Typical faults and safety analysis of brake controller for AC locomotive

Purpose–The brake controller is a key component of the locomotive brake system.It is essential to study its safety.Design/methodology/approach–This paper summarizes and analyzes typical faults of the brake controller,and proposes four categories of faults:position sensor faults,microswitch faults,mechanical faults and communication faults.Suggestions and methods for improving the safety of the brake controller are also presented.Findings–In this paper,a self-judgment and self-learning dynamic calibration method is proposed,which integrates the linear error of the sensor and the manufacturing and assembly errors of the brake controller to solve the output drift.This paper also proposes a logic for diagnosing and handling microswitch faults.Suggestions are proposed for other faults of brake controller.Originality/value–The methods proposed in this paper can greatly improve the usability of the brake controller and reduce the failure rate.

Design of the pressure regulation algorithm for active braking in vehicle ACC system

To develop the pressure control algorithm for active braking of adaptive cruise control（ACC） system,a test bench with real parts of the tested vehicle is built.With the dynamic analysis of the active braking actuators,it is demonstrated that different duty of pulse-width modulation（PWM） signals could control the pressure changing rate of the wheel cylinder.To obtain that signal,a modified proportional-integral-differential（PID） control algorithm is developed using the variable parameter method,the control value reset method,the dead zone method and the integral saturation method.Experimental results show that the delay and overshoot of the pressure response could be reduced considerably using the modified PID algorithm compared with the conventional one.The proposed pressure control algorithm could be used for the further development of the ACC＇s controller.

Wide speed range for traction motor in braking force of electric braking control system

A vehicle stopping method using an electric brake until a traction motor is stopped is studied. At the moment of vehicle stop, electric brake is changed to control mode where torque is reduced at a low speed. Gradient is controlled by estimating the load torque of motor, thereby traction motor is not rotated after stop. In addition, coasting operation and brake test are performed from normal-opposite operation and start using a small-scale model comprising the inertial load equipment and the power converter. Further, traction motor is made to be equipped with a suspension torque. Pure electric braking that makes traction motor stop by an air brake at the time of stop is also implemented. Constant torque range and constant power range are expanded during braking so that braking force is secured with the electric brakes even in high speed region. Therefore, vehicle reduction effect can be expected by reducing parts related with an air brake which is not used frequently by using a pure electric brake in the M car in wide speed region. Further, maintenance of brake system can be reduced. Besides, ride comfort of passenger in the electric rail car, energy efficiency improvement, and noise reduction effect can be additionally expected. Further, an improved brake method that uses only an electric brake till motor stop is proposed by comparing those in the blending brake that uses an air brake while reducing brake torque at vehicle stop.

A Novel Braking Control Strategy for Hybrid Electric Buses Based on Vehicle Mass and Road Slope Estimation

Proper braking force distribution strategies can improve both stability and economy performance of hybrid electric vehicles,which is prominently proved by many studies.To achieve better dynamic stable performance and higher energy recovery efficiency,an effective braking control strategy for hybrid electric buses(HEB)based on vehicle mass and road slope estimation is proposed in this paper.Firstly,the road slope and the vehicle mass are estimated by a hybrid algorithm of extended Kalman filter(EKF)and recursive least square(RLS).Secondly,the total braking torque of HEB is calculated by the sliding mode controller(SMC),which uses the information of brake intensity,whole vehicle mass,and road slope.Finally,comprehensively considering driver’s braking intention and regulations of the Economic Commission for Europe(ECE),the optimal proportional relationship between regenerative braking and pneumatic braking is obtained.Furthermore,related simulations and experiments are carried out on the hardware-in-the-loop test bench.Results show that the proposed strategy can effectively improve the braking performance and increase the recovered energy through precise control of the braking torque.

Pressure-tracking control of a novel electro-hydraulic braking system considering friction compensation

This work presents an integrated pressure-tracking controller for a novel electro-hydraulic brake(EHB) system considering friction and hydraulic disturbances. To this end, a mathematical model of an EHB system, consisting of actuator and hydraulic sub-systems, is derived for describing the fundamental dynamics of the system and designing the controller. Due to sensor inaccuracy and measurement noise, a Kalman filter is constructed to estimate push rod stroke for generating desired master cylinder pressure. To improve pressure-tracking accuracy, a linear friction model is generated by linearizing the nonlinear Tustin friction model, and the unmodeled friction disturbances are assumed unknown but bounded. A sliding mode controller is designed for compensating friction disturbances, and the stability of the controller is investigated using the Lyapunov method. The performance of the proposed integrated controller is evaluated with a hardware-in-the-loop(HIL) test platform equipped with the EHB prototype. The test results demonstrate that the EHB system with the proposed integrated controller not only achieves good pressure-tracking performance, but also maintains robustness to friction disturbances.

Experimental prototyping of the adhesion braking control system design concept for a mechatronic bogie

The dynamic parameters of a roller rig vary as the adhesion level changes.The change in dynamics parameters needs to be analysed to estimate the adhesion level.One of these parameters is noise emanating from wheel–rail interaction.Most previous wheel–rail noise analysis has been conducted to mitigate those noises.However,in this paper,the noise is analysed to estimate the adhesion condition at the wheel–rail contact interface in combination with the other methodologies applied for this purpose.The adhesion level changes with changes in operational and environmental factors.To accurately estimate the adhesion level,the influence of those factors is included in this study.The testing and verification of the methodology required an accurate test prototype of the roller rig.In general,such testing and verification involve complex experimental works required by the intricate nature of the adhesion process and the integration of the different subsystems(i.e.controller,traction,braking).To this end,a new reduced-scale roller rig is developed to study the adhesion between wheel and rail roller contact.The various stages involved in the development of such a complex mechatronics system are described in this paper.Furthermore,the proposed brake control system was validated using the test rig under various adhesion conditions.The results indicate that the proposed brake controller has achieved a shorter stopping distance as compared to the conventional brake controller,and the brake control algorithm was able to maintain the operational condition even at the abrupt changes in adhesion condition.

