Predicting wheel slip and skid in a locomotive Number:7,084,602 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) owispatent 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.<H locomotive, Predicting, Predicting, whee, 7084602.html, Patent, pto, 7084602

Title: Predicting wheel slip and skid in a locomotive

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.

Patent Number: 7,084,602 Issued on 08/01/2006 to Donnelly, et al.

Inventors: Donnelly; Frank Wegner (North Vancouver, CA); Swan; David Herman (Lawrencetown, CA); Watson; John David (Evergreen, CO)
Assignee: Railpower Technologies Corp. (North Vancouver, CA)

Appl. No.: 11/060,087

Filed: February 16, 2005

Current U.S. Class: 318/807 ; 180/197; 180/65.5; 303/177; 318/802; 318/806; 701/82; 701/90

Current International Class: H02P 5/46 (20060101)

Field of Search: 318/139,52,802-809 180/65.5,197 303/177 701/82,90

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Primary Examiner: Ip; Paul
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Sheridan Ross, P.C.

Parent Case Text

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefits, under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119(e), of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/545,673, filed Feb. 17, 2004, of the same title, which is incorporated herein by this reference.

Cross reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 6,812,656 issued Nov. 2, 2004 entitled "SEQUENCED PULSE WIDTH MODULATION METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING AND POWERING A PLURALITY OF DIRECT CURRENT MOTORS", U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/649,286, filed Aug. 26, 2003, entitled "METHOD FOR MONITORING AND CONTROLLING TRACTION MOTORS IN LOCOMOTIVES", and Ser. No. 10/650,011, filed Aug. 26, 2003, entitled "METHOD FOR MONITORING AND CONTROLLING LOCOMOTIVES", each of which is incorporated herein by this reference.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising: (a) receiving a requested notch setting from a locomotive operator, the requested notch setting providing more power to a plurality of traction motors than a current notch setting; (b) in response to the receiving step (a), determining whether wheel slip is likely for at least one wheel if the notch setting is implemented; and (c) when wheel slip is likely to occur, at least one of: (i) implementing the requested notch setting but adjusting at least one of a current level and a power level associated with the requested notch setting to inhibit the onset of wheel slip to the at least one wheel; and (ii) ignoring the requested notch setting and maintaining the current notch setting.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (i) is performed, wherein a wheel driven by a first traction motor has a different adhesion factor than a wheel driven by a second traction motor, and determining step (b) is performed for each of the plurality of traction motors and further comprising: for each of the plurality of traction motors, adjusting a corresponding power level to inhibit the onset of wheel slip in at least one wheel associated with the respective traction motor, whereby at least first and second traction motors receive different power levels at the requested notch setting.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (i) is performed and determining step (b) is performed for each of the plurality of traction motors and further comprising: adjusting at least one of a current level and a power level supplied to the traction motors to inhibit the onset of wheel slip in at least one wheel associated with one of the traction motors, whereby the traction motors each receive a common power level at the requested notch setting.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (ii) is performed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step (b) comprises the substeps: comparing at least one of (i) a torque associated with the requested notch setting, (ii) a traction motor electrical current and/or current derivative associated with the requested notch setting, (iii) a tractive effort associated with the requested notch setting, and (iv) a traction motor speed associated with the requested notch setting with a determined set of variables comprising a respective one of (i) a torque, (ii) a traction motor electrical current and/or current derivative, (iii) a tractive effort, and (iv) a traction motor speed indicating when wheel slip is likely to occur; and when the at least one of (i) a torque associated with the requested notch setting, (ii) a traction motor electrical current and/or current derivative associated with the requested notch setting, (iii) a tractive effort associated with the requested notch setting, and (iv) a traction motor speed associated with the requested notch setting has a predetermined relationship with the respective one of (i) a torque, (ii) a traction motor electrical current and/or current derivative , (iii) a tractive effort, and (iv) a fraction motor speed in the determined set of variables, the predetermined relationship indicating that wheel slip is likely to occur, step (c) is performed.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a tractive effort associated with the requested notch setting is compared with the determined set of variables.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein a traction motor electrical current associated with the requested notch setting is compared with the determined set of variables.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein an axle speed associated with the requested notch setting is compared with the determined set of variables.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein a traction motor speed associated with the requested notch setting is compared wit the determined set of variables.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the determined set of variables is derived from an operational wheel slip history of the locomotive.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein a first set of variables corresponds to a first set of locomotive speed, track and/or environmental conditions and a second set of variables corresponds to a second different set of locomotive speed, track and/or environmental conditions and wherein the determining step (b) comprises: selecting an appropriate set of variables for the current locomotive speed, track and/or environmental conditions.

12. A logic circuit operable to perform the steps of claim 5.

13. A locomotive, comprising: (a) an operator interface operable to receive a requested notch setting from a locomotive operator, the requested notch setting providing more power to a plurality of traction motors than a current notch setting; (b) a controller operable to determine, in response to the requested notch setting, whether wheel slip is likely for at least one wheel if the notch setting is implemented and, when wheel slip is likely to occur, cause the performance of at least one of the following operations: (i) implementing the requested notch setting but adjusting at least one of a current level and a power level associated with the requested notch setting to inhibit the onset of wheel slip; and (ii) ignoring the requested notch setting and maintaining the current notch setting.

