Electro-pneumatic assembly, particularly for a pneumatic braking installation for railway vehicles

• US 10,538,229 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2015
• Issued: 01/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Faiveley Transport Italia Spa (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Faiveley Transport Italia Spa (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Tione, Roberto, Cavazzin, Andrea, Grasso, Angelo
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Bradley T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hsiao, James K
• Application Number:
  US15/524,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20180297570A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,531 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/665 the systems being specially adapted for transferring two or more command signals, e.g. railway systems B60T13/662 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/683 in pneumatic systems or parts thereof in vacuum systems B60T13/72
• CPC Class Codes: B61H 13/34 Details
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 1/024 used as a supplementary power source, e.g. to store energy in idle periods to balance pump load
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 1/033 with electrical control means
• CPC Class Codes: F15B 2201/51 Pressure detection

Abstract

The assembly comprises a body wherein there are defined a chamber, a supply valve adapted to connect the chamber to a pressure source or to the atmosphere, and a vent valve adapted to allow or prevent the connection of the chamber to the atmosphere. The valves are provided with control solenoids to which respective electronic switches are coupled. The assembly also comprises electronic control devices adapted to provide, as a function of the values of at least one input signal, logic control signals to the electronic switches so as to control, through the valves, the value of the pressure in the chamber. The control means comprise two processing and control devices independent of one another, both receiving the input signal and designed to execute strategies for controlling the pressure in the chamber, equivalent to one another.

Claims

1. An electro-pneumatic assembly, particularly for a pneumatic braking installation of a railway vehicle or train, comprising:

a body wherein a chamber is defined;

a solenoid supply valve adapted for selectively coupling said chamber to a pressure source or an atmosphere;

a solenoid vent or a discharge valve adapted to allow and to selectively prevent a connection of said chamber to the atmosphere;

said solenoid supply valve and said solenoid vent or discharge valve being provided with respective control solenoids to which respective electronic switches are coupled; and

electronic control means adapted to provide, as a function of values of at least one input signal, logic control signals to said electronic switches such as to control, through said solenoid supply valve and said solenoid vent or discharge valve, a value of the pressure in said chamber, wherein;

said electronic control means comprise first and second electronic processing and control devices independent of one another, the first and the second electronic processing and control devices being equivalent to one another, both receiving said at least one input signal, and executing strategies for controlling the pressure in said chamber;

each of said first and second electronic processing and control devices is coupled to the control solenoids of the solenoid supply valve and the solenoid vent or discharge valve through respective first and second electronic switches; and

the first electronic switches and the second electronic switches are coupled to one another in a predetermined manner, so as to form together an enabling logic circuit designed to drive the solenoids of said solenoid supply valve and said solenoid vent or discharge valve, the driving of the solenoids comprising;

when the logic control signals provided by said first and second electronic processing and control device conflict with one another, the logic control signals that are actuated being the logic control signals supplied by the electronic processing and control device which produce in said chamber a pressure whose value complies with a predetermined relationship when compared against the pressure value which would be produced if the logic control signals supplied by the other electronic processing and control device were to be actuated.

2. The electro-pneumatic assembly according to claim 1, the driving of the solenoids further comprising:

when the logic control signals provided by said first and second electronic processing and control device conflict with one another, the logic control signals that are actuated being the logic control signals supplied by the electronic processing and control device that produce the greater pressure in said chamber.

3. The electro-pneumatic assembly according to claim 2, wherein each of the solenoids is connected to a first and a second electronic switch which are electrically connected to one another so as to form a logic circuit of an OR type having two inputs connected to the first and the second electronic processing and control device, respectively.

4. The electro-pneumatic assembly according to claim 2, wherein the solenoid of each of said solenoid valves is connected to a first and a second electronic switch which are electrically connected to one another so as to form a logic circuit of an AND type having two inputs coupled to the first and the second electronic processing and control device, respectively.

5. The electro-pneumatic assembly according to claim 2, wherein,

the solenoid of the solenoid supply valve is connected to a first and a second electronic switch which are electrically connected to one another so as to form a logic circuit of an OR type having two inputs connected to the first and the second electronic processing and control device, respectively, and

the solenoid of the solenoid vent or discharge valve is connected to a first and a second electronic switch which are electrically connected to one another so as to form a logic circuit of an AND type having inputs connected to the first and the second electronic processing and control device, respectively.

6. The electro-pneumatic assembly according to claim 1, the driving of the solenoids further comprising:

when the logic control signals provided by said first and second electronic processing and control device conflict with one another, the logic control signals that are actuated being the logic control signals supplied by the electronic processing and control device that produce the lower pressure in said chamber.

7. The electro-pneumatic assembly according to claim 6, wherein,

the solenoid of the solenoid supply valve is connected to a first and a second electronic switch which are electrically connected to one another so as to form a logic circuit of an AND type having two inputs connected to the first and the second electronic processing and control device, respectively, and

the solenoid of the solenoid vent or discharge valve is connected to a first and a second electronic switch which are electrically connected to one another so as to form a logic circuit of an OR type having inputs connected to the first and the second electronic processing and control device, respectively.

8. The electro-pneumatic assembly according to claim 1, wherein said solenoid supply valve and solenoid vent or discharge valve, respectively, are three-way, two-position valves, normally closed and normally open, respectively, and are connected in series, the solenoid supply valve being connected between the pressure source and said chamber, and the solenoid vent or discharge valve being connected to the output of the solenoid supply valve and to said chamber.

9. The electro-pneumatic assembly according to one of claim 1, wherein said solenoid supply valve and solenoid vent or discharge valve, respectively, are three-way, two-position valves, normally closed, and are connected in series, the solenoid supply valve being connected between the pressure source and said chamber, and the solenoid vent or discharge valve being connected to the output of the solenoid supply valve and to said chamber.

10. The electro-pneumatic assembly according to one of claim 1, wherein said solenoid supply valve and solenoid vent or discharge valve, respectively, are three-way, two-position valves, normally open and normally closed, respectively, and are connected in series, the solenoid supply valve being connected between the pressure source and said chamber, and the solenoid vent or discharge valve being connected to the output of the solenoid supply valve and to said chamber.

11. The electro-pneumatic control assembly according to claim 1, wherein said first and second electronic processing and control devices are associated with respective electronic monitoring and diagnostic means adapted to:

detect operational anomalies or faults thereof, and when operational anomalies or faults are detected, disable signals from the first or the second electronic processing and control devices for which the anomalies or faults are detected, the signals being disabled being signals directed to corresponding electronic switches.

12. The electro-pneumatic assembly according to claim 1, wherein said processing and control devices and monitoring and diagnostic means associated with said processing and control devices are integrated into a same electronic device.