TW202012211A - Railway vehicle control device including a driving unit, a driving curve generating part, a notch selection part and a memory part - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a railway vehicle control device which can reduce power consumption during driving by controlling in a relatively simple fashion. The present invention is a control device for a railway vehicle including a drive unit. The railway vehicle control device includes a driving curve generating part for generating a driving curve which specifies the driving speed of the railway vehicle before reaching a target location, a notch selection part which selects a notch so that the driving speed is within a speed control range predetermined with respect to the driving curve, and a memory part for memorizing efficiency data representing the relationship between the notch as well as the driving speed and the energy efficiency of the drive unit of the railway vehicle. The notch selection part performs a highly efficient process of selecting a notch so as to improve the energy efficiency of the drive unit according to the efficiency data.

Description

Railway vehicle control device

The invention relates to a railway vehicle control device.

In railway vehicles, as a method of reducing power consumption in automatic driving along a predetermined driving curve, it is known to use a method of inertial driving that does not drive a drive unit (for example, a main motor).

However, in a high-speed railway with a long distance between stations, since the resistance during high-speed driving increases, it is not easy to adopt inert driving. Therefore, in consideration of the energy efficiency of the drive unit, there has been disclosed a control device that assigns torque to a plurality of main conversion devices (refer to Japanese Patent Document 1). [Patent Literature]

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2014-236547.

[To solve the problem of invention]

As described in the above-mentioned gazette, the control of specifying the torque of each main conversion device separately must be compatible with the control of the averaging of the operation rate (ie, load) between the main conversion devices, reduction of idling, and the like. However, it is difficult to achieve compatibility between the two, or even if the two are compatible, the processing load in control increases. In addition, in some cases, additional control mechanisms may be required.

The present invention preferably provides a control device for a railway vehicle that can reduce power consumption during driving by relatively simple control. [Means to solve the problem]

An embodiment of the present invention is a control device of a railway vehicle including a driving unit. The control device of the railway vehicle includes a travel curve generating section for generating a travel curve for specifying the travel speed of the rail vehicle before reaching the target point, and selects a notch so that the travel speed is within a predetermined speed control range relative to the travel curve The notch selection part and the memory part for storing the efficiency data indicating the relationship between the notch and the traveling speed and the energy efficiency of the drive unit of the railway vehicle. Among them, the notch selection unit performs an efficient process of selecting the notch so as to refer to the efficiency data to improve the energy efficiency of the drive unit.

According to such a configuration, by selecting the gap based on the efficiency data, the rail vehicle can be driven along the driving curve while improving the energy efficiency of the drive unit. As a result, with relatively simple control, for high-speed railways that consume a large amount of power, the power consumption in automatic driving can be effectively reduced. In addition, it can be easily applied to existing vehicles.

An embodiment of the present invention is a high-efficiency process, which may also include the following processes: For all selectable gaps, the driving speed after unit time or unit distance driving when the gap is selected is predicted; and where the predicted driving speed becomes a gap within the speed control range, the gap with the highest energy efficiency is selected based on the efficiency data. According to such a structure, it is possible to easily and surely reduce power consumption while driving a railroad vehicle along a driving curve.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the notch selection unit may execute a process of outputting the same torque command to a plurality of main conversion devices provided in the railway vehicle based on the selected notch. According to such a structure, it is easy to control the averaging of the operation rates of a plurality of main conversion devices, reduce idling, and so on.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [1. First embodiment] [1-1. Construction] The railway vehicle control device (hereinafter also referred to as "control device") 1 shown in FIG. 1 is provided on a railway having a plurality of main conversion devices 11, a drive unit 12 including a plurality of main motors 12A, and an ACT device 13 On the vehicle.

<Main conversion device> The plurality of main conversion devices 11 respectively drive the main motor 12A by supplying electric power supplied from a current collector (not shown) to the corresponding main motor 12A.

Each main conversion device 11 will be controlled according to the torque command TC from the control device 1 The current, voltage and frequency supplied to the main motor 12A. By this, the speed of the railway vehicle is controlled.

<Drive unit> The drive unit 12 is composed of a plurality of main motors 12A. Each main motor 12A is a motor used as a power source for traveling railroad vehicles.

<ATC device> The ATC device 13 is a device for performing automatic train control (ATC). When the railway vehicle exceeds the prescribed speed, the ATC device 13 will automatically perform braking control.

The ATC device 13 recognizes the current position of the railway vehicle by wayside coils installed on the ground. In addition, the ATC device 13 acquires the current speed of the railway vehicle by, for example, a speed generator. The ATC device 13 outputs information I of the current position and speed of the railway vehicle to the control device 1.

