CN112996705A - Vibration damper for railway vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A vibration damping device for a railway vehicle is provided with an actuator between a vehicle body and a bogie. Shock absorbers are arranged between the trolley and each wheel. A trolley side acceleration sensor is arranged on the trolley. A vehicle body side acceleration sensor is provided on the vehicle body. The control device excites the bogie by exciting the actuator at a predetermined frequency, thereby determining an abnormality of the damper or the sensor.

Description

Vibration damper for railway vehicle

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a vibration damping device for a railway vehicle, for example, which reduces vibration of the railway vehicle.

Background

In order to improve the ride comfort of a railway vehicle, a vehicle is known in which a vibration damping device is disposed between a bogie and a vehicle body. Since the vibration damper contributes to improvement in the riding comfort of the occupant and the passenger, it is desirable to be able to diagnose abnormality of the vibration damper, for example, before operation, in addition to diagnosis of abnormality (failure) of the vibration damper during operation. For example, patent document 1 describes a technique for diagnosing each device (actuator, sensor) of a control system by exciting a control actuator provided between a vehicle body and a bogie in the vertical direction while the vehicle is stopped.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese unexamined patent publication No. 5-184002

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

Patent document 1 is a diagnostic method for a device disposed between a carriage and a vehicle body, and for example, an abnormality of a shock absorber disposed between the carriage and a wheel is not diagnosed. Therefore, an abnormality of the shock absorber disposed between the bogie and the wheel may not be sufficiently ensured by, for example, visual confirmation, and the accuracy and rapidity of the determination of the normality or abnormality may not be sufficiently ensured.

Means for solving the problems

The invention aims to provide a vibration damping device for a railway vehicle, which can accurately and rapidly judge the normality and abnormality of a buffer and the like arranged between a trolley and wheels.

A vibration damping device for a railway vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention includes: an actuator which is provided between a vehicle body and a bogie of the railway vehicle and which vibrates in the vertical direction; an actuator control device that controls the actuator; a damper provided between the carriage and each wheel attached to the carriage, the damper suppressing vibration of the carriage; a sensor provided on the vehicle body or the carriage and detecting a vibration state of the vehicle body or the carriage; the vehicle control device includes an abnormality detection unit configured to excite the actuator at a predetermined frequency by the actuator control device to excite the bogie, and determine an abnormality of the damper or the sensor.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to quickly determine with high accuracy whether a shock absorber or the like provided between a bogie and a wheel is normal or abnormal.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a side view schematically showing a railway vehicle on which a brake device for a railway vehicle according to a first embodiment is mounted;

fig. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the positional relationship of the carriage, wheels, dampers, acceleration sensors, etc. in fig. 1;

fig. 3 is a plan view schematically showing the positional relationship among the vehicle body, the actuator, the inverter, the acceleration sensor, and the like in fig. 1;

fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a process of abnormality detection of the control device;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process of "abnormality detection of shock absorber" in FIG. 4;

fig. 6 is a side view schematically showing a railway vehicle on which a vibration damping device for a railway vehicle according to a second embodiment is mounted;

fig. 7 is a plan view schematically showing the positional relationship among the carriage, the wheels, the damping force adjusting shock absorbers, the acceleration sensors, and the like in fig. 6;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a "shock absorber abnormality detection" process according to the second embodiment;

fig. 9 is a flowchart showing a process of "abnormality detection of shock absorber" according to a first modification;

fig. 10 is a flowchart showing "abnormality detection of shock absorber" processing of the third embodiment;

fig. 11 is a flowchart showing "abnormality detection of shock absorber" processing in a second modification;

fig. 12 is a flowchart showing "abnormality detection of shock absorber" processing in the fourth embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing processing after "A" in the lower right corner of FIG. 12;

fig. 14 is a flowchart showing a process of "abnormality detection of the shock absorber" in the third modification;

fig. 15 is a flowchart showing a process of "abnormality detection of the shock absorber" in the fourth modification;

fig. 16 is a flowchart showing a process of "abnormality detection of the shock absorber" in the fifth modification.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, a case where the vibration damping device for a railway vehicle according to the embodiment is mounted on a railway vehicle such as an electric car, a pneumatic car, or a passenger car will be described with reference to the drawings. Each step in the flowcharts shown in fig. 4, 5, and 8 to 16 is represented by "S" (for example, step 1 is "S1"). In fig. 1 to 3, 6, and 7, the left side (one side in the vehicle longitudinal direction) of the drawing is described as the front side in the traveling direction of the railway vehicle, and the right side (the other side in the vehicle longitudinal direction) of the drawing is described as the rear side in the traveling direction of the railway vehicle.

Fig. 1 to 5 show a first embodiment. In fig. 1, a railway vehicle 1 (hereinafter referred to as a vehicle 1) includes a vehicle body 2 on which a passenger such as a passenger or a crew member sits, a front bogie 3A provided below the vehicle body 2, and a rear bogie 3B. The two carriages 3A, 3B are disposed at a distance from each other on the front side (left side in fig. 1 to 3 on one side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 2) and the rear side (right side in fig. 1 to 3 on the other side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body 2) of the vehicle body 2.

Thus, the vehicle body 2 of the vehicle 1 is set on the pair of bogies 3A, 3B. In fig. 1 to 3 (and fig. 6 and 7 described later), in order to avoid the complexity of the drawings, one vehicle 1, that is, one train is shown. However, the number of trains to be operated is large, and the trains to be connected to a plurality of vehicles 1, that is, the trains constructed by a plurality of vehicles 1.

The carriages 3A, 3B include carriage frames 4A, 4B, a plurality of wheels 5A-5H, a plurality of shaft springs 8, and a plurality of dampers 9A-9H. The wheels 5A to 5H are rotatably supported by carriage frames 4A and 4B serving as support structures, and are attached to the carriages 3A and 3B. That is, two wheel shafts 7A to 7D, each provided with wheels 5A to 5H at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the axles 6A to 6D (fig. 2) (i.e., both ends in the width direction of the vehicle body 2), are separately attached to the respective carriages 3A, 3B ( carriage frames 4A, 4B) in the front-rear direction. Thus, 4 wheels 5A to 5D and 5E to 5H are provided on the respective carriages 3A and 3B.

That is, the wheels 5A-5H are provided 4 per vehicle and 8 per vehicle. The vehicle 1 travels along the left and right rails R (only one is illustrated in fig. 1) while rotating on the rails R by the wheels 5A to 5H. The left-right direction is based on a state facing the traveling direction. That is, the left-right direction corresponds to the width direction of the vehicle body 2 (the axial direction of the axles 6A to 6D), and for example, in fig. 1, the front side in the front-back direction perpendicular to the paper surface is set to the left, and the back side is set to the right.

Between the carriage frames 4A, 4B of the carriages 3A, 3B and the wheels 5A-5H (more specifically, bearing housings that rotatably support the axles 6A-6D), there are provided shaft springs 8, 8 that damp vibrations and shocks from the wheels 5A-5H, and dampers 9A-9H that are dampers disposed in parallel relation to the shaft springs 8, 8. The shaft springs 8, 8 are primary springs provided between the wheels 5A-5H and the like which become "unsprung weight" and the carriage frames 4A, 4B and the like which become "inter-spring mass". The shaft springs 8, 8 are formed of, for example, coil springs, and 2 are provided on both sides of the axles 6A to 6D, respectively. That is, the shaft springs 8 and 8 are provided for 8 cars, and 16 are provided for 16 cars.

For example, the dampers 9A to 9H are provided in 2 on the left and right sides of each of the carriages 3A and 3B (1 on each of the axial sides of the axles 6A to 6D). Namely, the dampers 9A to 9H are provided 4 per vehicle and 8 per vehicle. Dampers 9A to 9H are provided between the trucks 3A, 3B (more specifically, the truck frames 4A, 4B) and the respective wheels 5A to 5H (more specifically, the bearing housings), and suppress vibration of the trucks 3A, 3B. That is, the dampers 9A to 9H are interposed (disposed) between the carriage frames 4A, 4B and the like that become "inter-spring masses" and the wheels 5A to 5H and the like that become "unsprung masses". The dampers 9A to 9H are hydraulic shock absorbers which generate a force to reduce vibration (relative displacement) with respect to vertical vibration of the carriages 3A and 3B ( carriage frames 4A and 4B) with respect to the wheels 5A to 5H (relative displacement between the wheels 5A to 5H and the carriage frames 4A and 4B), that is, a damping force. Thus, the dampers 9A to 9H reduce the vertical vibration of the carriages 3A and 3B. In the first embodiment, the dampers 9A to 9H as dampers are configured as belt dampers (passive dampers) that change the damping force in accordance with the stroke speed.

