DE102017222324A1 - Method and device for determining a state of wear of wheels of a rail vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A method is described for determining a state of wear of wheels of a rail vehicle, in which a vehicle speed (V) of the rail vehicle (10) and a speed (N) of a wheel (12) of the rail vehicle (10) for the detected vehicle speed (V) are detected are compared, the detected speed (N) of the wheel (12) with a target speed (Nsetpoint) of the wheel (12) for the detected vehicle speed (V) and then in dependence on this comparison result a characteristic value (K) for the state of wear of the wheel (12) is determined.

Description

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for determining a state of wear of wheels of a rail vehicle.

The wheels of a rail vehicle are subject to mechanical wear during operation of the rail vehicle. The tread and wheel flange of a wheel form a wheel profile of a given geometry. Each profile has wear limits that must be adhered to to ensure a stable wheel arch. Conventionally, therefore, the rail vehicles are serviced at regular intervals in a workshop to check the state of wear of the wheels with suitable measuring equipment. Such workshop visits are time consuming and costly and are associated with downtime or downtime of the rail vehicle.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for determining a state of wear of wheels of a rail vehicle during ongoing operation of the rail vehicle.

This object is achieved by the teaching of the independent claims. Particularly advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims.

The inventive method for determining a state of wear of wheels of a rail vehicle includes the steps of detecting a vehicle speed of the rail vehicle; detecting a rotational speed of a wheel of the rail vehicle for the detected vehicle speed; comparing the detected rotational speed of the wheel with a target rotational speed of the detected vehicle speed wheel; and determining a characteristic value for the state of wear of the wheel as a function of the comparison result of the detected rotational speed with the target rotational speed of the wheel.

The method of the invention enables automatic and continuous monitoring of the state of wear of the wheels of a rail vehicle during ongoing operation of the rail vehicle. With this method it is possible that a workshop visit of the rail vehicle only has to be planned if it is actually necessary due to an actual state of wear of the wheels. For this monitoring method advantageously no additional sensors or the like are needed, but can be used on measuring or detection devices that are usually present in rail vehicles anyway. To determine the wear of the wheels, no workshop needs to be visited and no staff must be scheduled. Also untypically high levels of wear are diagnosed earlier and more reliably, since not only snapshots such as manual inspection or photographic detection are taken into account with the method according to the invention.

The invention is based on the consideration that changes in a wear of a wheel, the wheel diameter, in particular reduced. As a result, the wheel rotates at a vehicle speed with a changed, especially higher speed. This change in speed can now be used to determine a measure of the wear of the wheel.

The inventive method for determining the state of wear of a wheel is preferably carried out for several or all wheels of the rail vehicle, for example, simultaneously or sequentially.

When detecting the current speed of the wheel, the speed of the wheel axle or directly the speed of the wheel is preferably detected.

To compare the detected current speed of the wheel with the target speed of the wheel for each current vehicle speed is preferably resorted to a stored table with value pairs for the vehicle speed and the wheel speed or to a stored calculation formula for the wheel speed as a function of vehicle speed.

In one embodiment of the invention, the method further comprises a step of comparing the determined characteristic for the state of wear of the wheel with a limit value. Characteristic value for the state of wear of the wheel, this limit characteristic value corresponding to a state of wear of the wheel which requires a predetermined measure. In the context of the invention, it is also possible to carry out several such comparisons with different limit values, the exceeding of which would then require different measures. The predetermined measures required include, for example, the planning of a workshop visit in the foreseeable future, a timely visit to a garage, the adaptation of the vehicle control, the adaptation of the brake control, and the like.

In one embodiment of the invention, the characteristic value for the state of wear of the wheel is only determined if the detected vehicle speed exceeds a lower limit value. By determining the characteristic value for the state of wear of the wheel only at vehicle speeds at which a stable rotational speed of the wheels is present, the reliability of the method according to the invention can be increased. In addition, in this way, for example, a smaller value table for the target speed can be provided or can be resorted to a simpler calculation formula for the target speed.

