Self-service lubrication device and method for locomotive wheel rim

Abstract

The present invention discloses a self-service lubrication method for locomotive wheel rims. The method comprises: S1, obtaining the locomotive movement trend and the rotation amount of the car body relative to the bogie; S2, adjusting the spring stiffness, and presetting the grease spraying amount corresponding to different rotation amounts; S3, judging whether the rotation amount is less than the preset value, if so, executing step S4, otherwise executing step S5; S4, collecting and storing the compression energy generated by the car body; S5, releasing the compression energy stored in the car body, and controlling the wheel rim lubrication execution unit to spray grease onto the wheel rim. The present invention also provides a self-service lubrication device for locomotive wheel rims. The present invention collects the compression energy generated when the car body rotates relative to the bogie, and stores the compression energy in the energy transmission unit, and automatically judges the curve direction and wheel rim wear position according to the relative movement trend, thereby realizing the self-service lubrication effect of the locomotive wheel rim.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of vehicles, and in particular to a self-service lubrication device and method for a locomotive wheel rim. Background Art

[0002] When locomotives negotiate curved sections, intense friction between wheel flanges and rails significantly reduces wheel life. A wheel flange lubrication device sprays grease onto the wheel flanges based on operating conditions, effectively reducing wheel-rail friction and extending wheel life. Currently, most friction-reducing devices use a fixed-distance spraying method, controlling the number of sprays by calculating the locomotive's travel distance. This prevents timely and effective lubrication when the locomotive's wheel flanges experience intense friction with the rails while navigating curves. Patent number CN200920288753.1 utilizes the locomotive's existing LKJ2000 monitoring system and TAX2 monitoring device, adding a plug-in to automatically lubricate the wheel flanges while the locomotive is in motion. This method partially addresses the issue of high grease volume on straight sections, but it lacks the ability to accurately control the amount of grease applied based on the degree of wheel-rail friction. Patent number 201910721992.X utilizes sensors between the carbody and bogie to determine the locomotive's motion state and control the air supply switch to achieve automatic wheel flange lubrication. However, both of the above methods require the use of locomotive wind and electricity as energy sources.

[0003] In view of this, the existing technology should be improved to solve the above-mentioned technical problems existing in the existing technology. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a self-service lubrication device and method for locomotive wheel rims, so as to achieve on-demand and timely lubrication of the wheel rims, which is more low-carbon and environmentally friendly. The present invention sets an energy collection device between the bogie and the car body, so that the relative movement of the two is stored in the energy collection device in the form of compressed air. According to the rotation amount of the car body relative to the bogie, the grease spraying threshold is set by pre-adjusting the spring stiffness, so that the grease spraying amount changes with the change of the curve radius. When the curve radius of the track through which the locomotive passes is small, the wheel-rail friction is intense and the grease spraying amount is large. The relative rotation amount between the car body and the frame is large, and the compressed gas generated is large, and the grease spraying amount is large; when the curve radius of the track through which the locomotive passes is large, the relative rotation amount is small and the grease spraying amount is small. This invention realizes the storage of energy in small rotation amounts, exhaust and grease spraying in large rotation amounts, and the grease spraying amount changes with the change of the curve radius, thereby achieving on-demand and timely lubrication of the wheel rims, which is more low-carbon and environmentally friendly.

[0005] Specifically, according to one aspect of the present invention, a self-lubricating method for a locomotive wheel rim is provided, which comprises:

[0006] S1. Obtaining the locomotive motion trend and the rotation amount of the locomotive body relative to the bogie;

[0007] S2. Adjust the spring stiffness and preset the amount of grease sprayed corresponding to the different rotation amounts;

[0008] S3, determining whether the rotation amount is less than a preset value, if so, executing step S4, otherwise executing step S5;

[0009] S4, collecting and storing the compression energy generated by the vehicle body;

[0010] S5. Release the compressed energy stored in the vehicle body and control the wheel rim lubrication execution unit to spray grease onto the wheel rim.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the amount of fat sprayed is negatively correlated with the orbital turning radius.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, in step S4, the compression energy comes from the relative movement between the bogie and the car body and is stored in the form of compressed air.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a minimum setting value of the rotation amount of the vehicle body relative to the bogie is preset, and when the rotation amount is lower than the minimum setting value, the grease is not sprayed.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present invention, a self-service lubrication device for a locomotive wheel rim is provided, comprising:

[0015] locomotive body;

[0016] A bogie, located inside the car body and used for car body rotation;

[0017] an energy transfer unit disposed between the bogie and the car body and configured to store and release compression energy generated by the car body;

[0018] A wheel rim lubrication execution unit, the wheel rim lubrication execution unit being arranged at the bottom of the vehicle body;

[0019] The control unit is communicatively connected to the energy transmission unit and is configured to: when the rotation amount of the car body relative to the bogie is greater than a preset value, control the energy transmission unit to release the compression energy stored in the car body, and control the wheel rim lubrication execution unit to spray grease onto the wheel rim.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the energy transmission unit and the wheel rim lubrication execution unit are arranged on different sides of the bogie.

