JP7329377B2 - Railroad crossing controller relay output voltage regulator - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a relay output voltage adjusting device for adjusting the level of relay output voltage supplied from a railroad crossing controller to a railroad crossing control device via a cable.

At railroad crossings, there is a railroad crossing control system that controls the operation of railroad crossing devices such as crossing gates and railroad crossing alarms based on signals from a pair of railroad crossing controllers installed at both ends of a predetermined section across the railroad crossing. A device is provided.
The railroad crossing controller outputs a signal voltage (relay output voltage) that activates an electromagnetic relay (controller reaction relay) provided in the railroad crossing control device when a train enters the train detection range of the railroad crossing controller. . When the relay output voltage from the railroad crossing controller activates the controller reaction relay, the railroad crossing control device starts a railroad crossing alarm. , to terminate the operation of the railroad crossing warning.

Conventionally, railroad crossing controllers that detect the entry or exit of trains come in two types: closed circuit type (HC type) and open circuit type (HO type). On the other hand, there is a railroad crossing control system in which an open-circuit type railroad crossing controller is arranged on the exit side of a train, and a signal is sent to each railroad crossing control device when a train is detected (see Patent Document 1). .
Generally, the railroad crossing controller on the entering side of the train is arranged at a point several hundred meters to several thousand meters before the railroad crossing according to the speed of the passing train, and the railroad crossing controller on the advancing side is arranged several ten meters behind the railroad crossing. However, because the speeds of trains passing through railroad crossings differ, the distance to the railroad crossing controller installation point varies from railroad crossing to railroad crossing.

JP 2011-73645 A JP 2013-63678 A

In the railroad crossing control system, the distance from the installation point of the railroad crossing controller to the railroad crossing control device, that is, the length of the signal transmission cable, is long. cause a voltage drop. At the time of installation of the railroad crossing controller, the output voltage of the relay output circuit in the railroad crossing controller is set so that the relay operating voltage satisfies the specified value. However, due to deterioration of the transmission cable due to aging, the voltage reaching the railroad crossing control device may not satisfy the specified value.
Therefore, there is a problem that the transmission cable needs to be expanded or replaced, resulting in a large amount of cost. In addition, the same problem as above occurs when the power supply voltage supplied to the railroad crossing controller via the power cable from a power supply installed in a remote location drops due to deterioration of the power cable or the addition of electrical equipment. also occurs.

Therefore, the present inventors considered providing a unitized relay output voltage adjusting device capable of adjusting the output voltage of the relay output circuit between the relay output terminal of the railroad crossing controller and the cable. As a result, if a mechanical switch is used to switch the relay output voltage, there is a risk that the voltage will momentarily drop when the contacts are switched, causing the relay on the side of the railroad crossing control device to operate. In addition, since the relay output circuit of the existing railroad crossing controller can only supply power for one controller reaction relay, an element with a larger impedance (load power) than the impedance (load power) of the controller reaction relay is added to the relay output circuit. Since it is not possible to connect, it was found that when a relay output voltage regulator is connected to an existing railroad crossing controller, there is a risk that the power supply capacity will be insufficient and the relay voltage regulator will not function effectively.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to satisfy the specified value of the relay operating voltage reaching the railroad crossing control device without adding or replacing cables. To provide a relay output voltage adjusting device for a railroad crossing controller capable of performing adjustment in such a manner as to
Another object of the present invention is to provide a relay output voltage adjusting device for a railroad crossing controller that prevents the voltage from dropping even for a moment when switching the relay output voltage.

Another object of the present invention is to prevent the relay voltage regulator from functioning effectively due to insufficient power supply capacity of the relay output circuit of the railroad crossing controller when a relay voltage regulator is connected to an existing railroad crossing controller. to avoid the occurrence of
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a railroad crossing controller relay that can adjust the relay operating voltage using the same device for both existing HC type and HO type railroad crossing controllers. An object of the present invention is to provide an output voltage regulator.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention
An input terminal to which the relay output voltage of the railroad crossing controller can be input, an output voltage generation circuit that generates a relay operating voltage according to the input voltage of the input terminal, and a power supply terminal that receives voltage from an external power supply device. and a pair of output terminals for outputting the relay operating voltage generated by the output voltage generation circuit,
The output voltage generation circuit includes a voltage conversion circuit that converts the voltage of the power supply terminal to generate voltages of different potentials, and a switching means capable of switching the voltage converted and output by the voltage conversion circuit. It is configured.