In one embodiment of the invention, the rotational speed of the wheel is detected by means of a brake control of the rail vehicle. Since the already existing brake control usually also information about the speed of the wheel detected / considered, can be dispensed with additional means for detecting the speed, so that the inventive method can be realized in a simple manner and in existing rail vehicle systems.

In one embodiment of the invention, the vehicle speed is detected by means of a satellite-based position detector (e.g., GPS or GLONASS). Since rail vehicles generally already have such a satellite-supported position detection device, it is possible to dispense with additional devices for detecting the vehicle speed, so that the method according to the invention can be implemented in a simple manner and also with already existing rail vehicle systems.

In this embodiment, the vehicle speed sensed using the satellite-based position detection device is preferably calibrated. With such a calibration, it is possible to correct any deviations of the vehicle speed detected with the aid of the satellite-supported position detection device from the actual vehicle speed.

In one embodiment of the invention, the step of determining the wear level characteristic of the wheel is performed in an on-board control unit (OCU) of the rail vehicle.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the determined characteristic value for the state of wear of the wheel is reported to a control center and / or displayed in the rail vehicle (for example in the driver's cab). In the same way, the exceeding of the limit characteristic value by the specific characteristic value can also be reported to a control center and / or displayed in the rail vehicle.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the method may further include a step of determining a wheel diameter based on the detected rotational speed of the wheel and the detected vehicle speed. The wheel diameter determined in this way can then preferably be forwarded to a vehicle control of the rail vehicle in order, for example, to optimize an actuation of the rail vehicle taking into account the wheel diameter.

The device according to the invention for determining a state of wear of wheels of a rail vehicle has a device for detecting a vehicle speed of the rail vehicle and a device for detecting a rotational speed of a wheel of the rail vehicle. The further-provided control device is configured to determine a characteristic value for the state of wear of the wheel as a function of a comparison result of a detected rotational speed with a target rotational speed of the wheel for a detected vehicle speed.

With this device, the same advantages can be achieved as with the method of the invention described above. With regard to the advantages, definitions of terms and advantageous embodiments, reference is therefore additionally made to the above statements on the method of the invention.

In one embodiment of the invention, the device for detecting a rotational speed of a wheel of the rail vehicle on a brake control of the rail vehicle.

In one embodiment of the invention, the device for detecting a vehicle speed of the rail vehicle has a satellite-supported position detection device.

In one embodiment of the invention, the control device has an onboard control unit (OCU) of the rail vehicle.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the control device can also be configured to determine a wheel diameter on the basis of the detected rotational speed of the wheel and the detected vehicle speed.

Finally, the subject matter of the invention is also a rail vehicle with a device described above for determining a state of wear of wheels of a rail vehicle according to the invention.

• 1 eine Darstellung eines Schienenfahrzeugs mit einer Überwachung eines Verschleißzustandes der Räder während des laufenden Betriebs des Schienenfahrzeugs gemäß der Erfindung; und
• 2 ein Flussdiagramm eines Verfahrens zum Ermitteln eines Verschleißzustandes von Rädern eines Schienenfahrzeugs gemäß der Erfindung.

The above and other advantages and features of the invention will become more apparent from the following description of an embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. In it show, in part schematically:

• 1 a representation of a rail vehicle with a monitoring of a state of wear of the wheels during operation of the rail vehicle according to the invention; and
• 2 a flowchart of a method for determining a state of wear of wheels of a rail vehicle according to the invention.

1 shows in a greatly simplified form a rail vehicle with an inventive monitoring of a state of wear of the wheels.

The rail vehicle 10 has in the usual way a plurality of wheelsets, each with two connected via a common wheel axle wheels 12 on.

The wheelsets are powered by a brake control 14 controlled by a data bus 16 of the rail vehicle 10 connected is. To this data bus 18 is also a vehicle control unit (VCU) in the usual way 18 connected.

Also, to the data bus 16 of the rail vehicle 10 an onboard control unit (onboard control unit, OCU) 20 connected. For example, this communicates with a cloud architecture 22 , The cloud architecture 22 includes, for example, a cloud 24 with a database 25 and a control center 26 , In the database 25 the cloud 24 is a table of values for nominal speeds Nsoll of the wheels 12 for different vehicle speeds V stored on which the onboard control unit 20 can access.

