DE102020118670A1 - OBSERVATION PROCEDURES - Google Patents

Abstract

An observation method (10) is provided in which, in order to observe the condition of a rail route having a track, a pattern is detected in a detection step (12) using at least one sensor in a rail vehicle traveling on the track. According to the invention, the sensor used is arranged in a passenger compartment of the rail vehicle.

Description

The present invention relates to an observation method for observing a condition of a track according to the preamble of claim 1.

From the DE 10 2004 045 457 A1 a method and a device for diagnosing and for status monitoring of a wear and functional condition of a switch and/or a crossing and/or a slip switch and/or rail joints and/or track inhomogeneities of a rail traffic route consisting of several rails are known. Vibration accelerations are measured and stored in at least one spatial direction on at least one component of the rail vehicle when a rail vehicle passes over the switch, crossing or slip as well as via the rail joint or the track inhomogeneity. Crossing or crossing switch, the rail joint, or the track inhomogeneity are generated. Furthermore, the speed of the rail vehicle is measured and stored, and the direction of travel is determined and stored. The location of the switch, crossing or crossing switch, the rail joint or the track inhomogeneity is determined and saved. A check is carried out to determine whether characteristic, specified limit values of the measured vibration accelerations are exceeded and, in the event that specified limit values for the vibration acceleration are exceeded, a subsequent, more extensive measurement of the condition of components of the switch, crossing or crossing switch, the rail joint, or the track inhomogeneities prompted.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved observation method.

This object is achieved with an observation method according to claim 1. Advantageous developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

In the observation method according to the invention for observing a condition of a railroad having a track, a pattern is detected in a detection step by means of at least one sensor in a rail vehicle traveling on the track. According to the invention, the sensor used is arranged in a passenger compartment of the rail vehicle.

As a result, the sensor is very well protected from environmental influences and very easily accessible. Patterns can be generated for a wide variety of textures, which are later available for analysis.

In an advantageous embodiment of the observation method according to the invention, the sensor used is arranged in a mobile device, in particular in a smartphone.

With the use of a mobile device, such as a smartphone, a relatively inexpensive and readily available measuring device is available, which can easily be supplemented with other devices. Along with the train crew and passengers, there are often multiple mobile devices within the rail vehicle that serve as potential measurement devices and allow multiple acceleration patterns to be recorded.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the observation method according to the invention, further patterns are detected during the detection step by means of additional sensors arranged in the passenger compartment. In this case, at least one of the sensors is preferably arranged in a stationary manner in the passenger compartment.

The pattern can be reproduced herewith. Interference values that are based on other causes, for example handling a smartphone used for the measurement, can be sorted out using a number of recorded patterns.

In particular, it is helpful here by means of the sensor which is stationarily connected to the passenger compartment.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the observation method according to the invention, an acceleration sensor is used in the detection step and an acceleration pattern is detected.

Acceleration values are a good indicator of the condition of the railway, especially the condition of the track.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the observation method according to the invention, an acoustic sensor is used in the detection step and an acoustic pattern is detected.

Acoustic values, i.e. noises, are also a good indicator of the condition of the track, especially the condition of the track. A combination with the acceleration values can increase the validity of an analysis of the condition of the railway.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the observation method according to the invention, an analysis step is carried out after the detection step, in which, in a first mode, the pattern detected in the detection step is compared with a stored older pattern and information about a change is output in an output step.

This allows a change in the rail route to be detected. The application of the observation method in regular trains ensures regular updates about the rail route.

In an alternative advantageous embodiment of the observation method according to the invention, an analysis step is carried out after the detection step, in which, in a second mode, the acceleration pattern detected in the detection step is linked to damage information and a damage pattern is created.

In this way, damage patterns can be generated for a wide variety of properties or damage cases, which are available for analysis during later runs of the observation method.

In an alternative embodiment of the observation method according to the invention, an analysis step is carried out after the detection step, in which, in a third mode, the pattern detected in the detection step is compared with at least one stored damage pattern and information about a match is output in an output step.

