U.S. patent application number 11/030761 was filed with the patent office on 2005-09-08 for system for monitoring the temperature of wheel bearings in railroad cars.
Invention is credited to Matzan, Eugene.
Application Number | 20050194497 11/030761 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34914722 |
Filed Date | 2005-09-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050194497 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Matzan, Eugene |
September 8, 2005 |
System for monitoring the temperature of wheel bearings in railroad
cars
Abstract
A system is described for automatic detection of overheated
wheel bearings of railroad cars and carriages. Signals representing
the temperature of such bearings are generated by temperature
sensors that are installed in close proximity of the wheel
bearings. The signals are amplified, digitized and, to prevent
false indications, averaged for each individual bearing. The
averaged signals from each bearing are than compared to the
averaged signals from the other three bearings of the same car or
vehicle. If the signal from any bearing deviates by a present
magnitude value, an alarm signal is generated and transmitted to a
central monitoring location. The signals from each bearing are
uniquely identified by a code. Light emitting diodes are installed
close to the bearings and light up to indicate overheating. The
electric power for the system is generated by an electromagnetic
generator, which responds to the vibrations of the moving car.
Inventors: |
Matzan, Eugene; (Rochester,
NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ALEXANDER E. MARTENS
63 WINDING CREEK LANE
ROCHESTER
NY
14625
US
|
Family ID: |
34914722 |
Appl. No.: |
11/030761 |
Filed: |
January 7, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60550432 |
Mar 8, 2004 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
246/169A |
Current CPC
Class: |
B61K 9/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
246/169.00A |
International
Class: |
B61L 003/00 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A system for detection of overheating in wheel bearings of
vehicles having a plurality of bearings comprising temperature
sensors situated in close proximity of said plurality of wheel
bearings, said temperature sensors responding to the temperature in
said bearings and generating electrical signals representative of
said temperature, means for processing said signals, and for
generating alarm signals identifying overheated one or more of said
bearings when the temperature of one or more of said plurality of
bearings as compared to the averaged temperature representing
signals from other of said plurality bearings of the same vehicle
exceeds a preset value, and means responsive to said alarm signals
for identifying the location of the bearings responsible for said
signals exceeding preset value.
2. A system according to claim 1 in which said means for processing
signals comprise: means for amplifying said
temperature-representing signals, means for temporarily storing a
plurality of said temperature representing signals from each said
bearing and computing the average value of the magnitudes of said
stored temperature representing signals means for comparing said
average value of said temperature representing signals with value
of temperature representing signals originating in said temperature
sensors signals from all other wheel bearings, generating an alarm
signal when the difference between said values of said temperature
representing signals from any said sensors in proximity to said one
or more of said bearings exceeds by a preset value said average
value, means for generating a unique code identifying the specific
location of said overheated bearing, and means for utilizing said
code with said alarm signal to identify overheating in one or more
of said plurality of bearings.
3. A system according to claim 1 in which a central monitoring
station receives the information from said identifying means and
generates a display of the fault location and also generates a
visual and audio signal to alert the responsible personnel to the
fact that a fault in one or more of said wheel bearings has been
detected.
4. A system according to claim 1 in which said temperature sensors
are selected from the group consisting of thermocouples,
thermistors, fiber optic temperature sensors, resistance
temperature sensors, and diode temperature sensors.
5. A system according to claim 1, further comprising means for
transmitting said signals as alarm indicating data.
6. A system according to claim 5 wherein means responsive to said
data facilitates visual indication of a said overheated bearing is
installed in close proximity of said bearings.
7. In a system according to claim 6 wherein said means, which
facilitate visual indication are light emitting diodes included in
proximity of each of said bearings.
8. A system according to claim 1 further comprising means for
providing the electric power for energizing said system including
electromagnetic generator electromagnetic generator in which a
magnetic core is vertically suspended by springs within a
solenoidal coil, said core moves up and down in response to the
vibrations incurred by said cars as they travel over the rails,
said coil in response generating electric current, or piezoelectric
means used to generate electric current to power said system
components.
9. A system for detection of overheating in wheel bearings in a
railroad car or other vehicle having a plurality of wheel bearings
comprising individual temperature-sensing modules situated in close
proximity of each of said wheel bearings, said temperature-sensing
modules responding to the temperatures of said bearings and
generating electrical signals representative of said temperatures,
called temperature responsive signals hereinafter TRS, means for
processing said TRS and for generating alarm signals when the TRS
for one or more of said plurality of bearings exceeds a preset
value as compared to the TRS from the other of said plurality of
bearings thereby providing data identifying overheating one of said
plurality of bearings and their location and for display or
transmission.