On the other hand, a plurality of air springs 10A to 10D for elastically supporting the vehicle body 2 on the respective bogies 3A and 3B, and a plurality of actuators 11A to 11D arranged in parallel relation to the respective air springs 10A to 10D are provided between the vehicle body 2 and the respective bogies 3A and 3B. The air springs 10A to 10D are also called "pillow springs" or "suspension springs", and are secondary springs provided between the vehicle body 2 or the like serving as "sprung mass" and the carriage frames 4A, 4B or the like serving as "unsprung mass". One air spring 10A to 10D is provided on each of the left and right sides of each of the carriages 3A and 3B. That is, there are 2 air springs 10A-10D per vehicle and 4 air springs per vehicle.

The actuators 11A to 11D are body pallet actuators provided between the body 2 of the vehicle 1 and the pallets 3A and 3B (the pallet frames 4A and 4B), and are excited in the vertical direction. In this case, the actuators 11A to 11D are constituted by linear actuators, for example, electric linear motors (electromagnetic actuators) such as three-phase linear motors. The actuators 11A to 11D constitute electric suspensions (electromagnetic suspensions) for buffering (damping) vibrations in the vertical direction between the vehicle body 2 and the trucks 3A, 3B together with the air springs 10A to 10D. The actuators 11A-11D generate adjustable forces in the up-down direction. Two actuators 11A-11D are provided separately in the left-right direction for each of the carriages 3A, 3B, and four actuators 11A-11D are provided for each of the carriages.

That is, as shown in fig. 3, the actuators 11A to 11D are disposed on two axes with respect to one vehicle 3A, 3B, and on four axes with respect to one vehicle (two vehicles 3A, 3B). Specifically, a first actuator 11A on the FL side and a second actuator 11B on the FR side are disposed between the front side of the vehicle body 2 and the front bogie 3A, which are separated in the left-right direction. Between the rear portion of the vehicle body 2 and the rear bogie 3B, a third actuator 11C on the RL side and a fourth actuator 11D on the RR side are disposed apart in the left-right direction.

The actuators 11A to 11D are mounted in the up-down direction with respect to the vehicle 1. The first actuator 11A and the second actuator 11B, and the third actuator 11C and the fourth actuator 11D are disposed apart from each other in the left-right direction (width direction) of the respective carriages 3A, 3B with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. The actuators 11A to 11D generate forces so that the vibrations of the vehicle body 2 with respect to the front bogie 3A and the rear bogie 3B are damped and reduced in the left-right direction by the respective bogies 3A and 3B, based on command signals individually output from the control device 15. At this time, the actuators 11A to 11D generate forces by electric power supplied via the inverters 12A to 12D.

The FL-side first inverter 12A is provided corresponding to the FL-side first actuator 11A. The FR-side second inverter 12B is provided corresponding to the FR-side second actuator 11B. The RL-side third inverter 12C is provided corresponding to the RL-side third actuator 11C. The RR-side fourth inverter 12D is provided corresponding to the RR-side fourth actuator 11D. The inverters 12A to 12D are power supply circuits of the actuators 11A to 11D.

The power line side of the inverters 12A to 12D is connected to a vehicle power source (not shown) (for example, a power supply source from an overhead wire, a generator, or the like), and the power line side is connected to the actuators 11A to 11D. The inverters 12A to 12D are configured to include a plurality of switching elements each including, for example, a transistor, a Field Effect Transistor (FET), an Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT), or the like, and each switching element is controlled based on a command signal from the control device 15.

The inverters 12A to 12D drive the actuators 11A to 11D based on a command signal from the control device 15 and electric power from a vehicle power supply. That is, when the actuators 11A to 11D are operated, electric power is supplied from the vehicle electric power source to the actuators 11A to 11D via the inverters 12A to 12D. At this time, the inverters 12A to 12D generate three-phase (u-phase, v-phase, w-phase) alternating currents from the electric power supplied from the vehicle electric power source via the power lines, and supply the electric power to the coils (not shown) of the actuators 11A to 11D via the power lines.

As shown in fig. 2, a total of 2 (4 for each vehicle) carriage-side acceleration sensors 13A to 13D are provided at two positions on the carriages 3A and 3B spaced apart in the front-rear direction, and the vertical acceleration of the carriages 3A and 3B is detected as the unsprung acceleration at each position. The carriage-side acceleration sensors 13A to 13D are sensors (behavior sensors) that are mounted on different portions of the vehicle 1 and detect the behavior of the vehicle 1 (more specifically, the vibration states of the carriages 3A and 3B). As the carriage-side acceleration sensors 13A to 13D, various acceleration sensors such as piezoelectric, servo, and piezoresistive analog acceleration sensors can be used, and particularly, an acceleration sensor having excellent water resistance and heat resistance is preferably used.

Here, the first carriage-side acceleration sensor 13A and the second carriage-side acceleration sensor 13B are disposed on the front carriage 3A. In this case, the first carriage-side acceleration sensor 13A is disposed at a position close to the front axle 6A, and the second carriage-side acceleration sensor 13B is disposed at a position close to the rear axle 6B. The third vehicle-side acceleration sensor 13C and the fourth vehicle-side acceleration sensor 13D are disposed on the rear vehicle 3B. In this case, the third vehicle-side acceleration sensor 13C is disposed at a position close to the front axle 6C, and the fourth vehicle-side acceleration sensor 13D is disposed at a position close to the rear axle 6D.

Each of the truck-side acceleration sensors 13A to 13D is connected to the control device 15. The respective carriage-side acceleration sensors 13A to 13D output acceleration detection signals of the carriages 3A and 3B detected at the respective positions to the control device 15 as mutually different signals (vibration detection signals of the carriages 3A and 3B as vehicle behaviors). Further, the truck-side acceleration sensors 13A to 13D are not limited to the front and rear sides of the trucks 3A, 3B, and may be disposed on the left and right sides of the trucks 3A, 3B, for example, and the sensor arrangement on the trucks 3A, 3B may be any arrangement. The number of the carriage-side acceleration sensors 13A to 13D is not limited to 2 per 1 vehicle, and can be freely selected depending on the purpose of measurement and control. For example, one vehicle may be provided for each of the carriages 3A and 3B, or three or more vehicles may be provided for each of the carriages 3A and 3B. The number of sensors may be different between the front carriage 3A and the rear carriage 3B.

As shown in fig. 3, a total of 4 vehicle-body-side acceleration sensors 14A to 14D are provided at 4 corner-side positions on the vehicle body 2, which are separated in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction, and the vertical acceleration of the vehicle body 2 is detected as sprung acceleration at each position. The vehicle-body-side acceleration sensors 14A to 14D are sensors (motion sensors) that are mounted on different portions of the vehicle 1 to detect the motion of the vehicle 1 (more specifically, the vibration state of the vehicle body 2). As the vehicle-body-side acceleration sensors 14A to 14D, various acceleration sensors such as analog acceleration sensors of piezoelectric type, servo type, and piezoresistance type can be used, as well as the carriage-side acceleration sensors 13A to 13D.

Here, the first vehicle-body-side acceleration sensor 14A is disposed at a position on the front left side (FL) of the vehicle body 2 close to the first actuator 11A, and the second vehicle-body-side acceleration sensor 14B is disposed at a position on the front right side (FR) of the vehicle body 2 close to the second actuator 11B. The third vehicle-body-side acceleration sensor 14C is disposed at a position on the rear left side (RL) of the vehicle body 2 close to the third actuator 11C, and the fourth vehicle-body-side acceleration sensor 14D is disposed at a position on the rear right side (RR) of the vehicle body 2 close to the fourth actuator 11D.

Each of the vehicle body side acceleration sensors 14A to 14D is connected to the control device 15. The vehicle-body-side acceleration sensors 14A to 14D output detection signals of the acceleration of the vehicle body 2 detected at the respective positions to the control device 15 as mutually different signals (detection signals of the vibration of the vehicle body 2 as the vehicle motion). The vehicle-body-side acceleration sensors 14A to 14D are not limited to the front left side, the front right side, the rear left side, and the rear right side of the vehicle body 2, and may be arranged in the front center, the center left side, the center right side, the rear center, and the like of the vehicle body 2, for example, and the sensor arrangement on the vehicle body 2 may take any form. The number of the vehicle-body-side acceleration sensors 14A to 14D is not limited to 4, and can be freely selected according to the purpose of measurement and control. For example, 2, 3, or 5 or more may be provided on the vehicle body 2.

Next, the control device 15 that performs determination of normality/abnormality of the actuators 11A to 11D and determination of normality/abnormality of the dampers 9A to 9H and the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D in addition to variably controlling the generation forces of the actuators 11A to 11D will be described.

