JP7165504B2 - Railway inspection device and railway inspection method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a railway inspection device and a railway inspection method for inspecting railway facilities such as railway tracks (rails) and overhead wires (trolley wires). The present invention also relates to a railway inspection apparatus and a railway inspection method having an optical sensor unit that receives reflected light or scattered light from an inspection object.

For example, if the object to be inspected is a track, the track will be displaced due to thermal expansion of the track itself, distortion due to subsidence of sleepers, etc., or due to changes in the structure on which the track is laid or the ground. In order to ensure the safety of the vehicle while it is running, it is necessary to keep the amount of displacement caused by the distortion of the track within an allowable value. A track inspection device for measuring the amount of track displacement is equipped with an optical sensor unit that irradiates the track with inspection light such as a laser beam and receives reflected light or scattered light from the track. is measured. As such a device, there is one described in Patent Document 1.

JP 2012-68186 A

In order to protect the optical sensor unit of the track inspection device from dust, water droplets, etc., it is usually housed in a housing and installed in a railroad car. The housing is provided with a transparent window to which a transparent plate made of glass or the like is attached. Inspection light generated from the optical sensor unit is transmitted through the transparent window and radiated onto the track, and is reflected or scattered from the track. Light passes through the transparent window and is received by the optical sensor unit. If foreign matter such as mud or water droplets adheres to this transparent window due to dust scattering or rainwater splashing, the inspection light from the optical sensor unit or the reflected light or scattered light from the orbit will be absorbed, reflected or scattered by the attached matter. Therefore, the amount of displacement of the track cannot be measured accurately. Therefore, conventionally, it has been necessary to frequently clean the transparent window. In addition, if a substance adheres to the transparent window in the middle of the measurement, the subsequent measurement results will be wasted, and there is a problem that re-measurement will take time.

An object of the present invention is to prevent foreign matter from adhering to a transparent window through which inspection light from an optical sensor unit and light from an object to be inspected pass.

The railway inspection device of the present invention is installed in a railway vehicle, irradiates an inspection light onto an inspection object, receives light from the inspection object, and outputs a detection signal; an optical sensor unit; and an optical sensor unit, a transparent window through which inspection light and light from the inspection object pass, and a windbreak cover attached between the inspection object and the transparent window, the windbreak cover is characterized by having a plurality of windproof chambers for stepwise weakening of the air flow towards the transparent window and an opening through which the inspection light and the light from the inspection object pass.

Further, in the railway inspection method of the present invention, an optical sensor unit for irradiating an object to be inspected with inspection light, receiving light from the object to be inspected, and outputting a detection signal is installed in a vehicle of the railway, A transparent window through which light and light from the inspection object pass is provided between the inspection object and the optical sensor unit, and a plurality of windproof chambers and an opening through which the inspection light and light from the inspection object pass. A windbreak cover having a and through the aperture to irradiate the object to be inspected, the light from the object to be inspected is received by the optical sensor unit through the aperture and the transparent window, and a detection signal is output.

When the optical sensor unit is installed in a railway vehicle and a transparent window through which the inspection light and the light from the inspection object are transmitted is provided between the inspection object and the optical sensor unit, the air generated by the running of the vehicle The flow hits the transparent window while entraining foreign matter such as dust and water droplets. In the present invention, the air flow toward the transparent window is gradually weakened by the plurality of windproof chambers of the windproof cover attached between the object to be inspected and the transparent window. Foreign matter is reduced, and adhesion of foreign matter to the transparent window is suppressed. The inspection light from the optical sensor unit passes through the transparent window, passes through the opening of the windproof cover, and is irradiated onto the inspection object. Light from the object to be inspected passes through the opening of the windproof cover, passes through the transparent window, and is received by the optical sensor unit.

Alternatively, the railway inspection device of the present invention is installed in a railway vehicle, and includes an optical sensor unit that irradiates an inspection object with inspection light, receives light from the inspection object, and outputs a detection signal; A transparent window provided between the object and the optical sensor unit through which inspection light and light from the object to be inspected pass, and a windproof cover attached between the object to be inspected and the transparent window, The windbreak cover has a plurality of windbreak chambers for gradually weakening the flow of air toward the transparent window, a first opening through which inspection light passes, and a second opening through which light from the inspection object passes. characterized by

Further, in the railway inspection method of the present invention, an optical sensor unit for irradiating an object to be inspected with inspection light, receiving light from the object to be inspected, and outputting a detection signal is installed in a vehicle of the railway, A transparent window through which light and light from the inspection object pass is provided between the inspection object and the optical sensor unit, a plurality of windproof chambers, a first opening through which the inspection light passes, and from the inspection object A second opening through which light passes is attached between the inspection object and the transparent window, and a plurality of windproof chambers gradually weaken the flow of air toward the transparent window while the optical sensor The inspection light emitted from the unit is applied to the inspection object through the transparent window and the first opening, and the light from the inspection object is received by the optical sensor unit through the second opening and the transparent window and detected. It is characterized by outputting a signal.

