Railway vehicle derailment detection method and device

Abstract

A transmission line 5 configured to be broken when it comes into contact with a rail 4 is installed on a disengagement prevention guide 1 attached to an axle box 3 of a railway vehicle. One end 5a and the other end 5b of the transmission line 5 are connected to a determination unit 6 to monitor continuity of the transmission line 5. In the event of a derailment, the determination unit 6 determines that a derailment has occurred when the disengagement prevention guide 1 makes contact with the rail 4 and the transmission line 5 breaks, thereby interrupting the continuity of the transmission line 5. This arrangement allows an accurate detection of a derailment, so as to prevent a railway vehicle from traveling when its wheels have become disengaged from a rail without an operator being aware of it, thus improving safety after the derailment occurs.

Claims

1. A railway vehicle derailment detection method for a railway vehicle traveling on a rail, comprising: installing a derailment detection member disposed at a position on the railway vehicle that makes contact with a rail or a ground-based equipment installed on an inner side of a pair of rails, and that breaks due to direct contact with the rail or the ground-based equipment in event of a derailment; and determining that a derailment has occurred by detecting that the derailment detection member has been broken due to direct contact with the rail or the ground-based equipment; wherein breaking of the derailment detection member prevents a railway vehicle from traveling when wheels of the railway vehicle become disengaged from the rail without knowledge of an operator of the railway vehicle.

2. A railway vehicle derailment detection device for a railway vehicle traveling on a rail, comprising: a derailment detection member that is installed in a portion of the railway vehicle, the derailment detection member being configured to be broken when a portion of the railway vehicle comes in direct contact with a rail or a ground-based equipment installed on an inner side of a pair of rails; and a device that determines that a derailment has occurred by detecting that the derailment detection member has been broken when the portion of the railway vehicle comes in direct contact with the rail or the ground-based equipment; wherein breaking of the derailment detection member prevents a railway vehicle from traveling when wheels of the railway vehicle become disengaged from the rail without knowledge of an operator of the railway vehicle.

3. The railway vehicle derailment detection device according to claim 2, wherein: the portion of the railway vehicle that makes contact with the rail in the event of a derailment comprises a disengagement prevention guide attached to an axle box provided with a bearing that supports a rotatable wheel set; and the derailment detection member configured to be broken due to contact with the rail comprises one of (i) a transmission line installed on a surface of the disengagement prevention guide that makes contact with the rail, (ii) a conductive coating applied on top of an insulating coating, (iii) a power supply line for transmitting brake signals to all of the constituent railway vehicles, (iv) a wiring of a detector for measuring vibration and/or temperature of the axle box, (v) a vibration accelerometer, or (vi) a temperature sensor.

4. The railway vehicle derailment detection device according to claim 2, wherein: the portion of the railway vehicle that makes contact with the ground-based equipment in the event of a derailment comprises a disengagement prevention guide attached to a bogie; and the derailment detection member configured to be broken due to contact with the ground-based equipment comprises one of (i) a transmission line installed on a surface of the disengagement prevention guide that makes contact with the ground-based equipment, (ii) a conductive coating applied on top of an insulating coating, (iii) a power supply line for transmitting brake signals to all of the constituent railway vehicles, (iv) a wiring of a detector for measuring vibration and/or temperature of the axle box, (v) a vibration accelerometer, or (vi) a temperature sensor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating the main parts of the derailment detection device according to the present invention. FIG. 1 (a) is a plan view; FIG. 1 (b) is a front view; and FIG. 1 (c) is a right side view.

(2) FIG. 2 is a drawing illustrating a state in which a disengagement prevention guide that forms the derailment detection device according to the present invention makes contact with a rail during a derailment.

(3) FIG. 3 is a drawing illustrating the derailment detection device according to the present invention that adds the technical ideas of the present invention to the disengagement prevention guide disclosed in Patent Reference 5. FIG. 3 (a) illustrates a time of ordinary travel; FIG. 3 (b) illustrates a time when a derailment has occurred.

(4) FIG. 4 is a drawing illustrating the system for restricting the lateral movement of a bogie disclosed in Patent Reference 4. FIG. 4 (a) illustrates a time of ordinary travel; FIG. 4 (b) illustrates a time when a derailment has occurred.

(5) FIG. 5 is a drawing illustrating the derailment and disengagement prevention system disclosed in Patent Reference 5, at a time when a derailment has occurred.

(6) FIG. 6 is a drawing illustrating the railway vehicle fall prevention device disclosed in Patent Reference 6, at a time when a derailment has occurred.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

(7) The object of the present invention, which is to detect derailments more accurately, is achieved by detecting that a member has been broken due to contact with a rail or with the ground-based equipment, when a portion of the railway vehicle makes contact with the rail or with the ground-based equipment on an inner side of a pair of rails when a derailment has occurred.

