Brake device, wear amount calculation method, and wear amount calculation program

Abstract

To provide a brake device which uses an electric actuator as a drive source and detects an abrasion loss of a friction material.SOLUTION: A brake device brakes a wheel 2 by driving a friction material pressed to a friction object material being any one of a wheel and a rotor integrally rotating with the wheel by a motor 11. The brake device comprises: an acquisition unit which acquires drive information of the motor 11; a movement distance calculation unit 23 which calculates a movement distance of a brake shoe 14 until the brake shoe 14 contacts a tread surface 2A of the wheel 2 by using the acquired drive information; and an abrasion loss calculation unit 24 which calculates an abrasion loss of the brake shoe 14 on the basis of the movement distance and the movement distance at one past time point.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a brake device, a wear amount calculation method, and a wear amount calculation program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an electric brake device that uses a motor as a power source to press brake shoes against a disk that rotates integrally with the wheel, thereby braking the wheel. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-19893 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, in the electric brake device described in the above Patent Document 1, the brake shoes wear due to friction with the disc as a result of repeated braking operations in which the brake shoes are pressed against the disc. When the brake shoes wear down to a predetermined amount or more, they need to be replaced. For this reason, it is required to calculate the amount of wear of friction materials such as brake shoes in brake devices that use an electric actuator such as a motor as a drive source. Note that the same problem exists not only in disc brake devices, but also in tread brake devices in which friction materials come into contact with the wheel tread. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The brake device that solves the above problem is a brake device that brakes a wheel by driving a friction material that is pressed against a friction target material, which is either a wheel or a rotating body that rotates integrally with the wheel, using an electric actuator, and is equipped with an acquisition unit that acquires drive information of the electric actuator, a movement distance calculation unit that uses the acquired drive information to calculate the movement distance of the friction material until it comes into contact with the friction target material, and a wear amount calculation unit that calculates the wear amount of the friction material based on the movement distance and the movement distance at a past point in time.

[0006] When the friction material driven by the electric actuator wears, the distance traveled by the friction material before it comes into contact with the friction target increases. According to the above configuration, by using the drive information of the electric actuator to calculate the travel distance of the friction material before it comes into contact with the friction target, it is possible to calculate the amount of wear of the friction material from the change in the travel distance of the friction material at a certain point in the past.

[0007] It is preferable that the above brake device further comprises a sensor that detects that the friction material is located at a reference position in the moving distance of the friction material, the acquisition unit acquires detection information from the sensor, and the moving distance calculation unit calculates the moving distance of the friction material from the reference position detected by the sensor to the position where the friction material comes into contact with the frictioned material.

[0008] In the above brake device, the reference position is preferably a full open position where the friction material is farthest from the friction target material. In the above brake device, it is preferable that the movement distance calculation unit calculates the movement distance of the friction material from at least one of the product of the current and time of the electric actuator and the rotation speed of the electric actuator.

[0009] It is preferable that the above brake device further comprises a friction material wear amount acquisition unit that acquires the amount of wear of the friction material, and the wear amount calculation unit calculates the amount of wear of the friction material by reflecting the amount of wear of the friction material.

[0010] The above brake device preferably further comprises a control unit that drives and controls the electric actuator, and the control unit controls the friction material to move to a position a predetermined distance away from the position where the friction material contacts the friction target material.

[0011] With regard to the above-mentioned brake device, it is preferable that, when the amount of wear of the friction material is greater than the amount of wear of friction materials of other brake devices of the train, the control unit adjusts the braking force so that it is smaller than the braking force of the other brake devices.

[0012] For the above brake device, it is preferable to obtain a moving distance when the friction material is brought into contact with the friction material when the friction material is replaced, and to calculate the amount of wear using the obtained moving distance as the moving distance at a certain point in the past.

[0013] The brake device preferably further comprises an alarm unit that issues an alarm when the amount of wear of the friction material reaches or exceeds a predetermined value. The wear amount calculation method that solves the above problem is a method for calculating the amount of wear of a friction material of a brake device that brakes a wheel by driving a friction material that is pressed against a friction target material, which is either a wheel or a rotating body that rotates integrally with the wheel, by an electric actuator, and includes the following steps: acquiring drive information of the electric actuator; calculating a travel distance of the friction material until it comes into contact with the friction target material by using the acquired drive information; and calculating the amount of wear of the friction material based on the travel distance and the travel distance at a past point in time.

[0014] When the friction material driven by the electric actuator wears, the distance traveled by the friction material before it comes into contact with the frictioned material increases. According to the above method, the driving information of the electric actuator is used to calculate the travel distance of the friction material before it comes into contact with the frictioned material, and the amount of wear of the friction material can be calculated from the change in the travel distance of the friction material at a certain point in the past.

[0015] The wear amount calculation program that solves the above problem is a wear amount calculation program for a friction material of a brake device that brakes a wheel by driving a friction material pressed against a friction target material, which is either a wheel or a rotating body that rotates integrally with the wheel, by an electric actuator, and causes a computer to execute the following steps: acquiring drive information of the electric actuator; calculating a travel distance of the friction material until it comes into contact with the friction target material by using the acquired drive information; and calculating the wear amount of the friction material based on the travel distance and the travel distance at a past point in time.

