Brake interface, brake system and brake method suitable for heavy-load freight train

Abstract

According to the braking interface, the braking system and the braking method suitable for the heavy-load freight train, a front contact of a relay is connected to a dry contact of the locomotive braking system in parallel, after a main control computer breaks down or loses external power, the relay loses power, the front contact is disconnected, and then the dry contact is disconnected; and the unexpected emergency braking command cannot be output to the train, so that the potential safety hazard that the main control computer outputs the unexpected emergency braking command to the normally running heavy-load freight train due to failure or loss of external power is solved. Meanwhile, a sound-light alarm device is additionally arranged, and the lowest equipment list of the main control computer is automatically checked before the train is put into operation, so that the automatic protection function of the train is ensured to still conform to the fault-safety principle specified by the TB / T 2615-2018 railway signal fault-safety principle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of vehicle-mounted safety protection equipment, and in particular to a braking interface, a braking system and a braking method suitable for a heavy-load freight train. Background Art

[0002] ATP (Automatic Train Protection) is an on-board safety protection device used on my country's high-speed railways and conventional passenger railways. However, if the existing ATP braking interface and control method are used on heavy-loaded freight trains, during the normal operation of the train, once a hardware failure occurs in ATP or external power is lost, ATP will output an unexpected emergency braking command to the locomotive. The unexpected emergency braking command may cause the heavy-loaded freight train to break its hook or even derail, posing a safety hazard to its operation.

[0003] The statements herein merely provide background art related to the present invention and do not necessarily constitute prior art. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a braking interface, braking system and braking method suitable for heavy-load freight trains, which solves the safety hazard that the main control computer outputs unexpected emergency braking commands to the normally operating heavy-load freight train due to failure or loss of external power.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a brake interface suitable for heavy-load freight trains, which is connected to a main control computer and a locomotive brake system respectively, and comprises:

[0006] a first relay, wherein the coil of the first relay is connected to the main control computer, and the front contact of the first relay is connected in parallel to the dry contact of the locomotive brake system;

[0007] A second relay, the coil of the second relay is connected to the main control computer, and the front contact of the second relay is connected in parallel to the dry contact of the locomotive braking system.

[0008] The present invention also provides a braking system suitable for a heavy-load freight train, comprising:

[0009] The brake interface;

[0010] A main control computer is connected to the coil of the first relay and the coil of the second relay.

[0011] The braking system comprises: an alarm device connected to the main control computer;

[0012] The alarm device includes a third relay and an audible and visual alarm device, the coil of the third relay is connected to the main control computer, the rear contact of the third relay is connected in series to the power supply circuit of the audible and visual alarm device, and the audible and visual alarm device is connected to an independent power supply on the locomotive.

[0013] The main control computer comprises: at least two logic processing units, at least two bus transmission units, and at least two output control units;

[0014] Each of the logic processing units is connected to each of the bus transmission units, each of the bus transmission units is connected to each of the output control units, and each of the output control units is connected to the coil of the first relay, the coil of the second relay, and the coil of the third relay.

[0015] The present invention also provides a braking method applicable to a heavy-load freight train, comprising:

[0016] When the main control computer determines that an emergency braking command needs to be output, power is supplied to the coil of the first relay and the coil of the second relay, so that the front contact of the first relay and the front contact of the second relay are closed, the dry contact is turned on, and an emergency braking command is output to the locomotive, and the locomotive performs a braking operation;

[0017] When the main control computer determines that there is no need to output an emergency brake command, the power supply to the coil of the first relay and the coil of the second relay is cut off, so that the front contact of the first relay and the front contact of the second relay are disconnected, and the dry contact is disconnected accordingly;

[0018] If the main control computer fails or loses external power, power is stopped to the coil of the first relay and the coil of the second relay, disconnecting the front contacts of the first relay and the second relay, and the dry contacts are disconnected accordingly, ensuring that no emergency braking command is automatically output to the locomotive.

[0019] During the normal operation of the main control computer, the coil of the third relay is continuously powered, so that the rear contact of the third relay is disconnected, the power supply circuit of the sound and light alarm device is disconnected, and the sound and light alarm device does not work;

[0020] If the main control computer fails or loses external power, the main control computer stops supplying power to the coil of the third relay, the coil of the third relay loses power, the rear contact of the third relay closes, the power supply circuit of the sound and light alarm device closes, and the sound and light alarm device sends a sound and light alarm message to the driver.

