JPH09101122A - Wheel shape measuring device and its method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle shape measuring device and its method by which the shape of the wheel of a travelling vehicle can be measured with good precision. SOLUTION: The contours of the rail contact portion and the flange portion of the wheel 2 of a travelling vehicle 1 are photographed by a contour photographing means (a CCD camera 4a), and the outside diameter of the wheel 2 of a travelling vehicle 1 is detected by an outside diameter detection means (a CCD camera 8a) so as to respectively obtain contour image information and outside diameter information. Since various blurring is contained in the image information, the same is corrected by a blurring correction means (an x, y, z correction portion 11a), and the wheel shape is obtained by an image processing means (an image processing portion 11) based on the corrected image information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wheel shape measuring apparatus and a method thereof, and more particularly to a wheel shape measuring apparatus and a method thereof for measuring a wheel shape with high accuracy while a vehicle such as a train passes on a rail.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 16 (A), a wheel 101 of a vehicle such as a train has a flat portion 101 which is a "rail contact portion".
a and a flange portion 101b, and the flat portion 101
1a and the flange portion 101b are different from those in FIG.
The portion shown by hatching in 6 (B) is worn. Then, the deformation amount of the wheel caused by the wear is measured, and the flat portion 101a and the flange 101 with respect to the reference groove 101c are measured.
If the height of b is not less than the predetermined value of the reference wheel shape, the deformation is corrected by cutting and reused, and if the height of the flat portion 101a and the flange 101b is not more than the predetermined value, the wheel is discarded. ing.

Conventionally, as means for inspecting the wheel wear,
For example, JP-A-5-52536 is proposed.
According to this proposal, the outer circumference of a wheel of a running vehicle is imaged from the underside of the wheel by a wheel imaging means, the imaged image information is processed by an image processing means, and the shape of the running wheel is measured.

[0004]

However, a running vehicle often causes lateral vibration (horizontal blurring, x-direction blurring) or vertical vibration (longitudinal blurring, z-direction blurring). In many cases, an image capture blur (y-direction blur) occurs due to the image capture timing or the like when the image is captured by the means. Unless these various shakes are taken into consideration, it is impossible to accurately measure the shape of the wheels of a running vehicle, and this is an essential solution for putting a wheel shape measuring device to practical use.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a wheel shape measuring apparatus and method capable of accurately measuring the shape of the wheels of a running vehicle.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is a contour photographing means for photographing the contours of a rail contact portion and a flange portion of a wheel of a running vehicle, and the contour moving means. Outer diameter detection means for detecting the outer diameter of the wheel of the vehicle, and blur correction means for correcting various blurring occurring when the contour photographing means photographs the wheel of the running vehicle and when the outer diameter detection means detects the wheel. And image processing means for measuring the wheel shape based on the image information corrected by the blur correction means.

According to the first aspect of the invention, the contour photographing means photographs the contours of the rail contact portion and the flange portion of the wheel of the traveling vehicle, and the outer diameter detecting means detects the outer diameter of the wheel of the traveling vehicle. To do. The blur correction unit corrects various blurs that occur when the wheel of the running vehicle is photographed by the contour photographing unit and detected by the outer diameter detecting unit. The image processing means obtains the wheel shape based on the image information corrected by the shake correction means.

Further, the invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the various blurs are a horizontal blur and a vertical blur of a wheel of a running vehicle, and an image capturing blur generated at the time of contour image capturing.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the various blurs are the horizontal blur and the vertical blur of the wheel of the running vehicle and the image capture blur that occurs at the time of photographing the contour, all the blurs caused by the actual traveling of the vehicle. To cover. Therefore, the true wheel shape can be measured.

Further, in the invention according to claim 3, the correction means is prepared in advance by preparing a table showing a relationship between various blurs and a true value, and is obtained by the contour photographing means and the outer diameter detection means. The feature is that the true value is obtained based on the blur.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the correction means prepares a table showing the relationship between various shakes and the true value in advance, and the shakes obtained by the contour photographing means and the outer diameter detection means are calculated. To find the true value.

Further, the invention according to claim 4 is provided with a contour illuminating means for directly illuminating the wheel or a background illuminating means for illuminating a lower portion of the floor of the vehicle so as to make the wheel portion appear dark when the contour is photographed. It is characterized by

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the contour is photographed, the contour illuminating means illuminates the wheels directly, and the background illuminating means illuminates the lower floor of the vehicle to make the wheel parts appear darker.

Further, the invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the contour illuminating means is epi-illumination means using a half mirror.

According to the invention of claim 5, the contour illuminating means is an epi-illumination means using a half mirror. Therefore, while the flat part on the side of the wheel is illuminated brightly,
Since the reference groove becomes dark, the groove can be clearly recognized.

The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that an image of a wheel captured by an image pickup camera is subjected to projection processing in a tangential direction of the wheel to perform measurement.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the image of the wheel captured by the image pickup camera is subjected to the projection processing in the tangential direction of the wheel for measurement. By performing the projection process, it is possible to reduce the variation due to the vertical vibration of the running wheel and the influence of the image blurring, and it is possible to perform highly accurate measurement.

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments of the invention.

(1) Example of First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a wheel shape measuring apparatus according to an example of the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 1 equipped with wheels 2 passes over a rail 3. Below the vehicle 1 is a vehicle inspection
A "contour photographing means" for forming a repair pit (not shown) and photographing the contour 2a of the wheel 2 at a predetermined portion of the pit.
The CCD camera 4a, which is
A is connected to an image processing unit 11 which is an “image processing unit” described below via the camera power supply unit 4. Contour illumination lamps 5a and 5b, which are "contour illumination means" for directly irradiating the wheels 2 are arranged diagonally below the wheels 2 and the image processing unit 1 via the lamp control unit 5 is provided.
1 connected.

On both sides of the wheel 2, a light projector 6a and a light receiver 6b, which constitute a wheel passage sensor for detecting the passage of the wheel 2, are arranged opposite to each other. The light projector 6a and the light receiver 6b are respectively wheel passage sensors. It is connected to the control unit 6. Below the inside of the wheel 2, a CCD camera 8a which is an "outer diameter detecting means" for photographing the wheel 2 from the inside and a lamp 9a for irradiating the inside of the wheel 2 are arranged. The CCD camera 8a is connected to the image processing unit 11 via the CCD camera power supply unit 8, and the lamp 9a is connected to the image processing unit 11 via the illumination control unit 9.
It is connected to the.

The image processing section 11 carries out image processing of a contour photographing signal of the contour 2a of the wheel 2 photographed by the CCD camera 4a and an outer diameter photographing signal photographed by the CCD camera 8a from the inside of the wheel 2. And a x, y, z correction unit 11a which is a "blur correction unit" for correcting the horizontal blur (x-direction blur), vertical blur (z-direction blur), and image capture blur (y-direction blur) described above. Is equipped with. The contour 2 a of the wheel 2 is displayed on the contour display monitor 7, and the inside of the wheel 2 is displayed on the outer diameter display monitor 10. Here, on the contour display monitor 7, the contour of the wheel 2 is displayed brightly (not shown with diagonal lines) and the background is displayed dark (shown with diagonal lines). Further, on the outer diameter display monitor 10, the contour of the outer diameter of the wheel 2 is displayed bright (not shown with diagonal lines) and the background is displayed dark (shown with diagonal lines).

Next, the operation will be described.

When the wheel 2 of the vehicle 1 passes a predetermined position on the rail 3, a light-transmitting device 6a and a light-receiving device 6b, which are wheel passing sensors, detect the wheel 2 and generate a wheel detection signal. Based on this, the lamps 5a and 5b are wheels
Is directly illuminated and the CCD camera 4a photographs the contour 2a of the wheel 2 only once to generate a contour photographing signal.

Further, when the vehicle 1 enters a pit (not shown), the lamp 9a is turned on, and a wheel detection signal from the wheel passage sensor control unit 6 causes the inside of the wheel 2 to CC.
The D camera 8a takes an image only once, and an outer diameter image pickup signal of the outer diameter of the wheel 2 is generated.

The image processor 11, which has taken in the contour photographing signal and the outer diameter photographing signal, has a flange height H and a flange thickness F of the wheel 2 shown in the lower left of FIG. 1 from the wheel contour image.
The number of pixels of (the thickness of the central portion of the flange height H) is read, and the flange thickness F and the flange height H are calculated based on the known resolution (length per pixel) of the CCD camera. The specific calculation method will be described later.

On the other hand, when the wheel 2 passes the rail 3, a lateral blur x of the wheel 2, a vertical blur z, and a blur y due to an image capturing error (capturing timing error) of the wheel passage sensor occur. These blurring is x, y,
The z-correction unit 11a corrects and calculates various true dimensions.

First, the correction in the x direction (lateral blur) will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, on the basis of the contour image signal, the contour display monitor 7 displays the contour X _{2 which} is laterally blurred. Here, the contour X ₁ indicates the contour when the error is “0” (that is, the contour serving as a reference for blur measurement).
Therefore, the magnitude of blurring of the contour X ₂ with respect to the contour X ₁ is Δ.
x. CCD camera 4 based on the contour X ₂ monitor display
The number k of pixels of a (k corresponds to the distance from the left end of the contour display monitor 7 (movement amount on the screen)) is read.

On the other hand, a correction curve (k = α
₁ x + k ′, a = −α ₂ x + a ′) (note that the table (table) is not the graph shown in FIG. 2)
But it may be).

This correction curve (k = α ₁ x + k ') is
In a known wheel, when the amount of blurring (movement amount) of the flange 2a is Δx (shown on the horizontal axis), a dot is taken to find out how many pixels k are, and each moving dot Δx is changed. Connect to create a curve. The vertical axis on the right side shows the true dimension b (the dimension from the reference point Bp to the outer surface of the wheel 2) corresponding to the blur size Δx, and the reference point Bp is, for example, 65 mm from the outer surface of the wheel 2. Is the point.

A correction curve (a = -α ₂ x + a ')
Is the bulge a (the dimension from the outer surface of the wheel 2 to the lower side of the blur, shown on the left vertical axis) when the size (movement amount) of the shake of the flange 2a is Δx (shown on the horizontal axis). Take dots to see how much is, and connect each dot to create.

Then, the bulge a = a ₀ ± Δa corresponding to the pixel number k is read based on the correction curve (k = α ₁ x + k ′ and a = −α ₂ x + a ′), and the bulge a due to lateral blurring is read. Calculate the dimensions of.

Therefore, the dimension (true value) b from the reference point Bp to the outer surface of the wheel 2 can be obtained by the following equation. However, each of b, d, k, and a is the case of shooting only once.

B = d- (k + a) d; Distance from the reference point Bp to the left end of the contour display monitor 7 Next, correction in the y direction (image capture error) will be described.

With the above-mentioned contour image signal, the contour Y ₂ of the image capturing blur is displayed as an image, as shown in FIG. Here, the contour Y ₁ indicates the contour when the error is “0”.

As in the case of the x-direction blur, the number of pixels y _k corresponding to the distance from the upper side of the contour display monitor 7 is read and the correction curve (b = −β ₁ (y _k
) + B', h = -β2 ( yk) + h') to basis of the number of pixels and the vertical direction of the true dimension b = b ₀ ± Δb ₁ corresponding to the number of pixels y _k blurring h = h ₀ ± Δh ₁ Read the number of pixels. Here, h is based on the peak value of the contour Y ₁ .

Further, the number of pixels h is read from the reference point B _p on the contour, and the vertical blur h = h ₀ ± Δh ₁ is calculated.

Next, the z-direction (vertical blur) correction is
In FIG. 4 in which pixels are displayed based on the contour image signal and the outer diameter image signal, the vertical movement amount Δz _k is read by the outer diameter image signal, and b is calculated by the correction curve obtained from the experiment.
= B ₀ ± Δb ₂ pixels and ± Δh ₂ pixels are read. Here, the contour Z ₁ is a contour when the error is “0”, and the contour Z ₂ is an exemplary contour of blur.

Also, an outer diameter image or a linear scale (see FIG. 7)
The number of pixels (z _k ) h is read from the reference numeral 12a), and h =
Calculate h ± Δh ₂ .

From the above correction, the correction calculation of the d value and the h value is as follows. The reason why the correction calculation is necessary is that since the movement amount k and the bulge a on the screen change due to the Δx blur (see FIG. 2), d = a + k + b (b = 65 mm) is obtained, and a reference point corresponding to the Δx blur is obtained. This is because it is necessary to calculate B _P.

◎ Correction calculation of d value

## EQU1 ## d = k (x) + a (k) + b ₂ + Δb ₁ (yk) + Δb ₂ (zk) (1) where k = α ₁ x + k 'Δb ₁ = -β ₁ (yk) a =- α ₂ x + a ′ Δb ₂ = −β ₂ (yk) b ₀ = b ′ ◎ h value correction calculation h = h ₀ + Δh ₁ (yk) + Δh ₂ (zk) (2) where Δh ₁ = −β ₂ (Yk) Δh ₂ = −γ ₂ (zk) As described above, the correction values of the d value and the h value are obtained, and the degree of wheel wear is obtained based on the obtained values. If the degree of wear is within the standard value, it is cut and reused. If it is out of the standard value, the wheel is discarded.

By doing so, even when the vehicle is moving on the rail, it is possible to automatically perform highly accurate measurement.

Here, the method of obtaining the degree of wear of the wheel is shown in FIG.
A description will be given with reference to (A) and (B). As described above, the worn portion of the wheel is said to be the portion shown by hatching in FIG. 16 (B), and the wear degree can be determined by obtaining the flange thickness F and the flange height H shown in FIG. 5 (B). To judge.

First, based on the corrected d value obtained as described above, as shown in FIG.
_{Find p} .

The h value is read from the reference point B _p to find the corrected H value. Here, since the h value is a value read from the image, an error is included, and the H value is a value obtained by correcting the error of the h value.

The diameter φD of the flat portion of the wheel can be calculated by the following equation (3).

ΦD = φA + 2 (C−H) (3) C: Height from reference groove to tip of flange (read from image in FIG. 5A) φA: Diameter of reference groove (known value) The flange thickness F is obtained from a position above the reference point B _p by a specified value μ.

Flange thickness F obtained as described above
Based on and the flange height H, it is determined whether the wheel should be cut and reused or discarded.

(2) Example of Second Embodiment FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of an example of the present embodiment.

The difference between the example of the present embodiment and the example of the first embodiment (FIG. 1) is that in the example of the first embodiment, the lamps 5a and 5b directly illuminate the lower part of the wheel 2. On the other hand, the example of the present embodiment is that the lamps 5a and 5b directly illuminate the underfloor 1a of the vehicle 2 and the outline 2a of the wheel 2 is darkened to be photographed by the CCD camera 4a.

In this way, the left and right slopes of the tip of the wheel 2 also become bright, and the tip position can be clearly recognized.

(3) Example of Third Embodiment FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an example of the present embodiment.

The difference between the example of the present embodiment and the example of the first embodiment (FIG. 1) is that in the example of the first embodiment, the vertical shake of the wheel 2 is seen from the side surface of the wheel 2. While the image information is obtained by photographing with the camera 8a, the linear scale (height detection sensor) 12, 12 is used in the example of the present embodiment.
This is the point detected by a.

(4) Example of Fourth Embodiment FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an example of the present embodiment.

The difference between the example of the present embodiment and the example of the second embodiment (FIG. 6) is that in the example of the second embodiment, the vertical shake of the wheel 2 from the side surface of the wheel 2 While the image information is obtained by photographing with the camera 8a, the linear scale (height detection sensor) 12, 12 is used in the example of the present embodiment.
This is the point detected by a.

(5) Example of Fifth Embodiment FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of an example of the present embodiment.

The difference between the example of the present embodiment and the example of the first embodiment (FIG. 1) is that in the example of the first embodiment, a pair of wheel passage sensors 6a and 6b are provided. On the other hand, the example of the present embodiment is that the two wheel passage sensors 6a and 6b are arranged in front of and behind the wheel, the two pairs of wheel passage sensors 6a and 6b being proportional to the wheel diameter.

By doing so, the time when the center of the wheel 2 passes can be easily calculated.

(6) Example of Sixth Embodiment FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of an example of the present embodiment.

A wheel outer peripheral illumination 21 is arranged below the wheel 2, and a CCD camera 24 is arranged at a position for photographing the inner side surface of the wheel 2. A half mirror 23 is arranged between the CCD camera 24 and the wheel 2, and the half mirror 2
A side surface illumination 22 is arranged below 3. The CCD camera 24 is connected to an image processing device or the like via a frame memory.

The example of the present embodiment is a case where the half mirror is used for epi-illumination (illumination method in which the photographing direction of the camera and the illumination direction are matched), and the camera image in this case is shown in FIG. As shown, the wheel side surfaces 2c and 2d become bright, and the reference groove 2b portion and the background (rail portion) 2e.
Darkens. By doing so, the wheel side surface flat portion 2c,
Since 2d is bright and the reference groove 2b is dark, the reference groove 2b portion can be clearly recognized.

Then, for the obtained image, the reference groove 2
For measuring the length from b to the tip of the wheel, and CC
In order to reduce the fluctuation of the image captured by the D camera 24 due to the vertical vibration of the wheel and the blurring of the image, projection processing (integration processing) is performed on the image in the tangential direction of the wheel 2.

An image subjected to this projection processing is shown in FIG.
Shown in As is clear from this figure, the reference groove portion 2B and the wheel outer peripheral portion (outline) 2A are obtained, and the dimension L ₁ and the outer diameter of the wheel 2 are calculated. Since the reference groove 2b is cut by high-precision machining, the wheel outer diameter can be calculated by measuring the dimension L ₁ .

(7) Example of Seventh Embodiment FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of an example of the present embodiment.

