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Title:
FLOOR HEATING SYSTEM FOR PASSENGER TRAINS
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2022/009027
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
Floor heating system for trains which exploits the transmission of heat triggered by an infrared mesh contained in panels to be affixed to the floor, which form independent lines capable of uniformly heating the train car, providing a sensati on of warmth uniformly felt throughout the body. The infrared heating involves an increase of the overall efficiency of the heating system, which prevents energy dissipation following the motion of the air and an increased control of the temperature, due to the uniformity of the same in the train car. The system ensures the safety of the passengers with fireproof materials, with low smokiness and toxicity, in accordance with the railway laws (EN-45545-2 HL2), it ensures the electrical insulation of the heating part and of its interfaces (1P65) and the comfort of the passengers due to the use of elastomers made of anti-vibration polyurethane. The system comprises closed-cell foam gaskets and fireproof polyurethane sealants in the transition zones.

Inventors:
FINI SISTO (IT)
Application Number:
PCT/IB2021/055850
Publication Date:
January 13, 2022
Filing Date:
June 30, 2021
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
TECNOLOGIE AVANZATE S R L (IT)
International Classes:
B61D27/00
Domestic Patent References:
WO2012087294A12012-06-28
Foreign References:
US20120285947A12012-11-15
CN202463516U2012-10-03
CN209008582U2019-06-21
CN210526535U2020-05-15
EP1429080A12004-06-16
EP3590699A12020-01-08
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
FIAMMENGHI, Eva et al. (IT)
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Claims:
Claims 1. Floor heating system for passenger trains, adapted for heating the train cars by means of infrared heating, carried out through panels (1) placed on the floor, characterized in that it comprises: i. a plurality of said panels (1) provided with sensors adapted to detect the temperature; said panels (1) being supported by at least a pair of aluminum guides and by elastomers made of calibrated anti-vibration polyurethane; said panels being composed of infrared mesh (3) adapted to heat objects placed nearby and inserted between a pair of glass fiber insulating layers GFRP (8); said glass fiber insulating layers GFRP (8) being inserted between a pair of aluminum layers, a honeycomb- like lower layer (2) and an upper layer constituted by a thin plate (4) fixed on the lower part by means of a high-performance fireproof bicomponent epoxy adhesive (6) or, alternatively, an acrylic adhesive film; each panel (1) also comprising a fireproof foam layer with polyethylene terephthalate base (7) and at least one pair of copper strips (13); said panels (1) being coated at the relative upper surface, that in direct contact with the outside environment, with a washable and removable fabric layer glued thereto by means of an acrylic adhesive (5); ii. at least three independent lines of said panels (1); said independent lines being connected like three branches of a triangular three-phase load; iii. integrated thermocouples (12) connected to a HVAC control system, adapted to maintain the temperature at an established level; iv. a cavity with cover (11) in which all the insulated electronic and electrical interfaces are housed; said cover (11) being adapted to resist the intrusion of dust and water; v. a pair of 400 VAC phases through said pair of copper strips (13) connected to an external source, said pair of phases being adapted to power supply said system. 2. Floor heating system for passenger trains, according to the preceding claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least one temperature data management unit, temperature data hub “TDH” (14), adapted to acquire, calibrate and send the temperatures of every single panel (1); said temperature data management board “TDH” (14) being adapted to be interfaced with external components through at least three connectors; said connectors respectively being adapted to transmit the input signals coming from said thermocouples (12), 110 VDC power supply, output temperature data by means of five CAN terminals. 3. Floor heating system for passenger trains, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said guides are adapted to fix the seats of the passengers; said guides being provided with a plastic lid with the function of hiding the groove used for fixing said seats. 4. Floor heating system for passenger trains, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said guides are supported and connected to the lower shell of the body by means of elastic bearings; said elastic bearings being provided with an anti- vibration material in order to increase the comfort of the seated passengers. 5. Floor heating system for passenger trains, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises means for controlling the temperature of said panels (1) by means of ON/OFF system. 6. Floor heating system for passenger trains, according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises means for controlling the temperature of said panels (1) by means of a Proportional Integral Derivative “PID” system. 7. Floor heating system for passenger trains, according to the preceding claim 5 or 6, characterized in that it is adapted to prevent the actual temperatures of said panels (1) from exceeding the maximum temperatures set for the panels (1) themselves.

