Rail vehicle having a dedicated area for recharging light electric vehicles

Abstract

A rail vehicle includes a car body having both a passenger space and a stowage space that is provided with a controller and at least one station for accommodating light electric vehicles. The stations have a chassis, a holding structure, a locking mechanism, and a power outlet. The holding structure can hold the light electric vehicle stationary. The locking mechanism can retain the light electric vehicle in the holding structure. The power outlet can deliver electrical power to a battery of the light electric vehicle when the light electric vehicle is secured in the holding structure and connected to the power outlet. The power outlet can be connected to an electrical power network of the rail vehicle. The controller can selectively send a release signal to the locking mechanism, so as to release the locking mechanism, and to selectively operate the power outlet so as to deliver the electrical power.

Claims

1. A rail vehicle adapted to travel on one or two rails, the rail vehicle comprising: a car body, said car body being supported by wheels adapted to roll along said one or two rails, said car body having a passenger space and a stowage space, said passenger space being adapted to accommodate passengers, said stowage space having a station for accommodating light electric vehicles, said stations having: a chassis; a holding structure, said holding structure being operative to hold said light electric vehicle stationary, said holding structure comprises a recess in a surface of said chassis and a cover partially covering said recess, said cover having a notch with a receiving portion adapted to receive a grabbing portion exposed on a folded frame of a light electric vehicle; a locking mechanism, said locking mechanism being operative to retain the light electric vehicle in said holding structure; a power outlet, said power outlet being operative to deliver electrical power to a battery of the light electric vehicle via charging pins on the grabbing portion of the light electric vehicle when the light electric vehicle is secured in said holding structure and connected to said power outlet, said power outlet being connected to an electrical power network of said rail vehicle; and a controller, said controller being operative to selectively send a release signal to said locking mechanism so as to release said locking mechanism, said controller being further operative to selectively operate said power outlet so as to deliver the electrical power.

2. The rail vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of said station, said plurality of stations being aligned along a first sidewall of said car body.

3. The rail vehicle of claim 2 further comprising a passenger seat portion located on a second sidewall opposed to said first sidewall, said plurality of stations taking up a length of space along said first sidewall corresponding substantially to a length of said passenger seat portion.

4. The rail vehicle of claim 1, wherein said stowage space takes up at least a portion of a first side of said car body.

5. The rail vehicle of claim 1, wherein said receiving portion is located at least 50 cm above a floor of said car body.

6. The rail vehicle of claim 1, wherein said power outlet is located in said recess.

7. The rail vehicle of claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a moveable tab, said tab being located in said recess, said tab being operative to prevent the light electric vehicle from escaping said receiving portion of said notch absent said release signal.

8. The rail vehicle of claim 1, wherein said notch is at least 60 mm wide in said receiving portion.

9. The rail vehicle of claim 8, wherein said notch is at least 75 mm wide in said receiving portion.

10. The rail vehicle of claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a telescoping tube operative to lock said light electric vehicle.

11. The rail vehicle of claim 1, wherein said power outlet is identical for all of said plurality of stations.

12. The rail vehicle of claim 11, wherein said power outlet comprises a standard charging connector.

13. The rail vehicle of claim 1, wherein said power outlet further comprises a data communication port operative to communicate with the light electric vehicle.

14. The rail vehicle of claim 1, wherein said station further comprises a power level indicator, said power level indicator being operative to reflect a power level of the light electric vehicle connected to said station.

15. The rail vehicle of claim 1, wherein said controller is operative to communicate with a payment module operative to process a payment, said operation of said locking mechanism and of said power outlet by said controller being based on information provided by said payment module.

16. The rail vehicle of claim 15 further comprising said payment module.

17. The rail vehicle of claim 1, wherein said light electric vehicle is an electric bicycle and wherein each one of said plurality of stations are bicycle stations.

