Lifting device for railway vehicles

#The present invention relates to a device for transfering especially passengers with a reduced ability to move, primarily sitting in wheelchairs between a platform and a passenger department of a vehicle having a passenger department with a floor on a first level being higher than a second level, corresponding to the platform level when the vehicle is standing adjacent to a platform, by at least a normal height of a stair, in which it comprises an arrangement adapted to receive a passenger on a support surface and power means adapted to move said support surface between the two levels, and in which one or several stairs are arranged so as to allow other passengers to go between the different levels by themselves.

#Devices of this type are mainly used for making it possible for persons sitting in a wheelchair to get off and get on railway carriages or cars having said difference in level between the floor of the passenger department and the platform, so that this particular application will be discussed hereinafter for illuminating but not at all restricting the invention. When there is such a level difference, which is the case in most railway carriages, between the floor of a passenger department, i.e. a passenger carriage, and a platform plane, difficulties arise when passengers sitting in a wheelchair are going to get on and off the train.

#It is impossible for a person sitting in a wheelchair to move between the two levels without any type of lifting device, and devices of the type defined in the introduction are therefor arranged in certain railway carriages. A support plane having a said support surface projectable at a door opening into the railway carriage in question is arranged in these carriages, where also a staircase is leading from a railway carriage down to the platform, and the support plane may be lowered down to the platform so that a person sitting in a wheelchair can roll on to the supporting plane, whereupon this can be lifted to the same level as the door opening, so that the person may roll in with the wheelchair on to the floor located on the first level. A disadvantage of these devices already known is that, when the arrangement is used for moving the person sitting in a wheelchair between the two levels, this arrangement blocks the staircase leading between the two levels, so that the other passengers may not get on or off the train and the door opening in question as long as the lifting arrangement is used, but this has to be pivoted entirely away or be drawn in before other may pass the door opening, which may be very disturbing.

#With reference to the appended drawings, below follows a description of a preferred embodiment of the invention cited as an example.

#In the drawings:

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a device according to a preferred embodiment of the invention with the support surface of a lifting device included therein on a raised level, i.e. on the same level as the floor surface of the passenger department,

#Reference is now at the same time made to FIGS. 1-3, in which the construction of a device according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated. The device has in connection to entrances 2 laterally located and covered by doors 1 to a railway carriage 3 first floor surfaces 5 arranged inside the carriage on substantially the same level as a platform 4, at which the carriage is intended to stop for getting on and getting off. These floor surfaces extend from each entrance 2 to a supporting plane or platform 7 provided with a circular round support surface 6. The supporting plane has substantially circumferential walls so as to prevent toes as well as luggage of other passengers from being exposed to the risk of being jammed during the downward movement of the lift.

#A staircase 8 with three stairs is arranged on both sides of the support surface 6 between the support surface and the respective entrance 2 and extending between said first floor surface 5 and the second floor surface 10 leading to a passenger department through a door 9. The floor surface 10 is arranged on substantially the same level as the floor surface of the passenger department of the railway carriage. The level difference between the two levels is typically about 600 millimeters.

#The supporting plane 7 with the support surface 6 may be raised and lowered in the vertical direction between the two positions shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, i.e. a position in which the support surface is on the same level as a second floor surface 10 and a position in which it is on the same level as the first floor surface 5, through a power means 11 schematically indicated in FIG. 3. Furthermore, the supporting plane with the support surface 6 is turnable around a vertical axis, which is indicated through the curved arrows in FIG. 2, through a power means 12 very schematically indicated in FIG. 3. The operation of the lifting arrangement formed by the supporting plane with power means is intended to be carried out through influencing operation means 13, which are schematically illustrated in for example FIG. 5. These operation means 13 may be reached by a person sitting in a wheelchair both when he/she wants to use the device for getting on the railway carriage and for getting off the same, which will be explained more in detail furtheron. The operating means 13 are adapted to act upon the power means 12 for turning the supporting plane, so that when a lifting or lowering movement of a support surface 6 shall be carried out this is turned 90° in the desired direction for changing the orientation of a wheelchair located on the support surface from the longitudinal direction of the railway carriage into a direction transversally thereto or conversely. A footbridge-like member 14 is also a part of the device and projectable through a power means 15 from the railway carriage at the respective entrance on substantially the same level as the first floor surface 5 and by that a platform 4 so as to at least partially bridge the gap between this first floor surface and the adjacent platform when the vehicle is standing at a platform. It will in this way be possible to without any problem roll a wheelchair between the platform and the first floor surface. Two guiding handles partially surrounding the support surface 6 are arranged on the supporting plane 7. These are only shown in FIG. 3. The support surface 6 is in the normal position of the device always on the level with the first floor surface 5 and so orientated that the guiding handles 18 do not constitute any obstacle to free passage in the lateral direction between the two entrance-hall doors 1. They constitutes in this position also guiding handles for other passengers and ensures at the same time that the other passengers may not be hurt as a consequence of the level difference between the first 5 and the second 10 floor surface, when they come out through the door 9 when getting off. The device has also a grid gate 19 shown in FIG. 1 and arranged on the floor level of the passenger department in the immediate connection to the lifting device in front of the door 9.