[0016] When the friction material driven by the electric actuator wears, the distance traveled by the friction material before it comes into contact with the frictioned material increases. According to the program, the amount of wear of the friction material can be calculated from the change in the travel distance of the friction material at a certain point in the past by calculating the travel distance of the friction material before it comes into contact with the frictioned material by using the drive information of the electric actuator. Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, the amount of wear of the friction material can be calculated. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a brake device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the brake device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the brake device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a brake device according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] (First embodiment) A first embodiment of a brake device will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 3. The brake device is provided in a railway vehicle.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the brake device 10 is a tread brake device that generates a braking force by pressing a brake shoe 14 against a tread 2A of a wheel 2 of a railway vehicle. The brake device 10 includes a rotary motor 11 and is driven by the motor 11. The brake device 10 includes a transmission member 12 that transmits the driving force of the motor 11, and a brake shoe holding member 13. The transmission member 12 displaces the brake shoe holding member 13 by the driving force of the motor 11. The brake shoe holding member 13 has a brake shoe 14 attached thereto, and is displaced in the radial direction of the wheel 2 by the transmission member 12. The brake shoe 14 is displaced together with the brake shoe holding member 13 and is pressed against the tread 2A of the wheel 2. The brake shoe 14 is worn by being pressed against the tread 2A of the wheel 2, and the thickness of the brake shoe 14 is reduced. The motor 11 corresponds to an electric actuator. The wheel 2 corresponds to a non-friction material, and the brake shoe 14 corresponds to a friction material.

[0021] The brake device 10 is controlled by a control device 20. The control device 20 may be configured as one or more processors that execute various processes according to a computer program (software). The processes executed by the control device 20, i.e., the processor, include a wear amount calculation method. The wear amount calculation method includes a wear amount calculation process described below. The control device 20 may be configured as a circuit including one or more dedicated hardware circuits, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a combination thereof, that executes at least a part of the various processes. The processor includes a CPU and memories such as a RAM and a ROM. The memory stores program codes or instructions configured to cause the CPU to execute the processes. The memory, i.e., the computer readable medium, includes any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or dedicated computer. The programs stored in the computer readable medium include a wear amount calculation program. The wear amount calculation program causes the computer to execute an acquisition step, a travel distance calculation step, and a wear amount calculation step.

[0022] The control device 20 controls the braking force based on a braking command from the vehicle control panel 5. The control device 20 is equipped with a control unit 21 that controls the brake device 10. The control unit 21 drives and controls the motor 11 according to the required braking force. The control unit 21 controls the brake shoe 14 to move to a position a predetermined distance away from the position where it contacts the tread 2A of the wheel 2. In this way, the time from when the brake shoe 14 contacts the tread 2A of the wheel 2 until braking begins can be made constant. The transmission member 12 is provided with a sensor 12A that detects when the brake shoe 14 is located at a reference position in the movement distance of the brake shoe 14.

[0023] The control device 20 includes a drive information acquisition unit 22, a movement distance calculation unit 23, and a wear amount calculation unit 24. The drive information acquisition unit 22 acquires drive information of the motor 11. The drive information acquisition unit 22 acquires detection information of the sensor 12A. The movement distance calculation unit 23 calculates the movement distance of the brake shoe 14 until the brake shoe 14 comes into contact with the tread 2A of the wheel 2. The wear amount calculation unit 24 calculates the wear amount of the brake shoe 14 based on the movement distance and a movement distance at a past point in time.

[0024] The travel distance calculation unit 23 calculates the travel distance of the brake shoe 14 from the reference position detected by the sensor 12A to the contact position where the brake shoe 14 comes into contact with the tread 2A of the wheel 2. The reference position is the fully open position where the brake shoe 14 is farthest from the tread 2A of the wheel 2. The travel distance calculation unit 23 calculates the travel distance of the brake shoe 14 from at least one of the product of the current and time of the motor 11 and the rotation speed of the motor 11. The control unit 21 can recognize that the brake shoe 14 has reached the contact position where it comes into contact with the tread 2A of the wheel 2 based on a sudden change in the current value or a sudden change in the rotation speed of the motor 11. The travel distance calculation unit 23 may recognize the contact position by a limit switch or the like.

[0025] The movement distance calculation unit 23 calculates the movement distance of the brake shoe 14 by two types of methods. When the motor 11 is started, the movement distance calculation unit 23 calculates the movement distance from when the brake shoe 14 is driven to the full open position to the contact position where the brake shoe 14 contacts the tread 2A of the wheel 2. The movement distance calculation unit 23 also calculates the movement distance when the brake shoe 14 is returned from the contact position where the brake shoe 14 contacts the tread 2A of the wheel 2 to the reference position.

[0026] Here, when the brake shoe retaining member 13 and the brake shoe 14 are in the reference position, the distance between the tip position of the brake shoe retaining member 13, in other words the mounting position of the brake shoe 14, and the center of the wheel 2 is defined as the reference distance L. The fully open position where the brake shoe 14 is farthest from the wheel 2, in other words the most compressed position where the brake shoe retaining member 13 is most compressed, is defined as the reference position. The radius of the wheel 2 is defined as "r". The thickness of the brake shoe 14 is defined as "A". The movement distance from the reference position of the brake shoe 14 to the contact position where it comes into contact with the tread 2A of the wheel 2 is defined as "B". The amount of wear of the brake shoe 14 is defined as "C".

