RU2613188C2 - System and method for controlling operational characteristics of railway carriage - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: transportation.

SUBSTANCE: device comprises: the housing with the possibility of mounting on a railway carriage; the temperature sensor; the electrical circuit within the housing; the power source electrically connected to the electric circuit to ensure its power supply, disposed in said housing; the probe located outside the housing. The probe comprises said temperature sensor and a magnet to attract the railway car part by means of the magnetic field; the communication device within said housing for transmitting the information about the measured temperature. Wherein the control of the measuring device power consumption is performed due to switching to the standby mode and the periodic activation of the measuring device for collecting the data received from the temperature sensor, and transmitting the information about the measured temperature by means of the communication scheme.

EFFECT: improved effectiveness of the carriage operational characteristics monitoring.

32 cl, 9 dwg, 1 tbl

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a real-time monitoring and analysis system for railway cars and, more particularly, to a system that collects data relating to various operating parameters and conditions from a remote sensor and applies heuristic procedures to analyze data for detection and / or predicting operational failures. In addition, special applications are disclosed for monitoring temperature values in a railway carriage.

State of the art

To prevent emergencies and increase efficiency, railcar owners and operators need an understanding of how their property is operated. With the start of operation of heavier wagons, there is a high need to identify “dangerous” wagons (that is, wagons that can damage the railway infrastructure and cause a wreck) before their operational characteristics become unacceptable. In addition, there is a need to increase the average speed of a train by improving speed characteristics and reducing unplanned outages due to mechanical failures. Wagon owners are increasingly striving to implement preventive maintenance programs in order to predict and avoid mechanical failures during operation and to efficiently plan repair work at a chosen place and at a chosen time. In the end, with increasing automation of rail transportation and increasing control, which are aimed at improving safety, the railway industry needs to create new methods for monitoring the operational characteristics of trains, wagons and bogies of railway wagons.

Even minor mechanical failures can very quickly lead to a catastrophic failure of the entire train, and not just one railway carriage. Therefore, it is desirable to quickly detect deviations from operating standards or forecasts of near failure and report them to the locomotive or to the central data processing device, which will allow timely operator intervention.

One approach used in North America is to use a roadside detector to detect defects located in fixed locations throughout the rail network. Detectors measuring the temperature of bearings (detectors of the “burning” axle box) are widely used, while other roadside detectors designed to measure wheel bumps, bearing condition (by acoustic signatures) and lateral loads are gradually put into operation. However, despite the fact that one detector can monitor many freight cars when they pass near it, these detectors can only perform random checks of operational characteristics. It is possible that the defects will become apparent and reach a critical level during movement between the locations of the detectors.

Another approach for monitoring the operational characteristics of railway cars is to use on-board instrumentation. One well-known system of this type was developed for the Federal Railway Administration. This and other similar systems use a number of devices located in various areas of a freight car to carry out discrete measurements before transferring them to a central hub located in a freight car. Although this solution has undeniable advantages over a solution based on roadside control devices, the installation of electrical wires, complexity and cost increase the investment required to monitor cars, and also reduce efficiency and reliability.

Known systems, however, do not have the ability to use heuristic procedures to influence data received from more than one sensor, or to detect operational deviations or trends that exhibit deviations from the nominal operating parameters. In addition, known systems have limitations in that they are not able to apply such heuristic procedures at many levels, for example, at the level of an individual sensor, at the level of a railway carriage and at the level of a train. In conclusion, in known systems, sensors cannot efficiently and reliably transmit the data they collect to a central data acquisition device using a wireless communication infrastructure, which is characterized by the presence of multiple communication channels and which provides data transfer between individual sensors.

Thus, there is a need to develop a system that eliminates the aforementioned current deficiencies and which improves (1) the ability to reliably collect and use data from multiple sensors in each railway carriage; (2) the ability to analyze the collected data by applying heuristic procedures to detect and predict operational defects; and (3) the ability to determine the danger of detected conditions in order to determine the need for immediate alarms, facilitating operator intervention.

Disclosure of invention

An object of the present invention is to provide means for monitoring output from a plurality of sensors attached to a railway carriage and determining a mode of operation and a condition of the railway carriage and its various components based on the analysis of these data. As a result of this, in a timely and effective manner, the operators and owners of the train are provided with confirmation that the operating characteristics and condition of the car are in compliance with the norm, as well as the necessary warnings about an imminent or actual failure.

Some operational indicators that are useful to control include, for example, the temperature of the roller bearing, the temperature of the load, the position of the hand brake, the displacement of the adapter of the roller bearing, the condition of the wheel, the yaw / deformation / jam of the cart, the condition and performance of the brakes, condition and value loads, whether there was a partial derailment and potentially problematic conditions of the track.

Given the harsh environment in which trains operate, any control system must be robust, reliable, and able to function for long periods of time with little or no maintenance. In addition, the costs associated with installing, maintaining, or operating the system should not be significant in order to be cost-effective. Since the number of freight wagons in North America alone exceeds 1.5 million, a system for monitoring all used wagons is very necessary and, therefore, the system must be able to interact with a very large number of potential devices.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the measuring units or devices, which are referred to herein as “readout units”, are located at various places in the railway carriage. The reading units may include a sensor; source of power; a circuit for reading sensor data and converting readings into digital form; and a communication circuit that allows the reader to wirelessly transmit sensor readings to an external receiver. In some cases, the readout node may also be characterized by the ability to perform a low-level data analysis to determine whether an alarm is necessary, as well as the ability to transmit an alarm to an external receiver.

