| 摘要 |
A conversion system enables a locomotive equipped with a conventional pneumatic brake control system to control braking on a train whose railcars each have electrically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brake equipment. The conversion system includes a power conversion mechanism, a signal conversion mechanism and two pressure reduction circuits. The power conversion mechanism converts battery voltage received from a power trainline of the locomotive to a predetermined nominal voltage. Made available to an ECP trainline that runs along the railcars, the predetermined nominal voltage is used to power the ECP brake equipment on each railcar in the train. The signal conversion mechanism converts the pneumatic brake commands carried in the brake pipe of the locomotive into electrical brake commands corresponding thereto. Transmitted along the ECP trainline, the electrical brake commands control the ECP brake equipment on each railcar and the braking effort deliverable thereby. Part of the signal conversion mechanism, the first pressure reduction circuit is used to reduce the railcar brake pipe pressure to an emergency level when the brake pipe in the locomotive carries a pneumatic emergency brake command. The first pressure reduction circuit then pneumatically commands the ECP brake equipment to make an emergency brake application. The second pressure reduction circuit assures that the railcar brake pipe pressure reduces to the emergency level when the locomotive brake pipe pressure drops below a prespecified level. <IMAGE> |