[0027] The radius r of the wheel 2 is measured when the wheel 2 is rolled, and is input to the control device 20 as information for speed conversion. The rolling of the wheel 2 includes planned rolling, which is performed every predetermined mileage, and repair rolling, which is performed when there is an abnormality such as a flat. The change in the radius r of the wheel 2 until the rolling is performed is sufficiently small compared to the wear amount (change in thickness A) of the brake shoe 14. Therefore, the change in the radius r can be ignored in monitoring the change in the thickness A of the brake shoe 14. When it is necessary to precisely obtain the thickness A of the brake shoe 14, the thickness A of the brake shoe 14 may be calculated by taking into account the radius r of the actual measured value of the wheel 2. For example, the control device 20 includes a friction material wear amount acquisition unit 25 that acquires the wear amount of the wheel 2, which is the friction material. Then, the wear amount calculation unit 24 calculates the wear amount C of the brake shoe 14 by reflecting the acquired wear amount of the wheel 2. When a new brake shoe 14 is attached to the brake shoe holding member 13, the thickness A of the brake shoe 14 is a unique value. The movement distance measured when the brake shoe 14 is attached to the brake shoe retaining member 13 or when the wheel 2 is rolled corresponds to the movement distance at a certain point in the past.

[0028] The wear amount calculation unit 24 calculates the thickness A of the brake shoe 14 using the following formulas (1) and (2), and calculates the wear amount C of the brake shoe 14 using the following formula (3). The reference distance L is the sum of the radius r of the wheel 2, the thickness A of the brake shoe 14, and the movement distance B of the brake shoe 14. Thus, the thickness A of the brake shoe 14 can be obtained. Then, the wear amount calculation unit 24 calculates the wear amount C of the brake shoe 14 by subtracting the obtained thickness A of the brake shoe 14 from the initial value A0 of the thickness of the brake shoe 14.

[0029] L = r + A + B (1) A = LrB (2) C = A0 - A (3)

[0030] Since the reference distance L may differ for each wheel 2 to which the brake device 10 is attached, it is desirable to determine the initial value of the reference distance L by specifying the radius r, thickness A, and movement distance B immediately after attachment for each brake device 10. When the brake shoe 14 wears, the thickness A of the brake shoe 14 decreases from the initial value A0, and the movement distance B increases. If the attached brake shoe 14 is not new, the thickness A of the brake shoe 14 may be input to the control device 20 as the minimum usable dimension. The wear amount calculation unit 24 automatically measures the movement distance B of the brake shoe 14 periodically at the start-up inspection, finish-up inspection, etc., and calculates the thickness A of the brake shoe 14. The wear amount calculation unit 24 then calculates the wear amount C of the brake shoe 14 by subtracting the thickness A of the brake shoe 14 from the initial thickness value A0.

[0031] The control unit 21 compares the wear amount C of the brake shoes 14 with the wear amount C of the brake shoes 14 of the other brake devices 10 of the train. When the wear amount C of the brake shoes 14 is larger than the wear amount C of the brake shoes 14 of the other brake devices 10 of the train, the control unit 21 adjusts the braking force to be smaller than the braking force of the other brake devices 10.

[0032] The brake device 10 includes an alarm unit 26. The alarm unit 26 issues an alarm when the wear amount C of the brake shoe 14 reaches or exceeds a predetermined value. The alarm unit 26 is preferably one that can be noticed by an operator during a start-of-work inspection, a finish-of-work inspection, or the like, and is a speaker that emits sound, a light that turns on, a display unit, or the like. The alarm unit 26 may also output a signal to the vehicle control panel 5.

[0033] Next, the procedure of the wear amount calculation process by the control device 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows the process for calculating the travel distance B from when the brake shoe 14 is driven to the full open position to the contact position where the brake shoe 14 contacts the tread 2A of the wheel 2 when the motor 11 is started, and for calculating the wear amount C of the brake shoe 14 from the thickness A of the brake shoe 14.

[0034] First, the control device 20 drives the motor 11 to move the brake shoe 14 to a reference position (step S1). That is, the control unit 21 drives and controls the motor 11 to move the brake shoe 14 to the fully open position, which is the reference position. The control unit 21 recognizes that the brake shoe 14 has reached the fully open position by detection by the sensor 12A.

[0035] Next, the control device 20 drives the motor 11 to move the brake shoe 14 to the contact position (step S2). That is, the control unit 21 drives and controls the motor 11 to move the brake shoe 14 until it contacts the tread 2A of the wheel 2. The control unit 21 recognizes that the brake shoe 14 has reached the contact position based on a sudden change in the current value or the rotation speed of the motor 11, or recognizes by a limit switch or the like.

[0036] Next, the control device 20 calculates the travel distance B of the motor 11 (step S3). That is, the travel distance calculation unit 23 calculates the travel distance B of the brake shoe 14 when the brake shoe 14 is moved from the reference position to the contact position in step S2 from at least one of the product of the current and time of the motor 11 and the rotation speed of the motor 11. Note that step S3 corresponds to a travel distance calculation step.

