JP7117262B2 - Vibration control device for railway vehicles - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a railroad vehicle vibration control device that reduces, for example, vibrations of a railroad vehicle.

2. Description of the Related Art In order to improve the riding comfort of railway vehicles, a vehicle is known in which a damping force adjustable shock absorber is arranged between a bogie and a vehicle body. A damping force adjustable shock absorber is controlled, for example, based on the measurement value of an acceleration sensor mounted on a vehicle. Here, Patent Literature 1 describes a technique for determining whether an acceleration sensor provided in a railroad vehicle is misplaced in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. Patent Literature 2 describes a technique for determining incorrect wiring of production equipment such as industrial robots deployed in a production factory.

JP 2014-91357 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-211437 (Patent No. 5333838)

It is conceivable to use the techniques of Patent Documents 1 and 2 to determine the wiring of a railway vehicle, more specifically, the wiring of a cable connected to a damping force adjustable shock absorber. However, with the techniques of Patent Documents 1 and 2, there is a possibility that miswiring of the damping force adjustable shock absorber cannot be determined.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a vibration control device for a railway vehicle that can determine whether or not a cable connected to a damping force adjustable shock absorber has been erroneously wired, and can prevent the damping force from being controlled while the cable is erroneously wired. be.

The present invention relates to a vibration control device for a railway vehicle, comprising a plurality of damping force adjustable shock absorbers provided between a vehicle body and a bogie of a railway vehicle to suppress vibration of the vehicle body, and the damping force adjustable shock absorber. a controller that controls the damper, a sensor that is provided on the vehicle body or the bogie and detects the vehicle speed of the railway vehicle, a cable that connects the damping force adjustable shock absorber and the controller, and the damping force adjustment an identification circuit provided in each of the dampers, receiving a signal from the controller and outputting an identification signal from each of the damping force adjustable dampers, wherein the controller controls the a test mode output unit for outputting a test mode voltage or a test mode current different from that during normal operation to the damping force adjustable shock absorber; and a miswiring determination unit that determines miswiring of the cable connected to the adjustable shock absorber.

According to the present invention, miswiring of the cable connected to the damping force adjustable shock absorber can be determined. Then, when it is determined that the wiring is incorrect, for example, by reconnecting the cable that is determined to be incorrect wiring, it is possible to prevent the damping force from being controlled with the incorrect wiring.

1 is a side view schematically showing a railcar equipped with a railcar vibration control device according to a first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the positional relationship of the vehicle body, semi-active damper (damping force adjustable damper), acceleration sensor, etc. in FIG. 1 ; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a semi-active damper in FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram schematically showing an electric circuit within the valve block in FIG. 3; 4 is a flow chart showing a process of determining wiring suitability by a control device; FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing following "A" and "B" in FIG. 5; FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram showing an example of temporal changes in the test signal and the output signal (identification signal) when the wiring is correct; FIG. 10 is a characteristic diagram showing an example of temporal changes in the test signal and the output signal (identification signal) in the case of incorrect wiring; FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing processing for determining whether wiring is appropriate or not by the control device according to the second embodiment; FIG. FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing processing subsequent to “C” and “D” in FIG. 9; FIG. FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram showing an example of temporal changes in the test signal and the output signal (identification signal) when the wiring is correct; FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram schematically showing an electrical circuit within the valve block according to a third embodiment; FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing processing for determining wiring suitability by the control device of the third embodiment; FIG. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the processing following "E" and "F" in FIG. 13; FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram showing an example of temporal changes of the first test signal, the second test signal, and the output signal (identification signal) when the wiring is correct; FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram showing an example of temporal changes of the first test signal, the second test signal, and the output signal (identification signal) in the case of miswiring; FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing processing for determining whether wiring is appropriate or not by the control device according to the fourth embodiment; FIG. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the processing following "G" in FIG. 17; FIG. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the processing following "H" in FIG. 18 and "I" in FIG. 17; FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram showing an example of temporal changes of the first test signal, the second test signal, and the output signal (identification signal) when the wiring is correct; FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing processing for determining wiring suitability by the control device according to the fifth embodiment; FIG. FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the processing following "J" in FIG. 21; FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing the processing following "K" in FIG. 22; FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing the processing following "L" in FIG. 23 and "M" in FIG. 21;

Hereinafter, the case where the railroad vehicle vibration control device according to the embodiment is mounted on a railroad vehicle such as an electric train, a diesel car, and a passenger car will be described as an example with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the flowcharts in the drawings use the notation "S" for each step (for example, step 1 = "S1"). 1 and 2, the left side of the drawing (one side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle) is the front side in the traveling direction of the railway vehicle, and the right side of the drawing (the other side in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle) is the traveling direction of the railway vehicle. Although described as directional rearward, the right side of the drawing may be the front side and the left side of the drawing may be the rear side.

1 to 8 show a first embodiment. In FIG. 1, a railway vehicle 1 (hereinafter referred to as vehicle 1) includes a vehicle body 2 on which crew members such as passengers and crew members ride, and a front bogie 3A and a rear bogie 3B provided below the vehicle body 2. It has These two bogies 3A and 3B are located on the front side of the car body 2 (on one side in the longitudinal direction of the car body 2 and on the left side in FIGS. 1 and 2) and on the rear side (on the other side in the longitudinal direction of the car body 2 in FIGS. 1 and 2). 2) are spaced apart from each other. Thereby, the vehicle body 2 of the vehicle 1 is installed on the pair of trucks 3A and 3B. 1 and 2, in order to avoid complicating the drawings, a single vehicle 1, that is, a single-car train is shown. However, in general, a train in which a plurality of cars 1 are connected, that is, a train composed of a plurality of cars 1 is operated.

The trucks 3A and 3B are provided with wheels 4 and 4 on both longitudinal ends of the axles 5 and 5 (that is, on both sides of the vehicle body 2 in the width direction). 2 each are attached. Thus, each truck 3A, 3B is provided with four wheels 4, 4, respectively. That is, four wheels 4 and 4 are provided for one bogie and eight wheels for one vehicle. The vehicle 1 runs along the rails R as each wheel 4, 4 rotates on the left and right rails R (only one is shown in FIG. 1). Note that the horizontal direction, which is the width direction of the vehicle body 2, is based on the 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 5, 5). For example, in FIG.

Between the vehicle body 2 of the vehicle 1 and each of the bogies 3A and 3B, a plurality of air springs 7A to 7D for elastically supporting the vehicle body 2 on each of the bogies 3A and 3B and parallel to each of the air springs 7A to 7D are provided. A plurality of damping force adjustable shock absorbers 11A-11D arranged in relation to each other are provided. The air springs 7A-7D are also called "pillow springs" or "suspension springs", and are provided between the vehicle body 2 or the like that serves as the "sprung mass" and the trucks 3A, 3B or the like that serve as the "spring mass". Corresponds to "secondary spring". The "primary springs" are the shaft springs provided on the trucks 3A, 3B, that is, the wheels 4, 4 (wheelsets 6, 6) serving as the "unsprung masses" and the trucks 3A, 3B serving as the "mass between springs". It corresponds to the shaft spring provided between the bogie frame. One air spring 7A-7D is provided on each of the left and right sides of each truck 3A, 3B. That is, two air springs 7A to 7D are provided per bogie and four air springs per vehicle.

The damping force adjustable shock absorbers 11A to 11D constitute a railway vehicle vibration control device together with a control device 22 and the like, which will be described later. The damping force adjustable dampers 11A-11D are also called semi-active dampers, and together with the air springs 7A-7D, are suspensions (damping) that dampen (attenuate) vertical vibrations between the vehicle body 2 and the bogies 3A and 3B. semi-active suspension). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, damping force adjustable shock absorbers 11A to 11D (hereinafter referred to as dampers 11A to 11D) are configured using, for example, damping force adjustable hydraulic shock absorbers capable of adjusting the damping force. It is The buffers 11A to 11D generate a damping force for reducing vertical vibration of the vehicle body 2 with respect to the bogies 3A and 3B. As a result, the shock absorbers 11A to 11D reduce (suppress) the vibration of the vehicle body 2 in the vertical direction. The shock absorbers 11A-11D are arranged in parallel with the air springs 7A-7D, respectively, and are provided on the left and right sides of each of the trucks 3A and 3B. That is, two buffers 11A to 11D are provided for each bogie, and four buffers are provided for each vehicle.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the shock absorbers 11A-11D are arranged on two axes with respect to one truck 3A, 3B, and are arranged on four axes with respect to one vehicle (two trucks 3A, 3B). . Specifically, between the front side of the vehicle body 2 and the front bogie 3A, a first shock absorber 11A (also referred to as a first semi-ac damper) on the FL side and a second shock absorber 11A on the FR side are spaced apart in the left-right direction. A buffer 11B (also referred to as a second semi-aqueous damper) is arranged. Between the rear side of the vehicle body 2 and the rear bogie 3B, a third shock absorber 11C on the RL side (also referred to as a third semi-aqueous damper) and a fourth shock absorber 11D on the RR side are spaced apart in the left-right direction. Also referred to as a fourth semi-aqueous damper) is arranged. The shock absorbers 11A-11D are attached to the vehicle 1 in the vertical direction. The first shock absorber 11A and the second shock absorber 11B, the third shock absorber 11C and the fourth shock absorber 11D are arranged in the lateral direction (width direction) of each truck 3A and 3B with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. They are spaced apart from each other. The buffers 11A to 11D are individually controlled by the control device 22 so as to dampen and reduce the vibration of the car body 2 with respect to the front bogie 3A and the rear bogie 3B in the lateral direction for each of the bogies 3A and 3B. The damping force is adjusted according to the output command signal.

