Methods and control systems for the interior environment of rail vehicles

Abstract

This invention discloses an in-vehicle environment control method and control system for rail vehicles. The control method involves: when an air valve needs to be opened but the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle does not meet the automatic opening conditions of the air valve, the pressure difference is adjusted to meet the automatic opening conditions by activating an oxygen generator and / or increasing the air supply of the oxygen generator. The control system consists of: a differential pressure sensor detecting the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle; a pressure wave controller storing the upper limit value of the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle for automatic opening of the air valve; the signal input terminal of the pressure wave controller connected to the differential pressure sensor; the signal output terminal of the pressure wave controller connected to the air valve and the in-vehicle environment controller; the signal output terminal of the in-vehicle environment controller connected to the oxygen generator controller; and the signal output terminal of the oxygen generator controller connected to the oxygen generator. This solution ensures that the air valve automatically opens when the high-speed rail vehicle is operating in high-altitude areas, thus avoiding the problem of tinnitus in passengers caused by forced opening of the air valve.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of rail vehicle technology, and in particular to a method and control system for controlling the in-vehicle environment of a rail vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] When two rail vehicles pass each other or pass through tunnels, if the ventilation valves are not closed in time, drastically fluctuating external pressure will be transmitted into the vehicle through the valves. For high-speed rail vehicles, due to their better airtightness, this transmission of external pressure can cause severe pressure fluctuations inside the vehicle, leading to tinnitus among passengers. To mitigate this phenomenon, high-speed rail vehicles are currently equipped with pressure wave controllers. When the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle exceeds a certain threshold, the pressure wave controller will promptly close the ventilation valves.

[0003] After the air valve closes, the pressure inside and outside the vehicle slowly balances through a small leakage in the vehicle body, and the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle gradually decreases. When the pressure difference decreases to less than or equal to a predetermined value, the air valve will automatically open. This predetermined value is called the upper limit of the pressure difference at which the air valve can automatically open.

[0004] However, when high-speed rail vehicles are running in high-altitude areas, the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle is always large due to the long and continuous tunnels and the large altitude difference. This is always not less than the upper limit of the pressure difference mentioned above. As a result, the air valve cannot be opened automatically after it is closed, but can only be opened by force. The moment of forced opening will cause tinnitus in passengers.

[0005] Therefore, those skilled in the art need to solve the problem of air valves failing to open automatically when high-speed rail vehicles are operating in high-altitude areas. Summary of the Invention

[0006] On the one hand, this application provides a method for controlling the interior environment of a rail vehicle. The rail vehicle is equipped with an air valve and an oxygen generating device. The control method is as follows: when it is necessary to open the air valve and the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle does not meet the automatic opening conditions of the air valve, the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle is made to meet the automatic opening conditions of the air valve by opening the oxygen generating device and / or increasing the air supply of the oxygen generating device.

[0007] One implementation of the in-vehicle environment control method determines whether the air valve needs to be opened by detecting the closing time of the air valve. If the closing time of the air valve is longer than the preset upper limit of the closing time of the air valve, then the air valve needs to be opened.

[0008] One implementation of the in-vehicle environment control method determines whether the air valve needs to be opened by detecting the oxygen concentration inside the vehicle. If the oxygen concentration inside the vehicle is lower than a preset first lower limit value for in-vehicle oxygen concentration, the air valve needs to be opened.

[0009] One implementation of the in-vehicle environment control method determines whether the air valve needs to be opened by detecting the carbon dioxide concentration in the vehicle. If the carbon dioxide concentration in the vehicle is higher than a preset first upper limit value for carbon dioxide concentration in the vehicle, the air valve needs to be opened.

[0010] One implementation of the in-vehicle environment control method involves determining whether the oxygen generator needs to remain on when the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle meets the automatic opening conditions of the air valve, by detecting the vehicle's altitude and / or the oxygen concentration and / or the carbon dioxide concentration inside the vehicle. If the oxygen concentration inside the vehicle is lower than a preset second lower limit for in-vehicle oxygen concentration and / or the vehicle's altitude is higher than a preset upper limit for in-vehicle altitude and / or the carbon dioxide concentration inside the vehicle is higher than a preset second upper limit for in-vehicle carbon dioxide concentration, then the oxygen generator is controlled to remain on.

[0011] On the other hand, this application also provides an in-vehicle environment control system for a rail vehicle, wherein the rail vehicle is equipped with an air valve and an oxygen generator. The control system includes a differential pressure sensor, a pressure wave controller, an in-vehicle environment controller, and an oxygen generator controller. The differential pressure sensor detects the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle. The pressure wave controller stores the upper limit value of the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle at which the air valve can be automatically opened. The signal input terminal of the pressure wave controller is connected to the differential pressure sensor, and the signal output terminal of the pressure wave controller is connected to the air valve and the in-vehicle environment controller. The signal output terminal of the in-vehicle environment controller is connected to the oxygen generator controller. The signal output terminal of the oxygen generator controller is connected to the oxygen generator.