8. Floor heating system for passenger trains, according to any one of the preceding claims from 5 onward, characterized in that it comprises algorithms for controlling the temperatures, specific for each independent line of said panels (1). 9. Floor heating system for passenger trains, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises means adapted to carry out an operating control at pre-established time intervals according to the following method, which describes a control cycle: i. it is verified that the value of the ascending binary parameter is equal to zero; ii. if it is equal to zero, one checks that the detected temperature “T” is less than the lower value set for the “T_ON” cycle; x if “T” is lower than “T_ON”, the line is turned on and the ascending parameter is set equal to 1 and the control cycle restarts; x if “T” is not lower than “T_ON”, said control cycle restarts; iii. if the ascending parameter is equal to 1, it is checked that the detected temperature “T” is higher than the higher value set for the “T_OFF” cycle; x if “T” is higher than “T_OFF”, the line is turned off and the control cycle restarts; x if “T” is not higher than “T_OFF”, said control cycle restarts. 10. Floor heating system for passenger trains, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises means adapted for carrying out a safety control at pre- established time intervals according to the following method, which describes a safety cycle: i. a detection of the temperature is carried out by the thermocouples of the panels at pre-established time intervals; ii. if the detection is valid, one checks that the detected temperature is not higher than the maximum set temperature; otherwise, a new detection is carried out; iii. if the detected temperature is higher than the maximum set temperature, the system goes into protection mode and remains there until the following safety cycle.

Description:
Floor heating system for passenger trains Description Field of the art The present invention operates in the context of heating systems. More in detail it regards systems for controlling the temperature for passenger transport vehicles. Still more in detail, the present invention regards a new and innovative system for heating trains for transporting people. Prior art Presently, the heating systems used on trains for transporting people provide for heating the air and generating convective air motions within the train car: once generated, the hot air tends to rise towards the ceiling and a hot air circulation is created; however such hot air is distributed in a non-uniform manner within the room. The result is a slow, poorly distributed heating that in particular leaves a rather low temperature close to the floor and thus close to the feet of the passengers. These systems are particularly inefficient since they are subjected to loss of energy due to air motion. Known are systems for ambient heating of infrared irradiation capable of converting the heat coming from the combustion of a burner into an infrared radiation which is emitted outward from the external surface by a hollow cylindrical case, as in the patent ITBS20100098 (A1). It is evident that the abovementioned patent, as with other technologies for controlling the temperature in use up to now, do not resolve the above-described problems; nor do the other presently valid patents solve such problems. Therefore, the object of the present patent application is that of describing and claiming a system capable of increasing the effectiveness of the heating of train cars, increasing the possibility for controlling the temperature and increasing the comfort of the passengers, filling the present detected technological void. Description of the invention According to the present invention, a floor heating system for passenger transport trains is attained which effectively solves the abovementioned problems. The present finding is an infrared heating system which operates in the field of heating systems for train cars. Object of the present invention is to provide a heating system for passenger trains which exploits the infrared technology in order to uniformly heat the train car environment, directly heating the objects and the human bodies present in the train car and preventing the generation of convective air motions, thus providing a more pleasant sensation of warmth for the user, with respect to that offered by conventional systems, since it is felt by the passengers in a uniform manner, over the entire body. The infrared heating involves an increase of the overall efficiency of the heating system, which is capable of preventing energy dissipation, which is verified after the air motion, and a greater control of the desired temperature, due to the uniformity of the same within the train car. According to the present invention, the floor heating system for passenger trains is composed of at least three lines of panels, connected as three branches of a triangular three-phase load, each line independent and hence separately controllable in its temperature values. Each panel is composed of an infrared mesh inserted between two glass fiber insulating layers GFRP, all this inserted between two aluminum layers, the honeycomb-like lower layer and the upper layer constituted by a thin plate fixed on the lower part by means of a high-performance fireproof bicomponent epoxy adhesive, especially formulated for gluing of large-size surface and which provides excellent mechanical strength and aging resistance. Alternatively, it is possible to use an acrylic adhesive film having analogous performance and certifications. Within the panels, also a fireproof foam layer is present with polyethylene terephthalate base (to improve the acoustic and thermal performances), and they can be coated in their upper part, that in direct contact with the outside environment, with a washable and removable fabric layer glued thereto by means of an acrylic adhesive. Each panel is provided with a temperature sensor and the temperature of the floor is maintained at the established level