RU2350502C1 - Device to adjust heat control hardware of rolling stock running gear - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: transport.

SUBSTANCE: device to adjust heat control hardware (HCH) of rolling stock running gear comprises supporting structure with outer casing, IR-radiation source imitating heated axle-box, modulator, modulator rotation drive, control components and connector assembly for the device to be connected to HCH to be adjusted. The proposed device incorporates fan to blow the modulator over by outside air, modulator position pickup, thermal screen and shutter made from different-heat conductivity materials and representing disks provided with different number of holes. The said disks are arranged between modulator and radiator and fitted unfixed on motor shaft. The device comprises also microprocessor controller p.c.b., control components and display to output temperatures and HCH adjustment conditions. The modulator is made up of two disks with holes, i.e. outer metal disk making the aforesaid thermal shield, and bearing disk made from heat-insulation material. Both disks are rigidly fitted on the motor shaft spaced a bit apart. The IR-radiation source incorporates electric heater and radiator temperature pickup.

EFFECT: higher accuracy of adjustment, reduced adjustment time.

4 cl, 9 dwg

Description

The invention relates to the field of railway transport, in particular, to outdoor devices for non-contact thermal diagnostics of the running gear of the rolling stock according to their infrared (IR) radiation, in particular, to devices for tuning — calibrating and adjusting (orienting) heat control means (STK) of the running gear of the rolling stock composition under operating conditions.

Known portable devices for calibrating STK - equipment for the automatic detection of overheated axle boxes in PONAB-3 trains, based on a simulation of infrared radiation from axle boxes of moving rolling stock. These devices contain: a radiator — a simulator of a heating axle box, a modulator in the form of a disk with a hole for modulating the infrared radiation of the axle box simulator, an electric drive drive of the modulating disk, and a connector for connecting the device to a voltage source [1] located in a supporting frame-case. For the DISK-B equipment, a more advanced calibration device is used, equipped with a temperature sensor and a control panel to maintain the set temperature of the emitter. In the process of calibrating the receiving-amplifying paths, a device (the so-called modulator or calibrator) is mounted on the front wall of the floor camera so that the optical axis of the infrared radiation receiver coincides with the center of the hole in the modulating disk. When the modulating disk rotates at the amplifier output of tunable axlebox control instruments, a sequence of electrical pulses is obtained, the amplitude of which is proportional to the temperature difference between the transmitter emitter and the axle box simulator and the outdoor temperature. Changing the gain of the terminal amplifier during calibration, the STK is tuned to detect axle boxes with a given heating temperature of bearings or axle boxes.

Also, devices are known for orienting (adjusting) the STK IR-optics under operating conditions for the controlled area of axle boxes of moving trains [1, 2]. The reference devices consist of horizontal and vertical rails with position fixers and a point source of infrared radiation - a simulator of a heating axle box in the form of an incandescent lamp placed in a special head that is mounted on a vertical rail. The horizontal rail is installed on the rail heads at a predetermined distance from the reference point of the STK floor camera and is equipped with a fixed and movable spring-loaded stop and an insulating insert, and the vertical rail is installed in the horizontal rail guides and can be fixed at different distances from the level of the rail heads and from the inner edge of the rail. Moving the vertical rail along the guides of the horizontal rail in different planes, set the head with the emitter on the calculated control zone of the axle boxes, for example, at a distance of 380 mm from the inner edge of the rail head and 480 mm from the level of the top of the rail heads. With the correct orientation at the output of the amplifier, the STK should receive the maximum electric signal in amplitude. According to the standards of Russian Railways, deviations of the emitter from the calculated point by 30 mm horizontally or vertically should not lead to a change in the signal amplitude at the output of the amplifier of the adjustable STK by more than 10 or 20% depending on the orientation angles of the IR optics. Otherwise, they resort to changing the position of the STK floor cameras on the foundations and (or) the infrared receiver of the floor camera in one plane or another.

The disadvantages of the known devices for tuning STK rolling stock are:

- the need for two devices with different types of emitters emitters axle boxes: one for calibrating the receiving-amplifying paths, and the second for aligning the IR optics of outdoor cameras;

- installation and maintenance of only the absolute temperature of the emitter-simulator of the heating axle box, while the criteria for setting the STK in operation are set in the form of the relative heating temperature of the axle box bodies;

- the need for continuous monitoring of the temperature of the emitters by indicators both in preparing the devices for operation, and in the process of setting the STK;

- errors in the configuration of the STK due to the heating of the modulating disk from the emitter and, as a result, an overestimation of the sensitivity of the receiving-amplifying path, which can lead to false stops of trains.