Each railway carriage can also be equipped with a communication control unit (BUS), which communicates with each reading unit located on the railway carriage. The BUS is configured to collect data wirelessly from each read node and perform high-level data analysis to detect near or actual failures. When conducting such data analysis, heuristic procedures can be applied to identify potential failures based on statistical models and empirical data. The BUS is also configured to transmit data and the results of any analysis for a receiver remote from a railroad car.

The remote receiver may be located in a locomotive or other central location of the train, or may be located outside the train. The remote receiver can also be configured to perform a high-level analysis of the condition of the train using heuristic procedures and statistical models in relation to data received from a plurality of bus stations located on various railway cars in the train. According to the present invention, the analysis of the collected data can be carried out by any of various event processing units distributed among various components, including measuring units, BEADs, and mobile or ground-based base stations.

Therefore, the aim of the present invention is to provide a universal system that allows wireless data collection and analysis of these data to predict operational failures and ensure proper warning of these failures, to enable operator intervention before a catastrophic failure occurs.

Another objective of the present invention is to develop special applications of sensors, such as temperature sensors, which can control the temperature of various components of a railway carriage and objects transported by it.

In the description below, the system is described in the context of a freight car, however, one skilled in the art will understand that the same methods can be applied to any railway vehicle. In addition, although the description below refers to a freight car with two trolleys (four axles), the present invention is applicable to any configuration with more or fewer trolleys or axles.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a readout assembly in accordance with the present invention;

in FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the reader assembly shown in FIG. one;

in FIG. 3 and 3A are views of the reader assembly shown in FIG. 1, which is mounted on a bearing adapter of a railway carriage;

in FIG. 4 is a view of a reading unit, which includes a temperature sensor mounted on a railway car to obtain indications of ambient temperature;

in FIG. 5 is a view of an alternative readout assembly based on a temperature sensor;

in FIG. 5A is an exploded view of a readout assembly based on a temperature sensor, which is shown in FIG. 5, presented in conjunction with components for installation on a railroad car;

in FIG. 5B is a diagram of a readout assembly based on a temperature sensor, which is shown in FIG. 5 mounted on a railway tank; and

in FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing communication channels in accordance with a main embodiment of the present invention.

The implementation of the invention

In general, a new tool is proposed for monitoring the operational characteristics and functioning of a railway carriage. The specified tool contains a system for monitoring the condition of a railway carriage and sensors mounted on railway cars for use with the system. These sensors communicate with a communication control unit, preferably mounted on a railroad car. Sensors monitor and / or collect data on specific parameters and conditions of a railroad car. If a problem is detected, alarms can be issued to take further action. These sensors will be described below using an exemplary sensor for temperature monitoring. In addition, a detailed description of the monitoring system using these sensors will be presented below.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sensors are located and located inside an insulated housing, which typically comprises a sensor, long-life batteries, a processor board, and a communication unit. As mentioned above, these remote devices are referred to herein as “read nodes”. The reading units can be configured to monitor specific parameters or conditions, and can be installed on the train at a location specifically selected for such monitoring.

Next, with reference to FIG. 1, 2, 3, and 3A, an example read unit 10 will be considered. According to this particular embodiment, the reading unit 10 is configured to mount on the surface of the adapter 12 of a railcar bearing to monitor the temperature of the wheel bearing. The reading unit 10 is characterized by the presence of a housing 14, which comprises a first section or cover 16 and a second section or base 18. Preferably, the housing sections 16 and 18 are made of a hard plastic that is resistant to environmental influences, such as a UV-resistant polymer, for example , a mixture of polycarbonate / acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, while in the assembled state, these sections are protected from environmental influences. After installing the various components in the housing 14, as described below, a pouring mass (not shown) is poured through the openings in the housing 14 in order to secure, cover and seal the components located inside. If severe weather conditions, exposure to ultraviolet radiation, humidity, vibration, mechanical stress, temperature shock and abrasive wear can occur during operation of this device, any suitable electrical casting mass can be used that can protect the electrical circuit and other components from harsh environmental conditions, occurring during operation on the railway. Such masses include epoxy resins, polyurethanes and organosilicon compounds. Flexible urethane, which is suitable for use in electrical appliances and through which radio signals can be transmitted at the frequencies used, is preferred.