[0037] Next, the control device 20 calculates the wear amount C of the brake shoe 14 (step S4). That is, the wear amount calculation unit 24 calculates the thickness A of the brake shoe 14 by equation (2) using the previously input reference distance L and the radius r of the wheel 2 plus the calculated movement distance B. Then, the wear amount calculation unit 24 calculates the wear amount C of the brake shoe 14 by subtracting the obtained thickness A of the brake shoe 14 from the initial value A0 of the thickness of the brake shoe 14. Note that step S4 corresponds to the wear amount calculation step. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether the brake shoe 14 needs to be replaced based on the calculated wear amount C of the brake shoe 14.

[0038] Next, the procedure of the wear amount calculation process by the control device 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 shows the process of calculating the movement distance B when the brake shoe 14 is returned from the contact position where it contacts the tread surface 2A of the wheel 2 to the reference position, and calculating the wear amount C of the brake shoe 14 from the thickness A of the brake shoe 14.

[0039] First, the control device 20 drives the motor 11 to move the brake shoe 14 to the contact position (step S11). That is, the control unit 21 drives and controls the motor 11 to move the brake shoe 14 until it comes into contact with the tread 2A of the wheel 2. The control unit 21 recognizes that the brake shoe 14 has reached the contact position based on a sudden change in the current value or the rotation speed of the motor 11, or recognizes this based on a limit switch or the like.

[0040] Next, the control device 20 drives the motor 11 to move the brake shoe 14 to the reference position (step S12). That is, the control unit 21 drives and controls the motor 11 to move the brake shoe 14 to the fully open position, which is the reference position. The control unit 21 recognizes that the brake shoe 14 has reached the fully open position by detection by the sensor 12A.

[0041] Next, the control device 20 calculates the movement distance B of the brake shoe 14 (step S13). That is, the movement distance calculation unit 23 calculates the movement distance B of the brake shoe 14 when the brake shoe 14 is moved from the contact position to the reference position in step S12 from at least one of the product of the current and time of the motor 11 and the rotation speed of the motor 11. Note that step S13 corresponds to a movement distance calculation step.

[0042] Next, the control device 20 calculates the wear amount C of the brake shoe 14 (step S14). That is, the wear amount calculation unit 24 calculates the thickness A of the brake shoe 14 by equation (2) using the previously input reference distance L and the radius r of the wheel 2 plus the calculated movement distance B. Then, the wear amount calculation unit 24 calculates the wear amount C of the brake shoe 14 by subtracting the obtained thickness A of the brake shoe 14 from the initial value A0 of the thickness of the brake shoe 14. Note that step S14 corresponds to the wear amount calculation step. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether the brake shoe 14 needs to be replaced based on the calculated wear amount C of the brake shoe 14.

[0043] Next, the effects of the first embodiment will be described. (1) By using the driving information of the motor 11 to calculate the travel distance B of the brake shoe 14 until it contacts the tread 2A of the wheel 2, the amount of wear C of the brake shoe 14 can be calculated from the change in this travel distance compared to a certain point in the past.

[0044] (2) Since the movement distance B from the reference position to the contact position where the brake shoe 14 comes into contact with the tread 2A of the wheel 2 is calculated, the change in the movement distance can be obtained reliably. (3) The movement distance of the brake shoe 14 can be calculated by driving the brake shoe 14 from the full open position to the contact position where the brake shoe 14 contacts the tread 2A of the wheel 2.

[0045] (4) The travel distance B of the brake shoe 14 can be calculated from the product of the current of the motor 11 and the time and the rotation speed of the motor 11. (5) By reflecting the amount of wear of the wheel 2, the amount of wear C of the brake shoe 14 can be accurately calculated.

[0046] (6) When the brake shoe 14 is brought into contact with the tread 2A of the wheel 2, the time until braking begins can be made the same every time. (7) By considering the distance traveled when the brake shoe 14 is brought into contact with the tread 2A of the wheel 2 after replacing the brake shoe 14 as the distance traveled at a certain point in the past, the amount of wear on the replaced brake shoe 14 can be calculated.

[0047] (8) The notification from the notification unit 26 allows the driver to notice that the brake shoe 14 has worn down to a predetermined value or more. (9) When the amount of wear of the brake shoes 14 is greater than the amount of wear of the brake shoes 14 of other braking devices 10, the braking force is adjusted to be smaller than the braking force of the other braking devices 10. As a result, the amounts of wear of the brake shoes 14 of the braking devices 10 can be made closer to each other, and the timing for replacing worn brake shoes 14 can be made to be approximately the same.