[0021] Before being put into operation, the main control computer performs an automatic check of the minimum equipment list: the main control computer performs self-checks on all logic processing units, bus transmission units and output control units. The main control computer is only allowed to be put into operation when at least two logic processing units pass the self-check, at least two bus transmission units pass the self-check, and at least two output control units pass the self-check.

[0022] The present invention uses the front contacts (normally open contacts) of two relays to control the disconnection or conduction of dry contacts. When a main control computer fails or loses external power, the relay loses power, causing the front contacts to disconnect, and the dry contacts to disconnect accordingly. Unexpected emergency braking commands will not be output to the train, thus solving the potential safety hazard of the main control computer outputting unexpected emergency braking commands to a normally operating heavy-loaded freight train due to a failure or loss of external power.

[0023] Indirect methods are used to prevent the dangerous consequences of hardware failures in the main control computer. The main control computer performs the automatic check function of the minimum equipment list to ensure that all components related to the emergency brake output are in redundant working state during the operation of the main control computer, and any component unit failure will not cause the ATP train automatic protection function to fail to output emergency brake commands to the locomotive.

[0024] In the event of a main control computer losing external power or ATP failure, the method of directly preventing the dangerous consequences of the failure is still adopted. By constantly energizing the third relay, an audible and visual alarm is automatically sent to the driver, informing the driver to take over the operation of the train and brake to stop the train.

[0025] The present invention adopts a method of combining indirect prevention of dangerous consequences of faults with direct prevention of dangerous consequences of faults, ensuring that the ATP train automatic protection function still complies with the failure-safety principles specified in "TB / T 2615-2018 Railway Signal Failure-Safety Principles". BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the brake interface currently in use.

[0027] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of a braking system suitable for a heavy-load freight train provided by the present invention.

[0028] Figure 3 It is a structural diagram of the main control computer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The following is based on Figure 1 to Figure 3 , specifically describe the preferred embodiments of the present invention.

[0030] like Figure 1As shown, the current ATP brake interface includes two parallel relays, the rear contact (normally closed contact) NC1 of the first relay 1 is connected in parallel to the emergency brake command output dry contact K, the rear contact (normally closed contact) NC2 of the second relay 2 is also connected in parallel to the emergency brake command output dry contact K, and the coil KM1 of the first relay 1 and the coil KM2 of the second relay 2 are both connected to the main control computer 4. When the main control computer 4 determines that there is no need to output an emergency brake command, power is supplied to the coils of relay 1 and relay 2, so that the rear contact NC1 of relay 1 and the rear contact NC2 of relay 2 are both kept in the disconnected state. When the main control computer 4 determines that an emergency brake command needs to be output, the power supply to the coils of relay 1 and relay 2 is cut off, and the rear contact NC1 of relay 1 and the rear contact NC2 of relay 2 are closed under the action of mechanical forces such as springs, and the dry contact K is turned on, and the emergency brake command is output to the locomotive. The existing ATP brake interface controls the emergency brake command output dry contact K through two parallel relays. If any of the two relays' rear contacts (normally closed contacts) is turned on, the dry contact K is turned on, and the emergency brake command is output to the locomotive. When the main control computer 4 fails, it automatically cuts off its power supply to the relay coil, and adopts a method of directly preventing the dangerous consequences of the failure to ensure that the ATP automatic protection function complies with the fail-safe principle specified in "TB / T 2615-2018 Railway Signal Failure-Safety Principles".

[0031] According to "TB / T 2615-2018 Railway Signal Failure - Safety Principles", the methods for preventing dangerous consequences of failure after a failure can be divided into direct prevention of dangerous consequences of failure and indirect prevention of dangerous consequences of failure. Direct prevention of dangerous consequences of failure should adopt reasonable structure and design, such as using a normally excited relay, so that the system automatically enters a safe state without dangerous consequences after a failure occurs. Indirect prevention of dangerous consequences of failure should adopt redundancy or supervision methods to eliminate the safety impact of the failure on the system.