When the optical sensor unit is installed in a railway vehicle and a transparent window through which the inspection light and the light from the inspection object are transmitted is provided between the inspection object and the optical sensor unit, the air generated by the running of the vehicle The flow hits the transparent window while entraining foreign matter such as dust and water droplets. In the present invention, the air flow toward the transparent window is gradually weakened by the plurality of windproof chambers of the windproof cover attached between the object to be inspected and the transparent window. Foreign matter is reduced, and adhesion of foreign matter to the transparent window is suppressed. The inspection light from the optical sensor unit passes through the transparent window, passes through the first opening of the windproof cover, and is irradiated onto the inspection object. Light from the object to be inspected passes through the second opening of the windproof cover, passes through the transparent window, and is received by the optical sensor unit. Since the first aperture through which the inspection light passes and the second aperture through which the light from the inspection object passes are separately provided, the first aperture and the second aperture are smaller than when both are shared. The width can be made small, and the inflow of air into each windbreak chamber is reduced.

Further, the railway inspection device of the present invention is characterized by comprising a housing containing the optical sensor unit and having a transparent window attached thereto, the housing having a recessed windbreak cover mounting part into which the windbreak cover is inserted. do. Further, in the railroad inspection method of the present invention, the optical sensor unit is housed in a housing fitted with a transparent window, a concave windbreak cover mounting portion is provided in the housing, and the windbreak cover is inserted into the windbreak cover mounting portion. It is characterized by The unevenness at the boundary between the housing and the windproof cover is reduced, and the unevenness suppresses the generation of wind toward the windproof room of the windproof cover.

Furthermore, the railway inspection device of the present invention is characterized in that the width of the second opening is larger than the width of the first opening. Further, the railway inspection method of the present invention is characterized in that the width of the second opening is made larger than the width of the first opening. When the inspection object is displaced, the position where the light from the inspection object passes through the second opening moves according to the displacement of the inspection object. Since the width of the second opening is made larger than the width of the first opening, it is possible to pass light from the inspection object that passes through different positions according to the displacement of the inspection object.

Furthermore, in the railway inspection device of the present invention, the wind cover has a plurality of second openings, and the closer the transparent window is to the second openings, the smaller the longitudinal dimension and width. characterized by Further, in the railway inspection method of the present invention, a plurality of second openings are provided in the windbreak cover, and the longitudinal dimension and width of the plurality of second openings are reduced as they are closer to the transparent window. Characterized by When the width of the second opening is made larger than the width of the first opening, the air flow generated by running of the vehicle mainly passes through the second opening toward the transparent window. Since the longitudinal dimensions and widths of the plurality of second openings are made smaller closer to the transparent window, the air flow toward the transparent window through the plurality of second openings will increase as it approaches the transparent window. , is effectively attenuated.

Further, in the railway inspection device of the present invention, the windproof cover has a plurality of first openings, and the plurality of first openings are characterized in that the farther they are from the optical sensor unit, the larger the longitudinal dimension thereof. and Further, the railway inspection method of the present invention is characterized in that a plurality of first openings are provided in the windbreak cover, and the longitudinal dimension of the plurality of first openings increases with distance from the optical sensor unit. do. When the irradiation angle of the inspection light emitted from the optical sensor unit is changed according to the displacement of the inspection object, the longer the distance from the optical sensor unit, the wider the irradiation range of the inspection light. Since the longitudinal dimension of the plurality of first openings is increased with increasing distance from the optical sensor unit, it is possible to cope with the case where the irradiation angle of the inspection light is changed according to the displacement of the inspection object.

Furthermore, the railway inspection apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that any one of the plurality of windbreak rooms has a smaller volume than the adjacent windbreak room farther from the transparent window. Further, the railway inspection method of the present invention is characterized in that the volume of any one of the plurality of windbreak chambers is made smaller than the volume of the adjacent windbreak chamber far from the transparent window. The air flow toward the transparent window is effectively weakened when moving from a large-volume windproof chamber to a small-volume windproof chamber.

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from adhering to the transparent window through which the inspection light from the optical sensor unit and the light from the inspection object are transmitted.

Furthermore, the optical sensor unit is housed in a housing with a transparent window attached, a recessed windproof cover mounting portion is provided in the housing, and the windproof cover is inserted into the windproof cover mounting portion, whereby the housing and the windproof cover are separated. The unevenness of the boundary of the windproof cover is reduced, and the unevenness can suppress the generation of wind toward the windproof interior of the windproof cover.

