Monitoring device of the open or closed state of an electric line of a railway vehicle, and electric line of a railway vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12570264-B2
Application number	US-202117760282-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 12, 2021
Priority date	Feb 13, 2020
Publication date	Mar 10, 2026
Grant date	Mar 10, 2026

Abstract

A monitoring device of the open or closed state of an electric line is disclosed. The device includes a first connection terminal and a second terminal connected to the electric line, a current generator that provides a non-zero reference current when there is a voltage greater than a predetermined minimum voltage Vmin at its ends and provides a zero current when there is a voltage less than the predetermined minimum voltage Vmin at its ends, at least one opto-isolator means including a lighting device and a respective photosensitive semi-conductor element, and a current detection and power supply module that detects current flowing therein, supplies a supply current to the lighting device when the detected current is equal to or greater than the reference current, and supplies a zero supply current to the lighting device when the detected current is less than the reference current.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A monitoring device of the open or closed state of an electric line of a railway vehicle, wherein the electric line is connected at a first side to a terminal of a battery of the railway vehicle and at a second side to a reference potential, said electric line comprising a first electrical contact or a first semiconductor switching circuit arranged to open or close the electric line;
said monitoring device of the open or closed state of an electric line of a railway vehicle comprising:
a first connection terminal arranged to be connected to a first point of said electric line and a second terminal arranged to be connected to a second point of said electric line;
a current generator arranged for:
when there is a voltage greater than a minimum preset voltage Vmin at ends of said current generator, supplying a reference current having a non-zero predetermined value in said electric line; and
when there is a voltage lower than the minimum preset voltage Vmin at the ends of said current generator, supplying a zero current in said electric line;

at least one opto-isolator means including a lighting device and a photosensitive semi-conductive element; and
a current detection and power supply module arranged for:
detecting the current flowing in said current detection and power supply module;
when the detected current flowing in said current detection and power supply module has a value equal to or greater than the value of the reference current generated by said current generator, supplying a supply current to said lighting device, the supply current being arranged to switch on the at least one lighting device;
when the detected current flowing in said current detection and power supply module has a lower value than the value of the reference current generated by said current generator, supplying a substantially zero supply current to said lighting device, so as to switch off the at least one lighting device;

said at least one photo-sensitive semiconductor element assuming a first state at its output terminals, when the lighting device is switched off and does not illuminate said at least one photosensitive semiconductor element, and assuming a second state at its output terminals, when the lighting device is switched on and illuminates said at least one photosensitive semiconductor element; the first state of said photosensitive semiconductor element being indicative of the fact that the electric line of the railway vehicle is in an open state.

2 . The monitoring device of the open or closed state of an electric line of a railway vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the lighting device of the at least one opto-isolator means is an LED.

3 . The monitoring device of the open or closed state of an electric line of a railway vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the first state of the photosensitive semiconductor element is a closed-circuit state and the second state of the photosensitive semiconductor element is an open-circuit state.

4 . The monitoring device of the open or closed state of an electric line of a railway vehicle of claim 2 , comprising a plurality of opto-isolator means, each of which comprises a respective lighting device and a respective photosensitive semi-conductor element.

5 . The monitoring device of the open or closed state of an electric line of a railway vehicle of claim 4 , wherein the first state of the photosensitive semiconductor element is a closed-circuit state and the second state of the photosensitive semiconductor element is an open-circuit state.

6 . The monitoring device of the open or closed state of an electric line of a railway vehicle of claim 4 , wherein the first state of the photosensitive semiconductor element is an open-circuit state and the second state of the element photosensitive semiconductor is a closed-circuit state.

7 . The monitoring device of the open or closed state of an electric line of a railway vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the first state of the photosensitive semiconductor element is an open-circuit state and the second state of the element photosensitive semiconductor is a closed-circuit state.

8 . The monitoring device of the open or closed state of an electric line of a railway vehicle of claim 1 , including a plurality of opto-isolator means, each of which include a respective lighting device and a respective photosensitive semi-conductor element.

9 . The monitoring device of the open or closed state of an electric line of a railway vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the first state of the photosensitive semiconductor element is an open-circuit state and the second state of the element photosensitive semiconductor is a closed-circuit state.

10 . The monitoring device of the open or closed state of an electric line of a railway vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the first state of the photosensitive semiconductor element is a closed-circuit state and the second state of the photosensitive semiconductor element is an open-circuit state.

11 . The monitoring device of the open or closed state of an electric line of a railway vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the first state of the photosensitive semiconductor element is an open-circuit state and the second state of the element photosensitive semiconductor is a closed-circuit state.

12 . The monitoring device of the open or closed state of an electric line of a railway vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the first state of the photosensitive semiconductor element is a closed-circuit state and the second state of the photosensitive semiconductor element is an open-circuit state.

13 . An electric line for a railway vehicle, wherein the electric line comprises:
a first electrical contact or a first semiconductor switching circuit arranged to open or close the electric line according to a pressure value upstream of a brake cylinder of the railway vehicle; a monitoring device of the open or closed state of the electric line of the railway vehicle comprising:
a first connection terminal arranged to be connected to a first point of said electric line and a second terminal arranged to be connected to a second point of said electric line;
a current generator arranged for:
when there is a voltage greater than a minimum preset voltage Vmin at ends of said current generator, supplying a reference current having a non-zero predetermined value in said electric line; and
when there is a voltage lower than the minimum preset voltage Vmin at the ends of said current generator, supplying a zero current in said electric line;

at least one opto-isolator means including a lighting device and a photosensitive semi-conductive element; and
a current detection and power supply module arranged for:
detecting the current flowing in said current detection and power supply module;
when the detected current flowing in said current detection and power supply module has a value equal to or greater than the value of the reference current generated by said current generator, supplying a supply current to said lighting device, the supply current being arranged to switch on the at least one lighting device;
when the detected current flowing in said current detection and power supply module has a lower value than the value of the reference current generated by said current generator, supplying a substantially zero supply current to said lighting device, so as to switch off the at least one lighting device;

said at least one photo-sensitive semiconductor element assuming a first state at its output terminals, when the lighting device is switched off and does not illuminate said at least one photosensitive semiconductor element, and assuming a second state at i

Assignees

• Faiveley Transport Italia Spa

Inventors

• Tione Roberto

Classifications

• B61L15/0081

  On-board diagnosis or maintenance · CPC title

• B60Y2200/30

  Railway vehicles · CPC title

• B60T13/665

  the systems being specially adapted for transferring two or more command signals, e.g. railway systems (B60T13/662 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60T17/228 Primary

  for railway vehicles · CPC title