The control device 15 is provided at a predetermined position of the vehicle 1 (for example, a position substantially at the center of the vehicle 2, or the like). The control device 15 is configured to include a microcomputer or the like, for example. An input side of the control device 15 is connected to the inverters 12A to 12D, the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D, 14A to 14D, and the like. The output side of the control device 15 is connected to the actuators 11A to 11D via inverters 12A to 12D. The control device 15 includes a memory 15A as a storage unit, which is configured from, for example, a ROM, a RAM, a nonvolatile memory, or the like. The memory 15A stores, for example, a program for performing control processing of the actuators 11A to 11D, a program for performing processing for abnormality detection shown in fig. 4 and 5, a determination value (determination criterion) for processing for abnormality detection, and the like.

The control device 15 is connected to another control device (e.g., a higher-level control device (not shown)) via a communication line 16, for example, vehicle information of the vehicle 1 (e.g., a traveling position and a traveling speed of the vehicle) is input to the control device 15 from a higher-level control device via the communication line 16, for example, operation information of the vehicle 1 (vibration information of the vehicle body 2 and vibration information of the carriages 3A and 3B), abnormality information of the actuators 11A to 11D, and abnormality information of the shock absorbers 9A to 9H or the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D are output from the control device 15 to the higher-level control device, and one control device 15 is disposed on one vehicle body 2, for example.

The control device 15 performs an internal operation based on, for example, sensor signals obtained from the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D and a signal obtained via the communication line 16, and outputs a command signal to each of the actuators 11A to 11D (more specifically, the inverters 12A to 12D). That is, the control device 15 is a control device of the actuators 11A to 11D. In this case, the control device 15 includes an actuator control unit that variably controls the generated force of the actuators 11A to 11D via the inverters 12A to 12D.

In order to reduce vibrations such as rolling (rolling) and pitching (rocking in the front-rear direction) of the vehicle body 2 and improve ride comfort, detection signals from the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D and the like are read at sampling intervals, and a command signal (current value of a control command) is calculated according to Skyhook theory (Skyhook control rule), for example. On this basis, the actuator control unit individually outputs command signals to the inverters 12A to 12D, and variably controls the generation force of each of the actuators 11A to 11D. The control rule of the actuators 11A to 11D is not limited to the skyhook control rule, and for example, an LQG control rule, an H ∞ control rule, or the like may be adopted. The (actuator control unit of the) control device 15 corresponds to an actuator control device that controls the actuators 11A to 11D.

However, in order to improve the ride quality of the railway vehicle, many vehicles are provided with a vibration damping device between the bogie and the vehicle body. The vibration damping device is intended to suppress vibrations in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction, and for example, is a device that switches damping force according to the vibration condition to a device that actively generates control force to suppress vibrations. Since such a vibration damping device contributes to improvement in the riding comfort of the crew and passengers, it is desirable to be able to perform abnormality diagnosis of the vibration damping device, for example, before operation, in addition to diagnosis of abnormality (failure) during operation (soundness diagnosis). If the abnormality diagnosis can be appropriately performed before the operation, the vehicle or the program having the abnormality can be removed before the operation, and the vehicle or the program can be operated only with the normal vehicle or the program. This eliminates the discomfort to the riding comfort of the crew and the passengers, and contributes to the improvement of the reliability of the vibration damping device.

Here, patent document 1 describes a technique for diagnosing each device (actuator, sensor) of the control system by exciting an actuator provided between the vehicle body and the bogie in the vertical direction while the vehicle is stopped. However, this conventional technique is a diagnostic method for a device disposed between the bogie and the vehicle body, and does not detect an abnormality of the shock absorber disposed between the bogie and the wheel. That is, the abnormality of the shock absorber disposed between the bogie and the wheel is not diagnosed. In addition, abnormality of various sensors that detect the vibration state of the vehicle body or the truck is not diagnosed. Therefore, the abnormality of the buffer and the various sensors is, for example, a visual real machine check.

However, even if such visual confirmation makes it possible to determine an abnormality that can be determined from the appearance, it is difficult to diagnose whether or not the actual damping force of the damper is normally generated. In addition, for example, in the case of a sensor, even if it is possible to determine whether or not the appearance is normal, it is difficult to confirm an abnormality inside the sensor housing. Therefore, according to the conventional technique, there is a possibility that the accuracy and rapidity of the determination of normality or abnormality cannot be sufficiently ensured.

Therefore, in the first embodiment, the abnormality of the shock absorbers 9A to 9H or the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D between the trucks 3A and 3B and the wheels 5A to 5H can be detected. For this purpose, the control device 15 includes an abnormality detection unit that detects an abnormality in the dampers 9A to 9H or the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D. The control device 15 (the abnormality detection unit thereof) excites the actuators 11A to 11D at a predetermined frequency by the control device 15 (the actuator control unit thereof) to excite the carriages 3A and 3B, thereby determining the abnormality of the dampers 9A to 9H or the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D.

In the first embodiment, it is determined whether or not the dampers 9A to 9H and the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D are normal. That is, in the first embodiment, it is determined whether "the dampers 9A to 9H and at least one of the sensors 13A to 13D, 14A to 14D are abnormal", but whether "the dampers 9A to 9H are abnormal" or "the sensors 13A to 13D, 14A to 14D are abnormal" is not divided. In other words, when it is determined that there is an abnormality, it is not determined whether the abnormality is an abnormality of the mitigators 9A to 9H or an abnormality of the sensors 13A to 13D, 14A to 14D. In contrast, in the fourth embodiment described later, whether the shock absorber is abnormal or the sensor is abnormal is classified (determined).

In the first embodiment, the control device 15 determines whether or not to start abnormality detection. When the control device 15 determines to start the abnormality detection, for example, when a start instruction of the abnormality detection is received and it is determined that the vehicle 1 has stopped, the determination is started. The control device 15 performs self-diagnosis of the actuators 11A to 11D before the excitation of the actuators 11A to 11D. The self-diagnosis of the actuators 11A to 11D determines whether the actuators 11A to 11D can operate normally, for example, based on disconnection, short-circuit detection, presence or absence of a history of current temperatures and past abnormal temperatures of the actuators 11A to 11D, a power supply voltage to the inverters 12A to 12D, and the like. For example, when the actuators 11A to 11D show a history of temperature abnormality in the past and it is determined that the performance of the actuators 11A to 11D is deteriorated, the control device 15 considers that the actuators 11A to 11D are abnormal and does not detect the abnormality of the dampers 9A to 9H and the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D. That is, the detection of the abnormality is ended.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the actuators 11A to 11D are normal, the dampers 9A to 9H and the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D are detected for abnormality. Specifically, the control device 15 excites the carriages 3A and 3B at a predetermined frequency using the actuators 11A to 11D. That is, the carriages 3A, 3B are vibrated based on the excitation of the actuators 11A to 11D. For example, the actuators 11A to 11D vibrate at a frequency at which the dollies 3A, 3B vibrate but the vehicle body 2 does not vibrate. The predetermined frequency may be set to, for example, a frequency at which the carriages 3A and 3B can be vibrated and an abnormality determination (for example, a difference between sensor values is significant between an abnormality and a normal state) can be performed.

The actuators 11A-11D excite each of the carriages 3A, 3B. That is, the control device 15, for example, uses the one actuator 11A or 11B on the front side (or the other actuator 11C or 11D on the rear side) to excite the one carriage 3A (or the other carriage 3B) and determines whether the vehicle is normal or abnormal. Then, the controller 15 uses the other actuator 11C, 11D (or one actuator 11A, 11B) to excite the other carriage 3B (or one carriage 3A) to determine normality or abnormality. At this time, in order to vertically move the carriage 3A (3B), the actuators 11A, 11B (11C, 11D) attached to the left and right of the carriage 3A (3B) can be excited in the same phase. Further, the actuators 11A and 11B (11C and 11D) attached to the left and right sides of the carriage 3A (3B) may be excited in reverse phase to roll the carriage 3A (3B).

The control device 15 detects the vibration state based on the sensor values of the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D while exciting the actuators 11A and 11B (11C and 11D). The control device 15 determines whether or not the changes in the sensor values of the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D accompanying the excitation of the actuators 11A and 11B (11C and 11D) are normal, thereby determining normality and abnormality. When the normality or abnormality is determined, that is, when it is determined whether or not the change in the sensor value is normal, the excitation of the actuators 11A and 11B (11C and 11D) is stopped, and the abnormality detection is ended.

Here, the criterion for determining whether or not the change in the sensor value accompanying the excitation of the actuators 11A to 11D is normal may be determined by, for example, calculation simulating the structure of the vehicle 1, a simulation result, an actual vehicle experiment, or the like. For example, before the vehicle 1 is put into business operation, an operation test may be performed a plurality of times, and a determination criterion may be set based on a sensor value at that time. For example, an operation test may be performed a plurality of times in advance when the vehicle is new, the average value of the sensor values at this time may be used as a determination criterion, and then, each time the test result performed before the business operation is determined to be normal (the deviation from the determination criterion is within the allowable range), the test result may be updated as the determination criterion. Then, the control device 15 compares the sensor value during excitation with a determination criterion, and determines that the sensor value is normal when the sensor value is within a predetermined range of a predetermined value (allowable value) with respect to the determination criterion, and determines that the sensor value is abnormal when the sensor value is out of the predetermined range of the predetermined value (allowable value) with respect to the determination criterion. In this case, the predetermined value (allowable value) may be set to a value that can correctly determine whether normal or abnormal.