The purpose of the development is the creation of a multifunctional device for calibrating and orienting STKs, which automatically maintains a given temperature difference between the emitter and the modulating disk and improves the accuracy of the STK settings, reducing the time required to complete the STK settings.

This goal is achieved by the fact that the device for setting the means of thermal control of the running gear of the rolling stock is equipped with a fan for blowing the modulator with outside air, a temperature sensor and a position sensor of the modulator, a heat shield and a curtain made in the form of disks with a different number of holes and placed on the motor shaft between a modulator and emitter at a certain distance from each other, as well as a board with a microprocessor controller, controls and a display for indicating Mode settings STK, the actual modulator device configured composite of two disks - outer metal disc - the heat shield and the inner disk carrier of a heat insulating material. In addition, this goal is achieved by the fact that as the electric drive of the composite modulator with a temperature sensor, a step-by-step electric motor is used, which allows setting the reverse rotational movements of the modulator to one or another angle depending on the selected modes during calibration of the CTK — calibration mode for receive-amplifier paths or mode orientation of IR optics STK. A distinctive feature of the device is the implementation of the internal heat shield and the shutter disk of heat-insulating material with drive levers for separate or joint rotation in the housing at a given angle in the orientation mode of the STK IR optics, as well as the placement of all disks and the radiator in a common glass of heat-insulating material with a hole in the bottom for the shaft of the stepper motor, mounted on the side of the glass opposite from the emitter. Another feature of the proposed device is the implementation of disks with a different number of holes in the form of sectors symmetrically with respect to the center: on the disks of the composite modulator - one hole, on the curtain disk - three holes, and on the internal heat shield - four holes symmetrical with respect to the center with metal plates on jumpers on the heat shield.

In calibration mode, the device is installed on the front wall of the STK floor camera, and in orientation mode, on a special bracket or on a vertical rail of a standard reference device. Communication with custom thermal control equipment is carried out in both modes via cable.

The positive effect of the application of the proposed device is to increase the accuracy of the settings of the thermal control from + -3 to + -1 ° С when the ambient temperature changes in the range from -40 to + 40 ° С, reducing the time for setting up the STK in 2-3 times, reducing false readings of STK and unreasonable train delays for a control inspection of axle boxes with sudden changes in ambient temperatures.

The essence and fundamental features of the proposed device for setting the STK are illustrated by drawings. Figure 1 shows a General view of the inventive device, figure 2 shows the construction of a composite modulator, figure 3, 4 and 7 are options for using the device in the calibration mode and orientation of the PC optics STK to the controlled area of the axle box, figure 5 and 6 - waveforms of thermal signals in the process of orientation (adjustment) of the STK optics to the controlled axle box zone.

Description of the design and principle of operation of the device

Structurally, the device for tuning the STK is made in the form of a portable unit, the appearance of which is shown in figure 1. Details of the device are placed in a housing made of sheet metal, in the upper part of which is located a handle 1 for carrying. The legs are located in the lower part of the housing 10. The screws for attaching the legs are elements for attaching the modulator to the housing.

On the front panel side, there is connector 9 for connecting the calibrator to customizable STKs, a display for indicating the operating modes of device 2 and the control button 3-5.

On the left side of the calibrator are the position switch of the heat shield 6 with the lock button 8 and the switch for the position of the shutter 7. The switches rotate the heat shield and the shutter of the radiator by an angle of 45 °. On the frame of the modulator 11 (Fig. 2) are located: a fan 12, a simulator of a heating axle box 13, a control board 14 with a microprocessor controller, a stepper motor 15 and a composite modulator 16. The composite modulator 16 itself consists of a carrier modulating disk 17 and an external metal shielding disk 18 equipped with a temperature sensor 19 (figure 2 shows a dark dot between positions 6 and 7). The simulator of the heating axle box 13 is made in the form of a metal disk emitter 24 with a temperature sensor 25 and heating elements 26. The simulator 13 is also equipped with a heat shield 21 in the form of a disk of heat-insulating material and a disk-curtain 22 fixed in a common heat-insulating casing-cup 27 with snap ring 23.

The angular movement of the modulating disk at an angle of up to 350 ° is carried out by a stepper motor 15, and the initial position of the disk is controlled by a position sensor 20.