18. The rail vehicle of claim 1, wherein said light electric vehicle is an electric scooter and wherein each one of said plurality of stations are scooter stations.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) These and other features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings wherein:

(2) FIG. 1a is a side view of a rail vehicle according to the principles of the present invention;

(3) FIG. 1b is a cross-sectional side view of the rail vehicle of FIG. 1a;

(4) FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a light electric vehicle station according to the principles of the present invention;

(5) FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a stowage space of the rail vehicle of FIG. 1b equipped with a plurality of stations of FIG. 2 according to the principles of the present invention;

(6) FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the plurality of stations of FIG. 3;

(7) FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the plurality of stations of FIG. 4 loaded with electric bikes according to the principles of the present invention;

(8) FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a stowage space of the rail vehicle of FIG. 1 equipped with a plurality of bicycle stations according to the principles of the present invention;

(9) FIG. 7 is an isometric view of one of the stations of FIG. 4 with a foldable bicycle positioned for insertion in the station;

(10) FIG. 8 is an isometric view of the station and foldable bicycle of FIG. 8 with the foldable bicycle starting its insertion in the station;

(11) FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the station and foldable bicycle of FIG. 7 with the foldable bicycle halfway inserted in the station;

(12) FIG. 10 is an isometric view of the station and foldable bicycle of FIG. 9 with the foldable bicycle fully inserted in the station;

(13) FIG. 11 is an isometric view of the station and foldable bicycle of FIG. 10 showing detail of a bicycle connecting interface inserted and locked in the station;

(14) FIG. 12 is an isolated isometric view of the foldable bicycle of FIG. 7;

(15) FIG. 13 is an isometric view of a station and a controller user interface according to the principles of the present invention;

(16) FIG. 14 is an isometric view of a light electric vehicle station according to the principles of the present invention;

(17) FIG. 15 is a side view of a deployed foldable bicycle according to the principles of the present invention;

(18) FIG. 16 is a side view of the foldable bicycle of FIG. 15 in its folded position;

(19) FIG. 17 is an enlarged isometric view of a detail of the connecting interface of the foldable bicycle of FIG. 15;

(20) FIG. 18a is an isometric view of the foldable bicycle of FIG. 7 and an example electrical connecter of the foldable bicycle;

(21) FIG. 18b is an isometric view of a detail of the connecting interface of the foldable bicycle of FIG. 18a;

(22) FIG. 19a is an isometric view of the third station and bicycle of FIG. 3;

(23) FIG. 19b is a side view of the third station and bicycle of FIG. 19a;

(24) FIG. 19c is a cross-sectional side view of the connecting interface of the bicycle inserted in the third station of FIG. 19b;

(25) FIG. 20a is a front view of a light electric vehicle station according to the principles of the present invention;

(26) FIG. 20b is a front view of the station of FIG. 20a with a connecting interface of a light electric vehicle inserted in a holding structure of the station and locked into place with the locking mechanism;

(27) FIG. 20c is a cross-sectional isometric view of the station of FIG. 20b;

(28) FIG. 20d is a cross-sectional side view of the station of FIG. 20b showing the detail of the connecting interface;

(29) FIG. 21a is a partial isometric view of a detail of the connecting interface of the bicycle of FIG. 15;

(30) FIG. 21b is a front view of a detail of the holding structure of the station of FIG. 20a;

(31) FIG. 22 is a schematic view of a status indicator of the station of FIG. 20a;

(32) FIGS. 23 and 24 are isometric views of the two portions of an electrical connector used in the bicycle and station of FIG. 19c and tables including data and information about the electrical connector;

(33) FIG. 25 is an isometric view of the bicycle and the grabbing portion of said bicycle of FIG. 7;

(34) FIG. 26 is an isometric view of the station of FIG. 7 and the data and power connector of said station;

(35) FIG. 27a is an isolated front view of one of the third stations and electrical connector of FIG. 4;

(36) FIG. 27b is a cross-sectional side view of the third station of FIG. 27a;

(37) FIG. 27c is an isometric view of a detail of the holding structure and electrical connector of the station of FIG. 27a;

(38) FIGS. 28a-28c are a schematic view of an example electrical architecture of the station of FIG. 2 according to the principles of the present invention;

(39) FIGS. 29a-29b are a schematic view of an example electrical architecture of the station of FIG. 2 according to the principles of the present invention;

(40) FIGS. 30a-30b are a schematic view of an example electrical architecture of the station of FIG. 2 according to the principles of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(41) Various non-limiting examples will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures where like reference numbers correspond to like or functionally equivalent elements.

(42) Disclosed is a rail vehicle including a car body equipped both with a passenger zone and stowage zone where the stowage zone is provided with at least one station, or support, capable of holding and recharging a light road-going electric vehicle such as an electric bicycle, an electric scooter, and the like. A controller manages the availability of the electric vehicle as well as the recharging of the electric vehicle.

