Zero speed transducer

• US 6,064,315 A
• Filed: 12/29/1998
• Issued: 05/16/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Harmon Industries, Inc. (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Harmon Industries, Inc. (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: Orlassino, Mark P., Weitman, Irwin
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US09/222,147
• Time in Patent Office: 504 Days
• Field of Search: 340/686.1, 340/686.2, 340/686.3, 340/441, 340/444, 340/545.1, 324/179, 324/225, 324/233, 324/239, 324/241, 246/169 R, 246/249
• US Class Current: 340/686.1
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 1/165 Electrical
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 1/167 Circuit details

Abstract

Detection of a zero speed or moving railway vehicle wheel or other metallic object is accomplished by providing a balanced E-core inductive detector. An exciter coil on the center leg of the E-core inductively couples a pair of sensor coils connected in series opposition on the outside legs of the E-core. A voltage detector responsive to unbalancing of the E-core magnetic field by a train wheel or other metallic object is connected to the output of the sensor coils. A zero speed wheel located at the center of the magnetic field is detected by using the output of one of the sensor coils compared with the phase shifted and amplitude adjusted exciter signal. Speed and direction of travel are also determined by monitoring wheel detection output sequencing and timing.

Claims

1. A transducer actuated by the presence of a metallic object comprising:

an inductive detector responsive to the presence of a lossy metallic object in its magnetic field and having an exciter coil, a pair of balanced sensing coils spaced therefrom each having an output voltage, and means connecting said sensing coils such that said coil output voltages are subtracted,

means for positioning said detector adjacent to a path of travel of the object with said coils spaced along said path,

means connected to said exciter coil for applying an alternating drive voltage thereto to produce a magnetic field inductively coupling the exciter coil with said sensing coils whereby, in the absence of a lossy metallic object in said magnetic field, no output is produced by the balanced sensing coils,

a synchronous detector connected with said sensing coils and responsive to unbalancing of the magnetic field by the presence of a moving lossy metallic object for indicating the presence of the moving object and its direction of travel, and responsive to a zero speed lossy metallic object that causes unbalancing of the field, and

means responsive to relative levels of the voltage applied to said exciter coil and a voltage across one of said sensing coils for determining the presence of a zero speed lossy metallic object located at a magnetic center of the field, whereby to indicate the presence of a stationary object at a location where the magnetic field is balanced.

2. The transducer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inductive sensor includes an E-core having a center leg provided with said exciter coil and two outer legs provided with the respective sensing coils.

3. The transducer as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said sensing coils and its associated leg is constructed and arranged to provide an induced voltage in response to the applied drive voltage that is equal to the induced voltage in the other sensing coil when no metallic object in the magnetic field of the transducer.

4. The transducer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said applied voltage has a phase and amplitude, and wherein said means for determining the presence of a zero speed object at said magnetic center includes means for modifying a sample of the phase and amplitude of said applied voltage and subtracting it from the voltage across said one sensing coil to produce a resultant null at an output when no metallic object is present, and means responsive to a resultant signal at said output for indicating that a zero speed metallic object is present.

5. A method of determining the presence of a metallic object at a predetermined location along a path of travel thereof, said method comprising the steps of:

providing an inductive detector having an exciter coil and a pair of balanced sensing coils spaced therefrom and presenting an output,

positioning said detector adjacent to said path of travel with said coils spaced therealong,

applying an alternating drive voltage to said exciter coil to produce a magnetic field inductively coupling the exciter coil with said sensing coils to provide a predetermined condition at said output indicative of the absence of a lossy metallic object in said magnetic field,

detecting a change in said condition responsive to unbalancing of the magnetic field by the presence of a moving lossy metallic object to indicate the presence of the moving object and its direction of travel, and detecting a change in said condition in response to a zero speed lossy metallic object that causes unbalancing of the field, and

