Monitoring device for the open / closed status of railway vehicle overhead wires and railway vehicle overhead wires

Abstract

To provide a monitoring device for the open / closed state of railway vehicle overhead wires and railway vehicle overhead wires that are less affected by voltage drop. [Solution] The system includes a first connection terminal T1 and a second terminal T2 connected to an electric wire, a current generator 301 that provides a non-zero reference current Igen when the voltage at both ends is greater than a predetermined minimum voltage, and provides a zero current when the voltage at both ends is less than a predetermined minimum voltage, at least one photoisolator means 308 including a lighting device 305 and each photosensitive semiconductor element 307, and a current detection / power supply module 304 that detects the current flowing therein, which provides a supply current to the lighting device when the detected current is greater than or equal to the reference current, and provides a zero supply current to the lighting device when the detected current is less than the reference current. The photosensitive semiconductor element takes a first state indicating that the electric wire is open when the lighting device is off, and a second state when the lighting device is on.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention is generally classified in the field of railway braking systems. In particular, the present invention relates to a monitoring device for the open / closed state of electric wires of railway vehicles and to the electric wires of railway vehicles.

Background Art

[0002] Monitoring the pressure state on the upstream side of the brake cylinder of a railway vehicle has been conventionally performed.

[0003] Knowing the pressure on the upstream side of the brake cylinder is useful for various functions mounted on railway vehicles.

[0004] In particular, one function is to verify that when the traction system operates to accelerate the train, excessive brake pressure is not supplied to one or more brake cylinders. In this particular case, when excessive brake pressure is applied to one or more brake cylinders, the following events may occur. - If the excessive brake pressure is not sufficient to lock the axle associated with the brake cylinder, the train will operate normally while braking, and the brake pair consisting of the disk / pad or wheel / shoe will overheat to such an extent that it will lead to irreparable deterioration of the pair, and there is even a risk of causing a fire that spreads to surrounding non-resistant components. - If the excessive brake pressure is sufficient to lock the axle associated with the brake cylinder, if the axle belongs to the bogie that bears the load, it will be dragged in a locked state, and then, at the sliding contact point between the wheel and the rail, the wheel will be flattened irreversibly.

[0005] For this purpose, it is customary to use a pressure switch device. A pressure switch is a device that has a pneumatic input to which a variable pressure is applied. The pressure moves one or more electrical contacts in accordance with the change in its instantaneous value via an internal mechanism of the pressure switch. When the pressure is lower than a specific predetermined value of the pressure switch, one or more electrical contacts take on a first state. When the pressure is higher than a specific predetermined value of the pressure switch, one or more electrical contacts take on a second state. In the first state, the electrical contacts are open and in the second state, depending on the configuration of the pressure switch, the electrical contacts are closed, or vice versa.

[0006] Figure 1 shows a typical application suitable for monitoring multiple brake cylinders in the same railway vehicle or train.

[0007] Multiple brake cylinders 101, 102, ..., 103 are used on brake axles 104, 105, ..., 106 belonging to a railway vehicle or train, respectively.

[0008] The pneumatic supply lines 107, 108, ..., 109 supply pneumatic brake pressure to brake cylinders 101, 102, ..., 103, respectively, which are not mutually exclusive but are typically generated by one or more brake control systems located upstream of the pneumatic supply lines 107, 108, ..., 109. These one or more brake control systems are not shown in Figure 1.

[0009] Pressure switches 110, 111, ..., 112 are pneumatically connected to air supply lines 107, 108, ..., 109, respectively. Pressure switches 110, 111, ..., 112 have at least one electrical contact that is closed when the pressure at their air inlets is below a predetermined pressure value, and open when the pressure at their air inlets is above a predetermined pressure value.

[0010] The predetermined pressure value is usually set to a value low enough that it does not impart braking force to the relevant axle. The pressure value is typically between 0.2 bar and 0.4 bar.

[0011] The wire 113 connects the electrical contacts of the pressure switches 110, 111, ..., 112 in series with the coil 114 of the relay 115.

[0012] The two ends of the electric wire 113 are connected to the positive terminal 117 and the negative terminal 118 of a battery in a railway vehicle or train, respectively.

