PNEUMATIC BRAKE SYSTEM REDUNDANCY IN LOCOMOTIVE CONSISTS

• US 20150083529A1
• Filed: 09/26/2013
• Published: 03/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Faiveley Transport Italia Spa (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Faiveley Transport Italia Spa (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: TIONE, Roberto
• Granted Patent: US 9,868,454 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 188/34
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/665 the systems being specially adapted for transferring two or more command signals, e.g. railway systems B60T13/662 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/228 for railway vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B61C 17/12 Control gear; Arrangements for controlling locomotives from remote points in the train or when operating in multiple units control from points outside the train B61L3/00; fluid-actuated telemotors, servomotors F15B; control devices in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: B61H 11/00 Applications or arrangements of braking or retarding apparatus not otherwise provided for; Combinations of apparatus of different kinds or types
• CPC Class Codes: B61H 13/02 Hand or other personal actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B61H 13/20 Transmitting mechanisms wear-compensating mechanisms B61H15/00

Abstract

A train consist for freight transportation includes a first or lead locomotive and at least one second or trail, adjacent locomotive directly connected with one another, followed by a plurality of cars or wagons.

Each of the locomotives has an Electronically Controlled Pneumatic Brake System (ECPBS), a brake handle installed in the driver'"'"'s cab providing electric signals to control the ECPBSs upon train operator'"'"'s commands, and a communication layer used to transmit various signals between the two or more adjacent locomotives of the consist.

The electrical signals generated by the brake handle in the lead locomotive are extended to at least the first trail locomotive through the communication layer in order to control the ECPBS in the trail locomotive, providing full train brake redundancy, allowing non-degraded train operation even in case of an unrecoverable failure of the brake control system in the lead locomotive.

Claims

1. A train consist comprising a lead locomotive and at least one adjacent trail locomotive, followed by a plurality of cars, wherein:

each of said locomotives has an electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (ECPBS) connected to a train brake pipe that extends through the whole train consist, said ECPBS being capable of controlling a braking pressure in said train brake pipe;

each of said locomotives has a brake control handle device for generating braking commands to be delivered to the respective ECPBS through a communication layer, said braking commands being suitable to control, by means of said ECPBS, the braking pressure in said brake pipe;

said communication layer extends through the lead locomotive and said at least one trail locomotive of the consist connecting the brake control handle device of the lead locomotive to the ECPBS of said at least one trail locomotive, said communication layer being arranged to forward said braking commands from the brake control handle device of the lead locomotive to the ECPBS of the trail locomotive, allowing to control the braking pressure in said brake pipe also by means of the ECPBS of said at least one trail locomotive in accordance with the brake commands generated by the brake control handle device of the lead locomotive.

2. A train consist comprising a lead locomotive and at least one adjacent trail locomotive, followed by a plurality of cars, wherein:

each of said locomotives has an electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (ECPBS) connected to a train brake pipe that extends through the whole train consist, said ECPBS being capable of controlling a braking pressure in said train brake pipe;

each of said locomotives has a brake control handle device for generating braking commands to be delivered to the respective ECPBS through a communication layer, said braking commands being suitable to control, by means of said ECPBS, the braking pressure in said brake pipe;

said at least one trail locomotive having means for enabling and disabling the corresponding brake control handle device, to allow and prevent said brake control handle device from issuing brake commands over said communication layer.

3. A train consist comprising a lead locomotive and at least one adjacent trail locomotive, followed by a plurality of cars, wherein:

each of said locomotives has an electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (ECPBS) connected to a train brake pipe that extends through the whole train consist, said ECPBS being capable of controlling a braking pressure in said train brake pipe;

each of said locomotives has a brake control handle device for generating braking commands to be delivered to the respective ECPBS through a communication layer, said braking commands being suitable to control, by means of said ECPBS, the braking pressure in said brake pipe,

said communication layer including independent communication links connecting in said locomotives the respective brake control handle device with the corresponding ECPBS.

4. A train consist comprising a lead locomotive and at least one adjacent trail locomotive, followed by a plurality of cars, wherein:

each of said locomotives has an electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (ECPBS) connected to a train brake pipe that extends through the whole train consist, said ECPBS being capable of controlling a braking pressure in said train brake pipe;

each of said locomotives has a brake control handle device including at least one brake control lever, for generating braking commands to be delivered to the respective ECPBS through a communication layer, said braking commands being suitable to control, by means of said ECPBS, the braking pressure in said brake pipe;

said communication layer including independent communication links connecting in said locomotives the respective brake control handle device with the corresponding ECPBS;

first and second independent electronic modules being connected to angular position encoder means coupled said at least one brake control lever, said electronic modules being connected to said independent communication links and predisposed for converting angular position signals into brake commands.

5. A train consist comprising a lead locomotive and at least one adjacent trail locomotive, followed by a plurality of cars, wherein:

each of said locomotives has an electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (ECPBS) connected to a train brake pipe that extends through the whole train consist, said ECPBS being capable of controlling a braking pressure in said train brake pipe;

each of said locomotives having a brake control handle device including at least one brake control lever, for generating braking commands to be delivered to the respective ECPBS through a communication layer;

said braking commands being suitable to control, by means of said ECPBS, the braking pressure in said brake pipe;

said communication layer providing independent communication links connecting in said locomotives the respective brake handle device with the corresponding ECPBS;

first and second independent electronic modules being connected to first and second, independent, angular position encoder means associated with each brake control lever, said electronic modules being connected to said independent communication links and being predisposed for converting angular position signals into brake commands.

