CONTROL SYSTEM FOR PAIR-TYPE 3-LIGHT 3-STATE DISPLAY
RAILROAD SIGNAL LAMP
Technical Field
The present invention relates to an FT pair-type control system and, more particularly, to an FT pair- type control system for a pair- type 3-light 3 -state display railroad signal lamp, which detects disconnection of filaments of the pair- type 3-light 3 -state display railroad signal lamp and realizes the pair-typed operation of the signal lamp using a hardware circuit, thereby improving reliability and safety of the system.
Background Art
A conventional signal lamp driving circuit of an interlocking device constructed based on track circuit conditions employs a pair-type construction as shown in FIG. 1 according to the digitalization of the conventional signal lamp driving circuit. This system displays pair-type lights (Red, Green and Yellow) using microprocessor software. In case where a main filament and a sub- filament of the red light R form a pair, the red light R is displayed using the software.
If both the main filament and sub-filament of the yellow light Y or green light G are of a pair type, accordingly, the pair-type 3-light 3-state display signal lamp is operated using the software only when the main filament of the red light R is of a pair type. This may generate software error or create pair-type faults in the signal lamp during the pair-typed operation of the system.
Furthermore, in case where the pair-type faults are generated, a logic for solving the faults is realized in software so that it takes a long time to solve the faults.
Disclosure of Invention
An object of the present invention is to provide an FT pair-type control system for a pair-type 3-light 3-state display railroad signal lamp, which detects faults in the operation of a signal lamp of an electronic interlocking device and realizes a pair-typed operation using a hardware circuit, and monitors breakdown of the signal lamp through a pair-type mode, thereby improving reliability in monitoring of breakdown of the signal lamp. To accomplish the object of the present invention, there is provided an FT-
FS control system for a pair-type 3-light 3-state display railroad signal lamp, which receives a signal for driving each of pair- type three lights (RGY) to control display of each light, the control system comprising a red light controller including a red light main filament driver and a red light sub-filament driver, which receive a red light driving signal to drive a main filament and a sub- filament of a red light, respectively, the red light controller normally displaying the red light if both the main filament and sub-filament are normal when the red light driving signal is applied, the red light controller displaying the main filament if only the main filament is normal, the red light controller displaying the sub- filament if only the sub-filament is normal, the red light controller displaying no red light when both the main filament and sub-filament are abnormal; a green light controller including a green light main filament driver and a green light sub- filament driver, which receive a green light driving signal to drive a main filament and a sub-filament of a green light, respectively, the green light controller normally displaying the green light if both the main filament and sub-filament are normal, the green light controller displaying the main filament if only the main filament is normal, the green light controller displaying the sub-filament if only the sub-filament is normal, the green light controller displaying a main filament of a yellow light when both the main filament and sub-filament are abnormal; and
a yellow light controller including a yellow light main filament driver and a yellow light sub-filament driver, which receive a yellow light driving signal to drive a main filament and a sub-filament of the yellow light, respectively, the yellow light controller normally displaying the yellow light if both the main filament and sub-filament are normal, the yellow light controller displaying the main filament if only the main filament is normal, the yellow light controller displaying the sub-filament if only the sub-filament is normal, the yellow light controller displaying the main filament of the red light when both the main filament and sub-filament are abnormal. Each of the red light main filament driver, red light sub-filament driver, green light sub-filament driver and yellow light sub-filament driver includes a switch for receiving a control signal of each light to switch driving power, a current sensor for sensing flow of current supplied to the main filament or sub- filament of each light connected to each driver, a filament disconnection detector for receiving a sense signal of the current sensor to judge if the main filament or sub-filament of each light is disconnected or not, and a fail-safe driver for checking if the main filament or sub-filament of each light is disconnected or not through the filament disconnection detector to control alternative display.
Each of the green light main filament driver and yellow light main filament driver includes a switch for receiving a control signal of each light to switch driving power, a current sensor for sensing flow of current supplied to the main filament of each light connected to each driver, and a main filament disconnection detector for receiving a sense signal of the current sensor to judge if the main filament of each light is disconnected or not to control display of the main filament of each light.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Further objects and advantages of the invention can be more fully
understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 shows a control circuit for a conventional railroad signal lamp; and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an FT pair-type control system for a pair-type 3-light 3-state display railroad signal lamp according to the present invention.
Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention
The present invention will now be described in detail in connection with preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The composition and operation of an FT-FS control signal for a pair-type 3-light 3-state display railroad signal lamp according to the present invention are explained below in detail with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control system for a pair-type 3-light 3-state display railroad signal lamp according to the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 2, the control system of the invention includes three control circuits 10, 20 and 30 that respectively receive red, green and yellow driving signals, convert them into main-filament and sub-filament signals and send them to pair-type 3 lights (RGY) 40. Each of the pair-type 3 lights (RGY) 40 includes double filaments of main filament and sub-filament. In normal conditions, the main filament of a corresponding light among the three lights R G and Y constructs a closed circuit of AC 50V loop so as to turn on the light, and the quantity of current of the closed circuit is detected (using a hole sensor) to display the sub-filament when the main filament is disconnected. If both the main filament and sub-filament are disconnected, a lower signal is displayed (R is displayed when the main filament and sub-filament of Y are disconnected, and Y is displayed when the main filament and sub-filament of G are disconnected. See Table 1).
