JP4640653B2 - Snow melting apparatus for railway vehicles, and snow melting method for railway vehicles - Google Patents

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a railway vehicle snow melting apparatus and a railway vehicle snow melting method, and more particularly to a railway vehicle snow melting apparatus and a snow melting method for injecting hot water onto a railway vehicle having snow and ice attached thereto to melt snow on a lower or side surface of the vehicle. .

  In heavy snowy areas such as Hokkaido, snow and ice (hereinafter referred to as snow and ice) attached to the wheels of railway vehicles during winter are caused by brake failure, switching point failure caused by falling snow and falling snow and ice hoisting collisions. May cause troubles such as vehicle damage. For this reason, it is necessary to remove snow and ice adhering to the vehicle at the regular inspection of the railway vehicle. Conventionally, this snow and ice removal work has been performed manually using a snow melting tool based on the visual judgment of the worker. However, for the purpose of improving the working environment and workability and reducing the labor of workers, the above-mentioned snow melting work has been promoted to automation, and various automatic snow melting devices have been proposed. Yes.

For example, this is the snow melting device disclosed in Patent Document 1. The snow melting device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is provided with a nozzle capable of ejecting hot water for melting snow on a carriage that can run on rails laid in parallel with a railway vehicle. This snow melting device is equipped with a radiation type thermometer, and can detect the temperature of the vehicle body to be melted and determine the necessity of snow melting to execute the snow melting work. In addition, the snow melting device disclosed in Patent Document 1 stores data on various types of railway vehicles that are subject to snow melting, and corrects errors between the data and distance data in actual railway vehicles to obtain correction values. Based on this, it is also possible to recognize the vehicle form and perform snow melting work.
Japanese Patent No. 2972478

According to the snow melting device as disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, it is considered that it is possible to automatically automate the snow melting work of the railway vehicle. However, since the snow melting device disclosed in Patent Document 1 determines the necessity of snow melting based only on the temperature of the railway vehicle and the vehicle form, in a place where snow and ice are not actually attached. On the other hand, it may cause a situation such as injecting hot water, and it is difficult to say that the work efficiency is good.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a snow melting device for a railway vehicle and a snow melting method capable of eliminating the above-described waste of the snow melting work and performing an efficient and economical snow melting work.

  In order to achieve the above object, a snow melting device for a railway vehicle according to the present invention is configured to be able to move on a track, a temperature measuring means for detecting a temperature state of the railway vehicle to which snow and ice are attached, a hot water injection means for melting snow, and the like. A snow melting device for a railway vehicle having a carriage, the imaging means for imaging the state of snow and ice attached to the railway vehicle, and an image captured by the imaging means is divided into a plurality of areas, and a white portion is formed for each area. The ratio is calculated, the first ranking is performed in descending order of the ratio occupied by the white portion, and the temperature state detected by the temperature detecting unit is analyzed for each area obtained by dividing the image captured by the imaging unit. The second ranking is performed in ascending order of temperature, and when there is an area where the result of the first ranking is the same, the third ranking that reflects the result of the second ranking is performed. Computing means for performing a fourth ranking for prioritizing the area located above the captured image when there is an area where the result of the third ranking is the same. The hot water for melting snow is sprayed on the area ranked highest by the arithmetic means.

  In the railway vehicle snow melting device having the characteristics as described above, it is desirable that the image pickup means picks up an image composed of binary data of white and black.

  Further, in the snow melting device for a railway vehicle having the above-described features, after spraying the hot water for melting snow on the area ranked highest by the arithmetic means, the same horizontal position as the area ranked highest It is preferable that the area positioned at the top is selected from the areas positioned at and the hot water for melting snow is blown.

Further, in the snow melting apparatus for railway vehicles having the above-described features, after the hot water for melting snow is sprayed for a certain period of time on the area ranked highest by the calculating means, the areas are ranked by the calculating means. It is good also as a structure which performs repeatedly the action to perform.
Furthermore, in the snow melting device for railway vehicles having the above characteristics, the snow melting hot water spraying means may be configured to have at least two degrees of freedom.