As in 1 shown is for several or all wheels 12 of the rail vehicle 10 one speed sensor each 28 provided, the rotational speed of the wheel axle or directly the rotational speed of the wheel 12 detected. Such a speed sensor 28 is from the brake control 14 processed anyway, so in a simple way and without additional components, the current speed N of the wheel 12 can be detected. For example, the speed sensor 28 detecting a rotation signal by receiving at the wheel axle signals to a flywheel with known gearing, wherein the brake control 14 then from this rotation signal, the actual speed N of the wheel 12 determined.

As in 1 is the on-board control unit 20 furthermore with a satellite-supported position detection device (eg GPS or GLONASS system) 30 coupled. The onboard control unit 20 gets current position data X of the rail vehicle 10 , From these position data X or their temporal change, the onboard control unit 20 the current vehicle speed V determine. The typical deviation of the real vehicle speed from that with the aid of the satellite-based position detection device 30 determined vehicle speed is after installation in the rail vehicle 10 in known conditions or after a successful reset / initialization of the database 25 determined once and as a correction factor in the onboard control unit 20 deposited.

Next is to the data bus 16 of the rail vehicle 10 also a display device 32 connected, for example, in the cab of the rail vehicle 10 is provided. With this display device 32 can in the rail vehicle 10 Information from the onboard control unit 20 and the vehicle control unit 18 are displayed.

2 shows the sequence of a method according to the invention for determining a state of wear of wheels of a rail vehicle in the form of a flow chart.

In a first step S100 is from the onboard control unit 20 with the aid of the satellite-based position detection device 30 the current vehicle speed V detected. In a second step S102 is checked whether the detected vehicle speed V exceeds a lower limit Vmin of the vehicle speed. The further method for monitoring the state of wear of the wheels 12 should be performed only from this lower limit Vmin. In addition, the other method for monitoring the state of wear of the wheels 12 preferably be performed only when the vehicle speed is constant over a defined period of time and is above this lower limit Vmin.

Subsequently, in one step S104 by means of the speed sensor 28 and the brake control 14 the current one of a wheel 12 of the rail vehicle 10 detected. Optionally, this step may S104 also before the step S100 detecting the vehicle speed V be performed.

Then the onboard control unit compares 20 The current speed recorded in this way N of the wheel with a target speed Nset of the wheel for this current vehicle speed V they are from the database 25 the cloud 24 taps.

From the comparison of the two speed values N . nsetp , in particular from the difference, for the current vehicle speed determines the onboard control unit 20 then in step S108 a characteristic value K for the wear of the wheel 12 ,

The characteristic value determined in this way K Optionally to the control center 26 reported and / or on the display device 32 in the cab of the rail vehicle 10 be displayed (step S110 ).

Subsequently, in step S112 from the onboard control unit 20 the specific characteristic value K with a limit characteristic value Klimit, optionally also with several different limit characteristic values compared. For example, the limit values Klimit are also in the database 25 the cloud 24 deposited. The limit values Klimit are calibrated and normalized during commissioning of the monitoring system.

In step S114 checks the onboard control unit 20 whether the specific characteristic value K for the state of wear of the wheel 12 exceeds the specified limit value Klimit for the state of wear. If this is the case, this may also exceed the limit characteristic Klimit to the control center 26 reported and / or on the display device 32 in the cab of the rail vehicle 10 be displayed (step S116 ). If several different limit parameters Klimit are tested, in step S116 also reported or displayed which limit characteristic value or which limit characteristic values were exceeded.

Depending on which given limit characteristic Klimit for the state of wear of the wheel 12 from the current characteristic value K is exceeded for the state of wear, different measures are required. So in step S118 For example, a workshop visit to check the state of wear can be planned. In this workshop visit, for example, the possible actual remaining time of the wheel can be estimated. If the monitoring system is already in operation for an extended period of time and the value table is in the database 25 Based on a larger data history, it is also possible to dispense with a limit characteristic value Klimit for this estimation of the remaining time and, in the future, directly a limit characteristic value Klimit for the preparation / replacement of the wheels 12 be taken into account.

