Rail Vehicle Cold Movement Detection Latching Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current rail vehicle systems face challenges in accurately determining the current position of a rail vehicle after it has been dismantled and re-armed, as existing methods require lengthy tracks and slow-speed navigation to locate reference points, which is inefficient and poses safety risks.
Innovation Solution
A device with a latching mechanism is used to detect cold movements of rail vehicles, ensuring the display device remains active even under vibrations or impacts, using a cam gear or crank gear device for mechanical operative connection, which generates electronic signals for the train control system to determine if the vehicle has been moved.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the rail vehicle drives over location reference points to determine current position after rearmament, then the current vehicle position can be determined accurately, but a considerable length of track must be kept free and the journey must take place at very low speed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by saving the current vehicle position as a standstill position before dismantling. This pre-stored position information allows the vehicle to resume operation quickly after rearmament without needing to travel to reference points, thus resolving the time loss issue while maintaining position determination accuracy through comparison with the stored position.
2Productivity
If the rail vehicle saves current vehicle position as standstill position before dismantling, then operation can be resumed in time-optimized manner, but it cannot be assumed the vehicle has not been moved during dismantled state
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex contactless detector systems with a simple mechanical display device that uses gravity and magnetic forces. The display units are permanent magnets in guides that fall under gravity when not held by magnetic force from a toothed wheel, providing a reliable, passive mechanical indication of vehicle movement without requiring power or complex electronics.
Solution Approach 2:
The display device is self-service in that it automatically indicates movement through the passive action of gravity on the permanent magnets. When the vehicle moves, the magnetic holding force changes and the magnets naturally fall to indicate the change, requiring no active power consumption or complex control systems while reliably maintaining position information validity.
3Use of energy by moving object
If contactless detector cells are used to detect cold movement, then power consumption is avoided, but technical difficulties and reliability issues arise under vibrations or impacts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces contactless detector cells with a mechanical display device using permanent magnets, guides, and gravity. This mechanical system is inherently more reliable under vibration and impact because the magnets are physically constrained in guides and only move when the vehicle position changes, eliminating the technical difficulties of contactless detection while maintaining zero power consumption.
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 allows for a time-optimized resumption of rail vehicle operation by robustly detecting movement during the dismantled state, avoiding power usage and technical difficulties associated with contactless detectors, while ensuring safety and efficiency in determining the vehicle's position.
Implementation Method 1
the permanent magnet of these detector cells falls under the action of gravity from the upper element position to the lower element position once the actuators are deactivated
Implementation Method 2
an actuator designed as an electromagnetic coil, moves against the force of gravity from a lower element position in an upper element position
Implementation Method 3
A reed switch is assigned to each display unit as a sensor for determining the position of the display unit. The position of the respective permanent magnet is determined.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device (2; 102; 202; 302) for detecting a cold movement of a rail vehicle (1) having a display device (110; 210; 310) and having an activation device (130; 230; 330) for activating the display device. The device (2; 102; 202; 302) is made particularly robust and resilient by means of an apparatus (140; 240; 340) for forming a mechanically operative connection of the display device (110; 210; 310) to a vehicle part (3) which can be moved as a function of the cold movement of the rail vehicle. By means of this apparatus (140; 240; 340), the activated display device (110, 210; 310), is, on the one hand, kept, in an active status when the vehicle part (3) is stationary and, on the other hand, in the event of a predefined change in position of the vehicle part (3) said activated display device (110, 210; 310) is subjected to a change in status from the active status to a passive status. The invention also relates to a rail vehicle comprising such a device. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for detecting a cold movement of a rail vehicle.