The shock absorbers 11A-11D are arranged between the vehicle body 2 on the sprung side and the bogie 3 on the unsprung side. The buffers 11A-11D generate damping force by hydraulic pressure. As shown in FIG. 3, the shock absorbers 11A to 11D include, for example, a cylindrical cylinder 12 filled with working fluid (working oil), a piston 13 slidably provided inside the cylinder 12, A piston rod 14 having one end connected to the piston 13 and the other end extending outside from the cylinder 12, a cover 15 covering the periphery of the piston rod 14, and a valve block 16 incorporating a damping force adjustment mechanism 17. is composed of

The valve block 16 includes a damping force adjustment mechanism 17 that controls the flow of working fluid generated by sliding of the piston 13 to adjust the damping force, and an identification circuit 31 that will be described later. The valve block 16 (the damping force adjustment mechanism 17 and the identification circuit 31) is connected to the control device 22 via the cable 20. As shown in FIG. Power is supplied to valve block 16 via cable 20 . The damping force adjustment mechanism 17 includes a solenoid 18, solenoid drive lines 19A and 19B, and a control valve (not shown). In FIG. 4, one solenoid drive line 19A on the brass side is indicated as "solenoid drive line +", and the other solenoid drive line 19B on the negative side is indicated as "solenoid drive line -").

The solenoid 18 is driven by power supplied from the control device 22 via solenoid drive lines 19A and 19B. The valve opening pressure (valve opening degree) of the control valve changes based on the driving of the solenoid 18, for example. That is, in the damping force adjustment mechanism 17, electric power (driving current) is supplied from the control device 22 to the solenoid 18, so that the valve opening pressure (valve opening) of the control valve is adjusted according to the amount of driving the solenoid 18. be. As a result, the dampers 11A-11D can continuously adjust the damping characteristics, for example, from hard characteristics (hard characteristics) to soft characteristics (soft characteristics). The buffers 11A to 11D are not limited to continuously adjusting the damping characteristics, and may be adjustable in two steps or in a plurality of steps. Also, the shock absorbers 11A-11D may be configured to adjust the damping force by changing the viscosity of the working fluid according to the voltage or current. In the embodiment, the damping force adjustment mechanism 17 uses a solenoid 18 to control the damping force. It is good also as a structure which carries out.

Cables 20 connect between buffers 11A-11D and controller 22. FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, one end of cable 20 is connected to controller 22 . The other end of the cable 20 is connected to the valve block 16 (the damping force adjustment mechanism 17 and the identification circuit 31) of the shock absorbers 11A-11D. In the embodiment, four cables 20 connect between the four buffers 11A-11D and the controller 22, respectively. As will be described later, in the embodiment, the control device 22 can determine whether the four cables 20 extending from the four buffers 11A-11D are properly connected to the control device 22. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle body 2 has a total of four acceleration sensors at four corner positions spaced apart in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. Sensors 21A-21D are provided. The acceleration sensors 21A to 21D are sensors (behavior sensors) mounted at different locations on the vehicle 1 to detect the behavior of the vehicle 1 (more specifically, the vibration state of the vehicle body 2). Acceleration sensors 21A to 21D can be various acceleration sensors such as piezoelectric, servo, and piezoresistive analog acceleration sensors.

Here, the first acceleration sensor 21A is arranged on the front left side (FL) of the vehicle body 2 at a position close to the first shock absorber 11A, and the second acceleration sensor 21B is arranged on the front right side (FR) of the vehicle body 2. ) is located near the second buffer 11B. The third acceleration sensor 21C is arranged at the rear left side (RL) of the vehicle body 2 at a position close to the third shock absorber 11C, and the fourth acceleration sensor 21D is arranged at the rear right side (RR) of the vehicle body 2 at the fourth position. It is arranged at a position close to the buffer 11D.

Each acceleration sensor 21A-21D is connected to the controller 22. FIG. Each of the acceleration sensors 21A-21D outputs detection signals of acceleration of the vehicle body 2 detected at respective positions to the control device 22 as different signals (detection signals of vibration of the vehicle body 2, which is vehicle behavior). Note that the acceleration sensors 21A to 21D are not limited to the front left side, front right side, rear left side, and rear right side of the vehicle body 2. For example, the acceleration sensors 21A to 21D are arranged at the front center, center left side, center right side, and rear center of the vehicle body 2. Etc., the arrangement of the sensors on the vehicle body 2 may take any form. Also, the number of acceleration sensors 21A-21D is not limited to four, and may be freely selected according to the purpose of measurement and control. For example, the vehicle body 2 may be provided with 2, 3, or 5 or more.

Next, the control device 22 that variably controls (adjusts) the damping force of each of the shock absorbers 11A to 11D and also determines whether the wiring of the cable 20 is appropriate will be described.

A control device 22 as a controller is installed at a predetermined position of the vehicle 1 (for example, a position substantially in the center of the vehicle body 2). The control device 22 includes, for example, a microcomputer, a drive circuit, and the like. The control device 22 is connected to the acceleration sensors 21A-21D, the valve blocks 16 of the shock absorbers 11A-11D (the damping force adjusting mechanism 17 and the identification circuit 31), and the like. The control device 22 has a memory 22A as a storage unit composed of, for example, ROM, RAM, non-volatile memory, and the like. The memory 22A stores, for example, a program for controlling the buffers 11A to 11D, a program for determining the wiring suitability shown in FIGS. standard, threshold) and the like are stored.

The control device 22 is connected to another control device such as a higher-level control device (not shown) via a communication line 23, for example. Vehicle information of the vehicle 1 (for example, vehicle running position, running speed, etc.) is input as a host signal from a host control device to the control device 22 via a communication line 23 . Here, the speed of the vehicle 1 is detected by a sensor provided separately from the acceleration sensors 21A-21D, for example, a vehicle speed sensor (not shown). A vehicle speed sensor as a sensor is provided on the vehicle body 2 or the bogies 3A and 3B, and is connected to a higher control device. The vehicle speed sensor detects the running speed (vehicle speed) of the vehicle 1 and outputs a signal corresponding to the vehicle speed to a higher control device. The control device 22 receives vehicle information including the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 as a host signal from a host control device via the communication line 23 .

From the control device 22, for example, behavior information of the vehicle 1 (vibration information of the vehicle body 2) and wiring information (information as to whether or not the wiring of each of the shock absorbers 11A to 11D is appropriate), which will be described later, are transmitted to the upper control device. output. One control device 22 is arranged in one vehicle body 2, for example. For example, the control device 22 internally performs calculations based on sensor signals (acceleration) obtained from the acceleration sensors 21A to 21D and signals (vehicle information) obtained via the communication line 23, and the shock absorbers 11A to 11D Output a command signal. That is, the control device 22 is the control device for the buffers 11A-11D. In this case, the control device 22 includes a damping force control section for controlling the damping forces of the buffers 11A to 11D, and a test mode output section and miswiring determination section which will be described later.

The control device 22 controls (adjusts) the (damping forces of) the shock absorbers 11A to 11D by means of the damping force control section. Specifically, the damping force control unit reads, for example, detection signals from the acceleration sensors 21A to 21D, upper signals from the communication line 23, etc., and generates the Calculate the drive current corresponding to the damping force. Further, the damping force control section outputs drive currents to the solenoids 18 individually to variably control the damping force of each of the shock absorbers 11A-11D. As the control law for the buffers 11A-11D, for example, skyhook control law, LQG control law, H∞ control law, or the like can be used.

By the way, in order to improve the riding comfort of railway vehicles, there are many vehicles in which a damping device is arranged between the bogie and the vehicle body. Vibration damping devices are intended to suppress vibrations in the vertical or horizontal direction. Some even use a control actuator (full active damper) that generates a control force to suppress vibration. Since such a damping device contributes to improving the ride comfort of the crew and passengers, it is preferable that the soundness can be diagnosed before driving in addition to diagnosing failures during driving. If the soundness can be properly diagnosed before driving, for example, by excluding vehicles or trains that have been diagnosed as being unhealthy before driving, it is possible to operate only normal vehicles or trains. As a result, the anxiety and dissatisfaction of the crew and passengers about the comfort of the ride can be resolved in advance, and the reliability of the vibration damping device can be improved.

