Vehicle Control System

• US 20200130659A1
• Filed: 12/23/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Faiveley Transport Italia Spa (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation
• Inventors: Grasso, Angelo, Lucarelli, Stefano, Tione, Roberto
• Granted Patent: US 11,479,219 B2
• Time in Patent Office: 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: B60T 17/228 for railway vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1705 for rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B61H 13/20 Transmitting mechanisms wear-compensating mechanisms B61H15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B61H 13/34 Details

Abstract

The system provides for the control of a railway train for the transport of goods, comprising a plurality of wagons a master locomotive at the head of the train and one or more slave locomotives distributed along the train. The train is equipped with a pneumatic brake pipe which extends along the whole train. The master locomotive is equipped with a master control system for controlling the train, and the at least one slave locomotive is equipped with a slave control system subordinated to the master control system. The master and slave systems can communicate with each other via a radio channel. The or each slave system is designed to control traction apparatuses, apparatuses for controlling the pressure in the brake pipe and apparatuses for applying the emergency brake of the corresponding slave locomotive, and for retransmitting signals indicating the status of these apparatuses of the slave locomotive to the master system.

Claims

1. A control system comprising:

a first controller configured to be disposed onboard a first vehicle of a vehicle system having a brake pipe; and

a second controller configured to be disposed onboard a second vehicle of the vehicle system, the second controller configured to communicate with the first controller and be controlled by commands communicated from the first controller;

wherein, responsive to a communication loss between the first controller and the second controller, the second controller is configured to examine pressure variations in the brake pipe and of air flow supplied to the brake pipe and, in response to determining a negative gradient of pressure in the brake pipe, connect a valve to the brake pipe and control the valve to create one or more successive negative steps of a designated pressure value of the pressure in the brake pipe.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the second controller is configured to monitor the air flow supplied to the brake pipe subsequent to creation of the one or more successive negative steps and isolate the valve from the brake pipe subsequent to creation of the one or more successive negative steps and based on an absence of a supply of air to the brake pipe by the valve.

3. The control system of claim 2, wherein the second controller is configured to maintain isolation of the valve from the brake pipe responsive to detection of a positive gradient of the pressure in the brake pipe.

4. The control system of claim 1, wherein the second controller is configured to create the one or more successive negative steps using amplitudes that are dependent on one or more of an absolute value or a gradient of the pressure in the brake pipe.

5. The control system of claim 4, wherein one or more of the first controller or the second controller is configured to update a reference value of pressure in the brake pipe corresponding to a released condition of brakes that are actuated based on the pressure in the brake pipe.

6. The control system of claim 1, wherein the second controller is configured to connect the valve to the brake pipe in response to receiving a request from the first controller for a change in the pressure received by the first vehicle via the brake pipe.

7. The control system of claim 6, wherein the second controller is configured to implement the change in the pressure received by the first vehicle via the brake pipe by changing a set point value of the pressure in the brake pipe and isolating the valve from the brake pipe responsive to completion of the change in the pressure received by the first vehicle via the brake pipe.

8. The control system of claim 1, wherein the second controller also is configured to control tractive forces generated by the second vehicle.

9. The control system of claim 8, wherein the second controller is configured to, responsive to a traction set point value exceeding a predetermined value, reduce the traction set point value to a predetermined value at a first predetermined gradient.

10. The control system of claim 9, wherein the second controller is configured to, responsive to the traction set point value being no greater than the predetermined value, increase the traction set point value to the predetermined value at a second predetermined gradient.

11. The control system of claim 10, wherein the second controller is configured to, responsive to a braking condition of the vehicle system, reset the traction set point value until the braking condition terminates.

12. The control system of claim 11, wherein the predetermined value of the traction set point, the first predetermined gradient, and the second predetermined gradient are based on a geographic position of the vehicle system.

13. A railway train control system comprising:

one or more controllers configured to one or more of;

implement a series of negative gradient brake pipe braking pressures in a brake pipe in response to an absence of an end-of-train radio signal, or

isolate a brake pipe braking pressure in response to detecting a negative or positive gradient pressure in the brake pipe after a predetermined time period.

14. The control system of claim 13, wherein the one or more controllers are configured to monitor air flow supplied to the brake pipe subsequent to implementation of the series of the negative gradient brake pipe braking pressures and isolate a valve from the brake pipe subsequent to implementation of the series of the negative gradient brake pipe braking pressures.

15. The control system of claim 14, wherein the one or more controllers are configured to maintain isolation of the valve from the brake pipe responsive to detection of a positive gradient of the brake pipe braking pressure.

16. The control system of claim 13, wherein the one or more controllers are configured to create the series of the negative gradient brake pipe braking pressures using amplitudes that are dependent on one or more of an absolute value or a gradient of the .

17. The control system of claim 13, wherein the one or more controllers are configured to connect the valve to the brake pipe in response to receiving a request for a change in the brake pipe braking pressure.

18. A control system comprising:

one or more controllers configured to one or more of;

implement a series of negative gradients to pressures in a brake pipe of a vehicle system in response to an absence of a wireless signal, or

isolate a selected pressure of the pressures in the brake pipe in response to detecting a negative or positive gradient pressure in the brake pipe after a predetermined time period.

19. The control system of claim 18, wherein the one or more controllers are configured to monitor air flow supplied to the brake pipe subsequent to implementation of the series of the negative gradients and isolate a valve from the brake pipe subsequent to implementation of the series of the negative gradients.

20. The control system of claim 19, wherein the one or more controllers are configured to maintain isolation of the valve from the brake pipe responsive to detection of a positive gradient of the pressures.