[0032] In the control method of the existing ATP brake interface, if the main control computer 4 fails or loses external power, the power supply of the coils of relay 1 and relay 2 will be cut off, and the rear contacts (normally closed contacts) of the relays will be closed. If it is applied to heavy-duty freight trains, these faults will cause ATP to output unexpected emergency braking commands to the normally operating heavy-duty freight trains, which may cause the heavy-duty freight trains to break hooks or even derail, posing a safety hazard to their operation. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the existing ATP brake interface and control method to eliminate the safety hazards caused by the shortcomings of the existing technology. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that the improvement plan will not cause the ATP train automatic protection function (i.e., the function of monitoring the train speed and outputting an emergency braking command to the locomotive to stop the train when the train speed exceeds the safe speed) to violate the failure-safety principle specified in "TB / T 2615-2018 Railway Signal Failure-Safety Principles".

[0033] In view of this, the present invention provides a braking system suitable for heavy-load freight trains, such as Figure 2 As shown, the braking system includes: a braking interface 101 , a main control computer 102 connected to the braking interface 101 , and an alarm device 103 connected to the main control computer 102 .

[0034] The brake interface 101 includes a first relay 1 and a second relay 2, the coil KM1 of the first relay 1 is connected to the main control computer 102, the front contact (normally open contact) NO1 of the first relay 1 is connected in parallel to the dry contact K of the locomotive braking system, the coil KM2 of the second relay 2 is connected to the main control computer 102, and the front contact (normally open contact) NO2 of the second relay 2 is also connected in parallel to the dry contact K of the locomotive braking system.

[0035] The present invention modifies the circuit of the existing ATP brake interface, and uses the front contacts (normally open contacts) of the first relay 1 and the second relay 2 to control the disconnection or conduction of the dry contact K. At the same time, the control logic of the main control computer 102 on the first relay 1 and the second relay 2 is modified, so that when the main control computer 102 determines that an emergency brake command needs to be output, power is supplied to the coil KM1 of the first relay 1 and the coil KM2 of the second relay 2, so that the front contact NO1 of the first relay 1 and the front contact NO2 of the second relay 2 are closed, and the dry contact K is turned on. When the main control computer 102 determines that there is no need to output an emergency brake command, the power supply of the coil KM1 of the first relay 1 and the coil KM2 of the second relay 2 is cut off, so that the front contact NO1 of the first relay 1 and the front contact NO2 of the second relay 2 are disconnected, and the dry contact K is disconnected accordingly. Since the front contacts (normally open contacts) of the two relays are used to control the disconnection or conduction of the dry contacts, if the main control computer fails or loses external power, the relay loses power and causes the front contacts (normally open contacts) to disconnect, and then the dry contact K is disconnected, and no unexpected emergency braking command will be output to the train, thus solving the potential safety hazard of outputting unexpected emergency braking commands to normally operating heavy-loaded freight trains due to failure of the main control computer or its loss of external power.

[0036] The alarm device 103 includes a third relay 3 and a sound and light alarm device 5, the coil KM3 of the third relay 3 is connected to the main control computer 102, the rear contact (normally closed contact) NC3 of the third relay 3 is connected in series to the power supply circuit of the sound and light alarm device 5, and the sound and light alarm device 5 is connected to an independent power supply D on the locomotive, and the independent power supply D provides power for the sound and light alarm device 5.

[0037] The present invention adds an audible and visual alarm device 5 which is powered by an independent power supply provided by the locomotive, and at the same time increases the control of the third relay 3 in the main control computer 102. During the normal operation of the main control computer 102, the coil KM3 of the third relay 3 is continuously powered, so that its rear contact (normally closed contact) NC3 is disconnected. If the main control computer 102 fails or loses external power, the coil KM3 of the third relay 3 loses power, so that its rear contact (normally closed contact) NC3 is closed, and the audible and visual alarm device 5 sends an audible and visual alarm message to the driver. When the driver receives the alarm message sent by the audible and visual alarm device 5, he should immediately take over the operation of the train and brake to stop the train.

[0038] like Figure 3 As shown, the main control computer 102 includes: at least two logic processing units 11, at least two bus transmission units 22, and at least two output control units 33, each of the logic processing units 11 is connected to each of the bus transmission units 22, each of the bus transmission units 22 is connected to each of the output control units 33, and each of the output control units 33 is connected to the coil of the first relay 1, the coil of the second relay 2, and the coil of the third relay 3. Any of the logic processing units 11, any of the bus transmission units 22, and any of the output control units 33 can form a set of main control modules, each of which can control the first relay 1, the second relay 2, and the third relay 3. When any of the main control modules supplies power to any relay, the relay coil can be electrically excited.