10. A system according to claim 9 in which said means for
processing said signals comprise means for amplifying said signals.
means for digitizing said signals means for generating codes
identifying a particular module and attaching said code to said
digitized signals thus producing a composite digital signal means
for transmitting said composite signal to a central monitoring
station and activating said display comprising light-emitting
diodes situated near each of said temperature-sensing modules.
11. A system according to claim 9 in which each said
temperature-sensing module includes a electromagnetic generator or
a piezoelectric generator which provides power to said modules.
12. A system according to claim 10 in which said central monitoring
station comprises means for receiving and transmitting signals from
and to said temperature-sensing modules, means for processing said
signals, and means for displaying said alarm signals.
13. A system according to claim 9 in which said means for
processing said signals temporarily stores said signals from each
said temperature-sensing modules, computes averages of said stored
signals, compares the magnitudes of said averaged signals to each
other, and generates said alarm signal if one of said averaged
signals exceeds the other averaged signals by a preset value of
their magnitude.
Description
[0001] This application claims priority to my provisional
application 60/550,432 filed Mar. 8, 2004, which by this reference
is incorporated herein.
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0002] The instant invention relates generally to systems for
detecting defects in wheel bearings of railroad car due to
overheating by monitoring the temperature of such bearings.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Overheating of wheel bearings in railroad cars can lead to
serious accidents if not noticed before major damage occurs. The
Office of Safety Analysis of the Federal Railroad Administration
reports that during the period between January and November 2003
there have been 1,477 train accidents attributable to equipment
defects and failures. In fact, 180 of such incidents were directly
related to bearing or breaks failures (See "Federal Railroad
Administration, 2003 Report on Train Accidents due to Equipment
Failures"). Such accidents are especially dangerous when they
involve passenger carriages and freight cars carrying hazardous
cargo, such as explosives and nuclear waste.
[0004] A system for detection of overheating in wheel bearings,
aside of its value as a means for preventing accidents, injuries
and deaths, would also allow for rail cars' maintenance schedule to
be implemented in a timely fashion--an opportunity for
cost-saving.
[0005] Federal Railroad Administration's "Rolling Stock program"
places emphasis on the development and improvement of equipment
defect detection via wayside and onboard systems. Such systems
promote early defect detection and help prevent derailments due to
equipment failure. They also permit condition-based maintenance of
car and locomotive components."(See "Federal Railroad
Administration, Railroad Research and Development Program, Section
4.3 Rolling Stock and Components")
[0006] The advent of inexpensive and reliable sensors,
microprocessors and electronics makes such automated systems for
detection of overheating practical and cost-effective.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] It is a feature of he present invention to provide an
on-board system for railroad cars and carriages, which detects and
provides signals that alert responsible personnel to incidents of
bearing overheating and identify the location of the overheated
bearings.
[0008] The system provided by the invention improves
heretofore-proposed systems such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.
3,629,572; 3,697,744; 3,731,087; 3,812,343; and 4,659,043, which
include the wayside systems relying on detection of infrared
signatures from overheated bearings. The present invention provides
an on-board system, which is continuously operating thereby
enabling real time detection of bearing failures due to lack of
lubrication or mechanical defects as evidenced by overheating. The
wayside IR detectors also frequently suffer from poor sensitivity;
are widely spaced so that they may not detect an overheated bearing
in time to prevent an accident; are not responsive to scanning
bearings of cars wherein several (say, three) different sizes of
wheels are employed; are prone to falsely respond to sources of IR
radiation other than the car bearings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for detection of
overheating in wheel bearings of railroad cars in accordance with
the invention.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of another embodiment of the
system for detection of overheating in wheel bearings of railroad
cars in accordance with the invention.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a central monitoring station
for the system depicted in FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] With reference to FIG. 1, temperature sensors 10, 11, 12,
and 13 are installed in close proximity to the bearings of each of
the wheels of a railroad car or carriage. Railroad cars usually
have four axles and eight wheels, however, only the sensors for
four wheels are shown; the sensors for all eight wheels are
identical. The sensors generate electrical signals analog to the
temperature of these bearings. The signals are amplified by the
amplifiers 14, 15, 16, and 17 and passed on to a multiplexer module
26, which contains a solid state switching circuit that
continuously cycles, serially selecting inputs from amplifiers 14,
15, 16, and 17 and directing the signals from these inputs to the
output 28. The cycling is controlled by the clock signals from the
module 30 via line 27.
[0013] Module 30 is an A/D converter that converts the signals
analog to the bearing temperature into digital data. Module 30 also
contains a digital clock and a circuit for imparting a string of
code that identifies the bearing where the information originates.