14. The locomotive of claim 13, wherein operation (i) is performed, wherein a wheel driven by a first traction motor has a different adhesion factor than a wheel driven by a second traction motor, wherein the determining operation is performed for each of the plurality of traction motors and wherein the controller is further operable, for each of the plurality of traction motors, to adjust a corresponding power level to inhibit the onset of wheel slip in at least one wheel associated with the respective traction motor, whereby at least first and second traction motors receive different power levels at the requested notch setting.

15. The locomotive of claim 13, wherein operation (i) is performed and the determining operation is performed for each of the plurality of traction motors and wherein the controller is further operable to adjust a power level supplied to the traction motors to inhibit the onset of wheel slip in at least one wheel associated with one of the traction motors, whereby the traction motors each receive a common power level at the requested notch setting.

16. The locomotive of claim 13, wherein operation (ii) is performed.

17. The locomotive of claim 13, wherein the determining operation comprises the suboperations of: comparing at least one of (i) a torque associated wit the requested notch setting, (ii) a traction motor electrical current and/or current derivative associated with the requested notch setting, (iii) a tractive effort associated wit the requested notch setting, and (iv) a traction motor speed associated with the requested notch setting with a determined set of variables comprising a respective one of (i) a torque, (ii) a traction motor electrical current and/or current derivative, (iii) a tractive effort, and (iv) a traction motor speed indicating when wheel slip is likely to occur; and when the at least one of (i) a torque associated with the requested notch setting, (ii) a traction motor electrical current associated with the requested notch setting, (iii) a tractive effort associated with the requested notch setting, and (iv) a traction motor speed associated with the requested notch setting has a predetermined relationship with the respective one of (i) a torque, (ii) a traction motor electrical current, (iii) a tractive effort, and (iv) a traction motor speed in the determined set of variables, the determined relationship indicating that wheel slip is likely to occur, step (c) is performed.

18. The locomotive of claim 17, wherein a tractive effort associated with the requested notch setting is compared with the determined set of variables.

19. The locomotive of claim 17, wherein a traction motor electrical current associated with the requested notch setting is compared with the determined set of variables.

20. The locomotive of claim 17, wherein an axle speed associated with the requested notch setting is compared with the determined set of variables.

21. The locomotive of claim 17, wherein a traction motor speed associated with the requested notch setting is compared with the determined set of variables.

22. The locomotive of claim 17, wherein the set of variables is derived from an operational wheel slip history of the locomotive.

23. The locomotive of claim 17, wherein a first set of variables corresponds to a first set of locomotive speed, track and/or environmental conditions and a second set of variables corresponds to a second different set of locomotive speed, track and/or environmental conditions.

24. A method, comprising: (a) in a locomotive comprising a plurality of fraction motors, each driving a plurality of wheels, monitoring at least one traction motor and/or at least one wheel driven by the at least one traction motor for the occurrence of at least one of wheel slip and wheel skid; (b) when the at least one of wheel slip and wheel skid occurs, determining an operating characteristic in effect at a selected point before and/or during the occurrence of the at least one of wheel slip and wheel skid; and (c) using the operating characteristic to predict a later possible occurrence of the at least one of wheel slip and wheel skid.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the at least one of wheel slip and wheel skid is wheel slip.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the monitoring step comprises: incrementally increasing power to a selected fraction motor until wheel slip occurs to a wheel driven by the selected traction motor, whereby a set of operating characteristics characterizing the onset of wheel slip conditions may be generated; upon the occurrence of wheel slip, reducing the wheel slip to a predetermined acceptable level by decreasing the power to a pre-wheel slip level.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein steps (a) and (b) are performed for each of the traction motors and wherein the operating characteristic is an adhesion coefficient.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein each traction motor has a respective adhesion coefficient characterizing at least one of the onset of wheel slip and the attainment of the optimum value of slip speed and wherein at least two traction motors have different adhesion coefficients.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein each of the adhesion coefficients is adjusted in magnitude by a safety factor and wherein each traction motor has a respective plurality of adhesion coefficients, each of which is associated with different locomotive speeds, track and/or climatic conditions.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the at least one traction motor is the front traction motor and further comprising: maintaining wheel slip for a time sufficient to condition a rail section over which the locomotive passes.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein, during a first time interval, steps (a) and (b) are performed for a first traction motor, wherein, during a second later time interval, steps (a) and (b) are performed for a second traction motor, and wherein the first and second time intervals are discrete from one another.

32. The method of claim 24, wherein the at least one of wheel slip and wheel skid is wheel skid.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the determining step comprises the substep of: detecting the operating characteristic of each of the plurality of traction motors and/or at least one wheel driven by each of the plurality of traction motors; and wherein the operating characteristic is at least one of (i) an armature voltage of the corresponding traction motor, (ii) a rotational speed of one wheel driven by the corresponding traction motor, (iii) a rotational speed of the corresponding traction motor, (iv) a current and/or current derivative history of the corresponding traction motor, and (v) a commutator signature in the current of the corresponding traction motor, and wherein the determining step comprises at least one of: (i) detecting an abrupt decrease to zero of the armature voltage of an individual traction motor, (ii) detecting an abrupt decrease to zero in the revolutions-per-minute (rpms) of an individual an individual traction motor, (iii) detecting an abrupt decrease to zero in the revolutions-per-minute (rpms) of an individual wheel or axle, (iv) detecting an abrupt increase in the traction motor current or current time derivative, (v) detecting the disappearance of commutator noise in the traction motor current, and (vi) determining when a wheel speed has stopped relative to the true ground speed of the locomotive.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein a sensor independently monitors each of the traction motors and wherein the monitoring step compri