Example

(8) In the following, an example of the present invention is described, making reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, after describing the process from conception of the invention to solving the problems of the prior art.

(9) Recently, there are cases in which an L-shaped disengagement prevention guide 1 is installed in an axle box 3 of a high-speed train such as a bullet train, with the purpose of preventing a significant disengagement of a wheel from a rail during a derailment. The axle box 3 employs an internally mounted bearing to rotatably support a wheel set having a wheel 2.

(10) The disengagement prevention guide 1 uses one plate 1a attached to a lower surface of the axle box 3 to cause another plate 1b to be lowered vertically so that a rail 4 comes to be located between the wheel 2 and the disengagement prevention guide 1, as viewed from the front side of the vehicle.

(11) In the case of a vehicle equipped with this disengagement prevention guide 1, if the vehicle derails and the wheel disengages from the rail 4, the vehicle undergoes no further displacement in the lateral direction of the vehicle, after the other plate 1b of the disengagement prevention guide 1 abuts the rail 4, as shown in FIG. 2.

(12) That is to say, if the vehicle derails and the wheel disengages from the rail 4, the disengagement prevention guide 1 abuts the rail 4 when the vehicle becomes displaced in the lateral direction of the vehicle only by a predetermined distance.

(13) Accordingly, the present inventors had the idea that it is possible to detect a derailment if a member is installed in the disengagement prevention guide 1 that can be broken when it makes contact with the rail 4, and if the breaking of the member can be detected.

(14) The present invention is based on the above-described idea of the inventors. As shown in FIG. 1, for example, in the event of a derailment, at the position where the disengagement prevention guide 1 abuts the rail 4, there is provided a transmission line 5 on a side facing the rail 4 and extending from the one plate 1a to the other plate 1b of the disengagement prevention guide 1. In addition, one end 5a and the other end 5b of the transmission line 5 are connected to a determination unit 6, for example, to monitor continuity of the transmission line 5.

(15) In the above-described configuration, when the disengagement prevention guide 1 abuts the rail 4 during a derailment, the transmission line 5 is cut, so the continuity of the transmission line 5 is interrupted. It is therefore possible to reliably detect derailments if the continuity of the transmission line 5 is monitored by using the two ends 5a and 5b of the transmission line.

(16) After the determination unit 6 detects that the continuity of the transmission line 5 has been interrupted, thereby determining that a derailment has occurred, derailment data is transmitted to a control device on the derailed vehicle, using a wireless or wired transmission line. This causes the brakes to be activated to stop the vehicle, thereby preventing the vehicle from traveling on the rail while the wheels are disengaged from the rail.

(17) Instead of employing an indirect method for detecting derailments involving a comparison of threshold values that are set in advance with signals extracted from physical quantities such as acceleration and angular velocity that are applied to the vehicle body, the present invention directly detects derailments by employing a physical phenomenon wherein the transmission line 5 is cut. This makes it possible to more accurately detect derailment of a railway vehicle.

(18) The present invention is not limited to the above-described example, and the preferred embodiment may, of course, be advantageously modified within the scope of the technical ideas recited in the claims.

(19) The above-described example employs the transmission line 5 as the member that is cut when the disengagement prevention guide 1 makes contact with the rail 4 during a derailment.

(20) However, a power supply line for transmitting brake signals to all of the constituent railway vehicles may be used as the member that is cut in order to detect a derailment. In this case, it becomes possible to automatically apply brakes when the line is cut and derailment is detected.

(21) In the case of a vehicle in which the vibration and/or temperature of the axle box 3 is measured, the wiring of this detector may be used as the member configured to be broken in the event of a derailment. In such cases, it is possible to constantly monitor whether or not there is an abnormality in the wiring, since vibration and temperature are measured during normal operation.

(22) As long as it is possible to detect that breaking has occurred when the disengagement prevention guide 1 makes contact with the rail 4, a conductive coating that can peel when the disengagement prevention guide 1 makes contact with the rail 4 to interrupt conductive continuity may be applied on top of an insulating coating. A vibration accelerometer and/or a temperature sensor may be used as a sensor for detecting breaking of the member during a derailment.

(23) The disengagement prevention guide 1 having a member configured to be broken during a derailment is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 1. It may have configuration that includes a stopper member of the type disclosed in Patent Reference 5, as shown in FIG. 3.

(24) Instead of the disengagement prevention guide 1, it is possible to use a device that restricts the lateral movement of a bogie during a derailment by having a contact portion of a stopper make contact with an inner side surface of a ground-based equipment (derailment prevention guard) of the type disclosed in Patent Reference 4. In this case, the member that breaks during a derailment is disposed on the stopper side.

EXPLANATION OF THE REFERENCE SYMBOLS

(25) 1 Disengagement prevention guide 1a One plate 1b Another plate 2 Wheel 3 Axle box 4 Rail 5 Transmission line 6 Determination unit