Railway Vehicle Actuator Seizing Detection via Displacement Monitoring

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vibration suppression devices for railway vehicles cannot self-diagnose actuator seizing during operation, leading to delayed detection and prolonged degradation of riding comfort.

Innovation Solution

A vibration suppression device with a controller that determines the total extension/retraction displacement of the actuator within a predetermined period to diagnose seizing, using sensors and filters to process signals for precise evaluation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If actuator seizing diagnosis is performed only when railway vehicle is out of service, then periodic maintenance can be conducted, but actuator seizing cannot be detected during operation leading to prolonged degradation of riding comfort

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveactuator operation reliabilityVSAvoidtime delay in detecting actuator seizing
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the controller continuously monitors the extension/retraction displacement of the actuator during vehicle operation by integrating acceleration data. This real-time feedback enables the system to detect actuator seizing immediately when it occurs, rather than waiting for periodic maintenance checks, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability monitoring and detection time delay

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The vibration suppression device performs self-diagnosis of actuator seizing through its own operational data. The controller uses the actuator's extension/retraction displacement information to detect abnormal conditions without requiring external diagnostic equipment or taking the vehicle out of service, enabling the system to monitor its own health status continuously during operation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Measurement precision

If total amount of extension/retraction displacements is used for diagnosis, then actuator seizing can be detected with high precision, but calculation complexity increases compared to instantaneous value comparison

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveactuator seizing detection precisionVSAvoiddiagnosis calculation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces complex mechanical diagnostic systems with computational methods. Instead of using complex mechanical sensors or instantaneous value comparisons, the system uses numerical integration of acceleration data to calculate total displacement. This substitution of mechanical complexity with computational algorithms achieves high detection precision while maintaining system simplicity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The controller performs multiple functions using the same computational framework: it controls vibration suppression by generating actuator commands and simultaneously diagnoses actuator seizing by integrating the same acceleration data to calculate total displacement. This multi-functionality approach allows precise seizure detection without requiring separate complex diagnostic hardware or algorithms

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP2610128B1Vibration suppression device for railway vehicle
Publication Date: 2019.10.30 NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
  • EP2610128B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2610128B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP2610128B1 patent drawing

AI summary

A vibration suppression device for a railway vehicle includes an actuator (5) disposed between a bogie truck (2) and a vehicle body (1), the actuator adjusting a vibration of the railway vehicle by extension/retraction motion thereof, and a controller (4) for controlling the extension/retraction motion of the actuator (5), and the controller (4) derives the total amount of extension/retraction displacements of the actuator (5) within a predetermined period of time during the running of the railway vehicle, and compares the derived total amount of extension/retraction displacements with a preliminarily registered threshold value to determine that the actuator (5) is seized in the case where the total amount of extension/retraction displacements is smaller than the threshold value. Thereby, seizing of the actuator can be self-diagnosed and found at an early stage.