Decoupled pinion gear detection

Abstract

A railway machine comprising a first electrical traction motor, a first wheel assembly, a first gear assembly and a controller module is disclosed. The first gear assembly may include a first pinion gear rotatably engaged with a drive shaft of the first electrical traction motor. The first gear assembly may further include a first driven gear that may be rotatably engaged with the first pinion gear and also operatively coupled to the first wheel assembly. The controller module may observe a plurality of railway machine operating conditions, execute program instructions while the railway machine is being operated and may determine whether the first pinion gear is decoupled from the drive shaft of the first electrical traction motor.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A railway machine, comprising:
 a first electrical traction motor;   a first wheel assembly;   a first gear assembly, the first gear assembly including a first pinion gear and a first driven gear, the first pinion gear rotatably coupled with a drive shaft of the first electrical traction motor, the first driven gear rotatably engaged with the first pinion gear and operatively coupled to the first wheel assembly; and   a controller module that observes a plurality of railway machine operating parameters, executes program instructions while the railway machine is being operated and that determines whether the first pinion gear is decoupled from the drive shaft of the first electrical traction motor.   
     
     
         2 . The railway machine according to  claim 1 , further including a first rotational sensor for monitoring the rotational speed of the first pinion gear, the first rotational sensor operatively associated with the first pinion gear, and a first current sensor for monitoring the electrical load on the first electrical fraction motor, the first current sensor operatively associated with the first electrical fraction motor. 
     
     
         3 . The railway machine according to  claim 2 , wherein determining whether the first pinion gear is decoupled from the from the drive shaft of the first electrical traction motor includes determining whether the rotational value detected by the first rotational sensor is greater than zero and the electrical load on the first electrical traction motor is negligible. 
     
     
         4 . The railway machine according to  claim 3 , further including an alarm system for indicating if the first pinion gear is decoupled from the drive shaft of the first electrical traction motor, and wherein the controller module sends a signal to the alarm system to indicate that the first pinion gear is decoupled from the drive shaft of the first electrical traction motor, if the rotational value detected by the first rotational sensor is greater than zero and the electrical load on the first electrical fraction motor is negligible. 
     
     
         5 . The railway machine according to  claim 2 , further including a second electrical traction motor, a second wheel assembly, a second gear assembly including a second pinion gear rotatably engaged with a drive shaft of the second electrical traction motor and a second driven gear rotatably engaged with the second pinion gear and operatively coupled to the second wheel assembly, a second rotational sensor operatively associated with the second pinion gear, and a second current sensor for monitoring the electrical load of the second electrical traction motor operatively associated with the second electrical traction motor. 
     
     
         6 . The railway machine according to  claim 4 , wherein determining whether the first pinion gear is decoupled from the from the drive shaft of the first electrical traction motor includes determining whether the rotational value detected by the first rotational sensor is greater than zero and the electrical load on the first electrical traction motor is negligible, determining whether the rotational value detected by the second rotational senor is greater than zero and the electrical load on the second electrical traction motor is greater than zero. 
     
     
         7 . The railway machine according to  claim 6 , further including an alarm system for indicating if the first pinion gear is decoupled from the drive shaft of the first electrical traction motor, and wherein the controller module sends a signal to the alarm system to indicate that the first pinion gear is decoupled from the drive shaft of the first electrical traction motor, if the rotational value detected by the first rotational sensor is greater than zero and the electrical load on the first electrical fraction motor is negligible, and if the rotational value detected by the second rotational sensor is greater than zero and the electrical load on the second electrical traction motor is greater than zero. 
     
     
         8 . A method to identify a decoupled pinion gear of an electrically powered railway propulsion assembly, comprising:
 detecting a first rotational value of a first pinion gear of a first electrical traction motor;   detecting a first electrical load of the first electrical traction motor;   sending the first rotational value to a controller module that observes a plurality of electrically powered railway propulsion assembly operating parameters, executes program instructions while the electrically powered railway propulsion assembly is being operated, and that determines whether the first pinion gear is decoupled from the drive shaft of the first electrical fraction motor;   sending the first electrical load to the controller module; and   determining whether the first pinion gear is decoupled from the first electrical traction motor.   
     
     
         9 . The method of identifying a decoupled pinion gear of an electrically powered railway propulsion assembly according to  claim 8 , wherein determining whether the first pinion gear is decoupled from the first electrical traction motor is in fact true, is if the first rotational value is greater than zero and the first electrical load is negligible. 
     
     
         10 . The method of identifying a decoupled pinion gear of an electrically powered railway propulsion assembly according to  claim 9 , wherein the first rotational value is detected by a first rotational sensor operatively associated with the first pinion gear and the first electrical load is detected by a first current sensor operatively associated with the first electrical traction motor. 
     
