Device and method for controlling actuating devices for the active suspension of vehicles, in particular trains

• US 6,684,139 B1
• Filed: 03/14/2000
• Issued: 01/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alstom Transport Technologies
• Original Assignee: Alstom Transport SA (Alstom SA), Institut national de recherche sur les transports et leur sécurité (INRETS)
• Inventors: Aknin, Patrice, Kirat, Regis, Pascal, Jean-Pierre, Maupu, Jean-Louis
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THU V
• Application Number:
  US09/355,406
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/19-26, 701/36-37, 701/48, 701/91-93, 701/124, 180/116-119, 180/172, 180/175-179, 180/199-201, 180/21-24, 180/24-3-, 180/24-7-, 180/271, 180/282, 180/449, 280/5.5, 280/5.508, 280/5-12-, 280/401-407, 280/423--42, 105/1.4, 105/3, 105/4--, 105/167, 105/175.1, 104/2-17
• US Class Current: 701/37
• CPC Class Codes: B61F 5/22 Guiding of the vehicle underframes with respect to the bogies
• CPC Class Codes: B61F 5/383 Adjustment controlled by non-mechanical devices, e.g. scanning trackside elements

Abstract

The present invention relates to a control method and control apparatus for controlling actuator apparatus implemented in active suspension apparatus for vehicles, in particular rail vehicles, said control method and said control apparatus being characterized in that they use the articulated architecture of the train to derive the local curvature of the track in real time, in which control method and control apparatus the control signal transmitted by said control apparatus to the actuator apparatus of the bogie of order n in the articulated train is a function of measurements of at least one deflection angle α_i at an articulation center situated between adjacent carriages and of the position offset h_j of said articulation center relative to the track.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for controlling an actuator apparatus implemented in a suspension system of a vehicle, the vehicle comprising bodies articulated together and traveling on a track, the control apparatus comprising:

first means for accessing an articulated architecture of the vehicle;

second means for deriving a local curvature of the track in real time based on the articulated architecture of the vehicle; and

third means for delivering a control signal to the actuator apparatus to control the suspension system of the vehicle based on the local curvature of the track derived by the second means.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control signal transmitted by said control apparatus to the actuator apparatus of a bogie of order n of the vehicle is a function of measurements of at least one deflection α

_i angle at an articulation center situated between adjacent ones of said bodies of the vehicle and of the position offset h_j of said articulation center relative to the track.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said actuator apparatus is force servo-controlled,

said actuator apparatus sets a force applied to at least one of the bodies of the vehicle from a bogie n associated with said at least one body, and

the control signal is signal_n for bogie n, and is a function of an intermediate parameter δ _n that is a function of at least one deflection angle α

_i and of at least one position offset h_j of an articulation center relative to the track, the articulation center being situated between adjacent ones of said bodies of the vehicle.

4. A control apparatus for controlling an actuator apparatus implemented in a suspension system of a vehicle, the vehicle comprising bodies articulated together and traveling on a track, the control apparatus comprising:

means for accessing an articulated architecture of the vehicle; and

means for deriving a local curvature of the track in real time based on the articulated architecture of the vehicle,

wherein the actuator apparatus is force servo-controlled and sets the force applied to at least one of the bodies of the vehicle from a bogie n associated with said at least one body,

the control apparatus delivers a general control signal, signal_n, for bogie n,

the signal_n is a function of an intermediate parameter δ

_n that is a function of at least one deflection angle α

_i and of at least one position offset h_j of an articulation center relative to the track,

the articulation center being situated between adjacent ones of said bodies of the vehicle,

said intermediate parameter δ

_n on for n>

2 is given by the following formula;

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, in which said general control signal signal_n for bogie n is given by the following formula:

6. A method of controlling an actuator apparatus implemented in a suspension system of a vehicle, the vehicle comprising bodies articulated together and traveling on a track, the method comprising:

accessing an articulated architecture of the vehicle;

deriving a local curvature of the track in real time based on the articulated architecture of the vehicle, wherein the actuator apparatus is force servo-controlled and sets the force applied to at least one of the bodies of the vehicle from a bogie n associated with said at least one body; and

delivering a general control signal, signal_n, for bogie n, wherein the signal_n is a function of an intermediate parameter δ

_n that is a function of at least one deflection angle α

_i and of at least one position offset h_j of an articulation center relative to the track, the articulation center being situated between adjacent ones of said bodies of the vehicle, said intermediate parameter δ

_n for n>

2 is given by the following formula;

7. A method according to claims 6, in which said general control signal signal_n for bogie n is given by the following formula:

8. A method of controlling an actuator apparatus implemented in a suspension system of a vehicle, the vehicle comprising bodies articulated together and traveling on a track, the method comprising:

accessing an articulated architecture of the vehicle;

deriving a local curvature of the track in real time based on the articulated architecture of the vehicle; and

delivering a control signal to the actuator apparatus to control the suspension system of the vehicle based on the derived local curvature of the track.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein said control signal transmitted by said control apparatus to the actuator apparatus of a bogie of order n of the vehicle is a function of measurements of at least one deflection angle α

_i at an articulation center situated between adjacent ones of said bodies of the vehicle and of the position offset h_j of said articulation center relative to the track.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein

said actuator apparatus is force servo-controlled,

said actuator apparatus sets a force applied to at least one of the bodies of the vehicle from a bogie n associated with said at least one body, and

the control signal is signal_n for bogie n, and is a function of an intermediate parameter δ _n that is a function of at least one deflection angle α

_i and of at least one position offset h_j of said articulation centers relative to the track, the articulation center being situated between adjacent ones of said bodies of the vehicle.