SK500262023A3 - Smart intermodal cargo unit of the combined transport system - Google Patents

Abstract

The Smart intermodal cargo unit of combined transport consists of a self-supporting structure or a supporting frame, while on the lower side it is equipped with an adapter (4) at both ends for connection to railway bogies (2) with or without a traction and bumping device (3). In the lower part, which does not exceed its outer contours and does not interfere with its internal space, air distribution lines (18) of the compressed air of the pneumatic brake of railway bogies (2) and/or electrical distribution lines (23) for transmitting information signals and/or current and voltage to power electronics control. The loading area has fixed and/or removable and/or retractable side walls and a roof, or the loading area is equipped around the perimeter with stanchions for transporting piece goods in the form of logs, rods, prisms and pipes, or there is a tank or tank on the loading area for the transport of bulk material or liquids and gases.

Description

The field of technology

The invention relates to the smart intermodal load unit of the combined transport system (Smart-ILU) of goods by rail in containers and exchangeable superstructures, which are able to create a train set that can be transported by rail even without the use of railway wagons, which are necessary for the transport of standard containers and exchangeable superstructures. Smart intermodal cargo unit, which is a special container or exchangeable superstructure, which, in addition, retains the property of being transported also on railway wagons and road vehicles designed for the transport of standard containers or exchangeable superstructures, and is thus usable as an element of ecologically advantageous combined transport railway - road - water .

Current state of the art

Railway transport is an important transport sector at the national and international level. It is expected that its share in the total transport of goods will increase, especially in international transport as well as in combined transport, given that it is an economically and ecologically extremely advantageous mode of transport.

The advantages of rail transport compared to the biggest competitive road transport can be described in the following points:

Safety - if we compare rail transport with other types of transport, we will find that rail transport is undoubtedly the safest form of transport. The use of rail transport therefore prevents the loss of tens of lives, hundreds of injuries and tens of millions in material damage every year.

Relieving road traffic - rail transport also relieves the already rather congested network of highways and 1st class roads, thereby contributing to increasing the flow and safety of road traffic.

Ecological responsibility - railway transport is not only an efficient transport system, but also an environmentally friendly system, because large volumes of goods can be transported over long distances not only quickly, but also with minimal impact on the environment. Compared to car or air transport, rail transport is the most environmentally friendly because it produces a smaller amount of emissions. The advantage is also several times lower costs for the restoration of the affected environment than in the case of automobile transport. Of the total costs for reducing the harmful impact of transport emissions on the environment, only 8 percent falls on rail transport, but up to 90 percent on road transport, with less than half the transport capacity of road transport.

Smaller noise burden on the environment - the intensity of railway traffic is bound by the timetable and the railway infrastructure is built primarily outside residential zones, while large transport streams of road traffic are more often directed to residential zones as well.

Transport capacity and price conditions - rail transport enables and facilitates the transport of goods, the transport of which would be too costly and therefore inefficient by other modes of transport. Thus, it enables the transportation of a larger amount of goods over long and medium distances at relatively low costs.

The trend in transport after taking into account all transport requirements is combined transport. The term combined transport means a method of transport in which intermodal cargo units are transported by at least two types of transport (designated intermodal cargo unit of combined transport (Intermodal Loading Units - ILU)). This system of transport places the main emphasis on the use of rail transport and is complemented by the positive aspects of other types of transport. The undeniable advantage of combined transport is the possibility of involving several modes of transport in an integrated logistics chain using intermodal cargo units of combined transport and with the delivery of goods "from house to house". Since transportation in intermodal cargo units takes place without handling the goods, there is less risk of their loss or damage and the entire transportation process is accelerated.

Combined transport as part of railway transport ensures the transport of large containers on platform wagons or special wagons designed for the transport of containers. Loading and unloading is carried out by a crane or loaders, which handle the container or removable superstructure.

Specialized railcars are usually ready for transport:

• ISO containers 20', 30', 40', 45' classified in IRS 50592 and IRS 50596-6.

• exchange superstructures according to IRS 50592.

• special single-purpose exchange superstructures meeting the conditions of railway transport, whose dimensional and functional characteristics are adapted to the intended transport.

