Railroad vehicle, voltage estimating device for power supply line, and method for estimating voltage of power supply line

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10625758-B2
Application number	US-201815883827-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2018
Priority date	Jan 31, 2017
Publication date	Apr 21, 2020
Grant date	Apr 21, 2020

Abstract

A voltage estimating device for a power supply line according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a voltage detector, a current detector, a voltage calculator. The voltage calculator calculates a magnitude of alternating primary voltage that a primary winding in a transformer receives from a power supply line based on a magnitude of tertiary voltage in the transformer detected by the voltage detector, a magnitude of output current in the transformer detected by the current detector, and correlation information. The correlation information indicates a correlation between a voltage ratio and the magnitude of the output current, and the voltage ratio represents a ratio of the magnitude of the primary voltage to the magnitude of the tertiary voltage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A railroad vehicle comprising:
an assembly comprising:
a railroad truck configured to rotatably hold an axle; and
a vehicle body provided to the railroad truck,

a power converter provided to the assembly and configured to generate electric power that drives a motor based on output power from a transformer, the transformer comprising a primary winding, a secondary winding, and a tertiary winding, the primary winding being configured to receive alternating primary voltage from a power supply line, the secondary winding being electromagnetically coupled to the primary winding and configured to output the output power, the output power including secondary voltage that is lower than the primary voltage and output current, the tertiary winding being electromagnetically coupled to the primary winding and configured to output tertiary voltage that is lower than the secondary voltage,
a voltage detector provided to the assembly and configured to detect a magnitude of the tertiary voltage,
a current detector provided to the assembly and configured to detect a magnitude of the output current,
a voltage calculator provided to the assembly and configured to calculate a magnitude of the primary voltage based on the magnitude of the tertiary voltage detected by the voltage detector, the magnitude of the output current detected by the current detector, and correlation information, the correlation information indicating a correlation between a voltage ratio and the magnitude of the output current, and the voltage ratio representing a ratio of the magnitude of the primary voltage to the magnitude of the tertiary voltage.

2. A voltage estimating device for a power supply line, the voltage estimating device comprising:
a voltage detector configured to detect a magnitude of specified voltage outputted from a transformer provided to a railroad vehicle, the transformer comprising a primary winding, a secondary winding, and a tertiary winding, the primary winding being configured to receive alternating primary voltage from a power supply line, the secondary winding being electromagnetically coupled to the primary winding and configured to output secondary voltage that is lower than the primary voltage and output current, the tertiary winding being electromagnetically coupled to the primary winding and configured to output tertiary voltage that is lower than the secondary voltage, the specified voltage corresponding to the tertiary voltage;
a current detector configured to detect a magnitude of the output current; and
a voltage calculator configured to calculate a magnitude of the primary voltage based on the magnitude of the tertiary voltage detected by the voltage detector, the magnitude of the output current detected by the current detector, and correlation information, the correlation information indicating a correlation between a voltage ratio and the magnitude of the output current, and the voltage ratio representing a ratio of the magnitude of the primary voltage to the magnitude of the tertiary voltage.

3. The voltage estimating device for a power supply line according to claim 2 ,
wherein the correlation information includes a linear function,
wherein the linear function represents a linear relation between the voltage ratio and the magnitude of the output current, and
wherein the voltage calculator is configured to calculate the magnitude of the primary voltage based on the linear function.

4. The voltage estimating device for a power supply line according to claim 3 ,
wherein the linear relation is linearly approximated based on the magnitude of the primary voltage, the magnitude of the tertiary voltage, and the magnitude of the output current, and
wherein the magnitude of the primary voltage, the magnitude of the tertiary voltage, and the magnitude of the output current are experimentally measured.

5. The voltage estimating device for a power supply line according to claim 4 ,
wherein the tertiary voltage is inputted into a first load configured to operate by the tertiary voltage, and
wherein the magnitude of the primary voltage, the magnitude of the tertiary voltage, and the magnitude of the output current are experimentally measured under a condition where a state of the first load is maintained constant.

6. The voltage estimating device for a power supply line according to claim 2 further comprising a secondary voltage calculator configured to calculate a magnitude of the secondary voltage from the magnitude of the primary voltage calculated by the voltage calculator based on a ratio of winding turns of the primary winding to winding turns of the secondary winding.

7. The voltage estimating device for a power supply line according to claim 6 ,
wherein the secondary voltage is inputted into a second load configured by the secondary voltage, and
wherein the voltage estimating device for a power supply line further comprises a power calculator configured to calculate power consumption by the second load based on the magnitude of the secondary voltage calculated by the secondary voltage calculator and the magnitude of the output current detected by the current detector.

8. The voltage estimating device for a power supply line according to claim 2 ,
wherein the voltage estimating device for a power supply line is configured to be installed in a railroad vehicle.

9. The voltage estimating device for a power supply line according to claim 2 ,
wherein the voltage estimating device for a power supply line is configured to be installed in a train comprising at least one railroad vehicle, and
wherein the train comprises the transformer.

10. The voltage estimating device for a power supply line according to claim 9 ,
wherein the voltage estimating device for a power supply line is configured to be installed in a power converter,
wherein the power converter is configured to be installed in the train, and, upon receiving output power including the secondary voltage and the output current from the transformer, to generate, from the output power, electric power that drives a motor based on the magnitude of the primary voltage calculated by the voltage calculator, and
wherein the motor is configured to generate driving force that operates the train.

11. The voltage estimating device for a power supply line according to claim 2 further comprising a storage that stores the correlation information,
wherein the voltage calculator is configured to calculate a magnitude of the primary voltage based on the correlation information stored in the storage.

12. A method for estimating voltage in a power supply line, the method comprising:
detecting a magnitude of specified voltage outputted from a transformer provided to a railroad vehicle, the transformer comprising a primary winding, a secondary winding, and a tertiary winding, the primary winding being configured to receive alternating primary voltage from a power supply line, the secondary winding being electromagnetically coupled to the primary winding and configured to output secondary voltage that is lower than the primary voltage and output current, the tertiary winding being electromagnetically coupled to the primary winding and configured to output tertiary voltage that is lower than the secondary voltage, and the specified voltage corresponding to the tertiary voltage,
detecting a magnitude of the output current, and
calculating a magnitude of the primary voltage based on the magnitude of the tertiary voltage detected, the magnitude of the output current detected, and correlation information, the correlation information indicating a correlation between a voltage ratio and the magnitude of the out

Assignees

• Tokai Ryokaku Tetsudo Kk

Inventors

• Sato Kenji
• Fukushima Takafumi
• Suyama Norihiro

Classifications

• H01F38/14

  Inductive couplings {(for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10)} · CPC title

• H01F27/42

  Circuits specially adapted for the purpose of modifying, or compensating for, electric characteristics of transformers, reactors, or choke coils (circuits for controlling transformers, reactors or choke coils, for the purpose of obtaining a desired output H02P13/00; impedance networks H03H) · CPC title

• B60L2200/26

  Rail vehicles · CPC title

• G01R19/2513

  Arrangements for monitoring electric power systems, e.g. power lines or loads; Logging · CPC title

• G01R31/008

  on air- or spacecraft, railway rolling stock or sea-going vessels · CPC title