Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Richard S Rhoton

Donald L Rush

Pierre A Zuber

Robert H Perry

David H Woods

Gregory J Walz

Norman W May

Robert J DiSilvestro

Andrew S Robbins

An improved friction brake system for a transit vehicle is disclosed. The conventional friction brake system for a transit vehicle utilizes an integral service brake and emergency-parking brake actuator. The service brake portion is air powered while the emergency-parking brake portion is spring powered. It has been conventional to apply full service air brake and emergency spring brake during emergency stops. An accelerometer switch is typically connected in circuit with the service brake portion to prevent the service brake from turning on if their is sufficient deceleration. The accelerometer switch often does not react quickly enough to prevent the onset of the service brakes. The present invention utilizes a time delay switch to delay the onset of service brakes until after the spring-activated emergency brakes react.

Transit vehicle friction brake deceleration control system

A door control apparatus is provided for a transit vehicle for sensing the location of a predetermined power rail in relation to a safety walkway provided along the roadway path for controlling the passenger exit from the vehicle to that walkway.

Transit vehicle door control apparatus

A passenger vehicle speed control apparatus and method are operative with a track providing an input speed command having ONEs and ZEROs information components. At least two programmed microprocessors operate with the vehicle and redundantly decode the ONEs and ZEROs input speed command signal components through operation of a fixed frequency filter for each of a plurality of frequency pairs and a variable frequency filter tuned to the frequency of the fixed filter having the highest amplitude signal component for determining a speed command signal to control the movement speed of the vehicle.

Vehicle speed control apparatus and method

An apparatus and method for providing a control signal in front of a vehicle moving along a track having an earth ground potential, with the vehicle having first and second low impedance interconnected collector shoes being coupled between a pair of signal rails and provided at respectively the front end and rear end of the vehicle. A first control signal is provided in front of the vehicle to control the desired operation of the vehicle and a second control signal is provided in the rear of the vehicle to control an undesired operation of the vehicle. An impedance member is provided, in a first conductive circuit on the vehicle or in a second conductive circuit associated with the track, to prevent the second control signal in front of the train from having a threshold level high enough to confuse the desired operation of the train.

Transit vehicle signal apparatus and method

There is disclosed a vehicle train control apparatus and method for controlling the operation of a vehicle train by a second control equipment provided in a different control vehicle of the train in the event of the failure of the train control equipment of a first control vehicle initially selected to control the train.

Transit vehicle handback control apparatus and method

A signal transmitter provides an oscillatory signal to an antenna situated along a vehicle stopping area. The antenna has incremental transpositions along its length for reversing the phase of the magnetic field produced at each transposition in response to the provision of the oscillatory signal. Signal receiving means on a vehicle sense the phase reversals of the magnetic field, and when the phase reversals are sensed at a rate proportional to a defined zero speed of the vehicle, at least one door on the vehicle is opened.

Vehicle zero speed detection system

An antenna apparatus is disclosed for coupling audio frequency signals in relation to one or more vehicle track rails of a transit system for the purpose of determining vehicle occupancy of a given signal block and providing speed coded control signals to a vehicle moving along the track rail in that given signal block. It is desired that each signal block in the transit system track circuit operate with the signal level above a predetermined minimum signal level for reasons of vehicle occupational detection. The antenna apparatus is operative to enable desired adjustment of the signal level in a given signal block and in adjacent signal blocks relative to that given signal block.

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Mt. Lebanon, PA, United States of America

Richard S Rhoton