Electrical transmission or interconnection systems – Vehicle mounted systems
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-14
2002-10-29
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2836)
Electrical transmission or interconnection systems
Vehicle mounted systems
C303S015000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06472769
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a car control device for use in a train and more specifically, to improvements in a car control device.
In general, a train is comprised of a consist of one or more locomotives followed by a series of cars, and a pneumatic brake pipe extending through the train for the pneumatic brake. In recent years, each of the train cars and each of the locomotives have been serially connected by a power and communication trainline. Additionally, each car has an electropneumatic brake system. The serial electric power network and the pneumatic brake network have been integrated to form an electropneumatic braking system which is in communication with the power and communication trainline, which not only delivers power to each of the cars but also provides a communication link, enabling identification and serialization of a train.
In order to integrate the pneumatic and electrical systems in a network, the prior art devised a car control device for placement in each car, and the car control device was then placed in contact with an ID module and the power and communication trainline. An example of a system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,465 to Lumbis et al. and a car control device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,670 to Truglio et al.
The construction of a car control device necessarily involved the linking and intertwining of several systems. The car control device comprised a control valve system, a power management system, a functional control system, and a manifold. The control valve system is comprised of a plurality of valves which may be electrically controlled in response to electrical signals received from the functional control module to pneumatically control the pneumatic brakes. A plurality of pressure transducers communicates with the functional control system.
The power management system, which is in electrical communication with the functional control module, typically comprises a battery and battery charger. The battery is charged by tapping into the high voltage power and communication trainline, which links all the cars in the network. Additionally, the power and communication trainline is in electric communication with the functional control module as well.
Therefore, a car control device involves an intricate network of systems in fluid and/or electrical communication with one another in a single housing. As shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
, all of the systems are accessible through a single opening and cannot be easily serviced without removal of the manifold to which the systems are mounted.
Design objectives for the Car Control Device, as herein disclosed, include compliance with AAR Specifications compliance and a ten-fold increase in reliability.
The Reliability goals translate into requirements for:
§ subsystem reliability modeling and allocation
§ part count reduction
§ minimum electrical connections
§ engineered resonance response for each sub-component
§ component derating
§ design for circuit operation over worst case tolerance conditions
§ maximize availability and maintainability
§ and six-sigma validation
Customer driven requirements include:
§ unitized electronic and pneumatic solution
§ mounting directly to the service side of the AB Pipe Bracket or SSPB
§ fits within the installation/removal envelope of the DB-10/ABDX Service
Portion
§ upgrade-able from Overlay Application to Stand-Alone at low cost.
§ weight less than 44 lbs. (20 kg) for ease of handling.
§ status LEDs for troubleshooting
The requirement for many integrated systems into a network, coupled with the need for increased reliability and customer demands, lead to a design philosophy embodied by “Mechatronics”, which requires very tight integration of the mechanical and electronic elements. While previous design approaches for ECP CCDs divide the design along the lines of technology, that is a pneumatic module and a computer, the inventive car control device is designed as an integrated, synergistic whole. The approach has resulted in a significant improvement in reliability, size, weight, and parts count metrics.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is a car control device for a car on an electric network of a train. The car control device communicates on the network, controls pneumatic brakes on the car and charges a battery, all in a housing of the car control device. The car control device has a pneumatic manifold with a plurality of ports enabling fluid communication with a brake valve, and a control valve module. A functional control module electrically communicates with a power management module, the control valve module, and the network, such that the functional control module, control valve module, power management module, and control valve module are interior the housing, which is preferably formed as a monolithic one-piece structure. The manifold is integrally formed into the housing.
The housing is configured such that each module is located within a compartment having a removable cover, which enables each of the modules and compartments to be separately accessible.
Battery Compartment
The battery compartment has top, bottom, back and side walls and a removable battery cover as a front wall. The Battery Cover is secured by two easily accessible bolts. To prevent loss during routine maintenance, both the bolts in the cover and the cover itself are retained. The walls of the battery compartment are configured to receive the battery in a predetermined orientation. A battery carriage with an internal configuration mating with the battery in the predetermined orientation and an external configuration mating with the walls of the battery compartment in the predetermined orientation provides further assurance that the battery cannot be inserted into the housing in a reversed orientation.
The carriage is configured to snugly envelope the battery and lie in the battery compartment. The front wall of the carriage is pivotally connected near a first edge and latched adjacent a second edge. Preferably, the top, bottom and side walls of the carriage are configured to form legs of a U-shape with the back wall of the carriage as a bight of the U-shape.
A battery connector with a positive socket and a negative socket attaches to positive and negative terminals of the battery, respectively. The front wall of the battery carriage includes a receiving chamber configured to receive the battery connector, such that the battery connector snugly fits into the receiving chamber.
Electrical leads extend from the top of the battery compartment to the top wall of the battery carriage. Wire clips are adjacent the top wall of the battery carriage and receive the electrical leads. In addition, the front wall of the carriage includes a guard on a top edge of the front wall.
The bottom wall, back wall, and two side walls of the battery compartment are integrally configured with the housing to form a monolithic, one-piece structure, and the top wall of the battery compartment is sealably mounted to the housing.
Each of the two side walls of the battery carriage comprise an upper flange extending from the top wall of the battery carriage, and a lower flange extending from the bottom wall of the battery carriage. At least one of the side walls of the battery carriage has ribs on a outer surface.
The battery compartment further comprises a pressure release valve, preferably an umbrella check valve, which allows gas to escape the housing in the event pressure inside the battery compartment elevates to a predetermined level.
Power Management Module
The power management module (PMM) is mounted in the housing and forms a top wall of a battery compartment. Battery leads extend from the battery compartment to the power management module. Source leads extend from the power management module exterior the battery compartment and are connected to the functional control module (FCM).
The power management module includes a housing, a circuit board mounted in the housing, and circuitry on the circuit board, wire, and grommets. In a preferred embodiment, the pow
Long, Jr. Abraham
McCurdy, Jr. William B.
Newton Gary S.
Newton Ronald O.
Newton Steven R.
Barnes & Thornburg
New York Air Brake Corporation
Polk Sharon
Sircus Brian
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