Device and method for error monitoring for undercarriage components of rail vehicles

• US 8,234,917 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2008
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Knorr-Bremse Systeme FüR Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH (Estate of Heinz Hermann Thiele)
• Original Assignee: Knorr-Bremse Systeme FüR Schienenfahrzeuge GmbH (Estate of Heinz Hermann Thiele)
• Inventors: Burkhart, Thomas, Friesen, Ulf
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCALL, ERIC SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US12/598,796
• Publication Number:
  US 20100078527A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,544 Days
• Field of Search: 73/110.6, 73/110.7, 73/110.8, 731/170.1, 731/170.3
• US Class Current: 73/117.03
• CPC Class Codes: B61F 9/005 by use of non-mechanical means, e.g. acoustic or electromagnetic devices
• CPC Class Codes: B61K 9/00 Railway vehicle profile gauges; Detecting or indicating overheating of components; Apparatus on locomotives or cars to indicate bad track sections; General design of track recording vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B61K 9/12 Measuring or surveying wheel-rims measuring techniques G01

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for monitoring errors in undercarriage components of rail vehicles, having at least one acceleration sensor which works with an evaluation unit. At least one acceleration sensor is arranged on the undercarriage of the rail vehicle in such a manner that its direction of detection has at least one component parallel to the vertical axis (z-direction) of the rail vehicle. The invention proposes that the acceleration sensor is constructed in such a manner that it delivers a measuring signal which contains the signal portion corresponding to a ground acceleration, or represents a signal corresponding to a ground acceleration, and that the evaluation unit has a routine for testing functions of the acceleration sensor, the routine controlling an error signal if the measuring signal delivered by the acceleration sensor contains no signal portion corresponding to a ground acceleration. The routine also suppresses the error signal if this is not the case.

Claims

1. A device for monitoring undercarriage components of rail vehicles for faults, the device comprising at least one acceleration sensor which interacts with an evaluation device, wherein the at least one acceleration sensor is arranged on the undercarriage of the rail vehicle in such a way that a detection direction has at least one component parallel to the vertical axis of the rail vehicle, wherein:

the acceleration sensor supplies a measurement signal which contains a signal component which corresponds to the acceleration due to gravity or constitutes a signal which corresponds to the acceleration due to gravity,

wherein, the evaluation device comprises a routine for checking the function of the acceleration sensor, which routine modulates a fault signal if the measurement signal supplied by the acceleration sensor does not contain a signal component having a value corresponding to anticipated acceleration due to gravity or does not constitute a signal having a value that corresponds to the anticipated acceleration due to gravity, and

wherein the routine suppresses the fault signal if the measurement signal supplied by the acceleration sensor contains the signal component corresponding to the anticipated acceleration due to gravity or constitutes the signal corresponding to the anticipated acceleration due to gravity.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the measurement signal which is supplied by the acceleration sensor when the rail vehicle is stationary constitutes the signal which corresponds to the acceleration due to gravity, and the measurement signal which is supplied by the acceleration sensor when the rail vehicle is traveling contains the signal component which corresponds to the acceleration due to gravity.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein filter means are present which filter out the signal component, which corresponds to the acceleration due to gravity, of the measurement signal which is supplied by the acceleration sensor.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the evaluation device is embodied in such a way that the test routine is run through once, repeatedly at time intervals or continuously.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the acceleration sensor is a piezo electric, piezo resistive or capacitive acceleration sensor.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein

a) at least one acceleration sensor is arranged on a bogie frame or on a wheel set bearing of an axle of a bogie of the rail vehicle in such a way that the detection direction has a component in the direction of travel (x axis direction) or a component perpendicular to the direction of travel (y axis direction) and at the same time a component parallel to the vertical axis of the rail vehicle, or in that

b) acceleration sensors which are assigned to wheel set bearings of one axle are provided, one acceleration sensor of which is arranged on the one wheel set bearing of the axle in such a way that the detection direction is parallel to the direction of travel (x axis direction), and another acceleration sensor of which is arranged on the other wheel set bearing of the axle in such a way that the detection direction is parallel to the vertical axis of the rail vehicle.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein a single acceleration sensor is arranged on the bogie frame of the bogie.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the detection direction of the acceleration sensor is located in a plane perpendicular to an axle of the bogie, and has an angle of 45 degrees in relation to the vertical axis and in relation to the x axis direction which is arranged parallel to the direction of travel.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the detection direction of the acceleration sensor is located in a plane perpendicular to the direction of travel (x axis direction) and has an angle of 45 degrees in relation to the vertical axis and in relation to the y axis direction which is arranged perpendicular to the direction of travel.

10. The device of claim 6, wherein, in each case, an acceleration sensor is arranged on just one wheel set bearing of the wheel set bearings of the axle of the bogie.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the detection direction of the vibration pickup is located in a plane perpendicular to the axle and has an angle of 45 degrees in relation to the vertical axis and in relation to the x axis direction which is arranged parallel to the direction of travel.

12. The device of claim 6, wherein the acceleration sensor is provided for each wheel set bearing of an axle.

13. The device of claim 7, wherein the acceleration sensors are arranged on the wheel set bearings of the axles of the bogie in such a way that, viewed in the direction of travel, the detection directions of the vibration pickups on each side of the vehicle alternate with one another.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one acceleration sensor is integrated, together with at least one speed sensor for measuring the instantaneous wheel speed and/or with a temperature sensor for measuring the instantaneous bearing temperature of a wheel set bearing, in a combination sensor.

15. A method for monitoring undercarriage components of rail vehicles for faults, said method comprising:

using at least one acceleration sensor to provide a measurement signal that contains a signal component which corresponds to the acceleration due to gravity or constitutes a signal which corresponds to the acceleration due to gravity,

arranging of the acceleration sensor on the undercarriage of the rail vehicle in such a way that its detection direction has at least one component parallel to a vertical axis of the rail vehicle,

checking of the function of the acceleration sensor in such a way that a fault signal is modulated if the measurement signal supplied by the acceleration sensor does not contain a signal component having a value corresponding to an anticipated acceleration due to gravity or does not constitute a signal having a value that corresponds to the anticipated acceleration due to gravity, and

suppressing of the fault signal if the measurement signal supplied by the acceleration sensor contains the signal component corresponding to the anticipated acceleration due to gravity or constitutes the signal corresponding to the anticipated acceleration due to gravity.