[0013] Relay 115 is equipped with a contact 116. This contact is used to activate the on-board brake state signaling system of a railway vehicle or train, or, if further railway vehicles or trains are coupled to a railway vehicle or train, to be placed in series with the contacts of other equivalent relays belonging to the further railway vehicle or train to create a series at a higher hierarchical level.

[0014] If the pressures present in the pneumatic supply lines 107, 108, ..., 109 are all below a predetermined pressure value, all electrical contacts belonging to the pressure switches 110, 111, ..., 112 will be closed, providing electrical conductivity to the electrical line 113.

[0015] In this way, the coil 114 is powered by the battery voltage 117, causing one or more electrical contacts 116 of the relay 115 to be in a state indicating that all brakes have been released, and thus the traction system can accelerate the vehicle or train without incurring the risks described above.

[0016] When at least one of the pneumatic supply lines 107, 108, ..., 109 is supplied at a pressure higher than a predetermined pressure value, the electrical contacts of the pressure switch associated with at least one of the pneumatic supply lines open, interrupting the wire 113 and de-energizing the coil 114 of the relay 115. In this way, one or more contacts 116 of the relay 115 take on a state indicating that at least one brake cylinder is applying braking force to its respective axle, resulting in one of the risks described above.

[0017] The following technical challenges specific to pressure switch devices are known: - Inaccuracy in calibrating the specified pressure value - Fluctuations in the calibration of predetermined pressure values ​​due to aging. - Oxidation of contacts, and - The limited maximum number of electrical contact opening and closing operations, and the increased maintenance cycles during which pressure switches are inspected and, if necessary, replaced, are no longer sufficient to meet the demands of railway operators.

[0018] To address the technical problems inherent in pressure switch devices, the market trend is to replace them with functionally equivalent devices made solely from semiconductor circuits.

[0019] This patent refers to the following European railway standards. -EN-50115 "Railway applications - Electronic equipment used in vehicles" -EN-50159 "Railway Applications - Communication, Signaling, and Processing Systems - Signaling Safety-Related Electronic Systems"

[0020] Figure 2 is a suitable functional diagram of a circuit equivalent to a pressure switch device. Hereafter, the equivalent circuit will be defined as an electronic pressure switch.

[0021] The pressure transducer 201 converts the pressure value 202 into an electrical signal 203. The amplifier 204 amplifies the electrical signal 203 and converts it into an amplified electrical signal 205.

[0022] The voltage comparator 207 compares the amplified electrical signal 205 with a reference voltage value 206 that corresponds to a predetermined pressure value at which the functional output of the equivalent circuit of the pressure switch device should switch.

[0023] If the amplified electrical signal 205 is lower than the reference voltage 206, the output 208 of the comparator 207 takes the first state, and if the amplified electrical signal 205 is higher than the reference voltage 206, the output 208 of the comparator 207 takes the second state.

[0024] The EN-50155 standard recommends using galvanic insulation to separate the output of an electrical circuit from the control unit of an electronic circuit. To meet this recommendation, signal 208 drives the LED diode 209 of the opto-isolator 210.

[0025] In a first configuration of the equivalent circuit, the first state taken by the electrical signal 208 is such as to cause the switching device 211 of the opto-isolator 210 to be in a closed circuit state, and the second state taken by the electrical signal 208 can be such as to cause the switching device 211 of the opto-isolator 210 to be in an open circuit state. In a second configuration of the equivalent circuit, the first state taken by the electrical signal 208 is such as to cause the switching device 211 of the opto-isolator 210 to be in an open circuit state, and the second state taken by the electrical signal 208 can be such as to cause the switching device 211 of the opto-isolator 210 to be in a closed circuit state.

[0026] The EN-50155 standard recommends that the electronic output circuit of railway equipment be equipped with a protection function against overcurrent and, in some cases, a diagnostic function that enables monitoring of the output state be permanently installed.

[0027] The electronic protection circuit 212, which is arranged in series with the switching device 211 and can take different forms known to those skilled in the art of electronics, interrupts the series circuit in the case of a predetermined current value for which the protection circuit 212 is designed.

[0028] The protection circuit 212 can further drive the LED device 213 of the opto-isolator 214 to energize or de-energize the switching device 215 of the opto-isolator 214 to transmit diagnostic information regarding the state of the output circuit. The switching device 215 turns off the comparator 207 in the case of a long-term overcurrent and is connected to a subsequent suitable circuit configured to generate, in some cases, a further diagnostic information signal 218 for other users not shown in FIG. 2.

