Method and apparatus for performance based assessment of locomotive diesel engines

• US 5,961,567 A
• Filed: 09/01/1998
• Issued: 10/05/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Bessler, Warren Frank, Wolfe, Christopher Edward, Azzaro, Steven Hector
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US09/145,077
• Time in Patent Office: 399 Days
• Field of Search: 701/19, 701/34, 701/29, 701/30, 701/99, 701/10, 318/473, 123/339.24
• US Class Current: 701/99
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 11/16 concerning coolant temperature F01P11/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2025/08 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2025/13 Ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2025/60 Operating parameters
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2025/62 Load
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 3/06 with compression ignition compression ignition engines using air or gas for blowing fuel into compressed air in cylinder F02B13/02
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 77/08 Safety, indicating or supervising devices thermal insulation F02B77/11; rendering engines inoperative or idling F02D17/04; dependent on lubricating conditions F01M1/22; dependent on cooling F01P11/14

Abstract

This invention is directed in general to a locomotive diesel engine, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for performance based assessment of a locomotive diesel engine.

Claims

1. A locomotive control system for performance assessment of a locomotive engine, said control system comprising:

a controller;

at least one sensor coupled to said controller, said at least one sensor located proximal to said locomotive engine so as to gather actual performance data from said locomotive engine;

wherein said controller monitors locomotive current operating condition and utilizes the current operating conditions to calculate models of predicted performance output; and

wherein said controller compare said models of predicted performance output with said actual performance data to monitor deviations therefrom.

2. A locomotive control system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor comprise temperature sensors.

3. A locomotive control system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor comprises vibration sensors.

4. A locomotive control system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor comprises speed sensors.

5. A locomotive control system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor comprises pressure sensors.