EP1616772A1 - Determination of the loading gauge of rail vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

Height coordinates (h) are divided into sections (H1-H7, h1). A profile function (x e) is determined for each section and allocated to it. This function has a profile depth value nowhere in the relevant section, which in respect of the associated allocated height value, lies within the three-dimensional profile measurement. From the profile functions so obtained, a loading weight is prepared in the form of a profile (pf). This describes a functional relationship between the height coordinates and an ultimate profile depth value. An independent claim is included for a corresponding computer program product.

Description

The invention relates to a method for determining a loading gauge of a rail vehicle and to a method for measuring a three-dimensional profile of a rail vehicle, on the basis of which the determination of the loading gauge is possible.

For the safety of operation on a railway line or other track for rail vehicles, the consistent compatibility of the clearance gauge with the loading gauge of the train sets is an essential requirement. The clearance gauge (clearance limit profile) is the maximum permissible extent of a railway vehicle in height and width, with which it may safely move within the space laterally and in particular above the tracks and in which no external objects may protrude. This area to be kept free of adjacent buildings is called the "rule clearing room". Conversely, no parts of the locomotive, the car or the load may leave the specified profile. The clearance gauge is basically standardized but may vary between railway infrastructure operators. For all vehicles in national and international traffic, an international clearance gauge is specified.

The loading gauge (= English: 'loading gauge') is a boundary line that describes to what external dimensions in height and width a vehicle, such as. a freight car, in the middle position of the vehicle in the straight track actually extends (real load gauge). Depending on the route of a train loading tolerances are possible according to existing regulations or operating regulations with regard to the clearance gauge for the associated car. Exceeding the permitted load gauge may damage the cargo, wagon and infrastructure.

The examination of the car for impermissible exceeding currently takes place mainly by visual inspection by railway personnel. In the past, mechanical templates were also used. Due to staff reductions and to improve the safety of the railway operation by a human-independent and thus objective and standardizable measurement an automated test is required.

DE 40 15 086 A1 discloses a device for measuring profiles, in particular of rail vehicles, in which a Messportal stationary or arranged on its own tracks and on the supports of the Messportals ever a non-contact measuring Length measuring device is mounted vertically displaceable in the supports. The determined measuring points are formed in a computer unit as a line of the rail vehicle profile, and this outline can be compared with the prescribed railroad profile. A similar device is disclosed in DE 196 46 098 A1. These devices only detect a single cut (in horizontal or vertical direction) throughout the car profile in the form of a number of measurement points. A load-oversize between the points or cut planes, such as by a protruding beam, would therefore not be detected. The calculation of a loading gauge that captures the entire vehicle in the sense of a 3-dimensional profile is not apparent from the cited documents.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the said disadvantages of the prior art and to provide an improved way for objectively obtaining the loading gauge.

• a) eine Aufteilung der Höhenkoordinate in Abschnitte festgelegt wird,
• b) zu jedem Abschnitt eine zugeordnete Profilfunktion bestimmt wird, die nirgends in dem betreffenden Abschnitt einen Profiltiefenwert aufweist, der hinsichtlich des jeweils zugeordneten Höhenwerts innerhalb der dreidimensionalen Profilmessung liegt, (Bildung einer oberen Schranke) und
• c) aus den so gewonnenen Profilfunktionen ein Lademaß in Form eines Profils erstellt wird, das einen funktionalen Zusammenhang zwischen der Höhenkoordinate und einem äußersten Profiltiefenwert beschreibt.

The object is achieved by a method of the aforementioned type, in which according to the invention a three-dimensional profile measurement of the vehicle, which describes a profile depth value as a function of a height and a longitudinal coordinate, is recorded and using the three-dimensional profile measurement

• a) a division of the height coordinate into sections is determined
• b) determining, for each section, an associated profile function which does not have a profile depth value in the respective section which lies within the three-dimensional profile measurement with regard to the respectively associated height value (formation of an upper barrier) and
• c) a load gauge in the form of a profile is created from the profile functions obtained in this way, which describes a functional relationship between the height coordinate and an outermost profile depth value.

For the definition of the depth, height and longitudinal coordinates as well as the terms "inside" and "outside" or "outermost", see below, description to Fig. 1 and 2.

The solution according to the invention makes it possible to determine the loading dimension with the desired accuracy and a restriction to convex loading dimensions is not necessary. The adaptation to e.g. country-specific regulations are possible without interfering with the recording technology; rather, the comparison is sufficient by software.

The invention also allows additional applications; For example, other information can also be derived from the three-dimensional profile, which can be used for the Verification and management of the train in question can be used. In particular, load-monitoring systems should be mentioned here, which check whether the load has been moved; Likewise, a car type classification is possible due to the three-dimensional profile.

