Speed maintaining control of train vehicles

Claim 2

In aparatus for controlling the actual velocity of a passenger vehicle moving along a track including track circuits in response to a desired velocity signal provided in accordance with a selection between an action velocity signal and a program stop velocity signal, with said action velocity signal corresponding to one of a command code velocity signal received from said track circuits, a cutout car modified velocity signal and a performance restriction modified velocity signal, the combination of means coupled with said vehicle for providing an actual velocity signal, means for providing an effort request signal for controlling the actual velocity of said vehicle by comparing the desired velocity signal with the actual velocity signal, means providing an offset to said action velocity signal in accordance with a predetermined relationship with said effort request signal and means coupled with said vehicle and responsive to said effort request signal for controlling the actual velocity of the vehicle.

Claim 3

The actual velocity controlling apparatus of claim 1, with said effort request signal providing means being responsive to a desired velocity signal in accordance with an action velocity signal provided corresponding to said one velocity signal that provides the lowest actual velocity of the passenger vehicle.

Claim 4

The actual velocity controlling apparatus of claim 1, with said offset providing means providing an offset having a low value for a maximum deceleration effort request signal, having a high value for a maximum acceleration effort request signal, and having a middle value for a zero acceleration effort request signal.

Claim 5

The actual velocity controlling apparatus of claim 1 with said offset providing means providing an offset making a smooth transition into a program stop operation in response to said program stop velocity signal and then subsequently removing that offset to follow a predetermined flare-out of the program stop.

Claim 6

In apparatus for controlling the actual velocity of a passenger vehicle moving along a track including track circuits in response to a desired velocity signal provided in accordance with a selection between an action velocity signal and a program stop velocity signal, with said action velocity signal corresponding to one of a command code velocity signal received from said track circuits, a cutout car modified velocity signal and a performance restriction modified velocity signal, the combination of means coupled with said vehicle for providing an actual velocity signal, means for providing an effort request signal for controlling the actual velocity of said vehicle by comparing the desired velocity signal with the actual velocity signal, means for detecting an overspeed operation of the passenger vehicle for applying a brake effort to reduce the velocity of the vehicle until the overspeed operation is corrected and then removing said brake effort such that by the time the brake effort is actually removed the vehicle will be at substantially the velocity of operation determined by said effort request signal, and means coupled with said vehicle and responsive to said effort request signal for controlling the actual velocity of the vehicle.

Claim 7

In apparatus for controlling the actual velocity of a passenger vehicle moving along a track including track circuits in response to a desired velocity signal provided in accordance with a selection between an action velocity signal and a program stop velocity signal, with said action velocity signal corresponding to one of a command code velocity signal received from said track circuits, a cutout car modified velocity signal and a performance restriction modified velocity signal, the combination of means coupled with said vehicle for providing an actual velocity signal, means for providing an effort request signal for controlling the actual velocity of said vehicle by comparing the desired velocity signal with the actual velocity signal, means for detecting an overspeed operation of the passenger vehicle for applying a brake effort to reduce the velocity of the vehicle until the overspeed operation is corrected and then removing said brake effort such that by the time the brake effort is actually removed the vehicle will be at substantially the velocity of operation determined by said effort request signal, and means coupled with said vehicle and responsive to said effort request signal for controlling the actual velocity of the vehicle.

Claim 8

The actual velocity controlling apparatus of claim 5, with said overspeed operation detecting means setting the effort request signal to a predetermined value when the overspeed operation is corrected for removing the brake effort.

Claim 9

In apparatus for controlling the actual velocity of a passenger vehicle in accordance with at least one of an input command velocity signal, an input modified velocity signal and an input program stop velocity signal, and providing a first velocity signal in accordance with a selected one of said input velocity signals, the combination of means coupled with said vehicle for providing an actual velocity signal, means for providing an effort request velocity signal for controlling the actual velocity of said vehicle in response to the first velocity signal and the actual velocity signal, with said effort request velocity signal providing means including a controller having a proportional operation and an integral operation, means for determining the integral operation in relation to the proportional operation such that when the controller is in saturation the integral operation is substantially zero to prevent said integral operation from causing an overspeed or an underspeed of the passenger vehicle, and means coupled with said vehicle and responsive to said effort request signal for controlling the actual velocity of said vehicle.

Claim 10

In apparatus for controlling the actual velocity of a passenger vehicle in accordance with at least one of an input command velocity signal, an input modified velocity signal and an input program stop velocity signal, and providing a first velocity signal in accordance with a selected one of said input velocity signals, the combination of means coupled with said vehicle for providing an actual velocity signal, means for providing an effort request velocity signal for controlling the actual velocity of said vehicle in response to the first velocity signal and the actual velocity signal, with said effort request velocity signal providing means including a controller having a proportional operation and an integral operation, means for determining the integral operation in relation to the proportional operation such that when the controller is in saturation the integral operation is substantially zero to prevent said integral operation from causing an overspeed or an underspeed of the passenger vehicle, and means coupled with said vehicle and responsive to said effort request signal for controlling the actual velocity of said vehicle.

Claim 11

The actual velocity controlling apparatus of claim 7, including means for holding said integral operation substantially at zero until the actual speed of the vehicle is within a predetermined relationship with said first velocity signal.

Claim 12

The actual velocity controlling apparatus of claim 8, when said first velocity is provided in accordance with one of the input command velocity signals and the input modified velocity signal, including means responsive to a second velocity signal having a predetermined relationship to said input program stop velocity signal for causing said first velocity signal to be provided in accordance with said input program stop velocity signal.