DESCRIPTION

Technical field

The present invention relates to a platform screen door and to a method of manufacturing same.

In particular, but not exclusively, the invention is applied in the railway and metro system field, for manufacturing platform screen doors at the stations where trains stop. Prior Art

Platform screen doors are at present used in order to separate the track area where vehicles run, generally organised in vehicle trains, from the platform where passengers stand.

Platform screen doors comprise a group of openings equipped with automatically opening doors, generally sliding doors.

Generally, a platform screen door (screen) comprises a fixed structure in which there are defined a group of openings, a plurality of doors, for instance sliding doors, a mechanism for mechanically actuating the opening and closing of the doors, for instance a motorised mechanism driven by electric motors, and a system for the electronic control of the opening and closing of the doors, which system may include wirings, electrical connections, electronic boards, sensors, switches etc.

When required, the screen doors are opened to allow passengers to pass through the openings defined therein.

Door opening and closing is automatically controlled by an electronic control system, determining the opening and closing conditions according to the safety regulations in force.

In case of a railway train, for instance a metro train, said regulations provide for instance that the screen doors are opened only when the train has stopped and the coach doors are already open, thereby defining corresponding passages aligned, within predetermined tolerance limits, with the openings defined in the screen.

When the screen doors are closed, the openings defined therein cannot be accessed by the passengers, and hence access to the area where vehicles run is prevented.

An example of prior art platform screen door is disclosed in WO 2008/149246.

Platform screen doors are an important safety device for passengers and are becoming more and more widespread, in particular in metro system lines, both in newly manufactured stations and in already existing stations. Therefore, platform screen doors can be used in railway and metro system stations, of the kind where travelling vehicles move on either rails or tires, as well for other transport systems.

At present, the various components of the platform screen door are directly assembled at the destination place, i.e. at the station platform.

Thus, the screen is assembled directly on the platform where it will have to operate, by a method that often is artisanal, by adapting the components to the specific station conditions, when necessary.

As known, this method is highly time consuming and is incompatible with use of the platform for normal passenger traffic.

Moreover, this method does not allow attaining the high quality and safety levels required at present for such kind of installations.

Manufacturing a platform screen door at a station platform can generally take place in the following circumstances:

a) the station comprising the platform is under construction in a non-operative transport line; in such case, the platform is generally available for working and the times for manufacturing the screen are imposed substantially only by the design specifications; b) the station comprising the platform is operative, but the platform can be closed to passenger traffic since the station has at least one auxiliary platform; in such case, the platform concerned by the screen installation can be left free for a predetermined time, whose duration is compatible with the transport network operation;

c) the station comprising the platform is operative, i.e. it is located along an operative transport line, and has no auxiliary platform, yet the length of the trains passing along the platform is such that they do not occupy the whole platform when standing; in such case, it is possible to close a first platform portion to the passenger traffic, in order to manufacture the screen in safe manner along said closed portion; when the first screen portion has been completed, it is made operative and the screen can be possibly manufactured also in the remaining second platform portion, once the latter is closed to passenger traffic;

d) the station comprising the platform is operative and has no auxiliary platform; moreover the length of the trains in transit is such that when the train stops at the platform to allow passengers to get on and off, substantially the whole platform length is occupied; generally this is the most critical situation, entailing closing the station itself to allow manufacturing the screen in a completely safe manner for the passengers. Since often platform screen doors are to be installed on platforms of stations already operative in the transport network, the problem exists of how to reduce the times required for manufacturing such platform screen doors, so as to minimise the inconveniences caused to the passengers by the service stop.

Manufacturing a platform screen door is moreover a work requiring the presence of skilled staff, for both the assembling and the supervision and check of the observance of the safety conditions for passengers passing near the manufacturing area. Therefore, it is clear that, the longer the duration of the assembling operations, the higher the costs resulting from such a requirement.

Thus, it is a main object of the invention to solve the problem mentioned above, by providing a platform screen door that can be manufactured in reduced times, and a method of manufacturing same.

In the field of metro transport systems, in particular it is also known that passenger transport service is generally stopped during night hours, for instance for a time interval of a few hours, typically three - four hours, in order to allow, inter alia, system maintenance.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a platform screen door, which can be manufactured by exploiting a succession of time windows of reduced duration, typically a duration not exceeding the normal interruption of the transport service, during which the station is not used, so that substantial service interruptions are not required, as well as to provide the corresponding method of manufacturing the platform screen door.

Description of the invention

The above and other objects are achieved by means of the platform screen door and the method as claimed in the appended claims.

