SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING WHETHER A LOCOMOTIVE IN A CONSIST IS IN LEADING MODE OR TRAILING MODE

• US 20100256842A1
• Filed: 03/11/2010
• Published: 10/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRAC Rail Incorporated Doing Business As ZTR Control Systems, ZTR Control Systems
• Original Assignee: TRAC Rail Incorporated Doing Business As ZTR Control Systems
• Inventors: Liberatore, Aldo
• Granted Patent: US 8,346,414 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/19
• 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 15/048 Controlling pressure brakes of railway vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/228 for railway vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B61C 17/12 Control gear; Arrangements for controlling locomotives from remote points in the train or when operating in multiple units control from points outside the train B61L3/00; fluid-actuated telemotors, servomotors F15B; control devices in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 7/00 Measuring the steady or quasi-steady pressure of a fluid or a fluent solid material by mechanical or fluid pressure-sensitive elements G01L11/004 takes precedence; transmitting or indicating the displacement of mechanical pressure-sensitive elements by electric , e.g., photoelectric or magnetic means G01L9/00; measuring differences of two or more pressure values G01L13/00; measuring two or more pressure values simultaneously G01L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49716 Converting

Abstract

By taking a pressure reading at a particular port on a multiple-unit braking valve, e.g. the MU-2-A valve, and comparing such a reading to a main reservoir pressure, one can identify whether the locomotive in which the valve is situated is in trailing mode or leading mode. In particular, it was found that the pressure on port 63 of the MU-2-A valve is indicative of which mode the locomotive is in since port 63 is exhausted to atmosphere in lead mode whereas it is at or near the pressure in the main reservoir which is readily distinguishable from atmosphere.

Claims

1. A system for determining whether a locomotive in a consist is in a leading mode or a trailing mode, the system comprising:

a first fluidly communicative connection to port 63 of an MU-2-A valve on the locomotive;

a pressure measurement device in communication with the first fluidly communicative connection for obtaining a pressure measurement at the port 63, wherein a comparison of the pressure measurement at the port 63 to a value associated with a main reservoir pressure is indicative of whether the locomotive is in the leading mode or the trailing mode.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the pressure measurement device is configured to perform the comparison.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the pressure measurement device comprises a pressure switch connected to the port 63, the pressure switch providing as an output, either one signal for indicating that the locomotive is in the leading mode or another signal for indicating that the locomotive is in the trailing mode.

4. The system according to claim 3, further comprising a second fluidly communicative connection between port 30 of MU-2-A valve and a main reservoir, wherein the value is obtained by measuring a current pressure via the second fluidly communicative connection.

5. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an interface for providing the pressure measurement at the port 63 to enable performance of the comparison.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the interface provides the pressure measurement at the port 63 to an existing control system in the locomotive.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the comparison is performed by the control system

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the pressure measurement device comprises a first pressure sensor for obtaining the pressure measurement at the port 63.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the value associated with the main reservoir pressure is a known value, and wherein the measurement obtained by the first pressure sensor is compared to the known value in determining the output.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the value associated with the main reservoir pressure is obtained via a second pressure sensor in fluid communication with the main reservoir, and wherein the measurement obtained by the first pressure sensor is compared to a measurement taken by the second pressure sensor in determining the output.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first fluidly communicative connection interfaces with an existing connection between the port 63 on the MU-2-A valve and an existing F-1 Valve of the locomotive.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the pressure measurement device comprises a pressure switch connected to the first fluidly communicative connection, the pressure switch providing as an output, either one signal for indicating that the locomotive is in the leading mode or another signal for indicating that the locomotive is in the trailing mode.

13. A method for determining whether a locomotive in a consist is in a leading mode or a trailing mode, the method comprising:

obtaining a first pressure measurement indicative of pressure at port 63 on an MU-2-A valve of the locomotive;

comparing the first pressure measurement to a value associated with the main reservoir pressure; and

using the comparison to provide an output indicative of whether the locomotive is in the leading mode or the trailing mode.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein if the first pressure measurement meets a predetermined threshold, the output is indicative of one of the modes, and wherein if the first pressure measurement does not meet the predetermined threshold, the output is indicative of the other of the modes.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein if the first pressure measurement is within a predeteimined range of values associated with the main reservoir pressure, the output indicates that the locomotive is in the trailing position.

16. The method according to claim 13, further comprising obtaining a second pressure measurement indicative of the value associated with the main reservoir pressure.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein the method is performed by an existing control system on the locomotive.

18. A method for retrofitting an existing locomotive configured to be used in a consist for determining whether the locomotive is in a leading mode or a trailing mode, the method comprising:

providing a first fluidly communicative connection to port 63 of an MU-2-A valve on the locomotive;

providing a pressure measurement device in communication with the first fluidly communicative connection for obtaining a pressure measurement at the port 63; and

obtaining an output provided by the pressure measurement device indicative of the pressure measurement at the port 63 to enable comparison of the pressure measurement to a value associated with a main reservoir pressure.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the pressure measurement device comprises a pressure switch connected to the port 63, the method further comprising providing either one signal for indicating that the locomotive is in the leading mode or another signal for indicating that the locomotive is in the trailing mode.

20. The method according to claim 18, further comprising providing a second fluidly communicative connection between port 30 of MU-2-A valve and a main reservoir, wherein the value is obtained by measuring a current pressure via the second fluidly communicative connection.

21. The method according to claim 18, further comprising providing the output to an existing control system in the locomotive.

22. The method according to claim 18, wherein the value associated with the main reservoir pressure is a known value, and wherein the method further comprises comparing the output to the known value in performance of the comparison.