[0012] One embodiment of the in-vehicle environment control system includes a pressure wave controller with a timing module for recording the closing duration of the air valve, and the pressure wave controller storing an upper limit value for the closing duration of the air valve.

[0013] One embodiment of the in-vehicle environment control system includes an oxygen concentration sensor, a signal input terminal of an oxygen generator controller connected to the oxygen concentration sensor, a first lower limit value of in-vehicle oxygen concentration stored in the oxygen generator controller, and a signal output terminal of the oxygen generator controller also connected to the in-vehicle environment controller.

[0014] One embodiment of the in-vehicle environment control system includes a carbon dioxide concentration sensor, a signal input terminal of an oxygen generator controller connected to the carbon dioxide concentration sensor, a first upper limit value of in-vehicle carbon dioxide concentration stored in the oxygen generator controller, and a signal output terminal of the oxygen generator controller also connected to the in-vehicle environment controller.

[0015] One embodiment of the in-vehicle environment control system includes an oxygen concentration sensor and / or a carbon dioxide concentration sensor and / or an altitude measuring instrument. The oxygen generator controller stores a second upper limit value for in-vehicle oxygen concentration and / or a second upper limit value for in-vehicle carbon dioxide concentration and / or an upper limit value for vehicle altitude. The signal input terminal of the oxygen generator controller is also connected to the oxygen concentration sensor and / or the carbon dioxide concentration sensor and / or the altitude measuring instrument.

[0016] The in-vehicle environment control method and in-vehicle environment control system provided in this application can ensure that the air valve can be opened automatically when the high-speed rail vehicle is running in plateau areas, thereby avoiding the problem of tinnitus caused by the forced opening of the air valve. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 A flowchart illustrating one embodiment of the in-vehicle environment control method provided in this application;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a modular schematic diagram of one embodiment of the in-vehicle environment control method provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of this application, the technical solution of this application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0020] Rail vehicles are equipped with air valves, including fresh air valves and exhaust air valves. To meet the operational needs of high-altitude areas, oxygen generators are also installed. These generators convert the thin outside air into oxygen-rich air using membrane separation technology and then deliver it into the vehicle. To meet the demands of high-speed operation, the airtightness of the vehicle body is set to be higher than that of low-speed rail vehicles.

[0021] For high-speed rail vehicles, a pressure wave controller is installed. When the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle exceeds the threshold (for example, when two vehicles meet or pass through a tunnel, the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle is likely to exceed the threshold), the pressure wave controller will promptly control the air valve to close, so as to cut off the transmission of drastically fluctuating external pressure to the inside of the vehicle, thereby avoiding tinnitus caused by drastic pressure fluctuations inside the vehicle.

[0022] After the air valve closes, the pressure inside and outside the vehicle slowly balances through a small leakage in the vehicle body, and the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle gradually decreases. When the pressure difference decreases to less than or equal to a predetermined value, the air valve will automatically open. This predetermined value is called the upper limit of the pressure difference at which the air valve can automatically open.

[0023] When high-speed rail vehicles operate in high-altitude areas, the long and continuous tunnels and significant elevation differences result in a consistently large pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle, never falling below the aforementioned upper limit. This causes the ventilation valves to fail to open automatically after closing, requiring forced opening, which can lead to tinnitus in passengers. Therefore, this application proposes an in-vehicle environment control method that ensures the ventilation valves of high-speed rail vehicles can open automatically when operating in high-altitude areas.

[0024] like Figure 1 The control method is as follows: when it is necessary to open the air valve and the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle does not meet the automatic opening conditions of the air valve, the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle is made to meet the automatic opening conditions of the air valve by turning on the oxygen generating device and / or increasing the air supply of the oxygen generating device.

[0025] Specifically, the automatic opening condition of the air valve is not met when the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle is greater than the upper limit of the pressure difference that allows the air valve to open automatically. Conversely, the automatic opening condition of the air valve is met when the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle is less than or equal to the upper limit of the pressure difference that allows the air valve to open automatically.

[0026] Specifically, the need to open the air valve can be determined by detecting the duration of its closure. If the closure time exceeds a preset upper limit, the air valve needs to be opened. Alternatively, the need to open the air valve can be determined by detecting the oxygen concentration inside the vehicle. If the oxygen concentration is below a preset lower limit, the air valve needs to be opened. Similarly, the need to open the air valve can be determined by detecting the carbon dioxide concentration inside the vehicle. If the carbon dioxide concentration is above a preset upper limit, the air valve needs to be opened.