Furthermore, by separately providing the first aperture through which the inspection light passes and the second aperture through which the light from the inspection object passes, the first aperture and the second The width of the opening of the windproof chamber can be made small, and the inflow of air into each windproof chamber can be reduced.

Furthermore, by making the width of the second opening larger than the width of the first opening, it is possible to pass the light from the inspection object that passes through different positions according to the displacement of the inspection object.

Furthermore, by making the longitudinal dimension and width of the plurality of second openings closer to the transparent window smaller, the flow of air toward the transparent window through the plurality of second openings can be reduced. can be effectively weakened as it approaches .

Furthermore, by increasing the lengthwise dimension of the plurality of first openings as they are farther from the optical sensor unit, it is possible to change the irradiation angle of the inspection light according to the displacement of the inspection object. can be done.

Furthermore, by making the volume of any one of the plurality of windbreak chambers smaller than the volume of the adjacent windbreak chamber far from the transparent window, the air flow toward the transparent window can be diverted from the large-volume windbreak chamber to the small-volume windbreak chamber. It can be effectively weakened when moving to the windproof room.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a track inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a figure explaining operation|movement of the track|orbit inspection apparatus by one embodiment of this invention. 3(a) is a perspective view of the windbreak cover 40, and FIG. 3(b) is a perspective view of the windbreak cover 50. FIG. 4(a) is a top view of the windbreak cover 40 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4(b) is a front view of the windbreak cover 40 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4(c). ) is a bottom view of the windbreak cover 40 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 5(a) is a cross-sectional view of the AA portion of FIG. 4(a), FIG. 5(b) is a cross-sectional view of the BB portion of FIG. 4(b), and FIG. 5(c) is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 4(b). It is a CC section cross-sectional view. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the paths of reflected light from the trajectory. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a windbreak cover 40 according to a second embodiment of the invention. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a windbreak cover 40 according to a third embodiment of the invention. FIG. 9(a) is a top view of the windbreak cover 50 according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 9(b) is a front view of the windbreak cover 50 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9(c) is the present invention. 2 is a bottom view of the windbreak cover 50 according to one embodiment of FIG. 10(a) is a cross-sectional view of the DD portion of FIG. 9(a), FIG. 10(b) is a cross-sectional view of the EE portion of FIG. 9(b), and FIG. 10(c) is the case where no inclined portion is provided. is a cross-sectional view of.

[Embodiment]
(Configuration and operation of track inspection device)
Hereinafter, the railroad inspection device and the railroad inspection method of the present invention will be described in detail by taking a track inspection device as an example. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a track inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention. A track inspection device 100 of the present embodiment includes an optical sensor unit 10 , an optical sensor unit 20 , a housing 30 , a windbreak cover 40 and a windbreak cover 50 . The track inspection device 100 includes two sets of optical sensor units 10 and two optical sensor units 20 symmetrically corresponding to the left and right tracks of the railway. part is shown. In addition, the track inspection device 100 includes an optical fiber gyroscope, an accelerometer, an arithmetic device, a control unit, a data processing device, and the like.

The optical sensor unit 10 includes a laser displacement meter 11, a mirror 12, a motor 13, and an angle detector 14. As shown in FIG. Also, the optical sensor unit 20 includes a laser displacement meter 21 , a mirror 22 , a motor 23 and an angle detector 24 . The housing 30 has transparent windows 31 and 32 made of transparent glass or the like through which inspection light generated from the laser displacement meters 11 and 21 passes, and houses the optical sensor units 10 and 20 . For example, in the case where the space under the floor of the vehicle is closed with a bottom plate, such as the body of a Shinkansen, the housing 30 is not necessary if the bottom plate is provided with a transparent window.

The housing 30 is provided with recessed windproof cover mounting portions 30a and 30b into which the windproof covers 40 and 50 are inserted. FIG. 1 shows the state before the windproof covers 40 and 50 are attached to the housing 30. The windproof covers 40 and 50 are inserted into the windproof cover mounting portions 30a and 30b in the directions of the arrows, and attached to the housing 30. It is attached. As a result, unevenness at the boundary between the housing 30 and the windproof covers 40 and 50 is reduced, and the unevenness suppresses the generation of wind toward the later-described windproof chambers of the windproof covers 40 and 50 . Further, by making the windproof covers 40 and 50 detachable, the transparent windows 31 and 32 can be cleaned by removing the windproof covers 40 and 50 when the transparent windows 31 and 32 need to be cleaned.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the track inspection device according to one embodiment of the present invention. A housing 30 in which the optical sensor units 10 and 20 are housed and to which the windproof covers 40 and 50 are attached is installed under the floor of the vehicle body of the railway vehicle 4 or on the bogie frame.

