Control device for railway vehicle

Abstract

A railway vehicle (1) includes a service apparatus (7) for a vehicular body (3), and an air supply source (8). The air supply source (8) supplies compressed air to the service apparatus (7). The compressed air is generated by a compressor (9). A control device (10) for the railway vehicle (1) comprises: an acquisition unit (11); a calculation unit (12); and a command unit (14). The acquisition unit (11) acquires pressure information (Ip) of the air supply source (8). The calculation unit (12) calculates, on the basis of the pressure information (Ip), a running rate (R) of the compressor (9), which is the ratio of an uptrend time (Tu) of the pressure of the air supply source (8) with respect to the sum of the uptrend time (Tu) and a downtrend time (Td) of the pressure of the air supply source (8). The command unit (14) transmits, to the service apparatus (7), a command to stop the operation of the service apparatus (7) when the running rate (R) exceeds a prescribed threshold (A).

Description

Railroad vehicle control device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device for a railway vehicle.

[0002] A railway vehicle comprises a bogie and a carbody supported on the bogie. Air springs are provided between the carbody and the bogie to support the carbody. In recent years, as railway vehicles have become faster, there has been a demand for suppressing vibrations in the carbody and improving ride comfort. Railway vehicles are usually provided with service equipment for the carbody. The service equipment is, for example, a carbody tilt control device or an anti-vibration control device.

[0003] The carbody tilt control device controls the tilt of the carbody to reduce the centrifugal force acting on the carbody and passengers when the railcar travels on a curved road. The carbody tilt control device includes, for example, a valve. The valve opens and closes based on the height of the air spring, supplying air to the air spring or discharging air from the air spring to tilt the carbody. The carbody tilt control device also suppresses vibration of the carbody in the rolling direction by supplying and discharging air to and from the air spring.

[0004] The vibration prevention control device mainly controls the vibration of the car body in the vertical direction (the height direction of the railcar) or the horizontal direction (the width direction of the railcar). The vibration prevention control device includes, for example, an actuator. The actuator applies a thrust force to the car body to suppress the vibration of the car body.

[0005] The service equipment operates using compressed air from a compressor. The compressor is installed on the railway vehicle. A railway vehicle may be composed of multiple cars. In such a train, the compressor is shared by multiple cars due to restrictions on the weight of the cars associated with restrictions on the load on the track facilities, or restrictions on the space under the car floor. For example, in a train consisting of 10 cars, the number of compressors is limited to about five. Therefore, it is necessary to minimize the consumption of compressed air in railway vehicles.

[0006] Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose techniques for adjusting the amount of air supplied to service equipment in a moving railway vehicle. Patent Document 1 describes adjusting the amount of air supplied to a vibration suppression control device (anti-vibration control device) in accordance with pressure fluctuations in an air supply source in a railway vehicle having a vibration suppression control device. Patent Document 2 describes switching control modes and / or cutting off the supply of working fluid to a control device when a shortage of working fluid (air) supply to each control device is detected in a railway vehicle having control devices for carbody tilting and vibration prevention.

[0007] JP-A No. 11-305845 JP-A No. 8-282486

[0008] The air generated by the compressor is used not only for service equipment but also for brakes. However, the operation of service equipment on a moving railway vehicle can place a load on the compressor. Excessive load on the compressor reduces the amount of compressed air available for braking. From the perspective of ensuring a stable supply of compressed air to the brakes, it is necessary to minimize the load on the compressor caused by service equipment.

[0009] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a control device for a railway vehicle that can reduce the load on a compressor.

[0010] The railway vehicle includes a service device for the car body and an air supply source. The service device operates using compressed air. The air supply source supplies compressed air to the service device. The compressed air is generated by a compressor. A control device for a railway vehicle according to the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit, a calculation unit, and a command unit. The acquisition unit acquires pressure information of the air supply source. The calculation unit calculates, based on the pressure information, an operating rate of the compressor, which is the ratio of the rise time to the sum of the pressure fall time of the air supply source and the pressure rise time of the air supply source. When the operating rate exceeds a predetermined threshold, the command unit sends a command to the service device to stop operation of the service device.

[0011] According to the control device of the present disclosure, the load on the compressor can be reduced.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a railway vehicle. FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a computer that functions as a control device. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing processing performed by a control device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing fluctuations in pressure of an air supply source. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of pressure information of an air supply source. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing performed by a control device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing processing performed by a control device according to a third embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing processing performed by a control device according to a modified example. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing fluctuations in pressure of an air supply source.