  In addition, a method for melting snow on a railway vehicle according to the present invention for achieving the above object is constituted by a temperature measuring means for detecting the temperature state of the railway vehicle to which snow and ice are attached, hot water injection means for melting snow, and a structure that is movable on the track. A railcar having a trolley, an imaging unit that captures the state of snow and ice attached to the railroad vehicle, and a calculation unit that calculates a priority of a location where the hot water for melting snow is sprayed based on the image captured by the imaging unit A method of melting snow using a snow melting device, imaging a railway vehicle to which snow and ice are attached by the imaging means, detecting a temperature state of the railway vehicle to which snow and ice are attached by the temperature measuring means, and The image picked up by the image pickup means is divided into a plurality of areas, the proportion of the white portion is calculated for each area, and the first ranking is performed in descending order of the proportion of the white portion. The temperature state detected by the temperature measuring means is analyzed for each area obtained by dividing the image captured by the imaging means, and the second ranking is performed in ascending order of temperature, and the result of the first ranking is obtained. When a peer area exists, a third ranking that reflects the result of the second ranking is performed. When there is an area where the third ranking result is a peer, a captured image is displayed. A fourth ranking is performed in which priority is given to the area located at the top of the area, the hot water for melting snow is blown to the area ranked highest by the computing means, and the hot water for melting snow is fixed to the corresponding area. After spraying time, select the area positioned higher from the area located in the same horizontal position as the area ranked highest by the arithmetic means, and spray hot water for melting snow, Others and performs blowing of hot water for snow melting run repeatedly ranking of areas by the calculating means.

  According to the snow melting device for railway vehicles and the snow melting method for railway vehicles having the above-described features, waste such as warm water for melting snow can be eliminated and efficient and economical snow melting work can be performed. In addition, if the imaging unit is configured to capture an image composed of binary data of white and black, a clear image can be acquired even indoors where the amount of light is small. In addition, after spraying hot water for melting snow on the area ranked highest by the computing means, the hot water for melting snow is selected by selecting the area positioned higher from the areas existing at the same horizontal position as the area. It becomes possible to perform an efficient and quick snow-melting operation by adopting a configuration for spraying. On the other hand, after spraying hot water for melting snow for a certain period of time to the area positioned highest in the ranking by the computing means, the ranking by the computing means is performed again to repeat the snow melting work. According to this, the waste of warm water for melting snow can be extremely reduced, and the cost for snow melting work can be reduced. Furthermore, by setting the degree of freedom of the hot water injection means for melting snow to 2 degrees or more, the hot water for melting snow can be sprayed in both the height direction and the longitudinal direction of the railway vehicle.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a snow melting device for a railway vehicle and a snow melting method for a railway vehicle according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, with reference to FIG. 1, the snow melting apparatus for rail vehicles which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated. In FIG. 1, FIG. 1 (A) is a diagram showing a front configuration of the snow melting device, and FIG. 1 (B) is a diagram showing a configuration when FIG. 1 (A) is viewed from the right side.

  The snow melting device 10 according to the present embodiment includes a header 20 having an injection nozzle 22 that ejects hot water for melting snow, a carriage 40 that is mounted with the header 20 and is movable on a track, the header 20 and the header 20. Basically, the elevating unit 30 is connected to the carriage 40.

  In addition to the jet nozzle 22 described above, the header 20 has an image pickup means (for example, a CCD camera) 24 for picking up snow and ice attached to the railway vehicle 100 (see FIG. 2) to be melted, and a snow melting target. Temperature measuring means (for example, a thermography camera) 26 for detecting the temperature state of the railway vehicle 100 is provided. Here, the imaging unit 24 provided in the header 20 of the present embodiment captures a so-called monochrome image composed of binary data of white and black. Since imaging with a monochrome image requires less light than imaging with a color image, a clear image can be obtained even with indoor imaging. In addition, the header 20 is joined to an elevator 30 described later so as to be rotatable (tilted) in the direction of an arrow A with the engaging portion 28 as a reference.

