VEHICLE HAVING A CROSS-SECTIONALLY REDUCED PORTION

Abstract

A vehicle has at least one cross-sectionally reduced portion. At least one air-guiding element is arranged in the cross-sectionally reduced portion and extends outwards in the vehicle transverse direction and causes an airflow guidance of an airflow that enters the cross-sectionally reduced portion during travel, and does so in such a way that a part of the airflow is guided from the inside back to the outside and at the same time is deflected obliquely downwards.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A vehicle, comprising: at least one cross-sectionally reduced portion; and at least one air-guiding element disposed in said cross-sectionally reduced portion and extending outward in a transverse direction of the vehicle and causes an airflow guidance of an airflow which enters said cross-sectionally reduced portion during travel, such that a part of the airflow being guided from an inside back to an outside and at a same time is deflected obliquely downward.

17. The vehicle according to claim 16, wherein said at least one air-guiding element at least in its outer end area is oriented obliquely downward.

18. The vehicle according to claim 16, further comprising an air supply element disposed at an edge of said cross-sectionally reduced portion, said air-supply element having a longitudinal direction extending vertically or at least predominantly vertically and whose outer contour brings about a horizontal airflow supply into said cross-sectionally reduced portion during travel, wherein the horizontal airflow supply causes the airflow, or at least supports the airflow.

19. The vehicle according to claim 18, wherein said at least one air-guiding element is disposed in terms of height in a central area between an upper end of said air-supply element and a lower end of said air-supply element and segments said at least one cross-sectionally reduced portion into an upper flow portion with an upward flow direction of the airflow and into a lower flow portion with a downward flow direction of the airflow.

20. The vehicle according to claim 18, wherein said at least one air-guiding element is disposed in an area of an upper end of said air-supply element or above said air-supply element and segments said at least one cross-sectionally reduced portion into an upper flow portion with an upward or horizontal flow direction of the airflow and into a lower flow portion with a downward flow direction of the airflow.

21. The vehicle according to claim 18, further comprising two cars which are coupled together to form an inter-car area, said inter-car area forming said at least one cross-sectionally reduced portion and said at least one air-guiding element is disposed on a car end face of one of said cars facing said inter-car area and said air-supply element is formed by a shape of a side wall portion of a same said one of said cars adjacent to said inter-car area.

22. The vehicle according to claim 21, wherein said at least one air-guiding element and said air-supply element interact during travel in a direction of travel in which one of said cars equipped with said at least one air-guiding element and said air-supply element is at a front, such that a portion of the airflow supplied horizontally by said air-supply element below said at least one air-guiding element is guided outward by said at least one air-guiding element with a horizontally outward directional component and a vertically downward directional component.

23. The vehicle according to claim 21, wherein said at least one air-guiding element is one of at least two air-guiding elements which are disposed at a distance from one another on at least one of said two cars being coupled cars, wherein said at least two air-guiding elements are spatially separated from one another by a central axis of the vehicle.

24. The vehicle according to claim 21, wherein: said at least one air-guiding element includes a first air-guiding element and a second air-guiding element; said air-supply element includes a first air-supply element and a second air-supply element; each of said two cars has said first air-guiding element and said first air-supply element interacting with said first air-guiding element as well as said second air-guiding element and said second air-supply element interacting with said second air-guiding element; and said first air-guiding elements and said first air-supply elements are separated from said second air-guiding elements and said second air-supply elements by a center of the vehicle.

25. The vehicle according to claim 16, wherein said at least one air-guiding element is trough-shaped.

26. The vehicle according to claim 16, wherein said at least one air-guiding element is formed by a sheet metal part bent several times.

27. The vehicle according to claim 21, further comprising at least one retaining element, said at least one air-guiding element is attached to said car end face of said car facing said inter-car area and is held there by said at least one retaining element which is attached to an upper side of said at least one air-guiding element and said at least one retaining element is fastened to said car end face above said at least one air-guiding element.