[0021] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the energy transmission unit includes an energy storage tank having a one-way valve, a limiting portion, and an air pipeline, wherein the air pipeline connects the energy storage tank and the limiting portion.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the present invention, an exhaust switch, an air inlet and an air outlet are provided on the periphery of the energy storage tank, and a piston and an elastic element are provided inside.

[0023] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the limiting portion includes: a rubber airbag and at least one stopper, which are fixedly connected.

[0024] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the spring stiffness Where K is the spring stiffness, H is the distance between the limit parts, L is the relative movement distance between the bogie and the car body, P is the pressure, d is the compression of the elastic component, and s is the piston area.

[0025] According to the self-service lubrication device and method for locomotive wheel rims of the embodiments of the present invention, the compression energy generated when the car body rotates relative to the bogie is collected and stored in the energy storage device. The curve direction and the wheel rim wear position are automatically determined according to the relative motion trend, thereby achieving the self-service lubrication of the locomotive wheel rim. The structure of the energy storage device can store energy during small rotations and release energy during large rotations, thereby achieving the self-service lubrication of the locomotive wheel rim. The present invention can automatically determine the curve direction and the size of the curve radius. The amount of grease sprayed changes with the change of the curve radius. When the curve radius of the track through which the locomotive passes is small, the relative rotation amount is large, the wheel-rail friction is intense, and the amount of grease sprayed is large; when the curve radius of the track through which the locomotive passes is large, the relative rotation amount is small, and the amount of grease sprayed is small. The independent action of the grease spraying wheel position and the change of the grease spraying amount are achieved, saving lubricating grease. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0027] Figure 1 A flow chart showing a method for self-lubricating a locomotive wheel rim according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the working states of a bogie on different routes according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing a self-service lubrication device for a locomotive wheel rim according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing a limiting portion according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of an energy transmission unit according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0032] In the figure:

[0033] 1-car body; 2-bogie; 3-limiting part; 4-air pipeline; 5-energy storage tank; 6-rubber airbag; 7-stopper; 8-air inlet; 9-air outlet; 10-piston; 11-elastic component; 12-control unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the embodiments of the present invention are further described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like to indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0036] In a prior art self-lubrication method for locomotive wheel rims, the locomotive's existing LKJ2000 monitoring host system and TAX2 monitoring device are used, and a plug-in is added to automatically lubricate the wheel rims while the locomotive is running. This method solves the problem of large amounts of grease sprayed on straight sections to a certain extent, but it cannot timely and accurately control the amount of grease according to the degree of friction between the wheel and the rail, resulting in grease waste and poor economic benefits.

[0037] In another self-service lubrication method for locomotive wheel rims in the prior art, a sensor is set between the car body and the bogie to judge the movement state of the locomotive, and then the wind source switch is controlled to achieve automatic lubrication of the wheel rim. This method requires the use of the locomotive's wind source and electricity as energy sources, which will occupy the locomotive's electricity during use, which is not conducive to the normal operation of the locomotive.

[0038] This invention proposes a novel self-lubricating method and device for locomotive wheel rims. By installing an energy transmission unit between the bogie 2 and carbody 1, the relative motion between the two is stored in the unit as compressed air. The grease injection threshold is set by pre-adjusting the spring stiffness based on the rotation of the carbody 1 relative to the bogie 2, allowing the grease injection amount to vary with the curve radius.

[0039] like Figure 1 The present invention provides a self-lubricating method for a locomotive wheel rim, comprising:

[0040] S1. Obtaining the locomotive movement trend and the rotation amount of the car body 1 relative to the bogie 2;

[0041] S2. Adjust the spring stiffness and preset the amount of grease sprayed corresponding to the different rotation amounts;

[0042] S3, determining whether the rotation amount is less than a preset value, if so, executing step S4, otherwise executing step S5;

[0043] S4, collecting and storing the compression energy generated by the vehicle body 1;

[0044] S5. Release the compressed energy stored in the vehicle body 1 and control the wheel rim lubrication execution unit to spray grease onto the wheel rim.