[0039] The safety of the control system is ensured by combining the use of alarm devices and increasing equipment redundancy.

[0040] The present invention also provides a braking method, comprising the following steps:

[0041] The main control computer 102 performs an automatic minimum equipment list check: before being put into operation, the main control computer 102 performs a self-check on all logic processing units 11, bus transmission units 22 and output control units 33. Only when at least two logic processing units 11 pass the self-check, and at least two bus transmission units 22 pass the self-check, and at least two output control units 33 pass the self-check, is the main control computer 102 allowed to be put into operation. Otherwise, the main control computer 102 is not allowed to be put into operation, and the driver is prompted that the main control computer 102 does not meet the minimum equipment list requirements.

[0042] like Figure 2As shown, after the main control computer 102 is put into operation, when the main control computer 102 determines that an emergency braking command needs to be output, power is supplied to the coil KM1 of the first relay 1 and the coil KM2 of the second relay 2, so that the front contact NO1 of the first relay 1 and the front contact NO2 of the second relay 2 are closed, and the dry contact K is turned on, and an emergency braking command is output to the locomotive, and the locomotive performs a braking operation.

[0043] When the main control computer 102 determines that there is no need to output an emergency braking command, it cuts off the power supply of the coil KM1 of the first relay 1 and the coil KM2 of the second relay 2, so that the front contact NO1 of the first relay 1 and the front contact NO2 of the second relay 2 are disconnected, and the dry contact K is disconnected accordingly.

[0044] During the normal operation of the main control computer 102, power is continuously supplied to the coil KM3 of the third relay 3, so that the rear contact NC3 of the third relay 3 is disconnected, the power supply circuit of the sound and light alarm device 5 is disconnected, and the sound and light alarm device 5 does not work.

[0045] If the main control computer 102 fails or loses external power, it stops supplying power to the coil KM1 of the first relay 1 and the coil KM2 of the second relay 2, disconnecting the front contact NO1 of the first relay 1 and the front contact NO2 of the second relay 2, and the dry contact K is disconnected accordingly, ensuring that no emergency braking command is automatically output to the locomotive. At the same time, the main control computer 102 stops supplying power to the coil KM3 of the third relay 3, and the coil KM3 of the third relay 3 loses power, closing the rear contact NC3 of the third relay 3, closing the power supply circuit of the sound and light alarm device 5, and the sound and light alarm device 5 sends a sound and light alarm message to the driver. When the driver receives the alarm message from the sound and light alarm device 5, he should immediately take over the train operation and brake to stop the train.

[0046] The present invention uses the front contacts (normally open contacts) of two relays to control the disconnection or conduction of dry contacts. When a main control computer fails or loses external power, the relay loses power, causing the front contacts to disconnect, and the dry contacts to disconnect accordingly. Unexpected emergency braking commands will not be output to the train, thus solving the potential safety hazard of the main control computer outputting unexpected emergency braking commands to a normally operating heavy-loaded freight train due to a failure or loss of external power.

[0047] The existing ATP brake interface and control method adopts a method of directly preventing the dangerous consequences of faults, that is, by constantly exciting the relay, the emergency brake command is automatically output after the fault, so as to comply with the fail-safe principle. The present invention adopts a method of combining the indirect prevention of the dangerous consequences of faults with the direct prevention of the dangerous consequences of faults, ensuring that the ATP train automatic protection function still complies with the fail-safe principle specified in "TB / T 2615-2018 Railway Signal Failure-Safety Principles".

[0048] Indirect methods are used to prevent the dangerous consequences of hardware failures in the main control computer. The main control computer performs the automatic check function of the minimum equipment list to ensure that all components related to the emergency brake output are in redundant working state during the operation of the main control computer, and any component unit failure will not cause the ATP train automatic protection function to fail to output emergency brake commands to the locomotive.

[0049] In the event of a main control computer losing external power or ATP failure, the method of directly preventing the dangerous consequences of the failure is still adopted. By constantly energizing the third relay, an audible and visual alarm is automatically sent to the driver, informing the driver to take over the operation of the train and brake to stop the train.

[0050] While solving the above problems, the ATP system is still guaranteed to operate automatically as much as possible, without the driver having to keep a close eye on the safety warning information of the equipment at all times, thus minimizing the operating difficulty and labor intensity of the driver during driving.