[0029] This circuit is relatively simple and uses a small number of electronic components, offering the following advantages: - The circuit's MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) parameter is significantly higher than that of conventional pressure switch devices. - The stability of the values ​​of electronic components over time is far greater than the stability of the mechanical components in conventional pressure switch devices.

[0030] On the other hand, this circuit has the drawback that, at high SIL safety levels, especially around the maximum allowable current, and when a second protection circuit 221 recommended by standard EN50129 is present, it can produce a voltage drop of up to 5 volts across its terminals 219 and 220.

[0031] In the electrical circuit shown in Figure 1, the voltage drop represented by the series of electrical contacts of pressure switches 110, 111, ..., 112 is on the order of tens of millivolts. If we were to replace pressure switch 110 with the circuits shown in Figure 2, the voltage drop would be estimated to be only a few volts.

[0032] Considering that a train of moderate length may consist of, for example, four carriages, eight bogies, or sixteen axles, the total voltage drop resulting from a series of equivalent solid-pressure switches, as shown in Figure 2, can reach several tens of volts. This fact, in addition to the allowable variation of the battery voltage 117, which ranges from -30% to +25% of the nominal battery voltage, makes it impossible for the coil 114 to find an operable relay 115 in the presence of both such voltage drops and variations. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0033] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a monitoring device for the open / closed state of railway vehicle power lines and railway vehicle power lines that can maintain the advantages of a circuit functional diagram equivalent to the electronic pressure switch device described above, namely the advantages regarding "mean time between failures" and the stability of the values ​​of electronic components over time, and that are less affected by voltage drop.

[0034] The above and other objectives and advantages are achieved, according to one aspect of the present invention, by railway vehicle overhead lines and railway vehicle overhead line monitoring devices having the features defined in each independent claim. Preferred embodiments of the present invention are defined in the dependent claims, the contents of which should be understood as an integral part of this specification. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0035] Next, the functional and structural features of several preferred embodiments of the monitoring device for the open / closed state of railway vehicle overhead wires and the overhead wires of railway vehicles according to the present invention will be described. Refer to the attached drawings. [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows a typical and suitable application for monitoring multiple brake cylinders on the same railway vehicle or train. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a suitable functional diagram of a circuit equivalent to an electronic pressure switch device. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows a single-loop circuit. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows a first embodiment of the railway vehicle power lines according to the present invention. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a diagram equivalent to Figure 1, in which a relay has been replaced in the monitoring device for the open / closed state of railway vehicle power lines according to the present invention. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows a further embodiment of the monitoring device for the open / closed state of railway vehicle power lines according to the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0036] Before detailing several embodiments of the present invention, it should be made clear that the present invention is not limited in its application to the structural details and component configurations described or shown in the following specification or figures. The present invention can take other embodiments, and the present invention can be put into practice or constructed in a variety of different ways. It should also be understood that expressions and technical terms are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting. "Include," "comprise," or variations thereof should be understood to encompass the elements and equivalents thereof described below, as well as additional elements and equivalents thereof.

[0037] The present invention relates to a monitoring device 308 for monitoring the open / closed state of overhead wires in a railway vehicle. For example, as shown in Figure 4, the wire is connected on a first side to a terminal 317 of the railway vehicle's battery and on a second side to a reference potential. The reference potential may be, for example, ground.

[0038] The electric wire includes at least one wire interrupting means (120, 121, 122, 501, 502, 503) configured to open and close the electric wire.

[0039] The railway vehicle overhead wire monitoring device 308 includes a first connection terminal T1 configured to connect to a first point on the overhead wire and a second terminal T2 configured to connect to a second point on the overhead wire.

[0040] The railway vehicle overhead wire switching device 308 further includes a current generator 301. The current generator 301 is configured to supply a reference current Igen having a predetermined non-zero value to the wire when the voltage across the current generator 301 is greater than a predetermined minimum voltage Vmin, and to supply a zero current to the wire when the voltage across the current generator 301 is lower than a predetermined minimum voltage Vmin.

[0041] The railway vehicle overhead wires monitoring device 308 further includes at least one optical isolator means 306, 605, 613, which includes lighting devices 305, 603, 612 and respective photosensitive semiconductor elements 307, 604, 611.

