JP7496331B2 - Rail vehicles - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to the installation and placement of underfloor equipment in railway vehicles, and is a technology that standardizes equipment specifications, etc., to efficiently place underfloor equipment.

Japanese railway vehicles are made up of multiple cars. For example, they can be divided into two types: electric cars, which have driving devices, and trailer cars, which do not. Electric cars have motors on two axles on the bogie. There are also various types of cars, such as those that have pantographs or other current collecting devices and power supply devices for other cars, which allow them to supply power to other cars, and those that also supply power to their own car. For example, the Shinkansen is made up of 16 cars, and each car is custom designed. However, custom designing high-speed cars with different needs incurs a certain amount of cost.

Patent Document 1 discloses technology related to train formation arrangements. The train formation arrangement in Patent Document 1 has multiple articulated power units, each of which is made up of a power supply car having a power supply device and articulated and supported at the front and rear by motorized bogies, and two power receiving cars articulated on either side of the power supply car and articulated and supported at the front and rear by motorized bogies. An idler car body is articulated between adjacent power units and supported by a motorized bogie common to both power units. This makes it possible to form a train formation without the intermediate motorized bogie causing interference. In other words, there is no longer any restriction to a train formation of three cars per unit, which allows for greater freedom in the train formation arrangement.

Patent Document 2 discloses technology relating to railway vehicles equipped with on-board electrical equipment and trains of railway vehicles. The train in Patent Document 2 is made up of railway vehicles such as vehicles equipped with power generation devices, vehicles that obtain power from overhead lines and supply power, vehicles equipped with drive devices, vehicles equipped with power storage means, vehicles equipped with excess power consumption means, and vehicles that obtain power from overhead lines and supply power and are equipped with auxiliary power generation devices as underfloor equipment. These railway vehicles are made up of a combination of all or some of these depending on the operating section and passenger demand, and are provided with at least one DC power bus that can share power between cars in the formation, at least one system of division into multiple formations, and the ability to be separated and merged with multiple formations.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-126658 JP 2012-50162 A

However, even if the technology shown in Patent Document 1 is used, although the degree of freedom in vehicle formation increases, it is thought that redesigning would be necessary, for example, to shorten the length of the train. This is because the arrangement of underfloor equipment, etc., has an effect. For example, the cross beams installed on the underframe are arranged at a pitch optimized for installing the equipment. Therefore, in order to shorten the length of the train, it is necessary to identify which equipment is unnecessary and which is necessary, determine where to install the equipment, then design the underframe and decide on other wiring, etc. As a result, it is costly to redesign and redo manufacturing in order to shorten the length of the train.

However, the need for shortening train formations is often, for example, to accommodate times when there are fewer passengers or to accommodate routes with few passengers, and it is sometimes unreasonable to incur the costs of redesigning trains. Patent Document 2 proposes standardizing trains taking such factors into consideration, but it seems difficult to avoid redesigning train formations to shorten train formations with only a means to share power between cars within a formation. The applicant therefore considered common installation of multiple units in order to standardize cars for shortening train formations, but found that this was not easily realizable due to issues such as inconsistent installation positions and wiring positions.

The present invention aims to solve these problems by providing technology to standardize railway cars when shortening train formations.

To achieve the above objective, a railway vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention has the following features:

(1) A railway vehicle equipped with a main transformer mounted on a frame having multiple cross beams and a powered car equipped with an electric motor that receives power from the main transformer, the main transformer includes a first main transformer and a second main transformer designed according to the number of powered cars to be supplied with power, either the first main transformer or the second main transformer is mounted on the frame, and the first main transformer and the second main transformer, which can accommodate different numbers of powered cars, are equipped with wiring terminals in common positions.