The sensor 20, configured to monitor the desired parameter or condition, can be installed in the housing 14 or can be installed outside the reading unit and is electrically connected to it. In FIG. 1 and 2, a temperature sensor 20a is shown which is in thermal contact with a heat transfer element 22, which passes through an opening 24 in the housing 14, while the preferred heat transfer element 22, as shown in the figures, is a brass plug. Thermal contact between the heat transfer element 22 and the sensor 20 is provided by an epoxy resin with high thermal conductivity. This configuration is preferred for controlling the surface temperature of the object to which the reader is attached, since the heat transfer element 22 will interact with the surface to which the reader is attached. The preferred temperature sensor is a silicon temperature sensor, which is ideal for electronic circuits. According to this embodiment, the reading unit 10 will be mounted so that the brass plug 22 is in thermal contact with a part of the railway carriage whose temperature needs to be known. One skilled in the art will understand that the configuration of the read nodes 10 with respect to the sensor 20 depends on the type of sensor and the type of data to be obtained. The sensor 20 may be any type of sensor, including, for example, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a torque sensor, a strain gauge, a Hall effect sensor, a vibration sensor, an accelerometer, a gyro sensor, a motion sensor, an inductive sensor, a piezoresistive semiconductor microphone or an ultrasonic sensor. In addition, the sensor may be a switch, including, for example, reed switches and limit switches. An example of another type of sensor for a readout unit that uses a load cell, for example, a hand brake condition monitoring sensor, is disclosed in US Patent Publication 2012/0046811 (US Patent Application Serial No. 12 / 861,713, filed August 23, 2010).

The electrical circuit 26 is intended for the operation of the reading unit 10. The electrical circuit 26 contains components and wiring for functioning and / or receiving and processing signals from the sensor 10. By this we mean, inter alia, analog and digital circuits, central processing units, processors, circuit boards, storage devices, hardware-implemented software, controllers and others electrical devices necessary for the functioning of the temperature sensor and information processing, as further described below. According to the illustrated embodiment, circuit 26 is electrically connected to a temperature sensor to receive signals from it. Two circuit boards are provided that are connected to each other by a base, as described in more detail below.

The circuit 26 includes a motherboard 28 containing a communication circuit, antennas and a microprocessor, and a daughter board 30 containing a circuit for reading data from the sensor 10, while this circuit 26 may perform analog-to-digital data conversion and may further comprise a circuit for maintaining the required quality of electricity. The motherboard 28 may also contain built-in computing tools sufficient to perform low-level data analysis, and may, based on parameters from indicators of external sources, make a decision on the generation of alarms. For example, in the case of the reading unit 10 with a temperature sensor 20, which is shown in FIG. 1 and 2, it can be programmed to give an alarm when the measured temperature exceeds a specific threshold for several consecutive readings.

The motherboard 28 also includes a circuit for wireless communication. Preferably, each reading unit 10 mounted on the railway carriage is included in the dynamic mesh network together with other reading nodes 10 installed on the same railway carriage and a communication control unit (BUS) 32, which is also preferably mounted on the same railway carriage 38 (see Fig. 6). According to a preferred embodiment, each read node 10 is to transmit data to the BUS 32 installed on the same railway carriage. The specified data transmission can occur directly or the data can be relayed by other readout nodes included in the mesh network to the BUS 32. The dynamic mesh network is preferably formed using a time-synchronized mesh network protocol - a data transfer protocol for self-organizing networks, which include wireless devices.

In addition, the read unit 10 comprises a long-life power supply 34, preferably an army lithium-thionyl chloride battery. The daughter board 30 includes a power management circuit and can save a battery by maintaining the read node 10 in standby mode and periodically activate the read node 10 to transmit readings from the sensor 20.

Individual readout units 10 are mounted on railroad car 38 in areas of interest. Consider, by way of example, FIG. 3 and 3A, which depict a temperature sensing assembly 10 of the type described above mounted on an adapter 12 of a wheel bearing 39 of a railway carriage. The fastening of this block can be carried out using a glue based on a heat-conducting epoxy resin, applied between the brass plug 22 and the adapter 36 to ensure good heat transfer to the temperature sensor, and mechanical fasteners, such as self-tapping screws, to hold the reading unit 10 in place. According to this particular example, the reading units 10 can be attached to all eight adapters 12 of the bearings of each wheel 40 of the railway carriage. In addition, the reading unit 10 based on the ambient temperature sensor can also be installed in the area of the railway car 38, which is blown by the free flow of air. In FIG. 4 illustrates a reading unit 10 mounted on the body of a railway car 38 for monitoring the temperature of the external environment. The device circuitry 26 receives information related to a controlled temperature, for example, the temperature of a bearing or the environment. Since the temperature sensor is in direct contact with the bearing adapter, and not the bearing itself, this device is calibrated so that the temperature readings are related to the temperature of the bearing. The specified calibration takes into account the temperature of the bearing adapter measured at the indicated location (see Fig. 3a), the ambient temperature measured by the second reading unit based on the temperature sensor installed elsewhere on the railway car to measure the ambient temperature (see Fig. 4 ), and information about the type of bearing adapter (different models are characterized by different sizes and configurations). Calibration information intended for use by circuit 26, such as a calibration algorithm, can be obtained through proper testing. Information on the bearing temperature, which characterizes various alarm conditions, can be accessed by circuit 26, preferably stored in this circuit, allowing device 10 to monitor the temperature of the bearing and, based on the ambient temperature, determine the temperature of the bearing and take the necessary actions. On a standard railway carriage 38, as a rule, eight sensors 10 are installed, one for each bearing adapter 12 (for each wheel 40); and one sensor 10 located to measure the temperature of the environment. The ambient temperature sensor 10 will transmit the ambient temperature to the BEAM, which transmits this information to the sensors mounted on the bearing adapters when they request this information. This allows the sensors 10 mounted on the bearing adapter 12 to determine the temperature of the bearing and then determine whether further action is necessary, such as transmitting a high temperature alarm. In this case, the time-synchronized mesh network protocol — a data transfer protocol for self-organizing networks, which include wireless communication devices — is preferred for data transfer between devices 10 and BUS 32.