SK 50026-2023 A3

These containers and exchangeable superstructures can be divided according to the type of goods they are intended for transport. For example, it is:

• standard container - closed with a fixed roof • hard-top container - with a partially liftable or removable roof • open-top container - with an open top (without roof) • flatracks - formed by a base frame and fixed or folding front walls • flat container - formed only by the basic supporting frame (floor) • refrigerated or isothermal containers • Bulk container - for the transport of solid bulk substrates • Tank container - for the transport of liquids

The essence of the invention

The present invention solves the new concept of the smart intermodal cargo unit of the combined transport system "SMART-ILU, the emphasis of which is on the fact that it optimizes the division of the structure of the railway transport unit in combined transport, which consists of a railway wagon and a container, into a universal part, that is, always usable regardless of for the type of transported goods and a specialized part designed for the transport of a certain type of goods. The essence of the invention is an innovative type of intermodal freight unit, which takes over some of the functions performed by a railway freight wagon in the combined transport concept applied today. A railway freight wagon for combined transport is designed in such a way that it is capable and intended to transmit all the forces that act in the longitudinal, transverse and vertical directions on the structure of the wagon itself, and a significant part of these forces is precisely the result of the presence of the container on the wagon. With this concept, the smart intermodal cargo unit protects the transported goods, bears all the forces resulting from handling it as well as the forces resulting from the interaction between the railway wagon and the smart intermodal cargo unit if it is transported on a railway freight wagon as a classic container and is also able to transmit all forces , which, as a result of railway transport, act in the longitudinal, transverse and vertical directions without cooperation with the load-carrying structure of the railway freight car. The Smart intermodal cargo unit has a self-supporting structure or supporting frame and at both ends adapters intended for connection with a railway bogie with a traction and bumping device, a transport unit fixed at both ends by such bogies can be included in a train.

The Smart intermodal cargo unit of combined transport "SMART-ILU has a self-supporting structure or contains a supporting frame to resist and transfer the loads arising during transport by rail and during its handling, while on the lower side it is equipped at both ends with an adapter for connection with railway bogies with or without traction and impact device.

An adapter is placed in the lower part of the smart intermodal cargo unit, which does not exceed the external contours and does not interfere with its internal space.

In the lower part of the smart intermodal cargo unit, which does not exceed the external contours and does not interfere with its internal space, there are air distributions of the compressed air of the pneumatic brake of railway bogies and/or electrical distributions for the transmission of information signals and/or current and voltage for controlling the power electronics.

The air lines of compressed air of the pneumatic brake of railway bogies and the electrical lines for the transmission of information signals and/or current and voltage for the control of power electronics are equipped with mechanical couplings for manual connection to the main air or electrical lines of the train or for connection to adjacent transport units.

The alternative compressed air lines of the pneumatic brake of railway bogies and the electrical lines for the transmission of information signals and/or current and voltage for the control of power electronics are equipped with mechanical couplings located in the adapter for automatic connection to the main air or electrical lines of the train or for automatic connection to neighboring smart intermodal freight units.

The loading area of the smart intermodal cargo unit has fixed and/or removable and/or retractable side walls and a roof, or the loading area is equipped around the perimeter with stanchions for the transport of piece goods in the form of logs, bars, prisms and pipes, or there is a tank or cistern on the loading area for transportation of bulk material or liquids and gases.

The advantages of the proposed smart intermodal freight unit concept can be described as follows:

• universal and specialized use. While in the case of universal use it is necessary to use a railway wagon with a chassis and traction and bumping device, in the case of specialized use it is used

SK 50026-2023 A3 pair of railway bogies together with adapters, each of them with a bumping and pulling device.

• the arrangement of Smart intermodal cargo units during transport can be easily adapted to their weight and length, because the two chassis with adapters required for driving on the railway line are not bound together by the fixed structure of the railway car in this concept, but are adapted to the length of the transport unit. A rail chassis with two adapters without impact and traction devices is placed between two rail bogies with adapters and with impact and traction devices supporting the opposite ends of two smart intermodal cargo units.

• the concept of smart intermodal cargo units makes it possible to combine smart intermodal cargo units of various parameters in the composition of the train at will (while complying with the requirements arising from the permissible load of the chassis and the railway line) - short, long, heavy, light and of course also smart intermodal cargo units intended for the transport of various goods.

Overview of images on drawings

In fig. 1 shows the most used method of transporting containers by rail using a freight railcar.

In fig. 2 shows an innovative way of transporting smart intermodal cargo units without the use of a freight rail car.

In fig. 3 and fig. 4 shows how an object that can be transported by rail is created with the use of end and center railway bogies with adapters and smart intermodal cargo units and how such objects can be connected to each other in a train.

In fig. 5 shows how it is possible to combine smart intermodal cargo units of different weights, lengths and types, and the possibility of creating sets of smart intermodal cargo units and chassis ready for inclusion in a train. By a suitable combination of several light smart intermodal cargo units, for example a light short smart intermodal cargo unit and a light long smart intermodal cargo unit, where each of them can be of a different type such as a tank smart intermodal cargo unit and railcars with adapters, it is possible to create a set of smart intermodal cargo of units equipped at each end with a traction and impact device necessary for putting the assembly into the train.

