WO2016182497A1

WO2016182497A1 - An on-vehicle system and method for collecting data related to the condition of a railway

Info

Publication number: WO2016182497A1
Application number: PCT/SE2016/050419
Authority: WO
Inventors: Christoffer HAMIN
Original assignee: Hamin Christoffer
Priority date: 2015-05-10
Filing date: 2016-05-10
Publication date: 2016-11-17
Also published as: EP3294607A4; EP3294607A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an on-vehicle system for collecting data to be used to evaluate the condition of the rails of a railway, which railway comprises consecutive railway sections(3a, 3b) electrically isolated from each other by electrically insulating portions (6). The system is configured to measure actual values of railway condition related parameters by elements(7)configured to be brought in electric contact with a railway section(3b) adjacent to the railway section(3a)on which the vehicle(1) is resting in electric contact, and to send data of the measurement to a storage medium (14). The system comprises a vehicle positioning system (15) configured to determine and send data of the position of the vehicle(1)during measuring of said actual values to a storage medium(14). The invention also relates to a method for collecting such data by use of such a system.

Description

An on-vehicle system and method for collecting data related to the condition of a railway

TECHN ICAL FI ELD OF THE I NVENTION

The present invention relates to an on-vehicle system for collecting data to be used to evaluate the cond ition of at least one rail of a railway, the railway comprising a plurality of consecutive railway sections each comprising a first rail connected to a voltage potential and a second grounded rail, each said first rail being electrically isolated from its two adjacent rails of adjacent railway sections by an electrically insulating portion arranged at each end side of the respective first rail . The invention relates to such a system of any conceivable type, which may be arranged on any railway vehicle, for instance a railway maintenance veh icle, such as a driverless rail trolley, a manually driven rail trolley or a railway maintenance truck, but such a system arranged on a locomotive of a passenger train may be mentioned as a typical example without restricting the invention thereto.

Such a system is to be used to collect data to be used to evaluate the condition of the railway so as to enable detection of acute errors and planning of maintenance thereof and thereby preventing accidents and delays on the railway.

BACKGROUND ART A part of the signalling system of a railway usually comprises a plurality of consecutive railway sections each comprising a first rail connected to a voltage potential, such as 7V, and a second grounded rail. Each said first rail being electrically isolated from its two adjacent rails of adjacent railway sections by an electri- cally insulating portion in the form of a small piece of synthetic material, usually a composite, arranged at each end side of the respective first rail . It is common , but not necessary, that the first and second rails shift sides from one railway section to another, so that each electrically insulating portion electrically isolates a said first and a said second rail from each other. When a railway veh icle, such as a train , enters a railway section the first and second rails of that section are shorted by the front wheelset of the locomotive electrically connecting the first and second rails of that section . As a resu lt of the shorting of the railway section the signalling lights at both ends of this section turns red indicating that a vehicle is located thereon , i.e. that the section is occupied .

However, it happens from time to time that the rails of a railway section are shorted unintentionally, i.e. without interaction of a vehicle. Such an error may occur for instance by pieces of trash , such as metal dust or pieces of metal caused by wear of the rails, or water connecting the first rail of one railway section to the second rail of another adjacent section , so that the rails are shorted by conduction over the insulating portion . This causes the signalling lights of this section to turn red which implies that trains may only drive on this section at a very limited speed , for safety reasons. Such errors in the signalling system are the cause of a large part of the delays in the railway log istics around the world . Also, this type of errors has even caused several collisions of trains over the years.

Today, maintenance staff are sent out first as an error in the signalling system occurs and they have to spend valuable time on locating the error before th is can be eliminated . To be able to anticipate and prevent such errors the condition of the railway have to be measured and evaluated , so that proper maintenance work may be done before errors occur. There is however no effective way of measuring suitable parameters related to the condition of the railway with respect to the risk that such signalling errors occur. There is therefore a great need for a technical solu- tion that makes it possible to collect data to be used to evaluate the cond ition of the railway in this respect. SUM MARY OF THE I NVENTI ON

The object of the present invention is to provide an on-vehicle system for collecting data to be used to evaluate the condition of at least one rail of a railway, of the type defined in the introduction .

This object is according to the invention obtained by providing such a system , which is characterized in that it comprises means configured to measure an actual value of at least one railway condition related parameter by an element configured to be brought in electric contact with a said first rail of a railway section adjacent to the railway section on which the veh icle is resting in electric contact, and to send data of the result of the measurement to a storage med ium, and a vehicle positioning system configured to determine and send data of the position of the vehicle during measuring of said actual value to a storage medium. Such a system enables measurements of an actual value of at least one railway condition related parameter in an efficient and cost-effective way. This value may then be used to evaluate the condition of the railway and the result of such an evaluation may form a basis for maintenance plann ing of the railway, so that delays and accidents may be prevented . According to an embodiment of the invention the means is configured to measure an actual value of a railway condition related parameter in the form of the electrical resistance of a said electrically insulating portion electrically isolating the first rail of the railway section electrically contacted by the element from a rail of the railway section on which the vehicle is resting in electric contact. An actual value of the electrical resistance of a said electrically insulating portion is very useful for evaluation of the condition of the railway in the area of that portion . Especially, the risk of signalling error due to conduction over th is electrically insulat- ing portion may be calculated , and in continuation be eliminated through maintenance of the insulating portion , if needed . According to another embodiment of the invention the means is configured to measure an actual value of a railway condition related parameter in the form of the electric potential difference between the first rail of the railway section electrically contacted by the element and a reference point. The value of such an electric potential difference may by itself or in combination with other values measured give valuable information about the condition of the railway. According to another embodiment of the invention the means comprises a further said element configured to be brought in electric contact with a said second rail of a railway section adjacent to the railway section on which the veh icle is resting in electric contact, and each said element is independently arranged in front of the first wheelset or after the last wheelset of the vehicle. A further said element enables collection of data related to the condition of both rails of a railway.

According to another embodiment of the invention both elements are arranged in front of the first wheelset or after the last wheelset of the veh icle, and the means is configured to measure an actual value of a railway cond ition related parameter in the form of the electric potential difference between the first and second rails of a railway section adjacent to the railway section on wh ich the ve- hide is resting in electric contact. The value of such an electric potential difference may by itself or in combination with other measured values give valuable information about the condition of the railway. According to another embodiment of the invention the or each element is a contact strip or an idler wheel. These components are suitable to use for performing the measurements.

According to another embodiment of the invention the vehicle po- sitioning system is a Global Positioning System (GPS). A Global Positioning System is suitable to use as the vehicle positioning system, as eventual error indicating values may be connected to exact coord inates which simplifies the maintenance work on the railway.

According to another embodiment of the invention the storage medium is comprised in a computer arrangement located on the vehicle.

According to another embodiment of the invention the computer arrangement is configured to receive data of the measured actual value of the at least one railway condition related parameter, to determine whether the actual value is on an acceptable side of a predetermined threshold value for the respective parameter or not, and to transmit an alarm signal if the actual value is not on an acceptable side of the predetermined threshold value for the respective parameter. With such an evaluation and alarm system the condition of the railway may be evaluated in real time and eventual fault conditions may be quickly detected and rectified .

According to another embod iment of the invention the system is arranged on a railway vehicle, preferably a locomotive or a train car. There are many advantages of arranging the system on a railway veh icle, especially a locomotive. Arranged on for instance a locomotive of a passenger train the system may be used to collect data related to the condition of the railway continuously when the train is moving . This enables evaluation of the condition of the railway on busy railway routes very frequently and without use of special measuring vehicles which implies an efficient and cost- effective way of evaluating the condition of the railway. According to another embodiment of the invention the actual value of the at least one railway condition related parameter is measured at least 50, at least 100, at least 500, between 500 and 5000, preferably between 2000 and 4000, more preferred between 2500 and 3500 times per second when the veh icle is mov- ing . According to another embod iment of the invention the system is configured to be used on a railway having said electrically insulating portions in the form of joints of synthetic material, preferably a composite comprising plastic.

According to another embodiment of the invention the computer arrangement is configured to receive data of the measured actual value of the at least one railway condition related parameter in the form of the electrical resistance of a said electrically insulat- ing portion separating at least the first rail of the railway section electrically contacted by the element and the railway section on which the vehicle is resting in electric contact, to determine whether an actual value is measured or not and/or whether the actual value is greater than a predetermined threshold value of 1000 Ω or not, and to transmit an alarm signal if an actual value is measured and/or if the actual value is less than the predetermined threshold value.