Consider an alternative temperature sensing assembly 10 with reference to FIG. 5, 5A and 5B, in which a reading unit 10 is provided for monitoring the temperature of a portion of a railroad car remote from the housing 14 of the reading unit 10. For example, there may be a need to control the temperature of the cargo stored in the tank or the temperature inside the container by monitoring the temperature of the wall of the tank or container, and the above-described reading unit 10, intended for attachment to a directly controlled surface, is not suitable. In this case, the reading unit 10 is made similar to the assembly described above, but it contains a temperature sensor 20 located at the end of the probe 48 remote from the housing 14. A temperature sensor 20 is located inside the head 50 of the sensor probe, which is electrically connected to the housing 14 by wires 52 The head 50 is preferably cylindrical and is characterized by the presence of an annular head housing 54 made of a heat-conducting material such as stainless steel. In the hole 56 of the head housing is a temperature sensor 20, attached to provide electrical contact to the electrical connector 58a. An annular magnet 60, in the center of which a hole is made, is located around the sensor 20 inside the head 50. A thermally conductive epoxy resin or other suitable casting mass insulates the magnet 60 and the temperature sensor 20 inside the housing 50 and provides good heat transfer to the sensor 20. A corresponding electrical connector 58b connected with a corresponding connector 58a, the temperature sensor 20 is connected by a wire 52, which preferably is a flexible cable 62 with a coating based on polyvinyl chloride, with 14 pusom readout node. To install the specified housing 14 provides a silicone gasket 64, a metal mounting plate 66 and a silicone mounting gasket 68 of the housing. The reading unit 10 continuously monitors the temperature of the cargo and gives an alarm when fixed criteria are reached, such as a rapid change in temperature, exceeding temperature thresholds, etc.

As an example of such a device and method for illustrating the device shown in FIG. 5B, on which a tank for storing liquid of a tank car 38 is presented, the temperature sensing unit 10 with a remote probe 48 can be used to monitor the temperature of the liquid 72 stored in the tank 72 of the tank car 38, which is covered with an insulating sheath 74, which is sufficient thickness and containing an outer coating of 80. In this example, a small hole 76, which is approximately 2 inches in diameter, can be cut in the casing 74, which allows the probe head 50 to be attached to a cleaned outer surface 78 of tank 70 using heat-conducting epoxy. The magnet 60 inside the head 50 helps to keep the probe 48 in place while curing the epoxy. The housing 14 of the reader assembly 10 is mounted outside the outer cover 80 of the shell and connected to the head 50 using a cable 62, which can be twisted to fit in the hole 76 if necessary. To attach the housing 14 to the outer cover 80 of the shell, a silicone gasket 64 is placed on the outer cover 80 shell over the hole 76, after which they install the metal mounting plate 66, and then install the silicone gasket 68, while the gaskets 64 and 68 provide a good seal against atmospheric precipitation in the boundary of contact between the housing 14 and the outer coating 80 of the shell. The metal mounting plate 60 is attached with screws or bolts to the outer cover 80 of the shell, and the housing 14 of the reading unit is attached to the mounting plate 66 using screws 82. Calibration of the circuit of the reading unit provides accurate readings of the temperature of the liquid 72 inside the tank 70, while the ambient temperature controlled by another sensor 10 can be used to accurately calculate temperature readings.

In order to transmit data collected by the read nodes 10, each read node is connected via two-way communication with a BUS 32 mounted on a railway carriage 38, which collects data from each read node and can send commands to the read nodes, as shown in FIG. 6. As noted above, the BUS 32 and each of the read nodes 10 installed on the same railway carriage 38 form a local dynamic mesh network to ensure data transfer between them. The term "communication control unit" or "BUS" in the context of this document means any device capable of receiving data and / or alarms from one or more read nodes 10 and capable of transmitting data and alarm information to a remote receiver. BEAD 32 is preferably a single unit that will serve as a communication channel with other remote locations, such as a mobile base station 42 (for example, a locomotive 46), a fixed, ground base station 44, etc., and which is characterized by its own circuit, central processing units, processors, storage device, power supply, etc. for processing the received data. According to a preferred embodiment, it can also communicate with reading units 10, which carry out control and monitoring, on railway carriage 38.

BEAD 32 is capable of performing advanced data analysis using data received from several read nodes 10, and can use heuristic procedures to draw conclusions based on this analysis. The table below contains examples of types of sensors for read nodes 10 and high-level descriptions of heuristic procedures used for data analysis.

As shown in FIG. 6, the BUS 32 also transmits data and alarms to a remote location, i.e. to a mobile base station 42 mounted on a train, usually in a locomotive, and / or to a fixed, ground base station 44. Data and / or alarms can be transmitted from the ground base station 44 to the mobile base station 42. WPS 32 may be permanently connected by wire or wireless to a mobile base station 42, which can communicate with a ground base station 44 using a cellular communication network, by satellite, or other well-known means.

The data collected by the read nodes 10 can be sent to the base station 44 for analysis and additional actions. The heuristic procedures shown in the table above can be implemented either through the mobile base station 42, or through the ground base station 44. In addition, any of the stations 42,44 can apply heuristic procedures for the whole train in order to predict the probable failures for the whole trains or tracking trends for the entire train, while a single BUS 32 may not be able to do this, since it has data from only one railway car 38.

When an abnormal situation is detected, the warning preferably comes to the display unit installed in the locomotive 46 or in the ground base station 44. Any standard display unit of the type installed in the mobile base station 42, for example, in the locomotive, can be used. Communication devices, as is known in the art, communicate with a base station 44 via satellite, and display units display a warning for drivers. The display can display incoming warnings accompanied by an audible alarm, and they must be acknowledged and canceled by the driver. Practical recommendations are provided for each type of warning, which are developed on the basis of the requirements of a particular railway network, and which the driver should follow when a warning appears. The action to be taken by the driver varies based on the danger of the warning. Alerts can also be emailed or posted on the website.

If you set the threshold values for the alarm in the locomotive subcritical, it is likely to entail unnecessary stops and delays. Consequently, warning messages are selected so that only messages requiring action are received by the locomotive 46, that is, only messages whose emergency levels require the locomotive team to take action are typically transmitted to the locomotive team. In addition, instead of requiring the train to stop on the highway, some warnings may be directed at imposing operational restrictions on the spot. For example, when using multi-tier emergency levels, train speed limits may be imposed so that the train can proceed to the side branch or to another suitable stopping place, which will allow you to continue on the highway without undue delays or costs. However, low-level (Level 1 / Stage 1) warnings can still be monitored by base station 44 in order to make decisions regarding repeated exceeded temperature thresholds and / or tending events that may indicate a possible malfunction, although not close.

As an example, consider wheel bearing monitoring. Since the goal is to monitor the state of the bearing during movement, the data that are collected when the railway cars 38 are stationary do not affect the determination of the state of the bearing.

Therefore, when the railway carriage is stationary, the indicated data can be blocked in order to save electricity and eliminate the transmission of useless temperature readings. In this regard, the data is stored in the BUS 32 and transmitted to the base station 42, 44 only upon detection of useful data. Three conditions that may define “interesting” or “useful” data include:

1. Events "The presence of a difference";

2. Events "Exceeding the temperature of the environment"; and

3. "Temperature anomalies of the node."

The event "The presence of a difference" exists when the temperature difference along any axis is greater than or equal to the set variable.

The event "Excess temperature of the environment" occurs when any value of the temperature of the bearing exceeds the value received from the node for determining the temperature of the environment by a fixed constant.

A node temperature anomaly occurs when any data channel related to the bearing or the environment does not transmit acceptable temperature values, despite the fact that other channels collect data properly after an appropriate period of time. The delay allows the system to eliminate possible communication errors. BEAD 32 will continue to collect and store temperature values from other bearings, even if a complete set of data must be collected and data loss occurs in one or more channels.

Data blocking is confirmed by observing how the temperature data converges to the ambient temperature (the train stopped) before stopping the registration. Diverging temperatures are shown by heat-generating bearings, after which the train starts moving again.

Multilevel Alarms and Answers

Below are examples of different hazard levels based on the hazard and the corresponding response:

Стадия 1: «Сигнал тревоги, вызванный повышением температуры подшипника»;

Stage 1: "Alarm caused by the temperature rise of the bearing";

- the alarm signal is received only in the base station;

- used to send recommendations and identify repeated excesses;

Стадия 2: «Сигнал тревоги, вызванный перепадом на оси»: подается тогда, когда температура одного подшипника превышает на заданное значение температуру другого подшипника на одной и той же оси;

Stage 2: “Alarm caused by the difference on the axis”: it is given when the temperature of one bearing exceeds the temperature of another bearing on the same axis by a predetermined value;

- Actions: stopping the train, checking the axle of the bearing, from which an alarm is received. Search for any signs that the bearing is “moving away” from the axis, the grease has been removed or the bearing is damaged;

- continue driving with a predetermined reduced maximum speed until the message “Cancel alarm” of stage 2 is received in the terminal device installed in the locomotive;

- if the message “Cancel alarm” of stage 2 is received at the terminal device installed in the locomotive, continue driving as prescribed;

Стадия 3: «Сигнал тревоги, вызванный превышением температуры внешней среды»: подается тогда, когда температура любого подшипника выше на заранее заданную величину температуры внешней среды;

Stage 3: “Alarm caused by the excess of the ambient temperature”: it is given when the temperature of any bearing is higher by a predetermined value of the ambient temperature;

- action: stopping the train, checking the trunnion of the bearing, from which an alarm is received. Search for any signs that the bearing is “moving away” from the axis, the grease has been removed or the bearing is damaged;

- continue driving at a predetermined reduced maximum speed until the message “Cancel alarm” stage 3 arrives at the terminal device installed in the locomotive, after which the speed can be increased;

- if the indicated message does not disappear, a decision may be made to remove and replace the bearing at a suitable stopping point; otherwise, it is necessary to move at a low speed in order to reduce the chance of axle deformation or catastrophic bearing failure;

- if the messages "Cancel alarm" of stage 2 and stage 3 are received in the terminal device installed in the locomotive, continue driving as prescribed;

Стадия 4: «Критический сигнал тревоги»: представляет собой сигнал тревоги высшего уровня, подаваемый при заранее заданной температуре подшипника;

Stage 4: “Critical Alarm”: This is the highest level alarm given at a predetermined bearing temperature;

- Action: stop the train, remove the bearing.