(43) Referring to FIGS. 1a, 1b, 2, and 3, a rail vehicle 10, which by definition is adapted to travel on one (such as a monorail) or two (or more) rails, comprises a car body 12 supported by bogies 14 having wheels 16 adapted to roll along the one (in the case of a monorail) or two (or more) rails 18. The car body 12 has a passenger area 20 and a stowage area 22.

(44) In one preferred and non-limiting embodiment, the passenger area 20 can be adapted or configured to accommodate passengers, for example by having seats 24, while the stowage area 22 can be configured with at least one station 26, which may be a support, for accommodating at least one light electric vehicle, such as an electric bicycle or an electric scooter. For convenience, the present description will use a foldable electric bicycle 28 as an example of the light electric vehicle, such as the foldable electric bicycle examples 28 shown in FIGS. 3, 15, 16, and 18a. Example electrical parameters of an example foldable electric bicycle 28 and station 26 are shown in the following Table 1,

(45) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Battery Voltage 24 V DC Battery current 8 Amp Power consumption Approx. 200 Watts Number of charging stations 5 per each car Total power consumption per car 1000 Watts Additional KW required in Aux 1 kW per car power supply
However, Table 1 is not to be construed in a limiting sense.

(46) As best shown in FIGS. 1b, 3, 4, 5, and 6, now concurrently referred to, in a preferred and non-limiting embodiment or example, a plurality (that is, at least two) of stations 26 may be aligned along a sidewall 40 of the car body 12. A passenger seat portion 42 may be located on a second sidewall 40 opposed to the first sidewall 40, or may be located at a different end of the car body 12, as depicted in FIG. 1b. The plurality of stations 26, making up a stowage portion 44, may take up at least a portion of a first side of the car body 12, or, conveniently, a length of space along the sidewall 40 that corresponds substantially to a length of the passenger seat portion 42. Such a stowage portion 44 can be developed as a module, allows flexibility of tuning the interior of the rail vehicle 10 with a choice of the quantity of stations 26. For example, in a metro-type of rail vehicle, it may be possible to replace a bench, or series of seats, located between two consecutive doors on a given side of the car body 12, with a stowage portion 44 comprising a module of one or more bike stations 26. Also, a train operator could conveniently decide at a later time to retrofit an existing rail vehicle 10 by swapping one passenger seat portion 42 for one stowage portion 44. Various views of a single station 26 (and electrical connector 62) are shown in FIGS. 27a-27c. Views of other embodiment stations including a detected user interface and an interface for a smart phone are shown in FIGS. 13 and 14.

(47) As shown in FIG. 2, in one preferred and non-limiting embodiment, each station 26 can have a chassis 30, a holding structure 32, a locking mechanism 34, and a power outlet 36. The chassis 30 can be sufficiently rigid to support the weight of the bicycle 28. The chassis 30 can be connected to either a floor 38 or the sidewall 40 of the rail vehicle 10 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 1b). In an example, the stations 26 can be mounted to the sidewall 40. The holding structure 32 can be operative to secure the bicycle 28 (or light electric vehicle) in spite of vibrations, accelerations, and other movements typical of rail transports. The holding structure's grip on the bicycle 28 is desirably sufficiently firm or solid so that the bicycle 28 is held in place in case of emergency braking or, possibly, in case of an impact.

(48) In one preferred and non-limiting embodiment, the holding structure 32 can comprise a recess 46, similar to a pocket but without necessarily being closed at its bottom. The recess 46 can be located in a surface of the chassis 30. This recess 46 can be at least partially covered or defined by a cover 48. Cover 48 can have a notch 50 or can define a notch with a surface of chassis 30. The notch 50 can have a receiving portion 52 that can be adapted to receive a grabbing portion 54 (FIG. 12) of the bicycle 28 or light electric vehicle. The grabbing portion 54 is best shown in FIG. 12, now concurrently referred to.

(49) In one preferred and non-limiting embodiment, the receiving portion 52 may be located at least 50 cm (19.7 in) above the floor 38 of the car body 12. In an example, the notch 50 can be at least 60 mm (2.4 in) wide, or can be at least 75 mm (2.9 in) wide, in its receiving portion 52 to accommodate a portion of a frame (grabbing portion) 54 of the bicycle 28. In an example, the notch 50 can be wider than a tire or a wheel of the bicycle 28.

