Locomotive to ECP brake conversion system
First Claim
1. A conversion system for enabling a locomotive equipped with a conventional brake control system to control braking on railcars having electrically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brake equipment, said conversion system comprising:
- (a) a first pressure transducer for converting pressure within a brake pipe of such locomotive to a first feedback signal indicative of locomotive brake pipe pressure;
(b) a second pressure transducer for converting pressure within a brake pipe of such railcars to a second feedback signal indicative of railcar brake pipe pressure;
(c) means for regulating to a predetermined nominal pressure air supplied to such brake pipe of such railcars from a main reservoir pipe of such locomotive;
(d) a dc—
dc converter for converting battery voltage received from a power trainline of such locomotive to a predetermined nominal voltage so as to power an ECP trainline of such railcars;
(e) a controller unit, operating according to instructions contained within programming code, to monitor said first and said second feedback signals received from said pressure transducers, control said dc—
dc converter and convert pneumatic brake commands conveyed by such brake pipe of such locomotive into electrical brake commands corresponding thereto for transmission along such ECP trainline and thereby control such ECP brake equipment -on such railcars and braking effort deliverable thereby;
(f) first means, activatible by said controller unit, for reducing such railcar brake pipe pressure to an emergency level such that when a pneumatic emergency brake command appears in such brake pipe of such locomotive, said controller unit (i) activates said first means and (ii) transmits an emergency electrical brake command along such ECP trainline, thereby commanding both pneumatically and electrically such ECP brake equipment to make an emergency brake application; and
(g) second means for assuring such railcar brake pipe pressure reduces to said emergency level when such locomotive brake pipe pressure drops below a prespecified level.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A conversion system enables a locomotive equipped with a conventional pneumatic brake control system to control braking on a train whose railcars each have electrically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brake equipment. The conversion system includes a power conversion mechanism, a signal conversion mechanism and two pressure reduction circuits. The power conversion mechanism converts battery voltage received from a power trainline of the locomotive to a predetermined nominal voltage. Made available to an ECP trainline that runs along the railcars, the predetermined nominal voltage is used to power the ECP brake equipment on each railcar in the train. The signal conversion mechanism converts the pneumatic brake commands carried in the brake pipe of the locomotive into electrical brake commands corresponding thereto. Transmitted along the ECP trainline, the electrical brake commands control the ECP brake equipment on each railcar and the braking effort deliverable thereby. Part of the signal conversion mechanism, the first pressure reduction circuit is used to reduce the railcar brake pipe pressure to an emergency level when the brake pipe in the locomotive carries a pneumatic emergency brake command. The first pressure reduction circuit then pneumatically commands the ECP brake equipment to make an emergency brake application. The second pressure reduction circuit assures that the railcar brake pipe pressure reduces to the emergency level when the locomotive brake pipe pressure drops below a prespecified level.
47 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A conversion system for enabling a locomotive equipped with a conventional brake control system to control braking on railcars having electrically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brake equipment, said conversion system comprising:
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(a) a first pressure transducer for converting pressure within a brake pipe of such locomotive to a first feedback signal indicative of locomotive brake pipe pressure;
(b) a second pressure transducer for converting pressure within a brake pipe of such railcars to a second feedback signal indicative of railcar brake pipe pressure;
(c) means for regulating to a predetermined nominal pressure air supplied to such brake pipe of such railcars from a main reservoir pipe of such locomotive;
(d) a dc—
dc converter for converting battery voltage received from a power trainline of such locomotive to a predetermined nominal voltage so as to power an ECP trainline of such railcars;
(e) a controller unit, operating according to instructions contained within programming code, to monitor said first and said second feedback signals received from said pressure transducers, control said dc—
dc converter and convert pneumatic brake commands conveyed by such brake pipe of such locomotive into electrical brake commands corresponding thereto for transmission along such ECP trainline and thereby control such ECP brake equipment -on such railcars and braking effort deliverable thereby;
(f) first means, activatible by said controller unit, for reducing such railcar brake pipe pressure to an emergency level such that when a pneumatic emergency brake command appears in such brake pipe of such locomotive, said controller unit (i) activates said first means and (ii) transmits an emergency electrical brake command along such ECP trainline, thereby commanding both pneumatically and electrically such ECP brake equipment to make an emergency brake application; and
(g) second means for assuring such railcar brake pipe pressure reduces to said emergency level when such locomotive brake pipe pressure drops below a prespecified level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
(a) an electropneumatic valve connected between such main reservoir pipe of such locomotive and such brake pipe of such railcars; and
(b) said controller unit to control said electropneumatic valve so as to maintain such brake pipe of such railcars at said predetermined nominal pressure absent an emergency.