The digital data comprise information on the temperature of the
bearings and the bearing I.D. code. The data from module 30
(consisting of four groups of temperature readings and accompanying
codes) are fed into the comparator module 33. This module contains
a microprocessor or logic programmed to temporarily store several
consecutive temperature readings from each bearing and compute the
average temperature values of these readings. The module 33
continuously compares the magnitudes of the averaged temperature
data from the four sensors 10, 11, 12, and 13 with the temperature
data from each sensor for each cycle of four groups of temperature
data and generates an overheating alarm signal if and when it
determines that the temperature data from one of the bearings
indicates that the temperature exceeds by a preset limit value the
average temperature from all four or just the other three bearings.
As a result, false alarms are prevented that could be generated in
hot weather conditions raising the temperature in all wheel
bearings; the effects of any spurious signals are also suppressed.
Module 33 also attaches the I.D. code generated in the module 30
corresponding to the overheated bearing to any alarm signal, thus
identifying the specific bearing, which is overheating.
[0014] The alarm signal is input into module 36, which acts as a
demultiplexer and causes one of the outputs 37, 38, 39, or 40
corresponding to an overheated bearing to activate one of the LEDs
22,23, 24, or 25. The LEDs are mounted at a convenient location
near the carriage or vehicle wheels and are intended to facilitate
visual determination of a defective bearing, i.e., which of the
bearings had overheated. Other types of signaling devices could
also be used instead of LEDs.
[0015] The data from the module 36 are also entered into the
transmitting module 42, which transmits via the antenna 44 the
alarm signal to a central monitoring station in the locomotive.
Alternately the alarm signals can be transmitted via a wire link to
the central monitoring station from the terminal 43.
[0016] The system is self-powered to simplify the installation. The
magnet core 50 of the solenoid coil 49 in the power generator is
suspended on springs 51 and 52 and moves vertically up and down as
the carriage or the vehicle moves. As a result, electric current is
generated in the coil of the solenoid 49. The current is rectified
by the diode 48, used to charge the battery 46 and to pass through
the resistor 47 to the zener diode 45, which maintains the voltage
at the desired level of, say, five volts. The terminal 53 is
connected to terminals 18, 19, 20, 21, 29, 31, 34, 41, and 54 to
provide power to the system. Alternately, the system could be
powered from the power bus of the railroad car or carriage or other
vehicle.
[0017] The temperature sensors may be thermocouples, thermistors,
fiber optic temperature sensors, and other types, though
thermistors and fiber optic sensors have two advantages over
thermocouples in this application in that they do not require a
reference (cold) junction and are generally more rugged.
[0018] FIG. 2 depicts another embodiment of the system. Separate
but identical modules A, B, C, and D are installed in the proximity
of the railroad car or carriage bearings. The railroad cars have
four axles and eight wheels, however, only the sensor modules for
four wheels are shown; the sensor modules for all eight wheels are
identical. Each module is self-contained and self-powered, thus
there are no wired connections between the modules, which in some
cases may facilitate the installation of the monitoring system.
[0019] Each module comprises temperature sensors 50, 60, 70, and
80, installed in close proximity of the wheel bearings. The analog
signals from these sensors are amplified in 51, 61, 71, and 72;
then the amplified signals are passed to the A/D converters 52, 62,
72, and 82. The digitized signals are input, respectively, into
modules 53, 63, 73, and 83 where a digital code identifying each
particular bearing is generated and attached to the signal string.
Next, the signals are fed into transceivers 54, 64, 74, and 84,
which transmit the data to the central monitoring station depicted
in FIG. 3. Modules 54, 64, 74, and 84 also receive signals from the
central monitoring station when an overheated bearing is detected.
When such a signal is received, modules 54 through 84 activate the
respective LEDs 50A, 60A, 70A, and 80A that are situated close to
the wheel bearings to provide visual indication of a fault.
[0020] Each module is equipped with a power generator 55-58, 65-68,
75-88, and 85-88, as described with reference to FIG. 1 that
provides the electric power to the components of each module A, B,
C, and D. If a car or a carriage has more than four wheels, the
appropriate number of modules would be installed.
[0021] Referring now to FIG. 3, which shows in a block diagram
format the central monitoring station, module 90 is a transceiver
which received signals from the remote modules A, B, C, and D of
FIG. 2, and transmits signals back to these modules when an
overheated bearing is detected, thus activating the appropriate
LED. The signals from all remote modules are input via terminal 92
into the control module 94, which temporarily stores and averages
the digital signals received from each module and compares these
averaged values to each other. If the magnitude of one of the
values exceeds a preset level, an alarm is initiated. The alarm is
visually displayed on the display module 95 and alarm sound is
generated. In addition, the control module 94 sends a signal back
to transceiver module 90, which transmits a signal to one of the
modules, A, B, C, or D to activate the corresponding LED. Power to
the central monitoring station is supplied via terminals 96.
* * * * *