Improved Algorithms - Improvements to alarms can be performed based on statistical models that describe the nature of changes in bearing temperature. Examples of improvements to the existing data analysis method are described in more detail below, as this relates to the identification of bearings that are in the “tracking list” for deterioration / negative trends.

Level 2 Algorithms. Level 2 algorithms use temperature data that was collected every minute during the movement of a railroad car for a period of several days immediately before this analysis. If at least four of the following five criteria are highlighted for the same bearing, a warning should be sent to the operator to plan maintenance for that bearing.

Критерий 1 - Анализ пиков: подсчет процента значений температуры подшипника, превышающих заранее заданное значение;

Criterion 1 - Peak Analysis: calculating the percentage of bearing temperatures above a predetermined value;

- for each bearing, counting the number of temperature readings that exceed a predetermined value;

- selection of any bearing with a specific percentage of temperature values exceeding a predetermined value;

Критерий 2 - Анализ превышения температуры внешней среды: подсчет процента значений температуры подшипника, превышающих заданное значение над температурой внешней среды;

Criterion 2 - Analysis of the temperature rise of the external environment: calculation of the percentage of the temperature of the bearing exceeding the set value over the temperature of the external environment;

- for each bearing, counting the number of temperature readings that exceed a predetermined value over the ambient temperature;

- selection of any bearing with a specific percentage of temperature values exceeding a predetermined threshold value;

Критерий 3 - Анализ отклонения от среднего значения по вагону:

Criterion 3 - Analysis of the deviation from the average value for the car:

calculation of the average bearing temperature and standard deviation for each bearing compared to the average value of the bearing temperatures for the rest of the wagon;

- calculation of the average temperature over the time interval for each bearing and the average value for the car;

- calculation of the standard deviation for each bearing temperature from the average value of the car;

- selection of any bearing with a specific standard deviation;

Критерий 4 - Анализ отклонения от среднего значения по вагонному парку: вычисление средней температуры подшипника и стандартного отклонения для каждого подшипника по сравнению со средним значением температур подшипников для остальной части вагонного парка;

Criterion 4 - Analysis of the deviation from the average value for the rolling stock: calculation of the average temperature of the bearing and standard deviation for each bearing compared to the average temperature of the bearings for the rest of the rolling stock;

- calculation of the average temperature over the time interval for each bearing and the average value for the rolling stock;

- calculation of the standard deviation for each bearing temperature from the average value in the rolling stock;

- selection of any bearing with a specific standard deviation;

Критерий 5 - Анализ скорости изменения нагрева: вычисление процента времени эксплуатации, в течение которого происходит быстрый нагрев подшипника;

Criterion 5 - Analysis of the rate of change of heating: calculation of the percentage of operating time during which the bearing is rapidly heated;

- calculating a linear approximation for a sliding window of temperature data;

- counting the number of cases when the slope of the linear approximation curve exceeds a specific threshold value;

- selection of any bearing with a specific value of the operating time, which is characterized by a slope of the linear approximation curve that exceeds the specified threshold value;

Algorithms Level 3. Level 3 algorithms use temperature data that was collected every minute during the movement of a railway car during the previous 30 days immediately before this analysis. If the bearing is assigned to the highest five percent for at least four of the five criteria, then a warning is sent to the operator to plan maintenance for this bearing.

Критерий 1 - Анализ пиков: подсчет процента значений температуры подшипника, превышающих заранее заданное значение;

Criterion 1 - Peak Analysis: calculating the percentage of bearing temperatures above a predetermined value;

- for each bearing, counting the number of temperature readings that exceed a predetermined value;

- the location of the bearing in the ordinal table, which contains the other bearings of the rolling stock;

- allocation of the highest percentage of bearings in the rolling stock;

Критерий 2 - Анализ превышения температуры внешней среды:

Criterion 2 - Analysis of excess temperature of the environment:

calculation of the percentage of the temperature of the bearing, exceeding the set value over the ambient temperature;

- for each bearing, counting the number of temperature readings that exceed a predetermined value over the ambient temperature;

- the location of the bearing in the ordinal table, which contains the other bearings of the rolling stock;

- allocation of the highest percentage of bearings in the rolling stock;

Критерий 3 - Анализ отклонения от среднего значения по вагону:

Criterion 3 - Analysis of the deviation from the average value for the car:

calculation of the average bearing temperature and standard deviation for each bearing compared to the average value of the bearing temperatures for the rest of the wagon;

- calculation of the average temperature over the time interval for each bearing and the average value for the car;

