ADAPTIVE BRAKE SCHEME DURING A LOCOMOTIVE DISTRIBUTED POWER COMMUNICATION LOSS

• US 20090223760A1
• Filed: 03/05/2008
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Smith, Eugene A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,190,311 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 188/3.H
• 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 17/228 for railway vehicles

Abstract

An adaptive brake system for a distributed power train responsive to an interruption in a communication system for the train and a brake application initiated at the lead locomotive, reduces the brake pipe fluid pressure at a lead locomotive and a remote locomotive to a predetermined pressure level to reduce in-train forces that may occur as a result of the pressure differentials in the brake pipe line of the lead and remote locomotives.

Claims

1. An adaptive brake system for a distributed power railroad train comprising a lead locomotive, at least one remote locomotive and a plurality of railcars interconnected by a fluid-carrying brake pipe as a component of a brake control system at each of the lead locomotive and remote locomotive, wherein the lead locomotive issues braking commands to the remote locomotive over a communication system between the lead locomotive and the remote locomotive, and wherein the lead locomotive and at least one remote locomotive are each in fluid communications with the brake pipe for controlling the brake pipe fluid pressure at each of the lead locomotive and the at least one remote locomotive, the system comprising:

an input command mechanism on the lead locomotive for entering a braking command associated with a brake application, which command is sent via the communication system to the remote locomotive;

wherein there exists a loss of communication relative to the braking command between the lead locomotive and the remote locomotive over the communications system;

a sensor for detecting a brake pipe fluid pressure in the brake pipe line at the remote locomotive that transmits one or more signals indicative of the brake pipe fluid pressure at the remote locomotive;

a controller at the remote locomotive that is linked to the sensor and the brake control system,

a database having data relative to a brake pipe fluid pressure indicative of brake application initiated at the lead locomotive and data relative to a predetermined brake pipe pressure level in the event a brake application is detected; and

,

the controller compares signals received from the sensor to the brake pipe pressure data to determine that a brake application has been initiated at the lead locomotive and transmits a signal to the brake control system, which signal is indicative of a predetermined brake pipe fluid pressure level; and

,

wherein the brake control system, responsive to the signal received from the controller, reduces the brake pipe fluid pressure in the brake pipe at the remote locomotive to the predetermined brake pipe fluid pressure level.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller at the remote locomotive is linked to the communication system, which transmits a signal to the controller that is indicative of a communication loss between the lead locomotive and the remote locomotive and the controller, responsive to the communication loss signal, determines whether a brake application has been initiated at the lead locomotive.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the brake control system comprises an equalizing reservoir in fluid communication with the brake pipe at the remote locomotive and a control valve in fluid with the equalizing reservoir and responsive to one or more signal from the controller exhausts the equalizing reservoir to reduce the brake pipe fluid pressure to the predetermined pressure level.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising an emergency exhaust valve in the brake pipe to exhaust brake pipe fluid to the predetermined brake pipe fluid pressure and responsive to one or more signals received from the controller.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a controller at the lead locomotive that is linked to the brake control system and the communication system which transmits a signal indicative of a loss of communication between the remote locomotive and the lead locomotive and the controller at the lead locomotive, responsive to the communication loss signal, transmits a signal indicative of the predetermined brake pipe fluid pressure level and the brake control system, responsive to the signal received from the controller, reduces the brake pipe fluid pressure in the brake pipe at the lead locomotive to the predetermined brake pipe fluid pressure level.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller at the lead locomotive transmits a signal indicative of the predetermined brake pipe fluid pressure level to the brake control system at the lead locomotive only when the reduction in brake pipe fluid pressure initiated by a brake application is less than the reduction in brake pipe pressure pipe fluid pressure to reach the predetermined brake pipe fluid pressure.