by means of integrated thermocouples and connected to a Temperature Data Hub (TDH) which supplies the measurement data to the central HVAC system by means of CAN protocol. The panels are supported by a pair of aluminum guides and by different elastomers made of anti-vibration polyurethane, suitably calibrated, in rigidity in order to ensure a dynamic behavior of the floor aimed to achieve maximum comfort for the passengers. The guides also have the function of fixing the seats of the passengers and are provided with a plastic lid with the function of hiding the groove used for fixing the seats. The guides are also supported and connected to the lower shell of the body by means of elastic bearings provided with an anti- vibration material in order to increase the comfort of the seated passengers. Said panels generate a temperature difference between the floor and the roof of the train car and directly heat the bodies and objects close by, not the air within the train car, then the objects in turn release heat into the environment, creating a uniform increase of temperature within the environment and preventing the generation of unpleasant air currents at its interior. The system carries out two control types: an operating control and a safety control. In order to carry out the operating control on the system, the lines of panels can be controlled through three independent control algorithms or combined strategies for energy savings or balancing; it can be carried out by means of a simple ON/OFF system, or by means of a Proportional Integral Derivative “PID” system. The object of the operating control is that of supplying energy to the heating elements and monitoring the detected temperature of the panels. The safety control instead has the objective of preventing the actual temperatures of the panels from exceeding the admissible maximum temperatures. This is implemented in the temperature data management unit “THD” and is based on a two-level protection algorithm: the first level safety protection will intervene when the temperature of the panel exceeds the limits of a defined temperature range. This protection is automatically restored if the temperature of the panel returns within the temperature range. The second level safety protection will intervene when the temperature of the panel exceeds the limits of a defined temperature range, wider than the first level. This protection is only restored with the supply cycle “TDH”. The temperature data management unit “THD” is also responsible for the acquisition, calibration and sending of the temperatures of each single panel. The advantages offered by the present invention are evident in light of the description set forth up to now and will be even clearer due to the enclosed figures and to the relative detailed description. Description of the figures The invention will be described hereinbelow in at least a preferred embodiment by way of a non-limiting example with the aid of the enclosed figures, in which: - FIGURE 1 shows the composition of each single panel 1, showing: the honeycomb-like aluminum layer 2, the infrared mesh 3, the thin aluminum plate 4, the washable fabric with adhesive 5, the fireproof bicomponent epoxy adhesive 6, the foam with polyurethane terephthalate base 7, the glass fiber layers GFRP 8. - FIGURE 2 shows a bottom view of the panel 1, showing anti-noise strips 9 and anti-noise bearings 10. - FIGURE 3 shows a housing of the electronic and electrical interfaces in the panel 1, showing the cover 11, the integrated thermocouple 12, the connector of the thermocouple 16, the cable sleeves 17 and the power supply connector 18. - FIGURE 4 shows a “3x3” configuration of assembled panels 1. - FIGURE 5 shows the temperature data management unit “TDH” 14. - FIGURE 6 shows the flow diagram which describes the algorithm of operating control on a single line of panels 1. - FIGURE 7 shows the flow diagram which describes the safety control cycle of the system. - FIGURE 8 shows a layer of the panel, showing the infrared mesh 3 and the copper strip 13. Detailed description of the invention The present invention will now be illustrated as a merely non-limiting or non-binding example, with reference to the figures which illustrate several embodiments relative to the present inventive concept. With reference to FIG. 6, the algorithm of operating control on a single line of panels 1 is shown, wherein: - T is the feedback element for the control cycle. With reference to a single line composed of 3 or 4 panels, T can be any combination of temperatures read by the TDH; - T_ON is the lowest reference for the hysteresis cycle; - T_OFF is the upper reference for the hysteresis cycle; - T_ON and T_OFF can be any value satisfying the following condition: T_ON < T_OFF < T1_MAX; - T1_MAX is the upper limit of the temperature range of first-level safety. With reference to FIG. 7, the algorithm of safety control is shown, wherein: - ‘T is valid?’ verifies that the value T is within a range of electrical plausibility; - T2_MAX is the upper limit of the second-level safety threshold. With reference to Fig. 4, we observe a particular configuration of three lines, each formed by three panels 1; each line of this configuration is independent and therefore allows a dedicated control of the temperature values. With reference to Fig.2, we can observe a particular arrangement of the anti-noise strips 9 and anti-noise bearings 10, adapted to soften impact and noises deriving from the pressure exerted on the panel 1. With reference to Fig.3 and to Fig.9, we observe that all the electronic and electrical interfaces of the panel 1 are situated in specific housings provided with cover 11 adapted to prevent the infiltration of water or dust in housing and hence preserve the integrity of the electrical and electronic components. Finally, it is clear that modifications, additions or variations that are obvious for a man skilled in the art can be made to the invention described up to now, without departing from the protective scope that is provided by the enclosed claims.