MONITOR FOR MOVING VEHICLES

• US 3,825,734 A
• Filed: 03/14/1973
• Issued: 07/23/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toledo Scale Corporation 350 W Wilson Bridge RD Worthington Oh
• Original Assignee: Norman H. Jacobs, William C. Susor
• Inventors: Jacobs, Norman H., Susor, William C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Morrison, Malcolm A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Krass, Errol A.
• Application Number:
  US05/341,302
• Time in Patent Office: 496 Days
• Field of Search: 235/151.33,92WT,151.32,92NT,92TF 177/DIG.8,25,26,163,134 246/122,123,124
• US Class Current: 702/175
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/047 using electrical weight-sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/66 using electric or magnetic means G01P3/80 takes precedence; measuring short time intervals G04F8/00, G04F10/00

Abstract

Apparatus for monitoring vehicles moving along a predetermined path, such as a train moving along a railroad track. At least two digital scales are positioned in the path and in a first embodiment include at least two load cells which are spaced apart less than the minimum axle spacing on the vehicles for successively measuring the axle weights of the moving vehicles. In a second embodiment, the load cells have a spacing greater than the maximum axle spacing on a truck at one end of a railroad car. The direction and speed of the vehicles are determined from the sequence and the time interval between peak outputs from the scales as the axles move sequentially over the scales. From the scale outputs, the apparatus may also determine when the vehicles stop or change direction, count the number of vehicles moving along the path, measure the total weight of each vehicle and identify the types of vehicles moving along the path. The output peaks from the scales are compared for detecting a failure in either scale during operation of the apparatus which would cause the peak weights to deviate by more than a permissable tolerance.

Claims

1. Apparatus for monitoring vehicles moving along a predetermined path, such vehicles having a plurality of wheels on axles mounted adjacent each vehicle end with such axles having predetermined spacings, cOmprising, in combination, a scale platform located along a portion of the path, at least two load cells, said load cells positioned under said platform and spaced apart in the direction of the path, at least two scales each having an input connected to a different one of said load cells and each having an output proportional to the axle weights placed on the connected load cell as the vehicles move along the path, and means for comparing such scale outputs to monitor vehicles moving along the path.

2. Apparatus for monitoring vehicles moving along a predetermined path, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said scales are digital scales having digital outputs corresponding to the weight on said scale platform.

3. Apparatus for monitoring vehicles moving along a predetermined path, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said scale platform has a maximum length in the direction of the path less than the minimum spacing between axles at an end of any of the vehicles whereby only a single axle can be located over said scale platform.

4. Apparatus for monitoring vehicles moving along a predetermined path, as set forth in claim 3, wherein said comparing means includes means for sensing the peak output from each of said scales as the vehicle axles move over said platform, means for measuring the time interval between such output peaks, and means for calculating the speed of such vehicle from such time interval and the spacing between said load cells.

5. Apparatus for monitoring vehicles moving along a predetermined path, as set forth in claim 4, and wherein said comparing means further includes means for measuring the axle spacing on each vehicle passing over said scale platform from the output of at least one of said load cells and the calculated vehicle speed, and means for comparing such measured axle spacings with known axle spacings for different types of vehicles to identify the type of each vehicle passing over said scale platform.

6. Apparatus for monitoring vehicles moving along a predetermined path, as set forth in claim 2, and wherein said comparing means includes means for measuring the peak output of each of said scales as a vehicle axle moves over said scale platform, and wherein said comparing means compares such peak scale outputs.

7. Apparatus for monitoring vehicles moving along a predetermined path, as set forth in claim 6, and including alarm means, and wherein said comparing means includes means for energizing said alarm means in response to a predetermined deviation between such peak scale outputs.

8. Apparatus for monitoring vehicles moving along a predetermined path, as set forth in claim 6, wherein said scale platform has a length in the direction of the path greater than the maximum spacing of axles at any end of all vehicles whereby all axles at an end of a vehicle can be located on said scale platform and wherein said measuring means measures the peak output of said scales as such axles at a vehicle end move over said scale platform.

9. Apparatus for monitoring vehicles moving along a predetermined path, as set forth in claim 8, wherein said comparing means further includes means responsive to the outputs of said load cells for measuring the total weight of each vehicle moving over said scale platform.

10. Apparatus for monitoring vehicles moving along a predetermined path, as set forth in claim 6, wherein said comparing means further includes means responsive to the peak output of at least one of said scales for measuring the total weight of each vehicle over said scale platform.

11. Apparatus for monitoring vehicles moving along a predetermined path, as set forth in claim 10, wherein said comparing means further includes means responsive to the output of at least one of said load cells for counting the number of vehicles moving over said scale platform.

12. Apparatus for monitoring vehicles moving along a predetermined path, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said comparing means further includes means for storIng the peak output of at least one of said scales as the wheels on each successive vehicle axle move over said scale platform, and means for summing such stored peak outputs for all axles of a vehicle as a measure of the total weight of such vehicle.

13. Apparatus for monitoring vehicles moving along a predetermined path, as set forth in claim 1, and including means responsive to such scale outputs for detecting a change in the direction of a vehicle moving over said scale platform.

14. Apparatus for monitoring vehicles moving along a predetermined path, as set forth in claim 13, wherein said detecting means further detects a stoppage a vehicle moving over said scale platform.