US 12,280,811 B2
System and method for monitoring the health of a damper for a rail vehicle
Per Strandberg, Falun (SE); and Magnus Lizell, Lidingö (SE)
Assigned to DELLNER COUPLERS AB, Falun (SE)
Appl. No. 18/011,680
Filed by DELLNER COUPLERS AB, Falun (SE)
PCT Filed Jun. 17, 2021, PCT No. PCT/SE2021/050597
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 20, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/262068, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 30, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2050781-0 (SE), filed on Jun. 26, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0264723 A1, Aug. 24, 2023
Int. Cl. B61G 11/12 (2006.01); B61L 15/00 (2006.01); F16F 9/32 (2006.01)
CPC B61G 11/12 (2013.01) [B61L 15/0081 (2013.01); F16F 9/3264 (2013.01); F16F 9/3292 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. Rail vehicle damper monitoring system (100) for detecting failure of at least one gas-hydraulic damper (10) for a rail vehicle, the system (100) comprising:
a gas-hydraulic damper (10) for a rail vehicle; and
processing circuitry (110); wherein
the gas-hydraulic damper (10) comprises at least one sensor (7) configured to measure a stroke related parameter and to send signals indicative of the measured stroke related parameter to the processing circuitry (110);
the processing circuitry (110) is configured to, for each of the at least one gas-hydraulic damper (10), detect failure of the gas-hydraulic damper (10), by:
receiving from one or more of the at least one sensor (7) in the gas-hydraulic damper (10), a first input signal (S1) indicative of a stroke related parameter of the gas-hydraulic damper determined at a first time instance (T1),
determining a first stroke value (SV1), based on the first input signal (S1),
receiving at least one second input signal (Si) from the at least one sensor (7),
each subsequent signal (Si) is indicative of a respective stroke related parameter measured at a respective subsequent time instance (Ti),
determining a respective stroke value (SVi), based on each of the second input signals (Si),
determining a stroke value over time (SVT), based on the determined stroke values (SV1, SVi), and
determining failure of the gas-hydraulic damper (10) if the stroke value over time (SVT) fulfills a first criterion; and
the damper (10) comprises,
a cylindrical housing (1) in which a hollow piston (2) is received axially movable,
a working chamber (5) of variable volume in the housing (1);
an overflow chamber (4) of variable volume in the piston (2), the hydraulic overflow chamber (4) being connected to the hydraulic working chamber (5) via a throttle (8) in a flow passage between the working chamber (5) and the overflow chamber (4);
a spring chamber (3) of variable volume in the piston (2), the spring chamber (3) configured to hold a gas volume for acting as a spring, and being separated from the hydraulic overflow chamber (4) by a separator piston (6) that is axially movable; and
a transmitter configured to receive signals from the at least one sensor (7) and transmit said signals to processing circuitry for determining the first stroke value (SV1) based on the first input signal (S1) and failure of the gas-hydraulic damper (10) if the first stroke value (SV1) of the stroke fulfills the first criterion.