According to the relay output voltage adjustment device configured as described above, when the voltage reaching the controller reaction relay on the railroad crossing control device side drops due to deterioration of the cable, etc., the output voltage generation circuit generates Since the relay operating voltage can be increased, it is possible to adjust the relay operating voltage reaching the railroad crossing control device so that it satisfies the specified value without adding or replacing cables.

Preferably, the switching means includes a rotary switch having a plurality of contacts, a plurality of resistance elements connected to each contact of the rotary switch, a common connection point of the plurality of resistance elements and a common terminal of the rotary switch. and a first resistance element connected in parallel with the plurality of resistance elements.
According to such a configuration, since the first resistance element is connected in parallel with the plurality of resistance elements connected to the respective contacts of the rotary switch, when switching the contact of the rotary switch to switch the relay output voltage, all the contacts Even if is turned off for a moment, the current flowing through the first resistance element can prevent the voltage from dropping even for a moment.

Here, the voltage conversion circuit includes a control terminal for switching a voltage to be converted and output,
A common terminal of the rotary switch is connected to one of the pair of output terminals, and a common connection point of the plurality of resistive elements is connected to the other terminal of the pair of output terminals via a second resistive element. and the voltage at the common connection point of the plurality of resistance elements is input to the control terminal.
According to such a configuration, a known DC-DC converter capable of switching the output voltage according to the control voltage can be used as the voltage conversion circuit, and the circuit can be easily designed.

Further, desirably, the input terminal has an impedance equal to or less than that of the controller reaction relay in the railroad crossing control device to which the voltage of the pair of output terminals is supplied via a pair of cables. is connected and
A contact of the relay connected to the input terminal is provided in the middle of the wiring connecting the power supply terminal and the voltage conversion circuit.
According to such a configuration, when connecting the relay voltage regulator to the existing railroad crossing controller, the power supply capacity of the relay output circuit of the railroad crossing controller is insufficient and the relay voltage regulator does not function effectively. can be avoided.

Also desirably, an AC-DC conversion circuit having a transformer and a rectifier circuit provided on the secondary side of the transformer ,
The power supply terminals include a first connector terminal to which a DC power supply voltage is input and a second connector terminal to which an AC power supply voltage is input,
the second connector terminal is connected to the primary side terminal of the transformer;
The voltage input to the first connector terminal or the voltage rectified by the rectifier circuit is input to the output voltage generation circuit.
According to this configuration, when an existing railroad crossing control system includes an HC type railroad crossing controller that operates on an AC power supply voltage and a HO type railroad crossing controller that operates on a DC power supply voltage, the HC type and the HO type railroad crossing controller can be used. The same device can be used to adjust the relay operating voltage for either of the two types of railroad crossing controls.

According to the relay output voltage adjustment device for a railroad crossing controller according to the present invention, it is possible to perform adjustment so that the relay operating voltage reaching the railroad crossing controller satisfies a specified value without adding or replacing cables. . In addition, the same device can be used to adjust the relay operating voltage for both the HC type and the HO type railroad crossing controllers. Furthermore, when a relay voltage regulator is connected to an existing railroad crossing controller, it is possible to avoid a situation where the power supply capacity of the relay output circuit of the railroad crossing controller is insufficient and the relay voltage adjustment does not function effectively. has the effect of

1A is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of a conventional railroad crossing control system, and FIG. 1B is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of a suitable railroad crossing control system to which a relay output voltage adjusting device according to the present invention is applied. 1 is a circuit configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a relay output voltage adjusting device according to the present invention; FIG. 1 is a circuit configuration diagram showing a state in which a relay output voltage adjusting device according to an embodiment is connected to an HC railroad crossing controller; FIG. 1 is a circuit configuration diagram showing a state in which a relay output voltage adjusting device according to an embodiment is connected to an HO type railroad crossing controller; FIG. 4(A) and 4(B) are diagrams showing configuration examples of cables for connecting the relay output voltage adjusting device of the embodiment to an HC level crossing controller and an HO type level crossing controller; FIG.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a railroad crossing control system suitable for applying a relay output voltage adjusting device according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a railroad crossing control device 10 is provided near the railroad crossing to control the operation of railroad crossing equipment such as a railroad crossing barrier and a railroad crossing alarm. HC-type railroad crossing controller 20A and HO-type railroad crossing controller 20B are arranged at a predetermined distance from each other on the downstream side (train exit side).