As in 2 illustrated, the detected values for the vehicle speed V and the speed N of the wheel 12 also be used elsewhere. For example, in one step S120 from these values N . V also the current wheel diameter D of the wheel 12 be calculated. The calculated wheel diameter D can then contact the vehicle control 18 be reported (step S122 ), so that they can adapt or optimize the vehicle operation accordingly (eg traction control, antilock braking system, brake control, etc.).

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

10

track vehicle

12

wheel

14

brake control

16

bus

18

Vehicle control unit (VCU)

20

Onboard Control Unit (OCU)

22

Cloud architecture

24

Cloud

25

Database

26

control center

28

Speed sensor

30

satellite-based position sensing device (e.g., GPS)

32

display device

D

Wheel diameter

K

Characteristic value for the state of wear

Klimit

Limit value for the state of wear

N

Actual speed of the wheel

nsetp

Target speed of the wheel

V

vehicle speed

Vmin

lower limit of vehicle speed

X

Position of the rail vehicle

Claims (14)

Method for determining a state of wear of wheels of a rail vehicle, comprising the steps: Detecting (S100) a vehicle speed (V) of the rail vehicle (10); Detecting (S104) a rotational speed (N) of a wheel (12) of the detected vehicle speed (V) rail vehicle (10); Comparing (S106) the detected rotational speed (N) of the wheel (12) with a target rotational speed (Nsetpoint) of the detected vehicle speed (V) wheel (12); and Determining (S108) a characteristic value (K) for the state of wear of the wheel (12) as a function of the comparison result of the detected rotational speed (N) with the nominal rotational speed (Nsetpoint) of the wheel. Method according to Claim 1 further comprising a step of comparing (S112) the determined characteristic value (K) for the state of wear of the wheel (12) with a limit value (Klimit) for the Wear state of the wheel (12), wherein the limit characteristic (Klimit) corresponds to a state of wear of the wheel (12), which requires a predetermined measure. Method according to Claim 1 or 2 in which the wear state value (K) of the wheel (12) is determined only when the detected vehicle speed (V) exceeds a lower limit value (Vmin). Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which the rotational speed (N) of the wheel (12) is detected by means of a brake control (14) of the rail vehicle (10). Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which the vehicle speed (V) is detected by means of a satellite-supported position detection device (30). Method according to Claim 5 in which the vehicle speed (V) detected with the aid of the satellite-supported position detection device (30) is calibrated. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the step of determining (S108) the characteristic (K) for the state of wear of the wheel (12) in an onboard control unit (20) of the rail vehicle (10) is executed. Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which the specific characteristic (K) for the state of wear of the wheel (12) is reported to a control center (26) and / or displayed in the rail vehicle (10). Method according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a step of determining (S120) a wheel diameter (D) based on the detected rotational speed (N) of the wheel (12) and the detected vehicle speed (V). Device for determining a state of wear of wheels of a rail vehicle, comprising: means (20, 30) for detecting a vehicle speed (V) of the rail vehicle (10); means (14, 28) for detecting a rotational speed (N) of a wheel (12) of the rail vehicle (10); and a control device (20) which is designed to determine a characteristic value (K) for the state of wear of the wheel (12) as a function of a comparison result of a detected rotational speed (N) with a nominal rotational speed (Nsetpoint) of the wheel (12) for a recorded vehicle speed (V). Device after Claim 10 in which the device (14, 28) for detecting a rotational speed (N) of a wheel (12) of the rail vehicle (10) has a brake control (14) of the rail vehicle (10). Device after Claim 10 or 11 in which the device (20, 30) for detecting a vehicle speed (V) of the rail vehicle (10) comprises a satellite-supported position detection device (30). Device according to one of Claims 10 to 12 in which the control device (20) has an onboard control unit of the rail vehicle (10). Device according to one of Claims 10 to 13 in which the control device (20) is further configured to determine a wheel diameter (D) based on the detected rotational speed (N) of the wheel (12) and the detected vehicle speed (V).

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