Here, the wiring of the vibration damping device of the railway vehicle is determined by the workers, who consider the number of devices and wiring to be attached to each vehicle and bogie, and the number of connectors, and then lay the cable on the car body and bogie while thinking at the site. It is often fixed. For this reason, for example, unlike automobiles, where wiring lengths, bends, and connector positions are determined in detail and delivered as harness units, there is a possibility of miswiring of cables in railroad vehicles. Therefore, before activating the damping device, it is necessary to check whether the cable is connected to the proper damping device. However, cables for railroad vehicles have long wiring lengths and are rigidly cured and fixed so that they can withstand harsh external environments. For this reason, for example, it may be difficult to check the continuity of both ends of the cable.

On the other hand, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, in order to identify the acceleration sensor, that is, to determine whether the connection of the acceleration sensor is incorrect, the power supply circuit is made to have different rise times after the power is turned on. A configuration provided with "time changing means" is described. It is conceivable to apply this technique to a damping force adjustable shock absorber equipped with a solenoid. However, in this case, the control responsiveness of the damping force adjustable shock absorber may change, making it impossible to obtain the expected damping effect.

On the other hand, the aforementioned Patent Document 2 describes a configuration including a wiring check circuit that generates a wiring check voltage and a malfunction prevention circuit. It is conceivable to apply this technique to a damping force adjustable shock absorber using a solenoid. In this case, as a check signal, for example, a constant current or a current of a specific frequency (test current) should be passed through the buffer to check whether or not current is flowing near the damping force adjustable buffer. can be considered. However, in this case, it is necessary for the operator to measure the current in the vicinity of the damping force adjustable shock absorber each time. Furthermore, when a multi-core wire used in a railroad vehicle is used as a cable, it is necessary to make only the current measuring part single-core, and there is a possibility that measurement cannot be easily performed. Furthermore, the damping force adjustable shock absorber only changes the damping force depending on the test current. That is, for example, even if a test current is applied to the damping force adjustable shock absorber while the railway vehicle is stopped at the depot, the damping force adjustable damper does not change between the vehicle body and the bogie. Therefore, it is difficult to determine (distinguish) whether the wiring is normal, that is, whether the wiring is correct or incorrect, based on the values of the acceleration sensor or the position sensor, for example.

On the other hand, in the first embodiment, each of the shock absorbers 11A-11D attached between the bogies 3A, 3B and the vehicle body 2 is provided with an identification unique circuit 31 corresponding to an identification unique section. . A signal corresponding to the test mode voltage or the test mode current, that is, the test signal, is input from the control device 22 to the unique identification circuit 31 of each of the buffers 11A-11D. The unique identification circuit 31 outputs an output signal that becomes an identification signal with respect to the test signal. The control device 22 confirms whether or not the output signal (identification signal) from the identification unique circuit 31 of each of the buffers 11A-11D is a proper value. This makes it possible to confirm whether or not the cables 20 connecting between the control device 22 and the shock absorbers 11A-11D are wired correctly.

That is, the railway vehicle vibration control device of the embodiment includes, in addition to the shock absorbers 11A to 11D described above, the control device 22, the vehicle speed sensor as a sensor, and the cable 20, an identification unique circuit 31 as an identification unique unit. (hereinafter referred to as identification circuit 31). The identification circuit 31 is provided in each of the buffers 11A-11D. The identification circuit 31 receives a signal from the control device 22 and outputs an identification signal from each of the buffers 11A-11D. The control device 22 has a test mode output section and an incorrect wiring determination section. When the vehicle 1 is stopped, the test mode output section outputs a test signal, that is, a test mode voltage or a test mode current, to the shock absorbers 11A-11D, which is different from that during normal operation. The test mode output section corresponds to, for example, the processing of S5 in the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6, which will be described later. A test mode voltage or test mode current output by the test mode output section is input as a test signal from the control device 22 to the identification circuit 31 provided in each of the buffers 11A-11D. When a test signal (test mode voltage or test mode current) is input, the identification circuit 31 outputs an identification signal according to the setting of the identification circuit 31 itself (the setting of the identification resistor 32 as a voltage dividing resistor). As a result, different identification signals are output from the identification circuits 31 of the respective buffers 11A-11D. The erroneous wiring determination unit receives the identification signal output from the identification circuit 31 and determines erroneous wiring of the cables 20 connected to the buffers 11A to 11D. The erroneous judgment judging unit judges erroneous wiring of the cable 20 by whether or not the identification signals from the buffers 11A to 11D are appropriate signals (appropriate voltage) corresponding to the positions of the respective buffers 11A to 11D. . The incorrect wiring determination unit corresponds to, for example, the processes of S6, S9, S12, S15, and S19 in flow charts of FIGS. 5 and 6, which will be described later.

Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the identification circuit 31 is arranged in the valve block 16 provided in each of the shock absorbers 11A-11D. The identification circuit 31 is provided in the valve block 16 in parallel with the circuit of the solenoid 18 separately from the circuit of the solenoid 18 . The identification circuit 31 , like the circuit of the solenoid 18 , is connected via a cable 20 to the control device 22 . The identification circuit 31 has an identification resistor 32, a test signal line 33, a damper output line 34, and a ground line 35 (GND line). The identification resistor 32 is connected to three lines, a test signal line 33 , a damper output line 34 and a ground line 35 . A test mode output section of the control device 22 outputs a test mode voltage to the identification circuit 31 by applying a predetermined voltage between the test signal line 33 and the ground line 35 . When the test mode voltage is applied to the identification circuit 31 , the identification circuit 31 outputs a voltage corresponding to the voltage division ratio of the identification resistor 32 through the damper output line 34 .

That is, the identification circuit 31 determines the voltage corresponding to the ratio between the "resistance value between the test signal line 33 and the damper output line 34" and the "resistance value between the damper output line 34 and the ground line 35". It is output to the control device 22 as an identification signal. The resistance value of the identification resistor 32, more specifically, the “resistance value between the test signal line 33 and the damper output line 34” and the “resistance value between the damper output line 34 and the ground line 35” are are made different according to the positions of the buffers 11A-11D. Thus, when a predetermined test mode voltage is applied to each of the buffers 11A-11D, different voltages corresponding to the settings of the identification resistors 32 are output from the respective buffers 11A-11D. The identification resistor 32 of the identification circuit 31 can be incorporated into the shock absorbers 11A-11D as a fixed resistance corresponding to the mounting position of the shock absorbers 11A-11B, or incorporated into the shock absorbers 11A-11D as a variable resistance. The resistance value can also be set according to the mounting position. The miswiring determination unit of the control device 22 determines that the voltage (identification signal) input from the identification circuit 31 of the buffer 11A-11D via the damper output line 34 is a voltage corresponding to the correct position of the buffer 11A-11D. Based on whether or not there is, it is determined whether or not the cable 20 is wired correctly.

In the first embodiment, the control device 22 determines whether or not the vehicle 1 is stopped, for example, upon receiving a test mode ON signal for starting a wiring determination test from a higher-level control device. The control device 22 determines whether the vehicle 1 is parked and the vehicle 1 is parked at a suitable location for testing. When the control device 22 determines that the vehicle 1 is stopped at a location suitable for testing such as a vehicle depot, the control device 22 shifts to a test mode for determining whether the wiring is appropriate. A test mode output of controller 22 simultaneously inputs test signals to the four buffers 11A-11D. That is, in the first embodiment, the test mode voltage is simultaneously applied to the identification circuit 31 of each buffer 11A-11D. When the test mode voltage is applied to the identification circuit 31 of each of the buffers 11A-11D, a voltage corresponding to the setting of the identification circuit 31 is output from the identification circuit 31 to the controller 22 as an identification signal. The incorrect wiring determination section of the control device 22 determines whether or not the cable 20 is normally wired based on the identification signal output from the identification circuit 31 of each buffer 11A-11D. If it is determined that the wiring is incorrect, for example, the cable 20 that is determined to be incorrectly wired is reconnected so as to be correctly wired. The wiring suitability determination processing by the control device 22, that is, the control processing in FIGS. 5 and 6 will be described later in detail.

The railway vehicle vibration control device according to the first embodiment has the configuration described above, and the operation thereof will now be described.

The vehicle 1 runs along the rail R toward the left side in FIGS. 1 and 2, for example. When the vehicle 1 is running, if vibration such as roll (horizontal shaking) or pitch (frontward and rearward shaking) occurs, the acceleration sensors 21A to 21D sense the upward and downward vibrations at this time. To detect. The control device 22 discriminates the signals detected by the acceleration sensors 21A to 21D as detection signals of individual vehicle behavior (acceleration), and controls the vibration of the vehicle 1, for example, on the FL, FR, RL, and RR sides. A target damping force to be generated by each of the buffers 11A to 11D is calculated. Each of the shock absorbers 11A-11D is variably controlled in accordance with command signals individually output from the control device 22 so that the respective generated damping forces have characteristics in line with the target damping forces.

Further, in the first embodiment, when the vehicle 1 is stopped, more specifically, when the vehicle 1 is stopped at a vehicle depot or a vehicle maintenance shop before commercial operation, the shock absorbers 11A to 11D is correctly wired. Therefore, this determination, that is, the process of determining whether wiring is appropriate or not performed by the control device 22 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. Note that FIG. 6 is a process subsequent to FIG. The control processing in FIGS. 5 and 6 is executed, for example, by energizing the control device 22 (the test mode output section and the miswiring determination section thereof) and receiving a predetermined signal.

When the control device 22 (the test mode output section and the miswiring determination section thereof) is activated, the control process of FIG. 5 is started. In S1, the control device 22 determines whether or not it has received a test mode ON signal from a higher control device (not shown). That is, in S1, it is determined whether or not a test mode ON signal has been received from a higher signal, which is a signal of a higher control device. For example, when the vehicle 1 is started before commercial operation is started, or when a test start switch provided in the driver's cab of the vehicle 1 is operated, the host control device issues a command to the control device 22 It transmits (outputs) a test mode ON signal for shifting to the test mode. If "YES" in S1, that is, if it is determined that the test mode ON signal has been received, the process proceeds to S2. On the other hand, if it is determined "NO" in S1, that is, if it is determined that the test mode ON signal has not been received, the process returns to S1, and the processes after S1 are repeated.

In S2 and S3, it is determined whether or not the situation permits determination of wiring suitability. Specifically, in S2, it is determined whether or not the vehicle speed is equal to or less than a predetermined value V1. In other words, in S2, it is determined whether or not the vehicle 1 is stopped. The vehicle speed can be obtained, for example, from a higher signal. If "YES" in S2, that is, if it is determined that the vehicle speed is equal to or less than the predetermined value V1, it is determined that the vehicle 1 is stopped, and the process proceeds to S3. If "NO" in S2, that is, if it is determined that the vehicle speed is greater than the predetermined value V1, it is determined that the vehicle 1 is running, and the process proceeds to S22. The predetermined value V1 can be set as a threshold with which it can be appropriately determined whether the vehicle 1 is stopped. The predetermined value V1 is stored in advance in the memory 22A.

In S3, it is determined whether or not the position of the vehicle 1, for example, the mileage, is within a range from a predetermined value X1 to a predetermined value X2, or within a range from a predetermined value X3 to a predetermined value X4. That is, it is determined whether or not the position of the vehicle 1 is at the vehicle depot. The position (kilometer range) of the vehicle 1 can be obtained from, for example, a higher-order signal. If "YES" in S3, that is, if it is determined that the mileage is within the range from the predetermined value X1 to the predetermined value X2 or within the range from the predetermined value X3 to the predetermined value X4, the process proceeds to S4. If "NO" in S3, that is, if it is determined that the mileage is outside the range between the predetermined value X1 and the predetermined value X2 and the range between the predetermined value X3 and the predetermined value X4, the process proceeds to S22. The predetermined value X1 to the predetermined value X2 and the predetermined value X3 to the predetermined value X4 can be set as ranges corresponding to the vehicle depot (vehicle maintenance facility), for example. The predetermined values X1, X2, X3 and X4 are stored in advance in the memory 22A.

If the determinations in S2 and S3 are "YES", it corresponds to the case where the vehicle 1 is stopped at the vehicle depot (vehicle maintenance facility). In this case, it shifts to the test mode after S4. That is, the process proceeds to S4 and subsequent steps, and it is determined whether or not an appropriate cable 20 is wired to each of the shock absorbers 11A-11D. On the other hand, when it is determined as "NO" in S2 or S3, it corresponds to the case where the vehicle 1 is not stopped at the depot. In this case, the process proceeds to S22 without shifting to the test mode. In S22, "test not possible" is transmitted to the upper control device (upper device). That is, the control device 22 transmits a signal to the upper control device to the effect that it is not possible to determine the suitability of the wiring, and proceeds to the end via "B" in FIG. 5 and "B" in FIG. In this case, the control process of FIGS. 5 and 6 is ended without shifting to the test mode after S4. Thus, when the vehicle speed is higher than the predetermined value V1, it is determined that the vehicle 1 is running and it is inappropriate to shift to the test mode, and the process ends. Similarly, regarding the position (kilometer) of the vehicle 1, if the vehicle depot is set within a specified value (within the range from the specified value X1 to the specified value X2, or within the range from the specified value X3 to the specified value X4), then Other than this corresponds to between stations, stations, etc., it is determined that it is inappropriate to shift to the test mode, and the process is terminated.

In S4, it shifts to a test mode and proceeds to S5. At S5, the test signal is turned ON. That is, in S5, the test mode voltage corresponding to the test signal is input (applied) to the identification circuits 31 of the four buffers 11A-11D. As a result, the identification circuit 31 provided in each of the buffers 11A-11D outputs a voltage corresponding to the setting (voltage dividing ratio) of the identification resistor 32 of each identification circuit 31. FIG. That is, each identification circuit 31 outputs an identification voltage (identification signal) that is an output voltage (output signal) in response to application (input) of a test mode voltage (test signal).

In S6 following S5, it is determined whether or not the identification voltage of the first buffer 11A is normal. That is, whether or not the identification voltage output from the identification circuit 31 of the first buffer 11A is the voltage (appropriate voltage) that is output if the proper cable 20 is connected to the first buffer 11A. judge. For example, if the test mode voltage is applied and the voltage that is output is 1 V if the proper cable 20 is connected to the first buffer 11A, then in S6 it is determined whether or not the identification voltage is 1 V. judge. An appropriate voltage is set for each of the buffers 11A-11D and stored in advance in the memory 22A.

If "YES" in S6, that is, if it is determined that the identification voltage of the first buffer 11A is normal, the process proceeds to S9 via S7. In this case, it can be determined that the proper cable 20 is connected to the first shock absorber 11A. Therefore, in S7, it is recorded in the memory 22A that the wiring of the first buffer 11A is normal, and the process proceeds to S9. On the other hand, if "NO" in S6, that is, if it is determined that the identification voltage of the first buffer 11A is not normal, the process proceeds to S9 via S8. In this case, the proper cable 20 is not connected to the first shock absorber 11A, and it can be determined that the wiring is incorrect. Therefore, in S8, the fact that the wiring of the first buffer 11A is abnormal (erroneous wiring) is recorded in the memory 22A, and the process proceeds to S9.

Following S9 to S17 perform the same processing as S6 to S8 for the remaining buffers 11B-11D. That is, S9 through S11 perform the same processing as S6 through S8 on the second buffer 11B. In subsequent S12 to S14, the same processing as in S6 to S8 is performed on the third buffer 11C. In subsequent S15 to S17, the same processing as S6 to S8 is performed on the fourth buffer 11D. In other words, when the test mode voltage is applied to each of the buffers 11A-11D in S5, the identification voltage (identification signal) for each of the buffers 11A-11D is set to the proper value corresponding to each of the buffers 11A-11D in S6 to S17. Whether or not the voltage (appropriate value) is determined is determined, and the determination result, that is, whether or not the wiring is normal (appropriate) (abnormal, incorrect wiring) is recorded. Then, in S18 following S17, application of the test mode voltage ends. That is, in S18, the test signal is switched from ON to OFF.

In the following S19, it is determined whether or not the wiring of all buffers 11A-11D is normal. In other words, it is determined whether or not all records of the wiring of the buffers 11A to 11D are normal. If "YES" in S19, that is, if it is determined that all wiring records are normal (there is no abnormality record), the process proceeds to S20. In this case, it can be determined that the four cables 20 between each buffer 11A-11D and the controller 22 are properly connected. Therefore, in S20, the wiring information indicating that the wiring of the shock absorbers 11A to 11D is proper is transmitted to the upper controller. On the other hand, if "NO" is determined in S19, that is, if it is determined that there is an abnormal record, the process proceeds to S21. In this case, it can be determined that the wiring is incorrect, that is, the connection of the cable 20 is not proper. Therefore, in S21, the result of this determination, that is, the wiring information indicating which one of the buffers 11A to 11D has the incorrect wiring is transmitted to the upper controller. After the wiring information (wiring suitability determination result) is transmitted in S20 or S21, the process proceeds to end, and the wiring suitability determination processing ends.

7 and 8 show the test mode voltage (test signal) applied to the identification circuit 31 of each buffer 11A-11D and the output voltage (identification signal) output from the identification circuit 31 of each buffer 11A-11D. showing. In this case, FIG. 7 shows an example of time history waveforms when the wiring is correct. FIG. 8 shows an example of time-history waveforms in the case of erroneous wiring.