In the conventional railroad crossing control system, as shown in FIG. 1A, the relay outputs of the HC type railroad crossing controller 20A and the HO type railroad crossing controller 20B are transmitted to the railroad crossing control device 10 via cables 31A and 31B. , the internal relay is either dropped or lifted. Also, an alternating current power supply voltage (AC) is supplied to the HC type railroad crossing controller 20A from the power supply device 30 via cables 32A and 32B, and a direct current power supply voltage (DC) is supplied to the HO type railroad crossing controller 20B. .
In the railroad crossing control system to which the relay output voltage adjusting device (voltage adjusting unit) of the present invention is applied, as shown in FIG. Adjustment devices 40A and 40B are provided, and cables 31A and 31B are connected to the relay output voltage adjustment devices 40A and 40B to adjust the relay output voltage.

FIG. 2 shows a circuit configuration of one embodiment of the relay output voltage adjustment device 40. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the relay output voltage adjustment device 40 of the present embodiment includes relay output input terminals P1 and P2 connected to the relay output terminals of the existing railroad crossing controllers 20A and 20B via cables, and the terminals An electromagnetic relay (hereinafter simply referred to as a relay) connected to P1 and P2 is provided. Reference numeral 41 is the solenoid of that relay (RY1).
In this embodiment, as the relay, a relay having an impedance equal to or lower than that of the controller reaction relay 11 on the railroad crossing side connected to the relay output terminals of the railroad crossing controllers 20A and 20B connected to the terminals P1 and P2 is used. is used.
As a result, even if the relay output circuit 21 (FIGS. 3 and 4) of the existing railroad crossing controllers 20A and 20B has the power supply capability of only one controller reaction relay, the power supply capability is reduced. A sufficient current flows through the solenoid 41 without shortage, and the relay output voltage regulator 40 functions effectively.

The relay output voltage adjustment device 40 includes a connector terminal 42A for AC power input, a connector terminal 42B for DC power input, and a transformer TR or a diode bridge circuit connected to the connector terminal 42A for AC power input. and an AC-DC conversion circuit 43 composed of a rectifier RC and the like, and an output voltage switching circuit 44 connected to the DC power input connector terminal 42B. Although not particularly limited, a three-terminal connector having a dummy terminal P3 is used as the connector terminal 42A for AC power input, and has a different form from the two-terminal connector terminal 42B for DC power input. have.

The connector terminal 42B for DC power input and the output voltage switching circuit 44 are connected by wires L1 and L2, and solenoids of relays connected to the terminals P1 and P2 are installed in the wires L1 and L2. Contacts S1 and S2 are provided which are turned on when 41 is energized. When these contacts S1 and S2 are turned on, the DC voltage converted by the AC-DC conversion circuit 43 or the DC voltage input to the connector terminal 42B is supplied to the output voltage switching circuit 44 in the subsequent stage. It is configured.
Further, the relay output voltage adjusting device 40 of this embodiment is provided with a pair of voltage output terminals P4 and P5 for outputting the voltage output from the output voltage switching circuit 44 to the outside. A controller reaction relay 11 in the railroad crossing control device 10 is connected to P4 and P5 via a cable 31A (or 32B).

The output voltage switching circuit 44 includes a DC-DC converter 44a for converting an input DC voltage into DC voltages of different potentials, and a rotary switch 44b. The DC-DC converter 44a has a transformer, for example, and turns on and off a switching element connected to the primary side coil to intermittently flow current, rectify the current induced in the secondary side coil, and convert it into a DC voltage. It is composed of a switching regulator that outputs , and the voltage output from the secondary side can be changed by inputting a control voltage from the outside to the control terminal (TRM in the figure) on the secondary side. ing.
A DC-DC converter having such a function is described, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2019-37034. Since the same configuration can be used, illustration and description of the detailed configuration are omitted.