The difference between the example of the present embodiment and the example of the sixth embodiment (FIG. 10) is that the example of the sixth embodiment illuminates from diagonally below the wheel 2 as the illumination 21. On the other hand, the example of the present embodiment is that the illumination 21 illuminates the rail 3.

In this way, the background (rail portion) becomes bright and the image becomes as shown in FIG. 13 (A). In addition, when the horizontal projection is taken, it becomes as shown in FIG. 13 (B), and the dimension L is calculated from the reference groove portion 2B and the wheel outer peripheral portion 2C.
You can ask for ₂ .

This projection method enables accurate shape measurement even when the wheel 2 is wet.

(8) Example of Eighth Embodiment and Example of Ninth Embodiment FIGS. 14 and 15 show a plurality of illuminations 25 instead of the epi-illumination shown in FIGS. 10 and 12. This is the case when they are arranged.

By doing so, there is an effect that the space between the wheels and between the rails can be effectively used as the location of the illumination.

[0071]

As described above, according to the invention described in each of the claims, various blurring caused when the wheel of a running vehicle is photographed by the contour photographing means and detected by the outer diameter detecting means is corrected. Since the wheel shape is measured by the image processing means based on the image information corrected by the shake correction means and corrected by the shake correction means, the measurement of the wheels corrected in consideration of various shakes (that is, accurate measurement) It can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a wheel shape measuring device according to an example of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a correction function in the x direction.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a correction function in the y direction.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a correction function in the z direction.

5A and 5B are explanatory views for obtaining a flange height H and a flange thickness F, in which FIG. 5A is a partially enlarged view of a wheel displayed on a monitor screen, and FIG. is there.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of an example of the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of an example of the third embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of an example of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of an example of the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of an example of the sixth embodiment.

11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating processing of an image captured by the camera of the sixth embodiment, FIG. 11A illustrates an image captured by epi-illumination, and FIG. 11B illustrates an image subjected to projection processing. It is a figure.

FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of an example of the seventh embodiment.

13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating processing of an image captured by the camera of the seventh embodiment, in which FIG. 13A illustrates an image captured by epi-illumination and FIG. 13B illustrates an image subjected to projection processing. It is a figure.

FIG. 14 is a configuration diagram of an example of the eighth embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram of an example of the ninth embodiment.

16A is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a vehicle wheel, and FIG. 16B is a diagram illustrating a worn part of the wheel.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 vehicle 2 wheel 2a contour 3 rail 4a CCD camera 5a, 5b contour illumination 5d, 5e flash lamp 6a, 6b sensor 7 contour display monitor 8a CCD camera 9a lamp 10 outer diameter display monitor 11 image processing unit 11a x, y, z correction Functional part 12 Linear scale

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hitoshi Hata 1-24-2 Harumi-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo 1 Toshiba Toshiba FA System Engineering Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroshi Kominato 1-share, Toshiba-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo Company Toshiba Fuchu factory (72) Inventor Shingo Sekiguchi No. 1 Toshiba Town Fuchu, Tokyo Fuchu factory Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Sakae Kusakabe No. 1 Fuchu city, Tokyo Fuchu factory

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A contour photographing means for photographing contours of a rail contact portion and a flange portion of a wheel of a traveling vehicle, an outer diameter detecting means for detecting an outer diameter of a wheel of the traveling vehicle, and the traveling vehicle. Blurring correction means for correcting various blurrings that occur when the contour photographing means photographs the wheel of the vehicle and when the outer diameter detection means detects the wheel shape, and the wheel shape is measured based on the image information corrected by the blurring correction means. A wheel shape measuring device comprising: an image processing unit. 2. The wheel shape measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the various types of blurring are lateral blurring and vertical blurring of wheels of a running vehicle and image capturing blurring that occurs during contour imaging. 3. The correction means preliminarily prepares a table showing the relationship between various kinds of blurs and the true value, and the true value is calculated based on the blurs obtained by the contour photographing means and the outer diameter detection means. The method according to claim 1, wherein the calculation is performed.
Alternatively, the wheel shape measuring device according to claim 2. 4. When the contour is photographed, the contour illumination means for directly illuminating the wheels or the background illumination means for illuminating the lower part of the floor of the vehicle to make the wheel parts appear darker is provided. The described wheel shape measuring device. 5. The wheel shape measuring device according to claim 4, wherein the contour illuminating means is epi-illumination means using a half mirror. 6. A wheel shape measuring method characterized in that an image of a wheel captured by an imaging camera is subjected to projection processing in a tangential direction of the wheel to perform measurement.