Located in the upper part of the frame, the fan 12 creates an air flow that cools the heat shield 21 and the shield disk 18 to ambient temperature. The outer shielding disk 18 and the carrier disk 17 of the modulator are rigidly fixed to the shaft of the stepper motor, and the heat shield - the shielding disk 21, the shutter disk 22 and the emitter disk 24 are not connected to the shaft of the stepper motor 15 and are fixed in the common casing-cup 27 by the outer diameter by means of a lock ring 25.

Disk-shutter 22 allows you to reduce the time the calibrator exits to the "calibration" mode in the winter period of time. The heat shield 21 has four windows forming a thermal radiation field configuration. On the disk-shutter 22 there are three holes in the form of a sector, and on the disk-screen 21 there are four holes in the form of sectors, and the jumpers between the holes of the disk-screen are provided with metal plates. The temperature of the jumper sectors of the disk is determined by the air flow created by the fan 12.

Engines - heat shield and shutter controls are shown in figure 1 (right). Simultaneous translation of the heat shield and shutter switch sliders from one extreme position to another provides in the “orientation” mode movement of the heat shield and curtain at an angle of 45 ° relative to the radiator and the three upper windows that are not involved in the calibration mode in generating the heat signal overlap.

On the control board 14 there is a rectifier, voltage stabilizer, microcontroller, stepper motor driver microcircuits and electronic keys for controlling the fan, temperature sensors, disk position sensors and display indicators. The device’s general power is supplied via cable through a connector from a custom STK or from an external voltage source.

Features of the claimed device for configuring STK are:

1. the inclusion in the device, in particular, a modulator-fan for forced cooling to ambient temperature;

2. the implementation of the modulator consisting of two disks with one hole in the form of a sector in each of them, and the carrier disk is made of insulating material, and the outer shielding disk is equipped with a temperature sensor on the inside and is made of metal;

3. the implementation of the emitter - simulator baskets in the form of a metal disk with a temperature sensor of the radiating surface and the hole for the shaft of the modulator drive motor;

4. the installation between the emitter and the modulator of an additional two disks of heat-insulating material, not rigidly connected to the shaft of the electric motor of the modulator drive: a curtain disk and a disk screen with position sensors and levers for changing their position relative to each other, while the disk screen is equipped with metal overlays with a high reflectivity of infrared radiation;

5. the use of a stepper motor as an electric drive for rotation of the infrared modulator of the infrared radiation simulator of heating axle boxes, equipping the disks of the composite modulator with position sensors in degrees of revolution of the shaft of the stepper motor;

6. Performing device disks with a different number of holes in the form of sectors for transmitting infrared radiation from a simulated heating box simulator to a PC radiation receiver of customizable STCs: on a composite modulator disk, one hole each, on a curtain disk three holes, and on a disk screen - four holes.

These distinctive features allow you to use the claimed device in two modes - in the calibration mode of the receiving and amplifying paths of the STK and in the adjustment mode of the IR optics of the STK in the conditions of control and testing points or in the mode of orienting the IR optics to the controlled area of the axleboxes of moving rolling stock in operating conditions . This device can also be used to adjust the means of thermal control of the wheels to detect inhibited wheel sets containing additional floor chambers oriented to the wheel hubs of controlled rolling stock.

The device 28 in the calibration mode of the STK with its installation on the upper or front walls of the floor cameras 31 (Fig.3) allows you to normalize the gain of the thermal paths of the STK. This mode is activated automatically when an information connection is established with the equipment being configured (according to the program loaded into the microcontroller's memory) or is selected manually. Using the buttons on the front panel, a specific temperature setting for the STK is set (according to the relative temperature of the axle box or bearing housing). The calibration mode begins with testing the sensors in accordance with the algorithm recorded in the internal ROM of the microcontroller, which analyzes the obtained values and through electronic keys controls the heating element of the emitter-simulator of the heating axle box, the operation of the stepper motor (via the driver chip), thereby discounting the angular movement of the modulating disk at a predetermined angle for each mode, taking into account the position of the auxiliary disks and provides the corresponding information on the display of the device.

After reaching the operating mode of heating the simulator of the heating axle box with the fan and stepper motor turned on to modulate the heat flux of the emitter, the STK calibration process begins. At the same time, information on the current state of the temperature of the emitter, the temperature of the disk, as well as the temperature difference between the disk and the heater (with an accuracy of + -1 ° C) is displayed on the device’s display. In the calibration mode, the infrared radiation receivers of tunable STCs receive radiation from the lower part of the simulator of a heating axle box through an opening in a composite modulator, which under the action of a step electric motor makes angular reciprocating movements (the modulator disks either open or overlap the lower sector of the emitter). In this case, the STK microprocessor automatically, according to the program recorded in the ROM, sets the necessary value of the conversion coefficient of the infrared radiation power of the simulating heating axle box into an analog electrical signal or into a digital code.