In the output voltage switching circuit 44, resistors R1 to R4 are connected in parallel between each contact of the rotary switch 44b and the control terminal TRM of the DC-DC converter 44a. A resistor R5 connected in parallel with the resistors R1 to R4 is provided between the common terminal and the control terminal TRM of the DC-DC converter 44a.
Furthermore, a resistor R6 is connected between the control terminal TRM of the DC-DC converter 44a and the wiring L3 connected between the positive side output terminal (+Vout) and the terminal P4, and the common terminal of the rotary switch 44b. is connected to the wiring L4 connected between the negative output terminal (-Vout) of the DC-DC converter 44a and the terminal P5.

Therefore, the voltage obtained by resistance-dividing the potential between the positive and negative output terminals of the rotary switch 44b by the resistance ratio of one of the resistors R1 to R4 or the parallel resistor R5 and the resistor R6 is the DC-DC converter 44a. When the contact is switched by turning the rotary switch 44b, the control voltage input to the control terminal TRM of the DC-DC converter 44a changes, thereby changing the positive voltage of the DC-DC converter 44a. You can switch the voltage output from the side output terminal (+Vout).
Further, as described above, the relay output voltage adjusting device 40 of the present embodiment is provided with the connector terminal 42A for AC power input, the AC-DC conversion circuit 43, and the connector terminal 42B for DC power input. Therefore, it can be used for both HC-type railroad crossing controllers that operate on AC voltage and HO-type railroad crossing controllers that operate on DC voltage.

Furthermore, since the resistor R5 is connected in parallel with the resistors R1 to R4 of the rotary switch 44b, when switching the contact of the rotary switch 44b, a state in which none of the contacts are connected momentarily occurs. Even so, the current flowing through the resistor R5 keeps the voltage at the TRM terminal above a predetermined level, lowering the voltage at the voltage output terminal P4 and activating the controller reaction relay 11 on the side of the railroad crossing control device. can be prevented. Specifically, the resistor R5 and A resistance ratio of the resistor R6 is set.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which the relay output voltage adjusting device 40 of this embodiment is connected to the HC railroad crossing controller 20A. The HC-type railroad crossing controller detects whether or not a train is on the track by transmitting AC signals to the rail R via a pair of cables and receiving them via a pair of cables connected to a slightly distant location. So, when a train is on the track, it becomes impossible to receive the AC signal, so it is possible to detect the passing of the train.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the HC type railroad crossing controller 20A is supplied with an alternating power supply voltage (AC) from the power supply 30 via a cable 32A, and when the passage of a train is detected, the relay output circuit 21A is switched to the railroad crossing side. , and the signal is input to the relay output input terminals P1 and P2 of the relay output voltage regulator 40 . Also, the AC power supply voltage (AC) supplied to the HC type railroad crossing controller 20A is input to the connector terminal 42A of the relay output voltage adjusting device 40 via a cable 33A such as a twisted pair wire and a connector 34A.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the relay output voltage adjusting device 40 of this embodiment is connected to the HO type railroad crossing controller 20B. The HO-type railroad crossing controller applies a DC voltage to the rail R via a pair of cables, and when a train is on the track, a current flows through the axle to form a closed circuit. can be detected.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the HO type railroad crossing controller 20B is supplied with a DC power supply voltage (DC) from the power supply 30 via the cable 32B, and when the passing of the train is detected, the relay output circuit 21B is switched to the railroad crossing side. , and the signal is input to the relay output input terminals P1 and P2 of the relay output voltage regulator 40 . Also, the DC power supply voltage supplied to the HO type railroad crossing controller 20B is input to the connector terminal 42B of the relay output voltage adjusting device 40 via the cable 33B and the connector 34B.