28. The vehicle according to claim 18, wherein said air-supply element, viewed in cross-section from above, has a curved outer contour which is curved inward in a direction of said at least one cross-sectionally reduced portion and due to said curved outer contour causes a horizontal, stall-free deflection of the airflow into said at least one cross-sectionally reduced portion.

29. The vehicle according to claim 18, wherein said air-supply element is formed by an inwardly curved outer skin area of the vehicle.

30. The vehicle according to claim 18, wherein said air-supply element is formed by an extruded profile part or a sheet metal part.

31. The vehicle according to claim 24, further comprising a walkable car transition area disposed in said center of the vehicle.

Description

[0026] The invention is explained in greater detail below using exemplary embodiments; by way of example,

[0027] FIG. 1 shows components of an exemplary embodiment of an inventive rail vehicle in a schematic cross-section viewed from above,

[0028] FIG. 2-3 shows in three-dimensional representations an advantageous embodiment of guide and air-supply elements,

[0029] FIG. 4-6 show in three-dimensional representations a second advantageous embodiment of the air-supply elements,

[0030] FIG. 7 shows a third advantageous embodiment of the air-supply elements, and

[0031] FIG. 8 shows components of a further exemplary embodiment of an inventive rail vehicle, again viewed in a schematic cross-section from above.

[0032] For the sake of clarity, the same reference characters are used in the figures for identical or comparable components.

[0033] FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional representation from above of a front car 10, seen in the forward direction of travel F, to which a rear car 20 is coupled. The two cars 10 and 20 form components of a rail vehicle 30 (not shown in greater detail), which may for example be a local or long-distance train.

[0034] It is apparent from FIG. 1 that the rail vehicle 30 has a reduced cross-section in the inter-car area between the two cars 10 and 20; the inter-car area thus forms a cross-sectionally reduced area 40 of the rail vehicle 30.

[0035] A first air-guiding element 101 and a second air-guiding element 102 are attached to the rear end face 11 of the front car 10 as viewed in the forward direction of travel F. Spatially, the two air-guiding elements 101 and 102 are located on different sides of a walkable transition area 50 which connects the two cars 10 and 20. The walkable transition area 50 is for example spatially limited by a bellows 51.

[0036] The first air-guiding element 101 is assigned a first air-supply element 201 which, as viewed in the forward direction of travel F, is arranged on the right-hand side (bottom in FIG. 1) of the cross-sectionally reduced portion 40. The longitudinal direction of the first air-supply element 201 extends vertically (in FIG. 1 perpendicular to the plane of the page) or at leastapart from certain curvatures with a view to adaptation to the contour of the vehicle outer skinlargely vertically.

[0037] The second air-guiding element 102 is assigned a second air-supply element 202 which, as viewed in the forward direction of travel F, is arranged on the left-hand side (top in FIG. 1) of the cross-sectionally reduced portion 40. The longitudinal direction of the second air-supply element 202 likewise extends vertically orapart from certain curvatures with a view to adaptation to the contour of the vehicle outer skinat least largely vertically.

[0038] The air-supply elements 201 and 202 can be formed directly by a corresponding shaping of the side walls of the front car 10. Alternatively, the air-supply elements 201 and can be formed by chassis end parts which are attached, for example screwed, to the end face 11 of the car 10.

[0039] The function of the two air-guiding elements 101 and and the two air-supply elements 201 and 202 will be explained below using the first air-guiding element 101 and the first air-supply element 201 as an example; the following explanations apply correspondingly to the second air-guiding element 102 and the second air-supply element 202.

[0040] The function of the first air-supply element 201 is to provide a horizontal airflow supply into the transverse cross-sectionally reduced portion 40 during travel, as a result of which an airflow L is caused in the cross-sectionally reduced portion 40. The airflow L is shown in FIG. 1 with a solid line in those sections where it is oriented substantially horizontally.

[0041] Under the influence of the front end face 21 of the rear car 20, the airflow L is deflected in the direction of the end face 11 of the front car 19; due to the deflection, the portion of the airflow L located spatially below the air-guiding element 101 passes into the area of influence of the air-guiding element 101, whichviewed outward from the center of the vehicle in the transverse direction of the vehicleextends outward and causes the airflow L to be guided such that a portion of the airflow is guided from the inside back to the outside and at the same time is deflected obliquely downward; in the portions in which the airflow L has a downward vertical directional component, the airflow L is shown in FIG. 1 with a dotted line.