A laser displacement meter 11 of the optical sensor unit 10 generates a laser beam serving as inspection light S1. The inspection light S1 generated from the laser displacement meter 11 is reflected by the mirror 12, passes through the transparent window 31 of the housing 30, and irradiates the windproof cover 40. As shown in FIG. Then, the inspection light S1 passes through first openings 41a, 42a, and 43a of the windbreak cover 40, which will be described later, and is irradiated onto the track 3. As shown in FIG. Reflected light (not shown) from the track 3 passes through a second opening (to be described later) of the windbreak cover 40 , transmits through the transparent window 31 , is reflected by the mirror 12 , and is received by the laser displacement meter 11 . The laser displacement meter 11 outputs a detection signal corresponding to the interference due to the phase difference between the inspection light S1 and the reflected light from the track 3. FIG.

The motor 13 is, for example, a servomotor, and rotates the mirror 12 to change the irradiation angle of the inspection light S1 from the optical sensor unit 10 . In FIG. 2, two-dot chain lines on both sides of the inspection light S1 indicate the variation range of the irradiation angle of the inspection light S1. Angle detector 14 detects the rotation angle of motor 13 .

Similarly, the laser displacement meter 21 of the optical sensor unit 20 generates laser light as inspection light S2. The inspection light S2 generated from the laser displacement meter 21 is reflected by the mirror 22, passes through the transparent window 32 of the housing 30, and irradiates the windproof cover 50. As shown in FIG. Then, the inspection light S2 passes through a first opening of the windbreak cover 50, which will be described later, and irradiates the track 3 obliquely. Reflected light (not shown) from the track 3 passes through second openings 53b, 52b, and 51b of the windbreak cover 50 (to be described later), transmits through the transparent window 32, is reflected by the mirror 22, and is reflected by the laser displacement gauge 21. light is received. The laser displacement meter 21 outputs a detection signal corresponding to the interference due to the phase difference between the inspection light S2 and the reflected light from the track 3. FIG.

The motor 23 is, for example, a servomotor, and rotates the mirror 22 to change the irradiation angle of the inspection light S2 from the optical sensor unit 20 . In FIG. 2, two-dot chain lines on both sides of the inspection light S2 indicate the variation range of the irradiation angle of the inspection light S2. Angle detector 24 detects the rotation angle of motor 23 .

A computing device (not shown) computes the relative positions of the track 3 and the laser displacement gauges 11 and 21 from the detection signals of the laser displacement gauges 11 and 21 and the detection results of the angle detectors 14 and 24 . Then, the control unit (not shown) controls the motors 13 and 23 so that the inspection lights S1 and S2 track the track 3 according to the change in the relative position between the track 3 and the laser displacement gauges 11 and 21 calculated by the arithmetic unit. to adjust the angles of the mirrors 12 and 22.

(Appearance of windbreak covers 40 and 50)
FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the windproof cover 40. FIG. The windbreak cover 40 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape and is made of a high-strength material such as iron, stainless steel, or aluminum. An upper plate 41 is attached to the upper surface of the windproof cover 40. The upper plate 41 has a first opening 41a through which the inspection light S1 passes and a second opening 41b through which the reflected light R1 from the track 3 passes. is provided. As will be described later, an intermediate plate and a lower plate are attached inside the windproof cover 40, and the intermediate plate and the lower plate also have a first opening through which the inspection light S1 passes and the reflected light from the track 3. A second opening is provided through which R1 passes.

FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the windproof cover 50. FIG. The windbreak cover 50 has an external shape in which a rectangular parallelepiped is placed on a rectangular lower plate and a triangular prism lying down on the upper surface of the rectangular parallelepiped is placed, and is made of a high-strength material such as iron, stainless steel, or aluminum. there is An intermediate plate 52 is attached to the upper surface of the rectangular parallelepiped portion, and an upper lid 51 is attached to the upper surface of the intermediate plate 52 . A lower plate 53 is attached to the bottom surface of the rectangular parallelepiped portion. The lower plate 53 is provided with a first opening 53a through which the inspection light S2 passes. Further, the upper cover 51 is provided with a second opening 51b through which the reflected light from the track 3 passes. The intermediate plate 52 and the lower plate 53 are also provided with second openings through which reflected light from the track 3 passes, as will be described later.