To control the pair- type 3-light signal lamp, three outputs corresponding to
the three lights R, G, Y are generated to control turning on/off of the lights. Each of the control circuits includes a pair of main filament control part and a sub- filament control part. The main filament control part of the R control circuit 10 includes a switch 11, a hole sensor 12, a main filament disconnection detector 14 and a fail-safe driver 14, and the sub-filament control part includes a switch 15, a hole sensor 16, a sub-filament disconnection detector 17 and a fail-safe driver 18. The main filament control part of the G control circuit 20 includes a switch 21, a hole sensor 22 and a main filament disconnection detector 23, and the sub- filament control part thereof consists of a switch 25, a hole sensor 26, a sub- filament disconnection detector 27 and a fail-safe driver 28. The main filament control part of the Y control circuit 30 includes a switch 31, a hole sensor 32 and a main filament disconnection detector 33, and the sub-filament control part includes a switch 35, a hole sensor 36, a sub-filament disconnection detector 37 and a fail-safe driver 38. Each of the switches 11, 15, 21, 25, 31 and 35 includes an electronic relay
SSR that provides and controls AC 50V driving power 50 for driving the signal lamp, and it switches the driving power 50 of the existing 3-light control power, AC 50V, using a light driving signal (after receiving a control signal from a relay contact together with the AC 50V driving power 50 from a control relay of the existing 3-light control power).
Each of the hole sensors 12, 16, 22, 26, 32 and 36 is a contactless current sensor that senses current supplied to each of the three lights in order to check if a corresponding light was actually turned on according to a lighting command of the signal lamp. Each of the main-filament and sub-filament disconnection detectors 13, 17,
23, 27, 33 and 37 monitors the lighting state of the signal lamp on the basis of the output of each of the hole sensors 12, 16, 22, 26, 32 and 26. Each of the main- filament and sub-filament disconnection detectors 13, 17, 23, 27, 33 and 37 is a logic device that compares the control signal (to drive lights or no lights) received
from the relay contact of the existing 3-light control output signal with the current driving state of the lights, sensed by each of the hole sensors 12, 16, 22, 26, 32 and 36, to compare the control output with the display state.
As described above, each of the main-filament and sub-filament disconnection detectors 13, 17, 23, 27, 33 and 37 compares the control output with the output of each hole sensor, that detectes if a light is displayed or not, using a comparator, and sends the output to corresponding fail-safe drivers 14, 18,
28 or 38 in case of a wrong comparison value.
Each of the fail-safe drivers 14, 18, 28 and 38 is a circuit for operating the signal lamp safely on the basis of detected information about device failure and disconnection of the filament of a light. This circuit includes a logic of driving the sub-filament when the main filament is disconnected, a logic of displaying the red light R when the sub-filament and main filament of the green light G or yellow light Y are all disconnected and a logic of displaying the red light R when a processor has an error.
The operation of the control system of the invention is described below.
The red light R is turned on by applying a driving signal corresponding to the red light R to the circuit. Here, when the current flowing through the main filament of the red light R is not sensed by the hole sensor 12, its sub-filament is automatically turned on and information about disconnection of the main filament is transmitted to the fail-safe driver 14. In the operation of turning on the sub- filament according to the detection of disconnection of the main filament, when the current flowing through the sub-filament is not sensed by the hole sensor 16, that is, when the sub-filament is disconnected, modules of the signal lamp, which recognize both the main filament and sub-filament of the red light R to be disconnected, are turned off, judging that the red light R is displayed according to operation conditions of an engineer.
Though driving of the green light G is similar to that of the red light R, when both the main filament and sub-filament of the green light G are
disconnected, the yellow light Y is displayed according to the safety logic in the circuit.
Though driving of the yellow light Y is similar to that of the red light R, when both the main filament and sub-filament of the yellow light Y are disconnected, the red light R is displayed according to the safety logic in the circuit.
The operating state of the above-described pair-type three RGY lights is set forth in the following table 1.
[Table 1]
The control system of the invention, operated as above, can be applied to any railroad signal system.
Industrial Applicability
As described above, the present invention detects disconnection of main and sub filaments and faults of driving circuits using hardware circuits so that application program loads of the system can be reduced. In addition, the driving circuits of the signal lamp, which require high reliability, include integrated circuits, to easily produce reliability of the system. Moreover, a filament disconnection is detected using the contactless current sensor, not the relay, so that manufacturing cost and installation area of the system can be minimized.
While the present invention has been described with reference to the particular illustrative embodiments, it is not to be restricted by the embodiments but only by the appended claims. It is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art can change or modify the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.