Fluid spraying system and method for a mass transit vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9834095-B2
Application number	US-201514970964-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2015
Priority date	Dec 16, 2015
Publication date	Dec 5, 2017
Grant date	Dec 5, 2017

Abstract

In an apparatus and method of automatically providing or withholding fluid from a power rail for a mass transit vehicle, during movement of a mass transit vehicle on a pathway in an uncovered (or exposed) area of the pathway, fluid, for example, anti-icing fluid, is caused to be provided to (or dispensed on) the power rail supplying power to the mass transit vehicle. During movement of the mass transit vehicle in a covered area of the pathway, the fluid is withheld from (or not dispensed on) the power rail. The changing from fluid being dispensed on the power rail to the fluid being withheld from the power rail, or vice versa, can be based on movement of the mass transit vehicle from the uncovered area of the pathway to the covered area of the pathway, or vice versa.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mass transit vehicle comprising:
a first power collecting shoe configured to contact a power rail disposed along a pathway and to deliver electrical power from the power rail to one or more electrical circuits of the mass transit vehicle as the mass transit vehicle moves along the pathway;
a fluid reservoir;
a controller operative for automatically causing a fluid in the fluid reservoir to be provided to or withheld from the power rail based on positions of the mass transit vehicle on the pathway;
a second power collecting shoe, wherein the first and second power collecting shoes are disposed on respective first and second sides of the mass transit vehicle; and
a sensor operative for detecting the presence or absence of contact between the power rail and the first power collecting shoe or the second power collecting shoe and for providing to the controller an indication of said presence or absence of contact, wherein:
the controller is responsive to said indication for causing the fluid to be provided solely to a side of the vehicle where the power rail is contacted by the first power collecting shoe or the second power collecting shoe and for causing the fluid to be withheld from the other side of the vehicle.

2. The mass transit vehicle of claim 1 , wherein:
the fluid is an anti-icing fluid;
the fluid is withheld from the power rail at a covered position on the pathway; and
the fluid is provided to the power rail at an uncovered position on the pathway.

3. The mass transit vehicle of claim 1 , further including a GPS receiver, wherein the controller is operative for automatically causing the fluid to be provided to or withheld from the power rail based on GPS coordinates output by the GPS receiver.

4. The mass transit vehicle of claim 1 , wherein:
the mass transit vehicle includes a plurality of cars connected in series; and
the fluid is provided to the power rail from a car at one end of the plurality of cars.

5. The mass transit vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a spray head, wherein the fluid is provided to the power rail via the spray head.

6. The mass transit vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the power collecting shoe comprises the spray head.

7. A mass transit vehicle comprising:
a first power collecting shoe configured to contact a power rail disposed along a pathway and to deliver electrical power from the power rail to one or more electrical circuits of the mass transit vehicle as the mass transit vehicle moves along the pathway;
a fluid reservoir;
a controller operative for automatically causing a fluid in the fluid reservoir to be provided to or withheld from the power rail based on positions of the mass transit vehicle on the pathway; and
a first sensor operative for acquiring data from a marker on the pathway, wherein the controller automatically provides or withholds the fluid from the power rail based on the acquired data.

8. The mass transit vehicle of claim 7 , further including a second sensor operative for outputting a signal related to a distance traveled or a velocity of the mass transit vehicle.

9. The mass transit vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the second sensor is operative for outputting a signal related to rotational movement of a wheel of the mass transit vehicle.

10. The mass transit vehicle of claim 8 , wherein:
the controller processes the output of the second sensor during movement of the mass transit vehicle on the pathway to determine a distance the mass transit vehicle travels; and
the controller is operative for automatically providing or withholding the fluid from the power rail in response to determining that the mass transit vehicle has traveled a predetermined distance from the marker on the pathway.

11. The mass transit vehicle of claim 10 , wherein:
the marker is at an uncovered position on the pathway where the controller automatically provides the fluid to the power rail and the predetermined distance from the marker is a covered position on the pathway where the controller automatically withholds the fluid from the power rail; or
the marker is at a covered position on the pathway where the controller automatically withholds the fluid from the power rail and the predetermined distance from the marker is an uncovered position on the pathway where the controller automatically provides the fluid to the power rail.

12. The mass transit vehicle of claim 10 , wherein the predetermined distance includes a distance added to the position of the marker on the pathway.

13. The mass transit vehicle of claim 12 , wherein the predetermined distance further includes a distance between a position of the first sensor on the mass transit vehicle and a position on the mass transit vehicle where the fluid is provided to the power rail.

14. A method of automatically providing or withholding fluid from a power rail for a mass transit vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) during movement of a mass transit vehicle on a pathway in an uncovered (or exposed) area of the pathway, automatically causing fluid to be provided to (or dispensed on) a power rail supplying power to the mass transit vehicle; and
(b) during movement of the mass transit vehicle in a covered area of the pathway, automatically causing the fluid to be withheld from (or not dispensed on) the power rail, wherein the method further includes:
(c) automatically changing from causing the fluid to be provided to the power rail to causing the fluid to be withheld from the power rail based on movement of the mass transit vehicle from the uncovered area of the pathway to the covered area of the pathway, respectively; or
(d) automatically changing from causing the fluid to be withheld from the power rail to causing the fluid to be provided to the power rail based on movement of the mass transit vehicle from the covered area of the pathway to the uncovered area of the pathway, respectively,
wherein at least one of step (c) and (d) occurs in response to determining that the mass transit vehicle has traveled a predetermined distance on the pathway from a marker associated with the pathway.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein at least one of step (c) and (d) is based on GPS coordinates of a GPS receiver of the mass transit vehicle.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the predetermined distance further includes a distance from a marker sensor on the mass transit vehicle and a position on the mass transit vehicle where the fluid is dispensed.

17. The method of claim 14 , further including:
detecting the presence of the power rail on a first side of the mass transit vehicle or a second side of the mass transit vehicle; and
during step (a), causing the fluid to be dispensed solely on the first side or the second side of the mass transit vehicle based on the detected presence of the power rail on said first side or said second side of the mass transit vehicle.

Assignees

• Bombardier Transp Gmbh

Inventors

• Jacob Richard
• Girard Christian

Classifications

• B60L5/02 Primary

  with ice-removing device · CPC title

• B60L5/39

  from third rail · CPC title