7. A method for controlling a braking operation in a distributed power railroad train comprising a lead locomotive, at least one remote locomotive and a plurality of railcars interconnected by a fluid-carrying brake pipe as a component of a brake control system on each of the lead locomotive and the remote locomotive, wherein the lead locomotive issues braking commands to the remote locomotive over a communication system between the lead locomotive and the remote locomotive, and wherein the lead locomotive and at least one remote locomotive are in fluid communications with the brake pipe for controlling the brake pipe fluid pressure at each of the lead locomotive and the at least one remote locomotive, the method comprising:

transmitting a signal via the communication system from the lead locomotive to the remote locomotive, which signal is indicative of a braking command associated with a brake application;

providing a status signal indicative of a loss of communication in the communication system between the lead locomotive and the remote locomotive over the communications system;

detecting a reduction in brake pipe fluid pressure at the remote locomotive that is indicative of a brake application initiated at the lead locomotive; and

,

reducing the brake pipe fluid pressure at the remote locomotive to a reduced predetermined brake pipe fluid pressure limit.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising reducing the brake pipe fluid pressure at the lead locomotive to the reduced predetermined brake pipe fluid pressure limit.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising providing a database that includes data relative to one or more brake pipe fluid pressure levels that are indicative of a brake application initiated at the lead locomotive.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising providing a sensor linked to the brake pipe at the remote locomotive for detecting the brake pipe fluid pressure at the remote locomotive and transmitting to a controller one or mores signals indicative of the brake pipe fluid pressure at the remote locomotive, and via the controller, accessing the brake pipe fluid pressure level data and determining whether the brake pipe pressure level at the remote locomotive is indicative of a brake application initiated at the lead locomotive.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising transmitting the communication loss signal to the controller and via the controller determining whether the brake pipe fluid pressure at the remote locomotive is indicative of a brake application initiated at the lead locomotive.

12. The method of claim 7 further comprising at the lead locomotive transmitting the communication loss signal to a controller on the lead locomotive and reducing the brake pipe fluid pressure at the lead locomotive to the predetermined brake pipe pressure limit.

13. A computer program for controlling a braking operation in a distributed power railroad train comprising a lead locomotive, at least one remote locomotive and a plurality of railcars interconnected by a fluid-carrying brake pipe as a component of a brake control system on each of the lead locomotive and the remote locomotive, wherein the lead locomotive issues braking commands to the remote locomotive over a communication system between the lead locomotive and the remote locomotive, and wherein the lead locomotive and at least one remote locomotive are in fluid communications with the brake pipe for controlling the brake pipe fluid pressure at each of the lead locomotive and the at least one remote locomotive, the computer program comprising:

a computer module for transmitting a signal via the communication system from the lead locomotive to the remote locomotive, which signal is indicative of a braking command associated with a brake application;

a computer module for providing a status signal indicative of a loss of communication in the communication system between the lead locomotive and the remote locomotive over the communications system;

a computer module for detecting a reduction in brake pipe fluid pressure at the remote locomotive that is indicative of a brake application initiated at the lead locomotive; and

,

a computer module for reducing the brake pipe fluid pressure at the remote locomotive to a reduced predetermined brake pipe fluid pressure limit.

14. The computer program of claim 13 further comprising a computer module for reducing the brake pipe fluid pressure at the lead locomotive to the reduced predetermined brake pipe fluid pressure limit.

15. The computer program of claim 13 further comprising a computer module for providing a database that includes data relative to one or more brake pipe fluid pressure levels that are indicative of a brake application initiated at the lead locomotive.

16. The computer program of claim 15 further comprising a computer module for providing a sensor linked to the brake pipe at the remote locomotive for detecting the brake pipe fluid pressure at the remote locomotive and transmitting to a controller one or mores signals indicative of the brake pipe fluid pressure at the remote locomotive, and via the controller, accessing the brake pipe fluid pressure level data and determining whether the brake pipe pressure level at the remote locomotive is indicative of a brake application initiated at the lead locomotive.

17. The computer program of claim 16 further comprising a computer module for transmitting the communication loss signal to the controller and via the controller determining whether the brake pipe fluid pressure at the remote locomotive is indicative of a brake application initiated at the lead locomotive.

18. The computer program of claim 13 further comprising a computer module for transmitting the communication loss signal to a controller on the lead locomotive and reducing the brake pipe fluid pressure at the lead locomotive to the predetermined brake pipe pressure limit responsive to the communication loss signal.