Remote control brake system for a railway train
First Claim
1. A remote control system for varying fluid pressure carried in a brake pipe extending continuously through a railway train having a locomotive at which one end of said brake pipe is terminated and a caboose at which the other end of said brake pipe is terminated to thereby obtain faster, more accurate synchronized control of the brakes of said train, said system comprising:
- a. a main reservoir charged with fluid under pressure;
b. a first equalizing reservoir;
c. a first pressure regulating valve device to which said first equalizing reservoir and said main reservoir are connected, and having a cam member in response to rotation of which said first regulating valve device is operable to supply fluid pressure from said main reservoir to said equalizing reservoir and to release fluid pressure therefrom;
d. a first relay valve device to which said one end of said brake pipe, said main reservoir and said first equalizing reservoir are connected, said first relay valve device being operative responsively to the variation of pressure in said first equalizing reservoir to supply fluid pressure from said main reservoir to said brake pipe at said one end and to release fluid pressure therefrom;
e. first encoder means for providing a brake control signal according to the position in which said cam member of said first regulating valve device is rotated;
f. means for transmitting said brake control signal;
g. means for receiving said transmitted brake control signal at said caboose;
h. a second equalizing reservoir;
i. a second pressure regulating valve device to which said other end of said brake pipe and said second equalizing reservoir are connected and having a cam member in response to rotation of which said second regulating valve device is operable to supply fluid pressure from said other end of said brake pipe to said second equalizing reservoir and to release fluid pressure therefrom;
j. motor means for effecting rotation of said cam member of said second regulating valve device;
k. second encoder means for providing a feedback signal corresponding to the position in which said cam member of said second regulating valve device is rotated;
l. first comparator means for effecting operation of said motor means when a difference exists between said brake control signal and said feedback signal; and
m. a second relay valve device to which said other end of said brake pipe and said second equalizing reservoir are connected, said second relay valve device being operative responsive to variation of pressure in said second equalizing reservoir to effect release of fluid pressure from said other end of said brake pipe accordingly.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A radio controlled remote brake system for a railway train having a caboose equipped with a motor driven pressure regulating valve device and an equalizing reservoir that is charged from the train brake pipe pressure via the regulating valve device. When a brake application is made at the locomotive by operating the conventional engineer'"'"'s brake valve device, a radio signal corresponding to the brake valve position is transmitted to the caboose where it is compared with a feedback signal corresponding to the instantaneous position in which the caboose regulating valve is set by its drive motor. When the brake control and feedback signals match, the caboose regulating valve is set to effect a reduction of the caboose equalizing reservoir pressure in accordance with the locomotive equalizing reservoir pressure reduction resulting from operation of the engineer'"'"'s brake valve device. During brake release and charging, an initialization circuit controls the regulating valve drive motor so that the regulating valve is set to the caboose brake pipe pressure when the brake pipe is fully charged. Due to brake pipe gradient, this setting differs from that of the locomotive brake valve and is compensated for by a gradient memory circuit which modifies the feedback signal so that the degree of pressure adjustment provided by the caboose regulating valve matches that of the locomotive. A relay valve device at the caboose operates in response to a reduction of caboose equalizing reservoir pressure to provide a reduction of caboose brake pipe pressure corresponding to the reduction of brake pipe pressure at the locomotive.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A remote control system for varying fluid pressure carried in a brake pipe extending continuously through a railway train having a locomotive at which one end of said brake pipe is terminated and a caboose at which the other end of said brake pipe is terminated to thereby obtain faster, more accurate synchronized control of the brakes of said train, said system comprising:
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a. a main reservoir charged with fluid under pressure; b. a first equalizing reservoir; c. a first pressure regulating valve device to which said first equalizing reservoir and said main reservoir are connected, and having a cam member in response to rotation of which said first regulating valve device is operable to supply fluid pressure from said main reservoir to said equalizing reservoir and to release fluid pressure therefrom; d. a first relay valve device to which said one end of said brake pipe, said main reservoir and said first equalizing reservoir are connected, said first relay valve device being operative responsively to the variation of pressure in said first equalizing reservoir to supply fluid pressure from said main reservoir to said brake pipe at said one end and to release fluid pressure therefrom; e. first encoder means for providing a brake control signal according to the position in which said cam member of said first regulating valve device is rotated; f. means for transmitting said brake control signal; g. means for receiving said transmitted brake control signal at said caboose; h. a second equalizing reservoir; i. a second pressure regulating valve device to which said other end of said brake pipe and said second equalizing reservoir are connected and having a cam member in response to rotation of which said second regulating valve device is operable to supply fluid pressure from said other end of said brake pipe to said second equalizing reservoir and to release fluid pressure therefrom; j. motor means for effecting rotation of said cam member of said second regulating valve device; k. second encoder means for providing a feedback signal corresponding to the position in which said cam member of said second regulating valve device is rotated; l. first comparator means for effecting operation of said motor means when a difference exists between said brake control signal and said feedback signal; and m. a second relay valve device to which said other end of said brake pipe and said second equalizing reservoir are connected, said second relay valve device being operative responsive to variation of pressure in said second equalizing reservoir to effect release of fluid pressure from said other end of said brake pipe accordingly. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification