Track circuit mechanical joint integrity checker

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016152251-A1
Application number	US-201314900084-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 26, 2013
Priority date	Jul 26, 2013
Publication date	Jun 2, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An electrically insulating mechanical joint checker for mechanical joints connecting rails of following track segments of a railway line, each track segment forming part of a track circuit. The track segment includes electric signal transmitting units and receiving units for transmitting and receiving train presence detection signals within the track segment and/or relating communication signals between the train and the track segment. The train presence detection signals and communication signals include a further joint detection signal, generated and transmitted by the transmitting units and received by the receiving units belonging to the same track segment, the joint detection signal relating to the track segment being different at least in respect to the one relating to the adjacent track segments. The invention relates also to a method to detect a failure or breakage of a mechanical joint inside a track segment.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 - 15 . (canceled)

16 . An electrically insulating mechanical joint checker for mechanical joints connecting rails of subsequent track segments of a railway line, each track segment forming part of a track circuit, comprising:
electric signal transmitting units and receiving units operatively coupled to each track segment for transmitting and receiving train presence detection signals within said track segment and/or transmitting or receiving communication signals between a train and the track segment, wherein said signal transmitting units and receiving units are configured to transmit and receive an additional joint insulation integrity signal associated to each track segment to detect failure of insulation of said mechanical joints, and wherein said signal transmitting units and receiving units are configured to transmit and receive said joint insulation integrity signal related to the said track segment, which is different at least in respect to a joint insulation integrity signal relating to an adjacent track segments in parameters uniquely identifying the joint insulation integrity signal of each track segment.

17 . The mechanical joint checker according to claim 16 , wherein said signal transmitting units comprise a signal generation unit generating and transmitting said joint insulation integrity signal, and said signal receiving units comprise an analyzing unit comparing a received joint insulation integrity signal with the joint insulation integrity signal that identifies the track segment.

18 . The mechanical joint checker according to claim 17 , wherein said transmitting units comprise a timing system that activates the signal generation unit according to predetermined timing rules,
wherein electric signal transmitting units and receiving units provide said train presence detection signals and said communication signals as a wave having an amplitude maximum value and an amplitude minimum value, and wherein said generation unit is activated by said timing system during A time interval of amplitude minimum value.

19 . The mechanical joint checker according to claim 18 , wherein said signal transmitting units and receiving units are configured to transmit and receive said joint insulation integrity signal from a Frequency-shift keying modulation, in which a bit with value “1” presents a carrier frequency of 525 Hz while a bit with value “0” presents a carrier frequency of 475 Hz.

20 . The mechanical joint checker according to claim 16 , further comprising a system that sets the track circuit in a safety condition.

21 . The mechanical joint checker according to claim 16 , wherein said signal transmitting units and receiving units are configured to transmit and receive said joint insulation integrity signal as a digital signal comprising a bit coded message.

22 . The mechanical joint checker according to claim 21 , wherein said bit coded message is composed by 8 bit.

23 . The mechanical joint checker according to claim 16 , wherein said signal transmitting units and receiving units are configured to transmit and receive said joint insulation integrity signal with a carrier frequency of 500 Hz, and wherein the said signal transmitting units are configured to generate carrier waves.

24 . A method to detect a failure or breakage of a mechanical joint connecting rails of subsequent track segments of a railway line, each track segment forming part of a track circuit, wherein each track segment is operatively coupled to electric signal transmitting units and receiving units for transmitting and receiving train presence detection signals within said track segment and/or communications signals between a train and the said track segment, the method comprising:
(a) causing the transmitting units to generate an additional joint insulation integrity signal, which is associated to each track segment, said joint insulation integrity signal associated with said track segment being different from the joint insulation integrity signal associated with an adjacent track segments in parameters uniquely identifying the joint insulation integrity signal of each track segment; (b) transmitting said joint insulation integrity signal with the said transmitting units; (c) receiving said joint insulation integrity signal at said receiving units; (d) comparing the received joint insulation integrity signal with the joint insulation integrity signal that identifies the track segment with said receiving units, said transmitting units and said receiving units belonging to a same track segment; and e) setting said track segment in an occupied status.

25 . The method according to claim 24 , wherein transmitting said joint insulation integrity signal comprises transmitting said joint insulation integrity signal as a digital signal comprising a bit coded message.

26 . The method according to claim 25 , wherein the bit coded message is composed by 8 bit.

27 . The method according to claim 25 , wherein step(b) comprises the steps of:
(b1) transmitting said joint insulation integrity signal comprising said bit coded message, and (b2) transmitting of said joint insulation integrity signal comprising a logical complement of said bit coded message.

28 . The method according to claim 24 , further comprising the step of causing said electric signal transmitting units and receiving units to transmit and receive said train presence detection signals and said communication signals as a wave having an amplitude maximum value and an amplitude minimum value,
wherein transmitting said joint insulation integrity signal occurs only during a time interval of amplitude minimum value.

29 . The method according to claim 24 , wherein transmitting said joint insulation integrity signal comprises transmitting said joint insulation integrity signal with a carrier frequency of 500 Hz.

30 . The method according to claim 29 , wherein step (a) is obtained by a Frequency-shift keying modulation, in which a bit with value “1” has a carrier frequency of 525 Hz and a bit with value “0” has a carrier frequency of 475 Hz.

Assignees

• Alstom Transp Tech

Inventors

• Aisa Pier Alessandro

Classifications

• B61L1/20

  Safety arrangements for preventing or indicating malfunction of the device, e.g. by leakage current, by lightning · CPC title

• B61L1/18 Primary

  Railway track circuits (rail joints E01B11/00, e.g. insulated rail joints E01B11/54) · CPC title

• B61L1/188

  Use of coded current · CPC title

• B61L1/187 Primary

  Use of alternating current · CPC title

• B61L23/04

  for monitoring the mechanical state of the route · CPC title