  The trolley 40 includes at least a pump 42 for pressurizing and transporting hot water for melting snow, calculation means 44 for performing image processing of images acquired by the imaging means 24 and the temperature detecting means 26, and selection of a snow melting work start position, and a trolley 40. And a cable / hose 50 for supplying snow melting hot water and electric power to the snow melting device 10. The pump 42 is a mechanism for pressurizing the hot water for melting snow supplied from the cable / hose 50 and sending it to the spray nozzle 22 provided in the header 20 described above. Further, the calculation means 44 selects a location where snow melting is performed based on the image data acquired by the imaging means 24 and the temperature detection means 26, and sends a drive signal for moving the carriage 40 to the drive source 46. Or send. The drive source 46 is linked to a wheel 48 that is driven based on the drive signal, and the drive source 46 receives the drive signal to drive the wheel 48 to move the carriage 40. Is possible. The cable hose 50 supplies hot water for melting snow to the pump 42, supplies power to the calculation means 44, transmits various command signals to the calculation means 44, and returns calculation result data by the calculation means 44. Also responsible for sending and receiving various signals. Therefore, the other end of the cable / hose 50 is provided with a monitor, control means, etc. (not shown). The temperature of the hot water for melting snow may be determined by the ratio of the steam or hot water supplied from a steam / hot water hose (not shown) and the water supplied from the water hose. Since such a system for supplying warm water for melting snow is a known technique, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  The elevating unit 30 is configured to be extendable (extends and contracts in the direction of arrow C), for example, as in a telescopic structure, and can freely rotate in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (rotation in the direction of arrow B). It is said that. Specifically, in the case of the present embodiment, the elevating unit 30 is configured by connecting a plurality of cylinders having different diameters, and can be rotated in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction via a gear box or the like (not shown). Yes. Inside the elevating unit 30 having such a configuration, the pump 42 and the calculation means 44 provided in the carriage 40 are connected to the injection nozzle 22, the imaging means 24 and the temperature detection means 26 provided in the header 20. The pipe 52 and the wiring 54 are passed through, and the structure is configured to be able to send / receive hot water for melting snow and various electric signals.

  When melting snow on a railway vehicle using the snow melting device 10 having the above-described configuration, the railway vehicle 100 to be melted is guided onto a rail 102 disposed at a high place as shown in FIG. It is burned. The above-described snow melting device 10 is disposed in a low work area provided on the side of the railway vehicle 100, and performs snow melting work while moving along the longitudinal direction (the depth direction in the figure) of the railway vehicle 100. It will be. Hereinafter, the snow melting work by the snow melting device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail.

  There are various ways of carrying out the snow melting work by the snow melting device 10 according to the present embodiment, and two typical examples will be shown below. In addition, since the flow from the selection of the first snow melting work start position to the spraying of the warm water for snow melting is the same in both the first embodiment and the second embodiment, these steps are described as common items. I will summarize.

  First, a railway vehicle 100 (mainly a truck part of a railway vehicle) 100 to be melted is imaged by the imaging means 24, and a monochrome image as shown in FIG. 3 (in FIG. 3, the white part is outlined and the black part is displayed). To be indicated by hatching). Next, the calculation means 44 captures the image acquired by the imaging means 24 and divides the image into a plurality of areas (16 areas of vertical AD in this embodiment and horizontal AD in this embodiment) as shown in FIG. To do. In the image divided into a plurality of areas, the ratio of the white portion included in each area is calculated, and the images are ranked in the order of the areas with the larger white portions (first ranking: see FIG. 7).

  After the railway vehicle 100 is imaged by the imaging means 24 or simultaneously with the imaging, the temperature sensing means 26 performs temperature measurement of the temperature state of the railway vehicle 100 in the same range as the imaging area. The temperature state can be acquired as an image indicated by a different color for each temperature region (in FIG. 5, the higher the temperature, the closer to white, and the lower the temperature, the closer to black). An image showing the temperature state acquired by the temperature measuring means 26 is also captured by the calculating means 44 and divided into a plurality of areas like the image acquired by the imaging means 24 as shown in FIG. Is calculated, and the ranking of the divided areas is executed in the order from the lowest average temperature (second ranking: see FIG. 8).

  As a result of the first ranking, as shown in FIG. 7, the calculation means 44 reflects the result of the second ranking shown in FIG. 8 and has a low temperature when there is a peer area. Ranking is performed so that the area is positioned higher (third ranking: see FIG. 9).

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, when there is an area where the result of the third ranking is the same, ranking is performed so that the area located above the image acquired by the imaging means is positioned at a high level (fourth). (See FIG. 10). This fourth ranking can be said to be an effective ranking because the surface to be melted is an elevation such as a side surface of a railway vehicle.
After performing the ranking as described above, the calculation means determines the topmost area as the snow melting work start position (area Cb in FIG. 10).

