Railway Vehicle Control Device Faulty Sensor Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for identifying faulty position sensors in railway vehicle control devices require prior calibration and are complex to implement, especially when different sensors are used or when sensors need to be replaced.
Innovation Solution
A method that automatically detects operating faults by comparing position values from redundant sensors, calculates a target position, and identifies faulty sensors by comparing measured positions with the target position after a predetermined delay, without the need for specific sensor knowledge or calibration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If prior calibration of each position sensor is performed to define value ranges, then faulty sensor identification accuracy is improved, but device complexity and implementation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-diagnosis by automatically comparing sensor readings during normal operation. The control unit compares positions measured by redundant sensors and automatically identifies faulty sensors without external calibration or intervention, making the system self-sufficient for fault detection
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the approach from using absolute calibrated values to using relative comparisons between redundant sensors. By comparing whether sensors measure the same position relative to each other rather than against pre-defined calibrated ranges, the system eliminates calibration complexity while maintaining identification accuracy
2Reliability
If specific programming for each sensor is required, then measurement reliability is improved, but ease of manufacture and adaptability decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit implements a universal fault detection algorithm that works with any position sensor type. The same comparison-based methodology applies regardless of sensor technology, making the system universally applicable and easy to manufacture without sensor-specific programming
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of programming each sensor with its specific characteristics and calibrated ranges, the invention inverts the approach by treating all sensors generically and identifying faults through their mutual disagreements. This inversion eliminates the need for sensor-specific programming while maintaining reliability
3Reliability
If redundant position sensors are used, then operational safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the functions of multiple redundant sensors into a unified fault detection process. By combining sensor readings and comparing them through a single comparison-based algorithm, the system maintains safety benefits while reducing the complexity of individual sensor requirements
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
This method for identifying a failure of a control device of a railway vehicle comprises the following steps: a) detection (32) of a malfunction among the position sensors of a driving manipulator, when the position values measured by said position sensors are different, b) calculation (34) of a target position and a predetermined time, then displaying an instruction to move the driving manipulator to the target position, c) acquisition (36), at the expiry of the calculated time, of the positions measured by each of the two sensors, and comparison of the measured positions with the target position, d) identification (38) of the faulty position sensor, the sensor whose measured position is different from the target position being deemed to be faulty.