Railroad car wheel measuring apparatus
First Claim
1. A railroad car wheel measuring apparatus comprising,(a) a plurality of sensor devices spaced along a rail on which a car wheel travels, each sensor device responsive to the passage of an initial and a final point along a selected chord of the wheel for generating a distinct output signal to mark the passage of that point,(b) a first and a second of said sensor devices being spaced a selected distance equivalent to the distance along said selected chord of a wheel having a first diameter,(c) each other higher numbered sensor devices representing larger diameter wheels being spaced farther from said first device and a selected distance from the next lower numbered device equivalent to the increment in said selected chord of the corresponding wheel over that of the next smaller wheel, and(d) logic apparatus connected for receiving said output signals from each of said sensor devices upon the passage of said initial and final points along said selected chord of a wheel and responsive for registering the diameter of that wheel in accordance with the second or higher numbered sensor device paired with said first sensor device to simultaneously supply signals representing said initial and final points on said chord.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A plurality of sensors, each generating distinct signals in response to the passage of leading and trailing edges of car wheels, are positioned along the rail at a height above the rail to detect the passage of a selected chord on the wheel tread. The distances between initial sensors and the final unit equal the various selected chord lengths on conventional sized wheels. When one of the initial sensors detects the passage of the trailing edge of the wheel at the chord level simultaneously with the detection of the leading edge of that wheel by the last unit, the output signals are applied to a logic circuit, which registers a wheel of corresponding diameter. Additional sensors placed immediately adjacent the final sensor provide measurement of actual wheel diameters slightly less than the standard sizes due to wheel wear. When the sensors detect a gap in the tread chord, as a worn wheel passes, greater than a predetermined length for each diameter wheel, an indication is provided of a worn wheel requiring replacement. A second set of sensors positioned on the other side of the rail measures the flange height to also indicate wheel wear. All measurements are determined by logic elements and supplied to the yard control system. The diameter and tread thickness measurements are used to supply a corresponding wheel rotational inertia factor to the speed control system while tread and flange wear indications indicate cars requiring immediate wheel replacements.
16 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A railroad car wheel measuring apparatus comprising,
(a) a plurality of sensor devices spaced along a rail on which a car wheel travels, each sensor device responsive to the passage of an initial and a final point along a selected chord of the wheel for generating a distinct output signal to mark the passage of that point, (b) a first and a second of said sensor devices being spaced a selected distance equivalent to the distance along said selected chord of a wheel having a first diameter, (c) each other higher numbered sensor devices representing larger diameter wheels being spaced farther from said first device and a selected distance from the next lower numbered device equivalent to the increment in said selected chord of the corresponding wheel over that of the next smaller wheel, and (d) logic apparatus connected for receiving said output signals from each of said sensor devices upon the passage of said initial and final points along said selected chord of a wheel and responsive for registering the diameter of that wheel in accordance with the second or higher numbered sensor device paired with said first sensor device to simultaneously supply signals representing said initial and final points on said chord.
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10. Apparatus for determining the rotational inertia of a railroad car wheel rolling along a track rail, comprising in combination,
(a) a plurality of sensor devices mounted along one side of said rail and positioned a predetermined height above the top of the rail so that a preselected chord on the car wheel face passes in close proximity to each sensor device, (1) each sensor device being responsive to the passage of the leading and trailing edges of a wheel along said chord for generating distinct output signals, (2) the final sensor device passed by each wheel being spaced from each other sensor device by selected different distances, each representing one of the different diameters of wheels moving along said rail, (b) logic circuit means connected for receiving said output signals from said sensor devices and responsive to simultaneous leading and trailing edge signals from said final sensor device and a particular one of said other sensor devices, respectively, for registering a diameter for that wheel corresponding to the spacing distance of said particular sensor device from said final sensor device, and (c) control means connected for receiving the registered wheel diameter from said logic circuit means and operable for determining the rotational inertia of that wheel in accordance with the received diameter information, (d) said control means operable for controlling the speed of cars traversing the track in accordance with selected parameters including said rotational inertia of all wheels of each car.
Specification