It is preferable that the determination criterion (and the predetermined value) is stored separately for each of the vehicle 1 and the carriages 3A and 3B. The reason for this is that the weight of each vehicle 1 differs depending on the equipment mounted on each vehicle 1, and the incidental objects of the carriages 3A and 3B also differ, and the weight also differs. That is, when the excitation conditions are made the same, since the amount of change in the sensor value changes when the weights of the excitation targets are different, it is preferable to store the determination criterion in the memory 15A separately for each of the vehicle 1 and the carriages 3A and 3B.

In the first embodiment, each of the carriages 3A and 3B is diagnosed. That is, the determination criterion is stored in the memory 15A separately for each of the carriages 3A and 3B. This is because there is a possibility that the "vehicle body 2" or the "connection portion between the vehicle body and the vehicle body" may mutually affect vibrations when 2 carriages 3A and 3B of 1 vehicle are simultaneously implemented, or when carriages of respective vehicles of a train (1) in which a plurality of vehicles are connected are simultaneously implemented. That is, when normal/abnormal determinations are made by exciting 1 vehicle and 2 vehicles simultaneously, or when normal/abnormal determinations are made by exciting each vehicle in a single configuration composed of a plurality of vehicles simultaneously, there is a possibility that the detection accuracy is lower than when normal/abnormal determinations are made by exciting 1 vehicle alone.

Therefore, in the first embodiment, each of the carriages 3A, 3B is diagnosed. On the other hand, when a plurality of vehicles are excited at the same time to determine normality or abnormality (that is, when one vehicle is performed at the same time or when one vehicle is performed at the same time), a plurality of determination criteria can be stored in the control device 15 according to the test conditions and can be associated with each other. For example, a threshold value can be set for each test condition based on data (stored data) of a sensor value associated with the excitation at the time of a previous test or before a normal business operation. In this case, as a test condition (a method of excitation), for example, each of the carriages is excited in the same phase (2 carriages are moved up and down together), each of the carriages is excited in the opposite phases in the left and right directions (2 carriages are rolled together), the right side of one carriage and the left side of the other carriage are excited in the same phase and the left side of the one carriage and the right side of the other carriage are excited in the same phase (moved diagonally), and the left and right carriages are excited in the opposite phases (one is moved up and the other is moved down).

In this way, in the first embodiment, (the abnormality detection unit of) the control device 15 determines that the shock absorbers 9A to 9H disposed between the trucks 3A, 3B and the wheels 5A to 5H are abnormal and that the sensors 13A to 13D, 14A to 14D that detect the vibration states of the trucks 3A, 3B or the vehicle body 2 are abnormal. That is, in the first embodiment, the actuators 11A to 11D attached between the trucks 3A, 3B and the vehicle body 2 are excited at a predetermined frequency, and the sensor values of the sensors 13A to 13D, 14A to 14D attached to the trucks 3A, 3B or the vehicle body 2 that detect the vibration state are detected. Then, based on the detected sensor values, the abnormality of the shock absorbers 9A to 9H disposed between the trucks 3A, 3B and the wheels 5A to 5H and the abnormality of the sensors 13A to 13D, 14A to 14D attached to the trucks 3A, 3B or the vehicle body 2 are detected.

At this time, the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D attached to the trucks 3A and 3B or the vehicle body 2 are used as acceleration sensors. That is, an abnormality of the shock absorbers 9A to 9H or the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D, 14A to 14D is determined based on the acceleration signals (acceleration sensor values) of the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D, 14A to 14D when the actuators 11A to 11D are excited. Further, the processing of abnormality detection by (the abnormality detecting section of) the control device 15, that is, the control processing shown in fig. 4 and 5 will be described in detail later.

The vibration damping device for a railway vehicle according to the embodiment has the above-described configuration, and the operation thereof will be described next.

The vehicle 1 travels along the track R, for example, to the left in fig. 1 to 3. When vibrations such as rolling (roll) and pitch (sway in the front-rear direction) occur while the vehicle 1 is traveling, the vibrations in the up-down direction at that time are detected by the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D. In order to suppress the vibration of the vehicle 1, the control device 15 determines the signals detected by the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D as detection signals of independent vehicle motions (accelerations), and calculates target damping forces to be generated in the actuators 11A to 11D on the FL, FR, RL, and RR sides, for example. The actuators 11A to 11D are variably controlled in accordance with command signals individually output from the control device 15 so that the generated damping forces have characteristics corresponding to the target damping forces.

In the embodiment, when the vehicle 1 is stopped (for example, when the vehicle is at a vehicle base before business operations, when the vehicle is parked at a vehicle preparation yard, or when the vehicle is returned to the vehicle base or the vehicle preparation yard after business operations), it is determined whether or not the shock absorbers 9A to 9H and the sensors 13A to 13D, 14A to 14D are normal. Therefore, this determination, that is, the control process of (the abnormality detection unit of) the abnormality detection by the control device 15 will be described with reference to fig. 4 and 5. Fig. 4 shows the entire control process of abnormality detection, and fig. 5 shows the process of "abnormality detection of shock absorber" at S5 in fig. 4. The control processing shown in fig. 4 including fig. 5 is performed by, for example, energizing (the abnormality detection unit of) the control device 15 and receiving a predetermined signal.

When (the abnormality detection unit of) the control device 15 is activated, the control processing of fig. 4 is started. In S1, (the abnormality detection unit of) the control device 15 determines whether or not a signal for switching to the abnormality detection mode has been received. For example, (the abnormality detection unit of) the control device 15 determines whether or not a transition signal to the abnormality detection mode is received from a higher-level control device. This is because, when the control device 15 detects an abnormality by self-determination, it is possible to perform the abnormality during traveling or when the vehicle is stopped at a station, for example, and this problem is avoided. The higher-level control device transmits a transition signal to the abnormality detection mode to the control device 15 when the vehicle 1 is started, for example, before the start of business operation or the like, or when a diagnosis start switch provided in the cab of the vehicle 1 is operated. When receiving the transition signal, the control device 15 determines whether or not the state is a state in which abnormality detection is possible. For example, it is determined whether or not the abnormality detection is possible based on the position information or mileage information and traveling speed information of the vehicle 1 transmitted from the higher-level control device. For example, it is determined whether the position of the vehicle 1 is a vehicle base (vehicle yard) based on the position information or the mileage information, and it is determined whether the vehicle 1 is stopped based on the traveling speed information. When the position information or the mileage information and the travel speed information for which the abnormality detection is possible are determined, for example, when it is determined that the position of the vehicle 1 is the vehicle base and the vehicle 1 is stopped, the processing from S2 onward, that is, the specific process of the abnormality detection is performed.

If it is determined as yes in S1, that is, if the switching signal is received (more specifically, if it is determined that the situation is one in which abnormality detection is possible), the process proceeds to S2. On the other hand, if no in S1, that is, if the switching signal is not received (more specifically, if it is determined that the situation is not a situation in which abnormality detection is possible), the process from S1 onward is repeated until the process returns to S1.

In S2, self-diagnosis of the actuators 11A to 11D is performed. The self-diagnosis of the actuators 11A to 11D determines whether the actuators 11A to 11D can operate normally, for example, based on disconnection and short-circuit detection, presence/absence of a history of current temperatures and past abnormal temperatures of the actuators 11A to 11D, a power supply voltage to the inverters 12A to 12D, and the like. For example, in the case where the actuators 11A to 11D have exhibited abnormal temperature histories in the past, it is considered that the performance of the actuators 11A to 11D is deteriorated. Therefore, in this case, the actuator abnormality is diagnosed.

Next, in S3, it is determined whether the actuator is normal, that is, whether the self-diagnosis result of S2 is normal. If the determination at S3 is "no", that is, if the actuators 11A to 11D are not normal (abnormal), the routine proceeds to S4. In other words, in this case, the abnormality detection of the shock absorber at S5 or later is not performed, the control mode is switched to the limit control mode at S4, and the process proceeds to S9. The limit control mode corresponds to, for example, a control mode that limits the force generated by the actuators 11A to 11D. In the restricted control mode, since this is notified, repair or the like can be performed without operating the vehicle 1 according to this notification.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S3 that the actuators 11A to 11D are normal, the process proceeds to S5, and abnormality detection of the shock absorber is started. The processing of the abnormal condition of the shock absorber at S5 is the processing shown in fig. 5 described later. In the processing of fig. 5, it is determined whether or not the dampers 9A to 9H and the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D are normal.