<Control device> The control device 1 is a device for controlling automatic driving of a railway vehicle, and outputs a torque command TC based on a power running gap or a brake gap to a plurality of main conversion devices 11. The control device 1 includes an operation curve generation unit 2, a notch selection unit 3, and a memory unit 4.

(Travel curve generation unit) The driving curve generating unit 2 generates a driving curve (in other words, an operating curve) for specifying the driving speed before the railway vehicle reaches the target point. As shown in FIG. 2A, the driving curve R is in the interval from the starting point (i.e., departure station) S to the target point (i.e., arrival station) G. The relationship between the position X of the railway vehicle and the driving speed V is shown. Graph.

The driving curve generating unit 2 receives the travel time information D, the current time C, and the current position and speed information I of the railway vehicle from the railway vehicle. The driving curve generating unit 2 generates the driving curve R based on such information.

As shown in FIG. 2B, before the railway vehicle actually travels, the speed control range W is predetermined for the traveling curve R. The speed control range W is set to an allowable speed range that reaches the target point G within a predetermined time. The speed control range W is determined, for example, in consideration of the speed control performance of the control device 1 and the allowable error of the arrival time of the target point G. The notch selection unit 3, which will be described later, selects the notch so that the actual driving performance P will not exceed the speed control range W.

(Memory Department) The memory unit 4 memorizes the torque data indicating the relationship between the notch and the travel speed V shown in FIG. 3A and the pulling force (ie, torque) T of the drive unit 12 and the notch and the travel speed V shown in FIG. 3B and the drive Efficiency data of the relationship between the energy efficiency E of the unit 12.

Each curve shown in FIG. 3A represents the relationship between the travel speed V and the pulling force T of each notch, and the notch at a higher stage is shown at the upper right. Similarly, each curve shown in FIG. 3B represents the relationship between the travel speed V of each notch and the energy efficiency E, and the notch at a higher stage is displayed at the upper right.

In addition, the torque data and the efficiency data may also be tables obtained by horizontally dividing the graphs shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B up and down, respectively. This table records the relationship between gap, driving speed, torque or energy efficiency. In addition, the storage unit 4 may store such data in the form of a multi-dimensional graph in which torque data and efficiency data are superimposed.

In the present embodiment, the plurality of main motors 12A included in the drive unit 12 have the same characteristics (that is, the same type). Therefore, the torque data and the efficiency data are calculated in advance by actual measurement or parameter calculation on one of the plurality of main motors 12A included in the drive unit 12.

In addition, although the energy efficiency indicated by the efficiency data may be constituted only by the efficiency of the main motor 12A, the efficiency of the drive system equipment such as the inverter included in the main converter 11 may also be considered.

(Notch selection section) The notch selection unit 3 selects the notch so that the traveling speed of the railway vehicle is within the speed control range W relative to the traveling curve R generated by the traveling curve generation unit 2. The notch selection unit 3 is constituted by a computer having a storage medium such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM, ROM, and an input/output unit.

When the driving speed is higher than or equal to 100 km / h (km/h), the notch selection unit 3 executes an efficient process of selecting the notch, so as to improve the drive by referring to the torque data TD and efficiency data ED stored in the memory unit 4 Unit 12 energy efficiency.

In the process of increasing efficiency, first, for all the selectable gaps at that time, a prediction process that predicts the driving speed after unit time or unit distance travel when the gap is selected is executed.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the notch that can be selected at the current position X1 is an inert notch (N0), a power running 1 notch (N1), a power running 2 notch (N2), and a power running 3 notch (N3), Each notch is selected separately, and the driving speed (that is, the predicted speed) of the predicted position X2 after the driving unit distance ΔX is predicted in an arithmetic manner.

Here, as shown in FIG. 3B, since the energy efficiency of the drive unit 12 tends to decrease as the speed increases, the available speed band for each gap (that is, the upper limit of the available speed) may be predetermined. In this way, the selectable gap can be narrowed down in advance.

Next, when the predicted travel speed V becomes a gap within the speed control range W, a selection process for selecting the gap with the highest energy efficiency D based on the efficiency data E is executed. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the travel speed V at the predicted position X2 is selected to refer to the efficiency data among the gaps that exclude the idling gap (N0) and the power travel 3 gap (N3) that are outside the speed control range W ED has the highest energy efficiency gap (N1 or N2).

After the efficiency-enhancing process, the notch selection unit 3 performs an output process of outputting the same torque command TC to the plural main conversion devices 11 included in the railway vehicle based on the selected notch. The torque command TC is determined with reference to the torque data TD.

By the output processing, the torque of the plurality of main motors 12A is uniformly controlled by the plurality of main conversion devices 11. As a result, the load between the plural main conversion devices 11 can be made uniform.