[0013] The railway vehicle includes a service device for the car body and an air supply source. The service device operates using compressed air. The air supply source supplies compressed air to the service device. The compressed air is generated by a compressor. A control device for a railway vehicle according to an embodiment includes an acquisition unit, a calculation unit, and a command unit. The acquisition unit acquires pressure information of the air supply source. The calculation unit calculates, based on the pressure information, an operating rate of the compressor, which is the ratio of the rise time to the sum of the pressure fall time of the air supply source and the pressure rise time of the air supply source. When the operating rate exceeds a predetermined threshold, the command unit sends a command to the service device to stop operation of the service device (first configuration).

[0014] In the control device of the first configuration, the compressor availability is calculated from the pressure drop and rise times of the air supply source based on pressure information from the air supply source. The control device stops the operation of the service equipment when the compressor availability exceeds a predetermined threshold. This reduces the consumption of compressed air by service equipment other than the brakes, thereby reducing the load on the compressor.

[0015] The railway vehicle includes a service device for the car body and an air supply source. The service device operates using compressed air. The air supply source supplies compressed air to the service device. The compressed air is generated by a compressor. A control device for a railway vehicle according to an embodiment includes an acquisition unit, a calculation unit, and a command unit. The acquisition unit acquires pressure information of the air supply source. The calculation unit repeatedly calculates, based on the pressure information, an operating rate of the compressor, which is the ratio of the rise time to the sum of the pressure fall time of the air supply source and the pressure rise time of the air supply source. If the operating rate exceeds a predetermined threshold and then exceeds the threshold again within a predetermined time, the command unit sends a command to the service device to stop operation of the service device (second configuration).

[0016] The control device of the second configuration repeatedly calculates the compressor availability based on pressure information from the air supply source. In the second configuration, even if the availability exceeds the threshold once, if the availability does not exceed the threshold again within a predetermined time, the operation of the service equipment continues. This ensures maximum functionality of the service equipment. Furthermore, the control device of the second configuration stops the operation of the service equipment if the availability exceeds the threshold continuously within a predetermined time. This reduces the consumption of compressed air by service equipment other than the brakes, thereby reducing the load on the compressor.

[0017] The railway vehicle includes a service device for the car body and an air supply source. The service device operates using compressed air. The air supply source supplies compressed air to the service device. The compressed air is generated by a compressor. A control device for a railway vehicle according to an embodiment includes an acquisition unit, a calculation unit, and a command unit. The acquisition unit acquires pressure information of the air supply source. The calculation unit calculates a pressure rise time of the air supply source based on the pressure information. When the rise time exceeds a predetermined threshold, the command unit sends a command to the service device to stop operation of the service device (third configuration).

[0018] In the control device of the third configuration, the pressure rise time of the air supply source is calculated based on the pressure information of the air supply source. The pressure rise time of the air supply source corresponds to the operating time of the compressor. When the pressure rise time of the air supply source exceeds a predetermined threshold, the control device stops the operation of the service equipment. This reduces the consumption of compressed air by service equipment other than the brakes, thereby reducing the load on the compressor.

[0019] In a control device relating to any of the first to third configurations, the command unit may send a command to the service equipment to resume operation of the service equipment when the speed of the railway vehicle falls below a predetermined threshold after operation of the service equipment has stopped (fourth configuration).

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or equivalent components are designated by the same reference numerals, and the same description will not be repeated.

[0021] First Embodiment Overall Configuration of Railway Vehicle Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a railway vehicle 1. Fig. 1 shows the railway vehicle 1 as viewed along its direction of travel. In this embodiment, the direction of travel of the railway vehicle 1 may be simply referred to as the front-rear direction. Furthermore, the width direction and height direction of the railway vehicle 1 may be simply referred to as the left-right direction and the up-down direction, respectively.

[0022] Referring to FIG. 1 , a railway vehicle 1 includes a bogie 2 and a carbody 3. The bogies 2 are arranged at the front and rear of the carbody 3. Each bogie 2 includes wheel sets 4 at the front and rear. Each wheel set 4 has a pair of wheels 4a on the left and right and an axle 4b extending in the left-right direction. Axle boxes 5 are arranged on the left and right of each wheel set 4. A speed sensor 51 for measuring the speed of the railway vehicle 1 is attached to the axle box 5, for example. The carbody 3 is supported by each bogie 2 via air springs 6. The air springs 6 are arranged on the left and right of each bogie 2.