  When the snow melting work start position is determined, the computing means 44 sends a signal to a header control unit (not shown) that positions the header 20 to determine the direction of hot water injection for melting snow by the injection nozzle 22 in the area Cb. Thereafter, a drive signal is transmitted to the pump 42, the hot water for melting snow is ejected from the jet nozzle 22, and the hot water for melting snow is sprayed on the railway vehicle 100 to be melted.

  When hot water for melting snow is blown onto the area Cb, the temperature of the area located around the area Cb rises due to heat conduction and steam, and the area located below the area Cb The water after snowmelt will flow down. For this reason, by blowing the hot water for melting snow onto the area C-b, the snow and ice adhering to the peripheral area and the lower area are also melted and peeled, resulting in the state shown in FIG. As described above, according to the snow melting method of the present embodiment, it is possible to perform snow melting in a wider range than the area by spraying hot water for melting snow on one area.

In the first embodiment, the hot water for melting snow is sprayed for a predetermined time after the snow melting work start position, and is not an area that is ranked second in ranking, but an area that is located at the same horizontal position as area C-b. Then, it is characterized in that the snow melting work is executed by recognizing the area where the ranking by the calculating means 44 is positioned higher as the snow melting target area. That is, when an area is specified in FIG. 10, the area Db that is ranked fifth in the ranking is the snow melting target area. Even in the area positioned higher than the ranking by the calculation means 44, in the area located below the area C-b, the hot water for melting snow is sprayed on the area C-b as in the area C-c. The snow and ice attached to it may have been removed. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the amount of hot water required for melting snow by certifying an area that is located at the same horizontal position as the start position of snow melting work and that is ranked higher as a target position for melting snow. It can be completed in a short time. That is, the snow melting work can be performed efficiently. Therefore, for example, as described above, when the snow melting hot water is sprayed on the area D-b, snow and ice adhering to the surrounding area due to the influence of steam and heat conduction are also melted and peeled, and therefore, as shown in FIG. It can be in such a state.
Thus, the feature of the first embodiment is to perform the snow melting work by moving the spray nozzle 22 horizontally from the snow melting work starting position.

  Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment described above, after the spraying of the hot water for melting snow to the snow melting work start position is finished, the image pickup of the railway vehicle by the image pickup means 24, the temperature detection by the temperature detection means 26, and the calculation are performed again. Ranking by means 44 is performed. And it repeats the operation | work which recognizes the area which became the 1st place by the said ranking as a snow melting object position, and sprays the hot water for snow melting. By performing the snow melting operation in such a process, it is possible to grasp the snow and ice adhering state that is sequentially changed by spraying warm water for melting snow and to proceed with the snow melting operation. Therefore, there is no waste in blowing the hot water for melting snow, and the snow melting work can be completed with a smaller amount of hot water.

  Each of the first and second embodiments described above has the following advantages. First, in the first embodiment, since the snow melting work is proceeded by using one imaging, temperature measurement, and ranking data for a plurality of times of the snow melting work, the snow melting work can be rapidly advanced. is there. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the working speed is reduced as compared with the first embodiment in order to perform imaging, temperature detection, and ranking every time the hot water for melting snow is sprayed. Since there is no waste in spraying the hot water, it is possible to perform extremely efficient snow melting work.

By proceeding with the snow melting work according to the above-described embodiments, the railway vehicle can be brought into a state as shown in FIG. 13 in a short time with a small amount of water, and the snow melting work can be completed.
In the above-described embodiments, the image acquired by the imaging unit 24 has been described on the premise of a monochrome image. However, an image capable of acquiring a color image is used as the imaging unit 24, and the color image is used as a basis. Then, area division and ranking may be performed.