[0045] According to the self-service lubrication method and device for locomotive wheel rims of an embodiment of the present invention, the locomotive movement trend and the rotation amount of the car body 1 relative to the bogie 2 are obtained, the spring stiffness is adjusted, and the grease spraying amount corresponding to different rotation amounts is preset. When the rotation amount of the car body 1 relative to the bogie 2 is less than the preset value, the compression energy generated by the car body 1 is collected and stored; when the rotation amount of the car body 1 relative to the bogie 2 is greater than the preset value, the compression energy stored in the car body 1 is released, and the wheel rim lubrication execution unit is controlled to operate, so that the wheel rim lubrication execution unit sprays grease on the locomotive wheel rim to assist in lubricating the splashed grease on the locomotive wheel rim, which is beneficial to ensure a good lubrication state at the locomotive wheel rim.

[0046] The vehicle is equipped with an energy transmission unit for storing and outputting energy. The energy transmission unit is arranged between the bogie 2 and the car body 1 of the locomotive, and the relative motion between the two is stored in the energy transmission unit in the form of compressed air. The energy transmission unit includes an energy storage tank 5 with a one-way valve, a limiter 3 and an air pipe 4, and the air pipe 4 connects the energy storage tank 5 and the limiter 3. The energy storage tank 5 is provided with an air inlet 8, an air outlet 9 and an exhaust switch on its outer periphery, and a piston 10 and an elastic component 11 are provided inside. A liquid level sensor can also be provided in the energy transmission unit to detect the grease level. The vehicle is usually equipped with a curve sensor, from which the locomotive movement trend and the rotation amount of the car body 1 relative to the bogie 2 can be obtained.

[0047] like Figure 3 As shown, the energy storage tank 5 can be a cube, a rectangular parallelepiped, a cylinder or any suitable three-dimensional shape that can be used as a container. When the car body 1 and the bogie 2 rotate relative to each other, the limiting part 3 squeezes the compressed air generated by the compression into the energy storage tank 5 with a one-way valve. When the locomotive enters a curved section, the wheel rim contacts the track and a large rotation angle occurs between the car body 1 and the bogie 2. The relative movement distance between the bogie 2 and the car body 1 increases. After the output air pressure increases, it pushes the piston 10 to move so that the elastic component 11 is compressed and moves to the air outlet on the piston 10 and aligns with the exhaust port 9 on the energy storage tank 5. The compressed air in the energy storage tank 5 is discharged through the exhaust port 9. The working state is as follows: Figure 5As shown, the grease in the wheel rim lubrication execution unit is sprayed onto the wheel rim to achieve the lubrication of the wheel rim. When the rotation amount is small or there is no rotation amount, the output pressure of the limit part 3 decreases, and the elastic component 11 pushes the piston 10 back to block the exhaust port 9, and the exhaust ends. The working state is as shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown, compressed air enters the energy storage tank 5 with a one-way valve through the air inlet 8, storing energy during small rotations and exhausting and spraying grease during large rotations, thereby achieving the function of self-service grease spraying and lubricating the wheel rim on demand and in quantity.

[0048] The limiting parts 3 are located on the upper and lower sides of the bogie 2. In some embodiments, the limiting parts 3 are multifunctional oscillating stops 7. When the locomotive traverses a curve or an uneven track, the car body 1 and bogie 2 will rotate relative to each other. At this time, the multifunctional oscillating stops 7 squeeze the compressed air generated by the compression into the energy storage tank 5 with a one-way valve. The energy storage tank 5 is equipped with an exhaust switch.

[0049] When the locomotive enters a curved section, the wheel rim contacts the track, a large rotation angle occurs between the car body 1 and the bogie 2, and the compression amount of the multi-function shaking stop 7 increases. At this time, the exhaust switch of the energy storage tank 5 is turned on, blowing the grease in the wheel rim lubrication execution unit to spray onto the wheel rim, thereby achieving the lubrication effect of the wheel rim.

[0050] When the rotation volume is small, the exhaust switch is closed, and the compressed air enters the energy storage tank 5 with a one-way valve through the air inlet 8, realizing small rotation energy storage and large rotation exhaust grease spraying, realizing the function of self-service grease spraying and lubricating the wheel rim on demand and in quantity.

