Automatic locomotive speed control
First Claim
1. Apparatus for automatically controlling the speed of a consist of locomotives having a lead engine and a plurality of trailing engines, where each engine has a predetermined, efficient high throttle position and a desired low throttle position, said apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of control units including a lead unit for said lead engine and at least a first trail unit and a second trail unit for controlling the throttles of corresponding first and second trailing engines,an electrical control line extending from said lead unit to said trail units in serial order,said lead unit having means for sensing the speed of the consist, operator-activated means for selecting a desired operating speed for the consist, and means responsive to activation thereof for generating a cutout control signal and transmitting the same to said trail units along said control line, said control signal having a magnitude that changes in one direction as the actual speed of the consist rises above said desired operating speed, and that changes in the opposite direction as the speed of the consist falls below said desired operating speed,each of said trail units having a decoder responsive to the magnitude of said control signal for setting the respective engine throttle at either the high position to put the engine on line or the low position to cut it out,said trail units being provided with means responsive to said control signal for changing the magnitude thereof in said one direction by an amount equal to a predetermined speed increase as said control signal is conducted rearwardly in the consist from each trail unit to the next succeeding trail unit, whereby engines are successively throttled back from the rear of the consist and returned on line from the front to maintain the consist at said desired operating speed.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An automatic speed control system for a consist of diesel locomotives conserves fuel by throttling back trailing engines and operating remaining engines at the most efficient throttle position. A control unit in the lead locomotive is operated by the engineer to command control units in equipped trailing locomotives of the consist. In the lead locomotive, depressing a "set speed" push button causes a speed memory to store the existing speed of the consist, and a cutout control signal is generated which is transmitted to trailing units in serial order, i.e., front to rear, by a single spare trainline wire. The control signal has two control voltage levels that increase or decrease with deviations of the speed of the consist from the desired speed in memory. These voltage levels are decoded by each trailing unit and, if power is needed, the engine throttle is set at the most efficient position or, if the locomotive is to be cut out, the throttle is set at a desired minimum position. The trailing units also cause these voltage levels to drop by a fixed amount (equivalent to a predetermined speed increase) as the control signal is conducted by the trainline wire rearwardly in the consist from each trailing unit to the next succeeding trailing unit. In this manner, engines are successively throttled back from the rear of the consist and returned to the higher throttle position from the front to maintain the desired train speed. A hold mode permits the automatic control system to be temporarily disabled without clearing the speed memory or changing the control signal, and depressing a "resume speed" push button on the lead unit reestablishes automatic speed regulation.
53 Citations
20 Claims
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1. Apparatus for automatically controlling the speed of a consist of locomotives having a lead engine and a plurality of trailing engines, where each engine has a predetermined, efficient high throttle position and a desired low throttle position, said apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of control units including a lead unit for said lead engine and at least a first trail unit and a second trail unit for controlling the throttles of corresponding first and second trailing engines, an electrical control line extending from said lead unit to said trail units in serial order, said lead unit having means for sensing the speed of the consist, operator-activated means for selecting a desired operating speed for the consist, and means responsive to activation thereof for generating a cutout control signal and transmitting the same to said trail units along said control line, said control signal having a magnitude that changes in one direction as the actual speed of the consist rises above said desired operating speed, and that changes in the opposite direction as the speed of the consist falls below said desired operating speed, each of said trail units having a decoder responsive to the magnitude of said control signal for setting the respective engine throttle at either the high position to put the engine on line or the low position to cut it out, said trail units being provided with means responsive to said control signal for changing the magnitude thereof in said one direction by an amount equal to a predetermined speed increase as said control signal is conducted rearwardly in the consist from each trail unit to the next succeeding trail unit, whereby engines are successively throttled back from the rear of the consist and returned on line from the front to maintain the consist at said desired operating speed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for automatically controlling the speed of a consist of locomotives having a lead engine and a plurality of trailing engines, where each engine has a predetermined, efficient high throttle position and a desired low throttle position, and where the trailing engines for control purposes are numerically designated in sequence beginning with the first trailing engine immediately behind the lead engine, said method comprising the steps of:
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selecting a desired operating speed for the consist; generating a cutout control signal in said lead engine and transmitting the control signal to the trailing engines in serial order; providing said control signal with a characteristic that changes as the actual speed of the consist rises above and falls below said desired operating speed; modifying said characteristic of the control signal as it is transmitted from the first trailing engine to successive trailing engines, in a manner such that the control signal at each trailing engine in succession represents a predetermined speed increase; and decoding said control signal at each trailing engine and setting the throttle thereof at either the high position to put the engine on line or the low position to cut it out, whereby engines are successively throttled back from the rear of the consist and returned on line from the front to maintain the consist at said desired operating speed. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. Apparatus for automatically controlling the speed of a consist of locomotives having a lead engine and a plurality of trailing engines, where each engine has a predetermined, efficient high throttle position and a desired low throttle position, said apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of control units for respective lead and trailing engines for controlling the throttles of the trailing engines, each of said units having means for sensing the speed of the consist, operator-activated means for selecting a desired operating speed for the consist, and means responsive to activation thereof for generating a cutout control signal having a characteristic that changes as the actual speed of the consist deviates from said desired operating speed, each of said units further having a pair of lines interconnected at a junction point and adapted for connection to corresponding trainline wires extending from said lines to the short and long hood trainline connectors respectively of the locomotive, an output lead connecting said control signal generating means with said junction point for transmitting said control signal thereto, and a decoder connected with said junction point and responsive to said control signal characteristic for setting the respective engine throttle at either the high position to put the engine on line or the low position to cut it out, each unit having means for rendering said control signal generating means operable when the unit is in the lead engine, whereby such lead unit is capable of generating said control signal and transmitting the same to the junction point therein for transmission to units in trailing engines, and means isolating said output lead from said junction point to prevent control signal conduction along said output lead away from said junction point, each unit being provided with means for disabling the decoder thereof when the unit is in the lead engine, whereby locomotives equipped with said control units may be employed as lead or trailing engines and the control units will respond without being especially set up for a lead unit or trailing unit function. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification