Rotation angle detection system for detecting the rotation angle of rotary brake drive units in railway vehicles

Abstract

The present invention relates to a rotation angle detection system (1, 1', 1'', 1''') for detecting the rotation angle of a rotary brake drive (10) for a railway vehicle, the system comprising at least one sensor unit (20, 21) for detecting the rotation angle, which is functionally connectable to the rotary brake drive (10), and at least one electronic main path for transmitting drive control signals and / or sensor signals, the at least one electronic main path being functionally connectable to the at least one sensor unit (20, 21), and the at least one electronic main path being connected to at least one signal converter (51, 52, 53, 54). ), wherein the signal converters (51, 52, 53, 54) divide the main electronic path into a main electronic path portion from the signal converters (51, 52, 53, 54) to the sensor units (20, 21) and a main electronic path portion from the signal converters (51, 52, 53, 54) on the opposite side of the sensor units (20, 21), and the at least one signal converter (51, 52, 53, 54) is configured to galvanically isolate at least one sensor unit (20, 21) from the main electronic path portion on the opposite side of the sensor units (20, 21).

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] The present invention relates to a rotation angle detection system for detecting a rotation angle of a rotary brake driving unit for a railway vehicle, a brake system for a railway vehicle, and a railway vehicle provided with such a rotation angle detection system.

[0002] In a railway vehicle, for example, an electromechanical brake actuator such as a brake cylinder is configured such that electric energy is converted into mechanical energy using an electric motor. When the brake actuator or the brake cylinder is driven and controlled, a rotor of the electric motor is caused to rotate. This rotary motion is further transmitted to a spindle nut fixedly attached to a hollow shaft. Since the rotating spindle nut is fixedly mounted in the axial direction, this consequently results in a feed motion of the spindle. In another step, an eccentric shaft is rotated by an eccentric shaft lever, and a caliper lever is actuated. Correspondingly, in order to generate a braking force, a brake pad attached to a holder can be pressed against a rotating brake disc by the caliper lever. To release the brake, the electric motor rotates in the opposite direction, whereby the screw drive unit is returned.

[0003] A rotational angle sensor is used to detect the rotor position in order to drive and control an electric motor, such as a permanent magnet excited synchronous machine, or PMSM for short. In addition to the rotational angle sensor, the brake actuator housing may also have other sensors, as well as electrical and mechatronic components, such as limit switches, force measuring rings, or motor brake devices. Due to the possibility of integration into a bogie, the requirements for high voltage tolerance and insulation tolerance, also known as high voltage / insulation tolerance, are high. This is particularly related to the higher system voltage of 110V instead of 48V that may be used in brake actuators. In type testing, for example, high voltage / insulation tolerance must be achieved at 500V AC or 750V DC at 50Hz for 60 seconds at 48V, whereas high voltage / insulation tolerance must be 1000V AC or 1500V DC at 50Hz for 110V. Furthermore, in this example, for piece testing, high voltage / insulation tolerance may be required for 10 seconds at 50V AC or 750V DC at 50Hz for 48V, and at 1000V AC or 1500V DC at 50Hz for 110V. These requirements are applicable here exemplarily to configurations where no prior potential isolation is performed and, for example, 110V is transmitted directly from railway vehicle wiring. The corresponding tests are performed between the housing of each component and the electronic or current-carrying components, such as windings, cable outlets, and similar components.

[0004] Basically, higher voltage / insulation resistance can be achieved by improving the insulation of conductive components and contact surfaces. This can be achieved, on the one hand, by increasing the internal insulation gap between the voltage-carrying housing and the corresponding sensor housing, or on the other hand, by additionally reinforcing the use of non-conductive materials, such as plastic. Therefore, in electrical lines, for example, the insulation of the corresponding wires can be strengthened, or in electronic device boards, the insulation section can be expanded, and more suitable components for higher voltage classes, such as ESD capacitors for 1kV or above, can be selected.

[0005] Specifically, many standard sensors and components currently available on the market do not possess the required high voltage / insulation tolerance, particularly for high system voltages of 110V. To meet this high requirement, manufacturers must perform customer-specific modifications, such as replacing winding wires with better insulated ones, housings with plastic coatings, and / or electronic components. Such interventions generally involve considerable effort, increased development costs, relatively high component prices, and less-than-ideal availability.

[0006] The final result is that the measures enumerated to improve high-voltage / insulation resistance require modifications to the sensor that are no longer available in standard products. However, this inevitably comes with the aforementioned and other drawbacks, in addition to meeting the high requirements for high-voltage / insulation resistance. Therefore, from a technical standpoint, modifications may be necessary, for example, for relatively short durability or lifespan in plastic housings, or for relatively large installation space requirements due to relatively thick wire diameters. Furthermore, these modifications may limit the scope of application, as they may impose limitations in potential vibration or shock loads, temperature profiles, environmental loads, and / or limited integration situations.

[0007] Therefore, in view of the above description, the object of the present invention is to provide an improved rotation angle detection system that is as simple and cost-effective as possible, particularly in terms of high voltage / insulation resistance, compared to the prior art.

[0008] This problem is solved by the subject matter of the independent claim. A favorable development is the subject matter of the dependent claim.

[0009] According to the present invention, a rotation angle detection system for detecting the rotation angle of a rotary brake drive unit for a railway vehicle comprises at least one sensor unit for detecting a rotation angle, which is functionally connectable to the rotary brake drive unit, and at least one main electronic device path for transmitting drive control signals and / or sensor signals, which is functionally connectable to the at least one sensor unit, wherein the at least one main electronic device path comprises at least one signal converter, which divides the main electronic device path into a portion of the main electronic device path on the sensor unit side from the signal converter and a portion of the main electronic device path on the opposite side from the sensor unit, and the at least one signal converter is configured to galvanically isolate the at least one sensor unit from the main electronic device path portion on the opposite side from the sensor unit.

[0010] The fundamental idea of ​​this invention is based on shifting the implementation of high voltage / isolation resistance to another area of ​​the system chain. Therefore, for example, there is no need to modify the sensor unit or the corresponding sensor of the sensor unit, and it can subsequently be implemented as a standard product. The sensor unit or the corresponding sensor is galvanically isolated, for example, in the form of an electrical cable, in the main electronic device path as the signal path and / or drive control path for the sensor unit. As the signal converter provided for galvanic isolation, a component can be used that provides the required high voltage / isolation resistance in a structurally simpler and more cost-effective manner. This allows for easy galvanic isolation of the remaining electronic devices in the entire system to meet higher requirements.

[0011] The functional connectivity of an electronic device's main path relates to both the direct and indirect connections of individual paths for signal transmission. Furthermore, functional connectivity may also relate to the actual activation of the electronic device's main path, or components within it, such as signal processing units. In other words, at least one electronic device's main path may be constantly physically connected to, for example, a sensor unit, and functional connectivity is, more precisely, achieved only through the activation of the corresponding signal processing unit.

[0012] The functional connection between the sensor unit and the rotary brake drive unit may also include direct and indirect connections. This connection may be mechanical and / or signal-technically. This allows the sensor unit to generate at least one signal representing the rotation angle in interaction with the rotary brake drive unit, either through direct contact connections or via optical, acoustic, and / or electrical or electromagnetic signals, which can be transmitted via the main electronic device path to the respective signal processing unit or similar.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the rotation angle detection system further includes at least one electronic device safety path for transmitting drive control signals and / or sensor signals, the at least one electronic device safety path functionally connectable to at least one sensor unit, the at least one electronic device safety path having at least one signal converter, the signal converter dividing the electronic device safety path into an electronic device safety path portion on the side of the signal converter to the sensor unit and an electronic device safety path portion on the side of the signal converter to the sensor unit, the at least one signal converter being configured to galvanically isolate at least one sensor unit from the electronic device safety path portion on the side of the sensor unit.

[0014] The main electronic device path and the safety electronic device path are separate individual paths that are connected in parallel to each other or extend independently. The main electronic device path can be understood as the electronic device path that is functionally connected to the sensor unit in fault-free operation, thereby allowing sensor signals, or other signals such as drive control signals or similar signals, to be conducted unidirectionally or bidirectionally. Correspondingly, the safety electronic device path can only be functionally connected to the sensor unit if a failure prevents or otherwise obstructs transmission through the main electronic device path. The main electronic device path and the safety electronic device path can, alternatively, be functionally connected to the sensor unit simultaneously, at least temporarily, thereby enabling validation of the transmitted signals or allowing signals to be transmitted without delay via the safety electronic device path even if the main electronic device path fails. The functional connectivity of the safety electronic device path, like that of the main electronic device path, relates to both direct and indirect connections of individual paths for signal transmission. Furthermore, functional connectivity may also relate to the actual activation of individual paths or their respective signal processing units.

[0015] The configuration of a rotation angle detection system with an electronic device main path and an electronic device safety path may relate to the redundant design of the rotation angle detection system. The basic idea is that instead of two or more complete sensor paths, each having both the sensor unit itself and a signal processing unit, e.g., a corresponding signal processing electronic device, redundancy is achieved by using a sensor unit with two or more signal processing units, where at least one of each signal processing unit is associated with the electronic device main path and at least one of each signal processing unit is associated with the electronic device safety path.

[0016] By configuring a rotation angle detection system with sensor units having redundant individual paths, it is possible to reduce the required installation space, particularly by realizing each signal processing unit with relatively small microelectronic components and / or highly integrated components, even when the individual paths are redundant. Implementing redundant individual paths, i.e., individual paths for the electronic device safety path with respect to the electronic device main path, or redundant signal processing units, may relate to performing the same function, but may also relate to the redundancy of predetermined functions, especially safety-related functions.

[0017] However, the electronic safety path can also be configured as an independent electronic device function path, which performs other functions and / or other signal transmissions, either independently of or supplementing the redundant function. In such a configuration, the electronic device safety path is not, strictly speaking, just one safety path, but rather a second electronic device function path.

[0018] A configuration with at least one main electronic device path and at least one safety electronic device path is itself a configuration scheme that can be used independently of increasing the high voltage / isolation tolerance of the rotation angle detection system, and while this configuration scheme certainly has synergistic effects, it can also be used independently.

[0019] Accordingly, in independent consideration, the disclosure provides a rotation angle detection system for detecting the rotation angle of a rotary brake drive unit for a railway vehicle, comprising: at least one sensor unit for detecting a rotation angle, functionally connectable to the rotary brake drive unit; and at least one electronic device main path and at least one electronic device safety path for each sensor unit, each of which is functionally connectable to at least one sensor unit as an individual path, wherein each of the at least one electronic device main path and at least one electronic device safety path comprises at least one signal processing unit.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the disclosure of a redundant rotation angle detection system, the sensor unit is configured with higher fault safety than at least one electronic device main path and / or at least one electronic device safety path. The sensor unit has characteristics that are less likely to be lost with respect to higher fault safety.

[0021] Therefore, sensor units, such as individual sensor elements, are designed to be simple, reliable, and failure-free in order to achieve the highest possible fault safety. This can be achieved, for example, by appropriate means such as durable mechanical design, enhanced insulation, larger conductor cross-sections, and / or the use of more age-resistant materials. Sensor units are particularly configured so that their characteristics are "less likely to be lost" over a specified service life or throughout their entire lifespan. In this context, the term "less likely to be lost" relates to unforeseen failures. Signal processing units or individual paths connected thereto are implemented redundantly, at least in terms of their predetermined functionality, so that functions with relatively low fault safety can be transferred to these individual paths. Indeed, with respect to signal processing units with corresponding components that are often relatively complex and have a relatively high probability of failure, this relatively high probability of failure can be at least partially compensated for by redundancy.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the disclosure of a redundant rotation angle detection system, a signal processing unit of at least one electronic device main path and / or at least one electronic device safety path has at least one signal converter.

[0023] Sensor signals transmitted by, for example, a sensor unit can be converted into a signal that can be processed by another signal processing component via at least one signal converter. The signal converter may be, for example, an A / D converter that converts the analog signal of the sensor unit into a digital format.

[0024] According to one embodiment of the disclosure of a redundant rotation angle detection system, the signal processing unit of at least one electronic device main path and / or at least one electronic device safety path has at least one signal processing unit.

[0025] For example, a signal processing unit further processes the signal from the sensor unit, which has been selectively converted beforehand via a signal converter. This further processing may, in particular, be a calculation to another quantity that takes into account another signal input, and / or another form of signal processing, thereby determining the rotation angle of the rotary brake drive unit based on the signal from the sensor unit.

[0026] According to one embodiment of the disclosure of a redundant rotation angle detection system, a signal processing unit of at least one electronic device main path and / or at least one electronic device safety path has at least one signal output unit.

[0027] This signal output unit outputs the rotation angle of the rotary brake drive unit, which is determined based on the signal from the sensor unit. The signal output unit may be a separate unit of the signal processing unit, or it may be incorporated into the signal processing unit described above. Conversely, the signal output unit may include a signal processing function.

[0028] According to one embodiment of the disclosure of a redundant rotation angle detection system, at least one electronic device main path and / or at least one electronic device safety path has at least one signal switch, through which at least one signal processing unit is functionally connectable to at least one sensor unit.

[0029] Accordingly, via such a signal switch, at least one main electronic device path and / or at least one safety electronic device path can be selectively connected to and disconnected from the sensor unit. If an error can be transmitted to the sensor unit via at least one main electronic device path and / or at least one safety electronic device path, or may otherwise adversely affect the sensor unit, this can be prevented by disconnecting the individual path having the error. Furthermore, a desired connection to the sensor unit can also be achieved via the signal switch. In this way, for example, initially only one individual path can be connected to the sensor unit, and then if this individual path fails correspondingly, or for other reasons, another individual path is switched on via the signal switch or switched to this other individual path. The concept of switching on relates to the connection of two individual paths, whereas switching disconnects the previous individual path.

[0030] According to one embodiment of the disclosure of a redundant rotation angle detection system, the at least one main electronic device path and / or the at least one safety electronic device path comprises at least one energy supply unit, and the energy supply unit can be functionally connected to at least one sensor unit.

[0031] Accordingly, the sensor unit does not necessarily require a dedicated energy supply, and can be supplied with energy via at least one main electronic device path and / or at least one safety electronic device path. If the at least one main electronic device path and / or the at least one safety electronic device path comprises at least one energy supply unit or has a connection to an energy supply unit, failure safety can be further improved.

[0032] According to one embodiment of the disclosure of a redundant rotation angle detection system, at least one electronic device main path and / or at least one electronic device safety path has at least one energy supply switch, and via this energy supply switch, at least one energy supply unit is functionally connectable to at least one sensor unit.

[0033] Therefore, just like with signal switches, each energy supply unit can be connected and disconnected as intended.

[0034] Various embodiments of the disclosure of redundant rotation angle detection systems are applicable, either on their own or in combination with the rotation angle detection system of the present invention, to configurations having an electronic device safety path.

[0035] According to one embodiment, at least one sensor unit is located in a sensor unit housing, and at least one signal converter of the main electronic device path and / or the safety electronic device path constitutes a signal input section and / or signal output section of the main electronic device path and / or the safety electronic device path, both within and outside the sensor unit housing.

[0036] Therefore, at least one signal converter may constitute an interface to the sensor unit, thereby allowing the signal converter to be easily retrofitted. The signal converter may, in particular, serve as an interface to the sensor unit housing and may be located within or inside the sensor unit housing.

[0037] According to one embodiment, at least one signal converter of the electronic device main path and / or electronic device safety path is a signal transformer, a digital isolator or an optocoupler, or has at least one signal transformer, a digital isolator and / or an optocoupler.

[0038] Galvanic isolation can be achieved, for example, by using relatively small converters or transformers as signal converters, which can be placed before the input and output sides of the sensor and on the printed circuit board. This allows for the use of relatively cost-effective technologies related to the analog interface leading to the sensor unit. However, in this modified configuration, the required space on the printed circuit board and in terms of structural height must be considered, because as the input voltage increases, the converter or transformer must be designed to be correspondingly larger. For this reason, optocouplers can also be used for the following digital signal transmissions.

[0039] Alternatively or supplementally, galvanic isolation can also be performed via a digital interface. Today's sensors often require further digital signal processing and transmit the required measurement quantities to the system via a digital interface; therefore, digital isolators can be used at this system boundary. These digital isolators can be configured as separate electronic components in the form of integrated circuits, enabling reliable isolation of signal lines and power lines, as well as communication and data interfaces, thereby meeting higher high-voltage / isolation tolerance requirements. However, as already mentioned, optocouplers can be used as digital isolators in the corresponding configurations.

[0040] According to one embodiment, at least one sensor unit is a resolver or has at least one resolver.

[0041] A resolver is a rotational angle sensor, and like an electric motor, it has a rotor and a stator. The rotor of the resolver may be made of a material with good magnetic conductivity and can form a magnetic flux guide for the magnetic field generated by the stator. Observing the windings in the stator of the resolver, two different regions can be distinguished. The first region corresponds to a rotary transformer, where the windings are arranged concentrically around the rotor. In the second region, the winding structure corresponds to the structure of a motor winding with two phases, but these phases are not connected to each other. The two winding regions are spatially separated from each other and are magnetically coupled only by the rotor and stator magnetic flux guide. The excitation winding of the resolver is excited, for example, generally by a sinusoidal or rectangular high-frequency voltage in the range of 2 kHz to 10 kHz. In this case, the alternating magnetic field is transmitted exclusively to the measurement winding by the rotor, and its amplitude is modulated. The voltage in the measurement winding can be used as the evaluation quantity. Then, sinusoidal and cosine oscillations are shown as output signals. Since the rotor is excited by an alternating voltage of a constant amplitude, this excitation induces a voltage in the measurement winding, and the amplitude of this voltage does not depend on the rotational speed of the brake drive shaft. Therefore, the amplitude of the voltage in the measurement winding depends only on the rotor angle.

[0042] Due to the resolver's structure, which does not use mechanical components with wear characteristics, such as ball bearings, or electronic components, such as microprocessors, semiconductors, or capacitors with solid electrolytes, the resolver itself provides extremely high failure safety.

[0043] The main electronic device path and / or the safety electronic device path particularly includes at least one resolver digital converter, which is particularly configured to magnetically excite the rotor of the resolver, preferably with an AC voltage of constant amplitude, and to receive sinusoidal and cosine signals from the stator of the resolver.

[0044] By using at least one resolver digital converter, the resolver can be easily operated as a sensor unit. In this case, the resolver digital converter can be used for both driving and controlling the resolver and for evaluating the measurement data. Information about the measured quantity can be transmitted from the resolver digital converter to a higher-level system, such as a microcontroller or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), via the digital interface of the resolver digital converter, such as an SPI interface.

[0045] Between the resolver digital converter in the main circuit and / or the safety circuit of the electronic device and the resolver, there is at least one excitation signal switch for disconnecting and connecting the resolver digital converter and the resolver with respect to the excitation signal path in the main circuit and / or the safety circuit of the electronic device, and at least one sine wave signal switch for disconnecting and connecting the resolver digital converter and the resolver with respect to the sine wave signal path in the main circuit and / or the safety circuit of the electronic device, and / or at least one cosine wave signal switch for disconnecting and connecting the resolver digital converter and the resolver with respect to the cosine wave signal path in the main circuit and / or the safety circuit of the electronic device.

[0046] As a result, the transmission of excitation signals, sine wave signals, and / or cosine wave signals can be switched between the resolver digital converter in the main electronic device path and / or the electronic device safety path, and the resolver, via the respective excitation signal switch, sine wave signal switch, or cosine wave signal switch. Each disconnection and connection may be associated with an error case that triggers switching from the main electronic device path to the electronic device safety path. However, alternatively or supplementarily, disconnections and connections can also be made when a voltage overvoltage is detected, thus providing overvoltage protection.

[0047] According to one developmental form, at least one resolver digital converter and / or signal processing unit is configured to determine the rotational angular position of the resolver from the sinusoidal and cosine signals of the resolver's stator, taking into account, in particular, the number of pole pairs of the resolver.

[0048] The resolver signals, i.e., the sinusoidal and cosine signals, are evaluated, for example, by forming an arctangent, which allows for the output of an electrical rotational angular position. By incorporating the pole pair number of the resolver, output as a mechanical rotational angular position is also possible. Furthermore, the resolver can be diagnosed using the two output signals, and trigonometric calculations can be applied.

[0049] According to one embodiment, at least one resolver-digital converter in the main electronic device path and / or the safety electronic device path is located in the main electronic device path portion or the safety electronic device path portion on the sensor unit side.

[0050] Therefore, at least one resolver digital converter in the main circuit of the electronic device and / or in the safety circuit of the electronic device can be similarly protected by a signal converter for galvanic isolation, or galvanically isolated from the main circuit portion of the electronic device or the safety circuit portion of the electronic device on the opposite side of the sensor unit.

[0051] According to one embodiment, the rotation angle detection system has at least one sensor unit and a safety path sensor unit as another sensor unit, and at least one electronic device safety path is functionally connectable to the safety path sensor unit.

[0052] Therefore, for example, in terms of redundancy or to detect different sensor signals, not only can at least one sensor unit be connected to the main electronic device path and the electronic device safety path as separate paths, but the electronic device safety path may also be functionally connectable to another sensor unit different from the at least one sensor unit, either alternatively or supplementarily.

[0053] The sensor unit and the safety path sensor unit, in particular, have different measurement methods or different measurement configurations from each other.

[0054] Different measurement methods or different measurement configurations may be related to the determination of the same quantity to be measured, namely the rotation angle. However, it is also possible to determine another quantity that either assists in determining the rotation angle, specifies the rotation angle in additional detail, or does not depend on it, either alternatively or supplementarily. With respect to different measurement methods for determining the quantity to be measured, in this case the rotation angle, the sensor unit may be the resolver described above, while the other sensor unit may be a Hall sensor. As an example of different measurement configurations, the sensor unit and the other sensor unit may both be configured as resolvers, but may be driven and controlled by different excitation signals depending on the operating mode of the rotary brake drive unit.

[0055] According to one embodiment, the rotation angle detection system includes at least one signal processing unit in the main electronic device path portion opposite to the sensor unit, and at least one signal processing unit in the safety electronic device path portion opposite to the sensor unit.

[0056] Therefore, at least one signal processing unit in the main electronic device path and the safety electronic device path is galvanically isolated from at least one sensor unit via a signal converter. The ability to perform corresponding signal processing via the main electronic device path and the safety electronic device path further enables the redundant signal processing already mentioned.

[0057] According to one embodiment, the rotation angle detection system has at least one signal processing unit and at least one other signal processing unit in the electronic device main path, on the side of the electronic device main path opposite to the sensor unit, and the at least one signal processing unit and at least one other signal processing unit are connected in parallel.

[0058] Here, at least one signal processing unit and at least one other signal processing unit are galvanically isolated from at least one sensor unit by a signal converter. In this configuration, the two signal processing units can transmit the same sensor signal via the main electronic device path. Through this parallel connection, redundant signal processing of the sensor signal is also possible.

[0059] In another aspect, the present invention relates to a brake system for a railway vehicle, comprising at least one brake actuator for applying a braking force, at least one rotary brake drive unit for operating the brake actuator, and at least one of the aforementioned rotation angle detection systems.

[0060] The features of the rotation angle detection system described above and below are similarly related to advantageous developments of the brake system according to the present invention, and vice versa.

[0061] According to another aspect, the present invention relates to a railway vehicle equipped with at least one of the aforementioned rotation angle detection systems and / or the aforementioned braking system, wherein at least one sensor unit is located on the bogie of the railway vehicle.

[0062] The features described in the preceding and following descriptions of the rotation angle detection system relate to similarly advantageous developments of the railway vehicle according to the present invention, and vice versa.

[0063] The embodiments of the present invention described above and below should not be considered limiting to the scope of the present invention. Rather, other scopes of the present invention can be obtained by supplementing, omitting, or substituting individual features.

[0064] In the following, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0065] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of a rotation angle detection system for railway vehicles according to an exemplary first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram of a rotation angle detection system for railway vehicles according to an exemplary second embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram of a rotation angle detection system for railway vehicles according to an exemplary third embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram of a rotation angle detection system for railway vehicles according to an exemplary fourth embodiment.

[0066] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a rotation angle detection system 1 for a railway vehicle according to an exemplary first embodiment. The rotation angle detection system 1 has a resolver 20 as an exemplary sensor unit, which transmits a sensor signal corresponding to the rotation angle of a motor 10 as an exemplary rotary brake drive unit to an electronic device main path and an electronic device safety path, which will be described later. The motor 10 is controlled via a motor drive control unit 90, which transmits a signal from a voltage supply unit 60 to the motor 10, further considering a signal processing unit 70 associated with the electronic device main path and a signal processing unit 80 associated with the electronic device safety path. As shown here, the voltage supply unit of the train 100 is located as a higher-level system unit of the railway vehicle, while the remaining components shown can be associated with a brake actuator 200 located on the bogie in the illustrated embodiment. The connections between the signal processing unit 70 and the signal processing unit 80 and the motor drive control unit 90 can be interrupted and re-established via their respective signal output switches 71 and 81.

[0067] The main electronic device path connects the resolver 20 to a signal processing unit 70 that can be associated with the main electronic device path. To drive and control the resolver 20, the signal processing unit 70 drives and controls the resolver digital converter 30 via the main electronic device path, and the resolver digital converter 30 itself transmits an excitation signal to the resolver 20 via the main electronic device path according to the drive control. The connection between the resolver digital converter 30 and the resolver 20 can be disconnected and reconnected via an excitation signal switch 31 in the main electronic device path. In response to the excitation signal related to the rotation angle of the motor 10, the resolver 20 transmits a sine wave signal and a cosine wave signal to the resolver digital converter 30 via separate signal paths in the main electronic device path, and the resolver digital converter 30 transmits the corresponding signals to the signal processing unit 70. The respective signal connections between the resolver-digital converter 30 and the resolver 20 can be similarly disconnected and reconnected via the sine wave signal switch 32 and the cosine wave signal switch 33 in the main path of the electronic device.

[0068] The electronic device safety path is configured similarly to the electronic device main path, and here, illustratively, functions as a redundant path to the electronic device main path. Correspondingly, the electronic device safety path connects the resolver 20 to a signal processing unit 80 that can be associated with the electronic device safety path. To drive and control the resolver 20, the signal processing unit 80 drives and controls the resolver digital converter 40 via the electronic device safety path, and the resolver digital converter 40 itself transmits an excitation signal to the resolver 20 via the electronic device safety path according to the drive control. The connection between the resolver digital converter 40 and the resolver 20 can be disconnected and reconnected via an excitation signal switch 41 in the electronic device safety path. In response to an excitation signal related to the rotation angle of the motor 10, the resolver 20 transmits a sine wave signal and a cosine wave signal to the resolver digital converter 40 via separate signal paths in the electronic device safety path, and the resolver digital converter 40 transmits the corresponding signals to the signal processing unit 80. The respective signal connections between the resolver digital converter 40 and the resolver 20 can be disconnected and reconnected via the sine wave signal switch 42 and the cosine wave signal switch 43 in the electronic device safety path.

[0069] In the main electronic device path and the safety electronic device path, in order to galvanically isolate the resolver 20 from the remaining components mentioned above, an excitation signal transformer 51 is placed between the excitation signal switch 31 or 41 and the resolver 20 in the signal path for the excitation signal, an excitation signal transformer 52 is placed between the sine wave signal switch 32 or 42 and the resolver 20 in the signal path for the sine wave signal, and a cosine wave signal transformer 53 is placed between the cosine wave signal switch 33 or 43 and the resolver 20 in the signal path for the cosine wave signal. Each of the transformers 51, 52, and 53 separates the corresponding signal path into the corresponding signal path section on the resolver 20 side and the corresponding signal path section on the opposite side of the resolver 20. In this embodiment, the resolver 20 is located in the sensor unit housing 3. Each of the signal transformers 51, 52, and 53 for galvanic isolation is configured as a housing interface of the sensor unit housing 3 in the illustrated embodiment, or is correspondingly incorporated into the interface area of ​​the sensor unit housing 3. Therefore, the signal path section on the resolver 20 side is located in the sensor unit housing 3, while the signal path section on the opposite side of the resolver 20 corresponds to the battery potential 2 region.

[0070] The aforementioned arrangement, which has signal transformers 51, 52, 53 intermediately connected to the signal cable to the resolver 20, can further utilize standard resolvers with metal housings, which can offer advantages in terms of cost, durability, and availability. Signal transformers 51, 52, 53 are also available at a relatively low cost and may have a slightly higher failure rate, e.g., +30 FIT ("Failure in Time"). To reduce the space required for signal transformers 51, 52, 53, a reduction in the power supply voltage for the resolver 20, for example, from an RMS of 7V to an RMS of 1V can be considered, depending on the corresponding need resulting from the maximum available installation space.

[0071] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a rotation angle detection system 1' for a railway vehicle according to an exemplary second embodiment. The rotation angle detection system 1' of the second embodiment differs from the rotation angle detection system 1 of the first embodiment in that the rotation angle detection system 1' replaces the galvanic isolation provided by signal transformers 51, 52, and 53 directly connected to the resolver 20 with galvanic isolation between the signal processing unit 70 and the resolver digital converter 30 in the main electronic device path, and between the signal processing unit 80 and the resolver digital converter 40 in the safety electronic device path. In addition, the resolver 20 of the main electronic device path, the resolver digital converter 30, the excitation signal switch 31, the sine wave signal switch 32, and the cosine wave signal switch 33 are arranged in the sensor unit housing 3'. A digital isolator 54 is provided in the main electronic device path to provide galvanic isolation of the resolver 20, resolver digital converter 30, excitation signal switch 31, sine wave signal switch 32, and cosine wave signal switch 33 from the signal processing unit 70. The digital isolator 54 separates the main electronic device path into the part on the resolver 20 side and the part on the opposite side of the resolver 20. The digital isolator 54 is configured to provide galvanic isolation between the part of the main electronic device path on the resolver 20 side, which includes the resolver digital converter 30, excitation signal switch 31, sine wave signal switch 32, and cosine wave signal switch 33, and the part of the main electronic device path on the opposite side of the resolver 20, which includes the signal processing unit 70. In the illustrated embodiment, the digital isolator 54 is configured as the housing interface of the sensor unit housing 3, or is incorporated correspondingly into the interface area of ​​the sensor unit housing 3. Therefore, the main electronic device path portion on the resolver 20 side is located in the sensor unit housing 3', while the main electronic device path portion on the opposite side of the resolver 20 corresponds to the region of the battery potential 2'.

[0072] A digital isolator 55 is provided in the electronic device safety path, similar to the main electronic device path, to provide galvanic isolation for the resolver 20, resolver digital converter 40, excitation signal switch 41, sine wave signal switch 42, and cosine wave signal switch 43 from the signal processing unit 80. The digital isolator 55 separates the electronic device safety path into the portion on the resolver 20 side and the portion on the opposite side of the resolver 20. The digital isolator 55 is configured to provide galvanic isolation between the portion of the electronic device safety path on the resolver 20 side, which includes the resolver digital converter 40, excitation signal switch 41, sine wave signal switch 42, and cosine wave signal switch 43, and the portion of the electronic device safety path on the opposite side of the resolver 20, which includes the signal processing unit 80. In the illustrated embodiment, the digital isolator 55 is configured as the housing interface of the sensor unit housing 3, or is incorporated correspondingly into the interface area of ​​the sensor unit housing 3. Therefore, the electronic device safety path portion on the resolver 20 side is located in the sensor unit housing 3', while the electronic device safety path portion on the opposite side of the resolver 20 corresponds to the region of the battery potential 2'.

[0073] Therefore, the digital isolators 54 and 55 are pre-connected to the respective resolver digital converters 30 and 40 in the direction from the respective signal processing units 70 and 80 to the resolver 20, thereby enabling galvanic isolation between the power supply voltage and the digital I / O interface. Accordingly, in a redundant structure with an electronic device main path and an electronic device safety path, digital isolators 54 and 55 should be provided for each signal path.

[0074] In other respects, the description of the first embodiment can be adapted to the second embodiment accordingly.

[0075] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of a rotation angle detection system 1'' for railway vehicles according to an exemplary third embodiment. The rotation angle detection system 1'' of the third embodiment differs from the rotation angle detection system 1' of the second embodiment in that, in addition to the resolver 20, the rotation angle detection system 1'' has a safety path sensor unit 21 as another sensor unit. The electronic device main path of the rotation angle detection system 1'' is the same as the electronic device main path of the rotation angle detection system 1' in terms of its functional method and configuration; please refer to the above explanation with respect to Figure 2 for details.

[0076] The differences in embodiments of the safety path sensor unit 21 related to the electronic device safety path particularly concern the configuration of a completely separate signal path that also includes the safety path sensor unit 21. Herein, in an exemplary embodiment, the safety path sensor unit 21 is based on a different measurement method and is configured as a Hall sensor. Consequently, different signal lines are also generated for the drive control and signal feedback to the resolver 20 in the electronic device safety path. This is represented by the signal converter 40a'' for the drive control signal and the signal converter 40b'' for the sensor signal feedback in each signal path of the electronic device safety path. Correspondingly, the digital isolator 55'' of the electronic device safety path of the rotation angle detection system 1'' may also be designed differently from the digital isolator 55 of the electronic device safety path of the rotation angle detection system 1''.

[0077] In other respects, the description of the second embodiment can be adapted to the third embodiment accordingly.

[0078] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of a rotation angle detection system 1'' for a railway vehicle according to an exemplary fourth embodiment. The rotation angle detection system 1'' of the fourth embodiment differs from the rotation angle detection system 1'' of the second embodiment in that the rotation angle detection system 1'' does not have an electronic device safety path with corresponding components. Here, at least partial redundancy is provided with respect to redundant implementations of signal processing units 70, 80, which are connected to the resolver digital converter 30 via digital isolators 54 in a parallel circuit. Thus, the rotation angle detection system 1'' has two identical interface connections to two signal processing units 70, 80, which are also used for drive control. This allows for the use of more standard components. As a result, the probability of failure of the entire system does not necessarily increase, for example, in the case of a digital isolator failure rate of about 10 FIT.

[0079] In other respects, the description of the second embodiment can be adapted to the fourth embodiment accordingly. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0080] 1,1',1'',1'''' Rotation Angle Detection System 2,2' Battery potential 3,3' Sensor unit housing 10. Motor (brake drive unit) 20. Resolver (sensor unit) 21 Safety Path Sensor Unit (Sensor Unit) 30. Resolver-to-digital converter (main path of electronic device) 31. Excitation signal switch (main circuit of electronic device) 32. Sine wave signal switch (main circuit for electronic devices) 33. Cosine wave signal switch (main circuit of electronic device) 40. Resolver-to-Digital Converter (Electronic Device Safety Path) 40a'' Signal converter (electronic device safety path) 40b'' Signal converter (electronic device safety path) 41. Excitation signal switch (electronic device safety path) 42. Sine wave signal switch (electronic device safety path) 43. Cosine wave signal switch (electronic device safety path) 51 Excitation signal transformer 52. Sine wave signal transformer 53 Cosine wave signal transformer 54 Digital Isolator (Main Path of Electronic Devices) 55,55'' Digital Isolator (Electronic Device Safety Path) 60 Voltage supply unit 70 Signal Processing Unit (Main Path of Electronic Devices) 71 Signal output switch (electronic device main path) 80 Signal Processing Unit (Electronic Device Safety Path) 81 Signal output switch (electronic device safety path) 90 Motor drive control unit 100 trains 200 Brake Actuator

Claims

1. A rotation angle detection system (1, 1', 1'', 1'''') for detecting the rotation angle of a rotary brake drive unit (10) for a railway vehicle, At least one sensor unit (20, 21) for detecting the rotation angle, which is functionally connectable to the rotary brake drive unit (10), It has at least one main electronic device path for transmitting drive control signals and / or sensor signals, and at least one of the main electronic device paths is functionally connectable to at least one of the sensor units (20, 21). At least one of the electronic device main paths has at least one signal converter (51, 52, 53, 54), and the signal converter (51, 52, 53, 54) divides the electronic device main path into an electronic device main path portion on the side of the signal converter (51, 52, 53, 54) to the sensor unit (20, 21) and an electronic device main path portion on the side of the signal converter (51, 52, 53, 54) to the sensor unit (20, 21). A rotation angle detection system (1, 1', 1'', 1'''') for detecting a rotation angle, wherein at least one of the signal converters (51, 52, 53, 54) is configured to galvanically isolate at least one of the sensor units (20, 21) from the main path portion of the electronic device on the opposite side of the sensor unit (20, 21).

2. The rotation angle detection system (1, 1') further, It has at least one electronic device safety path for transmitting drive control signals and / or sensor signals, and at least one of the electronic device safety paths is functionally connectable to at least one of the sensor units (20, 21). At least one of the electronic device safety paths has at least one signal converter (55, 55''), and the signal converter (55, 55'') divides the electronic device safety path into an electronic device safety path portion on the side of the signal converter (55, 55'') to the sensor unit (20, 21) and an electronic device safety path portion on the side of the signal converter (55, 55'') to the sensor unit (20, 21). The rotation angle detection system (1, 1') according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the signal converters (55, 55'') is configured to galvanically isolate at least one of the sensor units (20, 21) from the electronic device safety path portion on the opposite side of the sensor units (20, 21).

3. Rotation angle detection system (1, 1', 1'', 1'''') according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the sensor units (20, 21) is located in a sensor unit housing (3, 3'), and at least one of the signal converters (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 55'') of the main electronic device path and / or the safety electronic device path constitutes a signal input section and / or signal output section of the main electronic device path and / or the safety electronic device path within and / or outside the sensor unit housing (3, 3').

4. The rotation angle detection system (1, 1', 1'', 1'''') according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the signal converters (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 55'') of the main circuit of the electronic device and / or the safety circuit of the electronic device is a signal transformer (51, 52, 53), a digital isolator (54, 55, 55''), or an optocoupler, or comprises at least one of the signal transformers (51, 52, 53), a digital isolator (54, 55, 55''), and / or an optocoupler.

5. The rotation angle detection system (1, 1', 1'', 1'''') according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the sensor units (20) is a resolver (20) or has at least one resolver (20).

6. The rotation angle detection system (1, 1', 1'', 1'''') according to claim 5, wherein the main electronic device path and / or the safety electronic device path has at least one resolver digital converter (30, 40), the resolver digital converter (30, 40) is configured to magnetically excite the rotor of the resolver (20), preferably with an AC voltage of constant amplitude, and to receive a sinusoidal and cosine wave signal of the stator of the resolver (20).

7. Between the resolver digital converters (30, 40) in the main circuit of the electronic device and / or the safety circuit of the electronic device and the resolver (20), there is at least one excitation signal switch (31, 41) for disconnecting and connecting the resolver digital converters (30, 40) and the resolver (20) with respect to the excitation signal path in the main circuit of the electronic device and / or the safety circuit of the electronic device, and the resolver digital converters (30, 40) and the resolver (20) in respect to the sine wave signal path in the main circuit of the electronic device and / or the safety circuit of the electronic device Rotation angle detection system (1, 1', 1'', 1'''') according to claim 6, wherein at least one sinusoidal signal switch (32, 42) is provided for disconnecting and connecting the resolver digital converter (30, 40) and the resolver (20), and / or at least one cosine signal switch (33, 43) is provided in the main path of the electronic device and / or the safety path of the electronic device for disconnecting and connecting the resolver digital converter (30, 40) and the resolver (20) to a cosine signal path.

8. Rotation angle detection system (1, 1', 1'', 1'''') according to claim 6, wherein at least one resolver-to-digital converter (30, 40) and / or signal processing units (70, 80) are configured to determine the rotation angle position of the resolver (20) from the sinusoidal and cosine signals of the stator of the resolver (20), taking into account the number of pole pairs of the resolver (20).

9. The rotation angle detection system (1, 1', 1'', 1'''') according to claim 6, wherein at least one resolver digital converter (30, 40) in the main electronic device path and / or the safety electronic device path is located in the main electronic device path portion or the safety electronic device path portion on the sensor unit (20, 21) side.

10. The rotation angle detection system (1'') according to claim 2, wherein the rotation angle detection system (1'') comprises at least one sensor unit (20) and another sensor unit, a safety path sensor unit (21), and at least one of the electronic device safety paths is functionally connectable to the safety path sensor unit (21).

11. The rotation angle detection system (1'') according to claim 10, wherein the sensor unit (20) and the safety path sensor unit (21) have different measurement methods or different measurement configurations.

12. The rotation angle detection system (1, 1', 1'', 1'''') according to claim 2, further comprising: at least one signal processing unit (80) in the main electronic device path portion opposite to the sensor units (20, 21); and at least one signal processing unit (70) in the safety electronic device path portion opposite to the sensor units (20, 21).

13. The rotation angle detection system (1''') according to claim 1, wherein the rotation angle detection system (1''') has at least one signal processing unit (80) and at least one other signal processing unit (70) in the main electronic device path opposite to the sensor units (20, 21), and at least one of the signal processing units (80) and at least one of the other signal processing units (70) are connected in parallel.

14. A braking system for railway vehicles, At least one brake actuator (200) for applying braking force, At least one rotary brake drive unit (10) for operating the brake actuator, A brake system for a railway vehicle, comprising at least one rotation angle detection system (1, 1', 1'', 1'''') according to claim 1.

15. A railway vehicle comprising at least one rotation angle detection system (1, 1', 1'', 1'''') according to any one of claims 1 to 13 and / or a brake system according to claim 14, A railway vehicle in which at least the sensor units (20, 21) are located on the bogie of the railway vehicle.

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