A braking system and method control application of brakes disposed onboard vehicles using brake control devices. The vehicles are in a multi-vehicle system and are associated with different segments of the vehicle system. Brake commands are sent to the brake control devices. These commands direct the brake control devices of the vehicles to concurrently engage the brakes onboard the vehicles to different brake levels based on which of the segments that the vehicles are associated.

An electro-pneumatic service and emergency braking control system is described, comprising: a switching device arranged to allow the connection of a first group of control and feedback signals from an emergency braking control module to an electro-pneumatic emergency braking module when a monitoring device determines the correct operation of the emergency braking control module and to allow the connection of a third group of control and feedback signals from the service braking control module to the electro-pneumatic emergency braking module when the monitoring device determines the incorrect operation of the emergency braking control module.

A rail train brake control system, comprising: a single vehicle brake control unit, a train brake control unit, a traction control unit and a communication control unit; the single vehicle brake control unit is provided in each vehicle of the rail train, the train brake control unit and the communication control unit are provided in the vehicles at both ends of the rail train, and the traction control unit is disposed in motor vehicles of a plurality of vehicles; and the single vehicle brake control unit, the train brake control unit, the traction control unit and the communication control unit implement communication by means of the gateway. The system can realize flexible marshalling of a train. Further disclosed is a train comprising the train brake control system.

A brake control system to be installed on a railroad car, the system including: a brake command unit that outputs a first brake command by a first communication method and outputs a second brake command by a second communication method, the first brake command indicating details of control of a brake, the second brake command restricting details of control of the brake; and a brake control unit that acquires the first brake command by the first communication method via a train control and monitoring system, acquires the second brake command by the second communication method, and controls the brake based on the first brake command and the second brake command.

A brake control valve arrangement includes an electro-pneumatic brake control valve block having a hold valve and a vent valve, a main regulator valve and an emergency and a tare pressure regulator. The valve block has an inlet for a brake supply pressure and an outlet for a brake cylinder, wherein an inlet and a vent pneumatic opening is provided for the hold valve and vent valve. The arrangement also includes a configuration module in pneumatic connection with the brake supply pressure and providing a pneumatic path to the inlet, and a pneumatic path to the vent valve from the brake cylinder, the arrangement also including at least one choke configured to control air flow in pneumatic paths to the inlet opening and vent opening.

A method is described for controlling pneumatic pressure by actuating a charge and a discharge valve that vary the pressure, comprising, among other things, providing a matrix wherein each cell indicates a time for opening the charge or discharge valve; if the initial pressure value (PVi) in the volume is less than the target pressure value (PVt) to be reached, opening the charge valve, decreasing the value of the opening time indicated in the selected cell if the pressure value in the volume exceeds the target pressure value (PVt) and possibly increasing the value of the time indicated in the selected cell; if the initial pressure value (PVi) in the volume is greater than the target pressure value (PVt), opening the one discharge valve for the time indicated in a selected cell and possibly increasing the time value indicated in the selected cell and possibly decreasing the time value indicated in the selected cell.

A brake controller includes: a necessary braking force calculator to calculate a necessary braking force that is a braking force generated by a mechanical brake apparatus in order to obtain a deceleration indicated by a brake command; an initial speed acquirer to acquires an initial speed; a target pressing force calculator to calculate a target pressing force that is a force for pressing a brake shoe against a wheel in order to obtain the necessary braking force; and a target pressure calculator to calculate a target pressure indicating a pressure of a fluid inside the brake cylinder that is necessary for obtaining the target pressing force and perform feedback control to adjust the target pressure based on a feedback signal acquired from a pressure sensor.

A weight profile determination system includes a sensor and a controller. The sensor is disposed along a route and configured to generate a plurality of force measurements of a vehicle system moving on the route relative to the sensor. The force measurements are obtained at different times and correspond to different locations along a length of the vehicle system. The controller is configured to determine a weight profile for the vehicle system based on the force measurements generated by the sensor. The weight profile represents a distribution of weight along the length of the vehicle system. The controller is configured to communicate the weight profile to one or more of the vehicle system or an offboard device for controlling movement of the vehicle system based on the weight profile.

The invention relates to a rail vehicle brake system comprising a conditioning device, having at least one disc brake per axle, the conditioning device having a control device. The conditioning device is formed having at least one wagon control unit and at least one coupling unit for selective actuation of the at least one disc brake per axle. The invention further relates to a conditioning device and to a method for operating a conditioning device, and to a method for deicing and/or for preventing icing of a brake unit of a rail vehicle brake system.

Disclosed is a railway braking system including a control device having a valve with a body having a cavity and a slide having an internal chamber, supply notches and drainage notches each having an overall passage cross-section for a pressure medium having a shape exhibiting an apex, and being movably mounted in the cavity, between a supply position where the supply notch is opposite a supply groove of the body, and a drainage position where the drainage notch is opposite a drainage groove of the body; the device being configured to allow a substantially stable control configuration, wherein the pressure value of the medium is limited, and wherein the slide is positioned in the cavity such that a control notch of the slide is opposite a control groove of the body while the supply and drainage notches are respectively at a distance from the supply and drainage grooves.