[0051] The multifunctional shaking head stopper 7 is composed of a high-strength rubber airbag 6 and a stopper 7. The high-strength rubber airbag 6 and the stopper 7 are fixedly connected, and the interior thereof is hollow. Two stops 7 are usually set on the opposite side of the bogie 2. The distance between the two stops 7 is H. The relative movement distance L between the bogie 2 and the car body 1 is set according to the maximum rotation angle θ allowed by the locomotive, L=Htanθ. When the bogie 2 and the car body 1 rotate relative to each other, the two stops 7 are compressed, the volume inside the rubber airbag 6 is compressed, and the air enters the energy transmission unit through the air pipe 4. When the compression amount reaches L, the two stops 7 contact to realize the shaking head stopper 7 function, limit the maximum rotation amount of the bogie 2, and realize the limiting function. The shaking head stopper 7 can realize the working state of first elasticity and then rigidity, and plays the role of stopper 7 and output compressed air.

[0052] The curve sensor is attached to the locomotive's bogie 2 and is used to measure the locomotive's motion during a turn and the amount of rotation of the car body 1 relative to the bogie 2. It outputs a measured value representing the amount of rotation of the locomotive's car body 1 relative to the bogie 2 and transmits the measured value back to the control unit 12. The spring stiffness is pre-adjusted, and a set value for the amount of rotation of the car body 1 relative to the bogie 2 is preset in the control unit 12. The control unit 12 compares the measured value with the set value. When the measured value is greater than or equal to the set value, more compressed gas is generated, and the wheel rim lubrication actuator is controlled to spray a large amount of grease onto the locomotive's wheel rim. When the measured value is less than the set value, the wheel rim lubrication actuator is controlled to spray a small amount of grease onto the locomotive's wheel rim. The set value is determined based on factors such as the locomotive's body weight, wheel and track dimensions, and materials. The activation time of the wheel rim lubrication actuator is determined by factors such as the locomotive's body length and track curvature to ensure that the amount of grease sprayed meets the lubrication needs of various parts of the locomotive.

[0053] Whether the wheel rim lubrication execution unit is in operation depends on the locomotive's operating track. When the locomotive is traveling on a straight track, the control unit 12 disables the wheel rim lubrication execution unit. When the locomotive is traversing a non-linear track, such as a curve, a fork, or a defective road, the curve sensor detects centripetal force acting on the locomotive and outputs the centripetal force as a measured value representing the rotation of the bogie 2. When this measured value exceeds a preset value within the control unit 12, the control unit 12 outputs a command to activate the wheel rim lubrication execution unit, which activates and sprays grease onto the locomotive wheel rim. The wheel rim lubrication execution unit is configured to draw grease from an oil reservoir and spray it toward the gear meshing area of ​​the locomotive wheel rim. In some embodiments, the wheel rim lubrication execution unit comprises an oil pump, a pipeline, and a spray head, wherein the spray head's nozzle is directed toward the gear meshing area. One end of the pipeline is connected to the spray head and the other end extends into the oil reservoir. The oil pump is disposed within the pipeline.

[0054] During locomotive operation, a serpentine motion occurs, with the car body 1 swinging back and forth relative to the bogie 2. During this time, the wheel flange and rail are not in contact, so this operating condition needs to be eliminated. Due to the characteristics of serpentine motion, when the rotation is small, the wheel and rail are either not in contact or the friction is low, requiring no lubrication. Therefore, a minimum setpoint is set based on the rotation amount. When the value falls below the minimum setpoint, the wheel flange lubrication actuator is controlled to not spray grease, enabling on-demand, self-service grease spraying of the wheel flange.

[0055] Setting the spring stiffness is the key to ensuring that the exhaust switch is open when the locomotive passes through a curved section. The relative movement distance L and volume change △V between the bogie 2 and the car body 1 are determined according to the curve radius and the rotation angle of the bogie 2, and the output air pressure P is calculated, and then the spring stiffness K is set.

[0056] When the distance between the stops 7 is H and the relative movement distance between the bogie 2 and the vehicle body 1 is L, the volume of the inner cavity of the stop 7 becomes

[0057] According to the relationship between pressure and volume: PV=nRT, the pressure after compression L becomes P2,

[0058] Assume that the spring stiffness is k, the spring compression amount (movement distance of the piston 10) when the exhaust switch is opened is d, and the area of ​​the piston 10 is s. According to Hooke's law: Therefore, the spring rate is set

[0059] In summary, the exhaust threshold, i.e., the spring stiffness k, can be set according to the relative movement distance L between the bogie 2 and the vehicle body 1 .

[0060] The track curve radius of the locomotive is small, the relative rotation is large, the wheel-rail friction is intense, the amount of grease sprayed is large, the stopper 7 is compressed, and the amount of grease sprayed is large; the track curve radius of the locomotive is large, the relative rotation is small, the stopper 7 is compressed, and the amount of grease sprayed is small. Therefore, the amount of grease sprayed is negatively correlated with the curve radius. This device can automatically control the amount of grease sprayed according to the curve radius.