[0042] Furthermore, the railway vehicle overhead wire switching device 308 includes a current detection and power supply module 304. The current detection and power supply module 304 is configured to detect the current flowing through it. Furthermore, the current detection and power supply module 304 is configured to supply current to at least one lighting device 305, 603, 612 in order to turn it on if the detected current is greater than or equal to the value of a reference current Igen generated by the current generator 301. Furthermore, the current detection and power supply module 304 is configured to supply substantially zero current to at least one lighting device 305, 603, 612 in order to turn it off if the detected current is less than the value of a reference current Igen generated by the current generator 301.

[0043] "Substantially zero supply current" means zero current or a current so low that it does not turn on lighting devices 305, 603, and 612.

[0044] At least one photosensitive semiconductor element 307, 604, 611 takes a first state at its output terminal 309 when the illumination devices 305, 603, 612 are off and at least one photosensitive semiconductor element 307, 604, 611 is not illuminated. Furthermore, at least one photosensitive semiconductor element 307, 604, 611 takes a second state at its output terminal 309 when the illumination devices 305, 603, 612 are on and at least one photosensitive semiconductor element 307, 604, 611 is illuminated.

[0045] The first state of the photosensitive semiconductor element indicates that the overhead wires of the railway vehicle are in an open state. That is, the first state of the photosensitive semiconductor element indicates that at least one of the wire interruption means 120, 121, 122, 501, 502, 503 has opened the wires.

[0046] Referring to Figure 3, an example of the operation of the railway vehicle power line switching device 308 using a voltage generator and a resistor with a variable resistor will be described in detail. The single loop circuit comprises the following: - Voltage generator 302 that generates voltage value Vbat - Variable resistor 303 having instantaneous resistance value R303 - Monitoring device 308 for the open / closed state of electric wires in railway vehicles according to the present invention

[0047] For example, current generator 301 is a real current generator, not an ideal current generator. It is known in electrical engineering that an ideal current generator produces a predetermined current value, including zero voltage and infinite voltage values, regardless of the voltage value across its terminals.

[0048] The current generator 301 is defined as a real current generator because it generates a current Igen when the voltage across its terminals is greater than or equal to the minimum voltage value Vmin, and generates zero current when the voltage across its terminals is less than the minimum voltage value Vmin. This voltage value Vmin is less than the value Vbat generated by the voltage generator 302.

[0049] The current detection and power supply module 304, which is arranged in series with the current generator 301, supplies power to the lighting device 305 of the optical isolator means 306, such as an LED, when a current higher than a predetermined value Imin flows, and does not supply power to the lighting device 305 when a current lower than a predetermined value Imin, including a zero current value, flows.

[0050] The current sensing and power supply module 304 supplies power to the lighting device 305, either partially or entirely, using a reference current Igen generated by the current generator 301. For purely illustrative purposes, the voltage drop across the current sensing and power supply module 304 is assumed to be zero for the reference current Igen.

[0051] The optical isolator 306 includes a photosensitive semiconductor element 307, which can be in an open-circuit or closed-circuit state depending on whether the illumination device 305 is emitting light. The optical isolator 306 is commercially available, and its photosensitive semiconductor is in a closed-circuit state when light is being emitted and in an open-circuit state when light is not being emitted. There are also commercially available optical isolators 306 that are in a closed-circuit state when the photosensitive semiconductor is not emitting light and in an open-circuit state when light is being emitted.

[0052] By resetting the resistance value R303 of the variable resistor 303, all voltages Vbat > Vmin supplied by the voltage generator 302 are present across the current generator 301. In this case, the current generator 301 generates a reference current Igen, which, after being detected by the current detection / power supply module 304, supplies power to the lighting device 305, i.e., the LED.

[0053] By gradually increasing the resistance value R303 of the variable resistor 303, the current generator 301 continues to generate the reference current Igen as long as the resistance value R303 does not reach the next value.

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[0054] By further increasing the resistance value R303, the following condition is reached.

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[0055] In other words, the current generator 301 reaches a condition where it stops generating the reference current Igen. In this situation, the current detection and power supply module 304 stops supplying power to the lighting device 305, i.e., the LED.

