Patent ID: 6375276
Filing Date: 2002-04-23
Classification: B60L,B60T,Y02T

Abstract:
A railway brake system for a train comprising a lead unit, at least one remote unit and a plurality of railroad cars, the railway brake system comprising:a brake pipe extending along the train; a lead unit controller generating a pneumatic control signal propagated along said brake pipe; at least one remote unit controller comprising a brake pipe control valve connected in fluid communication with said brake pipe for selectively charging and exhausting said brake pipe, an air flow rate sensor for sensing air flow into said brake pipe during charging by said brake pipe control valve, a brake pipe pressure sensor for sensing brake pipe pressure, and a processor for detecting the pneumatic control signal from said lead unit controller based upon both said air flow rate sensor and said brake pipe pressure sensor; wherein said processor has at least first and second sensitivities; wherein said air flow rate sensor comprises a restriction in fluid communication between said brake pipe and an air reservoir, and a differential pressure sensor associated with said restriction for sensing a differential pressure related to the air flow rate into said brake pipe; and wherein said processor comprises: means for generating a sum of the values over a first time with each value based upon a change in differential pressure between a starting differential pressure and a respective sampled differential pressure, and a change in brake pipe pressure between a starting brake pipe pressure and a respective sampled brake pipe pressure multiplied by an effect multiplier; and means for generating a sum of the values over a second time longer than the first time with each value based upon a change in differential pressure between a starting differential pressure and a respective sampled differential pressure, and a change in brake pipe pressure between a starting brake pipe pressure and a respective sampled brake pipe pressure multiplied by the effect multiplier.