For the preferred case that the loading measure is made with respect to a sequence of discrete values of the altitude coordinate, a sequence of values of the altitude coordinate ("altitude values") is determined (step a), then (step b) an associated extreme one for each altitude value Profile depth value (as upper bound) determined, which is in terms of the height value within the three-dimensional profile measurement, and finally (step c) created from the profile depth values thus obtained a load gauge.

As already mentioned, the three-dimensional profile measurement can be used in addition to obtaining further information associated with the rail vehicle, e.g. for detecting information attached to the rail vehicle in font and / or symbol form, e.g. reading a car number or dangerous goods number.

In an expedient embodiment of the invention, the three-dimensional profile measurement is produced in the form of a sequence of profile lines which respectively correspond to different values of the longitudinal coordinate and run at essentially fixed longitudinal coordinates. In this case, according to step a), from the comparison of each other in the height coordinate of corresponding sections or points of the profile lines, a profile curve is generated which does not have any profile depth values which lie within the total of the profile lines with regard to the respectively associated height value.

A further aspect of the invention is that a method is used for measuring a three-dimensional profile of a rail vehicle, in which the profile lines are recorded one after the other by means of a non-contact measuring point and the profile lines thus obtained are assembled according to their respectively assigned longitudinal coordinate values to form a three-dimensional profile measurement. For measuring the profile lines laser light can be used in a favorable manner.

To obtain the three-dimensional profile measurement, it is also advantageous if the rail vehicle is moved relative to a measuring point, which receives a profile line at a number of times in each case. In particular, it simplifies the construction of the measuring system if the measuring point is stationary and the speed of the rail vehicle moved past the measuring point is measured during the recording of the profile lines, and from the recording times of the profile lines by means of integration of the speed measurement, the respectively assigned longitudinal coordinate values are determined.

On the part of the measuring point, a sensor for measuring the light transit time can advantageously be used to measure the profile of the vehicle in the region of the profile line in the form of the distance from the sensor as a function of the altitude coordinate.

The above-described methods and their developments can be implemented in a favorable manner in the form of software, in particular as a computer program product with program code means, in order to carry out the method according to the invention or one of its developments when the program is executed on a computer. Likewise, the implementation on a computer-readable data carrier is advantageous on which a computer program is stored with program code means to perform the method according to the invention or one of its further developments when the program is executed on a computer.

Fig.1

eine Zugsgarnitur mit einer Messstelle für die Ermittlung des Lademaßes,

Fig. 2

die Generierung eines Zugpanoramas mittels eines Lichtlaufzeit-Zeilensensors,

Fig. 3

drei Profilzeilen eines Zugpanoramas,

Fig. 4

die Gewinnung des Lademaßes (Fig. 4b) aus der Gesamtheit (Fig. 4a) der Profilzeilen der Fig. 3,

Fig. 5

ein alternatives Ermittlungsverfahren des Lademaßes, sowie

Fig. 6

ein Beispiel einer mit strukturiertem Licht vermessenen Oberfläche.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to a non-limiting embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings show

Fig.1

a train set with a measuring point for the determination of the loading gauge,

Fig. 2

the generation of a train panorama by means of a light transit time line sensor,

Fig. 3

three profile lines of a train panorama,

Fig. 4

the acquisition of the loading measure (FIG. 4b) from the totality (FIG. 4a) of the profile lines of FIG. 3,

Fig. 5

an alternative method of calculating the loading gauge, as well

Fig. 6

an example of a structured light measured surface.

The invention is based on the inclusion of a three-dimensional measurement of the tension profile "(Zugpanorama") over the entire length of the train set to be tested. In Fig. 1 by way of example a Zugsgarnitur ZG is shown in front view, side view and top view, with the sake of clarity, only one car of Zugsgarnitur ZG is shown. In addition, directions h, x, 1 are indicated, namely the longitudinal direction 1 along the (preferably just imaginary) track, the height h and the depth x.

The depth x preferably designates the distance of a profile point from the center line m; the center line m is best purchased on the track GA. Possibly For example, as shown in FIG. 2, an elevation angle may be used as a height coordinate (instead of a straight height) and a radial distance from an outside point may be used as a depth coordinate (instead of a distance) from the middle plane). Depth values that are closer to the center line m than a reference value are referred to as "inside" or "inside", those located opposite to the center line m as "outside" or "outside". Accordingly, of a number of points or depth values, the term "furthest" which is farthest from the center line m (in the sense of the depth coordinate x used) is designated.

To generate the Zugpanoramas the Zugsgarnitur ZG moves past a measuring point MS; At the same time, the speed is measured in real time, and the recorded 3D data is assembled into a train panorama of the entire clothing. The measuring point MS consists of one or more fixedly positioned cameras K1, K2, K3.

Depending on the chosen method of acquiring the depth information, i. the depth coordinate x as a function of the height x and the longitudinal coordinate 1, the depth information obtained from a single measuring operation in the longitudinal direction 1 (or temporally, see below) and in the height direction h is limited and must if necessary for the entire train set be assembled from continuously measured single data sets.

