Patent Application
20180265100
The present invention generally relates to the field of monorails. More specifically, the invention relates to a head monorail car having a novel seating arrangement at its front end.
Once considered only worthy of being an attraction in an amusement park, monorails have recently gained a lot of credibility as legitimate means of urban transportation. Indeed, monorails now compete in terms of hourly passenger capacity with other types of transportation such as small capacity metros. Hourly passenger capacity define the capacity of a vehicle to move people. Increasing the hourly capacity of a vehicle therefore means that the same vehicle moves more people at once, increasing profitability for the vehicle operator.
Monorails are often perceived as more luxurious, more appealing means of mass transit than metros. However, this perception on its own is often not sufficient to convince a transit authority of opting for that means of transportation. Increasing the passenger capacity of monorails therefore further increases the desirability of such vehicles. Particularly for monorails, increasing the seating capacity is important as it meets the passengers' expectations of travelling comfortably while meeting the transit authority's objective of moving more travelers at once with its equipment.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a front end seating arrangement for a head monorail car that overcomes or mitigates one or more disadvantages of known seating arrangements, or at least provides a useful alternative.
The invention provides the advantages of permitting more passengers to sit comfortably in a passenger area of a head monorail car.
The invention also provides the advantage of allowing some passengers to sit facing forward and to enjoy a rare view through a front windshield of the head monorail car.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a head monorail car having a front end and a read end. The monorail car comprises a body, a front load wheel, a rear load wheel and a seat. The body has a shell and a floor defining a passenger area there in between. The front load wheel is installed proximate the front end and laterally centered with the body. The front load wheel, which has a spinning axis, at least partially protrudes through the floor. The rear load wheel is installed proximate the rear end and is laterally centered with the body. The first seat is installed within the passenger area facing the front end, being positioned longitudinally at least partially between the front end and the spinning axis of the front load wheel.
Advantageously, the monorail car may further comprise a front wheel cover covering the front load wheel. The first seat is then installed at least partially above the wheel cover.
Preferably, a second seat may be installed adjacent the first seat, making for a first row of seats. Room permitting, a third seat may also be installed adjacent the second seat.
Optionally, a second row of seats may be installed back to the first row of seats and facing the rear end. This second row of seats may be installed at least partially above the wheel cover, although typically at a lower level than the first row of seats.
Optionally, the monorail car may be equipped with an upper floor portion extending horizontally between the front end and the first row of seats. The upper floor portion is located at a higher level than that of a lower floor portion of the floor. The first row of seats must then be installed higher than the second row of seats with respect to the lower floor portion.
Conveniently, a passageway may be provided beside the wheel cover, allowing a passenger to reach the upper floor portion from the lower floor portion.
Optionally, the first seat may be installed substantially, or even completely, between the front end of the monorail car and the spinning axis of the front load wheel.
Typically, the monorail car is provided with a windshield at its front end. The windshield may be inclined at an angle of more than 20 degrees from vertical, at more than 40 degrees from vertical, at more than 45 degrees from vertical, or even at more than 50 degrees from vertical.
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:
The present invention relates to a monorail car having additional passenger seats installed in a front portion of a passenger area.
The body 22 has a passenger area 32 defined in the empty space surrounded by a shell 34 and the floor 30. To isolate the passenger area 32 from the load wheels 24, 26, a front and a rear wheel covers 44, 46 act as wheel wells and respectively cover the front and the read load wheels 24, 26. These wheel covers 44, 46 are typically made of composite materials capable of withstanding an accidental explosion of a load tire 48.
A first seat 28 is installed within the passenger area 32 facing the front end 18 and the windshield 62. The first seat 28 is longitudinally located at least partially between the front end 18 and the spinning axis 36. Optionally, the first seat 28 may be located substantially or even completely between the front end 18 and the spinning axis 36. The first seat 28 is installed at least partially above the front wheel cover 44, conveniently exploiting that space above the front wheel cover 44 that would otherwise be wasted. A second sear 50 and, room permitting, a third seats 52 may also be installed adjacent the first seat 28, making for a first row of seats 54 as best shown in
To further use the space above the front wheel cover 44, a second row of seats 56 may be installed back to the first row of seats 54 and facing the rear end 20. This second row of seats 56 may be installed at least partially above the front wheel well 44, although typically at a lower level than the first row of seats 56 as the passengers seated in this second row of seats would have their feet rest on a lower floor portion 57 of the floor 30.
Indeed, the seats of the first row of seats 54 are typically placed higher, with respect to the floor 30, than those in the second row of seats 56. This is because mechanical equipment 58 in the front end 18 of the head monorail car 12 takes up space at the floor 30 level and therefore needs to be cleared. Such mechanical equipment 58 may include a crash structure and/or a coupler. Consequently, the head monorail car 12 is typically provided with an upper floor portion 60 that extends horizontally between the front end 18 and the first row of seats 54. This upper floor portion 60 is located at a higher level than that of the lower floor portion 57, making it necessary to install the first row of seats 54 higher than the second row of seats 56.
Both the first row of seats 54 and the second row of seats 56 may be replaced by a wide seat, also known as a bench. In the present description, the term seat shall be interpreted as having any width, thereby being fit to accommodate one person or a plurality of persons. Seat or bench are therefore considered as synonyms in the present description.
A passageway 64 is provided beside the front wheel covers 44 and besides both the first and the second rows of seats 54, 56. As can be seen in
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.