According to another embodiment of the invention the computer arrangement is configured to receive data of the measured actual value of the at least one railway condition related parameter in the form of the electric potential difference between the first rail of the railway section electrically contacted by a said element and a reference point and/or the electric potential d ifference between the first and second rails of a railway section adjacent to the railway section on which the vehicle is resting in electric contact, to determine whether the actual value is greater than a first and a second predetermined threshold value or not, and to transmit a first alarm signal if the actual value is smaller than the first pre- determined threshold value only and a second alarm signal if the actual value is less than the second predetermined threshold value, wherein the first and second predetermined threshold values are 0.99 and 0.60 times as big as the target value of the electric potential difference between the respective rails, respec- tively. The invention also relates to a method for collecting data to be used to evaluate the condition of at least one rail of a railway according to the independent method claim.

Further advantages as well as advantageous features of the invention will appear from the following description of an embodiment of the invention .

BRI EF DESCRI PTION OF THE DRAWI NGS

With reference to the appended drawings, below follows a specific description of an embodiment of the invention cited as an example. In the drawings: is a simplified partly sectional side-elevation view of the system according to an embod iment of the invention arranged on a locomotive, is an enlarged view of the system of Fig . 1 , showing a said element in electric contact with a rail of a railway section adjacent to the railway section on which the locomotive is resting in electric contact, and is a simplified partly sectional view from above of the system of Fig . 1 , showing both said elements in electric contact with a first and a second rail of a railway section adjacent to the railway section on which the locomotive is resting in electric contact, respectively. DETAI LED DESCRI PTION OF AN EMBODI MENT OF THE I NVENTION

An on-vehicle system for collecting data to be used to evaluate the condition of at least one rail of a railway according to an embod iment of the invention is illustrated in the appended figures 1 - 3 and will hereinafter be described while at the same time making reference to all these figures. The system is arranged on a locomotive 1 configured to be driven on a railway 2 comprising a plurality of consecutive railway sections 3a-c, which usually have a length of a few hundred meters to a few kilometres. Each section comprises a first rail 4a-c connected to a voltage potential , hereinafter voltage rail, and a sec- ond grounded rail 5a-c, hereinafter ground rail. The voltage potential of the voltage rails is usually 7V DC , but may also be greater or smaller, such as for instance 1 .5-12V. Each voltage rail is electrically isolated from its two adjacent rails of adjacent railway sections by an electrically insulating portion 6 arranged at each end side of the respective voltage rail . Such an electrically insulating portion usually consists of a small piece of an electrically insulating composite having a width of 3-5 mm, but may also consist of any other type of electrically insulating material, or even be constituted by an air gap of a few millimetres between two respective rails. Usually, but not absolutely necessarily, such insu lating portions 6 are arranged between each pair of consecutive rails 4a, 5b, 4c; 5a, 4b, 5c of all adjacent railway sections 3a-c of the railway 2. It is common that the voltage 4a-c and ground 5a-c rails shift sides from one railway section 3a-c to another, so that each electrically insulating portion 6 electrically isolates a said voltage and a said ground rail from each other. However, railways by which for instance the left rail of every railway section as seen in one direction of the railway constitutes the voltage rail and the right rail constitutes the ground rail are also used . The system comprises means configured to measure actual values of at least one railway cond ition related parameter by two elements in the form of idler wheels 7 configured to be brought in electric contact with a voltage rail 4b and a ground rail 5b, re- spectively, of a railway section 3b adjacent to the railway section 3a on which the locomotive 1 is resting in electric contact. The idler wheels 7 are galvanically isolated mounted on the underside of the body of the locomotive in front of the first wheelset 8 by a respective jointed arm 9 which ensures that the wheel is in elec- trie contact with the rail. Each jointed arm is provided with a damper 10 which reduces the stress in the respective arm caused by overrunning for instance particles on the rail.

The elements may also be for instance contact strips and these may also be mounted after the last wheelset of the complete train , and may even be mounted one in the front of the train and one in the back. However, the elements may not be mounted between the first and last wheelset of a train or a railway veh icle, as the first wheelset 8 entering a railway section 3a shorting the rails 4a, 5a of that section , so that several important parameters become impossible to measure.

A metal plate 1 1 is arranged in the wheel axle of the respective idler wheel 7 and connected to a computer arrangement 12 , here- inafter computer, on the locomotive by a cable 13. The computer comprises measurement cards which enable measurements of the actual values desired by the plate 1 1 and data of the measurements are then sent to the computer 12 through the cable 13 and stored in a storage medium 14 of the computer.

The computer 12 further comprises a vehicle positioning system 15 in the form of a Global Positioning System (GPS) which is configured to determine and send data of the position of the locomotive 1 during measuring of each said actual value to the storage med ium 14, so that the computer may connect each measured value with the coord inates for the position where the value was measured .

