Control system for integral trains

• US 4,652,057 A
• Filed: 09/16/1985
• Issued: 03/24/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Knorr Brake Holding Corporation (Knorr-Bremse GmbH)
• Original Assignee: General Signal Corporation (SPX Corporation)
• Inventors: Engle, Thomas H., Parker, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Butler, Douglas C.
• Application Number:
  US06/776,765
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• Field of Search: 303/20, 303/3, 303/15, 303/2, 303/1, 303/13, 303/14, 303/16, 303/17, 303/33, 303/36, 303/47, 303/8, 303/100, 303/101, 303/22 A, 364/426, 364/424, 105/61, 246/167, 246/182, 246/187, 340/47, 340/48, 340/870.11, 340/870.13, 340/825.52, 188/3 R, 188/159
• US Class Current: 303/3
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/665 the systems being specially adapted for transferring two or more command signals, e.g. railway systems B60T13/662 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 15/16 Arrangements enabling systems to be controlled from two or more positions
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/228 for railway vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B61D 3/184 the heavy vehicles being of the trailer or semi-trailer type
• CPC Class Codes: B61D 47/005 Loading or unloading devices combined with road vehicles carrying wagons, e.g. ramps, turntables, lifting means wagons for carrying road vehicles in general: B61D3/18

Abstract

A train having at least a pair of control cabs spaced along the train interconnected electrically. Electric signals transmitted between the control cabs allows for fluid braking signals to be propagated from both control cabs toward each other. Each car of the train includes a device for modifying a test signal transmitted between the control cabs in response to a specified condition. The signal modify device can be a tuned circuit and may indicate brake status or a hot journal.

Claims

1. A train comprising:

a first control cab having electrical and fluid control means;

a second control cab having electrical and fluid control means;

a plurality of cars between said first and second control cabs including electrical and fluid conduits connected electrically and fluidically to said electrical and fluid control means of said first and second control cabs;

a plurality of fluid brakes, auxiliary and emergency reservoirs, and triple valves interconnecting said brakes, said reservoirs and said fluid conduit to control said brakes spaced along the length of said train in response to said fluid control means;

transmitting means on said first control cab for transmitting electrical command signals to said control means of said second control cab; and

receiving means on said second control cab for receiving said electrical command signals, whereby fluid signals are propagated from both ends of the fluid conduits.

2. A train according to claim 1, wherein said fluid conduits include a brake pipe conduit and a main reservoir conduit and said triple valves and vent valves being connected to said brake pipe conduit.

3. A train according to claim 2, including air spring on each car connected to said main reservoir conduit.

4. A train according to claim 1, wherein said triple valve includes means responsive to an emergency brake signal for sequentially applying and equalizing said auxiliary reservoir to and with said brake, disconnecting said auxiliary reservoir from said brake, and applying and equalizing said emergency reservoir to and with said brake.

5. A train according to claim 4, wherein the capability of said emergency reservoir is in the range of 20% to 50% of the capacity of said auxiliary reservoir.

6. A train according to claim 1, wherein said train includes propulsion means and wherein said electrical and fluid control means includes means for sensing an emergency condition on said fluid conduit, and means for disabling said propulsion means for a sensed emergency condition.

7. A train comprising:

a first control cab having electrical and fluid control means;

a second control cab having electrical and fluid control means;

a plurality of cars between said first and second control cabs including an electrical and fluid conduits connected electrically and fluidically to said electrical and fluid control means of said first and second control cabs;

each car including at least one fluid brake connected to said fluid conduit, and a brake detector means and hot journal detector means connected to said electrical conduit for modifying a test signal on said electrical conduit for a specific unsafe condition;

transmitting means on said first control cab for transmitting command and test signals on said electrical conduit to said second control cab;

test means on said second control cab for determining modification of said test signal; and

receiving means on said second control cab for receiving said command and test signals on said electrical conduit and providing test signals to said test means and command signals to said electrical and fluid control means of said second control cab.

8. A train according to claim 7, wherein said second control cab includes transmitting means connected to said electrical conduit for transmitting signals to said first control cab, said first control cab includes receiving means connected to said electrical conduit for receiving signals from said second control cab transmitting means.

