RAILWAY SAFETY SYSTEM FOR DETECTING OVERHEATED BRAKES

• US 3,767,146 A
• Filed: 06/22/1972
• Issued: 10/23/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cornelius A. Gallagher
• Original Assignee: Cornelius A. Gallagher
• Inventors: Gallagher, Cornelius A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Forlenza, Gerald M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Libman, George H.
• Application Number:
  US05/265,346
• Time in Patent Office: 488 Days
• Field of Search: 246/169D,169R
• US Class Current: 246/169.00D
• CPC Class Codes: B61K 9/06 by detecting or indicating heat radiation from overheated axles

Abstract

A railway safety system is provided to detect defects on railroad rolling stock, such as sticking brakes, which are ultimately manifested by an abnormal temperature rise in the region of the railway car wheel rim. The system utilizes an infrared detector positioned along a section track and focused to scan the wheels of passing cars. Scanning is confined to an area of each wheel between the rail head and the bottom of the car brake shoes.

Claims

1. A railway safety system to detect defects in the brakes and/or wheels of trains moving along a section of track, said defects being manifested by an abnormal temperature rise in the area of the wheel rim, said system comprising:

(a) a detector positioned along said track section, said detector including a heat responsive cell producing an electrical signal in response to incident radiant energy and a scanner imaged toward said track and adapted to transmit the radiant energy of wheels passing along said track to said cell, said scanner being imaged at each passing wheel only in the zone extending between the bottom of the brake of each passing wheel and the top of the track; and

(b) a readout device responsive to said electrical signal connected to said detector.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said detector Is positioned with respect to said track to discretely image each wheel of each passing train.

3. The system in accordance with claim 2 wherein said detector images each wheel of each passing train at a viewing angle of approximately 1*.

4. The system in accordance with claim 3 wherein said scanner is imaged in a horizontal plane offset from said track by an angle of between 50* and 70*.

5. The system in accordance with claim 4 wherein said scanner is spaced approximately 30 inches from the closest rail of said track.

6. The system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said scanner is imaged along a chord of each wheel parallel to said track, approximately 3 inches above said track and the imaged area of each wheel of each passing train is entirely below the brake associated with that wheel and above the track.

7. The invention in accordance with claim 1 wherein said system further includes wheel actuated switch means mounted along said track and means interconnecting said readout means and said switch means whereby said readout means are actuated only upon the passage of a train wheel past said switch means.

8. The system in accordance with claim 1 further including reference means mounted across track from said scanner along the line of sight of said scanner, said reference means including a blackened surface directed at said scanner adapted to provide fixed reference for said scanner in the absence of a railway car wheel.

9. The method of detecting defects in the brakes and/or wheels of a railway car moving along a section of track past a fixed location, said defects being manifested by an abnormal temperature rise in the area of the wheel rim, said method comprising the steps of:

a. discretely imaging each wheel of said car with an infrared scanner only in the zone extending between the top of the track and the brake associated with said wheel;

b. transmitting the radiant energy of each passing wheel to a heat responsive cell adapted to produce an electrical signal in response to incident radiant energy; and

c. feeding said electrical signal to a readout device adapted to trigger an alarm in the event said signal exceeds a predetermined level.

10. The method in accordance with claim 9 further comprising the modified step of viewing each wheel along a viewing angle of substantially 1*.