In fig. 6 shows a smart intermodal cargo unit - closed with a fixed roof. The adapter and distributions are placed so that they do not exceed the outer contour of the smart intermodal cargo unit and do not interfere with the internal volume of the smart intermodal cargo unit, depending on the type of smart intermodal cargo unit and the type of goods for which it is intended.

In fig. 7 shows a smart intermodal cargo unit equipped with two adapters for automatic connection of the smart intermodal cargo unit with the railway chassis and compressed air distribution of the pneumatic brake. The connection to the railway chassis can be made directly or via an adapter.

In fig. 8 shows a smart intermodal cargo unit equipped with two adapters, compressed air distribution and electrical distribution for the transmission of information signals and/or current and voltage for controlling power electronics.

In fig. 9 shows a smart intermodal cargo unit equipped with stanchions for transporting wooden logs or lumber, pipes and similar piece goods.

Examples of implementation of the invention

The Smart intermodal cargo unit of combined transport has a self-supporting structure or contains a supporting frame to resist and transfer the loads arising during transport by rail and during its handling, while on the bottom side it is equipped with an adapter 4 at both ends for connection to railway bogies 2 with or without a drawbar and impact device 3.

In the lower part of the smart intermodal cargo unit, which does not exceed the external contours and does not interfere with its internal space, there is an adapter 4.

In the lower part of the smart intermodal cargo unit, which does not exceed the external contours and does not interfere with its internal space, air distributions 18 of the compressed air of the pneumatic brake of railway bogies 2 and/or electrical distributions 23 for the transmission of information signals and/or current and voltage for controlling the power electronics are located.

SK 50026-2023 A3

The air lines 18 of the compressed air of the pneumatic brake of the railway bogies 2 and the electrical lines 23 for transmitting information signals and/or current and voltage for controlling the power electronics are equipped with mechanical couplings for manual connection to the main air or electrical lines of the train or for connection to neighboring smart intermodal cargo units.

The alternative air lines 18 of the compressed air of the pneumatic brake of the railway bogies 2 and the electrical lines 23 for transmitting information signals and/or current and voltage for controlling the power electronics are equipped with mechanical couplings situated in the adapter 4 for automatic connection to the main air or electrical lines of the train or for automatic connection to neighboring smart intermodal cargo units.

The loading area of the smart intermodal cargo unit has fixed and/or removable and/or retractable side walls and a roof, or the loading area is equipped around the perimeter with stanchions for transporting piece goods in the form of logs, bars, prisms and pipes, or there is a tank or cistern on the loading area transportation of bulk material or liquids and gases.

Industrial applicability

The invention can be used in the normal transport of goods by rail and within the so-called combined transport by road and water.

The use of the invention does not require additional investments and modifications at terminals and other places where smart intermodal cargo units are handled.

The use of the invention is not limited to one specific type of smart intermodal cargo unit, but can be applied to all commonly used types, for example (but not only) to:

• exchange superstructures according to IRS 50592.

• special single-purpose exchange superstructures meeting the conditions of railway transport, whose dimensional and functional characteristics are adapted to the intended transport.

• various other means similar to exchange superstructures and containers, for which the collective designation Intermodal Loading Units (ILU) is used.

Claims (3)

1. Smart intermodal cargo unit of combined transport, characterized by the fact that it is formed by a self-supporting structure or a supporting frame, while on the lower side it is equipped at both ends with an adapter (4) for connection to railway bogies (2) with or without a traction and bumping device (3), while the lower part, not exceeding its outer contours and not extending into its inner space, contains air lines (18) of compressed air of the pneumatic brake of railway bogies (2) and/or electrical lines (23) for the transmission of information signals and/or current and voltages for controlling power electronics and the loading area has fixed and/or removable and/or retractable side walls and a roof, or the loading area is equipped around the perimeter with bars for transporting piece goods in the form of logs, rods, prisms and pipes, or there is a tank on the loading area, or tank for transporting bulk material or liquids and gases. 2. Smart intermodal cargo unit of combined transport according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the air distributions (18) of the compressed air of the pneumatic brake of the railway bogies (2) and the electrical distributions (23) for the transmission of information signals and/or current and voltage for controlling the power electronics are equipped with mechanical couplings for manual connection to the train's main air or electrical distribution or for connection to neighboring smart intermodal freight units. 3. Smart intermodal cargo unit of combined transport according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the air distributions (18) of the compressed air of the pneumatic brake of the railway bogies (2) and the electrical distributions (23) for the transmission of information signals and/or current and voltage for control power electronics are equipped with mechanical couplings located in adapters (4) for automatic connection to the main air or electrical distribution of the train or for automatic connection to neighboring smart intermodal cargo units.