[0023] The railway vehicle 1 further includes service equipment 7 for the carbody 3, an air supply source 8, a compressor 9, and a control device 10. The service equipment 7 is connected to the air supply source 8 by piping 81. The air supply source 8 is connected to the compressor 9 by an MR pipe (piping) 82. The piping 81 may be connected directly to the air supply source 8, or may be connected to the air supply source 8 via the MR pipe 82. The control device 10 is connected to the speed sensor 51 and the service equipment 7 so as to be able to communicate with them. However, the control device 10 is not directly connected to the compressor 9.

[0024] The service equipment 7 is operated by compressed air. The service equipment 7 is equipment other than brakes. Even if the operation of the service equipment 7 stops while the railway vehicle 1 is running, the running of the railway vehicle 1 is not affected. The service equipment 7 has a function of suppressing vibration of the car body 3, for example. In this embodiment, the service equipment 7 is a car body tilt control device. The service equipment 7 includes, for example, an LV (leveling valve) 71, an acceleration sensor 72, and a valve 73.

[0025] The LVs 71 are arranged on the left and right sides of the bogie 2 in correspondence with the air springs 6. Each of the LVs 71 includes, for example, a rotation shaft 711 and a rotation angle sensor 712. The rotation shaft 711 rotates in accordance with the height of the air spring 6. The rotation angle sensor 712 detects the rotation angle of the rotation shaft 711. The height of the air spring 6 can be calculated from the rotation angle of the rotation shaft 711. The rotation angle sensor 712 is, for example, a resolver.

[0026] The acceleration sensor 72 is attached, for example, to a position on the car body 3 close to the bogie 2. The acceleration sensor 72 detects vibration acceleration occurring in the car body 3 in the rolling direction.

[0027] The valves 73 are arranged on the left and right sides of the carriage 2 in correspondence with the air springs 6. The valves 73 are connected to the air springs 6 and the air supply source 8, for example, by pipes 81. The valves 73 are configured so that their open / closed states can be adjusted based on commands from the control device 10.

[0028] The LV 71, acceleration sensor 72, and valve 73 are communicatively connected to the control device 10. The control device 10 calculates the height of the air spring 6 from the rotation angle of the rotation shaft 711 detected by the rotation angle sensor 712 of the LV 71. The control device 10 issues an open / close command to the valve 73 based on the height of the air spring 6 and the vibration acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 72.

[0029] The air supply source 8 is, for example, a tank for storing air. Although not particularly limited, the capacity of the air supply source 8 is, for example, 100 L or more and 200 L or less. A pressure sensor 83 is connected to the air supply source 8. The pressure sensor 83 is connected to the control device 10 so as to be able to communicate with the control device 10. The pressure sensor 83 can detect the pressure of the air supply source 8.

[0030] Compressed air generated by a compressor 9 is stored in the air supply source 8. The compressor 9 may be of a reciprocating type or a screw type. The air supply source 8 supplies the compressed air generated by the compressor 9 to the service device 7 through a pipe 81. This compressed air is supplied to the air spring 6 via a valve 73. The amount of compressed air supplied to the air spring 6 is adjusted by opening and closing the valve 73.

[0031] When the railway vehicle 1 is made up of multiple cars, an air supply source 8 may be provided for each car. In this case, the railway vehicle 1 is typically provided with multiple compressors 9. However, the number of compressors 9 may be less than the number of cars (car numbers). In other words, a compressor 9 may be provided for every two or more cars. All of the air supply sources 8 and compressors 9 are connected by an MR pipe 82.

[0032] [Configuration of Control Device] The schematic configuration of the control device 10 according to this embodiment will be described with continued reference to Fig. 1. The control device 10 is mounted on the railway vehicle 1 and is used to control the service equipment 7. The control device 10 includes an acquisition unit 11, a calculation unit 12, a determination unit 13, and a command unit 14.

[0033] The control device 10 is typically a computer. It is preferable to use a relatively reliable computer as the control device 10, but it may also be a user terminal such as a personal computer or a tablet. Fig. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a computer 20 that functions as the control device 10. The control device 10 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 21, a main memory device 22, an auxiliary memory device 23, an input device 24, an output device 25, etc.

[0034] The CPU 21 executes various programs loaded from the auxiliary storage device 23 to the main storage device 22 and performs information calculations. The main storage device 22 is used as a work area for temporarily storing various programs executed by the CPU 21, information used by the CPU 21, calculation results by the CPU 21, etc. The auxiliary storage device 23 is, for example, a HDD, flash memory, or ROM. The input device 24 is a device for a user to perform input operations and includes a pointing device such as a mouse or touch panel, a keyboard, etc. The output device 25 is a device for outputting processing results, etc., of the CPU 21 and includes a display, etc.

