Method for diagnosing railroad components of a railroad network for rail transport

• US 10,131,369 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2013
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Mobility GmbH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Fischer, Erhard, Mueller, Thomas, Popp, Frank, Punstein, Dirk, Schulze, Christian, Toensing, Ekkehard
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lam
• Application Number:
  US14/429,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20150247781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,915 Days
• Field of Search: 701 19, 701 296, 701 32, 701 33
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/57 for vehicles or trains, e.g. trackside supervision of train conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/03 Endless-tracks
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/08 Railway vehicles

Abstract

A method and a system for diagnosing the operating state of one or more railroad components of a railroad network for rail transport. The railroad components each have at least a first measuring device for measuring first measurement values of at least one measurement variable for describing the operating state of the railroad component. The novel method includes the following steps: measuring the first measurement values by way of the first measuring device; measuring additional, second measurement values, which are independent of the operating state of the railroad components, by way of at least one additional, second measuring device; transmitting the measurement values to a control center situated along the tracks; evaluating the measurement values in the control center by way of a predefined algorithm, and providing at least one result of the evaluation as an output.

Claims

1. A method for diagnosing the operating state of at least one railroad component of a railroad network for rail transport, the railroad component having at least one first measuring device for recording first measured values of at least one measurement variable describing the operating state of the railroad component, the method comprising the following steps:

recording the first measured values using the first measuring device;

recording further, second measured values that are independent of the operating state of the railroad component using at least one further, second measuring device;

transmitting the first measured values to a control center arranged along a respective line;

evaluating the first measured values in the control center using a predefined algorithm in direct dependence on the second measured values; and

providing a result of the evaluation for output.

2. The method according to claim 1, which comprises transmitting the evaluation result to a rail vehicle, and outputting the evaluation result on the rail vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1, which comprises outputting the evaluation result on the line.

4. The method according to claim 1, which comprises cyclically transmitting the first measured values to the control center.

5. The method according to claim 1, which comprises transmitting the first measured values wirelessly to the control center.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predefined algorithm is suitable for a trend analysis of the first measured values.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the measurement variables for which first and/or second measured values are recorded are selected from the group consisting of:

a speed of the rail vehicle, an acceleration of the rail vehicle, a rotational speed of a drive motor, an electrical motor current, an electrical voltage of a motor, and a thermodynamic temperature of a transmission.

8. A system for diagnosing an operating state of a railroad component, comprising:

a control center;

the railroad component having a first measuring device for recording first measured values of at least one measurement variable describing the operating state of the railroad component;

at least one further measuring location with at least one further, second measuring device for recording further, second measured values of at least one measurement variable which are independent of the operating state of said railroad component, said at least one further, second measuring device arranged at a distance from said railroad component;

a transmitter for transmitting the first measured values from said railroad component to said control center;

said control center having at least one receiver for transmitting the first measured values from said first measuring device of the railroad component to said control center and at least one controller for evaluating the first measured values using a predefined algorithm in direct dependence on the second measured values.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein said controller is configured for evaluating the first measured values using a plurality of mutually different, predefined algorithms.