Rail vehicle system

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a rail vehicle system which contains functional units for forming a train.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventional rail vehicle concepts are based on a functional division between “produce transport speed”, realized by a locomotive, and “accommodate material to be transported”, realized by cars. Based on this rigid functional division, different locomotive/train types have developed.

Subfunctions of the production of the transport speed are the “driving” and “braking” functions. The acceleration forces of the “driving” function are transmitted exclusively via the wheel/rail contact of the locomotive; for braking, the brake with its car-wheel/rail contact is additionally used. The locomotive drive in the case of electrically driven units may be used as a generator during braking operation, the energy generated being fed back into the network or being dissipated via a braking resistor. In principle, recovery/generation of electrical energy can also be realized in diesel-driven or diesel-electric-driven units. On the other hand, the train brake works pneumatically/mechanically and permits no feedback of energy. It is subjected to considerable wear and causes high operating costs.

In the passenger transport sector, initial trends toward another functional division can be recognized. In the ICE3, for example, “driving bogies” are being used for the first time, but are not distributed consistently over the entire train. In the ICE3 there are non-driven axles and there is thus a demand for a very distinctive pneumatic locomotive/train braking system.

The object of the invention is to specify a rail vehicle system which permits a universal train makeup which is tailored to the requirements and can be changed during the operating period and which in the process gives rise to improvements with regard to the energy requirement and the operating costs.

This object is achieved by a rail vehicle system having modular functional units as claimed in claim 1 . Advantageous refinements are specified in further claims.

The rail vehicle system has connecting bogies, and functional units, control units and transport units mounted on said connecting bogies, as functional units which can be made up in a modular manner. In addition to the carrying function for control, supply or transport units, the connecting bogies perform both the driving and braking function and a coupling function. The modular train construction system thus proposed has a number of advantages. The functional units can be made up in any desired manner to form a train, all the wheel sets being electrically driven or braked. The motorization of the connecting bogies may be realized as a function of load in construction series for different power outputs. Connecting bogies of different power can be combined. Transport units of different type can be arranged on the connecting bogies. Transport units for passengers and freight can be combined in one train. The transport units for freight may differ in a conventional manner according to container transport, bulk-material transport and other transport. Control units can be arranged at the start of the train and/or at the end of the train, in which case the control units may be independent of the type of train and the driving power.

In a refinement of the invention, the connecting bogies are designed in such a way that the connection between two connecting-bogie halves can be made mechanically, magnetically/electromagnetically or even in a non-contact manner and with controlled drives. Coupling and uncoupling of further units, such as supply units, control units and/or transport units, on the corresponding connecting-bogie halves is advantageously also possible during the journey.

Further details and advantages follow from the description below of a train shown by way of example in the drawing.

FIG. 1 shows a train 1 made up in a modular manner, in which supply units 3 , control units 4 and transport units 5 are mounted on connecting bogies 2 .

The connecting bogies 2 each have at least two axles with in each case an electrical driving/braking unit. They are designed to be separable, so that they perform a coupling function. Such connecting bogies 2 are available with different driving/braking power. As a special module along the lines of a modular train construction system, connecting bogies in which only one of the axles is driven or braked are also possible.

The supply units 3 contain the requisite devices, such as current collector 6 , transformer and power converter, for drawing current from an overhead traction wire and for feeding energy back into the overhead traction wire or for converting fossil energy into electrical energy. A unit may be included for converting primary energy into electrical energy, such as, for example, a generator which is driven by a diesel engine, and for producing electrical drive energy for the connecting bogie drives, energy recovered during the braking being stored temporarily in a supply unit 3 provided with energy storage devices or being fed to a network. The supply units 3 are also available for different power outputs in the rail vehicle system. Universal control units 4 , on the other hand, may be designed to be independent of load or power.

Transport units 5 are designed to differ, depending on passenger or freight transport and also depending on the type of freight to be transported.

A plurality of supply units 3 can be arranged in the train for adaptation to the respective driving power and in order to make the train separable. As a rule, a train formed in such a way contains only electrically driven and braked axles, as a result of which an increased feedback of energy is made possible. The total energy balance of a railroad system is considerably improved. Although additional pneumatically or mechanically acting brakes are necessary, their use is considerably reduced. Smaller dimensions and a reduction in wear can be realized. The driving power can be readily adapted to the temporarily induced actual conditions.

Graduation of the power of the connecting bogies and supply units along the lines of a series design enables freight transport elements to be carried in the passenger train combination during operating periods when passenger traffic is slack. It is conceivable for control units, after the train has been split up at any point of the train combination—possibly even during the journey—to continue to travel separately with the train sections thus produced to different destination stations, or they could be coupled to other train sections conceived in the same manner to make new mixed combinations. As a result, the transport capacity of individual routes can be optimized and improved train scheduling can be made possible.

In a further design of the rail vehicle system according to the invention, decentralized controllers (control units) are integrated in the individual connecting bogies 2 . A central vehicle control computer is located in a control unit 4 . The current loading of the individual axles of the connecting bogies 2 is detected via load sensors and communicated to the corresponding decentralized controller. Each of the decentralized controllers, in communication with the central vehicle control computer via a bus system, is thus able to regulate, that is to drive or brake, the individual axles separately in line with demand as a function of the current type of loading and the train state. Furthermore, this permits a train combination with coupled drives in which all the units, such as supply units 3 , control units 4 and transport units 5 , travel one behind the other with controlled drives without a direct requirement for a mechanical or electromagnetic coupling.