Westinghouse Air Brake Company

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation

John H Corvin

Francis A Launier

Charles C Siegling, Iii

Richard J Mazur

James A Wood

Paul E Jamieson

David A Greer

Barry J Kahr

The time reset safety timer circuit eliminates approximately half of the external interfaces of the prior art safety timers. The prior art safety timers depend on vehicle axle speeds, brake indications, and/or trainline signals to initiate a safety timer reset. The time reset safety timer circuit in the present invention uses only internal information to initiate a safety timer reset. This simplifies the circuitry of the time reset safety timer circuit, which improves the reliability.

Time reset safety timer circuit

A system detects cut-out of brakes on a train in a safe manner. Each vehicle in the train has at least one truck. Each truck has brakes which may be cut-out via a cut-out cock. A frequency generator generates a signal at a predesignated frequency. This signal is conveyed from a first vehicle in the train to a last vehicle in the train along a feed line and from the last vehicle to the first vehicle along a return line. Each cut-out cock assumes an open position wherein the brakes of its truck are cut-in or a closed position wherein the brakes of its truck are cut-out. Each cut-out cock features a switch in series with the return line that closes when its cutout cock assumes the open position or opens when its cutout cock assumes the closed position. A frequency divider for each switch connects in parallel therewith. When the switch is closed, the signal passes through the switch wherein division of frequency is avoided. When the switch is open, the signal passes through the frequency divider wherein division of frequency by a preset value occurs. A detector determines the resulting frequency of the signal returned to the first vehicle on the return line because the signal as it conducted along the return line had its frequency divided each time it passed through one of the frequency dividers. This enables the system to determine the number of trucks whose brakes are cut-out on the train.

Safe brake cutout detection for train

A signal processing unit for a controller of a trolley pole switch is disclosed. The trolley pole switch switches the path of travel that an energy collector takes through the switch at a junction of catenaries at which a turn catenary and a straight catenary diverge from the straight catenary. The signal processing unit includes an input stage, a detection stage, turn and straight signal demodulation stages and an output stage. The input stage conditions modulated signals, each of which indicating a request to switch the path of travel through the trolley pole switch to the desired catenary diverging therefrom. The detection stage generates a validation signal if the conditioned modulated signal falls within a predetermined band. If the turn demodulation stage receives a conditioned modulated turn signal from the input stage and the validation signal from the detection stage simultaneously, it generates a low logic signal. If the straight demodulation stage receives a conditioned modulated straight signal from the input stage and the validation signal from the detection stage simultaneously, it generates a low logic signal. If a low logic signal is received from the turn demodulation stage, the output stage energizes a turn relay thereby supplying power to a turn solenoid for switching the path of travel to the turn catenary. If a low logic signal is received from the straight demodulation stage, the output stage energizes a straight relay thereby supplying power to a straight solenoid for switching the path of travel to the straight catenary.

Signal processing unit for a trolley pole switch controller

A pulse width modulated drive circuit drives a solenoid operated valve in response to an input voltage signal from a control apparatus. The solenoid operated valve includes a coil that is energizable in response to energy received from the pulse width modulated drive circuit. The pulse width modulated drive circuit includes a pulse generator stage and an output stage. The pulse generator stage receives the input voltage signal from the control apparatus and a feedback signal from the coil which ultimately combine to form a control voltage in response to which the pulse generator stage generates a pulse width modulated signal whose duty cycle depends on the control voltage. The output stage receives the pulse width modulated signal from the pulse generator stage and generates in response thereto a pulse width modulated output signal across the coil. The pulse width modulated output signal has pulse width generally proportional to the control voltage and carries energy from a source of energy. The pulse width modulated output signal energizes the coil thereby enabling the coil to generate a force generally proportional to the average current carried by the pulse width modulated output signal.

Pulse width modulated drive for an infinitely variable solenoid operated

An electronic controller for controlling a trolley pole switch is disclosed. The trolley pole switch switches the path of travel that an energy collector of a trolley pole takes through the trolley pole switch at a junction of power conduits diverging from the trolley pole switch. The electronic trolley pole switch controller includes a signal processing device and a power controlling device employed in tandem to control the frog solenoids of a trolley pole switch. The signal processing device detects and processes a plurality of modulated signals. Each modulated signal represents a request to switch the path of travel that the energy collector takes through the trolley pole switch to a desired one of the power conduits diverging therefrom. In response to each modulated signal, the signal processing device generates an intermediate command signal indicative of a command to supply power to the appropriate frog solenoid that effects the switch in the path of travel through the trolley pole switch to the desired power conduit. The power controlling device receives the intermediate command signal from the signal processing device and in response thereto supplies power to that frog solenoid. The frog solenoid energizes and therethrough compels the trolley pole switch to switch the path of travel that the energy collector will take through the trolley pole switch to the desired power conduit.

Electronic controller for a trolley pole switch mechanism

A power controlling unit for use with a radio board of a trolley pole switch controller is disclosed. The trolley pole switch has at least one frog for switching the path of travel that an energy collector takes through a junction of catenaries. The power controlling unit includes three reduction stages, a chopper control stage, and two output stages. A first reduction stage reduces power received from one catenary to an initial power level. The chopper control stage outputs two pairs of alternating signals. Controlled by a first pair of alternating signals, a second reduction stage reduces the initial power level to a secondary power level to operate the radio board. As long as it receives the initial power level, the third reduction stage reduces the secondary power level to a primary power level to operate the power controlling unit. Controlled by a second pair of alternating signals and the initial power level, when a turn output stage receives a turn command from the radio board, it switches power from one catenary to a turn solenoid of such frog thereby switching the path of travel that the energy collector will take to a turn catenary. Controlled by the second pair of signals and the initial power level, when a straight output stage receives a straight command from the radio board, it switches power from one catenary to a straight solenoid of such frog thereby switching the path of travel that the energy collector will take to a straight catenary.

Power controlling unit for a trolley pole switch controller

A system for controlling the operation of a door comprising a first microprocessor and a second microprocessor each having a plurality of inputs for sensing the status of a vehicle. The plurality of inputs include a no motion trainline input, an open trainline input, an unlock trainline input and a close trainline input. The first microprocessor also has a close grant input for receiving a close grant signal from the second microprocessor while the second microprocessor also has a close request input for receiving a close request signal from the first microprocessor. The system also includes a motor for opening and closing the door and a motor relay circuit device, controlled by the microprocessors, for controlling the direction of power flow through the motor. When the motor relay circuit device activates, the motor is enabled to open the door and when it deactivates the motor is enabled to close the door. The system further includes a motor chopper control for controlling the delivery of power to the motor. The motor chopper control is controlled by the microprocessors so that when the motor relay circuit device activates, the motor chopper control delivers power to the motor to open the door and when it deactivates the motor chopper control delivers power to the motor to close the door. If at least one of the microprocessors detects a system malfunction, the motor chopper control will be disabled thereby preventing power flow to the motor and operation of the door.

Growing community of inventors

Greer, SC, United States of America

John H Corvin