In S6 after step S5, it is determined whether the result of the abnormality detection of S5 is normal. That is, in S6, it is determined whether the shock absorber is normal (more specifically, whether the shock absorber and the sensor are normal). If it is determined as "yes", i.e., normal in S6, the process proceeds to S7. In this case, the control mode shifts to the normal control mode in S7. On the other hand, if it is determined as no in S6, that is, if it is not normal (abnormal), the control mode is shifted to the limitation control mode in S8.

If the abnormality detection of S3 to S8 ends, in the next S9, the detection results (conversion results) of S4, S7, and S8 are transmitted. That is, in S9, the upper control device transmits the detection results (conversion results) of S4, S7, and S8 and notifies whether or not the dampers 9A to 9H and the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D are normal. For example, if the detection result at S4, S7, or S8 is abnormal, that is, if there is an abnormality (transition to the restricted control mode), the abnormal condition (i.e., the abnormal condition) is notified, and the vehicle 1 can be repaired without being operated according to the notification.

Next, the process of detecting the abnormality of the shock absorber at S5, i.e., the process shown in fig. 5, will be described. In the process of S5 (the process of fig. 5), the diagnosis is performed by exciting the carriage 3A (3B) for each of the carriages 3A and 3B. In the case of a train to which a plurality of vehicles 1 are connected, all the vehicles are diagnosed in order of each vehicle. That is, the process of fig. 5 is repeated for each truck, and it is determined whether or not the shock absorbers and sensors associated with the truck and the vehicle body are normal.

If yes is determined at S3 in fig. 4, the process proceeds to S11 in fig. 5. In S11, the excitation of the actuator is started. That is, in S11, the carriage 3A (or the carriage 3B) is excited by exciting the carriage 3A (or the carriage 3B) at a predetermined frequency using the actuators 11A and 11B (or the actuators 11C and 11D). Next, in S12, the sensor values of the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D, 14A to 14D are read.

That is, in S12, the vibration state is detected based on the sensor value. Next, in S13, it is determined whether or not the acceleration sensor value is in the normal range. That is, in S13, it is determined whether or not the sensor values of the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D are within the predetermined values (allowable values, threshold values) set in advance with respect to the determination criterion. In other words, it is determined whether or not the change in the sensor value accompanying the excitation of the actuators 11A, 11B (or the actuators 11C, 11D) is normal.

If it is determined as "yes" in S13, that is, if it is determined that the sensor value is in the normal range, the routine proceeds to S15. In this case, it is determined in S15 that the shock absorbers 9A to 9H and the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D, 14A to 14D are normal. Next, in S16, the excitation of the actuators 11A, 11B (or the actuators 11C, 11D) is stopped, and the processing in fig. 5 is ended. Namely, the process proceeds to S6 of fig. 4 via the end of fig. 5. If no in S13, that is, if it is determined that the sensor value is not in the normal range, the routine proceeds to S14. In this case, it is determined at S14 that the dampers 9A to 9H and the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D, 14A to 14D are not normal, that is, that the dampers 9A to 9H or the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D, 14A to 14D are abnormal (abnormal). Next, in S16, the excitation of the actuators 11A, 11B (or the actuators 11C, 11D) is stopped, and the processing in fig. 5 is ended. Namely, the process proceeds to S6 of fig. 4 via the end of fig. 5. If it is determined that there is an abnormality while the process of fig. 5 (the process of S5) is being repeated for each vehicle, the process of fig. 5 may be ended without continuing the subsequent diagnosis, and the process may proceed to S6 of fig. 4.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the carriages 3A, 3B are excited at a predetermined frequency using the actuators 11A to 11D. In this case, when the dampers 9A to 9H and the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D are normal, the variation amount of the sensor values of the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D is within a predetermined value (allowable value). That is, when the sensor value during excitation is within a predetermined value (allowable value) set in advance with respect to the determination criterion, it can be determined that the dampers 9A to 9H and the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D are normal. On the other hand, when the sensor value during excitation deviates from the predetermined value (allowable value) set in advance with respect to the determination criterion, it can be determined that the dampers 9A to 9H or the sensors 13A to 13D, 14A to 14D are abnormal. This makes it possible to detect with high accuracy whether or not the dampers 9A to 9H and the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D are normal. Thus, even if visual confirmation is not performed, it is possible to perform abnormality detection for the dampers 9A to 9H, which has been conventionally performed only by visual confirmation. Further, it is also possible to detect the damping force abnormality of the shock absorbers 9A to 9H and the abnormality of the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D, which are difficult to visually check.

That is, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to determine by (the abnormality detection unit of) the control device 15 that there is an abnormality of "the shock absorbers 9A to 9H provided between the trucks 3A, 3B and the wheels 5A to 5H" or "the sensors 13A to 13D, 14A to 14D provided on the trucks 3A, 3B or the vehicle body 2". In this case, since the actuators 11A to 11D directly excite the carriages 3A and 3B to determine the abnormality, the abnormality of the dampers 9A to 9H or the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D can be determined more quickly and accurately than the determination based on the visual check. This can improve the accuracy and rapidity of the determination of normality and abnormality of the dampers 9A to 9H and the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D.

Next, fig. 6 to 8 show a second embodiment. The second embodiment is characterized in that the damper between the bogie and the wheel is a damping force adjusting damper, and the damping force control device controls the damping force of the damping force adjusting damper. In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

Damping-force adjustable shock absorbers 21A to 21H (hereinafter referred to as shock absorbers 21A to 21H) as shock absorbers are provided between the dollies 3A, 3B (more specifically, the dolly frames 4A, 4B) and the respective wheels 5A to 5H (more specifically, the bearing housings). The dampers 21A to 21H are dampers capable of adjusting damping force, and suppress vibration of the carriages 3A and 3B. That is, each of the dampers 21A to 21H is configured as a damping force adjusting type damper (a damping force adjusting type damper capable of controlling a damping force) capable of individually adjusting the damping force thereof. In this case, for example, by supplying electric power (drive current) from the control device 23, the shock absorbers 21A to 21H adjust the valve opening pressures of the control valves 22A to 22H such as solenoid valves. Thus, the dampers 21A to 21H can continuously adjust the damping characteristics from the hard characteristics to the soft characteristics.

The dampers 21A to 21H are not limited to continuously adjusting the damping characteristics, and may be adjusted in two or more stages. The dampers 21A to 21H may be damping force adjusting dampers in which the damping force is adjusted according to the voltage and the current. The dampers 21A to 21H may be active dampers that actively generate force (damping force) by external power.

In any case, the shock absorbers 21A to 21H are carriage wheel-to-wheel actuators capable of controlling a generated force (damping force) by electric power supplied from a vehicle electric power source (for example, a battery that stores electric power from an overhead wire, a generator, or the like). In this case, (the control valves 22A to 22H of) the shock absorbers 21A to 21H are connected to the control device 23, and the generated damping force is variably adjusted by supplying electric power through the control device 23. That is, the control device 23 includes a damping force control unit as a damping force control device that controls the damping forces of the dampers 21A to 21H. The damping force control unit calculates the drive current corresponding to the damping force to be generated in each of the shock absorbers 21A to 21H according to a predetermined control rule while reading detection signals from the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D, for example. In addition, the damping force control unit individually outputs the drive currents to the control valves 22A to 22H, thereby variably controlling the generation forces of the respective shock absorbers 21A to 21H. Further, as the control rule of each of the shock absorbers 21A to 21H, for example, a skyhook control rule, an LQG control rule, an H ∞ control rule, or the like can be used.

In the second embodiment, the control device 23 includes an abnormality detection unit for detecting an abnormality of the dampers 21A to 21H or the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D, as in the first embodiment. Therefore, in addition to the program for performing the control process of the actuators 11A to 11D and the program for performing the control process of the shock absorbers 21A to 21H, the memory 23A of the control device 23 stores a program for performing the process of abnormality detection shown in fig. 4 and 8, a determination value (determination criterion) for the process of abnormality detection, and the like.

The control device 23 (the abnormality detection unit thereof) excites the actuators 11A to 11D at a predetermined frequency by the control device 23 (the actuator control unit thereof) to excite the carriages 3A and 3B, thereby determining the abnormality of the dampers 21A to 21H or the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D.

Next, the control process of abnormality detection by (the abnormality detection unit of) the control device 23, more specifically, the process of "abnormality detection of the damper" at S5 in fig. 4 in the second embodiment, will be described with reference to fig. 8. In each process in fig. 8, the same process as that shown in fig. 5 is assigned the same step number, and the description thereof is omitted.