9. A train according to claim 7, wherein said brake detector means and said hot journal detector means are tuned circuits which modify said test signal.

10. A train according to claim 7, wherein said transmitting means includes means for generating digital command signals and an analog test signal.

11. A train according to claim 1, including a plurality of emergency vent valves spaced along the length of said train for venting said fluid conduit in response to an emergency fluid signal.

12. A train according to claim 1, wherein each car includes a fluid brake, auxiliary emergency reservoirs and a triple valve.

13. A train comprising:

a first control cab having electrical control means;

a second control cab having electrical control means;

a plurality of cars between said first and second control cabs including an electrical conduit connected electrically to said electrical control means of said first and second control cabs;

each car including at least one brake connected to said electrical conduit, and a brake detector means connected to said electrical conduit for modifying a test signal on said electrical conduit for a specific unsafe condition;

transmitting means on said first control cab for transmitting command and test signals on said electrical conduit to said second control cab;

test means on said second control cab for determining modification of said test signal; and

receiving means on said second control cab for receiving said command and test signals on said electrical conduit and providing test signals to said test means and command signals to said electrical control means of said second control cab.

14. A train comprising:

a first control cab having electrical control means;

a second control cab having electrical control means;

a plurality of cars between said first and second control cabs including an electrical conduit connected electrically to said electrical control means of said first and second control cabs;

each car including at least one detector means connected to said electrical conduit including a tuned circuit for modifying a test signal on said electrical conduit for a specific unsafe condition;

transmitting means on said first control cab for transmitting command and test signals on said electrical conduit to said second control cab;

test means on said second control cab for determining modification of said test signal; and

receiving means on said second control cab for receiving said command and test signals on said electrical conduit and providing test signals to said test means and command signals to said electrical control means of said second control cab.

15. A train according to claim 14, wherein said transmitting means includes means for generating digital command signals and an analog test signal.

16. A train according to claim 14, wherein said second control cab includes transmitting means connected to said electrical conduit for transmitting signals to said first control cab, said first control cab includes receiving means connected to said electrical conduit for receiving signals from said second control cab transmitting means.

17. A train according to claim 14, wherein said detector means includes means for detecting a hot journal.

18. A train according to claim 14, wherein said detector means includes means for detecting a brake status.

19. A train according to claim 9 wherein said tuned circuits of said brake detector means and said hot journal means are tuned to different frequencies.

20. A train according to claim 19 wherein said transmitting means sequentially transmits test signals of different frequencies to said tuned circuits tuned to said different frequencies.

21. A train according to claim 13 wherein said brake detector means includes a tuned circuit, the tuned circuit for each car being tuned to a different frequency.

22. A train according to claim 21 wherein said transmitting means sequentially transmits test signals of different frequencies to said tuned circuits tuned to said different frequencies.

23. A train according to claim 14 wherein said tuned circuits of each car are tuned to different frequencies.

24. A train according to claim 23 wherein said tuned circuits of each car are tuned to different frequencies.

25. In a train having at least a first and second control cab, each control cab including an electrical control means, said electrical control means comprising:

transceiver means for communicating with other transceivers on other control cabs;

M/S means for designating a control means as either a master or slave state;

ID means for storing a control cab indentifier;

listing means for storing a listing of control cab identities;

means for determining if there is an adjacent connected control cab; and

initialization means controlling said transceiver M/S, ID, listing and determining means and responsive to an activation signal for setting its respective M/S means to a master state and generates an initialization signal which is communicated to other control means sequentially to set their respective M/S means to a slave state, to request their respective identifier and store it in its respective listing means and to request status of said determining means.

26. A train according to claim 25 wherein said initialization means of control means in a slave state, generates an initiallization signal to an adjacent control means in response to a received initialization signal if its respective determining means determines that there is an adjacent connected control cab and communicates the determination.

27. A train according to claim 25 including a plurality of control cabs in pairs, each pair has a plurality of cars there between and the control cabs of each pair face in opposite directions, each control means includes direction means for designating the direction of travel of said control cab, and said initialization means sets said direction means to an appropriate direction of travel.

28. A train according to claim 25 including activation means responsive to a change of state of said determining means for generating an activation signal to activate said initialization means.