[0035] The computer 20 functions as the control device 10 by the CPU 21 executing the evaluation program stored in the auxiliary storage device 23. That is, the CPU 21 executes a predetermined control program, thereby realizing the functions of each part of the control device 10.

[0036] [Method for Controlling Service Device] A method for controlling the service device 7 using the control device 10 will be described below with reference to Fig. 3 in addition to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the control device 10.

[0037] 3 , the acquisition unit 11 of the control device 10 acquires pressure information of the air supply source 8 (step S1). The pressure information is, specifically, a detection value of the pressure sensor 83 connected to the air supply source 8. That is, the acquisition unit 11 acquires information about the compressed air pressure obtained by directly measuring the pressure inside the air supply source 8. However, the pressure information of the air supply source 8 does not necessarily have to be information about the compressed air pressure obtained by directly measuring the pressure inside the air supply source 8, and may be information about the pressure of the air supply source 8 that is indirectly measured. The acquisition unit 11 can also acquire, as the pressure information of the air supply source 8, the pressure of compressed air measured in a configuration that communicates with the air supply source 8, such as the MR tube 82 or an air reservoir different from the air supply source 8.

[0038] The pressure of the air supply source 8 generally fluctuates depending on the operating status of the compressor 9. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the fluctuations in the pressure of the air supply source 8. While the compressor 9 is operating, the pressure of the air supply source 8 gradually increases. When the pressure of the air supply source 8 reaches a predetermined upper limit value PH, the compressor 9 stops. While the compressor 9 is stopped, the pressure of the air supply source 8 gradually decreases. When the pressure of the air supply source 8 reaches a predetermined lower limit value PL, the compressor 9 starts operating. In this way, the compressor 9 repeatedly operates and stops, so that the pressure of the air supply source 8 is maintained roughly between the lower limit value PL and the upper limit value PH. The time during which the pressure of the air supply source 8 increases (rise time Tu) corresponds to the operating time of the compressor 9. The time during which the pressure of the air supply source 8 decreases (decrease time Td) corresponds to the stop time of the compressor 9.

[0039] The upper limit value PH and the lower limit value PL are determined based on the performance of the compressor 9, etc. Although not particularly limited, the upper limit value PH is typically 880 kPa and the lower limit value PL is typically 780 kPa. Alternatively, the upper limit value PH may be 780 kPa and the lower limit value PL may be 680 kPa. Furthermore, the upper limit value PH may be 850 kPa and the lower limit value PL may be 750 kPa.

[0040] The pressure information of the air supply source 8 is input to the acquisition unit 11 at predetermined time intervals t0. The time interval t0 may be, for example, several hundred milliseconds. If the railway vehicle 1 is provided with a plurality of air supply sources 8, the pressure information of any one of the plurality of air supply sources 8 may be input to the acquisition unit 11, or the pressure information of two or more of the plurality of air supply sources 8 may be input.

[0041] In step S1, the acquisition unit 11 may acquire the speed V (km / h) of the railway vehicle 1 in addition to the pressure information of the air supply source 8. The speed V can be detected, for example, by a speed sensor 51 connected to the axle box 5. The speed V detected by the speed sensor 51 is transmitted to the control device 10 (acquisition unit 11) as, for example, a pulse signal.

[0042] The calculation unit 12 of the control device 10 calculates the availability R of the compressor 9 based on the pressure information of the air supply source 8 (step S3). The calculation unit 12 can repeatedly calculate the availability R. The calculation unit 12 first calculates the rise time Tu and fall time Td of the pressure of the air supply source 8 based on the pressure information. When pressure information of two or more air supply sources 8 is input to the acquisition unit 11, the calculation unit 12 may use the pressure information of any one air supply source 8 as representative data to calculate the rise time Tu and fall time Td, or may use an average value of the pressure information of the two or more air supply sources 8 to calculate the rise time Tu and fall time Td.

[0043] The rise time Tu and fall time Td are calculated for the pressure of the air supply source 8. In the example of this embodiment, the rise time Tu and fall time Td are calculated for the pressure of the air supply source 8 in the range from the lower limit value PL to the upper limit value PH as shown in Fig. 4. The method of calculating the rise time Tu and fall time Td is not particularly limited.