The above aspect (1) allows for the standardization of railway vehicles. Most main transformers are installed on powered cars, but the number of trailer cars that do not have electric motors may differ depending on the train configuration. The wiring of the main transformer must also be changed depending on the number of trailer cars, which is one of the factors that hinders the standardization of railway vehicles. In view of this, the present invention standardizes the positions of the wiring terminals of the first and second main transformers, which supply power to different numbers of powered cars. This makes it possible to replace the first and second main transformers simply by increasing or decreasing the number of wires. The wiring used to supply power to the powered cars of railway vehicles is thick and hard because it uses large amounts of power. Therefore, when wiring to the connection terminals that connect to the main transformer, the position of this wiring terminal is standardized, that is, it is located in approximately the same position for the first and second main transformers, which is a great advantage even when considering the handling of the wiring.

When shortening train formations is desired, for example, a 3M main transformer, which consists of four cars as one unit and has three powered cars supplied with power from the main transformer, and a 4M main transformer, which has four powered cars, will have a different number of wiring and terminals. However, if the connection terminal positions are the same, then even when changing from a 4M main transformer to a 3M main transformer, it will only be necessary to reduce the number of wiring. This improves the workability of shortening train formations and also reduces the amount of work required. In this way, multiple types of cars can be integrated into one type of frame, which makes it possible to reduce production and manufacturing costs, making it advantageous for shortening train formations.

(2) In the railway vehicle described in (1), it is preferable that the housings of the first main transformer and the second main transformer are configured so that they can be attached to the same cross beam.

The aspect described in (2) above allows a common cross beam to be used for fixing when replacing the first and second main transformers, eliminating the need to redesign the cross beam when shortening the length, which is expected to improve the workability of shortening the length. It also leads to a reduction in the number of labor hours required for shortening the length.

(3) In the railway vehicle described in (1) or (2), it is preferable that the positions of the connection exhaust ducts provided on both the first main transformer and the second main transformer are made common.

By using the aspect described in (3) above, the position of the exhaust duct for connecting the first main transformer and the second main transformer is made common, so that when replacing the first main transformer and the second main transformer in a short-length configuration, there is no need to change the design of the exhaust duct, and it is possible to reduce the amount of work required.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an underfloor equipment layout of a first leading car in the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an underfloor equipment layout of a transformer-less vehicle according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an underfloor equipment layout of a transformer-equipped vehicle according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an underfloor equipment layout of the second leading car in the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of a first pattern of a transformerless vehicle according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of a second pattern of a transformerless vehicle according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged view of a third pattern of a transformer-less vehicle according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the main converter of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the static conversion device of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view of a 3M type main transformer according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view of a 4M type main transformer of the present embodiment. 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams for explaining a railway vehicle configuration according to the present embodiment, in which (a) shows a conventional vehicle configuration, and (b) shows a vehicle configuration to be organized this time. 1A to 1C are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of a train configuration in this embodiment, where (a) is a 16-car configuration, (b) is a 12-car configuration, and (c) is an 8-car configuration.

First, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows an underfloor equipment layout of the first leading car in this embodiment. Fig. 2 shows an underfloor equipment layout of a transformerless car. Fig. 3 shows an underfloor equipment layout of a transformer-equipped car. Fig. 4 shows an underfloor equipment layout of the second leading car. The train configuration of the railway vehicle 100 consists of the first leading car A, the transformerless car B, the transformer-equipped car C, and the second leading car D, each of which is equipped with multiple underfloor devices as shown in Figs. 1 to 4. Of these, the transformerless car B can have three types of equipment installed in its central portion: the first pattern b1, the second pattern b2, and the third pattern b3.

Figure 5 shows a partial enlargement of the first pattern b1 of transformerless vehicles. Figure 6 shows a partial enlargement of the second pattern b2 of transformerless vehicles. Figure 7 shows a partial enlargement of the third pattern b3 of transformerless vehicles. A plurality of transformerless vehicles B are prepared for the railway vehicle 100, and the patterns can be classified into the first pattern b1, the second pattern b2, and the third pattern b3 as shown in Figures 5 to 7. However, in all cases of the first pattern b1, the second pattern b2, and the third pattern b3, the pitch of the cross beams 115 provided on the underframe 110 is the same. The cross beams 115 are provided with bolt lanes (not shown) to allow the installation of underfloor equipment.

