JPH0552536A - Inspecting apparatus of wheel - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To measure the shape of a wheel safely and highly precisely while the wheel runs on a rail by an inspecting arrangement of the wheel which conducts inspection of the amount of abrasion of the wheel. CONSTITUTION:The title arrangement is constructed of a lamp illuminating a part under the floor of a tram, a TV camera picking up an image of a wheel with the part under the floor as a background, a photoelectric switch operating when the tram passes and a video deck recording signals of the TV camera and the photoelectric switch, which are incorporated, and further of an image processing device which measures the contour of the wheel from a video tape provided in a separate place. When the tram passes above the inspecting arrangement, the photoelectric switch 30 is made to operate and the image of the wheel 1 is picked up by the camera 10 as a projection image with a part 5 under the floor illuminated by the lamp 20 as the background. Wheel number data prepared from the operation of the photoelectric switch 30 and the image of this wheel are recorded in the video tape 60. Next, this video tape is set on the image processing device 70, the external shape of the wheel is measured in coordinates and further the amount of abrasion of the wheel is measured.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wheel inspection device for automatically inspecting a wheel for shape change and wheel life while the vehicle is passing on a track without disassembling in a wheel inspection.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 5, in a vehicle wheel inspection, a special caliper 110 is pressed against the wheel to measure the amount of deformation caused by abrasion with respect to the reference wheel shape by reading a scale. It was This is the flange 2b for the reference groove 2a
If the height of the flange 2b is more than a predetermined amount, the deformation is corrected by cutting and reused, and when the height of the flange 2b is less than a predetermined amount, it is discarded.

[0003]

In the conventional vehicle wheel inspection, the operator touches the wheels with the above-mentioned special vernier calipers 110 for measurement, so that the vehicle is stopped and the operator enters under the vehicle. There was a problem such as worrying about an accident due to the departure of the vehicle during the work because it took a lot of work. Further, there is a problem that the measurement accuracy is not constant because of the visual measurement, and the reliability is low. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable wheel inspection device having high reliability.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a wheel passage detecting means for detecting passage of a wheel at a predetermined position on a track and outputting a detection signal is provided. When the detection signal output from the wheel passage detecting means is input, a wheel image capturing means that captures an image of the wheel outer periphery from the lower side of the passing wheel and outputs the image signal,

Image processing means for measuring a wheel shape from an image obtained from an image signal output from the wheel image pickup means is provided, and the shape of the wheel is inspected while the wheel travels on the track. It is a thing.

[0006]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 and 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4, the track 1a of the vehicle 1
3 sets of transmissive photoelectric switches (light receiving side 30 and light emitting side 30a, light receiving side 31) that operate by passing the front wheel 2 and the rear wheel 3 from below.
And the light emitting side 31a, the light receiving side 32 and the light emitting side 32a), and charge coupled device cameras (hereinafter referred to as CCD cameras) 10 and 11 for imaging the outer shapes of the left and right wheels of the front wheel 2 or the rear wheel 3, respectively.
And the right front wheel light 20, the right rear wheel light 21, and the left front wheel light that illuminate the underfloor 5 of the vehicle 1 that is the background of the imaging.
20a and the left rear wheel light 21a, linear scales 40 and 41 for measuring the height of the flanges 2a of the left and right front wheels 2 or rear wheels 3, and the grooves 2b carved on the side surfaces of all the wheels 2 and 3 Projector that emits slit light diagonally
50 and 51, and a CCD camera 60 that takes an image of this projected portion
And 61, image processing devices 70 and 71 that measure the coordinates of the outer shape of the wheel from the images of the CCD cameras 10 and 11, and CC
Image processing devices 80 and 81 for measuring the positions of the grooves 2b carved on the side surfaces of the wheels 2 and 3 from the images of the D cameras 60 and 61.
Wheel number data for numbering the passed wheels from the operation signals of the illuminator controller 22 of the lights 20, 20a, 21 and 21a, the slit light projector controller 52 of the projectors 50 and 51, and the photoelectric switches 30, 31 and 32. Creator 33
And a monitor TV that monitors the screens of cameras 10 and 11.
12, monitor TV 62 for monitoring the screens of cameras 60 and 61, measurement values of linear scales 40 and 41, contour data of image processing devices 70 and 71, image processing devices 80 and 81.
Position data of wheel groove 2-2 and wheel number data generator 33
A computer 90 for processing the data and the like, a planter 91 for printing the output of the computer 90, and an inspection device 10 accommodating each of the above parts and on which a track 1a is arranged for a predetermined length.
It consists of 0 and. The operation of the embodiment thus configured will be described with reference to Table 1.

[0007]

[Table 1]

When the wheel 2 travels on the track 1a, the light receiving sides 30, 31 and 32 of the photoelectric switch and the light projecting sides 30a, 31a and
Although the optical communication between 32a is cut off and each switch operates, each switch operates as shown in Table 1 because each switch is arranged as shown in FIG.