FIG. 5A shows a specific example of a cable 33A and a connector 34A that supply AC power supply voltage (AC) to the relay output voltage regulator 40, and FIG. A specific example of a cable 33B and a connector 34B for supplying power supply voltage (DC) is shown.
As shown in FIG. 5A, the connector 34A at the end of the cable 33A is provided with three terminals including a dummy terminal P3 corresponding to the connector terminal 42A of the relay output voltage adjusting device 40. there is

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, the connector 34B at the end of the cable 33B is provided with two terminals corresponding to the connector terminals 42B of the relay output voltage adjusting device 40. As shown in FIG. As a result, erroneous insertion of the connectors 34A and 34B at the ends of the cables can be prevented.
U-shaped terminals 35 are provided at the other ends of the cables 33A, 33B and 32A, 32B, respectively. It is configured to be connected by inserting 35 and tightening the screw.
Further, the cables 33A, 33B and 32A, 32B are provided with tags 36A and 36B, respectively, on which symbols and the like are written for distinguishing between the HC type and the HO type. HO-type railroad crossing controller, or the U-type terminal 35 of the HO-type cables 32A and 32B to the HC-type railroad crossing controller. .

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the above embodiment, the connector 34A at the end of the cable 33A and the connector terminal 42A of the relay output voltage regulator 40 are provided with three terminals, and the connector 34B at the end of the cable 33B and the relay output voltage regulator 40 are provided with three terminals. The connector terminal 42B is provided with two terminals. The connector 34A and the connector terminal 42A of the relay output voltage regulator 40 are provided with two terminals, Three terminals may be provided.

Further, in the relay output voltage adjusting device of the above embodiment, a rotary switch is used for switching the relay output voltage, but a slide switch having multiple contacts may be used.
Furthermore, in the above embodiment, one relay output voltage adjusting device 40 is configured to switch the relay output voltage of two types of railroad crossing controllers, HC type railroad crossing controller and HO type railroad crossing controller. However, it may be configured as separate devices for switching the relay output voltage of each railroad crossing controller.

10 Railroad crossing control device 20A, 20B Railroad crossing controller 30 Power supply device 31A, 31B Cable for relay output transmission 32A, 32B Cable for power supply 33A, 33B Cable (twisted pair)
34A, 34B Connector 40A, 40B Relay output voltage adjustment device 41 Relay solenoid 42A, 42B Connector terminal 43 AC-DC conversion circuit 44 Output voltage generation circuit 44a DC-DC converter (voltage conversion circuit)
44b rotary switch (switching means)

Claims (5)

An input terminal to which the relay output voltage of the railroad crossing controller can be input, an output voltage generation circuit that generates a relay operating voltage according to the input voltage of the input terminal, and a power supply terminal that receives voltage from an external power supply device. and a pair of output terminals for outputting the relay operating voltage generated by the output voltage generation circuit, wherein
The output voltage generation circuit includes a voltage conversion circuit that converts the voltage of the power supply terminal to generate voltages of different potentials, and a switching means capable of switching the voltage converted and output by the voltage conversion circuit. A relay output voltage adjustment device for a railroad crossing controller, characterized by: The switching means includes a rotary switch having a plurality of contacts, a plurality of resistance elements connected to the respective contacts of the rotary switch, and a common connection point of the plurality of resistance elements and a common terminal of the rotary switch. 2. A relay output voltage adjustment device for a railroad crossing controller according to claim 1, further comprising a first resistance element connected in parallel with a plurality of resistance elements. The voltage conversion circuit includes a control terminal for switching the voltage to be converted and output,
A common terminal of the rotary switch is connected to one of the pair of output terminals, and a common connection point of the plurality of resistive elements is connected to the other terminal of the pair of output terminals via a second resistive element. 3. A relay output voltage adjusting device for a railroad crossing controller according to claim 2, wherein a voltage at a common connection point of said plurality of resistive elements is input to said control terminal. The input terminal is connected to a relay having an impedance equal to or lower than that of the controller reaction relay in the railroad crossing control device to which the voltage of the pair of output terminals is supplied via a pair of cables,
4. The relay according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a contact of said relay connected to said input terminal is provided in the middle of wiring connecting said power supply terminal and said voltage conversion circuit. Railroad crossing controller relay output voltage regulator. An AC-DC conversion circuit having a transformer and a rectifier circuit provided on the secondary side of the transformer ,
The power supply terminals include a first connector terminal to which a DC power supply voltage is input and a second connector terminal to which an AC power supply voltage is input,
the second connector terminal is connected to the primary side terminal of the transformer;
5. The output voltage generation circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the voltage input to the first connector terminal or the voltage rectified by the rectification circuit is input to the output voltage generation circuit. A relay output voltage regulator for a railroad crossing controller as described.

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