[0048] Second embodiment A second embodiment in which the brake device is embodied in a brake device will be described below with reference to Figures 2 to 4. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it is a disc brake device. The following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 4, the brake device 30 is a disc brake device that generates a braking force by pressing brake shoes 34A, 34B against a disc 3 that rotates integrally with a wheel 2 of a railway vehicle. The brake device 30 includes a rotary motor 31 and is driven by the motor 31. The brake device 30 includes a transmission member 32 that transmits the driving force of the motor 31, and a left arm 33A and a right arm 33B. The transmission member 32 displaces the left arm 33A and the right arm 33B by the driving force of the motor 31. The brake shoe 34A is attached to the left arm 33A, and the brake shoe 34B is attached to the right arm 33B. The left arm 33A and the right arm 33B are displaced in a direction perpendicular to the side surface 3A of the disc 3 by the transmission member 32. The brake shoes 34A, 34B are displaced together with the left arm 33A and the right arm 33B, and are pressed against the side surface 3A of the disc 3. The brake shoes 34A, 34B wear down as they are pressed against the side surface 3A of the disk 3, and the thickness of the brake shoes 34A, 34B decreases. The motor 31 corresponds to an electric actuator. The disk 3 is a rotating body and corresponds to a non-friction material, and the brake shoes 34A, 34B correspond to a friction material.

[0050] The braking device 30 is controlled by the control device 20 similar to that of the first embodiment. The control device 20 controls the braking force based on a braking command from the vehicle control panel 5. The control device 20 includes a control unit 21 that controls the braking device 30. The control unit 21 drives and controls the motor 31 according to the required braking force. The control unit 21 controls the brake shoes 34A, 34B to move to a position a predetermined distance away from the position where the brake shoes 34A, 34B contact the side surface 3A of the disk 3. This makes it possible to keep constant the time from when the brake shoes 34A, 34B contact the side surface 3A of the disk 3 until braking begins. The transmission member 32 is provided with a sensor 32A that detects that the brake shoes 34A, 34B are located at a reference position in the moving distance of the brake shoes 34A, 34B.

[0051] The control device 20 includes a drive information acquisition unit 22, a movement distance calculation unit 23, and a wear amount calculation unit 24. The drive information acquisition unit 22 acquires drive information of the motor 31. The drive information acquisition unit 22 acquires detection information of the sensor 32A. The movement distance calculation unit 23 calculates the movement distance of the brake shoes 34A, 34B until they come into contact with the side surface 3A of the disk 3. The wear amount calculation unit 24 calculates the thickness of the brake shoes 34A, 34B based on the movement distance and a movement distance at a past point in time.

[0052] The moving distance calculation unit 23 calculates the moving distance of the brake shoes 34A, 34B from the reference position detected by the sensor 32A to the contact position where the brake shoes 34A, 34B contact the side surface 3A of the disk 3. The reference position is the fully open position where the brake shoes 34A, 34B are the furthest from the side surface 3A of the disk 3. The moving distance calculation unit 23 calculates the moving distance of the brake shoes 34A, 34B from at least one of the product of the current and time of the motor 31 and the rotation speed of the motor 31. The control unit 21 can recognize that the brake shoes 34A, 34B have reached the contact position where they contact the side surface 3A of the disk 3 based on a sudden change in the current value or a sudden change in the rotation speed of the motor 31. The moving distance calculation unit 23 may recognize the contact position by a limit switch or the like.

[0053] The movement distance calculation unit 23 calculates the movement distance of the brake shoes 34A, 34B using two types of methods. When the motor 31 is started, the movement distance calculation unit 23 calculates the movement distance from when the brake shoes 34A, 34B are driven to the fully open position to a contact position where the brake shoes 34A, 34B contact the side surface 3A of the disk 3. The movement distance calculation unit 23 also calculates the movement distance when the brake shoes 34A, 34B are returned from the contact position where the brake shoes contact the side surface 3A of the disk 3 to the reference position.

[0054] Here, when the left arm 33A, the right arm 33B and the brake shoes 34A, 34B are in the reference position, the distance between the mounting position of the brake shoe 34A on the left arm 33A and the mounting position of the brake shoe 34B on the right arm 33B is defined as the reference distance L. The fully open position where the brake shoes 34A, 34B are furthest away from the side surface 3A of the disk 3, in other words the fully open position where the left arm 33A and the right arm 33B are most open, is defined as the reference position. The thickness of the disk 3 is defined as "t". The thickness of the brake shoes 34A, 34B is defined as "A". The movement distance from the reference position to the contact position where the brake shoes come into contact with the side surface 3A of the disk 3 is defined as "B". The amount of wear of the brake shoes 34A, 34B is defined as "C".

[0055] The thickness t of the disk 3 is input to the control device 20 as initial information. The change in thickness t of the disk 3 is sufficiently small compared to the amount of wear (change in thickness A) of the brake shoes 34A, 34B. Therefore, the change in thickness t of the disk 3 can be ignored when monitoring the change in thickness A of the brake shoes 34A, 34B. When new brake shoes 34A, 34B are attached to the left arm 33A and right arm 33B, the thickness A of the brake shoes 34A, 34B is a unique value. The travel distance measured when the brake shoes 34A, 34B are attached to the left arm 33A and right arm 33B corresponds to the travel distance at a certain point in the past.