In the first pattern b1, the main converter 120, the static converter 130, the electric air compressor 140, etc. are arranged. A wiring box 150 and a ventilation air conditioning unit 160 are also arranged, but an explanation of the equipment arranged in all patterns of the transformerless vehicle B is omitted. In the second pattern b2, the main converter 120, the static converter 130, the auxiliary air compressor 170, and the pantograph status monitoring box 190 are arranged. In the third pattern b3, the main converter 120, the auxiliary air compressor 170, the electric air compressor 180, and the pantograph status monitoring box 190 are arranged.

In transformerless vehicle B, among the underfloor equipment, the main converter 120 is designed to be roughly the same size as the static converter 130, taking into consideration the center of gravity, and the main converter 120 is always installed in transformerless vehicle B. Figure 8 shows a plan view of the main converter. The main converter 120 can be made compact by using SiC elements. The main converter 120 is unitized and housed in a rectangular housing, and has mounting ribs 121 around its periphery, with holes in the ribs 121 set to a pitch A. The longitudinal direction of the main converter 120 is also within width B.

Figure 9 shows a plan view of the static converter. The static converter 130 is also housed in a case of the same size as the main converter 120, with a longitudinal length of width B, and ribs 131 around the periphery have mounting holes that are set at a pitch of A. In this way, the main converter 120 and the static converter 130 can be housed in cases of the same size. This is also the reason why it is possible to use a common frame 110.

Transformer-equipped vehicle C is equipped with a main transformer 210 as shown in Figure 3. There are two types of main transformers 210: a 4M car that supplies power to four cars per unit, and a 3M car that supplies power to three cars. The main transformer 210 must be selected as needed. Figure 10 shows a side view of a 3M type main transformer. Figure 11 shows a side view of a 4M type main transformer. For convenience, the 3M type main transformer 210 is designated 210A, and the 4M type main transformer 210 is designated 210B.

The first terminal board 215A and the second terminal board 216A of the 3M main transformer 210A are arranged in the same positions as the first terminal board 215B and the second terminal board 216B of the 4M main transformer 210B, with the difference being that the second terminal board 216B has a greater number of connection parts than the second terminal board 216A. The 3M main transformer 210A and the 4M main transformer 210B have minor differences, but the positional relationships between the first terminal board 215A and the second terminal board 216A and the first terminal board 215B and the second terminal board 216B are the same. In addition, the 3M main transformer 210A is provided with a connection exhaust duct 217A, and the 4M main transformer 210B is provided with a connection exhaust duct 217B.

The railway vehicle 100 of this embodiment has the above configuration, and therefore provides the following actions and effects.

First, the railway vehicle 100 of this embodiment is designed to standardize the vehicle with a view to shortening the length of the train, and thus realizes low costs. This is because, in a railway vehicle equipped with a main transformer 210 attached to an underframe 110 provided with multiple cross beams 115, and a transformerless vehicle B and a transformer-equipped vehicle C that receive power from the main transformer 210, the main transformer 210 includes a 3M main transformer 210A equivalent to the first main transformer and a 4M main transformer 210B equivalent to the second main transformer, which are designed according to the number of powered cars to which power is supplied in the unit, and either the 3M main transformer 210A or the 4M main transformer 210B is attached to the underframe 110, and the 3M main transformer 210A or the 4M main transformer 210B, which can accommodate different numbers of powered cars, have common wiring terminal positions.