7 and 8, the output voltage (identification signal) output from the identification circuit 31 in response to application of the test mode voltage is set as follows, for example. That is, when the connection of the cable 20 between the first buffer 11A and the control device 22 is correct, the voltage output from the identification circuit 31 of the first buffer 11A is the first proper voltage that is the minimum voltage. (for example, 1 V). When the connection of the cable 20 between the second buffer 11B and the control device 22 is correct, the voltage output from the identification circuit 31 of the second buffer 11B is set to a second proper voltage higher than the first proper voltage. Let the voltage be (for example, 2 V). When the connection of the cable 20 between the third buffer 11C and the control device 22 is correct, the voltage output from the identification circuit 31 of the third buffer 11C is set to a third proper voltage higher than the second proper voltage. Let the voltage be (for example, 3 V). When the connection of the cable 20 between the fourth buffer 11D and the controller 22 is correct, the voltage output from the identification circuit 31 of the fourth buffer 11D is regarded as the maximum voltage higher than the third proper voltage. A fourth appropriate voltage (for example, 4V).

FIG. 7 shows the case where four cables 20 extending from each buffer 11A-11D are correctly connected to the controller 22. FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, when the test mode voltage is applied, that is, when the test signal is switched from OFF to ON, 1V is output from the first buffer 11A and 2V is output from the second buffer 11B, 3V is output from the third buffer 11C, and 4V is output from the fourth buffer 11D. In this case, the processing of S6, S9, S12, S15, and S19 in FIGS. 5 and 6 is judged as "YES", and the wiring of the buffers 11A-11D from the control device 22 to the upper control device is proper. Something is sent.

In contrast, FIG. 8 shows that if the four cables 20 extending from each of the buffers 11A-11D are not properly connected to the controller 22, for example, the cables 20 extending from the second buffer 11B and the third It shows the case where the cable 20 extending from the shock absorber 11C is misplaced. As shown in FIG. 8, when the test mode voltage is applied, that is, when the test signal is switched from OFF to ON, 1V is output from the first buffer 11A and 3V is output from the second buffer 11B, 2V is output from the third buffer 11C, and 4V is output from the fourth buffer 11D. In this case, the processing of S9, S12, and S19 in FIGS. 5 and 6 is determined as "NO", and the control device 22 instructs the upper control device to change the second shock absorber 11B and the third shock absorber 11C. A message to the effect that the wiring is not proper (wrong wiring) is sent. Thereby, for example, the cable 20 is reconnected.

Although the proper voltages of the buffers 11A-11D are merely examples, it is desirable that the proper voltage difference between the buffers 11A-11D is at least 0.5 V or more. The reason for this is that the cable length of the vehicle 1 (the total length of the cable 20) is determined by the positional relationship between the control device 22 and the shock absorbers 11A-11D, and depending on the cable length (the total length of the cable 20), voltage drop may occur. This is because there are cases where it cannot be ignored. Furthermore, it is necessary to consider the possibility that the wiring is erroneously detected as "abnormal (erroneous wiring)" even though the wiring is "normal" due to an error on the circuit side.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the identification circuit 31 (identification unique section) is added in the valve block 16 of each of the shock absorbers 11A to 11D, and the processing of FIGS. ), it is possible to confirm whether or not the cables 20 connected to the buffers 11A to 11D are wired correctly. As a result, erroneous wiring of the cable 20 can be suppressed. According to the first embodiment, it is necessary to add the identification circuit 31 (identification unique section) of the shock absorbers 11A to 11D. Block 16 and controller 22) can be minimized in size. For example, controller 22 requires three additional connections: test signal (test signal line 33), damper output (damper output line 34) and GND (ground line 35). However, by using the multi-core cable 20, it is possible to cope with one cable line in appearance, and it is possible to avoid an increase in the number of cables. Therefore, the number of man-hours for laying the cable 20 on the vehicle 1 is the same as when the identification circuit 31 is not provided. The control device 22 also has an “output” of a simple constant voltage for outputting a test mode voltage (test signal) and an “analog input” to which the identification voltage (identification signal) output from the identification circuit 31 is input. , and the increase in size of the control device 22 can be minimized.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the test mode output section of the control device 22 outputs a test signal (test mode voltage) to each of the shock absorbers 11A to 11D when the vehicle 1 is stopped. On the other hand, when the test signal from the test mode output section of the control device 22 is input, the identification circuit 31 provided in each of the buffers 11A to 11D identifies a signal corresponding to the setting of each identification circuit 31. Outputs a signal (identification voltage). An identification signal corresponding to the setting of each identification circuit 31 is input to the incorrect wiring determination section of the control device 22 . Therefore, based on the identification signal from each identification circuit 31, the miswiring judging section of the control device 22 can judge miswiring of the cable 20 connected to each of the buffers 11A to 11D. This makes it possible to confirm whether or not the cable 20 connecting between the control device 22 and each of the shock absorbers 11A-11D is properly routed. When it is determined that the wiring is incorrect, for example, by reconnecting the cable 20 that has been determined to be incorrectly wired, it is possible to prevent the damping force from being controlled with the incorrect wiring. Moreover, since the miswiring determination section of the control device 22 determines miswiring, this determination can be performed automatically without human intervention. Thereby, human error can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the configuration for judging incorrect wiring can be configured simply (it can be handled with a small number of additional configurations), it is possible to suppress the buffers 11A to 11D and the control device 22 from increasing in size.

9 to 11 show a second embodiment. A feature of the second embodiment is that the test signal is output separately for each damping force adjustable shock absorber. In addition, in 2nd Embodiment, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected to the same component as 1st Embodiment, and the description is abbreviate|omitted.

In the first embodiment described above, (the test mode output section of) the control device 22 simultaneously outputs (applies) the test mode voltage (test signal) to the identification circuits 31 of the four buffers 11A-11D. In this case, the capacity of the voltage output circuit increases, possibly resulting in an increase in substrate size. In contrast, in the second embodiment, the test mode output section of the control device 22 outputs (applies) test signals (test mode voltages) to the buffers 11A to 11D at different timings. This makes it possible to reduce the capacity of the voltage output circuit that outputs the test signal and to reduce the size of the substrate.

9 to 11, the test signal (test mode voltage) output (applied) from the test mode output section to the identification circuit 31 of the first buffer 11A is referred to as "test signal 1". The test signal output from the test mode output section to the identification circuit 31 of the second buffer 11B is called "test signal 2". The test signal output from the test mode output section to the discrimination circuit 31 of the third buffer 11C is called "test signal 3". The test signal output from the test mode output section to the identification circuit 31 of the fourth buffer 11D is called "test signal 4". Test signals 1 to 4 can all have the same voltage value, for example.

Next, the process of determining whether wiring is appropriate or not performed by the control device 22 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG. In the second embodiment, the memory 22A of the control device 22 stores a program for performing wiring suitability determination processing shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the same step numbers are assigned to the same processes as those shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

In S31 following S4, the test signal 1 is turned ON. That is, in S31, the test signal 1, which is the test mode voltage, is output (applied) to the identification circuit 31 of the first buffer 11A. In this state, the subsequent processing of S6 to S8 is performed. In S32, the test signal 1 is turned off and the test signal 2 is turned on. That is, in S32, the output of test signal 1 to the identification circuit 31 of the first buffer 11A is terminated, and the test signal 2 is output to the identification circuit 31 of the second buffer 11B. In this state, the subsequent processing of S9 to S11 is performed.

At S33, the test signal 2 is turned off and the test signal 3 is turned on. That is, in S33, the output of test signal 2 to the identification circuit 31 of the second buffer 11B is terminated, and the test signal 3 is output to the identification circuit 31 of the third buffer 11C. In this state, the subsequent processing of S12 to S14 is performed. At S34, the test signal 3 is turned off and the test signal 4 is turned on. That is, in S34, the output of the test signal 3 to the identification circuit 31 of the third buffer 11C is terminated, and the test signal 4 is output to the identification circuit 31 of the fourth buffer 11D. In this state, the subsequent processing of S15 to S17 is performed. At S35, the test signal 4 is turned off. That is, at S35, the output of the test signal 4 to the identification circuit 31 of the fourth buffer 11D is terminated.

FIG. 11 shows time history waveforms when the four cables 20 extending from each buffer 11A-11D are correctly connected to the controller 22. FIG. In FIG. 11, the appropriate voltage is set in the same manner as in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, when the test signal 1 is turned ON, 1V is output from the first buffer 11A. When the test signal 1 is turned off and the test signal 2 is turned on, 2V is output from the second buffer 11B. When the test signal 2 is turned off and the test signal 3 is turned on, 3V is output from the third buffer 11C. When the test signal 3 is turned off and the test signal 4 is turned on, 4V is output from the fourth buffer 11D.

Thus, according to the second embodiment, controller 22 outputs test signals 1-4, which are test mode voltages, separately for each of buffers 11A-11B. Therefore, the capacity (power supply capacity) of the voltage supply circuit (voltage output circuit) can be reduced. Further, since the time for inputting each test signal 1-4 is reduced, the temperature rise of the identification circuit 31 (identification unique section) can be minimized. As a result, the controller 22 and the identification circuit 31 can be miniaturized.