Photoelectric switch 31 while the photoelectric switch 31 is off
Measurement work A is performed when 30 is turned off, measurement work B is performed when photoelectric switch 30 is turned off, and measurement is performed when the photoelectric switch is turned off for the second time from the timing of measurement work A. Perform work C. The measurement work A is to take a projected image of the outer shape of the front wheel 2 with the CCD cameras 10 and 11, measure the height of the flange 2a of the front wheel 2 with the linear scales 40 and 41, and to measure the CCD camera 60 and
The content of measuring the radial direction position of the groove 2b of the front wheel 2 with 61, the measurement work B is to measure the height of the flange 2a of the rear wheel 3 with the linear scales 40 and 41, and C
The content of the CD cameras 60 and 61 is to measure the radial position of the groove 2b of the rear wheel 3, and the measurement work C is to capture the projected image of the outer shape of the rear wheel 3 with the CCD cameras 10 and 11. ..

Operation of photoelectric switches 30, 31 and 32 and image processing devices 70, 71, 80 and 81, linear scale 40 and
The relationship of the wheel numbers to be measured in 41 is that the wheels on the right and left sides of the vehicle are 1, 2, 3, in order from the beginning.
If numbered, it becomes as shown in Table 1. The wheel number data generator 33 has the function of teaching the wheel numbers to be measured to each of the above-mentioned measuring devices based on Table 1.

When the CCD camera 10 or 11 takes an image of the outer shape of the wheel 2 or 3, a projected image as shown on the screen of the monitor TV 12 in FIG. 1 is obtained against the background of the underfloor 5 of the vehicle illuminated by the light 20 or 21. If this is binarized, the coordinates of the contour of the wheel can be measured by the known technique of the image processing device 70 or 71.

As shown in FIG. 3, the linear scales 40 and 41 are attached with rollers at their tips and are pushed down while coming into contact with each other when the flange 2a of the wheel 2 or 3 passes through.
There is a function of measuring the flange height from the vertical displacement.
The CCD camera 60 or 61 is, as shown in FIG.
When the image of the band 53 of light formed by the slit light of 51 obliquely impinging on the wheel 2 or 3, the deviation 54 caused by the step of the groove 2b on the side surface of the wheel is reflected, and the deviation 54 is generated by the known technique of the image processing device 80 or 81. From the position measurement, the position of the groove 2b in the wheel radial direction is known. Since the above-mentioned data is input to the computer 90 with the wheel number, the height of the flange 2a with respect to the groove 2b is calculated and combined with the contour coordinates of the wheel to calculate the wheel number based on the groove 2b for each wheel number. The contour can be measured at one place per wheel.

Groove 2 for each wheel number measured in the embodiment
When the contour data of the wheel based on b is compared with the data of the new wheel in the computer 90, if the outer shape is partially different from that of the new wheel, the wheel is partially worn and the wheel is It can be determined that it is time to disassemble and shave again, and if the flange height based on the groove 2b is insufficient, it can be determined that the life of the wheel has ended. According to the inspection apparatus of the present embodiment, the wear of the wheel progresses uniformly along the circumference, and therefore the wear measurement and the replacement timing determination can be automatically performed by measuring the shape at one place for each wheel.

As another embodiment of the present invention, for example, there is a method of illuminating the wheel 20 directly with the light 20 so that the CCD camera 10 takes an image in which the outer shape of the wheel is white and the background is dark. As still another embodiment, the cameras 10, 11, 60 and 61 shown in FIG. 1, the lights 20, 20a, 21, 21a, the projectors 50 and 51, and the photoelectric switches shown in FIG. 1 are used to measure the shape of several wheels. In some cases, 30 and 31 are installed at an appropriate pitch along the rail 1a.

[0015]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, according to the present invention, since the inspection can be automatically performed from below the track while the wheel is inspected and the wheel is traveling at a low speed without disassembling the wheel, it is safe. It is possible to provide a highly reliable wheel inspection device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a wheel inspection device showing an embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view of a wheel inspection device showing an embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an operation explanatory view of the wheel inspection device showing the embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a conventional wheel inspection method.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... vehicle, 1a ... track, 2 ... wheels, 2a ... flange, 2
b ... groove, 3 ... wheel, 5 ... underfloor, 10 ... CCD camera, 11 ...
CCD camera, 12 ... Monitor TV, 20 ... Light, 20a ...
Light, 21 ... Light, 21a ... Light, 22 ... Illuminator controller, 30 ... Photoelectric switch light receiving side, 30a ... Photoelectric switch light emitting side, 31 ... Photoelectric switch light receiving side, 31a ... Photoelectric switch light emitting side, 32 ... Photoelectric switch Light receiving side, 32a ... Photoelectric switch light emitting side, 33 ... Wheel number data generator, 40 ... Linear scale, 41 ... Linear scale, 50 ... Emitter, 51 ... Emitter, 52
... slit light projector controller, 53 ... band of light, 54 ... shift, 60 ... CCD camera, 61 ... CCD camera, 62 ... monitor TV, 70 ... image processing device, 71 ... image processing device, 80 ... image processing device, 81 Image processing device, 90 Computer, 91
… Printer, 100… Inspection device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A wheel passage detecting means for detecting that a wheel has passed a predetermined position on a track and outputting a detection signal, and a wheel which passes when a detection signal outputted by the wheel passage detecting means is inputted. A wheel image pickup means for picking up an image of the outer circumference of the wheel from the lower side and outputting the image signal, and image processing means for measuring the wheel shape from the image obtained by the image signal output by the wheel image pickup means. A wheel inspection device characterized by inspecting the shape of a wheel while the wheel travels on the top.