Figure 12 shows a schematic diagram explaining the formation of a railway vehicle. (a) shows a conventional vehicle formation, and (b) shows the railway vehicle formation to be organized this time. Figure 13 shows a schematic diagram of an example of a vehicle formation. (a) is a 16-car formation, (b) is a 12-car formation, and (c) is an 8-car formation. Note that Figures 12 and 13 are merely images for the purpose of explanation. In order to shorten the length of the railway vehicle 100, it is possible to redesign and rebuild all the cars, but this is costly.

Therefore, by standardizing the vehicles as in the present invention, it becomes possible to deal with the problem by simply replacing the underfloor equipment. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12(a), in addition to the common leading cars A and B, there are three types without transformers, called Pattern B1, Pattern B2, and Pattern B3, and three types with transformers, called Pattern C1, Pattern C2, and Pattern C3.

As shown in FIG. 12(b), the underframes 110 can be classified into four types: leading car A, leading car D, transformerless car B, and transformer-equipped car C. There are three possible patterns for transformerless car B, as shown in FIG. 2, but the underframe 110 can be used in common. In other words, as shown in FIG. 13, even if the original configuration is a 16-car formation, it is possible to shorten the formation to a 12-car or 8-car formation without design changes, such as 16-car, 12-car, or 8-car formation.

Basically, the train is made up of a car with a transformer C, which is placed at a distance, and the other cars are adjacent to the transformer car C, with the non-transformer car B, and the leading cars A and D. In this case, the 3M main transformer 210A or 4M main transformer 210B is selectively selected depending on the train, but the ribs 121 on the 3M main transformer 210A and the ribs 131 on the 4M main transformer 210B are set to the same pitch A in the direction of travel of the railway car 100, and can be attached to a common cross beam 115.

In this case, the first terminal board 215A and the second terminal board 216A provided on the 3M main transformer 210A are designed so that the first terminal board 215B and the second terminal board 216B provided on the 4M main transformer 210B are in the same position when the 3M main transformer 210A is attached to the frame 110 and when the 4M main transformer 210B is attached to the frame 110. This makes it easy to replace the 3M main transformer 210A with the 4M main transformer 210B. This is because the only difference between the 3M main transformer 210A and the 4M main transformer 210B is the number of terminals to be connected, which saves the trouble of redoing the wiring.

In addition, the positions of the connection exhaust duct 217A provided on the 3M main transformer 210A and the connection exhaust duct 217B provided on the 4M main transformer 210B are also standardized, so that the connection of the connection exhaust duct 217A or the connection exhaust duct 217B can be easily installed regardless of whether the 3M main transformer 210A or the 4M main transformer 210B is selected. As a result, when shortening the length of a high-speed train or the like, it is possible to eliminate the need for redesign or remanufacturing, and to significantly reduce costs. Note that FIG. 13 is an example of a train formation, and is not limited to this.

The above describes the railway vehicle according to the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, although an example of a train formation is shown in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and the arrangement of the underfloor equipment is merely one example.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Railway vehicle 110 Underframe 120 Main converter 130 Static converter 140 Electric air compressor 150 Wiring box 160 Ventilation and air conditioning 170 Auxiliary air compressor 180 Electric air compressor 190 Pantograph status monitoring box 210 Main transformer

Claims (3)

A railway vehicle including a main transformer attached to a frame having a plurality of cross beams and a powered car equipped with an electric motor receiving power from the main transformer,
the main transformer includes a first main transformer designed according to the number of the power cars to be supplied with power , and a second main transformer designed according to the number of the power cars different from the first main transformer , either the first main transformer or the second main transformer is attached to the frame;
The first main transformer and the second main transformer, which can accommodate different numbers of power cars, are standardized so that the positions of the wiring terminals provided therein are the same when the transformers are attached to the frame ;
A railway vehicle characterized by: 2. The railway vehicle according to claim 1,
The housings of the first main transformer and the second main transformer are configured to be attachable to the same cross beam;
A railway vehicle characterized by: The railway vehicle according to claim 1 or 2,
The position of a connection exhaust duct provided in both the first main transformer and the second main transformer is made common;
A railway vehicle characterized by:

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