Back to results
US 7,064,507 B2Granted
Managing wheel skid in a locomotive
AssigneeRailpower Technologies Corp.
InventorsFrank Wegner Donnelly, John David Watson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention is directed to the termination of the occurrence of wheel slip/skid and prediction and prevention of the onset of wheel slip/skid in a locomotive. In one configuration, a lookup table of adhesion factors is used to predict the occurrence of wheel slip/skid.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- (a) in a locomotive comprising a plurality of traction motors, each driving a plurality of wheels, braking at least one wheel driven by at least one traction motor
- (b) determining that the at least one braking wheel is skidding and that the wheels driven by the other traction motors are not skidding;
- and
- (c) incrementally increasing a power level applied to the traction motor driving the at least one skidding wheel without increasing the power level applied to the other traction motors wherein, after each incremental power increase, the incrementally increased power is maintained for a predetermined time interval to determine whether wheel skid has stopped as a result of the respective incremental power increase.
1 more element
A locomotive, comprising:
- a plurality of traction motors, each of the plurality of traction motors being independently coupled to and driving at least one wheel;
- a plurality of brakes, at least one of which is operatively engaged with at least one wheel;
- and
- a controller operable (a) to brake at least one wheel driven by at least one fraction motor;
- (b) to determine that the at least one braking wheel is skidding and that the wheels driven by the other fraction motors are not skidding;
- (c) to incrementally increase a power level applied to the fraction motor driving the at least one skidding wheel without increasing the power level applied to the other fraction motors, and (d) after each incremental power increase, to maintain the incrementally increased power for a predetermined time interval to determine whether wheel skid has stopped as a result of the respective incremental power increase.
3 more elements
A method, comprising:
- (a) in a locomotive comprising a plurality of traction motors, each driving a plurality of wheels, braking at least one wheel driven by at least one traction motor;
- and
- (b) during braking, continuing to apply a voltage to each of the traction motors, the applied voltage being less than or equal to a back electromotive force of each traction motor, whereby, when the at least one wheel skids and the back electromotive force disappears, the corresponding traction motor, in response to the applied voltage, thereupon applies a torque to the at least one wheel thereby resisting continued skidding of the at least one wheel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.