(Structure of Windproof Cover 40)
(First embodiment)
4(a) is a top view of the windbreak cover 40 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4(b) is a front view of the windbreak cover 40 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4(c). ) is a bottom view of the windbreak cover 40 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4A, the upper plate 41 of the windproof cover 40 is provided with a first opening 41a and a second opening 41b. In the present embodiment, the first opening 41a and the second opening 41b are elongated slit-shaped rectangles, and the first opening 41a and the second opening 41b are provided in parallel. As shown in FIG. 4C, the lower plate 43 is provided with a first opening 43a and a second opening 43b. 4B, the first opening 41a and the second opening 41b of the upper plate 41, the intermediate plate 42, the first opening 42a and the second opening 42b of the intermediate plate 42, the lower plate 43, and A first opening 43a and a second opening 43b of the lower plate 43 are indicated by dashed lines.

FIG. 5(a) is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 4(a). Inside the windproof cover 40, a windproof chamber 40a is formed between the upper plate 41 and the intermediate plate 42, and a windproof chamber 40b is formed between the intermediate plate 42 and the lower plate 43. As shown in FIG. A windbreak chamber 40 c is formed below the lower plate 43 . The housing 30 housing the optical sensor units 10 and 20 is installed under the floor of the vehicle body of the railway vehicle 4 or on the bogie frame, and is located near the surface of the railroad track. It hits the transparent windows 31 and 32 of the housing 30 while entraining foreign matter such as dust and water droplets on the surface of the track. In this embodiment, the plurality of windbreak chambers 40c, 40b, and 40a of the windbreak cover 40 gradually weaken the flow of air toward the transparent window 31, so foreign matter such as dust and water droplets carried to the transparent window 31 is prevented. As a result, adhesion of foreign matter to the transparent window 31 is suppressed.

FIG. 5(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 4(b). A first opening 42a and a second opening 42b are provided in the intermediate plate 42 that separates the windbreak chamber 40a and the windbreak chamber 40b. In this embodiment, the first opening 42a and the second opening 42b are elongated slit-shaped rectangles, and the first opening 42a and the second opening 42b are provided in parallel. FIG. 5(c) is a sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 4(b). A lower plate 43 that separates the windbreak chambers 40b and 40c is provided with a first opening 43a and a second opening 43b. In this embodiment, the first opening 43a and the second opening 43b are elongated slit-shaped rectangles, and the first opening 43a and the second opening 43b are provided in parallel.

In the following description, of the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the first openings 41a, 42a, 43a and the second openings 41b, 42b, 43b, the longer dimension is referred to as the "longitudinal dimension" and the shorter dimension as the "width". call. The same applies to a first opening and a second opening of the windproof cover 50, which will be described later. In the track inspection device 100 of the present embodiment, the "longitudinal dimension" of the first opening and the second opening is the dimension in the left-right direction of the track 3, and the dimension of the first opening and the second opening. "Width" is the dimension in the direction in which the track 3 is laid (the running direction of the vehicle 4).

As shown in FIG. 2, the inspection light S1 from the optical sensor unit 10 passes through the transparent window 31, passes through the first openings 41a, 42a, and 43a, and is irradiated onto the track 3. As shown in FIG. Reflected light R1 from track 3 shown in FIG. 3A passes through second openings 43b, 42b, and 41b, passes through transparent window 31, and is received by optical sensor unit . Since the first openings 41a, 42a, 43a through which the inspection light S1 from the optical sensor unit 10 passes and the second openings 41b, 42b, 43b through which the reflected light R1 from the track 3 passes are provided separately, The widths of the first openings 41a, 42a, 43a and the second openings 41b, 42b, 43b can be made smaller than when they are shared, so that less air flows into the windbreak chambers 40a, 40b.

4(a), 5(b) and 5(c), the longer the first openings 41a, 42a, 43a from the optical sensor unit 10, the longer the longitudinal dimensions L1, L2. , L3 are increased. As described above, when the irradiation angle of the inspection light S1 emitted from the optical sensor unit 10 is changed according to the lateral displacement of the track 3, the longer the distance from the optical sensor unit 10, the more the inspection light S1. The irradiation range is widened. Since the longitudinal dimensions of the first openings 41a, 42a, 43a are increased as they are farther from the optical sensor unit 10, it is possible to cope with the case where the irradiation angle of the inspection light S1 is changed.

4(a), 5(b) and 5(c), the widths W1, W2 and W3 of the second openings 41b, 42b and 43b correspond to the widths of the first openings 41a, 42a and 43a. It is larger than W0. When the track 3 is displaced in the vertical direction, the positions where the reflected light from the track 3 passes through the second openings 41b, 42b, and 43b move according to the displacement of the track 3. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the paths of reflected light from the trajectory. As shown in FIG. 6(a), the reflected light R1 from the track 3 is not perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle 4, but is incident on the windbreak cover 40 slightly obliquely. The position where the laser displacement meter 11 receives the reflected light R1 from the track 3 is constant, and when the track 3 is displaced in the vertical direction, as shown in FIG. , passes through the openings 43b, 42b, 41b of the vehicle 4 slightly moves in the running direction of the vehicle 4 or in the opposite direction. In FIG. 6(b), the upper surface of the trajectory 3 and the path of the reflected light R1 in the case of FIG. 6(a) are indicated by dashed lines. Since the widths W1, W2 and W3 of the second openings 41b, 42b and 43b are made larger than the width W0 of the first openings 41a, 42a and 43a, the track 3 passes through different positions according to the displacement of the track 3. can pass reflected light from