[0044] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of pressure information of the air supply source 8. FIG. 5 plots pressure information Ip acquired by the acquisition unit 11 for each time t0. In FIG. 5, the subscript of the pressure information Ip indicates the order in which the pressure information Ip was acquired. For example, the pressure information acquired at the ith time (i is a natural number equal to or greater than 2) is represented as Ip(i). When the acquisition unit 11 acquires pressure information Ip at a specific frequency, the calculation unit 12 may compare the newly acquired pressure information Ip(i) with the pressure information Ip(i-1) acquired immediately before. If the pressure information Ip(i) is greater than the pressure information Ip(i-1), the calculation unit 12 determines that the pressure of the air supply source 8 has increased, and adds the time t0 to the increase time Tu. If the pressure information Ip(i) is smaller than the pressure information Ip(i-1), the calculation unit 12 determines that the pressure of the air supply source 8 has decreased, and adds the time t0 to the decrease time Td. Then, the calculation unit 12 determines the total time during which the pressure of the air supply source 8 continuously increases within the range from the lower limit value PL to the upper limit value PH as the increase time Tu, and the total time during which the pressure continuously decreases as the decrease time Td.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 5 , the pressure information Ip acquired by the acquisition unit 11 may fluctuate over short periods. For example, although the pressure information Ip shown in FIG. 5 gradually increases overall, the pressure information Ip(i+1) is smaller than the previously acquired pressure information Ip(i). Similarly, the pressure information Ip(i+4) is smaller than the pressure information Ip(i+3). In this case, it becomes difficult to accurately calculate the pressure rise time Tu and pressure fall time Td of the air supply source 8. Therefore, the calculation unit 12 of the control device 10 may apply low-pass filtering to the pressure information Ip (step S2) before calculating the operating rate R of the compressor 9 in step S3. FIG. 5 shows pressure information Ip' after the low-pass filtering of the pressure information Ip. Referring to FIG. 5 , the pressure information Ip' after the low-pass filtering varies more smoothly over time than the pressure information Ip before the low-pass filtering. The cutoff frequency of the low-pass filter is, for example, 0.01 Hz or higher and 0.03 Hz or lower. The calculation unit 12 can calculate the rise time Tu and fall time Td of the pressure of the air supply source 8 using the pressure information Ip′ after being processed by the low-pass filter.

[0046] The calculation unit 12 further calculates the availability R of the compressor 9 from the pressure rise time Tu and fall time Td of the air supply source 8. The availability R is expressed as R = Tu / (Tu + Td) x 100 (%). In other words, the availability R is the ratio of the pressure rise time Tu of the air supply source 8 to the sum of the pressure fall time Td and the pressure rise time Tu.

[0047] The determination unit 13 of the control device 10 determines whether the availability rate R of the compressor 9 calculated by the calculation unit 12 is greater than a predetermined threshold value A (%) (step S4). The timing at which the control device 10 determines the availability rate R is not particularly limited. The control device 10 may perform the determination in step S4 while the pressure of the air supply source 8 is increasing from the lower limit value PL to the upper limit value PH, or may perform the determination in step S4 while the pressure of the air supply source 8 is decreasing from the upper limit value PH to the lower limit value PL. Alternatively, the control device 10 may perform the determination in step S4 after the pressure of the air supply source 8 has increased above the upper limit value PH and before it decreases below the upper limit value PH. However, the availability rate R typically decreases when the pressure of the air supply source 8 is decreasing and increases when the pressure is increasing. Therefore, it is preferable to determine whether the availability rate R is greater than the threshold value A while the pressure of the air supply source 8 is increasing or when the pressure reaches the upper limit value PH.

[0048] The threshold value A is determined in advance depending on the performance of the compressor 9. Alternatively, for example, if the railway vehicle 1 (FIG. 1) is equipped with two compressors 9 that cannot operate continuously and one of them is allowed to fail, the threshold value A may be 50%. Alternatively, for example, if the railway vehicle 1 is equipped with three compressors 9 and two of them are allowed to fail, the threshold value A may be 33%.

[0049] If the availability rate R of the compressor 9 is equal to or lower than the threshold value A (NO in step S4), the control device 10 repeats the processes of steps S1 to S4. If the availability rate R of the compressor 9 exceeds the threshold value A (YES in step S4), the command unit 14 of the control device 10 stops the operation of the service device 7 (step S5). Specifically, the command unit 14 sends a command to the service device 7 to stop the operation of the service device 7. For example, the command unit 14 sends a command to the service device 7 to close the valve 73 of the service device 7. The service device 7 stops its operation in response to the command from the control device 10. When the service device 7 stops operating, for example, the valve 73 closes, and compressed air is no longer supplied to or exhausted from the air spring 6. At this time, the control device 10 may output (display on a screen) to the output device 25 that the operation of the service device 7 has stopped. This allows the crew to recognize that the service device 7 is stopped.