For example, a camera K1 is realized as a light transit time line sensor. Referring to FIG. 2, the sensor measures at regular intervals a vertical profile line of the train Z1, wherein using laser light LL the transit time of the laser light reflected back to the sensor is measured and converted into a distance from the sensor location. A technical realization of such a light transit time line sensor by means of a CMOS sensor is described in the article by P. Mengel et al ., "Fast range imaging by CMOS sensor array through multiple double short time integration (MDSI)", Proceedings of the International Conference on Image Processing 2001, Vol. 2, pp. 169-172, available at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/abs_free.jsp?arNumber=958451. The profile line pz (right in FIG. 2) measured in this way corresponds to the tension profile when the longitudinal coordinate 1 is held in place and can be represented as a function x (h, t) in which the depth information determined by means of the sensor is a function of the height coordinate h and the recording time t , The speed of the train set ZG is also measured so that the profile lines x (h, t) can be assigned a speed v (t). Areas that are not reached due to the receiving geometry, ("dead angle") form undercuts, which are shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. These may, if necessary, by the use of a plurality of sensors, preferably arranged in defined different heights as indicated by the further sensors K1a, K1b in Fig. 2, and subsequent joining together of the respectively obtained measurement results are largely excluded to an entire profile line.

Using the 3D data thus acquired, a three-dimensional train panorama of the entire clothing can be assembled. If available, radiometric information recorded at the same time can be used as support, which is obtained, for example, from image acquisition of the train, optionally with additional color information.

As already mentioned, the depth output of the line sensor can be considered as a function d (h, t), cf. Fig. 2. The time t assumes here discrete values, which correspond in each case to the time of a recording; h sweeps an interval from a minimum to a maximum (bottom and top). From this function, a purely spatial depth profile x (h, l) = d (h, T (l)) can be obtained by transformation with the simultaneously measured velocity v (t) and the position function 1 (t) obtained therefrom by integration T (l) is the inverse function of the position function 1 (t). The function T (1) can be interpreted in particular as the time that elapses from the entry of the train into the measuring range until the horizontal pulling position 1 is reached. If necessary, in particular if profiles are to be interpolated to given values of the longitudinal coordinate 1, a rectified panorama can be generated by resampling.

FIG. 3 shows, by way of example, three line profiles p1, p2, p3 thus created, each of which corresponds to a depth profile when the longitudinal coordinate value 1 = l1, l2, l3 is retained, namely p1 a profile x (h, 11), etc.

The loading gauge is derived from the three-dimensional train panorama using the entire three-dimensional train profile over the entire length of the train set ZG.

With reference to FIG. 4, this can be done, for example, by - starting from a sequence of, for example, equidistant height values - the profile lines being searched for the extreme profile depth value occurring at this height value for each height. For the sake of clarity, only one height value h1 of this sequence is shown in the two drawings of FIG. 4; the procedure is similar for the entire underlying altitude value sequence. The values of the depth coordinate x for all profile lines (only the three profiles p1... P3 of FIG. 3 are shown in FIG. 4a) are shown at the respectively examined height value h1 determined and selected from these the outermost value x _E (h1) (Fig. 4b). The extreme profile depth values thus obtained (which are nowhere within the totality of the profile lines), arranged as a function of the associated height values, are summarized as profile pf and thus represent the desired loading dimension of the train set ZG.

Fig. 5 illustrates another procedure for determining the loading dimension pf 'as an extreme profile. The height range to be examined is divided into suitable sections (intervals) H1, H2, ... H7. As section boundaries, e.g. those height values are used where profile lines p1 ... p3 intersect, of course, crossovers that are "within" (i.e., there is a profile value located farther out) need not be taken into account. For each section, a profile history is determined, which represents an upper bound for the profile lines in this section. For example, a corresponding section of the profile line which is at its extreme in the relevant section may be selected, e.g. p2 in section H1, p1 in H2, p2 in H3, p3 in H4, and so forth, and these sections are assembled as profile functions into an overall extremal profile pf '. This method is particularly suitable when the individual profiles p1... P3 are in vectored form.

The method explained with reference to FIG. 4, in which the extremal profile is determined pointwise, can be regarded as a special case of the latter method, namely in that each height value represents a separate section, and there in each case an outermost profile depth value x _E as a profile function of the relevant section (ie the relevant altitude value) is determined.