- calculation of the standard deviation for each bearing temperature from the average value of the car;

- the location of the bearing in the ordinal table, which contains the other bearings of the rolling stock;

- allocation of the highest percentage of bearings in the rolling stock;

Критерий 4 - Анализ отклонения от среднего значения по вагонному парку: вычисление средней температуры подшипника и стандартного отклонения для каждого подшипника по сравнению со средним

Criterion 4 - Analysis of deviation from the average value for the rolling stock: calculation of the average bearing temperature and standard deviation for each bearing compared to the average

bearing temperatures for the rest of the rolling stock;

- calculation of the average temperature over the time interval for each bearing and the average value for the rolling stock;

- calculation of the standard deviation for each bearing temperature from the average value in the rolling stock;

- the location of the bearing in the ordinal table, which contains the other bearings of the rolling stock;

- allocation of the highest percentage of bearings in the rolling stock;

Критерий 5 - Анализ скорости изменения нагрева: вычисление процента времени эксплуатации, в течение которого происходит быстрый нагрев подшипника;

Criterion 5 - Analysis of the rate of change of heating: calculation of the percentage of operating time during which the bearing is rapidly heated;

- calculating a linear approximation for a sliding window of temperature data;

- counting the number of cases when the slope of the linear approximation curve exceeds a specific threshold value;

- the location of the bearing in the ordinal table, which contains the other bearings of the rolling stock;

- allocation of the highest percentage of bearings in the rolling stock;

According to another alternative embodiment of the present invention, one or more reading units may be located in alternative housings or integrated in the railway carriage itself. According to one such embodiment, the reader units can be integrated into an adapter pad similar to the pad of the type disclosed in US Pat. Nos. 7,698,962 and 7,688,218, which can also be adapted for use with the present invention.

Various embodiments of the present invention have been described in the context of various examples, however, the present invention is not limited to the described examples. One skilled in the art will recognize that there may be many implementations that fall within the scope of the present invention, as described in the appended claims.

Claims (73)