The second embodiment performs the wiring suitability determination processing shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 as described above, and its basic operation is not particularly different from that of the first embodiment. That is, in the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, it is possible to check whether or not the cables 20 connecting between the control device 22 and the shock absorbers 11A to 11D are properly wired. It is possible to prevent the damping force from being controlled with incorrect wiring.

12 to 16 show a third embodiment. A feature of the third embodiment resides in that the identification resistance of the identification unique section (identification circuit) is connected in parallel with the solenoid. In addition, in the third embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same constituent elements as those in the first and second embodiments, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the first and second embodiments described above, it was necessary to additionally provide an analog input in the controller 22 . For this reason, the number of parts in the circuit may increase accordingly. In contrast, in the third embodiment, the increase in the number of parts on the circuit can be minimized. In FIG. 12, an identification circuit 41, which is an identification unit, includes a connection line 41A, a relay 42, an identification resistor 43, a test signal line 33, and a ground line 35 (GND line). The connection line 41A connects between one solenoid drive line 19A and the other solenoid drive line 19B. A relay 42 and an identification resistor 43 are provided in series on the connection line 41A.

The relay 42 is connected in parallel with the solenoid 18 and in series with the identification resistor 43 . The relay 42 is a normally open ON/OFF relay and has a coil 42A and a contact 42B. The coil 42A is connected to two lines, the test signal line 33 and the ground line 35. As shown in FIG. Test signal line 33 is connected to control device 22 via cable 20 . The relay 42 is normally OFF (the contact 42B is open), and switches to ON (the contact 42B is closed) when an exciting current is supplied from the control device 22 to the coil 42A. A test mode output section of the control device 22 outputs a test mode current (exciting current) as a second test signal to the relays 42 of the buffers 11A-11D. As a result, the relay 42 is turned ON, and the solenoid drive lines 19A and 19B are connected via the identification resistor 43. As shown in FIG.

The identification resistor 43 is connected in parallel with the solenoid 18 . That is, the identification resistor 43 is provided in the middle of the connection line 41A, and the connection line 41A is connected in parallel to the solenoid 18 between the solenoid drive lines 19A and 19B. The resistance value of the identification resistor 43 is made different according to the position of each buffer 11A-11D. When the relay 42 is turned on while the solenoid 18 is energized, a current also flows through the discrimination resistor 43, which acts as a shunt resistor. That is, the test mode output section of the control device 22 energizes the solenoid 18 with a constant current (predetermined current), thereby outputting the test mode current as the first test signal to the solenoid 18 of each of the buffers 11A-11D. . For example, when a current is passed through the solenoid 18 by PWM control (switching control), a constant current flows through the solenoid 18 by making the duty ratio constant. When the relay 42 is turned on in this state, a current also flows through the identification resistor 43 and the current value changes.

That is, since the solenoid 18 and the identification resistor 43 are arranged in parallel, the resistance of the entire circuit including the identification resistor 43 and the solenoid 18 decreases when the relay 42 is switched from OFF to ON. When the duty ratio is constant, that is, when the voltage is constant and the current is supplied, when the relay 42 is switched ON, the current value increases in accordance with the degree of decrease in the resistance value of the entire circuit. Thus, when the first test signal and the second test signal are input to the identification circuit 41, the current value changes (increases) according to the setting of the identification circuit 41 itself (the resistance value of the identification resistor 43). This change (increase) in the current value is output to the control device 22 as an identification signal (output signal). The miswiring judging section of the control device 22 determines whether or not the cables 20 between the buffers 11A to 11D and the control device 22 are connected based on the degree of change (increase) in the current value before and after the second test signal is input to the relay 42. to determine the suitability of wiring.

Thus, in the third embodiment as well, when the vehicle 1 is stopped, the test mode output section of the control device 22 supplies each of the shock absorbers 11A to 11D with a test mode current different from that during normal operation, that is, the first A test signal and a second test signal are output. Specifically, the test mode output section of the control device 22 outputs a first test signal to the buffers 11A-11D by energizing the solenoid 18 with a constant current. In this case, the first test signal is output simultaneously to the solenoids 18 of each buffer 11A-11D. Also, the test mode output section of the control device 22 outputs the second test signal to the buffers 11A-11D by energizing the relay 42. FIG. In this case, the second test signal is output to the relays 42 of each buffer 11A-11D at different times rather than at the same time. 13 to 16, the signal output from the test mode output section to the relay 42 of the first buffer 11A is referred to as "second test signal 1". The signal output from the test mode output section to the relay 42 of the second buffer 11B is called "second test signal 2". A signal output from the test mode output section to the relay 42 of the third buffer 11C is referred to as "second test signal 3". The signal output from the test mode output section to the relay 42 of the fourth buffer 11D is called "second test signal 4". The miswiring determination section of the control device 22 receives the identification signal output from the identification circuit 41 and determines miswiring of the cables 20 connected to the buffers 11A to 11D. That is, when the relay 42 is turned on while a constant current is supplied to the solenoid 18, the current value of the identification circuit 41 of each of the buffers 11A to 11D increases, This increase in current value is input as an identification signal from the identification circuit 41 . The miswiring determination unit determines whether or not the identification signal (increase in current value) from the shock absorbers 11A-11D is a proper identification signal (appropriate increase in current value) corresponding to the position of each shock absorber 11A-11D. Miswiring of the cable 20 is determined depending on whether the

Next, the process of determining whether wiring is appropriate or not performed by the control device 22 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. FIG. In the third embodiment, the memory 22A of the control device 22 stores a program for performing wiring suitability determination processing shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 that are the same as the processes shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are assigned the same step numbers, and description thereof will be omitted.

If it is determined as "YES" in S3 and the process proceeds to S41, the test mode is entered and the first test signal is turned ON in S41. That is, a constant current, which is the test mode current, is output as the first test signal to the solenoids 18 of all the buffers 11A-11D. In S42 following S41, the second test signal 1 is turned ON. That is, the exciting current, which is the test mode current, is output as the second test signal 1 to the relay 42 of the first buffer 11A. As a result, the relay 42 of the first shock absorber 11A is turned ON. At this time, the current value flowing through the first buffer 11A increases.

In S43 following S42, it is determined whether or not the current flowing through the first buffer 11A has increased appropriately. That is, the current increase value of the identification circuit 41 of the first buffer 11A is a proper increase value (appropriate increase value) that is output if the proper cable 20 is connected to the first buffer 11A. Determine whether or not For example, when the first test signal is ON and the second test signal 1 is turned ON (the relay 42 of the first buffer 11A is turned ON), the proper cable 20 is connected to the first buffer 11A. 0.2A is the appropriate increase in the output current. In this case, in S43, it is determined whether or not the increase in current value is 0.2A. A proper increase value is set for each of the buffers 11A-11D and stored in advance in the memory 22A.

In S44 following S7 or S8, the second test signal 1 is turned OFF and the second test signal 2 is turned ON. In S45 following S44, it is determined whether or not the current flowing through the second buffer 11B has increased appropriately. As shown in subsequent S46 to S50, similar processing is performed for the third buffer 11C and the fourth buffer 11D. Incidentally, in S50, the second test signal 4 is turned off, and the first test signal is also turned off.

15 and 16 show the test mode currents (first test signal and second test signals 1-4) input to the identification circuit 41 of each buffer 11A-11D and the identification circuit 41 of each buffer 11A-11D. 1 shows an output current (identification signal) output from. In this case, FIG. 15 shows an example of time history waveforms when the wiring is correct. FIG. 16 shows an example of time-history waveforms in the case of erroneous wiring.

In FIGS. 15 and 16, the increase value (identification signal) of the current output from the identification circuit 41 when the second test signals 1-4 are input with the first test signal input is, for example, as follows. is set to That is, when the connection of the cable 20 between the first buffer 11A and the control device 22 is correct, the current increase value of the first buffer 11A is set to the first appropriate increase value (eg +0.2A). do. When the connection of the cable 20 between the second buffer 11B and the control device 22 is correct, the current increase value of the second buffer 11B is defined as a second proper increase value (eg +0.4A). When the connection of the cable 20 between the third buffer 11C and the control device 22 is correct, the current increase value of the third buffer 11C is defined as a third proper increase value (eg +0.6A). When the connection of the cable 20 between the fourth buffer 11D and the control device 22 is correct, the current increase value of the fourth buffer 11D is defined as a fourth appropriate increase value (eg +0.8A).

