hits the rubber roller.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the step apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of another embodiment of the step apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of still another embodiment of the step apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a more particular embodiment of the step apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of yet another embodiment of the step apparatus of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to fig. 1 and 2.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, a step 1 is installed on the surface of a platform 10 and each horizontal end of the step 1 is pivotally connected to an arm 2 by a bearing 4. The arm 2 is connected to a shaft 3, which shaft 3 is pivotally connected to a support 5 by means of bearings 6 on the upper and lower parts of the shaft. In this embodiment, the bracket 5 is fixed to a movable guide 8 of the platform 10. One of the spindles 3 is connected to a drive assembly 9, which assembly 9 allows the spindle 3 and the arm 2 to be rotated. Here, an electric motor may be used as the drive source.

Further, a step 1 is provided at a doorway part of the movable guide 8 and a cover 7 is provided to cover the step 1.

In this configuration, when the driving assembly 9 rotates the rotary shaft 3, the arm 2 can be horizontally rotated. Thus, the step 1 engaged with the arm 2 can be slid from an initial position (indicated by a chain line in fig. 2) between the cover plate 7 and the platform 10 toward the railway car 11 indicated by a solid line. When the driving assembly 9 rotates the rotation shaft 3 in the opposite direction, the step 1 may be retracted to its original position.

The present invention can provide a step apparatus for a platform which can fill a large gap between a railway car and the edge of the platform, which is easily installed on the existing platform and can minimize the installation work. The present invention can also provide a step apparatus for a platform, which can minimize the difference between the surface of the platform and the floor of a train, which is generally higher than the platform, so that a wheelchair can get on and off the train.

The step apparatus of the present invention can bring the step 1 from the initial position to the predetermined extended position when the door of the train 11 is opened or when the door of the movable guide 8 is opened after the train 11 stops. Likewise, the step 1 can be retracted from the extended position to its initial position when the door of the train 11 is closed or when the door of the movable fence 8 is closed.

Furthermore, the step arrangement is provided with a test device 12 which tests whether the step is in the extended position and gives an alarm when the step 1 has to be in the initial position.

To prevent failure of the drive assembly 9 due to accidental failure, a handle 14 may be mounted on the shaft 3, or a handle 14 may be provided which may be conveniently mounted on the shaft 3 for manual movement of the step 1.

In addition, a rubber roller 13 is provided on the outer edge of the step 1 (facing the railway car 11) to absorb the collision force and to retract the step in the extended position by the collision force when the railway car collides against the rubber roller. This minimizes damage to the steps from the train.

Fig. 3 shows another embodiment of the present invention, in which the arms 2a and 2b connected to both ends of the step 1 have different lengths L1 and L2. According to this embodiment, when the step 1 slips out from the initial position indicated by the chain line to the railway car 11 indicated by the solid line, the step 1 is tilted in the projected position as shown in fig. 3 due to the difference in the amount of movement of the link arms 2a and 2 b. Therefore, even if the edge of the platform 10 is curved and not parallel to the railway car 11, the step 1 in the extended position can be parallel to the railway car 11. Therefore, this embodiment provides a step apparatus of a platform that can minimize a gap between the step 1 and the railway car 11.

Fig. 4 is another embodiment of the present invention, in which arms 2c and 2d connected to both ends of the step 1 have different angles S1 and S2 with respect to the step 1. This embodiment can also obtain the same effect as the embodiment shown in fig. 3.

Figure 5 is a more particular embodiment of the invention in which the step 1 is shaped to be parallel to the railway car in the extended position (as shown in figure 5). This embodiment can also obtain the same effect as the embodiment shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a further embodiment of the invention, in which the step 1 is provided beneath a cover 7 which extends outwardly from the surface of the platform 10. The lower part of the step 1 is provided with a step; an arm 2, the arm 2 being pivotably connected to both ends of the step by a bearing 4; a rotating shaft 3 connected to the arms, respectively; a bracket 5 pivotably connected to the rotary shaft 3 by upper and lower bearings 6; and a drive assembly 9. The bracket 5 is fixed to a side lower than the surface of the platform. This embodiment, as well as the embodiments of fig. 1 and 2, can provide a step apparatus for a platform to fill a large gap between the train car 11 and the edge of the platform 10 and to reduce the gap between the platform surface and the train floor, which is generally higher than the platform, so that even a wheelchair can get on and off the train. The embodiment of fig. 6 can achieve the same effect as the embodiments of fig. 3 to 5.