There are several railway condition related parameters suitable to be measured by the system. These are measured when the locomotive 1 is just about to enter a railway section 3b (see Figs. 2 and 3) so that the idler wheels 7 have passed the insulating portion 6 and are in electric contact with the rails 4b, 5b of the section adjacent to the section 3a on which the locomotive is rest- ing in electric contact.

Firstly, an actual value of a railway cond ition related parameter in the form of the electrical resistance of the electrically insulating portion 6 may be measured between the idler wheel 7 in electric contact with the voltage rail 4b and the front wheelset 8 of the locomotive 1 in electric contact with the ground rail 5a (see Fig . 3). If the insulating portion 6 is in a perfect condition no value of the resistance can be measured as the insulating portion is completely insulating the rails 5a, 4b from each other; there is an "open-loop" resistance in the insulating portion . If however a value is measured th is is an indication that something is wrong with the insulating portion . Th is may be caused by metal dust on the rail around the insulating portion , as one example, which means a risk of current or future conduction over the insulating portion and thereby signalling errors.

Secondly, an actual value of a railway condition related parameter in the form of the electric potential difference between the voltage rail 4b and a reference point may be measured , for instance be- tween the same idler wheel 7 and the bogie 16 of the locomotive. In the embod iment shown in the figures, the bogie used as reference point is electrically connected to the computer 12 via a cable 1 7 (see Figs. 1 and 2). However, the reference point may be located at another location of the locomotive 1 and may have almost any predetermined voltage potential , although it is preferred that the reference point is grounded . This value of the electric potential difference may give information on the condition of the insulating portions 6 between the rails 5a and 4b, and 4b and 5c, respectively. A low electric potential value may mean that there is conduction over any of these insulating portions. However, it may also be caused by a fau lt in the power supply. In such a case, the data collected from measurements of the electrical resistance of both said insulating portions 6 together with the data of the measurement of the electric potential difference between said rails should be necessary to enable determination of the location of the fau lt.

Furthermore, an actual value of a railway condition related parameter in the form of the electric potential difference between the voltage rail 4b and the ground rail 5b of the same railway section 3b may be measured between the two idler wheels 7 (see Fig . 3). This value offers even more possibilities of detecting errors by the railway 2 and may also be used to confirm assumptions made based on other measurement resu lts.

The system is configured to collect data in this way continuously in short intervals, such as at least 50, at least 100, at least 500, between 500 and 5000, preferably between 2000 and 4000, more preferred between 2500 and 3500 times per second , when the locomotive 1 is moving . Of course, the frequency of the measurements may be adjusted according to for instance the veh icle on which the system is arranged , or specific railway structures.

The computer 12 is configured to receive data of the measured actual values of the railway condition related parameters and for each value determine whether the actual value is on an acceptable side of a predetermined threshold value for the respective parameter or not. The computer is further configured to transmit an alarm signal if the actual value is not on the acceptable side of the predetermined threshold value for the respective parameter. In this way, the condition of the railway 2 is continuously evaluated by the locomotive 1 provided with the system and as soon as an ind ication of some type of fault is detected this information is communicated together with information of the location of the fault to for instance an operation centre, so that proper maintenance work may be planned and performed and thereby future signalling errors prevented . The system according to the invention thereby provides an effective and cost-efficient way of evaluating the condition of a railway 2, as no specialized measure- ment veh icles are needed and most routes of a railway system may be evaluated many times a day, or even many times an hour, provided that all trains would be equipped with the system. If this could be done, the maintenance planning of a railway could be optimized , as it would be possible to continuously monitor slight faults and thereby calculate when these are expected to become a risk of a signalling error.

Preferably, the alarm system of the computer has several levels of alarm signals for each parameter based on the degree of the error detected . For instance, a first threshold value for the electric resistance of an insu lating portion 6 may be any value, i.e. if anything other than open-loop resistance is measured a first alarm signal is transmitted indicating a slight fau lt cond ition , which may be taken into account in the maintenance planning and fixed dur- ing the next maintenance work of the railway 2. A second threshold value may be for instance 1000 Ω and if a value lower than this threshold value is measured the second alarm signal is transmitted indicating an acute fault which have to be fixed as soon as possible.

The same principle of the alarm system is preferably used for the electric potential difference. Preferably, any actual value that is not equal to the target value, for instance 7 V, triggers a first alarm signal , and an actual value measured being smaller than a threshold value of about 60 percent of the target value, i.e. about 4-4.5 V, triggers a second alarm signal. The invention is of course not in any way restricted to the embodiment thereof described above, but many possibilities to modifications thereof will be apparent to a person with ord inary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

The word "rail" as used in the phrases "voltage rail" and "ground rail" as a few examples, refers to a rail portion which together with another parallel rail portion constitutes a railway section , also called railway block, of the complete railway.