FIG. 15 shows the case where the four cables 20 extending from each buffer 11A-11D are properly connected to the controller 22. FIG. As shown in FIG. 15, first, the first test signal is turned ON. That is, the solenoid 18 of each of the buffers 11A-11D is supplied with a constant current as the first test signal. In this state, the second test signal 1 is turned ON. That is, when the excitation current that becomes the second test signal 1 is supplied to the relay 42 of the first buffer 11A, the output of the identification circuit 41 of the first buffer 11A increases by 0.2A. When the second test signal 1 is turned OFF and the second test signal 2 is turned ON, the output of the identification circuit 41 of the second buffer 11B increases by 0.4A. When the second test signal 2 is turned OFF and the second test signal 3 is turned ON, the output of the identification circuit 41 of the third buffer 11C increases by 0.6A. When the second test signal 3 is turned OFF and the second test signal 4 is turned ON, the output of the identification circuit 41 of the fourth buffer 11D increases by 0.8A. When the second test signal 4 is turned off and the first test signal is turned off, the output of the identification circuit 41 becomes 0A. In this case, the processing of S43, S45, S47, S49, and S19 in FIGS. 13 and 14 is judged to be "YES", and the wiring of the buffers 11A-11D from the control device 22 to the upper control device is proper. Something is sent.

In contrast, FIG. 16 shows that if the four cables 20 extending from each of the buffers 11A-11D are not properly connected to the controller 22, for example, the cable 20 extending from the second buffer 11B and the third It shows the case where the cable 20 extending from the shock absorber 11C is misplaced. In this case, when the second test signal 2 is turned ON, the output of the identification circuit 41 of the second buffer 11B increases by 0.6 A, and when the second test signal 3 is turned ON, the third buffer 11C The output of the identification circuit 41 increases by 0.4A. In this case, the processing of S45, S47, and S19 in FIGS. 13 and 14 is determined to be "NO", and the controller 22 instructs the upper controller to change the second damper 11B and the third damper 11C. A message to the effect that the wiring is not proper (wrong wiring) is sent. Thereby, for example, the cable 20 is reconnected.

In such a third embodiment, the ON/OFF of the second test signals 1-4 can be performed individually for each of the buffers 11A-11D as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, not simultaneously. preferable. The reason for this is that if the second test signals 1-4 are simultaneously output to the relays 42 of the four buffers 11A-11D, it is necessary to increase the current capacity. In order to suppress the failure of the relay 42 due to the rush current when the relay 42 is turned ON, the first test signal, that is, the current to the solenoid 18 may be interrupted (OFF) immediately before the relay 42 is turned ON/OFF. good. In the third embodiment, the only addition to the circuitry within the controller 22 is a circuit for turning on/off the relay 42 . That is, since the solenoid drive lines 19A and 19B for supplying current to the solenoid 18 and the current detection circuit (not shown) for detecting the current flowing through the solenoid drive lines 19A and 19B are originally provided, they are used. be able to. Thereby, the third embodiment can be realized with a minimum of additional parts.

The third embodiment uses the identification circuit 41 as described above to perform the wiring suitability determination processing of FIGS. There is no particular difference. That is, in the third embodiment, similarly to the first and second embodiments, it is confirmed whether or not the cable 20 connecting between the control device 22 and each buffer 11A-11D is properly wired. It is possible to prevent the damping force from being controlled with incorrect wiring.

17 to 20 show a fourth embodiment. The fourth embodiment is characterized in that both the first test signal and the second test signal are output separately for each damping force adjustable shock absorber. In addition, in the fourth embodiment, the same components as those in the first to third embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

In the third embodiment described above, the first test signal is simultaneously input to the four buffers 11A-11D. In this case, when the first test signal is turned ON, current flows through all the shock absorbers 11A to 11D, so there is a possibility that the solenoid 18 will heat up due to the current. Furthermore, depending on the resistance value of the identification resistor 32, the test current (first test signal) may become large, requiring a large power supply circuit for this test current.

In contrast, in the fourth embodiment, both the first test signal and the second test signal are output to each of the buffers 11A-11D with different timings. . This avoids current flow to the four buffers 11A-11D at the same time, thereby avoiding large current consumption. That is, in the third embodiment, the first test signal is simultaneously output to (the solenoids 18 of) each of the buffers 11A-11D, whereas in the fourth embodiment, the first test signal is output to each buffer. Each of the devices 11A-11D (the solenoids 18 thereof) outputs at different timings. 17 to 20, the first test signal output from the test mode output section of the control device 22 to (the solenoid 18 of) the first buffer 11A is referred to as "first test signal 1". The first test signal output from the test mode output section to the second buffer 11B is referred to as "first test signal 2". The first test signal output from the test mode output section to the third buffer 11C is referred to as "first test signal 3". The first test signal output from the test mode output section to the fourth buffer 11D is referred to as "first test signal 4". The first test signal 1 to the first test signal 4 can all be the same constant current (predetermined current), for example.

Next, the wiring suitability determination processing performed by the control device 22 will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 19. FIG. In the fourth embodiment, the memory 22A of the control device 22 stores a program for performing wiring suitability determination processing shown in FIGS. 17 to 19, processes similar to those shown in FIGS. 5, 6, 13, and 14 are assigned the same step numbers, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

In S51 following S4, the first test signal 1 is turned ON and the second test signal 1 is turned ON. That is, in S51, a constant current that becomes the first test signal 1 is output to the solenoid 18 of the first buffer 11A, and an exciting current that becomes the second test signal 1 is output to the relay 42 of the first buffer 11A. . In this state, the processes of S43, S7 and S8 are performed. In S52, the second test signal 1 is turned off and the first test signal 1 is turned off. In subsequent S53 to S58, similar processing is performed for the second buffer 11B, the third buffer 11C, and the fourth buffer 11D.

FIG. 20 shows time history waveforms when the four cables 20 extending from each buffer 11A-11D are properly connected to the controller 22. FIG. In FIG. 20, the appropriate current increase value is set in the same manner as in the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 20, when the first test signal 1 is turned ON and the second test signal 1 is turned ON in this state, the output (identification signal) of the first buffer 11A increases by 0.2A. When the first test signal 2 is turned ON and the second test signal 2 is turned ON in this state, the output (identification signal) of the second buffer 11B increases by 0.4A. When the first test signal 3 is turned ON and the second test signal 3 is turned ON in this state, the output (identification signal) of the third buffer 11C increases by 0.6A. When the first test signal 4 is turned ON and the second test signal 4 is turned ON in this state, the output (identification signal) of the fourth buffer 11D increases by 0.8A.

As described above, in the fourth embodiment, individual identification (determination of miswiring) is performed by individually passing current to the shock absorbers 11A to 11D, so that heat generation due to unnecessary current flow can be suppressed. can. Furthermore, depending on the design value of the identification resistor 43, there is no need to increase the current capacity of the circuit. That is, by increasing the resistance value of the identification resistor 43, the current flowing through the circuit can be reduced.

The fourth embodiment performs the wiring suitability determination processing shown in FIGS. 17 to 19 as described above, and its basic operation is not particularly different from that of the third embodiment. That is, in the fourth embodiment, similarly to the third embodiment, it is possible to confirm whether or not the cables 20 connected to the shock absorbers 11A to 11D are properly wired. It is possible to prevent the damping force from being controlled.

Next, FIGS. 21 to 24 show a fifth embodiment. The feature of the fifth embodiment resides in that it is configured to determine whether the wiring is appropriate after determining whether the resistance value of the solenoid is within the proper range. In addition, in the fifth embodiment, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same constituent elements as in the first to fourth embodiments, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the above-described third and fourth embodiments, the relay 42 and the identification resistor 43 are arranged in parallel with the solenoid 18, and a constant current is output to the solenoid 18 as the first test signal. An excitation current is output as the second test signal. Then, based on the amount of increase in current at this time, it is determined whether the wiring is appropriate. However, if the resistance value of the solenoid 18 deviates from the standard value, the resistance ratio between the identification resistor 43, which serves as a shunt resistance, and the solenoid 18 will change, and even if the cable 20 is properly wired, an error will occur. There is a possibility that it will be determined as wiring. That is, the resistance value of the solenoid 18 has temperature dependence. On the other hand, for example, if the vehicle 1 is left for several hours under the scorching sun in summer and the valve block 16 becomes hot, or if the vehicle 1 is left for several hours in a cold region (for example, in a snowstorm) in winter. , it is conceivable that wiring suitability may be determined when the surroundings of the valve block 16 are frozen. As described above, since the temperature conditions are not always the same, there is a possibility that the resistance value of the solenoid 18 deviates from the standard value when judging whether the wiring is appropriate or not, resulting in an erroneous judgment.

On the other hand, in the fifth embodiment, in addition to the miswiring determination unit, the control device 22 has a resistance estimation that estimates the resistance of the solenoid 18 of each of the buffers 11A to 11D from the current value flowing under the condition that the duty ratio is constant. has a department. The resistance estimation section is also a resistance suitability determination section that determines whether the resistance value of the solenoid 18 is within an appropriate range, in other words, whether the current value is within an appropriate (normal) range.