     
         11 . The method of identifying a decoupled pinion gear of an electrically powered railway propulsion assembly according to  claim 8 , further including detecting a second rotational value of a second pinion gear of a second electrical traction motor, detecting a second electrical load of the second electrical traction motor, sending the second rotational value to the controller module and sending the second electrical load to the controller module. 
     
     
         12 . The method of identifying a decoupled pinion gear of an electrically powered railway propulsion assembly according to  claim 11 , wherein determining whether the first pinion gear is decoupled from the first electrical traction motor is in fact true, is if the first rotational value is greater than zero, the first electrical load is negligible, the second rotational value is greater than zero and the second rotational value is greater than zero. 
     
     
         13 . The method of identifying a decoupled pinion gear of an electrically powered railway propulsion assembly according to  claim 12 , wherein the first rotational value is detected by a first rotational sensor operatively associated with the first pinion gear, the first electrical load is detected by a first current sensor operatively associated with the first electrical traction motor, the second rotational value is detected by a second rotational sensor operatively associated with the second pinion gear and the second electrical load is detected by a second current sensor operatively associated with the second electrical traction motor. 
     
     
         14 . A method of notifying a railway machine operator that a pinion gear of a railway machine's electrically powered railway propulsion assembly is decoupled from a traction motor of the electrically powered railway propulsion assembly, comprising:
 detecting a first rotational value of a first pinion gear of a first electrical traction motor of the electrically powered railway propulsion assembly;   detecting a first electrical load of the first electrical traction motor of the electrically powered railway propulsion assembly;   sending the first rotational value to a controller module that observes a plurality of railway machine operating parameters, executes program instructions while the railway machine is being operated, and that determines whether the first pinion gear is decoupled from the drive shaft of the first electrical traction motor;   sending the first electrical load to the controller module;   determining whether the first pinion gear is decoupled from the first electrical traction motor; and   sending a signal to an alarm system for indicating that the first pinion gear is decoupled from the first electrical fraction motor if the controller module determines that first pinion gear is decoupled from the first electrical traction motor.   
     
     
         15 . The method of notifying a railway machine operator that a pinion gear of the railway machine's electrically powered railway propulsion assembly is decoupled from a traction motor of the electrically powered railway propulsion assembly according to  claim 14 , wherein determining whether the first pinion gear is decoupled from the first electrical traction motor is in fact true, is if the first rotational value is greater than zero and the first electrical load is negligible. 
     
     
         16 . The method of notifying a railway machine operator that a pinion gear of the railway machine's electrically powered railway propulsion assembly is decoupled from a traction motor of the electrically powered railway propulsion assembly according to  claim 15 , wherein the first rotational value is detected by a first rotational sensor operatively associated with the first pinion gear and the first electrical load is detected by a first current sensor operatively associated with the first electrical traction motor. 
     
     
         17 . The method of notifying a railway machine operator that a pinion gear of the railway machine's electrically powered railway propulsion assembly is decoupled from a traction motor of the electrically powered railway propulsion assembly according to  claim 14 , further including detecting a second rotational value of a second pinion gear of a second electrical traction motor in electrical communication with the electrical power source, detecting a second electrical load of the second electrical traction motor in electrical communication with the electrical power source, sending the second rotational value to the controller module and sending the second electrical load to the controller module. 
     
     
         18 . The method of notifying a railway machine operator that a pinion gear of the railway machine's electrically powered railway propulsion assembly is decoupled from a traction motor of the electrically powered railway propulsion assembly according to  claim 17 , wherein determining whether the first pinion gear is decoupled from the first electrical traction motor is in fact true, is if the first rotational value is greater than zero, the first electrical load is negligible, the second rotational value is greater than zero and the second rotational value is greater than zero. 
     
     
         19 . The method of notifying a railway machine operator that a pinion gear of the railway machine's electrically powered railway propulsion assembly is decoupled from a traction motor of the electrically powered railway propulsion assembly according to  claim 18 , wherein the first rotational value is detected by a first rotational sensor operatively associated with the first pinion gear, the first electrical load is detected by a first current sensor operatively associated with the first electrical traction motor, the second rotational value is detected by a second rotational sensor operatively associated with second pinion gear and the second electrical load is detected by a second current sensor operatively associated with the second electrical fraction motor. 
     
     
         20 . The method of notifying a railway machine operator that a pinion gear of the railway machine's electrically powered railway propulsion assembly is decoupled from a traction motor of the electrically powered railway propulsion assembly according to  claim 14 , further including locating the alarm system for indicating that the first pinion gear is decoupled from the first electrical traction motor at the operator section.