Rail Air Spring Bellows Monitoring With Passive Position Marking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rail vehicle suspension systems require additional sensors and complex setups for monitoring driving comfort and stability, leading to increased costs and effort in acquisition, assembly, and data transmission.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a movable marking element within the air bellows that can be detected by a stationary sensor, allowing for the monitoring of air spring movement and position changes, enabling easier and more cost-effective assessment of driving comfort and stability without active participation from the marking element.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If additional sensors are installed on the air spring to monitor suspension operation and ride comfort, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a passive marking element (such as a reflective marker or pattern) on the air spring bellows instead of active sensors. A sensor on the chassis detects the position of this marking element to infer bellows extension, creating a simplified measurement system that achieves monitoring precision without complex sensor installations on the air spring itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The marking element acts as an intermediary between the air spring bellows and the detection system. Rather than directly sensing bellows parameters, the system detects the marking element's position, which correlates to bellows extension, thereby simplifying the measurement approach while maintaining monitoring capability.
2Reliability
If additional sensors and electrical supply systems are added to monitor air spring operation, then reliability of monitoring is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The passive marking element can be applied to the air spring bellows through simple methods such as painting, stickers, or molded-in features, avoiding complex sensor installations and electrical wiring on the air spring. This maintains monitoring reliability through position detection while significantly improving ease of manufacture.
3Measurement precision
If multiple sensors and data transmission systems are implemented, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time in data processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The single sensor detecting the marking element position provides direct measurement data without requiring complex multi-sensor data fusion or extensive processing. The marking element's position directly correlates to bellows extension, simplifying data processing while maintaining measurement precision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution simplifies the monitoring of rail vehicle suspension systems by allowing for the detection of air bellows movement and position changes, facilitating the evaluation of driving comfort and stability with reduced complexity and cost, while maintaining existing air suspension systems.
Implementation Method 1
This can be done, in particular, optically, electrically, magnetically, or electromagnetically.
Implementation Method 2
This can be done, in particular, optically, electrically, magnetically, or electromagnetically.
Implementation Method 3
This can be done, in particular, optically, electrically, magnetically, or electromagnetically.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The present invention relates to a suspension (2), preferably a vehicle suspension (2), and particularly preferably a rail vehicle suspension (2), comprising at least one air spring with an air spring bellows (21) arranged between a first connecting element (20) and a second connecting element (22). The suspension (2) is characterized in that the air spring bellows (21) has at least one marking element (21b) which is arranged to move synchronously with the air spring bellows (21), and a receiver (3) which is designed to be fixed relative to the air spring bellows (21) and to detect the movement of the marking element (21b).