Patent ID: 6189980
Filing Date: 2001-02-20
Classification: B60T

Abstract:
A conversion system for enabling a locomotive equipped with a conventional brake control system to control braking on railcars having electrically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brake equipment, said conversion system comprising:(a) a first pressure transducer for converting pressure within a brake pipe of such locomotive to a first feedback signal indicative of locomotive brake pipe pressure;(b) a second pressure transducer for converting pressure within a brake pipe of such railcars to a second feedback signal indicative of railcar brake pipe pressure;(c) means for regulating to a predetermined nominal pressure air supplied to such brake pipe of such railcars from a main reservoir pipe of such locomotive;(d) a dc--dc converter for converting battery voltage received from a power trainline of such locomotive to a predetermined nominal voltage so as to power an ECP trainline of such railcars;(e) a controller unit, operating according to instructions contained within programming code, to monitor said first and said second feedback signals received from said pressure transducers, control said dc--dc converter and convert pneumatic brake commands conveyed by such brake pipe of such locomotive into electrical brake commands corresponding thereto for transmission along such ECP trainline and thereby control such ECP brake equipment -on such railcars and braking effort deliverable thereby;(f) first means, activatible by said controller unit, for reducing such railcar brake pipe pressure to an emergency level such that when a pneumatic emergency brake command appears in such brake pipe of such locomotive, said controller unit (i) activates said first means and (ii) transmits an emergency electrical brake command along such ECP trainline, thereby commanding both pneumatically and electrically such ECP brake equipment to make an emergency brake application; and(g) second means for assuring such railcar brake pipe pressure reduces to said emergency level when such locomotive brake pipe pressure drops below a prespecified level.