[0050] After the service device 7 is stopped, the determination unit 13 determines whether the speed V of the railway vehicle 1 acquired by the acquisition unit 11 is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value V0 (km / h) (step S6).

[0051] If the speed V is greater than the threshold value V0 (NO in step S6), the control device 10 repeats the process of step S6. If the speed V is equal to or less than the threshold value V0 (YES in step S6), the command unit 14 resumes the operation of the service device 7 (step S7). Specifically, the command unit 14 sends a command to the service device 7 to resume its operation. The service device 7 starts operating in response to the command from the control device 10. When the service device 7 resumes its operation, the control device 10 issues an open / close command to the valve 73 based on the height of the air spring 6 and the vibration acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 72. The valve 73 adjusts its open / close state based on the command from the control device 10. At this time, the control device 10 may output (display on a screen) to the output device 25 that the operation of the service device 7 has resumed. This allows the crew to recognize that the service device 7 is operating.

[0052] The service equipment 7 may be configured to perform a function of suppressing vibration of the carbody 3 when the speed V of the railway vehicle 1 is greater than a certain speed V1. For example, if the service equipment 7 is a carbody tilt control device or a vibration prevention control device, the function of suppressing vibration of the carbody 3 using compressed air may be configured to be performed when the speed V of the railway vehicle 1 is greater than a certain speed V1. When the speed V of the railway vehicle 1 is equal to or less than speed V1, the vibration suppression function by the service equipment 7 is not performed. In this case, the threshold value V0 may be set to equal to or less than speed V1. The threshold value V0 is a value set in a range of, for example, 30 km / h or less. The threshold value V0 may also be 0 (zero). When the threshold value V0 is set to equal to or less than speed V1, when the speed V of the railway vehicle 1 becomes equal to or less than threshold value V0, the control device 10 becomes able to resume operation of the service equipment 7. Thereafter, the command unit 14 may resume operation of the service equipment 7 when the speed V becomes greater than speed V1.

[0053] [Effect] The control device 10 according to this embodiment calculates the operating rate R of the compressor 9 = Tu / (Tu+Td)×100 from the pressure drop time Td and pressure rise time Tu of the air supply source 8 based on the pressure information Ip of the air supply source 8. The control device 10 stops the operation of the service device 7 when the operating rate R of the compressor 9 exceeds a predetermined threshold A. This reduces the consumption of compressed air by the service device 7, and reduces the load on the compressor 9.

[0054] If the speed V of the railway vehicle 1 is relatively small, this means that the railway vehicle 1 has been sufficiently decelerated or stopped, that is, the compressed air brakes are functioning. Therefore, in the control device 10 according to this embodiment, after the operation of the service device 7 has stopped, the operation of the service device 7 is resumed if the speed V of the railway vehicle 1 is equal to or less than the threshold value V0. This allows the function of the service device 7 to be exerted. In the example of this embodiment, the service device 7 is a carbody tilt control device, and therefore the ride comfort of the railway vehicle 1 can be improved.

[0055] The carbody tilt control device may only use compressed air to exert its vibration suppression function for the carbody 3 when the speed V of the railway vehicle 1 is greater than a certain speed V1. Therefore, the threshold value V0 may be set to be equal to or less than the speed V1. In this case, even if the speed V of the railway vehicle 1 becomes equal to or less than the threshold value V0, the service device 7 does not immediately exert its vibration suppression function using compressed air. This makes it possible to ensure compressed air for use in braking.

[0056] The calculation unit 12 of the control device 10 according to this embodiment processes the pressure information Ip of the air supply source 8 using a low-pass filter before calculating the rise time Tu and fall time Td. This eliminates the influence of short-period fluctuations in the pressure information Ip, enabling the rise time Tu and fall time Td to be calculated more accurately.

[0057] <Second embodiment> Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the control device 10 according to a second embodiment. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the conditions for stopping the operation of the service device 7. Specifically, in the control method for the service device 7 using the control device 10 according to this embodiment, steps S4A and S4B are performed in addition to steps S1 to S7 shown in Fig. 3.

[0058] In this embodiment, if the availability rate R exceeds a predetermined threshold A and then exceeds the threshold A again within a predetermined time T1, the command unit 14 of the control device 10 sends a command to the service device 7 to stop the operation of the service device 7. First, if the availability rate R of the compressor 9 exceeds the predetermined threshold A (YES in step S4), the determination unit 13 of the control device 10 determines whether or not the exceeding of the availability rate R is the second or subsequent time in the control of the service device 7 using the control device 10 (step S4A).