If yes is determined at S3 in fig. 4, the process proceeds to S21 in fig. 8. In S21, the damping forces of the dampers 21A-21H are fixed to be hard. Specifically, the damping force of the dampers 21A to 21H is fixed to be hard by the damping force control unit of the control device 23. If the hardness is fixed at S21, the process proceeds to S11 and thereafter. In the process of S13, it is determined whether or not the acceleration sensor value is in the normal range based on the determination values (determination criteria) of the dampers 21A-21H in the hardware state. As in the first modification shown in fig. 9, the actuators 11A to 11D may be excited to determine an abnormality while (the damping force control unit of) the control device 23 fixes the damping forces of the dampers 21A to 21H to be soft.

In this case, the memory 23A of the control device 23 stores a program for performing the processing shown in fig. 9 and a determination value (determination criterion) for the processing for detecting an abnormality, instead of the program for performing the processing shown in fig. 8. In the first modification, if yes is determined in S3 of fig. 4, the routine proceeds to S31 of fig. 9, where the damping forces of the shock absorbers 21A to 21H are fixed to be soft. If the soft state is fixed at S31 in fig. 9, the process proceeds to S11 and thereafter. In the process of S13, it is determined whether or not the acceleration sensor value is within the normal range based on the determination value (determination criterion) of the shock absorbers 21A to 21H in the soft state.

In this way, in the second embodiment and the first modification, the dampers 21A to 21H between the carriages 3A and 3B and the wheels 5A to 5H are used as damping-force adjusting type dampers capable of adjusting the damping force for the purpose of further improving the riding comfort. The control device 23 includes a damping force control unit as a control device for controlling the dampers 21A to 21H. The abnormality detection unit of the control device 23 excites the actuators 11A to 11D installed between the trucks 3A and 3B and the vehicle body 2 at a predetermined frequency to determine whether or not the dampers 21A to 21H and the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D are abnormal.

At this time, if the damping forces of the dampers 21A to 21H are within the predetermined hard (or soft) values and the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D normally operate, the sensor values of the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D are normally output. In this case, it can be determined as a normal state. On the other hand, when the damping forces of the dampers 21A to 21H have an abnormality on the hard side (or the soft side), or when the sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D have an abnormality, sensor values that deviate from the criterion (sensor values at normal times) are output. In this case, it can be determined that there is an abnormality.

Thus, in the second embodiment and the first modification, the absorber abnormality in the damping force of the dampers 21A to 21H, which are the damping force adjusting type dampers in the related art in which the visual appearance is difficult, can be detected. In this case, the control device 23 that controls the dampers 21A to 21H is normal even when the dampers 21A to 21H are normal, and it can be determined that at least one of the dampers 21A to 21H or the control device 23 is abnormal when the dampers 21A to 21H are abnormal.

The second embodiment and the first modification determine whether or not the control device 23, the shock absorbers 21A to 21H, and the sensors 13A to 13D, 14A to 14D are normal by the processing of the control device 23 as described above, and their basic functions are not particularly different from those of the first embodiment. That is, the accuracy and rapidity of the determination of normality or abnormality of the dampers 21A to 21H (and the control device 23) or the sensors 13A to 13D, 14A to 14D can be improved in the second embodiment and the first modification as well as in the first embodiment. When determining whether the actuators 11A to 11D are excited to be normal or abnormal, the damping forces of the dampers 21A to 21H are not limited to being hard or soft. That is, it is preferable to use a damping force having a significant difference in sensor value between the normal time and the abnormal time, for example, as the damping force of the shock absorbers 21A to 21H when the normal/abnormal determination is performed.

Next, fig. 10 shows a third embodiment. A third embodiment is characterized in that the determination of normality or abnormality is performed in both a hard state and a soft state of the damping force adjustment type damper provided between the bogie and the wheel. In the third embodiment, the same components as those of the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and the first modification are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

The third embodiment also includes dampers 21A to 21H, a control device 23, and actuators 11A to 11D (see fig. 6 and 7) as in the second embodiment and the first modification. In the third embodiment, a processing program shown in fig. 10 is stored in the memory 23A of the control device 23 instead of the processing program shown in fig. 8 of the second embodiment (or the processing program shown in fig. 9 of the first modification).

The control device 23 (the abnormality detection unit thereof) causes the actuators 11A to 11D to excite and determine an abnormality while the damping forces of the dampers 21A to 21H are fixed to be hard by the control device 23 (the damping force control unit thereof). Then, (the abnormality detection unit of) the control device 23 excites the actuators 11A to 11D to determine an abnormality while (the damping force control unit of) the control device 23 fixes the damping forces of the dampers 21A to 21H in a soft state. In addition, the configuration is not limited to the configuration in which the soft determination is performed immediately after the hard determination, and the configuration may be such that the hard determination is performed after the soft determination.

The control process of abnormality detection performed by (the abnormality detection unit of) the control device 23, more specifically, the process of "abnormality detection of the shock absorber" at S5 in fig. 4 in the third embodiment, will be described with reference to fig. 10. In the respective processes in fig. 10, the same processes as those shown in fig. 5, 8, and 9 are assigned the same step numbers, and the description thereof is omitted.

If yes is determined at S3 in fig. 4, the routine proceeds to S21 in fig. 10. When the damping forces of the dampers 21A-21H are fixed to be hard in S21, the process proceeds to S11, S12 and S13-1. At S13-1, it is determined whether or not the acceleration sensor value is within the normal range based on the determination value (determination criterion) in the state where the shock absorbers 21A-21H are hard. If the determination at S13-1 is yes, that is, if the determination is in the normal range, the routine proceeds to S31 without passing through S41. If it is determined at S13-1 as no, that is, if it is determined not to be in the normal range, the routine proceeds to S41. In this case, since the sensor or the damper hardware is abnormal, this is recorded as an abnormality candidate in S41. For example, in S41, an abnormality flag corresponding to the presence of an abnormality is set up, and the flag is stored in the memory 23A to proceed to S31.

In S31, the damping forces of the dampers 21A-21H are fixed to be soft, and the process proceeds to S12 and S13-2 following S31. At S13-2, it is determined whether or not the acceleration sensor value is within the normal range based on the determination value (determination criterion) of the shock absorbers 21A-21H in the soft state. If the determination at S13-2 is yes, i.e., the normal range, the routine proceeds to S16 without going through S42. On the other hand, if it is determined as "no" at S13-2, that is, if it is determined not to be in the normal range, the process proceeds to S42. In this case, due to an abnormality in the sensor or the buffer software, this fact is recorded as an abnormality candidate in S42. For example, in S42, an abnormality flag corresponding to the presence of an abnormality is set, and the abnormality flag is stored and S16 is entered.

In S43 after S16, it is determined whether there is an abnormality candidate record. That is, it is determined whether the abnormality flag is ON. If it is determined as "no" in S43, that is, if it is determined that there is no abnormality candidate record, the routine proceeds to S15 and it is determined as normal. On the other hand, if it is determined as yes in S43, that is, if it is determined that there is an abnormality candidate record, the process proceeds to S14, and it is determined that there is an abnormality.

The third embodiment determines whether or not the control device 23, the shock absorbers 21A to 21H, and the sensors 13A to 13D, 14A to 14D are normal by the above-described abnormality determination process, and the basic operation thereof is not particularly different from that of the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and the first modification. That is, the third embodiment can also improve the accuracy and rapidity of the determination of the normality or abnormality of the dampers 21A to 21H (and the control device 23) or the sensors 13A to 13D, 14A to 14D.

In the third embodiment, the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D are sensors for detecting the vibration states of the trucks 3A and 3B and the vehicle body 2. In contrast, as in the second modification shown in fig. 11, a stroke sensor (not shown) may be used as a sensor for detecting the vibration state of the vehicle body or the truck. As the stroke sensor, for example, a device which is disposed in parallel with the actuators 11A to 11D and detects a stroke (displacement) between the trucks 3A and 3B and the vehicle body 2 and/or a device which is disposed in parallel with the shock absorbers 21A to 21H and detects a stroke (displacement) between the trucks 3A and 3B and the wheels 5A to 5H can be used.

As the stroke sensor, various stroke sensors (displacement sensors) such as an optical stroke sensor and a stroke sensor using a translation rotation conversion can be used. In the second modification example including such a stroke sensor, the processing shown in fig. 11 is performed as the processing of "abnormality detection of the damper" at S5 in fig. 4, instead of the processing shown in fig. 10 used in the third embodiment. At this time, in the processing shown in fig. 11, the stroke sensor value is read in S51, and it is determined whether or not the stroke sensor value is in the normal range in S52-1 and S52-2. At S52-1, it is determined whether or not the stroke sensor value is within the normal range based on the determination value (determination criterion) of the shock absorbers 21A-21H in the hardware state. At S52-2, it is determined whether or not the stroke sensor value is within the normal range based on the determination value (determination reference) of the shock absorbers 21A-21H in the software state.