  Moreover, although only the image analysis and the ranking of the divided areas have been described mainly in the above-described embodiment, the acquired data may be used to give a feature to the hot water for melting snow from the injection nozzle 22. . For example, based on the data acquired by the temperature measuring means 26, low temperature and / or small amount of hot water is sprayed on the high temperature area, and high temperature and / or large amount of hot water is applied on the low temperature area. You may set to spray.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the snow melting apparatus for railway vehicles which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of a rail vehicle and the snow melting apparatus at the time of snow melting work. It is a figure which shows the example of the image imaged by an imaging means. It is a figure which shows the example in the case of dividing | segmenting the image data acquired by the imaging means into several areas. It is a figure which shows the example of the image data which shows the temperature state acquired by the temperature measuring means. It is a figure which shows the example in the case of dividing | segmenting the image data acquired by the temperature measuring means into several areas. It is a figure which shows the example of 1st ranking. It is a figure which shows the example of 2nd ranking. It is a figure which shows the example of 3rd ranking. It is a figure which shows the example of 4th ranking. It is a figure which shows the adhering state of snow ice after complete | finishing spraying of the hot water for snow melting with respect to the snow melting work start position. It is a figure which shows the adhesion state of the snow and ice in the middle of the snow melting work. It is a figure which shows the state of a rail vehicle after the completion of snow melting work.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ......... Snow melting apparatus, 20 ......... Header, 22 ...... Injection nozzle, 24 ...... Imaging means, 26 ......... Temperature detection means, 28 ...... Engagement part, 30 ...... Elevating part, 40 ......... Car, 42 ......... Pump, 44 ......... Calculation means, 46 ......... Drive source, 48 ......... Wheel, 50 ......... Cable / hose, 52 ......... Piping, 54 ......... Wiring , 100 ... Railroad cars, 102 ... Rails.

Claims (6)

A snow melting device for a railway vehicle having a temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature state of the railway vehicle to which snow and ice are attached, a hot water spraying means for melting snow, and a carriage configured to be movable on the track,
Imaging means for imaging the state of snow and ice adhesion to the railway vehicle;
The image picked up by the image pickup means is divided into a plurality of areas, the proportion of the white portion is calculated for each area, the first ranking is performed in descending order of the proportion of the white portion, and the temperature measuring means An area obtained by analyzing the temperature state detected by the imaging unit for each area obtained by dividing the image captured by the imaging unit and performing second ranking in ascending order of temperature. If there is an area where the result of the second ranking is reflected and there is an area where the result of the third ranking is a peer, the third ranking is performed. And a calculation means for performing a fourth ranking for prioritizing the areas,
A snow melting device for railway vehicles, characterized in that hot water for melting snow is blown to the area ranked highest by the arithmetic means.   The snow melting device for a railway vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the imaging unit is configured to capture an image composed of binary data of white and black.   After spraying hot water for melting snow on the area ranked highest by the computing means, select the area positioned higher from the areas located in the same horizontal position as the area ranked highest The snow melting device for a railway vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein hot snow melting water is sprayed.   The hot water for melting snow is sprayed for a certain period of time on the area ranked highest by the computing means, and then the area ranking by the computing means is repeatedly executed. The snow melting device for railway vehicles according to claim 1 or claim 2.   The snow melting device for a railway vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the snow melting hot water injection means has at least two degrees of freedom. A temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature state of the railway vehicle to which snow and ice are attached, a hot water spraying means for melting snow, a carriage configured to be movable on the track, an imaging means for imaging an adhesion state of the snow and ice to the railway vehicle, and A method for melting snow using a snow melting device for a railway vehicle, which has a calculation means for calculating the priority order of the location where the hot water for melting snow is blown based on the image picked up by the image pickup means,
The railway vehicle with snow and ice attached is imaged by the imaging means,
The temperature detection means detects the temperature state of the railway vehicle with snow and ice attached thereto,
The computing means divides the image captured by the imaging means into a plurality of areas, calculates the proportion of the white portion for each area, and ranks the first ranking in descending order of the proportion of the white portion. The temperature state detected by the temperature measuring means is analyzed for each area obtained by dividing the image captured by the imaging means, and the second ranking is performed in ascending order of temperature, and the result of the first ranking is obtained. When a peer area exists, a third ranking that reflects the result of the second ranking is performed. When there is an area where the third ranking result is a peer, a captured image is displayed. Perform a 4th ranking that prioritizes the area located at the top of the
Spray hot water for melting snow on the area ranked highest by the computing means,
After spraying the hot water for melting snow on the corresponding area for a certain period of time, the hot water for melting snow is selected from the areas positioned in the same horizontal position as the highest ranked area by the calculating means Or a snow melting method for a railway vehicle, characterized in that hot water for melting snow is sprayed by repeatedly performing ranking of areas by the calculation means.

Images