(50) In a preferred and non-limiting embodiment or example the locking mechanism 34 can be configured and operative to retain the bicycle 28 in the holding structure 32. The locking mechanism 34 may use any convenient locking mechanism, such as, in an example, a moveable tab 56 (FIG. 2). The moveable tab 56, can be located in or proximate to the recess 46, and can prevent the bicycle 28, in particular, the grabbing portion 54, from being removed from the station 26 and, more particularly, from the receiving portion 52 of the notch 50 absent a release signal sent by a controller 58 (best shown in FIG. 6). The use of other types of locking mechanisms envisioned, such as a mechanism using one or more telescoping or extendable tubes 60 as shown in FIGS. 20a-20d.

(51) In one preferred and non-limiting embodiment, station 26 can include a power outlet 36, equipped with electrical connectors 70 (FIG. 26), which can be operative to deliver electrical power to a battery of the electric bicycle 28 when the bicycle is secured in the holding structure 32 and connected to the power outlet 36. Considering the power-supply needed, one or more high-energy storage capacitors may be used to deliver the electric charge requested by the connected bicycle(s) 28. The capacitor(s) may be charged using piezo technology, which generates electricity from the movement of the car body 12 or of the bogies 14, or by using the electric power from the grid via the same electrical circuit as is used by auxiliary train equipment. The power outlet 36 may, therefore, be connected to an electrical power network of the rail vehicle 10. In one preferred and non-limiting embodiment, different examples of stations 26 connected to a power network of the rail vehicle 10 are shown in FIGS. 28a-28c (Example 1), FIGS. 29a-29b (Example 2), and FIGS. 30a-30b (Example 3).

(52) In one preferred and non-limiting embodiment, the power outlet 36 can be located in or proximate to the recess 46 so that when the grabbing portion 54 of the frame of the bicycle 28 is placed or inserted in the holding structure 32, and locked in place by the locking mechanism 34, a connector 62 of the power outlet 36 is aligned and automatically connected to a matching connector 64 (FIG. 18b) located on or proximate to the grabbing portion 54. Hence, the battery of the bicycle 28 may be readily recharged upon receiving an appropriate charging signal from the controller 58.

(53) In one preferred and non-limiting embodiment, all stations 26 can be provided with a power outlet 36. Advantageously, all power outlets 36 can be identical in all stations 26 so that standard connectors 62 and standard matching connectors 64 may be used. In the present context, the term standard should be interpreted to mean that all connectors 62 are of the same design. Hence, for example, the connectors 62 may either be of a proprietary design or of an off the shelf design (i.e., the connectors 62 may be purchased from a supplier's catalog), as long as they are all the same in a given rail vehicle 10. Non-limiting examples of such connectors are shown in FIGS. 23, 24, 25, and 26, now concurrently referred to.

(54) Referring to FIGS. 19a-19c, and with continuing reference to FIGS. 23-26, in one preferred and non-limiting embodiment, the design of the grabbing portion 54 can be standardized for the bicycles 28 so that accurate positioning in the receiving portion 52 of the holding structure 32 ensures that not only the connector 62 and the mating connector 64 adequately mate, but also that the bicycle 28 is adequately maintained in place, and that the locking mechanism 34 can lock the bicycle 28 in place. To enable an adequate connection between the connector 62 and the matching connector 64, one or both of them may be provided with magnets so that both connectors are attracted towards each other.

(55) In one preferred and non-limiting embodiment, other example charging access point of a grabbing portion 54 of a bicycle 28 and a holding structure 32 are shown in FIGS. 21a-21b

(56) In a preferred and non-limiting embodiment or example the power outlet 36 may further be equipped with a data communication port 68, best shown in FIG. 25, for communicating with the bicycle 28. This allows, among other things, operations of billing to a user by recognizing by controller 58 which bicycle 28 is connected in the station 26. Data gathered through the data communication port 68 can be sent to the controller 58.

(57) In one preferred and non-limiting embodiment, the station 26 may further be equipped with a power level indicator 66 reflecting the charge level of the bicycle 28 connected to it. An example of the power level indicator 66 is shown in FIGS. 20a and 22. The power level of the bicycle's battery may be detected through the data communication port 68 or through the electrical connectors 70 (FIG. 26) of the power outlet 36 that is connected to the battery via mating connector 64.