[0056] Figure 4 shows the wiring diagram described in Figure 1, where relay 115 is replaced by a railway vehicle wire open / closed state monitoring device 308 according to the present invention, which comprises a current generator 301, a current detection / power supply module 304, and an optical isolator 306. The state in which all wire interruption means 120, 121, and 122 are closed corresponds to the R303=0 state described above. In this case, the current generator 301 generates a reference current Igen inside the railway vehicle wire open / closed state monitoring device 308, which is detected by the current detection / power supply module 304 and supplies power to the lighting device 305. The state in which at least one of the wire interruption means 121, 122, ..., 123 is open corresponds to the R303=∞ state in which the voltage across the current generator 301 is zero or less than Vmin, and therefore the current generator 301 generates zero current. In this case, the current detection and power supply module 304 does not detect the reference current Igen, and therefore does not turn on the lighting device 305.

[0057] Depending on whether the lighting device 305 is in an ON or OFF state, the output terminal 309 of the photosensitive semiconductor 307, i.e., the output terminal 309 of the monitoring device 308 for monitoring the open / closed state of the railway vehicle's electrical wires, will take on a subsequent state indicating that all brake cylinders have zero pressure, or that brake pressure is applied to at least one brake cylinder.

[0058] Figure 4 shows that, because the railway vehicle wire open / closed state monitoring device 308 does not contain any movable mechanical contacts that are subject to oxidation, the railway vehicle wire open / closed state monitoring device 308 can be used advantageously as a replacement for the relay 115, with at least an order of magnitude higher reliability and availability.

[0059] Figure 5 shows the wiring diagram described in Figure 1, where relay 115 has been replaced by a monitoring device 308 for monitoring the open / closed state of the railway vehicle's overhead wires, and electromechanical pressure switches 110, 111, ... 112 have been replaced by wire interruption means in the form of electronic pressure switches 501, 502, ... 503. The electronic pressure switches 501, 502, ... 503 are manufactured, for example, according to the schematic diagram shown in Figure 2, but are not limited thereto.

[0060] As described above, if an electronic circuit equivalent to the one shown in Figure 2 has a configuration equivalent to a closed contact at its terminals 219 and 220, when current flows, a voltage drop Vc occurs at terminals 219 and 220, which may reach a value close to 5V DC, for example, but is not limited to that.

[0061] When all n electronic pressure switches 501, 502, ... 503 are in the same closed contact state, a voltage drop equivalent to n × Vt volt occurs between points 510 and 511 of the loop.

[0062] In order for the current generator 301 inside the railway vehicle overhead wire monitoring device 308 to continue generating the reference current Igen in the presence of all closed contacts, as shown in Figure 4, the following equation must be observed.

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[0063] The following is a comprehensive example applied to a real-world case.

[0064] For example, the value of Vbat for a railway vehicle can be between 110V DC +25% and -30%, or in the worst case, Vbat = 77V DC. If the device 308 requires Vmin equal to 10V DC to generate and detect the reference current Igen, and each electronic pressure switch 501, 502, ... 503 takes a maximum drop Vt = 5V DC at its terminals 219, 220, then the value of n can be obtained by equation (1).

number

[0065] In this case, up to 13 electronic pressure switches can be connected in series.

[0066] The conditions under which at least one of the electronic pressure switches takes an equivalent open contact state at its terminals 219 and 220 are the same conditions as those described for the schematic diagram in Figure 4.

[0067] Figure 5 shows that the monitoring device 308 for monitoring the open / closed state of railway vehicle overhead wires can be advantageously used instead of the relay 115, which allows the use of a series of electronic pressure switches that conventional relays could not operate due to the minimum voltage requirements required to supply power to the coil 114 in order to move the contact 116.

[0068] In the circuits shown in Figures 1, 4, and 5, a further advantage of using an electronic circuit equivalent to the railway vehicle's wire switching device 308 instead of a relay is that the power consumed by coil 114 follows a quadratic law (ΔV) as the voltage Vbat changes in the range of -30% to +25%. 2 This is explained by the fact that the power consumed by device 308 increases linearly (ΔV × Igen), while the power increases with × R. A relay for railway applications, such as the one shown in Figure 1, typically has a minimum nominal power consumption of at least 5W@110V DC, corresponding to a nominal current of approximately 45mA@110V DC. When Vbat = (110V DC + 25%) or Vbat = 137.5V DC, the relay consumes 7.8W.