Instead of line sensors whose output is assembled in the form of profile lines into a train panorama, other methods can be used to obtain a train panorama, without thereby departing from the invention. For example, so-called structured light (coded structured light) can be used. It is inferred by projection of a defined light pattern and subsequent analysis of the recorded distortion on the underlying three-dimensional structure. The example of FIG. 6 illustrates the reconstruction of a facial profile GP using horizontal colored light stripes, which are projected and recorded on a human face G for this purpose. For example, by means of a projector positioned in place of the camera K2, a vertical striped pattern could be projected onto the train set, which is recorded with the camera K1; the lateral offset (along the longitudinal direction l) can be interpreted as depth information x. For more information, see http://w4.siemens.de/ct/en/technologies/ps/hiscore.html and http://eia.udg.es/~jpages/coded_light/ and the literature mentioned there.

Another possibility for detecting the depth information in the form of a train panorama is the multiple detection of the train profile from different angles, as illustrated in FIG. 1 on the basis of the three cameras K1, K2, K3. Corresponding elements of the images are recognized and based on the disparity of the position takes place a 3D reconstruction. Methods of this type are used, for example, for detecting terrain structures, cf. http://www.starlabo.co.jp/en/business/linesensor-1.html.

Claims (15)

Method for determining a loading gauge of a rail vehicle (ZG), which uses a three-dimensional profile measurement of the vehicle which describes a profile depth value (x) as a function of a height (h) and a longitudinal coordinate (l), a) a division of the height coordinate into sections (H1, H2, ..., H7, h1) is determined, b) for each section an associated profile function (x _E ) is determined, which nowhere in the respective section has a profile depth value which lies within the respective associated height value within the three-dimensional profile measurement, and c) from the profile functions thus obtained, a loading measure in the form of a profile (pf, pf ') is created, which describes a functional relationship between the height coordinate and an outermost profile depth value. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that
in step a) a sequence of values of the height coordinate ("height values") is determined, in step b) for each height value (h1) an associated outermost profile depth value (x _E ) is determined which lies within the three-dimensional profile measurement with respect to the height value, and
in step c) a load gauge (pf) is created from the profile depth values obtained in this way. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the three-dimensional profile measurement in addition to the detection of the rail vehicle associated information is used, in particular for the detection of attached to the rail vehicle information in font and / or symbol form. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the three-dimensional profile measurement in the form of a sequence of profile lines (pz, p1, p2, p3) is created, each corresponding to different values of the longitudinal coordinate (1) and at substantially fixed longitudinal coordinate (1) run, wherein the profile lines (pz) are successively recorded by means of a non-contact measuring point (MS) and the profiled lines thus obtained are assembled according to their respective associated longitudinal coordinate values to a three-dimensional profile measurement, and
Then, according to step a), from the comparison of each other in the height coordinate of corresponding sections or points of the profile lines, a profile curve is generated which does not have any profile depth values which lies within the total of the profile lines with regard to the respectively associated height value. A method according to claim 4, characterized in that the rail vehicle (ZG) is moved relative to a measuring point (MS), which receives at a number of times in each case a profile line (pz). A method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the measuring point (MS) is stationary and during the recording of the profile lines, the speed of the measuring point and passing rail vehicle is measured, and determined from the recording times of the profile lines by integrating the speed measurement, the respective associated longitudinal coordinate values become. Method according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that on the part of the measuring point a sensor for measuring the transit time of a signal emitted by the measuring point is used to the profile of the vehicle in the region of the profile line in the form of the distance from the sensor as a function of Height coordinate to measure. Method according to one of Claims 4 to 7, characterized in that the measuring point (MS) uses laser light (LL) to measure the profile lines. Method for measuring a three-dimensional profile of a rail vehicle (ZG) which describes a profile depth value (x) as a function of a height (h) and a longitudinal coordinate (l),
characterized in that
a sequence of profile lines (pz, p1, p2, p3) is created, which correspond in each case to different values of the longitudinal coordinate (1) and extend at essentially fixed longitudinal coordinate (1), wherein the profile lines (pz) are sequentially determined by means of a contact-free measuring point ( MS) are recorded and the profile lines obtained in this way are assembled according to their respectively assigned longitudinal coordinate values to form a three-dimensional profile measurement. A method according to claim 9, characterized in that the rail vehicle (ZG) is moved relative to a measuring point (MS), which receives at a number of times in each case a profile line (pz). A method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the measuring point (MS) is stationary and during the recording of the profile lines, the speed of the measuring point and passing rail vehicle is measured, and determined from the recording times of the profile lines by integrating the speed measurement, the respective associated longitudinal coordinate values become. Method according to one of Claims 9 to 11, characterized in that a sensor for measuring the transit time of a signal emitted by the measuring point is used by the measuring point to determine the profile of the vehicle in the region of the profile line in the form of the distance from the sensor as a function of Height coordinate to measure. Method according to one of Claims 9 to 12, characterized in that the measuring point (MS) uses laser light (LL) to measure the profile lines. Computer program product with program code means for performing the method according to one of claims 1 to 13 on a computer. A computer-readable medium on which program code means for carrying out the method according to one of claims 1 to 13 are stored on a computer.

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