By comparing the recorded pattern with the damage pattern, damage and the type of damage to the rail track can be identified.

• 1 das erfindungsgemäße Beobachtungsverfahren in einer beispielhaften Ausgestaltung.

Other advantages of the present invention are apparent from the detailed description and figures. The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the figure and the following description. It shows:

• 1 the observation method according to the invention in an exemplary embodiment.

In the 1 the observation method 10 according to the invention is shown schematically in an exemplary embodiment from a start 11 to an end 17 .

In the observation method 10 according to the invention, a condition of a railway track is observed. In this case, the railway comprises a track and in particular other devices, such as a superstructure, a substructure, a noise protection system, a tunnel, a covering and/or a bridging, a signaling system and/or an electrification system.

In the observation method, a pattern is detected in a detection step 12 using at least one sensor. The pattern is the variable detected by the sensor over time. The at least one sensor is preferably an acceleration sensor and/or an acoustic sensor, and therefore a microphone.

According to the invention, the acceleration sensor is arranged in a passenger compartment of a rail vehicle while the rail vehicle is traveling along the track. The acceleration sensor therefore measures accelerations within a sprung mass. In particular, the acceleration sensor detects accelerations in several directions.

The acceleration pattern recorded shows acceleration values over time and thus over the course of the rail route or over the course of the position of the rail vehicle on the track. The acceleration values are each assigned to a specific point on the track. In particular, position data of the rail vehicle are also recorded in addition to the acceleration values in the recording step 12 . In particular, the acceleration pattern is sent to a centrally arranged entity, for example an infrastructure operator or a rail vehicle operator. Alternatively or additionally, the transmission can be made to the driver's cab of the rail vehicle in which the detection step 12 was carried out, or to driver's cabs of other rail vehicles on the same route. The acceleration pattern is preferably stored.

In the detection step 12, an acoustic pattern is detected in the rail vehicle traveling on the track, in particular in addition to the acceleration pattern. The acoustic sensor used for detecting the acoustic pattern is arranged in the passenger compartment of the rail vehicle while the rail vehicle is traveling along the track. The acoustic sensor records the acoustics in the passenger compartment.

The recorded acoustic pattern shows acoustic values in the course of time and thus in the course of the track of the railway or in the course of the position of the rail vehicle on the track. The acoustic values are each assigned to a specific point on the track. In particular, the acoustic pattern is sent to a centrally arranged entity, for example the infrastructure operator or the rail vehicle operator. Alternatively or additionally, the transmission can be made to the driver's cab of the rail vehicle in which the detection step 12 was carried out, or to driver's cabs of other rail vehicles on the same route. The acoustic pattern is preferably saved.

The measured values are preferably recorded using a mobile device which has an acceleration sensor and is designed to detect accelerations. The mobile device is preferably app-enabled, which means it is suitable for installing applications (apps). In particular, the mobile device also has an acoustic sensor and is designed to detect acoustics. Furthermore, the mobile device is designed in particular to determine its position. The mobile device is preferably a smartphone. Alternatively, the mobile device can also be a tablet or a notebook.

In the observation method 10, multiple acceleration patterns are preferably detected along the track of the railway. At least one of the acceleration sensors used is preferably connected to the passenger compartment in a stationary manner. For example, an acceleration sensor that is stationary in relation to the passenger compartment and a plurality of mobile device acceleration sensors are used in the detection step 12 . This can be done by using a number of acceleration sensors in the rail vehicle at the same time and/or by recording at different times, in particular in a number of rail vehicles. Acceleration patterns are preferably recorded in regular trains, i.e. in trains that travel over the track in a specific sequence.

In particular, several acoustic patterns along the track are also recorded in the observation method 10 . At least one of the acoustic sensors used is preferably connected to the passenger compartment in a stationary manner. For example, an acoustic sensor that is stationary in relation to the passenger compartment and a number of mobile device acoustic sensors are used in the detection step 12 . This can be done by using a number of acoustic sensors in the rail vehicle at the same time and/or by detecting them at different times, in particular in a number of rail vehicles. The acoustic patterns are preferably also recorded in regular trains.

In addition to the patterns mentioned, further patterns can be recorded in the recording step 12 of the observation method 10 . The observation method 10 can preferably be expanded in a modular manner.

The detected pattern is analyzed in an analysis step 13 in particular. The result of the analysis is output in particular in an output step 14 . The analysis step 13 preferably has a number of modes.

In a first mode, in the analysis step 13, the pattern recorded in the recording step 12 is compared with a stored older pattern. The older pattern was preferably stored in a previous run of the observation method 10. If the pattern recorded in the recording step 12 differs from the older pattern, then it can be seen that a change has taken place which could indicate a change in the rail route. In the output step 14 information about a change in an output step 14 is output in particular.

In a second mode, in the analysis step 13, the pattern detected in the detection step 12 is linked to damage information 15 and a damage pattern 16 is thus created. The damage pattern 16 is then available for the analysis step 13 in a later run through of the observation method 10 . In the 1 this is illustrated with the dashed line. Damage information 15 is information about the fact that the rail route under consideration has damage, such as a track inhomogeneity, a squat and/or a hollow sleeper position. The pattern recorded in the recording step 12 is assigned to this damage. The assignment is not static, but can vary with the runs of the observation process. For example, in the analysis step 13, it is taken into account if the damage information 15 is associated with a number of patterns. At least one common feature of the multiple patterns is then extracted and a new damage pattern 16 is generated. The observation method 10 is thus trained through several runs.

In a third mode, in the analysis step 13, the pattern detected in the detection step 12 is compared with at least one damage pattern 16 that has already been stored. If a match between the detected pattern and the damage pattern 16 is analyzed, information about an analyzed damage is output in the output step 14 . Preferably, the result includes a damage type.

In a fourth mode, at least one index is determined in the analysis method 14 from the values of the pattern detected in the detection step 12 and compared with a stored target index. If the code number deviates from the target code number, a message is then output in output step 14 . As a key figure is here preferably a standard deviation, mean, median, slope or the like is used. In particular, an explorative data analysis is carried out.

Reference List

10

observation procedure

11

begin

12

capture step

13

analysis step

14

output step

15

damage information

16

damage pattern

17

end

QUOTES INCLUDED IN DESCRIPTION

This list of documents cited by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent Literature Cited

• DE 102004045457 A1 [0002]

Claims (8)

Observation method (10) for observing the condition of a rail route having a track, in which in a detection step (12) a pattern is detected in a rail vehicle traveling on the track by means of at least one sensor, characterized in that the sensor used is in a passenger compartment of the rail vehicle is arranged. Observation method (10) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the sensor used is arranged in a mobile device. Observation method (10) according to claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that further patterns are detected during the detection step (12) by means of further sensors arranged in the passenger compartment. Observation method (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in the detection step (12) an acceleration sensor is used and an acceleration pattern is detected. Observation method (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in the detection step (12) an acoustic sensor is used and an acoustic pattern is detected. Observation method (10) according to one of Claims 1 until 5 , characterized in that after the detection step (12) an analysis step (13) is carried out, in which in a first mode the pattern detected in the detection step (12) is compared with a stored older pattern and information about a change in an output step ( 14) is issued. Observation method (10) according to one of Claims 1 until 5 , characterized in that after the detection step (12), an analysis step (13) is carried out in which, in a second mode, the acceleration pattern detected in the detection step (12) is linked to damage information (15) and a damage pattern (16) is created. Observation method (10) according to one of Claims 1 until 5 , characterized in that after the detection step (12), an analysis step (13) is carried out, in which, in a third mode, the pattern detected in the detection step (12) is compared with at least one stored damage pattern (16) and information about a match in an outputting step (14).

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