[0056] The wear amount calculation unit 24 calculates the thickness A of the brake shoes 34A, 34B using the following formulas (4) and (5), and calculates the wear amount C of the brake shoes 34A, 34B using the following formula (6). The reference distance L is the sum of the thickness t of the disk 3, the thickness A of the brake shoes 34A, 34B, and the movement distance B of the brake shoes 34A, 34B. Thus, the thickness A of the brake shoes 34A, 34B can be obtained. Then, the wear amount calculation unit 24 calculates the wear amount C of the brake shoes 34A, 34B by subtracting the obtained thickness A of the brake shoes 34A, 34B from the initial value A0 of the thickness of the brake shoes 34A, 34B.

[0057] L = t + 2(A + B) (4) A = (Lt - 2B) / 2 (5) C = A0 - A (6)

[0058] The reference distance L and the thickness t of the disk 3 are constants. The wear amount calculation unit 24 automatically measures the movement distance B of the brake shoes 34A, 34B periodically at start-up inspections, finish-of-work inspections, etc., and calculates the thickness A of the brake shoes 34A, 34B. Then, the wear amount calculation unit 24 calculates the wear amount C of the brake shoes 34A, 34B by subtracting the thickness A of the brake shoes 34A, 34B from the initial thickness value A0.

[0059] The control unit 21 compares the amount of wear C of the brake shoes 34A, 34B with the amount of wear C of the brake shoes 34A, 34B of the other brake devices 10 of the formed vehicle. Then, when the amount of wear C of the brake shoes 34A, 34B is larger than the amount of wear C of the brake shoes 34A, 34B of the other brake devices 10 of the formed vehicle, the control unit 21 adjusts the braking force to be smaller than the braking force of the other brake devices 10.

[0060] The brake device 10 includes an alarm unit 26. The alarm unit 26 issues an alarm when the wear amount C of the brake shoes 34A, 34B reaches or exceeds a predetermined value. The alarm unit 26 is preferably one that can be noticed by an operator during a start-of-work inspection, a finish-of-work inspection, or the like, and is a speaker that emits sound, a light that lights up, a display unit, or the like. The alarm unit 26 may also output a signal to the vehicle control panel 5.

[0061] Next, the procedure of the wear amount calculation process by the control device 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows the process for calculating the movement distance B from when the brake shoes 34A, 34B are driven to the full open position to the contact position where the brake shoes 34A, 34B contact the side surface 3A of the disk 3 when the motor 31 is started, and for calculating the wear amount C of the brake shoes 34A, 34B from the thickness A of the brake shoes 34A, 34B.

[0062] First, the control device 20 drives the motor 31 to move the brake shoes 34A, 34B to a reference position (step S1). That is, the control unit 21 drives and controls the motor 31 to move the brake shoes 34A, 34B to the fully open position, which is the reference position. The control unit 21 recognizes that the brake shoes 34A, 34B have reached the fully open position by detection by the sensor 32A.

[0063] Next, the control device 20 drives the motor 31 to move the brake shoes 34A, 34B to the contact positions (step S2). That is, the control unit 21 drives and controls the motor 31 to move the brake shoes 34A, 34B until they contact the side surface 3A of the disk 3. The control unit 21 recognizes that the brake shoes 34A, 34B have reached the contact positions based on a sudden change in the current value or the rotation speed of the motor 31, or recognizes by a limit switch or the like.

[0064] Next, the control device 20 calculates the travel distance B of the motor 31 (step S3). That is, the travel distance calculation unit 23 calculates the travel distance B of the brake shoes 34A, 34B when the brake shoes 34A, 34B are moved from the reference position to the contact position in step S2 from at least one of the product of the current and time of the motor 31 and the rotation speed of the motor 31. Note that step S3 corresponds to a travel distance calculation step.

[0065] Next, the control device 20 calculates the wear amount C of the brake shoes 34A, 34B (step S4). That is, the wear amount calculation unit 24 calculates the thickness A of the brake shoes 34A, 34B by the formula (5) using the reference distance L and the thickness t of the disk 3 input in advance plus the calculated moving distance B. Then, the wear amount calculation unit 24 calculates the wear amount C of the brake shoes 34A, 34B by subtracting the obtained thickness A of the brake shoes 34A, 34B from the initial value A0 of the thickness of the brake shoes 34A, 34B. Note that step S4 corresponds to a wear amount calculation step. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether to replace the brake shoes 34A, 34B based on the calculated wear amount C of the brake shoes 34A, 34B.

[0066] Next, the procedure of the wear amount calculation process by the control device 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 shows the process of calculating the movement distance B when the brake shoes 34A, 34B are returned from the contact position where they contact the side surface 3A of the disk 3 to the reference position, and calculating the wear amount C of the brake shoes 34A, 34B from the thickness A of the brake shoes 34A, 34B.

[0067] First, the control device 20 drives the motor 31 to move the brake shoes 34A, 34B to the contact position (step S11). That is, the control unit 21 drives and controls the motor 31 to move the brake shoes 34A, 34B until they contact the side surface 3A of the disk 3. The control unit 21 recognizes that the brake shoes 34A, 34B have reached the contact position based on a sudden change in the current value or the rotation speed of the motor 31, or recognizes it by a limit switch or the like.

[0068] Next, the control device 20 drives the motor 31 to move the brake shoes 34A, 34B to the reference position (step S12). That is, the control unit 21 drives and controls the motor 31 to move the brake shoes 34A, 34B to the fully open position, which is the reference position. The control unit 21 recognizes that the brake shoes 34A, 34B have reached the fully open position by detection by the sensor 32A.