Next, the wiring suitability determination processing performed by the control device 22 will be described with reference to FIGS. 21 to 24. FIG. In the fifth embodiment, the memory 22A of the control device 22 stores a program for performing wiring suitability determination processing shown in FIGS. 21 to 24, the same step numbers are assigned to the same processes as those shown in FIGS. is omitted.

If it is determined as "YES" in S3 of FIG. 21, the process proceeds to S61. In S61, the test mode is entered and the first test signal 1 is turned ON. That is, in S61, a constant current that becomes the first test signal 1 is output to the solenoid 18 of the first buffer 11A. In subsequent S62, it is determined whether or not the current value flowing through the first buffer 11A is within the normal range with the first test signal 1 turned ON. That is, in S62, it is determined whether or not the resistance value of the solenoid 18 of the first shock absorber 11A is within the normal range. For example, if the operating temperature range of the solenoid 18 is defined to be from temperature T1 to temperature T2, the normal resistance range of the solenoid 18 is from the resistance value R1 (for example temperature T1) to the resistance value R2 (for example temperature T2) depending on the temperature. Become. At this time, if a current is passed with a constant duty ratio (constant voltage), the normal current range is from the current value I1 (=V/R1) to the current value I2 (=V/R2) according to Ohm's law. That is, it is possible to determine whether or not the solenoid 18 is normal based on whether or not the current value flowing through each buffer 11A-11D is within the normal current range from I1 to I2. The normal current range (I1, I2) can be set as a threshold that can appropriately determine whether the solenoid 18 is normal. The normal current range (I1, I2) is stored in memory 22A in advance.

If "YES" in S62, that is, if it is determined that the current value flowing through the first shock absorber 11A is within the normal current range, the process proceeds to S63. On the other hand, if "NO" in S62, that is, if it is determined that the current value flowing through the first shock absorber 11A is not within the normal current range, the process proceeds to S64. In S63, it is recorded in the memory 22A that the current of the first buffer 11A is normal, and the process proceeds to S65. In S64, the fact that the current of the first buffer 11A is not normal (abnormal) is recorded in the memory 22A, and the process proceeds to S65. In S65, the second test signal 1 is turned ON, and in subsequent S43, it is determined whether or not the current flowing through the first buffer 11A has increased appropriately. This determination result is recorded in S7 or S8, and the process proceeds to S52. As shown in S66 of FIG. 22 to S58 of FIG. 24, similar processing is performed for the second buffer 11B to the fourth buffer 11D.

Thus, in the fifth embodiment, the resistance value of the solenoid 18 of each shock absorber 11A-11D is estimated from the current value flowing under a constant duty ratio condition, and it is determined whether the resistance value is within the normal resistance range. (Confirm. This makes it possible to detect, for example, an increase in resistance due to an abnormality in the solenoid 18, a decrease in resistance due to a partial short circuit of the solenoid 18, an increase in resistance due to a partial disconnection, and the like. Further, by improving the calculation accuracy of the ratio between the resistance value of the solenoid 18 and the resistance value of the identification resistor 43 serving as a shunt resistance, erroneous detection can be suppressed.

The fifth embodiment performs the wiring suitability determination processing shown in FIGS. 21 to 24 as described above, and its basic operation is not particularly different from that of the fourth embodiment. That is, in the fifth embodiment, similarly to the fourth embodiment, it is possible to confirm whether or not the cables 20 connected to the shock absorbers 11A to 11D are properly wired, thereby preventing miswiring. It is possible to prevent the damping force from being controlled.

In each embodiment, the case where the acceleration sensors 21A to 21D are provided on the vehicle body 2 has been described as an example. However, without being limited to this, for example, an acceleration sensor may be provided on the truck. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which provides an acceleration sensor in both a vehicle body and a truck. Further, the sensor used for damping force control is not limited to an acceleration sensor, and various sensors capable of detecting (including estimating) the vibration state of the vehicle body or truck, such as a stroke sensor and a strain sensor, can be used.

In each embodiment, the case where the shock absorbers 11A to 11D for suppressing vertical vibration between the vehicle body 2 and the bogies 3A and 3B are used has been described as an example. That is, the case where the buffers 11A to 11D are arranged to extend in the vertical direction between the vehicle body 2 and the bogies 3A and 3B has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a shock absorber that suppresses lateral vibration between the vehicle body 2 and the bogies 3A and 3B may be used. That is, the shock absorber may be arranged to extend in the left-right direction between the vehicle body and the bogie.

In each embodiment, the configuration in which the four shock absorbers 11A to 11D and the control device 22 are connected by the four cables 20 has been described as an example. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and for example, a configuration in which two shock absorbers for suppressing lateral vibration and a control device (controller) are connected by two cables may be employed. Further, for example, a configuration in which four shock absorbers 11A to 11D for suppressing vibration in the vertical direction and two shock absorbers for suppressing vibration in the horizontal direction and a control device (controller) are connected with six cables is also possible. good. That is, the number of shock absorbers and cables is not limited, and the present invention can be applied to a configuration in which a plurality of shock absorbers and a control device are connected with a plurality of cables.

In each embodiment, the case where the shock absorbers 11A to 11D are configured by damping force adjustable dampers capable of continuously (steplessly) changing the damping force characteristics has been described as an example. However, not limited to this, for example, the damper (buffer) is intermittently (multistage) in two stages (for example, ON and OFF), three stages, or more (four stages or more). may be configured by a damping force adjustable hydraulic shock absorber capable of changing the Furthermore, various types of damping force adjustment type shock absorbers can be used without being limited to hydraulic shock absorbers.

Each embodiment is an example, and it goes without saying that partial substitutions or combinations of configurations shown in different embodiments are possible.

As a railway vehicle vibration control device based on the embodiment described above, for example, the following modes are conceivable.

As a first aspect, there is provided a vibration control device for a railway vehicle, comprising a plurality of damping force adjustable shock absorbers provided between a vehicle body and a bogie of a railway vehicle for suppressing vibration of the vehicle body, and the damping force a controller that controls the adjustable shock absorber; a sensor that is provided on the vehicle body or the bogie and detects the vehicle speed of the railway vehicle; a cable that connects the damping force adjustable shock absorber and the controller; an identification circuit provided in each of the damping force adjustable shock absorbers for inputting a signal from the controller and outputting an identification signal from each of the damping force adjustable shock absorbers; inputting a test mode output unit that outputs a test mode voltage or test mode current different from that during normal operation to the damping force adjustable shock absorber when the vehicle is stopped, and the identification signal output from the identification circuit; and a miswiring determination unit that determines miswiring of the cable connected to the damping force adjustable shock absorber.

According to this first aspect, the test mode output section of the controller outputs the test mode voltage or the test mode current to the damping force adjustable shock absorber when the railway vehicle is stopped. On the other hand, when the test mode voltage or test mode current is input from the test mode output section of the controller, the identification circuit provided in each damping force adjustable shock absorber corresponds to the setting of each identification circuit. output the identification signal. An identification signal corresponding to the setting of each identification circuit is input to the miswiring determination section of the controller. Therefore, the erroneous wiring determination section of the controller can determine erroneous wiring of the cable connected to the damping force adjustable shock absorber based on the identification signal from each identification circuit. This makes it possible to confirm whether or not the cable connecting between the controller and each damping force adjustable shock absorber is properly routed. Then, when it is determined that the wiring is incorrect, for example, by reconnecting the cable that is determined to be incorrect wiring, it is possible to prevent the damping force from being controlled with the incorrect wiring. Moreover, since the miswiring determination section of the controller determines whether or not there is miswiring, this determination can be performed automatically without human intervention. Thereby, human error can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the configuration for judging incorrect wiring can be configured simply (it can be handled with a small number of additional configurations), it is possible to prevent the damping force adjustable shock absorber and the controller from increasing in size.

1 vehicle (railway vehicle)
2 Car body 3A, 3B Bogie 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D Shock absorber (damping force adjustable shock absorber)
20 cable 22 control device (controller, test mode output unit, incorrect wiring determination unit)
31, 41 identification circuit (identification unique circuit, identification unique part)

Claims (1)

A vibration control device for railway vehicles,
a plurality of damping force adjustable shock absorbers provided between a vehicle body and a bogie of a railway vehicle for suppressing vibration of the vehicle body;
a controller that controls the damping force adjustable shock absorber;
a sensor provided on the vehicle body or the bogie for detecting the vehicle speed of the railway vehicle;
a cable connecting between the damping force adjustable shock absorber and the controller;
an identification circuit provided in each of the damping force adjustable shock absorbers for inputting a signal from the controller and outputting an identification signal from each of the damping force adjustable shock absorbers;
The controller is
a test mode output unit that outputs a test mode voltage or a test mode current different from that during normal operation to the damping force adjustable shock absorber when the railway vehicle is stopped;
a miswiring determination unit that receives the identification signal output from the identification circuit and determines miswiring of the cable connected to the damping force adjustable shock absorber. Control device.

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