[0069] Advantageously, the monitoring device 308 for monitoring the open / closed state of the railway vehicle's overhead wires can be designed to a nominal reference current Igen equal to 10mA, which is equivalent to the minimum recommended current value, as is known to those skilled in the field of electrical engineering, in order to clean the contacts of the pressure switch present in the circuits of Figures 1 and 4.

[0070] When Vbat = 110V DC, the railway vehicle's overhead wire switching device 308 consumes slightly over 1W of power, and when Vbat = 137.5V DC, the device 308 consumes approximately 1.37W of power. Both values ​​are far lower than the power consumed by relay 115 under equivalent conditions, and therefore generate far less heat, further increasing the reliability and usability of the function.

[0071] For illustrative purposes only and not for the purposes of the claim, Figure 6 shows a preferred comprehensive embodiment of a railway vehicle overhead wire switching device 308, which integrates a current generator 301 and a current detection / power supply module 304 into a single simple circuit.

[0072] If no voltage is applied to both ends 601 and 602, no current flows in the lighting device, i.e., the LED 603, and therefore the photosensitive semiconductor 604 of the photoisolator 605 is not excited.

[0073] When a voltage is applied across both ends 601 and 602 that polarizes the Zener diode 606, the transistor 607 begins to conduct, and a current 608 of a magnitude sufficient to turn on the lighting device, i.e., the LED 603, flows, making it possible to excite the photosensitive semiconductor 604 of the photoisolator 605.

[0074] The magnitude of the current value 608 is determined by the polarization value of the Zener diode 606, the resistance value of the resistor 609, the typical Vbe value of the transistor 608, and the voltage drop across the lighting device, i.e., the LED 603.

[0075] The activation value Vmin of the circuit can be determined by the voltage value of the Zener diode 606 and the value of the resistor 610.

[0076] An additional optical isolator 611 can be placed in series with optical isolator 605 to enable the duplication of a relay with multiple contacts. By appropriately selecting optical isolators 605, ... 611, it is possible to configure equivalent contacts having either NAO (normally open) or NC (normally closed) states.

[0077] The present invention further relates to a railway vehicle's electric wire, comprising at least one electric wire interruption means 120, 121, 122, 501, 502, 503 configured to open and close the electric wire in accordance with the pressure value upstream of the brake cylinder of the railway vehicle, and a monitoring device for the open / closed state of the electric wire of the railway vehicle according to any of the embodiments described above.

[0078] The wire is connected on the first side to terminal 317 of the railway vehicle's battery and on the second side to a reference potential. In this case, the reference potential can be ground.

[0079] As shown in Figure 4, at least one of the wire interruption means 120, 121, and 122 can be an electrical contact.

[0080] At least one of the wire interruption means 501, 502, ... 503 may also be a semiconductor switch circuit, as shown in Figure 5.

[0081] Furthermore, the wire interruption means consists of at least two components, at least one of which is an electrical contact, and at least one of which may be a semiconductor switch.

[0082] The wire disconnecting means 120, 121, 122, 501, 502, and 503 may be configured to open the wire when the pressure value upstream of the brake cylinder of the railway vehicle exceeds a certain threshold pressure.

[0083] As described above, there may be at least two wire interruption means 120, 121, 122, 501, 502, 503. In particular, the first wire interruption means 120, 121, 122, 501, 502, 503 may be configured to open and close the wire in accordance with a first pressure value upstream of the first brake cylinder of the railway vehicle, and the second wire interruption means 120, 121, 122, 501, 502, 503 may be configured to open and close the wire in accordance with a second pressure value upstream of the second brake cylinder of the railway vehicle.