6. A train consist comprising a lead locomotive and at least one adjacent trail locomotive followed by a plurality of cars, wherein:

each of said locomotives has an electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (ECPBS) connected to a train brake pipe that extends through the whole train consist, said ECPBS being capable of controlling a braking pressure in said train brake pipe;

each of said locomotives having a brake control handle device for generating braking commands to be delivered to the respective ECPBS through a communication layer, said braking commands being suitable to control, by means of said ECPBS, the braking pressure in said brake pipe;

said communication layer extending through the lead locomotive and said at least one trail locomotive, connecting the brake control handle device of the lead locomotive to the ECPBS of said at least one trail locomotive through gateway means capable of converting a first protocol for local communication between an ECPBS and the corresponding brake control handle device into a second protocol for inter-locomotive communication;

said communication layer being predisposed for forwarding braking commands from the brake control handle device of the lead locomotive to the ECPBS of said at least one trail locomotive;

said braking commands being suitable to control, by means of the ECPBS of said at least one trail locomotive, the pressure in said brake pipe extending through the whole train consist.

7. A train consist comprising a lead locomotive and at least one adjacent trail locomotive, followed by a plurality of cars, wherein:

each of said locomotives has an electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (ECPBS) connected to a train brake pipe that extends through the whole train consist, said ECPBS being capable of controlling a braking pressure in the train brake pipe;

each of said locomotives having a brake control handle device for generating braking commands to be delivered to the respective ECPBS through a communication layer;

said communication layer extending through the lead locomotive and said at least one trail locomotive, connecting the brake control handle device of the lead locomotive to the ECPBS of said at least trail locomotive;

said communication layer being arranged for forwarding braking commands from the brake control lever device of the lead locomotive to the ECPBS of the trail locomotive;

said braking commands being suitable to control, by means of the ECPBS of the trail locomotive, the pressure in said brake pipe;

each of said locomotives having means for enabling and disabling the respective brake control handle device to allow and prevent said brake control lever device from issuing brake commands over said communication layer.

8. Method for operating a train consist according to claim 7, comprising a normal operation mode including:

enabling the brake control handle device of the lead locomotive to issue braking commands over the communication layer;

disabling the brake control handle device of said at least one trail locomotive preventing it from issuing braking commands over the communication layer;

enabling the ECPBS of the lead locomotive of the ECPBS to control the braking pressure in the brake pipe in accordance with the braking commands received from the brake control handle device of the lead locomotive; and

disabling the ECPBS of said at least one trail locomotive preventing it from controlling and influencing the pressure in the brake pipe.

9. A method according to claim 8, comprising a failure operation mode for operating said train consist when the ECPBS of the lead locomotive is affected by a failure preventing said ECPBS to control the pressure in the brake pipe in accordance with the brake commands generated by the control handle device of the lead locomotive, including:

enabling the brake control handle device of the lead locomotive to issue braking commands over the communication layer;

disabling the brake control handle device of the at least one trail locomotive to issue braking commands over the communication layer;

disabling the ECPBS of the lead locomotive preventing it from controlling the pressure in the brake pipe; and

enabling one of the ECPBS of a trail locomotive to control the pressure in the brake pipe according to the braking commands received from the brake control handle device of the lead locomotive through the communication layer.

10. A train consist comprising a lead locomotive and at least one adjacent trail locomotive, followed by a plurality of cars, wherein:

each of said locomotives has an electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (ECPBS) connected to a train brake pipe that extends through the whole train consist, said ECPBS being capable of controlling a braking pressure in the train brake pipe;

each of said locomotives having a brake control handle device for generating braking commands to be delivered to the respective ECPBS through a communication layer, said braking commands being suitable to control, by means of said ECPBS, the pressure in the brake pipe extending through the whole train consist;

said communication layer extending at least through the lead locomotive and said at least one trail locomotive, connecting the brake control handle device of the lead locomotive to the ECPBS of said at least one trail locomotive;

said communication layer being arranged for forwarding said braking commands from the brake control handle device of the lead locomotive to the ECPBS of at least the first trail locomotive, in order to control the braking pressure in said brake pipe through the ECPBS of a trail locomotive connected to said communication layer, according to brake commands generated by the brake control handle device of the lead locomotive;

the lead locomotive having a man-machine interface connected to said communication layer, arranged to display operating values, including the brake pipe pressure, provided by the ECPBS of said trail locomotive.

11. A train consist comprising a lead locomotive and at least one adjacent trail locomotive, followed by a plurality of cars, wherein:

each of said locomotives has an electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (ECPBS) connected to a train brake pipe that extends through the whole train consist, said ECPBS being capable of controlling the braking pressure in the train brake pipe;

each of said locomotives having a brake control handle device for generating braking commands to be delivered to the respective ECPBS through a communication layer, said braking commands being suitable to control, by means of said ECPBS, the pressure in the brake pipe extending through the whole train consist;

said communication layer extending at least through the two first adjacent locomotives, connecting the brake control handle device of the lead locomotive to the ECPBS of said at least one trail locomotive;

said communication layer extending at least through the two first adjacent locomotives, through pins in multi-unit connectors.