[0059] If the operation rate R has been exceeded for the first time (NO in step S4A), the control device 10 repeats the processes of steps S1 to S4 and step S4A. If the operation rate R has been exceeded for the second time or later (YES in step S4A), the determination unit 13 determines whether a predetermined time T1 has elapsed since the previous exceedance of the operation rate R (step S4B).

[0060] If the time T1 has elapsed between the previous exceedance of the operating rate R and the current exceedance of the operating rate R (YES in step S4B), the control device 10 repeats the processes of steps S1 to S4, S4A, and S4B. In this case, the operation of the service device 7 continues. If the time T1 has not elapsed between the previous exceedance of the operating rate R and the current exceedance of the operating rate R (NO in step S4B), the command unit 14 of the control device 10 instructs the service device 7 to stop the operation of the service device 7 (step S5). The time T1 may be a value set in the range of 100 seconds to 300 seconds.

[0061] In this embodiment, even if the availability rate R exceeds the threshold value A once, if the availability rate R does not exceed the threshold value A again within the time T1, the operation of the service device 7 continues. Therefore, it is possible to ensure the functionality of the service device 7 as much as possible. In the example of this embodiment, the service device 7 is a carbody tilt control device, so it is possible to ensure the ride comfort of the railway vehicle 1 as much as possible. Furthermore, the control device 10 according to this embodiment stops the operation of the service device 7 if the availability rate R exceeds the threshold value A consecutively within the time T1. This suppresses the consumption of compressed air by the service device 7, and reduces the load on the compressor 9.

[0062] 7 is a flowchart showing processing performed by the control device 10 according to a third embodiment. In a control method for a service device 7 using the control device 10 according to this embodiment, step S3C is performed instead of step S3 shown in FIG. 3, and step S4C is performed instead of step S4 shown in FIG. 3.

[0063] In this embodiment, after step S2, the calculation unit 12 of the control device 10 calculates the pressure rise time Tu of the air supply source 8 based on the pressure information Ip (step S3C).

[0064] The determination unit 13 of the control device 10 determines whether the rise time Tu calculated by the calculation unit 12 is greater than a predetermined threshold T2 (step S4C). The threshold T2 can be set taking into consideration the limit value of the continuous operation time in a situation where the total air consumption of the service equipment 7 and the like is approaching the discharge capacity of the compressor 9 and the compressor 9 is likely to be forced to operate continuously. The threshold T2 may be a value set in the range of 20 seconds to 170 seconds, for example, 90 seconds.

[0065] If the rise time Tu is equal to or less than the threshold value T2 (NO in step S4C), the control device 10 repeats the processes of steps S1, S2, S3C, and S4C. If the rise time Tu exceeds the threshold value T2 (YES in step S4C), the command unit 14 of the control device 10 sends a command to the service device 7 to stop the operation of the service device 7 (step S5).

[0066] The control device 10 according to this embodiment stops the operation of the service device 7 when the rise time Tu (the operating time of the compressor 9) exceeds the threshold value T2. This reduces the consumption of compressed air by the service device 7, and reduces the load on the compressor 9.

[0067] In this embodiment, step S4C is performed instead of step S4 shown in FIG. 3 . However, step S4C may be performed in addition to steps S1 to S7 shown in FIG. 3 . A flowchart for this case is shown in FIG. 8 . Step S4C is performed after step S4. Specifically, when the availability rate R of the compressor 9 exceeds a predetermined threshold A (YES in step S4), the determination unit 13 determines whether the rise time Tu is greater than threshold T2 (step S4C). When the rise time Tu is equal to or less than threshold T2 (NO in step S4C), the control device 10 repeats the processes of steps S1 to S4 and S4C. When the rise time Tu exceeds threshold T2 (YES in step S4C), the command unit 14 sends a command to the service device 7 to stop the operation of the service device 7 (step S5).

[0068] The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above. However, the above-described embodiments are merely examples for implementing the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented by appropriately modifying the above-described embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0069] In the above embodiment, the service device 7 is a vehicle body tilt control device. However, the service device 7 may also be an anti-sway control device. The anti-sway control device includes, for example, an actuator. The actuator applies a thrust to the vehicle body 3 to suppress the swaying of the vehicle body 3.

[0070] In the above embodiment, the low-pass filtering of the pressure information Ip is performed by the calculation unit 12. However, the low-pass filtering may be performed by the acquisition unit 11 or another functional unit. In this case, the calculation unit 12 may calculate the rise time Tu and fall time Td, as well as the availability rate R of the compressor 9, using the pressure information Ip′ after the low-pass filtering.

