System for detecting hot elements on railway vehicles

• US 3,183,350 A
• Filed: 02/09/1960
• Issued: 05/11/1965
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1959
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Henry C. Sibley
• Original Assignee: Henry C. Sibley
• Inventors: Sibley, Henry C.
• Application Number:
  US04/007,727
• Time in Patent Office: 1,918 Days
• US Class Current: 246/169.00D
• CPC Class Codes: B61K 9/06 by detecting or indicating heat radiation from overheated axles
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 25/72 Investigating presence of flaws

Claims

8. A SYSTEM FOR DETECTING AND REGISTERING THE OVERHEATING OF EITHER OF TWO PORTIONS OF A WHEEL OF A RAILWAY CAR UPON PASSAGE OF THE CAR ALONG A STRETCH OF RAILWAY TRACK COMPRISING, (A) DETECTOR MEANS DISPOSED AT A POINT ALONG SAID STRETCH OF TRACK HAVING AN ELEMENT SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION AND HAVING MEANS FOR IMAGING UPON SAID ELEMENT DURING THE PASSAGE OF THE CAR THE INFRARED RADIATIONS EMITTED BY SAID WHEEL WHILE SCANNING A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENT RADIAL PORTIONS OF SAID WHEEL AT A PREDETERMINED ELEVATION LEVEL INCLUDING A PORTION OF THE WHEEL HUB, SAID DETECTOR MEANS BEING OPERABLE TO GENERATE A SIGNAL CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DEGREE OF HEAT OF THE PORTION OF THE WHEEL BEING SCANNED, (B) GATING MEANS INCLUDING WHEEL DETECTORS SUBJECT TO ACTUATION BY SAID CAR WHEEL FOR FORMING FIRST AND SECOND GATING INTERVALS FOR REGISTRATION OF TEMPERATURES OF FIRST AND SECOND OF SAID RADIAL PORTIONS OF SAID CAR WHEEL RESPECTIVELY AS DETECTED BY SAID DETECTOR MEANS, (C) STORAGE MEANS FOR STORING THE SIGNAL CORRESPONDING TO THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID FIRST RADIAL PORTION UNTIL AFTER REGISTRATION OF THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID SECOND RADIAL PORTION, (D) MEANS FOR COMPARING THE SIGNAL INDICATIVE OF THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND RADIAL PORTIONS OF THE WHEEL, AND (E) MEANS CONTROLLED BY SAID COMPARING MEANS FOR REGISTERING WHICH OF THE TWO RADIAL PORTIONS HAS THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE.