Automatic rail characterization for adhesion system evaluation for AC locomotives
First Claim
1. A method for evaluating the effectiveness of a tractive effort maximizing control system in a wheeled vehicle comprising the steps of:
- operating the vehicle by applying controlled power to at least some wheels of the vehicle to enable motion of the vehicle;
disabling the tractive effort maximizing control system;
varying creep speed between a minimum value and a selected maximum value while monitoring tractive effort for identifying a maximum available tractive effort;
enabling the tractive effort maximizing control system and determining the resulting tractive effort; and
comparing the resulting tractive effort to the maximum available tractive effort to produce a measure of effectiveness of the tractive effort maximizing control system.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for evaluating the effectiveness of a tractive effort maximizing control system in a wheeled vehicle utilizes a process of operating the vehicle by applying controlled power to at least some wheels of the vehicle to enable motion of the vehicle, disabling the tractive effort maximizing control system, and varying creep speed between a minimum value and a selected maximum value while monitoring the tractive effort to identify a maximum available tractive effort. Thereafter, the tractive effort maximizing control system is enabled and the resulting tractive effort developed by the vehicle measured. Comparing the resulting tractive effort to the maximum available tractive effort produces a measure of effectiveness of the tractive effort maximizing control system.
48 Citations
7 Claims
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1. A method for evaluating the effectiveness of a tractive effort maximizing control system in a wheeled vehicle comprising the steps of:
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operating the vehicle by applying controlled power to at least some wheels of the vehicle to enable motion of the vehicle; disabling the tractive effort maximizing control system; varying creep speed between a minimum value and a selected maximum value while monitoring tractive effort for identifying a maximum available tractive effort; enabling the tractive effort maximizing control system and determining the resulting tractive effort; and comparing the resulting tractive effort to the maximum available tractive effort to produce a measure of effectiveness of the tractive effort maximizing control system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method for evaluating the effectiveness of a tractive effort maximizing control system in a wheeled vehicle having at least two sets of independently controllable powered wheels, the method comprising the steps of:
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disabling the tractive effort maximizing control system from one of the sets of powered wheels; varying creep speed between a maximum and a minimum value in the one of the sets of powered wheels to identify a maximum available tractive effort; comparing the maximum available tractive effort to the tractive effort produced at other sets of powered wheels of the vehicle using the tractive effort maximizing control system to produce a measure of the effectiveness of the control system.
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7. A system for evaluating the effectiveness of a torque maximizer in a traction vehicle of the type including at least one powered wheel driven by an electric motor, control means for controlling power applied to the driven wheel so as to control the creep speed of the wheel, the system including:
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a power controller for generating a torque command signal and a reference speed signal, said controller including means for selectively varying the reference speed signal; an adhesion controller connected for receiving the reference speed signal, a signal representative of wheel speed and a signal representative of an optimized creep speed and for producing a torque limit to attain the optimized creep speed; a torque maximizer for determining an optimized creep speed set point and for supplying the signal representative thereof to the adhesion controller; a torque limiter for receiving the torque command signal and the torque limit and providing a torque limited command signal to the control means for controlling power to the driven wheel to achieve the optimized creep speed; said power controller being programmed to selectively enable said torque maximizer to skew said creep speed set point to vary said creep speed while continuously determining tractive effort whereby maximum available tractive effort is determined, said power controller enabling said torque maximizer in a normal mode and comparing resulting tractive effort to said maximum available tractive effort to determine effectiveness of said torque maximizer.
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Specification