[0061] The relative rotation of the car body 1 and bogie 2 determines the wheel position (inner or outer rail) in contact with the rail. As the car body 1 and bogie 2 rotate relative to each other, the multifunctional oscillating stops 7 on either side of the bogie 2 stretch and compress, causing the wheels on the stretching side to contact the rail. Due to this characteristic, the grease nozzle of the wheel flange lubrication actuator must be located on the opposite side of the bogie 2, meaning the energy transmission unit and the nozzle are on different sides of the bogie 2.

[0062] The present invention, as a self-lubricating method and device for locomotive wheel rims, collects the compressed energy generated when the car body 1 rotates relative to the bogie 2 and stores it in an energy transmission unit. The device automatically determines the curve direction and wheel rim wear location based on the relative motion trend, thereby achieving self-lubrication of the locomotive wheel rim. The structure of the energy transmission unit allows for energy storage during small rotations and release of energy during large rotations, thereby achieving self-lubrication of the locomotive wheel rim. The present invention can automatically determine the curve direction and curve radius, enabling independent movement of the grease spraying wheel position and variation in the grease spraying amount, thereby conserving lubricating grease. The device has a simple structure and low production costs.

[0063] Those skilled in the art should understand that the discussion of any of the above embodiments is merely illustrative and is not intended to imply that the scope of the disclosure of the embodiments of the present invention (including the claims) is limited to these examples. Within the spirit of the embodiments of the present invention, the technical features of the above embodiments or different embodiments may be combined, and there are many other variations of the different aspects of the embodiments of the present invention described above, which are not provided in detail for the sake of clarity. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the embodiments of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A self-service lubrication device for a locomotive wheel rim, characterized in that: include: locomotive body; A bogie, located inside the car body and used for car body rotation; an energy transfer unit disposed between the bogie and the car body and configured to store and release compression energy generated by the car body; A wheel rim lubrication execution unit, the wheel rim lubrication execution unit being arranged at the bottom of the vehicle body; a control unit, communicatively connected to the energy transmission unit, and configured to: when the rotation amount of the car body relative to the bogie is greater than a preset value, control the energy transmission unit to release the compressed energy stored in the car body, and control the wheel rim lubrication execution unit to spray grease onto the wheel rim; The energy transmission unit includes an energy storage tank with a one-way valve, a limiter, and an air pipeline, wherein the air pipeline connects the energy storage tank and the limiter; The energy storage tank is provided with an exhaust switch, an air inlet and an air outlet on its periphery, and a piston and an elastic element inside. The elastic element comprises a spring, and the spring stiffness of the spring is: , where k is the spring stiffness, H is the distance between the limit parts, L is the relative movement distance between the bogie and the car body, P is the pressure, d is the compression of the elastic component, and S is the piston area.

2. The self-service lubrication device for locomotive wheel rim according to claim 1, characterized in that: The energy transmission unit and the wheel rim lubrication execution unit are arranged on different sides of the bogie.

3. The self-service lubrication device for locomotive wheel rim according to claim 1, characterized in that: The limiting portion includes a rubber airbag and at least one stopper, which are fixedly connected.

4. A self-lubricating method for a locomotive wheel rim, characterized in that: The self-service lubrication device for a locomotive wheel rim according to any one of claims 1 to 3 performs the following steps: S1. Obtaining the locomotive motion trend and the rotation amount of the locomotive body relative to the bogie; S2. Adjust the spring stiffness and preset the amount of grease sprayed corresponding to the different rotation amounts; S3, determining whether the rotation amount is less than a preset value, if so, executing step S4, otherwise executing step S5; S4, collecting and storing the compression energy generated by the vehicle body; S5. Release the compressed energy stored in the vehicle body and control the wheel rim lubrication execution unit to spray grease onto the wheel rim.

5. The self-service lubrication method for locomotive wheel rim according to claim 4, characterized in that: The amount of fat sprayed is negatively correlated with the orbital turning radius.

6. The self-service lubrication method for locomotive wheel rim according to claim 4, characterized in that: In step S4, the compression energy comes from the relative movement between the bogie and the car body and is stored in the form of compressed air.

7. The self-service lubrication method for a locomotive wheel rim according to claim 4, characterized in that: Further including: A minimum setting value is preset for the rotation amount of the vehicle body relative to the bogie. When the rotation amount is lower than the minimum setting value, the grease is not sprayed.

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