Lateral Stability Improvement of Car-Trailer Systems Using Active Trailer Braking Control

An active trailer braking controller to improve the lateral stability of car-trailer systems is presented. The special and complex structures of these types of vehicles exhibit unique unstable motion behavior, such as the trailer swing, jack-knifing and rollover. These unstable motion modes may lead to fatal accidents. The effects of passive mechanical parameters on the stability of car-trailer systems have been thoroughly investigated. Some of the passive parameters, such as the center of gravity of the trailer, may be drastically varied during various operating conditions. Even for an optimal design of a car-trailer system, based on a specific passive parameter set, the lateral stability cannot be guaranteed. In order to improve the lateral stability of car-trailer systems, an active trailer braking controller is designed using the Linear Quadratic Regular （LQR） technique. To derive the controller, a vehicle model with 3 Degrees Of Freedom （DOF） is developed to represent the car-trailer system. A single lane-change maneuver has been simulated to examine the performance of the controller and the numerical results are compared with those of the baseline design. The benchmark investigation indicates that the optimal controller based on the LQR technique can effectively improve the high-speed lateral stability of the car-trailer system.

Hybrid Operation of Fault Current Limiter and Thyristor Controlled Braking Resistor

The effectiveness of a combination of fault current limiter and thyristor controlled braking resistor on power system stability enhancement and damping turbine shaft torsional oscillations has been studied. If both devices operate at the same bus, the stabilization control scheme can be carried out continuously and with flexibility. As a result, the fault currents are limited, and the generator disturbances and the turbine shaft torsional oscillations are converged quickly. In this paper, the effectiveness of the combination of both devices has been demonstrated by considering 3LG （three-lines-to-ground） fault in a two-machine infinite bus system. Also, temperature rise effect of both devices with various resistance values and weights has been demonstrated. Simulation results indicate a significant power system stability enhancement and damping turbine shaft torsional oscillations as well as with allowable temperature rise.

Coordinated Design of Thyristors Controlled Braking Resistors and Power System Stabilizer for Damping

This paper presents a new concept for damping electro-mechanical oscillations in large turbo generator. The proposed concept is based on coordination between Power System Stabilizer （PSS） and Thyristor Controlled Braking Resistor （TCBR）. This coordination will enhance the stability of the inertial and torsional oscillatory modes. The study is performed on system-I of the second IEEE benchmark for simulation of Sub-Synchronous Oscillations, using eigenvalue analysis and verified by detailed digital simulation. A dynamic fundamental frequency model for TCBR is developed. The pole placement technique is used to design the control system of TCBR and PSS. The shaft torque＇s following a disturbance is computed and analyzed. The obtained results indicate that substantial damping is achieved by the proposed coordination.

Composite Braking Control Strategy for Electromechanical-Hydraulic Vehicles

Short driving ranges and low braking energy recovery efficiencies are two recognized technical bottlenecks to be overcome in electric vehicles. In this paper, a novel electromechanical-hydraulic coupling system is proposed and integrated as a powertrain for electric vehicles, which can assist the electric vehicle to fully utilize its braking energy. The hydraulic regenerative braking force and electric regenerative braking force can provide all the braking needs using the medium and small braking intensities. Furthermore, an improved compound brake control strategy based on the braking force distribution is proposed and simulated. The results show that under the premise of ensuring braking stability, the electromechanical-hydraulic coupling driving electric vehicle can adapt to various working conditions with excellent energy-saving results. The hydraulic accumulator recovery efficiency is above 99%, and the state of charge consumption rate of the battery pack can be reduced by more than 9%. More importantly, the proposed hybrid power system can significantly improve the driving range and energy efficiency, as well as reduce the consumers' mileage anxiety in electric vehicles.

汽车自适应巡航控制系统硬件在环仿真平台的设计与仿真试验（英文）

为了提高自适应巡航控制(ACC)系统的仿真精度,利用实车ACC系统的执行机构建立了硬件在环仿真(HILS)平台。HILS平台由仿真模型和硬件部分组成。仿真模型将运行在d SPACE仿真系统中,包括为了产生雷达模拟信号、ACC控制指令及计算车辆运行状态的雷达模拟器、ACC控制器和车辆模型。硬件部分主要包括电子节气门系统、主动制动系统及其附属的传感器及控制器等。通过串口通信接收来自ACC控制器的指令,HILS平台的硬件可以完成节气门开度和制动压力跟随控制。利用HILS平台进行了不同工况下的ACC仿真试验,仿真结果表明:HILS平台工作状况良好,并可以用于ACC控制器的开发。

Longitudinal Control Strategy for Vehicle Adaptive Cruise Control Systems

A new longitudinal control strategy for vehicle adaptive cruise control （ACC） systems is presented. The running relationship between the ACC vehicle and the detected target vehicle is described by the relative velocity and the deviation between the actual headway distance and the prescribed safety distance. Based on this, two state space models are built and the linear quadratic optimal control theory is used to yield desired velocity for the ACC-equipped vehicle when with the target vehicle detected. By switching among four control modes, the desired velocity profile is designed to deal with different running situations. A velocity controller, which includes a PID controller for throttle openness and a neural network controller for brake application, is developed to achieve the desired velocity profile. The proposed control strategy is applied to a non-linear vehicle model in a simulation environment and is shown to provide the ACC vehicle comfortable ride and satisfying safety.