Device for detecting obstacles for rail vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10286936-B2
Application number	US-201515121303-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 25, 2015
Priority date	Mar 12, 2014
Publication date	May 14, 2019
Grant date	May 14, 2019

Abstract

A device for detecting obstacles for a rail vehicle includes a pilot bar, which is retained on the bogie frame of the rail vehicle in front of the wheelset that is positioned first in the direction of travel via a mounting retainer, wherein the mounting retainer is formed by vertically arranged spring elements, in particular leaf springs, where each leaf spring is fastened at an upper end to the bogie frame and at a lower end to the pilot bar, where each leaf spring includes a stress-strain converter which is arranged between the upper end and the lower end on a broad surface of a leaf spring, and where each stress-strain converter is connected to an on-board evaluator via a signal-conducting connection.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for detecting obstacles for a rail vehicle, comprising:
a truck frame;
a mounting bracket comprising a plurality of vertically disposed spring elements; and
a pilot beam attached to a truck frame of the rail vehicle in front of a leading wheelset via the mounting bracket;
wherein each spring element is fixed at an upper end to the truck frame and at a lower end to the pilot beam;
wherein each spring element includes a stress-strain converter which is disposed between the upper end and the lower end on a broad surface of a leaf spring; and
wherein each stress-strain converter is connected to an on-board evaluator via a signal carrying connection.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the signal carrying connection passes via a measuring amplifier assigned to the stress-strain converter and wherein the measuring amplifier is disposed on the broad surface of the leaf spring.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the stress-strain converter comprises a piezoelectric transducer.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the stress-strain converter is configured as a strain gage.

5. The device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the evaluator is linked to a safety circuit and linked to an electronic vehicle bus.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a speed signal of the rail vehicle is supplied to the evaluator, a braking operation being initiated based on said speed signal.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mounting bracket comprises two leaf springs spaced apart by a distance corresponding to a width of the truck frame of the rail vehicle.

Assignees

• Siemens Ag Oesterreich

Inventors

• Koller Andreas

Classifications

• B61H13/00

  Actuating rail-vehicle brakes · CPC title

• B61K9/08

  Measuring installations for surveying permanent way · CPC title

• B61L2201/00

  Control methods · CPC title

• B61L23/041 Primary

  Obstacle detection · CPC title

• B61F19/04 Primary

  Bumpers or like collision guards · CPC title