The present invention can provide a step apparatus for a platform, in which steps provided on the platform can be horizontally rotated to fill a large gap between a train car and the edge of the platform, and is characterized in that the apparatus can be installed on the platform with a small number of working steps and is easily installed on the existing platform, while reducing the difference between the surface of the platform and the train floor, which is generally higher than the platform.

The fixed cover plate above the steps can prevent the moving steps from colliding with passengers, and therefore safety of the passengers is guaranteed. Moreover, the cover plate also has a function of indicating that the step means is in a normal state.

By varying the length of the arm connected to the step, the angle of the arm with respect to the step, the shape of the step, the step can be made parallel to the railway car, and at the same time, the gap between the step and the railway car can be minimized even if the edge of the platform 10 is curved and not parallel to the railway car.

Furthermore, a drive assembly can be connected to at least one arm or to at least two rotational axes of the step arrangement, which makes the arrangement simple and inexpensive.

Furthermore, since the arm, the spindle and the drive assembly of the step arrangement are all mounted below the step, i.e. below the dock surface and the step is hidden by a cover plate, the dock surface can be kept clean and free of protrusions.

By providing a handle on the shaft or arm, either beforehand or subsequently, the steps can be manually moved in the event of failure of the drive assembly. Thus, even if the driving component of the step device fails, the transportation service order can not be disturbed.

The steps are arranged on the movable guardrail door of the platform, and the steps are synchronized with the movement of the movable guardrail or the movement of the train door, so that the safety of passengers can be ensured.

In order to prevent the train from colliding with the steps, the step arrangement may be provided with a detection device which detects that the steps are in the extended position and gives an alarm when the steps must be in the initial position.

Furthermore, in order to prevent the steps in the extended position from unexpectedly colliding with the train, to attenuate the collision force, and to minimize the damage of the steps due to the collision, the step apparatus is provided with a drum of shock-absorbing material or rubber. This may make the device safer.

Claims

1. A step apparatus for a platform, comprising a step provided on the platform and horizontally rotatable to fill a gap between a train car and an edge of the platform; an arm having one end connected to the step and the other end connected to the rotation shaft; and a drive assembly operable to rotate said arm to move said step to a predetermined extended position; wherein the step is disposed above or near a surface of the dock.

2. Step apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein a fixed cover is secured to the platform to cover the steps.

3. Step apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said step edge is in an extended position with a predetermined clearance from the railway car.

4. Step apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said step apparatus comprises two or more sets of said arms and said pivot, said arms being of different lengths.

5. Step apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step apparatus comprises two or more sets of said arms and said spindles, the angle between one of said steps and spindles being different from the angle between the other of said steps and spindles.

6. The step apparatus of claim 1 wherein the edge of the step facing the railcar is parallel to the railcar when the step is in the extended position.

7. Step apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step apparatus comprises two or more sets of said arms and the drive assembly for rotating the arms is connected to only one pair of arms or spindles.

8. The step apparatus of claim 1, wherein the arm, the spindle, and the drive assembly are disposed above the step.

9. The step apparatus of claim 1, wherein the arm, the spindle, and the drive assembly are disposed below the step.

10. Step apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein a handle is mounted or quickly mountable on the arm to manually move the arm and the step in the event of failure of the drive assembly.

11. The step apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step apparatus is provided on a movable guard rail separately provided on the platform.

12. The step apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step apparatus moves in synchronization with the movable guard rail separately provided on the platform.

13. Step apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step apparatus moves in synchronism with the train door.

14. The step apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a warning assembly, said assembly sounding a warning when said step is detected to be accidentally in the extended position.

15. The step apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a shock absorbing means or roller to prevent train collision.