In this way, in the second modification, the sensors attached to the carriages 3A and 3B or the vehicle body 2 are stroke sensors. That is, the abnormality of the dampers 21A to 21H or the stroke sensor is determined based on the stroke signals (stroke sensor values) of the stroke sensors when the actuators 11A to 11D are excited. In the second modification, as in the third embodiment, the accuracy and rapidity of the normality/abnormality determination of the damper or the sensor can be improved.

Next, fig. 12 and 13 show a fourth embodiment. The fourth embodiment is characterized in that it is possible to distinguish whether the (specific) damper is abnormal or the sensor is abnormal using the acceleration sensor and the stroke sensor. In the fourth embodiment, the same components as those in the first to third embodiments, the first modification example, and the second modification example are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

The fourth embodiment also includes dampers 21A to 21H, a control device 23, and actuators 11A to 11D (see fig. 6 and 7) as in the second embodiment, the third embodiment, and the first modification, for example. Further, in the fourth embodiment, stroke sensors (not shown) are provided in addition to the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D. As the stroke sensor, for example, as in the second modification, a structure that is arranged in parallel with the actuators 11A to 11D and detects the stroke (displacement) between the trucks 3A and 3B and the vehicle body 2, and/or a structure that is arranged in parallel with the shock absorbers 21A to 21H and detects the stroke (displacement) between the trucks 3A and 3B and the wheels 5A to 5H may be employed.

In the fourth embodiment, a processing program shown in fig. 12 is stored in the memory 23A of the control device 23 instead of the processing program shown in fig. 10 of the third embodiment (or the processing program shown in fig. 11 of the second modification). In each of the processes in fig. 12, the same processes as those shown in fig. 5, 8, 9, 10, and 11 are assigned the same step numbers, and the description thereof is omitted.

If yes is determined at S3 in fig. 4, the routine proceeds to S21 in fig. 12. When the damping forces of the dampers 21A to 21H are fixed to be hard in S21, the process proceeds to S11 and S61. In S61, the acceleration sensor value and the stroke sensor value are read. If the determination at S13-1 following S61 is "NO", the routine proceeds to S52-1A. On the other hand, if the judgment at S13-1 is "YES," the process proceeds to S52-1B. Similarly to S52-1 of FIG. 11, S52-1A and S52-1B determine whether or not the stroke sensor value is in the normal range based on the determination value (determination criterion) in the state where the shock absorbers 21A-21H are hard. If the determination at S52-1A is "no", the routine proceeds to S62, where it is determined that the dampers 21A and 21B (or the dampers 21C and 21D) are abnormal. In this case, the process proceeds to S16, and the process of fig. 12 and 13 ends. On the other hand, if the determination at S52-1A is yes, the process proceeds to S63, where it is determined that the acceleration sensors 13A and 13B (or 13C and 13D) are abnormal. In this case, the process proceeds to S16, and then the process of fig. 12 and 13 is ended. On the other hand, if the determination at S52-1B is "no", the routine proceeds to S64, where it is determined that the stroke sensor is abnormal. In this case, the process proceeds to S16, and then the process of fig. 12 and 13 is ended.

On the other hand, if the determination at S52-1B is yes, the process proceeds to S65, and the determination is recorded as a normal determination. Then, the process proceeds to S31 of fig. 13 via symbol "a" of fig. 12 and 13. When the damping forces of the dampers 21A to 21H are fixed to be soft in S31, the routine proceeds to S61 and S13-2. If the determination at S13-2 is "NO", the process proceeds to S52-2A. On the other hand, if the determination at S13-2 is "YES," the process proceeds to S52-2B. S52-2A and S52-2B determine whether the stroke sensor value is within the normal range based on the determination value (determination reference) of the shock absorbers 21A-21H in the soft state, as in S52-2 of fig. 11. If the determination at S52-2A is "no", the routine proceeds to S62, where it is determined that the dampers 21A and 21B (or the dampers 21C and 21D) are abnormal. On the other hand, if the determination at S52-2A is yes, the process proceeds to S63, and it is determined that the acceleration sensors 13A and 13B (or 13C and 13D) are abnormal. On the other hand, if the determination at S52-2B is no, the routine proceeds to S64, where it is determined that the stroke sensor is abnormal. If the determination at S52-B is YES, the process proceeds to S65, where a normal determination is recorded. When the determination is made at S62, S63, S64, and S65 in fig. 13, the process proceeds to S16, and the processing in fig. 12 and 13 is ended.

In this way, in the fourth embodiment, the actuators 11A to 11D excite the carriages 3A and 3B using two types of sensors different in acceleration sensors 13A to 13D and stroke sensor. Therefore, when considering simultaneous failure of the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D and the stroke sensor, if both the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D and the stroke sensor output abnormal values, it can be determined that the shock absorbers 21A to 21H are abnormal. When only the stroke sensor is abnormal, it can be determined that the stroke sensor is abnormal. That is, in the fourth embodiment, by using both the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D and the stroke sensor, it is possible to determine the abnormality factor by one abnormality detection diagnosis. In the processing of fig. 12 and 13, the setting of the damping forces of the shock absorbers 21A to 21H is determined by hardware and then determined by software, or the setting may be determined by hardware after the determination by software. The determination may be performed by only hardware or software.

The fourth embodiment determines whether or not the control device 23, the shock absorbers 21A to 21H, and the sensors 13A to 13D, 14A to 14D are normal through the above-described abnormality determination process, and the basic operation thereof is not particularly different from that of the first embodiment, the second embodiment, the third embodiment, the first modification, and the second modification. In particular, in the fourth embodiment, the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D, 14A to 14D and the stroke sensor are sensors attached to the trucks 3A, 3B or the vehicle body 2.

Therefore, based on both the acceleration signals (acceleration sensor values) of the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D and the stroke signals (stroke sensor values) of the stroke sensors when the actuators 11A to 11D are excited, it is possible to determine the abnormality of the dampers 21A to 21H, the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D, or the stroke sensors. That is, since both the acceleration signal (acceleration sensor value) of the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D and the stroke signal (stroke sensor value) of the stroke sensor can be used, the abnormality factor can be quickly determined by one excitation.

In the above embodiments and modifications, when the actuators 11A to 11D are used to excite the carriages 3A and 3B, excitation is performed at a predetermined frequency. In this case, depending on the conditions, the excitation of the carriages 3A and 3B is insufficient, and even if normal, the detection is abnormal, that is, erroneous detection may be caused. Therefore, as in the third modification shown in fig. 14, when the carriages 3A and 3B are excited by the actuators 11A to 11D, the frequency of the excitation may be set to the resonance frequency of the carriage vibration system. This can cause the carriages 3A and 3B to vibrate significantly, and can excite sufficiently the detection of an abnormality.

That is, the process of fig. 14 is used in the third modification instead of the process of fig. 8 of the second embodiment. In S71 after S21, the vibration of the actuators 11A to 11D is started. At this time, the actuators 11A to 11D are vibrated at the resonance frequency of the carriage vibration system. In the third modification, the carriage can be vibrated more, and the output change of the sensor (for example, the output change of the acceleration sensor and the output change of the stroke sensor) can be made remarkable. That is, in the third modification, when the carriages 3A, 3B are excited by the actuators 11A-11D, (the actuator control unit of) the control device 15 or (the actuator control unit of) the control device 23 excites the actuators 11A-11D at the resonance frequency of the carriages 3A, 3B. Therefore, the carriages 3A and 3B can be greatly vibrated with a small amount of control force (exciting force), and the sensor output can be increased. This enables to detect an abnormality with high accuracy.

In each embodiment and each modification, the actuator 11A to 11D is used to detect an abnormality of the damper 21A to 21H or the sensor 13A to 13D, 14A to 14D. However, for example, the viscosity of the oil used in the shock absorbers 21A to 21H has temperature dependency, and may be different between summer and winter. That is, since the temperatures of the damping forces of the shock absorbers 21A to 21H at this time (for example, summer and winter, a cold district, and a warm district) are different, the shock absorbers 21A to 21H are detected as being abnormal even if normal, which may cause erroneous detection. Therefore, in the fourth modification shown in fig. 15, abnormality detection is performed in consideration of the change in the damping force due to temperature.

That is, the process of fig. 15 is used in the fourth modification instead of the process of fig. 14 of the third modification. In the process of fig. 15, temperature information is acquired before the actuators 11A to 11D are excited. Next, temperature information (damper temperature information) is acquired in S81 after S21. The temperature information may be, for example, an external temperature (outside air temperature) from an upper signal output from the upper control device or an actuator temperature obtained by the control devices 15 and 23. The reason for this is because it is assumed that abnormality detection is performed before the railway vehicle starts operating.