4(a), 5(b) and 5(c), the longitudinal dimensions of the second openings 41b, 42b and 43b are smaller as the distance from the transparent window 31 is closer. ing. The widths W1, W2, and W3 of the second openings 41b, 42b, and 43b also decrease as the distance from the transparent window 31 decreases. As described above, when the widths W1, W2, W3 of the second openings 41b, 42b, 43b are made larger than the width W0 of the first openings 41a, 42a, 43a, the air flow generated by the traveling of the vehicle 4 is , to the transparent window 31 mainly through the second openings 41b, 42b, 43b. Since the longitudinal dimension and width of the second openings 41b, 42b, 43b are made smaller as they are closer to the transparent window 31, the air flow toward the transparent window 31 becomes more effective as it approaches the transparent window 31. weakened by

If the inner walls of the windbreak chambers 40a, 40b, and 40c of the windbreak cover 40 are provided with unevenness, foreign matter such as dust and water droplets carried by the air flow toward the transparent window 31 will adhere to the unevenness of the inner walls. Since the amount of foreign matter reaching the transparent window 31 is reduced, adhesion of foreign matter to the transparent window 31 is further suppressed.

(Second embodiment)
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a windbreak cover 40 according to a second embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the mounting position of the intermediate plate 42 is higher than the windproof cover 40 of the first embodiment. Other configurations are the same as those of the windproof cover 40 of the first embodiment. As a result of setting the mounting position of the intermediate plate 42 higher than in the first embodiment, the volume of the windbreak chamber 40a between the upper plate 41 and the intermediate plate 42 is reduced to the volume of the windbreak between the intermediate plate 42 and the lower plate 43. It is smaller than the volume of the chamber 40b. Since the volume of the windbreak chamber 40a is made smaller than the volume of the adjacent windbreak chamber 40b farther from the transparent window 31, the flow of air toward the transparent window 31 is reduced from the large volume windbreak chamber 40b. It is effectively weakened when moving to the windbreak chamber 40a.

(Third Embodiment)
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a windbreak cover 40 according to a third embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the upper plate 41 is provided with a common opening 41c through which the inspection light S1 and the reflected light R1 from the track 3 pass. Further, as indicated by a broken line, the intermediate plate 42 is provided with a common opening 42c through which the inspection light S1 and the reflected light R1 from the track 3 pass. Furthermore, as indicated by the dashed line, the lower plate 43 is provided with a common opening 43c through which the inspection light S1 and the reflected light R1 from the track 3 pass. Other configurations are the same as those of the windproof cover 40 of the first embodiment.

(Structure of windbreak cover 50)
FIG. 9(a) is a top view of the windbreak cover 50 according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 9(b) is a front view of the windbreak cover 50 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9(b) is the present invention. 2 is a bottom view of the windbreak cover 50 according to one embodiment of FIG. As shown in FIG. 9A, the lower plate 53 of the windproof cover 50 is provided with a first opening 53a. Further, the upper lid 51 is provided with a second opening 51b. As shown in FIG. 9C, the lower plate 53 is provided with a first opening 53a and a second opening 53b. The middle plate 52 visible inside the second opening 53b of the lower plate 53 is provided with a second opening 52b. In FIG. 9B, the second opening 51b of the upper lid 51, the second opening 52b of the intermediate plate 52, and the second opening 53b of the lower plate 53 are indicated by broken lines.

FIG. 10(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD of FIG. 9(a). Inside the windproof cover 50, a windproof chamber 50a is formed between the upper lid 51 and the intermediate plate 52, and a windproof chamber 50b is formed between the intermediate plate 52 and the lower plate 53. As shown in FIG. Since the flow of air toward the transparent window 32 is weakened step by step by the plurality of windbreak chambers 50a and 50b, foreign matter such as dust and water droplets carried to the transparent window 32 is reduced, and foreign matter adheres to the transparent window 32. is suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the inspection light S2 from the optical sensor unit 20 passes through the transparent window 32, passes through the first opening 53a (not shown), and is irradiated onto the track 3. As shown in FIG. Reflected light (not shown) from the track 3 passes through the second openings 53b, 52b, and 51b, passes through the transparent window 32, and is received by the optical sensor unit 20. FIG.

In FIGS. 9A and 9C, the width of the second openings 51b, 52b, 53b is larger than the width of the first opening 53a. Since the widths of the second openings 51b, 52b, 53b are made larger than the width of the first opening 53a, reflected light from the track 3, which passes through different positions depending on the displacement of the track 3, can pass through. .

9(a), (b), and (c), the longitudinal dimension and width of the second openings 51b, 52b, and 53b decrease as the distance from the transparent window 32 decreases. there is Since the longitudinal dimensions and widths of the second openings 51b, 52b, 53b are made smaller closer to the transparent window 32, the air flow toward the transparent window 32 effectively increases as it approaches the transparent window 32. weakened by

FIG. 10(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE of FIG. 9(b). An inclined portion 53c is provided at the edge of the second opening 53b of the lower plate 53 . FIG. 10(c) is a cross-sectional view when no inclined portion is provided. In the case where the edge of the opening 53b is not provided with an inclined portion, the air flow generated by running of the vehicle 4 hits the edge of the opening 53b, and as indicated by the arrow F, an air flow rising into the windbreak chamber 50b is generated. . By providing the inclined portion 53c at the edge of the second opening 53b of the lower plate 53, such air flow can be suppressed and the air flow toward the transparent window 32 can be further weakened.

If the inner walls of the windbreak chambers 50a and 50b of the windbreak cover 50 are provided with unevenness, foreign matter such as dust and water droplets carried by the air flow toward the transparent window 32 will adhere to the unevenness of the inner wall, causing the transparent window to become uneven. Since the amount of foreign matter reaching the transparent window 32 is reduced, adhesion of the foreign matter to the transparent window 32 is further suppressed.

[Effects of Embodiment]
According to the embodiment described above, the following effects are obtained.
(1) It is possible to prevent foreign substances from adhering to the transparent windows 31 and 32 through which the inspection lights S1 and S2 from the optical sensor units 10 and 20 and the reflected light from the track 3 are transmitted.

(2) Further, the optical sensor units 10 and 20 are housed in the housing 30 with the transparent windows 31 and 32 attached thereto, the housing 30 is provided with the concave windproof cover mounting portions 30a and 30b, and the windproof covers 40 and 50 are provided. are inserted into the windproof cover mounting portions 30a and 30b, the unevenness at the boundary between the housing 30 and the windproof covers 40 and 50 is reduced, and the unevenness prevents the generation of wind toward the windproof interior of the windproof covers 40 and 50. can be suppressed.

(3) Further, by separately providing the first openings 41a, 42a, 43a through which the inspection light S1 passes and the second openings 41b, 42b, 43b through which the reflected light from the track 3 passes, Compared to the case where the .

(4) Furthermore, by making the width of the second openings 41b, 42b, 43b or 51b, 52b, 53b larger than the width of the first openings 41a, 42a, 43a, or 53a, can pass the reflected light from the track 3, which passes through different positions.

(5) Furthermore, the longitudinal dimensions and widths of the plurality of second openings 41b, 42b, 43b or 51b, 52b, 53b are made smaller the closer to the transparent windows 31, 32, so that the plurality of second openings Air flow toward the transparent windows 31, 32 through the two openings 41b, 42b, 43b or 51b, 52b, 53b can be effectively weakened as the transparent windows 31, 32 are approached.

Furthermore, according to the windbreak covers 40 of the first and second embodiments, the following effects are obtained.
(6) By increasing the lengthwise dimensions of the plurality of first openings 41a, 42a, 43a with increasing distance from the optical sensor units 10, 20, inspection light It is possible to cope with the case where the irradiation angle of the light is changed.

Furthermore, according to the windproof cover 40 of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the following effects are obtained.
(7) By making the volume of the windbreak chamber 40a smaller than the volume of the adjacent windbreak chamber 40b farther from the transparent window 31, the air flow toward the transparent window 31 can be diverted from the large-volume windbreak chamber 40b. It can be effectively weakened when moving to the small windbreak chamber 40a.

The railway inspection device and railway inspection method of the present invention can be applied not only to the track inspection device described in the embodiment, but also to other railway facility inspection devices such as overhead lines. Further, the railway inspection device and the railway inspection method of the present invention are not limited to the railway inspection device using the optical sensor unit that receives the reflected light from the inspection object, but also receive the scattered light from the inspection object. It can also be applied to a railway inspection device using an optical sensor unit.

Further, the aperture through which the inspection light from the optical sensor unit passes and the aperture through which the reflected light or scattered light from the inspection object passes are not limited to the shapes of the above-described embodiments, It is desirable that the dimensions and widths are the minimum necessary in order to restrict the air flow toward the transparent window.

Moreover, the number of windproof chambers of the windproof cover is not limited to two or three in the embodiment, and four or more windproof chambers may be provided.