(58) In one preferred and non-limiting embodiment, the controller 58 can be responsible to control the operation of the station 26 and at least some of its components such as, without limitation, the locking mechanism 34 and the power outlet 36. Each station 26 may comprise its own controller 58, which can then be remotely connected to a central computer or database to exchange information on the use of the bicycles 28 and on their users, or it may be a single controller 58 responsible for operating all of the stations 26 of a stowage portion of a rail vehicle 10 or of a train which the rail vehicle is part of. Communications between the single controller 58 and the plurality of stations 26 may be made by wireless communication, such as, for example, Bluetooth communication protocol, local Wifi, cellular communication, satellite communication, or, more simply, through the communication wiring of the train which the rail vehicle is part of. The controller 58 may also be remotely located, for example, in a central location, like at a train control office, and each station 26 may communicate with the train control office remotely via the controller 58.

(59) In one preferred and non-limiting embodiment, the controller 58 may communicate with a payment module 76 configured to process a payment for the rental of one of the bicycles 28. The payment module can be on-board the rail vehicle 10 (or train that the rail vehicle 10 is part of) or can be remote from the rail vehicle/train, e.g., at a train office.

(60) In one preferred and non-limiting embodiment, the controller 58 can control the operation of the locking mechanism 34, in particular the release of the moveable tab 56, as well as that of the power outlet 36. Operation of the power outlet 36 may be based on information provided by the payment module (i.e., has the recharging been paid for?) and/or on information from the bicycle 28 obtained through the data communication port 68. Alternatively, this information can be gathered from the bicycle through wireless technologies, such as, without limitation RFID, Bluetooth, or Wifi. In another example, the payment module 76 may be located in the rail vehicle 10 or in the bike station 26 itself. The payment method may use technologies such as Apple Pay or any other contactless types of payment using a smartphone. Once the information that the payment has been made is received by the controller 58, the controller 58 may operate, possibly with a delay, the locking mechanism 34 so as to release the bicycle 28.

(61) Referring now to FIGS. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, in one preferred and non-limiting embodiment, in use, the bicycle 28, e.g., of a foldable type that may be stored in a compact space, is first folded at a hinge 72 (FIG. 11) thereof, thereby exposing the matching or mating connector 64 (FIG. 18b) as well as exposing a flange 74 (FIG. 11) of the grabbing portion 54. As shown in FIG. 7, the grabbing portion 54 is aligned with the notch 50 (FIG. 8) in the cover 48 of the holding structure 32. In FIG. 8, the grabbing portion 54 is lowered in the recess 46 behind the cover 48 until the top of the grabbing portion 54 touches the moveable tab 56 of the locking mechanism 34. As the moveable tab 56 is designed with a chamfer 76 (FIG. 11), the locking mechanism 34 may be designed so that the moveable tab 56 may be pushed away when the station 26 is empty. FIG. 8 shows the grabbing portion 54 sliding over the moveable tab 56 on its way to the receiving portion 52 at the bottom of the notch 50. In FIG. 9, the grabbing portion 54 has now reached the receiving portion 52 at the bottom of the notch 50 so that the cover 48 retains the flange 74 (FIG. 11) of the grabbing portion 54 against or in the recess 46 in a first axis (say depth Z) while the notch 50 prevents the flange 74 and, therefore, the bicycle 28 from moving along a second axis (say laterally Y) and while the flange 74 is secured in a third direction (say an axis X normal to receiving portion 52) both by the receiving portion 52 and the moveable tab 56, which deploys behind the top of the flange 74 (FIG. 11) once the grabbing portion 54 moves past the flange 74. As the grabbing portion 54 moves into the position shown in FIG. 10, the matching or mating connector 64 connects with the connector 62. FIG. 10 depicts the bicycle 28 in its locked and connected position. FIG. 11 shows a close-up of the grabbing portion 54 in this same position.

(62) The present invention has been described with regard to preferred embodiments. The description as much as the drawings were intended to help the understanding of the invention, rather than to limit its scope. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the scope of the invention as described herein, and such modifications are intended to be covered by the present description. The invention is defined by the claims that follow.