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7. The conversion system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controller unit includes:
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(a) a powerline modem for communicating ECP data to and from such ECP brake equipment of such railcars via such ECP trainline, said ECP data including transmission of said electrical brake commands;
(b) an EOT transceiver linked to a locomotive control unit on such locomotive for radio communication of data pertaining to diagnostics and alarm conditions relevant to operation of such ECP brake equipment;
(c) a radio modem for coding and decoding said radio communications communicated between said EOT transceiver and such locomotive control unit; and
(d) a microprocessor, operating according to said instructions contained within said programming code, for monitoring said pressure transducers, controlling conversion of such pneumatic brake commands into said electrical brake commands, and controlling operation of said dc—
dc converter, said first means, said modems and said EOT transceiver.
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8. The conversion system, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controller unit includes:
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(a) a powerline modem for communicating ECP data to and from such ECP brake equipment of such railcars via such ECP trainline, said ECP data including transmission of said electrical brake commands;
(b) means for communicating critical data pertaining at least to alarm conditions relevant to operation of such ECP brake equipment to such locomotive brake control system; and
(c) a microprocessor, operating according to said instructions contained within said programming code, for monitoring said pressure transducers, controlling conversion of such pneumatic brake commands into said electrical brake commands, and controlling operation of said means for communicating, said first means, said dc—
dc converter and said powerline modem.
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9. The conversion system, as claimed in claim 8, wherein said means for communicating conveys said critical data to such locomotive brake control system via an alarm trainline of such locomotive.
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10. The conversion system, as claimed in claim 1, further including a manual bypass valve connected between such brake pipe of such locomotive and such brake pipe of such railcars when such railcars are equipped with both such ECP brake equipment and pneumatic brake equipment.
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11. A conversion system for enabling a locomotive equipped with a conventional brake control system to control braking on a train whose railcars each have electrically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brake equipment, said conversion system comprising:
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(a) a first pressure transducer for converting pressure within a brake pipe of such locomotive to a first feedback signal indicative of locomotive brake pipe pressure;
(b) a second pressure transducer for converting pressure within a brake pipe of such railcars to a second feedback signal indicative of railcar brake pipe pressure;
(c) means for regulating to a predetermined nominal pressure air supplied to such brake pipe of such railcars from a main reservoir pipe of such locomotive;
(d) a controller unit to monitor said first and said second feedback signals received from said pressure transducers and to convert pneumatic brake commands conveyed by such brake pipe of such locomotive into electrical brake commands corresponding thereto for transmission along an ECP trainline of such railcars and thereby control such ECP brake equipment on each of such railcars and braking effort deliverable thereby;
(e) first means, activatible by said controller unit, for reducing such railcar brake pipe pressure to an emergency level such that when an pneumatic emergency brake command appears in such brake pipe of such locomotive, said controller unit (i) activates said first means and (ii) transmits an emergency electrical brake command along such ECP trainline, thereby commanding both pneumatically and electrically such ECP brake equipment to make an emergency brake application; and
(f) second means for assuring such railcar brake pipe pressure reduces to said emergency level when such locomotive brake pipe pressure drops below a prespecified level.
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12. A conversion system for enabling a locomotive equipped with a conventional brake control system to control braking on railcars having electrically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brake equipment, said conversion system comprising:
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(a) a power conversion means for converting battery voltage received from a power trainline of such locomotive to a predetermined nominal voltage so as to power such ECP brake equipment of such railcars via an ECP trainline; and
(b) a signal conversion means for converting pneumatic brake commands issued from such locomotive into electrical brake commands corresponding thereto for transmission along such ECP trainline thereby enabling control of such ECP brake equipment on such railcars and braking effort deliverable thereby. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
(a) a first pressure transducer for converting pressure within a brake pipe of such locomotive to a first feedback signal indicative of locomotive brake pipe pressure;
(b) a second pressure transducer for converting pressure within a brake pipe of such railcars to a second feedback signal indicative of railcar brake pipe pressure;
(c) means for regulating to a predetermined nominal pressure air supplied to such brake pipe of such railcars from a main reservoir pipe of such locomotive; and
(d) a controller unit, operating according to instructions contained in programming code, to monitor said first and said second feedback signals received from said pressure transducers, control said power conversion means and convert such pneumatic brake commands conveyed by such brake pipe of such locomotive into said electrical brake commands transmitted along such ECP trainline and thereby control such ECP brake equipment on such railcars and such braking effort deliverable thereby.