[0027] Normally, oxygen generators only activate when the oxygen concentration inside the vehicle is too low and / or the carbon dioxide concentration is too high and / or the vehicle's altitude is too high. This application, however, extends the activation timing of the oxygen generator, allowing it to activate even when the air valve cannot open automatically. This helps reduce the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle, allowing the pressure difference to quickly meet the conditions for automatic air valve opening, thus avoiding the problem of a deteriorating interior environment caused by the air valve's delayed opening, and also avoiding the problem of tinnitus in passengers caused by forcibly opening the air valve. Furthermore, it improves the air quality inside the vehicle and enhances the interior environment before the air valve opens.

[0028] It should be noted that even if the oxygen concentration and / or carbon dioxide concentration inside the vehicle and / or the vehicle altitude do not meet the conditions for the oxygen generator to be turned on, the oxygen generator can still be turned on as long as the condition that "the air valve needs to be opened and the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle does not meet the conditions for the air valve to be opened automatically" is met.

[0029] After the oxygen generator has been running for a period of time, the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle gradually decreases to the upper limit of the pressure difference that allows the air valve to open automatically, thus meeting the conditions for the air valve to open automatically.

[0030] Once the automatic opening conditions of the air valve are met, the system can determine whether the oxygen generator needs to remain on by detecting the vehicle's altitude and / or the oxygen concentration and / or the carbon dioxide concentration inside the vehicle. If the oxygen concentration inside the vehicle is lower than the preset second lower limit for oxygen concentration and / or the vehicle's altitude is higher than the preset upper limit for altitude and / or the carbon dioxide concentration inside the vehicle is higher than the preset second upper limit for carbon dioxide concentration, the oxygen generator will remain on.

[0031] like Figure 2 This application also provides an in-vehicle environment control system for a rail vehicle. The control system includes a differential pressure sensor, a pressure wave controller, an in-vehicle environment controller, and an oxygen generation device controller.

[0032] Differential pressure sensors detect the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle.

[0033] The pressure wave controller stores the upper limit of the vehicle's internal and external pressure difference at which the air valve can automatically open. This stored upper limit can be equal to or less than the actual upper limit of the vehicle's internal and external pressure difference at which the air valve can automatically open. For example, if the air valve can actually open when the vehicle's internal and external pressure difference is less than or equal to 600 Pa, then the actual upper limit of the vehicle's internal and external pressure difference is 600 Pa. In this case, the upper limit of the vehicle's internal and external pressure difference stored in the pressure wave controller can be 600 Pa or less (e.g., 500 Pa).

[0034] The signal input terminal of the pressure wave controller is connected to the differential pressure sensor, thereby receiving the current pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle.

[0035] The signal output terminal of the pressure wave controller is connected to the in-vehicle environment controller. The pressure wave controller compares the received pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle with its internally stored upper limit value for the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle. If it is greater than the stored upper limit value, it determines that the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle does not meet the automatic opening condition of the air valve, and transmits the determination result to the in-vehicle environment controller.

[0036] The signal output terminal of the in-vehicle environment controller is connected to the oxygen generator controller, and the signal output terminal of the oxygen generator controller is connected to the oxygen generator. When the in-vehicle environment controller determines that the air valve needs to be opened and receives the above judgment result from the pressure wave controller, it sends a command to the oxygen generator controller, causing the oxygen generator controller to control the oxygen generator to open.

[0037] In addition, the pressure wave controller stores a threshold value for the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle. The signal output of the pressure wave controller is also connected to the air valve. The pressure wave controller compares the received pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle with its internally stored threshold value. If the pressure difference is greater than the stored threshold value, the air valve is closed.

[0038] Specifically, the pressure wave controller can be equipped with a timing module to record the closing duration of the air valve. Furthermore, the pressure wave controller stores an upper limit value for the air valve's closing duration. The pressure wave controller compares the recorded air valve closing duration with the pre-stored upper limit value. If it exceeds the preset upper limit value, it determines that the air valve needs to be opened and transmits this result to the vehicle's in-vehicle environment controller. When the in-vehicle environment controller receives this result, it confirms that the air valve needs to be opened.

[0039] Specifically, the control system can also be equipped with an oxygen concentration sensor to detect the oxygen concentration inside the vehicle.

[0040] The signal input terminal of the oxygen generator controller is connected to the oxygen concentration sensor, thereby receiving the current oxygen concentration inside the vehicle.

