Freight brake control using train net braking ratio
First Claim
1. Railway freight brake apparatus for operation on-board a rail vehicle in a train, such vehicle having a friction brake actuated by a pneumatic brake cylinder and having a reservoir as a storage source of pressurized fluid, such apparatus comprising:
- (a) at least one valve to control the pressurization of such brake cylinder from such reservoir;
(b) means for receiving a brake signal indicative of a desired braking level of such train and for receiving a train net braking ratio;
(c) a processor for calculating a brake cylinder pressure from said brake signal and said train net braking ratio to produce a net shoe force as if such vehicle had a design net braking ratio generally equal to said train net brake ratio;
(d) said processor controlling said valve to supply such brake cylinder with pneumatic fluid at said calculated brake cylinder pressure over a portion of a range of braking of such vehicle; and
(e) wherein said range of braking of such vehicle includes a service application of braking and excludes an emergency brake application as determined from said brake signal.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A railway freight brake system for operating vehicles in a train wherein each vehicle responds in braking situations as if its effective net braking ratio was a desired train net braking ratio. Embodiments include vehicles receiving a brake signal and utilizing either a received train net braking ratio or utilizing a stored on-board train net braking ratio to control pneumatic equipment on-board the vehicle to produce brake forces on the vehicle generally corresponding to the net braking ratio of the train. Some embodiments use a common train line control to communicate both train net braking ratio and brake signals to the individual vehicle. Individual vehicles can receive periodic or initial train net brake ratio values.
67 Citations
6 Claims
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1. Railway freight brake apparatus for operation on-board a rail vehicle in a train, such vehicle having a friction brake actuated by a pneumatic brake cylinder and having a reservoir as a storage source of pressurized fluid, such apparatus comprising:
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(a) at least one valve to control the pressurization of such brake cylinder from such reservoir; (b) means for receiving a brake signal indicative of a desired braking level of such train and for receiving a train net braking ratio; (c) a processor for calculating a brake cylinder pressure from said brake signal and said train net braking ratio to produce a net shoe force as if such vehicle had a design net braking ratio generally equal to said train net brake ratio; (d) said processor controlling said valve to supply such brake cylinder with pneumatic fluid at said calculated brake cylinder pressure over a portion of a range of braking of such vehicle; and (e) wherein said range of braking of such vehicle includes a service application of braking and excludes an emergency brake application as determined from said brake signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A railway freight brake apparatus for operation of a train having a locomotive and freight vehicles attached to such locomotive, each of such vehicles having a friction brake actuated by a pneumatic brake cylinder and having a reservoir as a storage source of pressurized fluid, such apparatus comprising:
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(a) means on such locomotive for transmitting a brake signal indicative of a desired braking level of such train; (b) a plurality of such vehicles having means for receiving said brake signal indicative of a desired braking level of such train and for receiving a train net braking ratio; (c) said plurality of vehicles each having at least one valve to control the pressurization of the respective ones of such brake cylinder and such reservoir; (d) said plurality of vehicles each having a processor for calculating a brake cylinder pressure from said brake signal and said train net braking ratio for each vehicle; (e) said processors being effective to control said respective valves to supply respective such brake cylinders with pressurized fluid at said calculated brake cylinder pressure over a portion of a range of vehicle braking to produce a net shoe force as if each vehicle had a design net braking ratio substantially equal to said train net braking ratio, and as if all of the vehicle brakes had the same design net braking ratio and generally equal to said train net braking ratio; and (f) wherein said range of braking of such train includes a service application and excludes an emergency application. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6)
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Specification