[0069] Next, the control device 20 calculates the movement distance B of the brake shoes 34A, 34B (step S13). That is, the movement distance calculation unit 23 calculates the movement distance B of the brake shoes 34A, 34B when the brake shoes 34A, 34B are moved from the contact position to the reference position in step S12 from at least one of the product of the current and time of the motor 11 and the rotation speed of the motor 11. Note that step S13 corresponds to a movement distance calculation step.

[0070] Next, the control device 20 calculates the wear amount C of the brake shoes 34A, 34B (step S14). That is, the wear amount calculation unit 24 calculates the thickness A of the brake shoes 34A, 34B by the formula (5) using the reference distance L and the thickness t of the disk 3 input in advance plus the calculated movement distance B. Then, the wear amount calculation unit 24 calculates the wear amount C of the brake shoes 34A, 34B by subtracting the obtained thickness A of the brake shoes 34A, 34B from the initial value A0 of the thickness of the brake shoes 34A, 34B. Note that step S14 corresponds to a wear amount calculation step. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether to replace the brake shoes 34A, 34B based on the calculated wear amount C of the brake shoes 34A, 34B.

[0071] Next, the effects of the second embodiment will be described. (1) By using the drive information of the motor 31, the movement distance B of the brake shoes 34A, 34B until they contact the disk 3 can be calculated, and the amount of wear C of the brake shoes 34A, 34B can be calculated from the change in the movement distance of the brake shoes 34A, 34B at a certain point in the past.

[0072] (2) Since the movement distance B from the reference position to the contact position where the brake shoes 34A, 34B come into contact with the disk 3 is calculated, the change in the movement distance can be obtained reliably. (3) By driving the brake shoes 34A, 34B from the fully open position to a contact position where the brake shoes 34A, 34B come into contact with the side surface 3A of the disk 3, the movement distance of the brake shoes 34A, 34B can be calculated.

[0073] (4) The moving distance B of the brake shoes 34A, 34B can be calculated from the product of the current and time of the motor 31 and the rotation speed of the motor 31. (5) When the brake shoes 34A, 34B are brought into contact with the disk 3, the time until braking begins can be made the same every time.

[0074] (6) When the brake shoes 34A, 34B are replaced, the movement distance when the brake shoes 34A, 34B are brought into contact with the disc 3 is set as the movement distance at a certain point in the past, so that the amount of wear of the replaced brake shoes 34A, 34B can be calculated.

[0075] (7) The notification from the notification unit 26 allows the driver to notice that the brake shoes 34A, 34B have worn to a predetermined value or more. (8) When the amount of wear of the brake shoes 34A, 34B is greater than the amount of wear of the brake shoes 34A, 34B of another braking device 10, the braking force is adjusted to be smaller than the braking force of the other braking device 10. As a result, the amounts of wear of the brake shoes 34A, 34B of the braking devices 10 can be made closer to each other, and the timing for replacing worn brake shoes 34A, 34B can be made to be approximately the same.

[0076] (Other embodiments) The above-described embodiments may be modified as follows: The above-described embodiments and the following modifications may be combined with each other to the extent that no technical contradiction occurs.

[0077] In each of the above embodiments, when the wear amount C of the brake shoes 34A, 34B is larger than the wear amount C of the brake shoes 34A, 34B of the other brake devices 10 of the train, the braking force is adjusted so that the wear amounts of the brake shoes 34A, 34B become uniform. However, it is not necessary to adjust the braking force so that the wear amounts of the brake shoes 34A, 34B become uniform.

[0078] In each of the above-described embodiments, the brake devices 10, 30 are provided with the notification unit 26 that notifies when the amount of wear of the friction material reaches or exceeds a predetermined value. However, the notification unit 26 may be omitted.

[0079] In the above embodiments, when the amount of wear of the friction material is greater than the amount of wear of the friction material of other brake devices, the braking force is adjusted to be smaller than the braking force of the other brake devices. If it is not necessary to bring the friction material replacement times closer together, it is not necessary to compare the amount of wear of the friction material of the other brake devices.

[0080] In each of the above embodiments, after the friction material comes into contact with the friction target material in order to apply braking by the control unit 21, the friction material is driven to a position where the gap between the friction material and the friction target material becomes constant and then stopped. However, after the friction material comes into contact with the friction target material in order to apply braking by the control unit 21, the friction material may be driven to the initial position and then stopped.

[0081] In the above embodiments, the fully open position is set as the reference position, but a position different from the fully open position may be set as the reference position. In other words, the movement distance B of the friction material from when the friction material is driven to the fully open position to the contact position where it contacts the friction target material is calculated, but the movement distance B of the friction material from when the friction material is driven to a reference position different from the fully open position to the contact position where it contacts the friction target material may be calculated. Also, the movement distance B of the friction material when the friction material is returned from the contact position where it contacts the friction target material to a reference position different from the fully open position may be calculated.

