Method and system for compensating for wheel wear on a train
AssigneeQuantum Engineering, Inc.
InventorsMark Edward Kane, James Francis Shockley, Harrison Thomas Hickenlooper
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and system for compensating for wheel wear uses position and/or speed information from an independent positioning system to measure some distance over which the train has traveled. Wheel rotation information is also collected over the distance. The wheel rotation information and distance and/or speed information are then used to determine the size of the train wheels. The method is performed periodically to correct for changes in wheel size over time due to wear so that the wheel rotation information can be used to determine train position and speed in the event of a positioning system failure.
Claims62
A system for determining a size of a wheel of a train, the system comprising:
- a control unit;
- a positioning system in communication with the control unit, the positioning system being configured to provide the control unit with position information pertaining to the train;
- and
- a revolution counter connected to the control unit, the revolution counter being configured to measure rotation of a train wheel;
- wherein the control unit is configured to determine a size of the wheel based on a distance traveled as measured by the positioning system and wheel rotation information measured by the revolution counter.
A method for determining a size of a train wheel comprising:
- determining a total distance traveled by a train using a positioning system;
- counting a total number of revolutions of a train wheel over the total distance;
- and
- calculating a wheel size based on the total number of revolutions and the total distance.
A method for determining the size of a train wheel comprising the steps of:
- inputting a speed from a positioning system installed on a train;
- obtaining rotation information from a tachometer;
- determining a wheel size based on the rotation information and the speed.
A system for determining a size of a wheel of a train, the system comprising:
- a control unit;
- a positioning system being in communication with the control unit and being configured to provide the control unit with speed information pertaining to the train;
- and
- a tachometer connected to the control unit and being configured to measure rotation of a train wheel;
- wherein the control unit is configured to determine a size of the wheel based on the speed measured by the positioning system and wheel rotation information measured by the tachometer.
A method for determining a size of a wheel of a train, the method comprising:
- obtaining speed information pertaining to a train from a positioning system located on the train;
- obtaining wheel rotation information from a tachometer configured to measure rotation of a wheel on the train;
- and
- calculating a size of the wheel based on the speed information from the positioning system and wheel rotation information from the tachometer.
A method for determining a size of a wheel of a train, the method comprising:
- obtaining speed information pertaining to a train from a positioning system located on the train;
- obtaining wheel rotation information from a tachometer configured to measure rotation of a wheel on the train;
- and
- calculating an initial estimate of a size of the wheel based on the speed information from the positioning system and wheel rotation information from the tachometer;
- counting a total number of revolutions of a train wheel over a period;
- determining a total distance traveled by the train over the period using position information from the global positioning system;
- and
- updating the initial estimate based on the total distance and the total number of revolutions.
A method for correcting a wheel rotation signal comprising the steps of:
- inputting a first signal indicative of an actual rotation of a wheel, the signal having at least one actual parameter;
- determining an actual size of the wheel;
- calculating a revised parameter, the revised parameter corresponding to a parameter of a signal indicative of a rotation of a wheel having a predetermined size;
- generating a second signal using the revised parameter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.