The platform screen door according to the invention can be advantageously manufactured in extremely reduced times, thanks to the fact that it comprises a plurality of modules that are prepared at a separate place, typically the manufacturing workshop, and are transferred to the installation place, typically the location of the platform, where they are associated together and made operative.

Advantageously, according to a particular embodiment of the invention, the screen modules are manufactured as wholly operative and working modules, i.e. capable of operating once they have been fastened to the platform floor and suitably supplied with electric power.

Another advantage of the invention results from the fact that the modular structure of the screen can be manufactured in simple and cheap manner, so that it is suitable for being industrially produced on a large scale.

A further, but not the last advantage of the invention results from the fact that the platform screen door can be manufactured in times that are considerably reduced with respect to the prior art, while meeting the safety conditions for the workers assigned to the installation.

Brief Description of the Figures

A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described by way of non limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawing, which schematically shows a modular platform screen door.

Description of a Preferred Embodiment

Referring to the accompanying drawing, the platform screen door according to the invention, generally denoted by reference numeral 12, comprises, in a preferred embodiment, a plurality of modules 10, each including a support structure 14, for instance a steel frame, at least one opening 16 for passenger transit, at least one door 18, 20 in correspondence of said opening 16 and an actuation mechanism for door opening and closing.

In the illustrated example, the actuation mechanism for door opening and closing is housed in a seat 22 provided in an upper beam 24 extending above opening 16 and door 18, 20.

According to an embodiment of the invention, said module 10 may be a wholly operative and working module, i.e. capable of operating once it has been fastened to the platform floor and suitably energised. In such case, said module will include a control unit, possibly shared with other adjacent modules, in order to control opening and closing of the at least one door upon the opening and closing of the doors of a vehicle standing in face of modular screen 12.

Always with reference to this particular embodiment of the invention, preferably module 10 will be moreover equipped with a door opening sensor, functionally associated with the control unit, in order to control the opening of the module door(s) depending on the open or closed condition of the doors of the vehicle, for instance a railway coach or a tram, standing in face of the screen.

By way of example, a platform screen door of the kind disclosed in WO 2008/149246 and manufactured in modular form has been shown in the accompanying drawing.

The invention can however be applied to the manufacturing of any platform screen door compatible with a modular structure.

The term "modular structure" denotes a platform screen door obtained by associating a plurality of elementary and substantially equivalent modules.

A preferred embodiment of the method of manufacturing a platform screen door according to the invention will be described hereinafter.

In accordance with the manufacturing method according to the invention, a plurality of platform screen door modules 10 is prepared at a first place, for instance the manufacturer's workshop.

Preferably, each module will include a support structure 14 where at least one opening 16 for passenger transit is defined, and at least one door 18, 20 in correspondence of said opening 16. Support structure 14 may for instance comprise a steel frame including vertical support columns inserted between openings 16 and equipped with bearing feet or bearing brackets or the like, to allow fastening the module to the floor, for instance by means of plugs.

Moreover, each module will include an actuation mechanism for door opening and closing, which preferably is housed in a seat 22 provided in an upper beam 24 extending above opening 16 and door 18, 20.

In a subsequent step of the method of manufacturing the screen, said modules are transferred from said first place to a remote second place where said screen 12 is to be installed.

The module transfer from one place to the other may take place by means of known transport means and in different ways, but preferably it takes place by means of specific equipment.

Modules 10 are then installed at said second place and are possibly mechanically and electrically associated, if necessary, with the other modules 10 already installed at said place.

Transfer and assembling operations are repeated until the platform screen door has been completed.

According to the invention, the modules may be substantially identical or they may differ in respect of the sizes, the number of doors, the provision of escape ways, and structural characteristics due to the different form of the platform zone accommodating the modules.

According to an embodiment of the invention, modules 10 are operative and working, i.e. capable of operating once they are energised. Advantageously, thanks to this feature, the modules can be made immediately operative once they have been placed on the platform floor and suitably fastened and energised, thereby allowing passenger transit. Thus, it is an advantage of the invention the possibility of manufacturing a platform screen door without interrupting transport service. Actually, the platform screen door can progressively grow along the platform, without substantially limiting the access to the platform itself. It is clear that, under such circumstances, i.e. where the area for access to the vehicle (for instance, a railway train) is only partially controlled by the screen being manufactured, i.e. controlled only over a certain length of the platform, it will be necessary to provide for the presence by specialised staff, capable of coordinating the passenger traffic and ensuring the necessary safety.

Several changes and modifications, included within the same inventive principle, can be made in the invention as described and shown.