Method of detecting and signalling a hot box condition

• US 8,950,711 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2012
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Progress Rail Signaling SpA (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Progress Rail Inspection & Information Systems SRL (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Inventors: Agostini, Alessandro
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, MARK T
• Application Number:
  US13/707,680
• Publication Number:
  US 20130270396A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 246/169.A, 340/682, 340/584, 340/449
• US Class Current: 246/169.A
• CPC Class Codes: B61K 9/04 Detectors for indicating the overheating of axle bearings and the like, e.g. associated with the brake system for applying the brakes in case of a fault
• CPC Class Codes: B61K 9/06 by detecting or indicating heat radiation from overheated axles
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0027 Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0081 On-board diagnosis or maintenance

Abstract

A method of detecting and signaling a hot box condition on a rail vehicle comprising the steps of acquiring temperature data from undercarriage components of the rail vehicle through temperature sensors provided in hot box detection devices; relaying temperature data through a wireless network of the hot box detection devices to a data recorder.

Claims

1. A method of detecting and signaling a hot box condition on a rail vehicle comprising the steps of:

acquiring temperature data from undercarriage components of the rail vehicle through temperature sensors provided in hot box detection devices arranged in a sequence leading to a data recorder; and

relaying the temperature data through a wireless network of the hot box detection devices to the data recorder by sequentially transmitting the temperature data from one of the hot box detection devices in the sequence through each of the remaining hot box detection devices in the sequence that are nearer to the data recorder.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising the steps of sequencing the hot box detection devices and relaying the temperature data detected by each of the hot box detection devices to the next hot box detection device in the sequence.

3. The method of claim 1 comprising the step of broadcasting the temperature data detected by each of the hot box detection devices to the remaining hot box detection devices in the network.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising the step of transmitting the temperature data to wayside stations.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of transmitting the temperature data to wayside stations from the data recorder.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising the step of powering the hot box detection devices through rotational acceleration force.

7. The method of claim 1 comprising the step of magnetically coupling a hot box detection device to a corresponding undercarriage component.

8. A system for detecting and signaling a hot box condition on a rail vehicle, the system comprising:

a plurality of temperature sensors provided in a corresponding plurality of hot box detection devices for acquiring temperature data from undercarriage components of the rail vehicle, the plurality of hot box detection devices being arranged in a sequence leading to a data recorder; and

a wireless network of the hot box detection devices configured to relay the temperature data to the data recorder by sequentially transmitting the temperature data from one of the hot box detection devices in the sequence through each of the remaining hot box detection devices in the sequence that are nearer to the data recorder.

9. The system as set forth in claim 8 wherein each hot box detection device is magnetically coupled to a corresponding undercarriage component.

10. The system as set forth in claim 9 wherein each undercarriage component is a rotating component.

11. The system as set forth in claim 10 wherein at least one undercarriage component is a wheel.

12. The system as set forth in claim 10 wherein at least one undercarriage component is an axle.

13. The system as set forth in claim 8 wherein at least one hot box detection device is powered by rotational acceleration force.

14. The system as set forth in claim 8 wherein at least one hot box detection device is battery powered.