[0041] The signal output terminal of the oxygen generator controller is connected to the in-vehicle environment controller. The oxygen generator controller stores a first lower limit value for the in-vehicle oxygen concentration. The oxygen generator controller compares the received in-vehicle oxygen concentration with the first lower limit value stored in its internal memory. If it is lower than the first lower limit value, it determines that the air valve needs to be opened and transmits this determination result to the in-vehicle environment controller. When the in-vehicle environment controller receives this determination result, it confirms that the air valve needs to be opened.

[0042] Specifically, the control system can also be equipped with a carbon dioxide concentration sensor to detect the carbon dioxide concentration inside the vehicle.

[0043] The signal input terminal of the oxygen generator controller is connected to the carbon dioxide concentration sensor, so that it can receive the current carbon dioxide concentration inside the vehicle.

[0044] The signal output terminal of the oxygen generator controller is also connected to the in-vehicle environment controller. The oxygen generator controller stores a first upper limit value for the carbon dioxide concentration inside the vehicle. The oxygen generator controller compares the received in-vehicle carbon dioxide concentration with the first upper limit value stored inside. If it is greater than the first upper limit value, it determines that the air valve needs to be opened and transmits the determination result to the in-vehicle environment controller. When the in-vehicle environment controller receives the determination result, it determines that the air valve needs to be opened.

[0045] Specifically, the control system can also be equipped with an altitude measuring instrument to detect the vehicle's current altitude.

[0046] The signal input terminal of the oxygen generator controller is connected to the altimeter, thus enabling it to receive the current vehicle altitude.

[0047] The oxygen generator controller can store the upper limit of vehicle altitude and / or the lower limit of oxygen concentration and / or carbon dioxide concentration in the second vehicle.

[0048] The oxygen generator controller compares the received vehicle altitude with its internally stored upper limit for vehicle altitude. If the altitude is greater than the stored upper limit, the controller activates the oxygen generator; and / or,

[0049] The oxygen generator controller compares the received in-vehicle oxygen concentration with its internally stored second in-vehicle oxygen concentration lower limit. If the concentration is lower than the stored second in-vehicle oxygen concentration lower limit, the controller activates the oxygen generator; and / or,

[0050] The oxygen generator controller compares the received in-vehicle carbon dioxide concentration with its internally stored second upper limit value for in-vehicle carbon dioxide concentration. If the concentration is greater than the stored second upper limit value, the controller will turn on the oxygen generator.

[0051] The upper limit of oxygen concentration in the first vehicle can be the same as or different from the upper limit of oxygen concentration in the second vehicle. The upper limit of carbon dioxide concentration in the first vehicle can also be the same as or different from the upper limit of carbon dioxide concentration in the second vehicle.

[0052] The above methods can be implemented directly using hardware, software modules executed by a processor, or a combination of both. The software modules can be located in random access memory (RAM), main memory, read-only memory (ROM), electrically programmable ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM, registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art.

[0053] The in-vehicle environment control method and in-vehicle environment control system for rail vehicles provided in this application have been described in detail above. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. Where there is no conflict, the features of the various embodiments can be combined. The descriptions of the embodiments above are only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of this application. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made to this application without departing from the principles of this application, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the interior environment of a rail vehicle, wherein the rail vehicle is equipped with an air valve and an oxygen generator, characterized in that, The control method is as follows: when the air valve needs to be opened and the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle does not meet the automatic opening conditions of the air valve, the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle is made to meet the automatic opening conditions of the air valve by turning on the oxygen generator and / or increasing the air supply of the oxygen generator; when the oxygen generator makes the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vehicle meet the automatic opening conditions of the air valve, the vehicle altitude and / or the oxygen concentration and / or the carbon dioxide concentration inside the vehicle are detected to determine whether the oxygen generator needs to continue to be turned on; if the oxygen concentration inside the vehicle is lower than the preset second lower limit of the oxygen concentration inside the vehicle and / or the vehicle altitude is higher than the preset upper limit of the vehicle altitude and / or the carbon dioxide concentration inside the vehicle is higher than the preset second upper limit of the carbon dioxide concentration inside the vehicle, the oxygen generator is controlled to continue to be turned on.

2. The method for controlling the interior environment of a rail vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The decision to open the air valve is made by detecting the duration of its closure. If the duration of the closure exceeds the preset upper limit, the air valve needs to be opened.

3. The method for controlling the interior environment of a rail vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The system determines whether the air valve needs to be opened by detecting the oxygen concentration inside the vehicle. If the oxygen concentration inside the vehicle is lower than the preset first lower limit value for oxygen concentration inside the vehicle, then the air valve needs to be opened.

4. The method for controlling the interior environment of a rail vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The system detects the carbon dioxide concentration inside the vehicle to determine whether the air valve needs to be opened. If the carbon dioxide concentration inside the vehicle is higher than the preset upper limit of the first carbon dioxide concentration inside the vehicle, then the air valve needs to be opened.

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