sensing a relative phase and amplitude of said alternating drive voltage applied to said exciter coil and a voltage across one of said sensing coils to determine the presence of a zero speed lossy metallic object located at a magnetic center of the field, whereby to indicate the presence of a stationary object at a location where the magnetic field is balanced.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said E-core comprises a pair of C-core sections presenting said center and outer legs, and wherein said method further comprises the step of calibrating the E-core by moving said sections relative to each other in a direction along said center leg to balance the sensing coils.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said step of sensing the relative voltage levels, includes sampling and modifying the level of said applied voltage and subtracting the voltage across said one sensing coil to produce a resultant null at an output when no metallic object is present, and indicating that a zero speed lossy metallic object is present in response to a resultant signal at said output.

8. A wheel presence transducer comprising:

an inductive detector responsive to the presence of a lossy railway vehicle wheel and having an exciter coil, a pair of balanced sensing coils spaced therefrom, and means connecting said sensing coils in such a way that the output voltages are subtracted,

means for positioning said detector adjacent one side of a rail with said coils spaced therealong,

means connected to said exciter coil for applying an alternating drive voltage thereto to produce a magnetic field inductively coupling the exciter coil with said sensing coils whereby, in the absence of a lossy wheel in said magnetic field, no output is produced by the balanced sensing coils,

a voltage detector connected with said sensing coils and responsive to unbalancing of the magnetic field by the presence of a moving lossy wheel for indicating the presence of the moving lossy wheel and its direction of travel, and responsive to a zero speed lossy wheel that causes unbalancing of the field, and

means responsive to relative levels of said alternative drive voltage applied to said exciter coil and a voltage across one of said sensing coils for determining the presence of a zero speed lossy wheel located at a magnetic center of the field,

whereby to indicate the presence of a stationary lossy wheel at a location where the magnetic field is balanced.

9. The transducer as claimed in claim 8, wherein said inductive detector includes an E-core having a center leg provided with said exciter coil and two outer legs provided with the respective sensing coils.

10. The transducer as claimed in claim 9, wherein each of said sensing coils and its associated leg is constructed and arranged to provide an induced voltage in response to the applied drive voltage equal to an induced voltage in the other sensing coil.

11. The transducer as claimed in claim 8, wherein said means for determining the presence of a zero speed lossy wheel at said magnetic center includes means for modifying the level of said applied voltage and the voltage across said one sensing coil to produce a resultant null at an output when no lossy wheel is present, and means responsive to a resultant signal at said output for indicating that a zero speed lossy wheel is present.

12. A method of determining the presence of a lossy railway vehicle wheel at a predetermined location along a rail, said method comprising the steps of:

providing an inductive detector having an exciter coil and a pair of balanced sensing coils spaced therefrom and presenting an output,

positioning said detector adjacent to one side of a rail with said coils spaced therealong,

applying an alternating drive voltage to said exciter coil to produce a magnetic field inductively coupling the exciter coil with said sensing coils to provide a predetermined condition at said output indicative of the absence of a lossy wheel in said magnetic field,

detecting a change in said condition responsive to unbalancing of the magnetic field by the presence of a moving lossy wheel to indicate the presence of the moving lossy wheel and its direction of travel, and detecting a change in said condition in response to a zero speed lossy wheel that causes unbalancing of the field, and

sensing relative levels of said alternating drive voltage applied to said exciter coil and a voltage across one of said sensing coils to determine the presence of a zero speed lossy wheel located at a magnetic center of the field, whereby to indicate the presence of a stationary lossy wheel at a location where the magnetic field is balanced.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said E-core comprises a pair of C-core sections presenting said center and outer legs, and wherein said method further comprises the step of calibrating the E-core by moving said sections relative to each other in a direction along said center leg to balance the sensing coils.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said step of sensing the relative voltage levels includes modifying a sample of the level of said applied voltage and the voltage across said one sensing coil to produce a resultant null at an output when no lossy wheel is present, and indicating that a zero speed lossy wheel is present in response to a resultant signal at said output.