1. A measuring device for monitoring temperature in a railway carriage, comprising: a housing configured to be mounted on a railway wagon; temperature sensor; an electrical circuit associated with said temperature sensor to obtain information regarding a measured temperature, wherein said electrical circuit is located inside said housing; a power source electrically connected to said electrical circuit to provide power to said circuit, wherein said power source is located inside said housing; the probe located outside the specified housing, while the probe contains the specified temperature sensor and a magnet located so that by means of a magnetic field to attract the part of the railway carriage, close to which the probe will be located; and a communication device configured to transmit information regarding the measured temperature, wherein said communication device is located inside said housing; moreover, the power consumption of the specified measuring device is controlled by switching the specified measuring device to standby mode and periodically activating the specified measuring device to collect data from the specified temperature sensor and transmit information about the measured temperature using the specified communication circuit. 2. A system for monitoring the condition of a railway carriage, comprising: a plurality of measuring devices installed on the railway carriage for monitoring the parameters or conditions of the railway carriage, moreover, all these measuring devices are located separately from each other and contain a sensor for monitoring one of these parameters or conditions of the railway carriage; moreover, the specified set of measuring devices contains at least one measuring device for determining temperature, containing: housing; a temperature sensor in thermal contact with an object of a railway carriage, the temperature of which is measured, and this object is located outside the specified building; an electrical circuit associated with said temperature sensor to obtain information regarding a measured temperature, wherein said electrical circuit is located inside said housing; a power source electrically connected to said electrical circuit to provide power to said circuit, wherein said power source is located inside said housing; a communication device configured to transmit information regarding the measured temperature wirelessly, said communication device being located inside said housing; and a communication control unit mounted on a railway carriage and configured to exchange data via two-way wireless communication with each measuring device from said set to obtain information from them, said communication control unit comprising a wireless communication device for transmitting information about a controlled parameter or condition. 3. The system according to claim 2, in which the determination of the alarm state can be performed by the specified communication control unit on the basis of data collected by two or more of these measuring devices. 4. The system of claim 3, wherein each of said measuring devices of said set is configured to exchange data with another of said set of measuring devices and said communication control unit. 5. A system for monitoring the operation of a railway carriage, comprising: a) one or more measuring units installed on the specified railway carriage, each of these measuring units controlling the operating parameter of the specified railway carriage, each of these measuring units containing a sensor, a power source, a processor, a storage device, a communication circuit and software stored in the specified storage device and executed by the specified processor, and the specified software performs the functions of collecting data s from the specified sensor at periodic intervals; and b) a communication control unit mounted on said railway carriage, said communication control unit being connected via wireless communication to one or more of said measurement units; wherein said communication control unit applies heuristic procedures for analyzing data received from one or more of said measuring units (a) to determine a real malfunction and (b) to warn of a potential or impending malfunction based on a statistical analysis of said collected data. 6. The system according to claim 5, in which the specified definition of the alarm state can be carried out using one of these measuring units. 7. The system of claim 5, wherein said determination of an alarm state can be carried out using said communication control unit based on data collected using two or more of said measurement units. 8. The system of claim 5, wherein each of said measurement units comprises: a) sensor; b) power supply; c) processor; d) a storage device; e) communication scheme; and f) software stored in said storage device and executed by said processor, said software performing data collection functions from said sensor at periodic intervals. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein said software additionally performs the function of: evaluating the data collected to determine the existence of an alarm condition; and transmitting said alarm state to said communication control unit using said communication scheme; and control the power consumption of the specified measuring unit by switching the specified measuring unit to standby mode and periodically activating the specified measuring unit to collect data from the specified sensor and transmit information about the specified operating parameter to the specified communication control unit using the specified communication circuit. 10. The system of claim 5, wherein one or more measuring units and said communication control unit are connected to each other via wireless communication and form a local wireless network of said railway carriage. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein said local area network is a mesh network that operates in accordance with a mesh network protocol with time synchronization to ensure data transfer between the units. 12. The system of claim 10, wherein said communication control unit is wirelessly connected to communication control units on other railway cars, forming a global network. 13. The system of claim 5, further comprising a base unit, said base unit being connected wirelessly to said communication control unit, wherein the base unit performs the functions of: a) collecting data and alarms from the specified communication control unit; b) displaying alarm conditions detected by said communication control unit; and c) determining high level alarms based on data and alarms received from said communication control unit. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein said base unit is wirelessly coupled to a plurality of communication control units. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein said base unit uses distributed event processing to analyze trend changes based on alarms and data from one or more communication control units to determine whether a high-level alarm is required. 16. The system of claim 14, wherein said base unit applies heuristic procedures to data received from one or more of said communication control units to determine whether a high-level alarm is required. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein said base unit and one or more of said communication control units communicate with each other using satellite communications or a cellular network. 18. The system of claim 5, wherein said sensor is selected from the group consisting essentially of temperature sensors, pressure sensors, strain gauges, load cells, hand brake position sensors, magnetic sensors, vibration sensors, gyro sensors, acceleration sensors, effect sensors Hall, piezoresistive semiconductor microphones and switches. 19. The system according to claim 5, in which data and alarms can be transmitted from one or more of these communication control units to the base unit installed on the train using the base unit installed outside the train. 20. The system of claim 5, wherein said alarm is determined using distributed event processing based on a comparison of current data with statistical behavior models. 21. The system of claim 5, wherein said alarms are determined based on a comparison of currently collected data with data collected for a predetermined previous period of time. 22. The system of claim 5, wherein the alarm is issued based on one or more of the following criteria: a) a predetermined percentage of the current data readings exceeds the allowable peak readings; b) a predetermined percentage of current data readings exceeds a certain value; c) a predetermined percentage of the current data reading exceeds the standard deviation from the reading for the same railway carriage; d) a predetermined percentage of current data readings exceeds the standard deviation from readings for all railway cars in the fleet; or e) the rate of change of the current data reading exceeds a predetermined threshold value. 23. A device for monitoring temperature in a railway carriage, comprising: a housing configured to be mounted on a railway wagon; a temperature sensor in thermal contact with a part of the railway carriage, the temperature of which is to be measured, located outside the specified building; an electrical circuit associated with said temperature sensor to obtain information regarding a measured temperature, wherein said electrical circuit is located inside said housing; a power source electrically connected to said electrical circuit to provide power to said circuit, wherein said power source is located inside said housing; and a communication device configured to transmit information about the measured temperature, and the specified communication device is located inside the specified housing; moreover, the power consumption of the specified control device is controlled by switching the specified control device to standby mode and periodically activating the specified control device to collect readings from the specified temperature sensor and transmit information about the measured temperature using the specified communication circuit. 24. The control device according to claim 23, wherein at least a portion of said temperature sensor is located outside and at a distance from said housing for contacting the surface of a railroad car, the temperature of which is to be controlled. 25. The control device according to claim 23, wherein said circuit is configured to apply heuristic procedures to analyze data received from said temperature sensor to determine if a problem exists. 26. The system of claim 2, wherein said communication control unit applies heuristic procedures for analyzing data from said one or more measuring devices (a) to determine the existence of a real malfunction and (b) to warn of potential or impending malfunctions based on statistical analysis of the data collected. 27. The system of claim 2, further comprising a second temperature sensor mounted on said railroad car to measure the temperature of the environment, said system using environmental temperature information obtained from said second temperature sensor to calibrate temperature data received from the specified first sensor on the subject of a controlled railway carriage. 28. The system of claim 2, wherein said communication control unit is configured to transmit data and alarm conditions to a remote location outside the train, of which the railroad car is a part. 29. The system of claim 2, wherein the power consumption of each of the measuring devices is controlled by switching the specified measuring device to standby mode and periodically activating the specified measuring device to collect data from the specified temperature sensor and transmit information about the parameter or state measured using the specified communication scheme. 30. The system of claim 2, wherein said communication control unit and said plurality of measuring devices form a wireless mesh network of a railway carriage. 31. The system according to claim 5, in which the power consumption of the indicated each measuring device is controlled by switching the specified measuring device to standby mode and periodically activating it to collect readings from the specified sensor and transmit information using the specified communication scheme. 32. The system of claim 5, wherein said communication control unit is configured to communicate with a remote location outside the train, of which the railroad car is a part.

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