It may of course also be possible to measure other railway condition related parameters by the system according to the invention , and data measured by this system may be evaluated and used in other ways than what is described in th is disclosure.

A "target value" is in th is disclosure to be interpreted as the value of a respective parameter at a flawless installation .

The word "data" is in this disclosure to be interpreted as to also include information . For instance, that the computer is configured to "receive data of the measured actual value" may also mean that the computer receives information that no actual value cou ld be measured .

Although the system comprises two elements by which actual values are measured in the example shown and described , a system according to another embodiment of the invention could have only one such element in electric contact with both rails, or with one rail only.

Claims

1 . An on-vehicle system for collecting data to be used to evaluate the condition of at least one rail (4a-c, 5a-c) of a railway (2), the railway (2) comprising a plurality of consecutive railway sections (3a-c) each comprising a first rail (4a-c) connected to a voltage potential and a second grounded rail (5a-c), each said first rail (4a-c) being electrically isolated from its two adjacent rails of adjacent railway sections by an electrically insulating portion (6) arranged at each end side of the respective first rail (4a-c),

characterized in that the system comprises:

• means configured to measure an actual value of at least one railway condition related parameter by an element (7) configured to be brought in electric contact with a said first rail (4b) of a railway section (3b) adjacent to the railway section (3a) on which the vehicle (1 ) is resting in electric contact, and to send data of the result of the measurement to a storage medium (14) ,

• a vehicle positioning system (15) configured to determine and send data of the position of the vehicle (1 ) during measuring of said actual value to a storage medium (14) .

2. A system according to claim 1 , characterized in that the means is configured to measure an actual value of a railway cond ition related parameter in the form of the electrical resistance of a said electrically insulating portion (6) electrically isolating the first rail (4b) of the railway section (3b) electrically contacted by the element (7) from a rail (5a) of the railway section (3a) on which the vehicle (1 ) is resting in electric contact. 3. A system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the means is configured to measure an actual value of a railway condition related parameter in the form of the electric potential difference between the first rail (4b) of the railway section (3b) electrically contacted by the element (7) and a reference point.

A system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the means comprises a further said element (7) configured to be brought in electric contact with a said second rail (5b) of a railway section (3b) adjacent to the railway section (3a) on which the vehicle (1 ) is resting in electric contact, and that each said element (7) is independently arranged in front of the first wheelset (8) or after the last wheelset of the vehicle (1 ).

A system according to claim 4, characterized in that both elements (7) are arranged in front of the first wheelset (8) or after the last wheelset of the veh icle (1 ) , and that the means is configured to measure an actual value of a railway cond ition related parameter in the form of the electric potential difference between the first (4b) and second (5b) rails of a railway section (3b) adjacent to the railway section (3a) on which the vehicle (1 ) is resting in electric contact.

A system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the or each element (7) is a contact strip or an idler wheel.

A system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the vehicle positioning system (15) is a Global Positioning System (GPS).

A system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the storage med ium (14) is comprised in a computer arrangement (12) located on the vehicle (1 ).

A system according to claim 8 , characterized in that the computer arrangement (12) is configured to receive data of the measured actual value of the at least one railway condition related parameter, to determine whether the actual value is on an acceptable side of a predetermined threshold value for the respective parameter or not, and to transmit an alarm signal if the actual value is not on an acceptable side of the predetermined threshold value for the respective parameter.

10. A system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the system is arranged on a railway vehicle, preferably a locomotive (1 ) or a train car.

1 1 . A method for collecting data to be used to evaluate the condition of at least one rail (4a-c, 5a-c) of a railway (2) , using the system according to any of the claims 1 -10, which method comprises the steps of:

• driving a veh icle (1 ) provided with said system on said railway (2),

• measuring an actual value of at least one railway condition related parameter by a said element (7) when this is brought in electric contact with a said first rail (4b) of a railway section (3b) adjacent to the railway section (3a) on which the vehicle (1 ) is resting in electric contact,

• sending data of the result of the measurement to a storage med ium (14), and

• determining and sending data of the position of the vehicle (1 ) during measuring of said actual value to a storage med ium (14),

wherein the actual value of the at least one railway cond ition related parameter is measured continuously in short intervals when the vehicle (1 ) is moving .