[1-2. Processing] Hereinafter, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5, the efficiency-enhancing process executed by the notch selection section 3 will be described.

First, the gap selection unit 3 obtains the travel curve R and the current position and speed information I of the railway vehicle (step S10).

Next, the notch selection unit 3 executes a prediction process of predicting the traveling speed after unit time or unit distance travel when the notch N0 is selected for the currently selectable notch N0 (step S20).

Thereafter, the notch selection unit 3 determines whether the predicted speed is within the speed control range W (step S30). When the predicted speed is within the speed control range W (S30: YES), the notch selection unit 3 sets the notch N0 as a candidate (step S40). When the predicted speed is outside the speed control range W (S30: NO), the notch selection unit 3 removes the notch N0 from the candidate (step S50).

For all the currently selectable notches, the notch selector 3 performs the processes from step S20 to step S40 or step S50, respectively. In addition, although FIG. 5 shows that the number of selectable notches has three cases, the number of selectable notches is appropriately changed according to the situation of the railway vehicle.

After deciding the gap as the candidate, the gap selection unit 3 will select the gap with the highest energy efficiency when referring to the efficiency data ED from the candidates (step S60 ). Furthermore, the notch selection unit 3 outputs the torque command TC based on the selected notch to the plurality of main conversion devices 11 (step S70).

[1-3. Effect] According to the embodiments detailed above, the following effects will be obtained. (1a) When driving at a speed greater than or equal to 100 km/h (km/h), the notch is selected based on the efficiency data ED so that the railway vehicle travels along the driving curve R while improving the energy efficiency of the drive unit 12. As a result, with relatively simple control, for high-speed railways with large power consumption, the power consumption in automatic driving can be effectively reduced. In addition, it can be easily applied to existing vehicles.

(1b) The notch selection unit 3 selects the notch based on the predicted speed and energy efficiency, so that the railway vehicle can easily and surely travel along the driving curve R, while reducing power consumption.

(1c) By outputting the same torque command to the plurality of main converters 11 based on the notch selected by the notch selection unit 3, it is easy to control the averaging of the operation rates of the plurality of main converters 11 and reduce idling and the like.

[2. Other embodiments] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and of course various forms can be adopted.

(2a) The railway vehicle control device 1 of the above embodiment can also be applied to a railway vehicle having one main conversion device 11. In addition, the control device 1 can also obtain information I of the current position and speed of the railway vehicle from a machine other than the ATC device 13.

(2b) The functions of one constituent element in the above-mentioned embodiment may be distributed as a plurality of constituent elements, or the functions of the plural constituent elements may be integrated into one constituent element. In addition, a part of the structure of the above embodiment may be omitted. Furthermore, it is also possible to add or replace at least a part of the structure of the above-mentioned embodiment to the structure of another embodiment. In addition, all the forms included in the technical idea specified by the wording described in the scope of the patent application are examples of the present invention.

1: Railway vehicle control device 2: Driving curve generation unit 3: Notch selection department 4: Memory Department 11: Main conversion device 12: drive unit 12A: Main motor 13: ATC device

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of a configuration of a control device of a railway vehicle shown. FIG. 2A is a graph showing an embodiment of the travel curve set by the travel curve generation unit of FIG. 1; FIG. 2B is a graph showing an embodiment of the speed control range in the travel curve of FIG. 2A. 3A is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the speed of each notch stored in the memory portion of FIG. 1 and the tensile force; FIG. 3B is the speed of each notch stored in the memory portion of FIG. 1. Graph of an example of the relationship with energy efficiency. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the concept of the prediction process performed by the notch selection unit of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart showing processing performed by the notch selection section of FIG. 1.

Claims (3)

A control device for railway vehicles, including: A drive unit; A driving curve generating unit for generating a driving curve that specifies a driving speed before a railway vehicle reaches the target location; A notch selection section for selecting a notch so that the driving speed is within a predetermined speed control range relative to the driving curve; and A memory section for memorizing an efficiency data representing the relationship between the gap and the traveling speed and the energy efficiency of one of the driving units of the railway vehicle; Wherein, the notch selection unit performs an efficient process of selecting one of the notches so as to refer to the efficiency data to improve the energy efficiency of the drive unit. The railway vehicle control device as described in item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the high-efficiency processing includes the following processing: For all selectable gaps, predict the travel speed after unit time or unit distance travel when each of the gaps is selected; and Among the gaps in which the predicted travel speed becomes the speed control range, the gap with the highest energy efficiency is selected based on the efficiency data. The control device for a railway vehicle as described in item 1 of the scope of the patent application, wherein the notch selection section executes a process of outputting the same torque command to a plurality of main conversion devices included in the railway vehicle based on the selected notch .

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