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14. The conversion system, as claimed in claim 13, further including:
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(e) a first means, activatible by said controller unit when such brake pipe in such locomotive carries a pneumatic emergency brake command, for reducing such railcar brake pipe pressure to an emergency level and thereby pneumatically commanding such ECP brake equipment to make an emergency brake application; and
(g) a second means for assuring such railcar brake pipe pressure reduces to said emergency level when such locomotive brake pipe pressure drops below a prespecified level.
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15. The conversion system, as claimed in claim 14, wherein said first means is a normally closed solenoid operated valve connected to such brake pipe of such railcars, said controller unit opens said solenoid operated valve when such pneumatic emergency brake command appears in such brake pipe of such locomotive thereby causing said solenoid operated valve to exhaust such railcar brake pipe pressure at an emergency rate.
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16. The conversion system, as claimed in claim 14, wherein said first means is a normally open solenoid operated valve connected to such brake pipe of such railcars, said solenoid operated valve held closed by said controller unit unless said controller unit suffers a loss of power or such pneumatic emergency brake command appears in such brake pipe of such locomotive in which case said solenoid operated valve exhausts such railcar brake pipe pressure at an emergency rate.
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17. The conversion system, as claimed in claim 14, wherein said second means is an air piloted pneumatic valve whose pilot port responds to a drop in such locomotive brake pipe pressure below said prespecified level by causing said pneumatic valve to open thereby permitting such railcar brake pipe pressure to exhaust to atmosphere at an emergency rate.
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18. The conversion system, as claimed in claim 13, wherein said means for regulating includes a pressure regulating valve connected between such main reservoir pipe of such locomotive and such brake pipe of such railcars.
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19. The conversion system, as claimed in claim 13, wherein said means for regulating includes:
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(a) an electropneumatic valve connected between such main reservoir pipe of such locomotive and such brake pipe of such railcars; and
(b) said controller unit to control said electropneumatic valve so as to maintain such brake pipe of such railcars at said predetermined nominal pressure absent an emergency.
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20. The conversion system, as claimed in claim 13, wherein said controller unit includes:
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(a) a powerline modem for communicating ECP data to and from such ECP brake equipment of such railcars via such ECP trainline, said ECP data including transmission of said electrical brake commands;
(b) an EOT transceiver linked to a locomotive control unit on such locomotive for radio communication of data pertaining to diagnostics and alarm conditions relevant to operation of such ECP brake equipment;
(c) a radio modem for coding and decoding said radio communications communicated between said EOT transceiver and such locomotive control unit; and
(d) a microprocessor, operating according to said instructions contained in said programming code, for monitoring id said pressure transducers, controlling conversion of such pneumatic brake commands into said electrical brake commands, and controlling operation of said power conversion means, said powerline and said radio modems and said EOT transceiver.
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21. The conversion system, as claimed in claim 13, wherein said controller unit includes:
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(a) a powerline modem for communicating ECP data to and from such ECP brake equipment of such railcars via such ECP trainline, said ECP data including transmission of said electrical brake commands;
(b) means for communicating critical data pertaining at least to alarm conditions relevant to operation of such ECP brake equipment to such locomotive brake control system; and
(c) a microprocessor, operating according to said instructions contained within said programming code, for monitoring said pressure transducers, controlling conversion of such pneumatic brake commands into said electrical brake commands, and controlling operation of said means for communicating, said modem and said power conversion means.
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22. The conversion system, as claimed in claim 21, wherein said means for communicating conveys said critical data to such locomotive brake control system via an alarm trainline of such locomotive.
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23. The conversion system, as claimed in claim 12, further including a manual bypass valve connected between such brake pipe of such locomotive and such brake pipe of such railcars when such railcars are equipped with both such ECP brake equipment and pneumatic brake equipment.
Specification