[0084] This document describes various forms and embodiments of the railway vehicle overhead wire monitoring device and the overhead wire itself according to the present invention. It is understood that each embodiment can be combined with any other embodiment. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and can be modified within the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A monitoring device (308) for the open or closed state of overhead wires on railway vehicles, The wire is connected on a first side to the terminal (317) of the railway vehicle's battery and on a second side to a reference potential, and the wire includes at least one wire interruption means (120, 121, 122, 501, 502, 503) configured to open or close the wire, The monitoring device (308) for the open or closed state of the overhead wires of the railway vehicle, (1) A first connecting terminal (T1) configured to be connected to a first point of the electric wire, and a second terminal (T2) configured to be connected to a second point of the electric wire, (2) Current generator (301), When there is a voltage greater than a predetermined minimum voltage Vmin across both ends of the current generator (301), a reference current (Igen) having a predetermined non-zero value is supplied to the wire. When there is a voltage lower than the predetermined minimum voltage Vmin at both ends of the current generator (301), zero current is supplied to the wire. A current generator (301) is configured as follows, (3) At least one optical isolator means (308, 605, 613) including an illumination device (305, 603, 612) and a photosensitive semiconductor element (307, 604, 611), (4) Current detection and power supply module (304), The current flowing through the current detection and power supply module (304) is detected, When the detected current flowing through the current detection and power supply module (304) is greater than or equal to the value of the reference current (Igen) generated by the current generator (301), a supply current configured to switch on the lighting devices (305, 603, 612) is supplied to the lighting devices (305, 603, 612). When the detected current flowing through the current detection and power supply module (304) is lower than the value of the reference current (Igen) generated by the current generator (301), a substantially zero supply current is supplied to the lighting devices (305, 603, 612) so as to switch off the lighting devices (305, 603, 612). A current detection and power supply module (304) configured as follows, It is equipped with, The aforementioned photosensitive semiconductor elements (307, 604, 611) are When the lighting device (305, 603, 612) is switched off and does not illuminate the photosensitive semiconductor element (307, 604, 611), the output terminal (309) of the photosensitive semiconductor element takes a first state. When the lighting device (305, 603, 612) is switched on and illuminates the photosensitive semiconductor element (307, 604, 611), the output terminal (309) of the photosensitive semiconductor element takes a second state. A device for monitoring the open or closed state of overhead wires on railway vehicles, characterized by the features described above.

2. The monitoring device (308) for monitoring the open or closed state of an electric wire in a railway vehicle, according to claim 1, wherein the illumination device (305, 603, 612) of the at least one optical isolator means is an LED.

3. Each optical isolator means includes a plurality of optical isolator means (308, 605, 613) which includes an illumination device (305, 603, 612) corresponding to the optical isolator means and a photosensitive semiconductor element (307, 604, 611) corresponding to the optical isolator means. A monitoring device (308) for the open or closed state of an electric wire of a railway vehicle according to claim 1 or claim 2, comprising:

4. A monitoring device (308) for monitoring the open or closed state of an electric wire in a railway vehicle, according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first state of the photosensitive semiconductor element is an open state, and the second state of the photosensitive semiconductor element is a closed state.

5. A monitoring device (308) for monitoring the open or closed state of an electric wire in a railway vehicle, according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first state of the photosensitive semiconductor element is a closed state, and the second state of the photosensitive semiconductor element is an open state.

6. These are overhead wires for railway vehicles. At least one wire interruption means (120, 121, 122, 501, 502, 503) is configured to open or close the wire in accordance with the pressure value upstream of the brake cylinder of the railway vehicle, A monitoring device for the open or closed state of an overhead wire of a railway vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, It is equipped with, The electric wire is characterized in that it is connected to the terminal (317) of the battery of the railway vehicle on the first side and connected to a reference potential on the second side.

7. The electric wire according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the electric wire interrupting means (120, 121, 122) is an electrical contact.

8. The electric wire according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the electric wire interruption means (501, 502, ... 503) is a semiconductor switch circuit.

9. The wire interruption means comprises at least two wire interruption means, The electric wire according to claim 6, wherein at least one of the at least two wire interruption means is an electrical contact, and at least one of the at least two wire interruption means is a semiconductor switch circuit.

10. The electric wire according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the at least one electric wire interruption means (120, 121, 122, 501, 502, 503) is configured to open the electric wire when the pressure value upstream of the brake cylinder of the railway vehicle exceeds a predetermined threshold pressure.

11. The aforementioned wire cutting means (120, 121, 122, 501, 502, 503) First wire interrupting means (120, 121, 122, 501, 502, 503) configured to open or close the wire according to a first pressure value upstream of the first brake cylinder of the railway vehicle, and A second wire interrupting means (120, 121, 122, 501, 502, 503) configured to open or close the wire according to a second pressure value upstream of the second brake cylinder of the railway vehicle, The electric wire according to any one of claims 6 to 10, wherein at least two of the above.

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