Monitoring system and method for brake disks

• US 6,615,954 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2001
• Issued: 09/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Knorr-Bremse Systeme FUER Nutzfahrzeuge GmbH
• Original Assignee: Knorr-Bremse Systeme FüR Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH (Estate of Heinz Hermann Thiele)
• Inventors: Schlenk, Ludwig, Schmid, Ralf, Wirth, Xaver
• Primary Examiner(s): Butler, Douglas C.
• Application Number:
  US09/834,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20020148690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 188/1.11 E, 188/1.11 R, 303/20, 303/191, 701/70, 340/453, 340/463, 374/141, 374/152, 374/121, 246/169.A, 246/246, 250/252.1, 250/342, 116/216, 731/21
• US Class Current: 188/1.11E
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2066/001 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 66/00 Arrangements for monitoring working conditions, e.g. wear, temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/024 for remote indication

Abstract

A monitoring system for brake disks, particularly of rail vehicles, having at least two sensors which are arranged in the brake disk or in the proximity of the brake disk and whose sensor signals relate to the temperature of the brake disk. The monitoring system includes at least one transmitter which transmits the sensor signals, and at least one receiver which receives the transmitted sensor signals in a wireless manner. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method of monitoring the temperature of brake disks. The method includes measuring the temperature of at least one brake disk, converting sensor signals to processible values; transmitting the values or the sensor signals to a receiver in one or more of an encoded manner and successively in a timed manner; and processing the received values or sensor signals in one or more of the control unit and the regulating unit.

Claims

1. A monitoring system for brake disks of a rail vehicle comprising:

at least two sensors per brake disk whose sensor signals relate to the temperature of the brake disk;

the sensors being located at one of in the brake disk and in the proximity of the brake disk;

a single transmitter connected to the sensors for receiving and transmitting the individual sensor signals from the at least two sensors to at least one receiver in such manner that the at least one receiver recognizes signals coming from each respective sensor;

at least one receiver which receives the transmitted sensor signals; and

the transmitting of the sensor signals from the transmitter to the receiver taking place in a wireless manner.

2. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein a single receiver is provided for one axle or an entire car of the rail vehicle.

3. The monitoring system according to claim 1, including at least one signal converter which converts the sensor signals and is in the proximity of a transmitter or is integrated with the transmitter.

4. The monitoring system according to claim 3, wherein the sensor signals, or the sensor signals converted by the at least one signal converter can be processed by a control and/or regulating unit which is coupled with the at least one receiver.

5. The monitoring system according to claim 4, wherein the control and/or regulating unit forms a unit with the at least one receiver.

6. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the single transmitter has an active power supply.

7. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the single transmitter has a passive energy supply.

8. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the sensors are in the proximity of the brake disk in a wind-deflecting device.

9. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the sensors are located in the brake disk.

10. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the single transmitter is in a cooling duct of the brake disk.

11. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the single transmitter is on an axle of the brake disk.

12. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein one or both of the single transmitter and the receiver is a transponder.

13. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the at least two sensors and the at least one transmitter are adjacent to each other.

14. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting takes place in one or more of an encoded manner and successively in a timed manner.

15. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the sensors are located in the proximity of the brake disk.

16. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor signals are individually identifiable.

17. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the sensors and the single transmitter are co-located at one of the brake disk and in the proximity of the brake disk.

18. The monitoring system according to claim 17, wherein the brake disk includes an axle and the sensors and the single transmitter are co-located on a disk/axle combination.

19. The monitoring system according to claim 17, wherein the sensors and the single transmitter are co-located in the proximity of the brake disk.

20. The monitoring system according to claim 17, wherein the sensors and the single transmitter are co-located on the brake disk.

21. A method of monitoring the temperature of brake disks of rail vehicles, the method comprising:

measuring the temperature of at least one brake disk by sensors at at least two locations, those locations being one or more of the at least one brake disk and in the proximity of the at least one brake disk;

converting sensor signals, which are measured by the sensors, to processible values;

transmitting the values or the sensor signals to a receiver in one or more of an encoded manner and successively in a timed manner such that the respective sensor signals or processible values identifiable with their respective sensors are recognizable by one or more of the receiver, a control unit and a regulating unit; and

processing the received values or the received sensor signals in one or more of the control unit and regulating unit.

22. The monitoring method according to claim 21, wherein one or both of the transmitting and the converting takes place by at least one transponder.

23. The monitoring method of claim 21 including:

determining an average value of the sensor signals of the respective individual brake disk;

determining, using the determined average value of each brake disk of the rail vehicle, a braking capacity of each disk; and

determining the braking capacity of the rail vehicle by the addition of the braking capacities of the respective disk brakes.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein

the braking capacity of the respective disk brakes is determined by one of a definable data set and an interpolation of the data of the data set and of the respectively measure temperature of the disk brake.

25. The method according to claim 23, including adjusting the maximum speed of the rail vehicle assigned to the determined braking capacity.