[0051] Compared with the existing ATP brake interface and control method, the present invention only requires the driver to take over and control the train to stop immediately after receiving the alarm information sent by the sound and light alarm device. In other scenarios, the driver's operation method and requirements are no different from the existing design.

[0052] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of the present invention, the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0053] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0054] It should be understood that when used in this specification and the appended claims, the term "comprising" indicates the presence of described features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0055] It should also be understood that the terms used in this application specification are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the application. As used in this application specification and the appended claims, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include plural forms.

[0056] It should be further understood that the term “and / or” used in the specification and appended claims refers to any combination and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and includes these combinations.

[0057] As used in this specification and the appended claims, the term "if" may be interpreted as "when" or "upon" or "in response to determining" or "in response to detecting," depending on the context. Similarly, the phrases "if it is determined" or "if [described condition or event] is detected" may be interpreted as meaning "upon determination" or "in response to determining" or "upon detection of [described condition or event]" or "in response to detecting [described condition or event]," depending on the context.

[0058] Although the content of the present invention has been described in detail through the above preferred embodiments, it should be appreciated that the above description should not be considered as limiting the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention. After reading the above content, it will be obvious for those skilled in the art to make various modifications and substitutions to the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the attached claims.

Claims

1. A brake interface suitable for heavy-load freight trains, which is connected to a main control computer and a locomotive brake system, respectively, characterized in that: Include: a first relay, wherein the coil of the first relay is connected to the main control computer, and the front contact of the first relay is connected in parallel to the dry contact of the locomotive brake system; A second relay, the coil of the second relay is connected to the main control computer, and the front contact of the second relay is connected in parallel to the dry contact of the locomotive braking system.

2. A braking system suitable for heavy-load freight trains, characterized in that: Include: The brake interface according to claim 1; A main control computer is connected to the coil of the first relay and the coil of the second relay.

3. The braking system for heavy-load freight trains according to claim 2, characterized in that: The braking system comprises: an alarm device connected to the main control computer; The alarm device includes a third relay and an audible and visual alarm device, the coil of the third relay is connected to the main control computer, the rear contact of the third relay is connected in series to the power supply circuit of the audible and visual alarm device, and the audible and visual alarm device is connected to an independent power supply on the locomotive.

4. The braking system for heavy-load freight trains according to claim 3, characterized in that: The main control computer comprises: at least two logic processing units, at least two bus transmission units, and at least two output control units; Each of the logic processing units is connected to each of the bus transmission units, each of the bus transmission units is connected to each of the output control units, and each of the output control units is connected to the coil of the first relay, the coil of the second relay, and the coil of the third relay.

5. A braking method suitable for heavy-load freight trains, implemented based on the braking system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that: Include: When the main control computer determines that an emergency braking command needs to be output, power is supplied to the coil of the first relay and the coil of the second relay, so that the front contact of the first relay and the front contact of the second relay are closed, the dry contact is turned on, and an emergency braking command is output to the locomotive, and the locomotive performs a braking operation; When the main control computer determines that there is no need to output an emergency brake command, the power supply to the coil of the first relay and the coil of the second relay is cut off, so that the front contact of the first relay and the front contact of the second relay are disconnected, and the dry contact is disconnected accordingly; If the main control computer fails or loses external power, power is stopped to the coil of the first relay and the coil of the second relay, disconnecting the front contacts of the first relay and the second relay, and the dry contacts are disconnected accordingly, ensuring that no emergency braking command is automatically output to the locomotive.

6. The braking method for heavy-load freight trains according to claim 5, characterized in that: During the normal operation of the main control computer, the coil of the third relay is continuously powered, so that the rear contact of the third relay is disconnected, the power supply circuit of the sound and light alarm device is disconnected, and the sound and light alarm device does not work; If the main control computer fails or loses external power, the main control computer stops supplying power to the coil of the third relay, the coil of the third relay loses power, the rear contact of the third relay closes, the power supply circuit of the sound and light alarm device closes, and the sound and light alarm device sends a sound and light alarm message to the driver.

7. The braking method for heavy-load freight trains according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: Before being put into operation, the main control computer performs an automatic check of the minimum equipment list: the main control computer performs self-checks on all logic processing units, bus transmission units and output control units. The main control computer is only allowed to be put into operation when at least two logic processing units pass the self-check, at least two bus transmission units pass the self-check, and at least two output control units pass the self-check.

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