Tri-mode locomotive
AssigneeKnoxville Locomotive Works, Inc.
InventorsPete Claussen, Scott Gatewood
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A locomotive consist including a pair of fuel-electric locomotives, each having a prime mover engine and a power transmission system including a main generator and traction motors coupled to driving wheels, a high voltage electrical connection operable in an on state or an off state, and a computer controller. The pair of fuel-electric locomotives is configured to selectively cooperate to operate in three different operating modes as controlled by the computer controller: (1) a prime mover mode, (2) a mother/slug mode, and a mother/inoperative mode.
Claims6
A locomotive consist, comprising:
- a pair of fuel-electric locomotives, each fuel-electric locomotive having a prime mover engine and a power transmission system including a main generator and traction motors coupled to driving wheels, a high voltage electrical connection operable in an on state or an off state, and a computer controller, with the pair of fuel-electric locomotives configured to selectively cooperate to operate in three different operating modes as controlled by the computer controller, the operating modes comprising:
- (a) a prime mover mode in which the prime mover engine of each of the fuel-electric locomotives is on and used to operate its own main generator to make power for its own traction motors, and the high voltage electrical connection is in the off state;
- (b) a mother/slug mode in which the prime mover engine of one of the locomotives is off, the high voltage electrical connection is in the on state, and the prime mover engine of the other locomotive is on and used to operate its own generator to supply power for its traction motors, and to also supply power to the traction motors of the one locomotive whose prime mover engine is off;
- and
- (c) a mother/inoperative mode in which the prime mover engine of one of the locomotives is off, the high voltage electrical connection is in the off state, and the prime mover engine of the other locomotive is on and used to operate its own generator to supply power for its traction motors and does not supply power to the traction motors of the other locomotive.
A fuel-electric locomotive, comprising:
- a prime mover engine and a power transmission system including a main generator and traction motors coupled to driving wheels, a high voltage electrical connection, and a computer controller, wherein the locomotive is selectively operable as:
- (a) a prime mover locomotive in which the prime mover engine of the locomotive is operating and used to operate the generator to make power for operation of the fuel-electric locomotive;
- (b) a mother locomotive in which the prime mover engine is operating and used to operate the generator to make power for operation of the fuel-electric locomotive and also provides power to another locomotive's traction motors;
- (c) a slug in which the prime mover engine is not operating and the locomotive receives power from another locomotive to power the traction motors;
- and
- (d) an inoperative locomotive in which the prime mover engine is not operating and the locomotive does not receive power from another locomotive to power the traction motors.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.