[0082] In each of the above embodiments, the movement distance calculation unit 23 calculates the movement distance B of the friction material by two types of methods. However, the movement distance calculation unit 23 may calculate the movement distance B of the friction material by one of the two types of methods.

[0083] In the above embodiments, the rotary motor 11, 31 is used to displace the friction material, but the friction material may be displaced using a direct-acting actuator or a linear actuator. In the above embodiments, the need to replace the friction material is determined based on the wear amount C of the friction material, but the need to replace the friction material may be determined based on the thickness A of the friction material. For example, the need to replace the friction material may be determined based on the thickness A of the friction material falling below a specified replacement value.

[0084] In each of the above embodiments, if a product is made up of multiple objects, the multiple objects may be integrated, and conversely, if a product is made up of a single object, it may be divided into multiple objects. Regardless of whether the objects are integrated or not, it is sufficient that the product is configured to achieve the object of the invention.

[0085] In each of the above embodiments, where multiple functions are provided in a distributed manner, some or all of the multiple functions may be provided in an integrated manner, and conversely, where multiple functions are provided in an integrated manner, some or all of the multiple functions may be provided in a distributed manner. Regardless of whether the functions are integrated or distributed, it is sufficient that the configuration is such that the object of the invention can be achieved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] A Thickness B. Distance traveled C Amount of wear L Reference distance r radius t Thickness 2 Wheels (frictional material) 2A Tread 3 Disc (friction material) 3A side 5 Vehicle control panel 10 Brake device 11 Motor 12 Transmission components 12A Sensor 13 Brake shoe holding member 14 Bracelet (friction material) 20 Control device 21 Control section 22 Driving information acquisition unit 23 Travel distance calculation unit 24 Wear amount calculation section 25 Frictional material wear amount acquisition part 26. Notification Department 30 Brake device 31 Motor 32 Transmission components 32A Sensor 33A Left Arm 33B Right Arm 34A Brake shoe (friction material) 34B Brake shoe (friction material)

Claims

1. A tread brake device that brakes a railway vehicle having a wheel by driving a brake shoe that presses against a wheel tread surface by an electric actuator, an acquisition unit that acquires driving information of the electric actuator; a movement distance calculation unit that calculates a movement distance of the brake shoe from when the brake shoe is in a reference position until the brake shoe comes into contact with the wheel by using the acquired drive information; a wheel wear amount acquisition unit for acquiring the wheel wear amount; and a wear amount calculation unit that calculates the wear amount of the brake shoe based on the moving distance and the moving distance at a certain point in time measured when the wheel was rolled in the past, and that reflects the wear amount of the wheel. Brake device.

2. A sensor is provided to detect when the brake shoe is located at the reference position, The acquisition unit acquires detection information from the sensor, The movement distance calculation unit calculates a movement distance of the brake shoe from the reference position to a position where the brake shoe comes into contact with the wheel.

2. The braking device according to claim 1.

3. The reference position is a fully open position where the brake shoe is farthest from the wheel.

3. The braking device according to claim 2.

4. The movement distance calculation unit calculates the movement distance of the brake shoe from at least one of the product of the current and time of the electric actuator and the rotation speed of the electric actuator. A brake device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A control unit that drives and controls the electric actuator, The control unit controls the brake shoe to move to a position a predetermined distance away from the position where the brake shoe contacts the wheel. A brake device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. When the amount of wear of the brake shoes is greater than the amount of wear of the brake shoes of other brake devices of the train, the control unit adjusts the braking force so as to be smaller than the braking force of the other brake devices.

6. A braking device according to claim 5.

7. When the brake shoe is replaced, the travel distance when the brake shoe is brought into contact with the wheel is obtained, and the amount of wear is calculated by using the travel distance obtained as the travel distance at a certain point in time in the past. A brake device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The brake shoe has an alarm unit that notifies the user when the wear amount of the brake shoe reaches a predetermined value or more. A brake device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A method for calculating wear of a brake shoe of a tread brake device that brakes a railway vehicle having a wheel by driving the brake shoe that presses against a wheel tread surface by an electric actuator, comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring driving information of the electric actuator; a movement distance calculation step of calculating a movement distance of the brake shoe from when the brake shoe is in a reference position until the brake shoe comes into contact with the wheel by using the acquired drive information; a wheel wear amount acquisition step of acquiring the wear amount of the wheel; and a wear amount calculation step of calculating the wear amount of the brake shoe based on the movement distance and the movement distance at a certain point in time measured when the wheel was rolled in the past, and reflecting the wear amount of the wheel. How to calculate wear.

10. A program for calculating a wear amount of a brake shoe of a tread brake device that brakes a railway vehicle having a wheel by driving the brake shoe that presses against a wheel tread surface by an electric actuator, comprising: On the computer, an acquisition step of acquiring driving information of the electric actuator; a movement distance calculation step of calculating a movement distance of the brake shoe from when the brake shoe is in a reference position until the brake shoe comes into contact with the wheel by using the acquired drive information; A wheel wear amount acquisition step of acquiring a wear amount of the wheel; and a wear amount calculation step of calculating the wear amount of the brake shoe based on the movement distance and the movement distance at a certain point in time measured when the wheel was previously rolled, and reflecting the wear amount of the wheel. Wear calculation program.

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