Three-Phase Collector Wire Switching for Rail Vehicle Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rail vehicles with electric collectors lack effective safety measures to ensure power supply continuity and torque reduction during safety cases, leading to potential hazards.
Innovation Solution
A system with a three-phase voltage supply configuration where the first collector wire is connected to the second phase during normal operation and separated in safety cases, reducing power supply to the drive and maintaining signal electronics power, using changeover contacts and safety relays to manage voltage distribution and isolation blocks for separate feed lines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the first collector wire is separated from the first phase in a safety case, then drive torque is reduced and safety is improved, but power supply to signal electronics is interrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The first collector wire is designed to serve multiple functions: during normal operation it conducts the first phase to the drive, and during safety cases it is reconfigured to conduct the second phase to maintain signal electronics power. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by allowing the same wire to support both safety reduction and power continuity requirements under different operating conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically reconfigures the collector wire connections based on operational state. During normal operation, the first collector wire is connected to the first phase. During safety cases, the connection is dynamically switched so the first collector wire receives the second phase instead. This dynamic adaptability allows the system to maintain signal electronics power while still achieving safety case torque reduction.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the first collector wire is connected to the second phase during safety case, then signal electronics power is maintained, but three-phase voltage supply to drive is not fully reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of completely disconnecting the first collector wire from all phases, the system applies partial action by reconnecting it to the second phase. This partial connection is sufficient to maintain signal electronics power while still achieving the primary safety objective of reducing drive torque, as the drive receives only two phases instead of three during safety cases.
3Reliability
If changeover contacts and safety relays are used to manage voltage distribution, then safety control is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The changeover contacts and safety relays are pre-configured in the system design to automatically execute the voltage distribution switching between normal and safety cases. This preliminary arrangement of switching components eliminates the need for complex real-time control logic during safety events, as the hardware is pre-wired to perform the required reconfiguration automatically when safety conditions are detected.
Data Source
AI summary
A system having electric consumers includes an electrical device including an operating device and wires supplying the consumer. A first wire is provided for conducting the first phase of a three-phase voltage during a normal operation, a second wire conducts a second phase of the three-phase voltage, and a third wire conducts a third phase of the three-phase voltage. The consumer is able to be supplied with the three-phase voltage from the wires during a normal operation. The operating device is configured so that: in a normal operation, the first wire is connected to the first phase of the three-phase voltage; and in a safety case, the first wire is separated from the first phase of the three-phase voltage and will be or is connected to the second phase of the three-phase voltage.