[0042] In other words, the first air-guiding element 101 and the first air-supply element 201 interact during travel in the forward direction of travel F such that the portion of the airflow L supplied horizontally by the air-supply element 201 below the air-guiding element 101 is guided outward by the first air-guiding element 101 with a horizontally outward directional component and a vertically downward directional component.

[0043] The horizontal airflow supplycaused by the first air-supply element 201thus generates the airflow which the associated air-guiding element 101 can deflect away downward. The air-supply element 201 and the air-guiding element 101 therefore interact and jointly form a flow-guiding pair.

[0044] In terms of height, the first air-guiding element 101 can be arranged in the central area between the upper end 201a (cf. FIG. 2) of the first air-supply element 201 and the lower end 201b (cf. FIG. 2) of the first air-supply element 201; alternatively, the first air-guiding element 101 can be arranged in the area of the upper end of the first air-supply element 201 or above it, for example if the air-supply elements 201 and 202 do not extend up to the roof, but in terms of height for example only up to the center of the vehicle. In all the above-mentioned cases, it is possible to segment the cross-sectionally reduced portion 40 in terms of flow into an upper flow portion with an upward or horizontal flow direction of the airflow L and into a lower flow portion with an outward and downward flow direction of the airflow L.

[0045] FIG. 2 shows a particularly advantageous embodiment of the two air-guiding elements 101 and 102 and the two air-supply elements 201 and 202 in a three-dimensional representation obliquely from the side in greater detail. It can be seen that the two air-guiding elements 101 and 102 are preferably trough-shaped and can be screwed to the rear end face 11 of the front car 10 by means of retaining elements 110.

[0046] In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2, the two air-supply elements 201 and 202 are formed by extruded profile parts which for example are attached to the end face 11.

[0047] The deflection of the airflow L already explained in FIG. 1 is likewise sketched in FIG. 2 by means of a curve.

[0048] FIG. 3 shows the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2 once again from a different angle.

[0049] FIGS. 4 to 6 show a second advantageous embodiment of the two air-supply elements 201 and 202 using the example of the second air-supply element 202. In this embodiment, the two air-supply elements 201 and 202 are formed by bent metal sheets which are attached to the end face 11 of the car 10 by means of (e.g. bent and riveted) retaining elements 220. Furthermore, the above explanations in connection with FIGS. 1 to 3 apply correspondingly to the exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 4 to 6.

[0050] Depending on the vehicle contour, the lateral air-supply elements 201 and 202 can also be arranged somewhat offset from the vertical plane and can possibly also be curved. In this context, FIG. 7 shows a further advantageous embodiment of the two air-supply elements 201 and 202. In this embodiment, the two air-supply elements 201 and 202 are formed by inwardly offset, bent metal sheets which are held on the end face 11 of the car 10.

[0051] Furthermore, the above explanations in connection with FIGS. 1 to 6 apply correspondingly to the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 7.

[0052] FIG. 8 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment in which the rear car 20 of the rail vehicle 30, as viewed in the forward direction of travel F, is likewise equipped with air-guiding elements 103 and 104 and air-supply elements 203 and 204 on its front end face 21. The air-guiding elements 103 and 104 and the air-supply elements 203 and 204 make it possible to achieve the described air guidance even when the rail vehicle 30 is operated opposite to the forward direction of travel F shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, i.e. in the reverse direction of travel R; in other words, the airflow guidance in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 8 is independent of the direction of travel. Furthermore, the above explanations in connection with FIGS. 1 to 7 apply correspondingly to the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 8.

[0053] Finally, it should be mentioned that the features of all exemplary embodiments described above can be combined with one another in any manner in order to form further exemplary embodiments of the invention.

[0054] All features of subclaims can also be combined individually with each of the subordinate claims, in each case either alone or in any combination with one or other subclaims, in order to obtain further exemplary embodiments.