The device 28 for setting the STK in the orientation mode of the IR optics STK (figure 4) allows you to determine the correspondence of the actual angles of the orientation of the optics with the specified values and provide continuous monitoring of the process of adjusting the orientation angles of the IR optics to the controlled axle box area. To switch to this mode, the device is mounted on a special bracket or on a vertical rail of the reference device 32, while the optical axis of the IR radiation receiver of the adjustable STK coincides with the center of the modulator disk, and the control levers of the screen disks and the shutter are set to orientation mode taking into account season of the year (summer or winter). The process of setting up the STK in the orientation mode is illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. With the correct orientation of the IR optics of the STK in a box with tolerances, the center of projection of the sensitive element of the IR receiver (conditionally “spots”) should coincide with the center of the modulating disk (Fig. .5a), and at the output of the heat path of the tunable STK, we obtain a sequence of identical signals from the emitter through the sectors A, B, C, D (Fig.5b).

In the case of irregularities in the orientation of the STK optics, when the optical axis of the infrared receiver does not coincide with the geometrical axis of the modulator (Fig. 6a), we obtain a sequence of increasing and decreasing amplitude of electric pulses (Fig. 6b). In the process of adjustment by the controls of the tilt angles of the IR optics to the path axis and to the horizon according to the thermal signals of the STK and the readings of the display indicators of the claimed device, the amplitudes of the thermal signals are achieved when the modulator disk is moved forward and backward under the action of a step motor within an angle of 350 ° . The accuracy of this adjustment is not worse than + -0.5 °. In the case of significant deviations of the STK orientation angles from the norm at the output of the heat paths, signals and indications on the device display may be absent. In this case, with the sliders on the device’s body, the screen disks and curtains rotate through an angle of 45 °, which allows one to evaluate the direction of deviation in the orientation of the STK IR optics (horizontally or vertically) and to specify the sector of the circle to which the optics are actually oriented.

The claimed device is made in prototypes, tested under operating conditions. On the device received: certificate of conformity with the requirements of TU and certificate for measuring instrument.

Information sources

1. Lozinsky S.N., Alekseev A.G., Karpenko N.M. Equipment for automatic detection of overheated axle boxes in trains. M., "Transport", 1978, p.142-144.

2. Austrian patent No. 401163B, MKI - B61k 9/06. The device for calibration of axle box detectors. Claim 02.030.94, publ. 07/25/96.

Claims (4)

1. A device for adjusting thermal control means (STK) of the running gear of the rolling stock, including a supporting frame with an external casing, an infrared (IR) radiation source - a heating axle simulator, a disk modulator with a hole, an electric drive for modulator rotation, controls and a connector for connecting the device to customizable STK, characterized in that the device is equipped with a fan for blowing the modulator with outside air, a modulator temperature sensor, a modulator position sensor, a heat shield and curtains Oh, made of materials with different thermal conductivity in the form of disks with a different number of holes and placed between the modulator and the emitter with a free fit on the motor shaft, as well as a board with a microprocessor controller, controls and a display to indicate temperatures and settings of the STK, while the modulator made of two disks with holes, in particular, from an external metal disk - a heat shield and a carrier disk of heat-insulating material, rigidly fixed a motor shaft at a predetermined distance from one another, and the source of IR radiation is provided with an electric heater and radiator temperature sensor. 2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that a step electric motor with a shaft moving in the range from 0 to 350 angular degrees is used as the electric rotation drive of the composite modulating disk, which makes it possible to place contact-type temperature sensors on the modulator disks and set reverse rotational displacements of the disk on one or another angle depending on the settings of the STK. 3. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the internal disk heat shield and the disk shutter are made of heat-insulating material and are equipped with drive levers for separately or simultaneously moving them to a given angle and together with the IR radiation source are placed in a common glass of heat-insulating material with a hole in the bottom for the shaft of the stepper motor, mounted on the opposite side of the cup from the emitter. 4. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that both disks of the composite modulator contain one hole, the shutter disk contains three, and the heat shield disk contains four holes symmetrical with respect to the center, made in the form of sectors, while the jumpers of the disk screen are provided metal overlays with a high reflectivity of infrared radiation.

Images