That is, the abnormality detection is a check (determination) in the vehicle base (vehicle yard) before the start of operation, and it can be considered that the actuator temperature before the start of operation is substantially the same as the outside air temperature. Therefore, in S81, temperature information (damper temperature information) is acquired assuming that the damper temperature is the same as the actuator temperature or the outside air temperature. After the temperature information is obtained in S81, in subsequent S82, a normal range (determination reference) of the sensor value that matches the temperature at that time is determined. Then, based on the normal range (determination criterion) corresponding to the temperature, the processing from S71 onward is performed (abnormality detection at S13). In the fourth modification, the change in the damping force due to the temperature can be considered, and the abnormality detection can be performed with higher accuracy.

In each of the embodiments and the modifications, it is assumed that the railroad vehicle for abnormality detection is located at a vehicle base (vehicle yard) before the operation inspection. However, the wheels are not always in the same position relative to the track, considering the contact point of the track and the wheels. The reason for this is that the wheel road surface and the rail section are worn out according to the travel distance and the passing number of the train. Therefore, for example, in a fifth modification shown in fig. 16, an example in which abnormality detection is performed in consideration of wear of the wheels and the rails is given.

The process of fig. 16 is used in the fifth modification instead of the process of the fourth modification of fig. 15. In the process of fig. 16, the vehicle state is acquired before the actuators 11A to 11D are excited. That is, the vehicle state is acquired in S91 after S82. In S91, for example, the inclination of the vehicle body is estimated from the stroke sensor value attached between the bogie and the vehicle body, the inclination of the bogie and the vehicle body is estimated from the offset values of the acceleration sensors provided on the vehicle body and the bogie, and how much the test state is changed from the standard state is calculated.

In S92 after S91, the normal range (determination criterion) of the sensor value is determined based on the operation result of S91. In this case, it is preferable that the normal ranges corresponding to the temperature of S82 be added to determine the final normal range (criterion), and the processing from S71 onward (abnormality detection of S13) be performed based on the determined normal range (criterion). In such a fourth modification, the rail and the wheel may be considered, and the abnormality detection can be performed with higher accuracy.

In the first embodiment, a configuration provided in the actuator control device, the abnormality detection unit, and 1 control device 15 has been described as an example. In the third embodiment, a configuration in which one control device 23 includes an actuator control device, a damping force control device, and an abnormality detection unit has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the actuator control device and the abnormality detection unit may be provided in separate control devices. For example, the respective control devices may be provided with an actuator control device, a damping force control device, and an abnormality detection unit. For example, one control device may be provided with the actuator control device, and another control device, which is a different control device, may be provided with the damping force control device and the abnormality detection unit. The same applies to the other embodiments and modifications.

In each embodiment and each modification, a configuration in which the acceleration sensors 13A to 13D and 14A to 14D are provided on both the carriages 3A and 3B and the vehicle body 2 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the sensor may be provided on either the bogie or the vehicle body. The same applies to the stroke sensor. The sensor is not limited to the acceleration sensor and the stroke sensor, and various sensors capable of detecting (including estimating) the vibration state of the vehicle body or the bogie, such as a distortion sensor, may be used.

In each embodiment and each modification, a configuration example in which the actuators 11A to 11D are provided in the vertical direction and excitation is performed in the vertical direction has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the vibration may be performed in the left-right direction while providing an actuator in the left-right direction.

In each of the embodiments and modifications, a case where the actuators 11A to 11D for exciting the carriages 3A and 3B are electric linear motors (electric actuators) is described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a rotary-linear motion mechanism (e.g., a ball screw mechanism), a rotary motor (electric actuator), a hydraulic cylinder (hydraulic actuator), an air cylinder (pneumatic actuator), and an air spring (pneumatic actuator) may be used as the actuator. In other words, various actuators such as a motor type actuator, a hydraulic type actuator, and a pneumatic type actuator can be used as the actuator. In this case, for example, a vehicle body tilting device including an air spring may be used as the actuator.

In the embodiments (except the first embodiment) and the modifications, the case where the dampers 21A to 21H are constituted by damping force adjusting dampers capable of continuously (steplessly) changing the damping force characteristics has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a damping force adjustable hydraulic shock absorber may be configured to intermittently (in multiple stages) change damping force characteristics in two stages (for example, ON and OFF) or three stages, or more than these (four stages). Further, the buffer may be controlled not only by a semi-active control but also by a full-active control.

It should be noted that the embodiments and the modifications are examples, and it is obvious that the structures shown in the different embodiments and the modifications may be partially replaced or combined.

As the vibration damping device for a railway vehicle according to the embodiment and the modification described above, for example, the following embodiments can be considered.

(1) In a first aspect, a vibration damping device for a railway vehicle includes: an actuator which is provided between a vehicle body and a bogie of the railway vehicle and which vibrates in the vertical direction; an actuator control device that controls the actuator; a damper provided between the carriage and each wheel attached to the carriage, the damper suppressing vibration of the carriage; a sensor provided on the vehicle body or the carriage and detecting a vibration state of the vehicle body or the carriage; the vehicle control device includes an abnormality detection unit configured to excite the actuator at a predetermined frequency by the actuator control device to excite the bogie, and determine an abnormality of the damper or the sensor.

According to the first aspect, the abnormality detection unit can determine an abnormality of "a damper provided between the bogie and each wheel attached to the bogie" or "a sensor provided on the vehicle body or the bogie". In this case, since the abnormality can be determined by directly exciting the carriage by the actuator, the abnormality of the buffer or the sensor can be determined more quickly and accurately than by visual confirmation. This can improve the accuracy and rapidity of the normal/abnormal determination of the damper or the sensor.

(2) In a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the damper is a damping force adjustable damper, and includes a damping force control device that controls a damping force of the damping force adjustable damper, and the abnormality detection unit determines an abnormality of the damping force adjustable damper or the sensor. According to the second aspect, the accuracy and rapidity of the determination of the normality or abnormality of the damping force adjusting damper or the sensor can be improved.

(3) In a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the sensor is an acceleration sensor or a stroke sensor. According to the third aspect, it is possible to determine an abnormality of the damper, the acceleration sensor, or the stroke sensor from the acceleration signal (acceleration sensor value) of the acceleration sensor or the stroke signal (stroke sensor value) of the stroke sensor when the actuator is energized. Also, in the case of using both the acceleration sensor and the stroke sensor, that is, in the case of using both the acceleration signal (acceleration sensor value) and the stroke signal (stroke sensor value), the abnormal factor can be quickly determined by one excitation.

(4) As a fourth aspect, in any one of the first to third aspects, the actuator control device excites the actuator at a resonance frequency of the bogie. According to the fourth aspect, the dolly can be vibrated largely with a small amount of control force (exciting force). That is, the output of the sensor can be increased with a small amount of control force (exciting force). This makes it possible to determine normality or abnormality with higher accuracy.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and includes various modifications. For example, the above embodiments are described in detail to explain the present invention easily and understandably, and are not necessarily limited to the embodiments having all the configurations described. Further, a part of the configuration of one embodiment may be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of another embodiment may be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Further, other components may be added, deleted, or replaced for a part of the configuration of each embodiment.

The application claims priority based on the Japanese patent application No. 2018-222252 filed on 11/28/2018. The entire disclosure of the specification, claims, drawings and abstract of japanese patent application No. 2018-222252, which contains application filed 2018, 11, 28, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Description of the reference numerals

1: vehicle (railway vehicle)

2: vehicle body

3A, 3B: trolley

5A-5H: wheel of vehicle

9A-9H: shock absorbers (buffer)

11A-11D: actuator device

13A-13D: side acceleration transducer of trolley

14A-14D: automobile body side acceleration sensor

15: control device (actuator control device, abnormality detection unit)

21A-21H: shock absorbers (buffer, damping force adjustable shock absorber)

23: control device (actuator control device, damping force control device, abnormality detection unit)

Claims (4)

1. A vibration damping device for a railway vehicle, comprising:

an actuator which is provided between a vehicle body and a bogie of the railway vehicle and which vibrates in the vertical direction;

an actuator control device that controls the actuator;

a damper provided between the carriage and each wheel attached to the carriage, the damper suppressing vibration of the carriage;

a sensor provided on the vehicle body or the carriage and detecting a vibration state of the vehicle body or the carriage;

the vehicle control device includes an abnormality detection unit configured to excite the actuator at a predetermined frequency by the actuator control device to excite the bogie, and determine an abnormality of the damper or the sensor.

2. The vibration damping device for railway vehicles according to claim 1,

the shock absorber is a damping force adjustable shock absorber whose damping force is adjustable,

a damping force control device for controlling the damping force of the damping force adjusting damper,

the abnormality detection unit determines an abnormality in the damping force adjusting damper or the sensor.

3. The vibration damping device for railway vehicles according to claim 1 or 2,

the sensor is an acceleration sensor or a stroke sensor.

4. The vibration damping device for railway vehicles according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the actuator control device excites the actuator at a resonant frequency of the trolley.

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