In addition, in the above-described embodiments, the housing is provided with the windproof cover mounting portion so that the windproof cover can be attached and detached. However, the windproof cover may be built directly into the housing from the beginning. In the above-described embodiments, one windbreak cover is provided with an opening through which inspection light and light from an object to be inspected pass. Alternatively, a windbreak cover may be provided for each of the light projecting part and the light receiving part of the optical sensor unit so that either the inspection light or the light from the inspection object passes through the opening of the windbreak cover.

3 track 4 vehicle 10, 20 optical sensor unit 11, 21 laser displacement meter 12, 22 mirror 13, 23 motor 14, 24 angle detector 30 housing 30a, 30b windbreak cover mounting part 31, 32 transparent window 40, 50 windbreak cover 40a, 40b, 40c windbreak chamber 41 upper plate 42 middle plate 43 lower plate 41a, 42a, 43a first opening 41b, 42b, 43b second opening 41c, 42c, 43c common opening 50a, 50b windbreak chamber 51 upper lid 52 middle Plate 53 Lower plate 53a First opening 51b, 52b, 53b Second opening 100 Track inspection device

Claims (4)

an optical sensor unit installed in a railroad vehicle for irradiating an object to be inspected with inspection light, receiving light from the object to be inspected, and outputting a detection signal;
a transparent window provided between the inspection object and the optical sensor unit through which the inspection light and light from the inspection object are transmitted;
A windbreak cover attached between the inspection object and the transparent window,
The wind-blocking cover includes a plurality of wind-blocking chambers that are irradiated with the inspection light and the light from the inspection object and that gradually weaken air flow toward the transparent window, and a plurality of second wind-blocking chambers through which the inspection light passes. 1 opening and a plurality of second openings through which the light from the inspection object passes, and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape ,
The optical sensor unit includes a laser displacement meter that generates a laser beam serving as the inspection beam and receives reflected light from the inspection object, a mirror that reflects the laser beam and the reflected beam, and a mirror that rotates. and a motor that changes the irradiation angle of the inspection light from the optical sensor unit, and an angle detector that detects the rotation angle of the motor,
the plurality of second openings having a width larger than that of the first openings and having a smaller longitudinal dimension and a smaller width as they are closer to the transparent window;
the plurality of first openings having a larger longitudinal dimension as they are farther from the optical sensor unit;
Any one of the plurality of windbreak chambers has a smaller volume than an adjacent windbreak chamber farther from the transparent window, and the flow of air toward the transparent window is directed from the large-volume windbreak chamber to the small-volume windbreak chamber. Moving
A railway inspection device characterized by: A housing containing the optical sensor unit and having the transparent window attached thereto,
The railway inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the housing has a concave windbreak cover mounting portion into which the windbreak cover is inserted. An optical sensor unit for irradiating an object to be inspected with inspection light, receiving light from the object to be inspected, and outputting a detection signal is installed in a railroad vehicle,
A transparent window through which the inspection light and the light from the inspection object are transmitted is provided between the inspection object and the optical sensor unit;
A plurality of windproof chambers through which the inspection light and light from the inspection object are irradiated, a plurality of first openings through which the inspection light passes, and a plurality of second openings through which the light from the inspection object passes. a windbreak cover having an opening of and having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, attached between the inspection object and the transparent window;
The inspection light emitted from the optical sensor unit is directed through the transparent window and the plurality of first openings to the inspection object while gradually weakening the air flow toward the transparent window by the plurality of windbreak chambers. A railway inspection method for irradiating an object, receiving light from the inspection object through the plurality of second openings and the transparent window with the optical sensor unit, and outputting a detection signal,
The optical sensor unit includes a laser displacement meter that generates a laser beam serving as the inspection beam and receives reflected light from the object to be inspected, a mirror that reflects the laser beam and the reflected beam, and a rotating mirror. and an angle detector for detecting the rotation angle of the motor, the mirror is rotated by the motor to vary the irradiation angle of the inspection light from the optical sensor unit,
making the width of the plurality of second openings larger than the width of the first opening, and making the longitudinal dimension and width of the plurality of second openings closer to the transparent window, make it smaller,
making the longitudinal dimension of the plurality of first openings larger the farther from the optical sensor unit,
The volume of any one of the plurality of windbreak chambers is made smaller than the volume of the adjacent windbreak chamber far from the transparent window, and the air flow toward the transparent window is directed from the large-volume windbreak chamber to the small-volume windbreak chamber. Move to windproof room
A railway inspection method characterized by: housing the optical sensor unit in a housing to which the transparent window is attached;
4. The railway inspection method according to claim 3 , wherein a recessed windbreak cover mounting portion is provided in the housing, and the windbreak cover is inserted into the windbreak cover mounting portion.

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