[0071] In the example of the above embodiment, the rise time Tu and fall time Td are calculated for the pressure of the air supply source 8 in the range from the lower limit value PL to the upper limit value PH. However, the rise time Tu and fall time Td may be calculated for all pressure information Ip acquired by the acquisition unit 11, or may be calculated for the pressure of the air supply source 8 in a range different from that in the above embodiment.

[0072] The compressor 9 stops when the pressure of the air supply source 8 reaches the upper limit PH and starts operating when the pressure of the air supply source 8 reaches the lower limit PL. As described above, the pressure of the air supply source 8 typically fluctuates depending on the operating status of the compressor 9. Therefore, the control device 10 can determine whether the compressor 9 is operating or stopped based on the pressure of the air supply source 8 and calculate the operating rate R, etc. Here, if the control device 10 were to determine that the compressor 9 is stopped simply because the pressure of the air supply source 8 is decreasing, for example, this would result in an erroneous determination when the pressure has not reached the upper limit PH and the compressor 9 is still operating. Therefore, it is preferable that the control device 10 determine whether the compressor 9 is operating or stopped based on whether the pressure of the air supply source 8 has reached the upper limit PH or the lower limit PL.

[0073] When the pressure information Ip of the air supply source 8 is processed by a low-pass filter, pressure information Ip' with a smooth time change different from the original time change is obtained. As a result, for example, it is possible that the pressure after processing by the low-pass filter will not reach the upper limit value PH. Therefore, when processing by the low-pass filter is performed, the control device 10 determines whether the pressure of the air supply source 8 is equal to or lower than the upper limit value PH-P. ０ or lower limit PL+P ０ Specifically, the control device 10 determines whether the pressure of the air supply source 8 after processing by the low-pass filter reaches the upper limit value PH-P ０ Similarly, the control device 10 determines that the compressor 9 has stopped when the pressure of the air supply source 8 after processing by the low-pass filter reaches the lower limit value PL+P ０ When the pressure reaches P, it can be determined that the compressor 9 has started operating. ０ means a certain pressure, for example, 10 kPa or more and 30 kPa or less. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, the rise time Tu and fall time Td are ０ From PH-P ０ The pressure of the air supply 8 may be calculated in the range of

[0074] In the example of the above embodiment, the control device 10 of the railway vehicle 1 issues an opening / closing command to the valve 73 of the service device 7. However, the service device 7 may include a control device separate from the control device 10 that controls the entire railway vehicle 1. In this case, the control device of the service device 7 may issue an opening / closing command to the valve 73 based on the height of the air spring 6 and the vibration acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 72.

[0075] 10: Control device 1: Railway vehicle 3: Car body 7: Service equipment 8: Air supply source 9: Compressor 11: Acquisition unit 12: Calculation unit 14: Command unit

Claims

1. A control device for a railway vehicle including a service device for a car body that operates using compressed air, and an air supply source that supplies compressed air generated by a compressor to the service device, the control device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires pressure information of the air supply source; a calculation unit that calculates, based on the pressure information, the operating rate of the compressor, which is the ratio of the pressure rise time to the sum of the pressure fall time of the air supply source and the pressure rise time of the air supply source; and a command unit that sends a command to the service device to stop operation of the service device when the operating rate exceeds a predetermined threshold.

2. A control device for a railway vehicle including service equipment for a car body that operates using compressed air, and an air supply source that supplies compressed air generated by a compressor to the service equipment, comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires pressure information of the air supply source; a calculation unit that repeatedly calculates, based on the pressure information, an operating rate of the compressor, which is the ratio of the pressure rise time to the sum of the pressure fall time of the air supply source and the pressure rise time of the air supply source; and a command unit that sends a command to the service equipment to stop operation of the service equipment when the operating rate exceeds a predetermined threshold value and then exceeds the threshold value again within a predetermined time.

3. A control device for a railway vehicle including a service device for a car body that operates using compressed air, and an air supply source that supplies compressed air generated by a compressor to the service device, the control device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires pressure information of the air supply source; a calculation unit that calculates the pressure rise time of the air supply source based on the pressure information; and a command unit that sends a command to the service device to stop operation of the service device when the rise time exceeds a predetermined threshold.

4. A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the command unit transmits a command to the service equipment to resume operation of the service equipment when the speed of the railway vehicle falls below a predetermined threshold after the operation of the service equipment has stopped.

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