Rail flaw detection gain control method and device

Abstract

The application discloses a rail flaw detection gain control method and device, and the method comprises the following steps: collecting ultrasonic echo signals of rail flaw detection; processing the ultrasonic echo signals to obtain A-scope waveforms; converting the A-scope waveforms to obtain B-scope digital waveforms, wherein the B-scope digital waveforms are square waves; counting B-scope clutter in the B-scope digital waveforms; controlling the gain of the ultrasonic echo signals according to the number of the B-scope clutter; locking the gain when the current gain meets the locking condition; and eliminating the B-scope clutter generated in the B-scope digital waveforms and outputting. The application can realize automatic control of the rail flaw detection gain, effectively improve the detection data quality of the rail flaw detection system, and solve the problem that the gain adjustment excessively depends on the experience of operators.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of nondestructive testing, and in particular to a rail flaw detection gain control method and device. BACKGROUND

[0002] This section is intended to provide background information to facilitate an understanding of embodiments of the application as set forth in the claims. The description herein does not constitute admission of prior art.

[0003] The detection process of the rail ultrasonic flaw detection system needs manual gain adjustment to adapt to the ultrasonic signal amplitude variation caused by speed, probe wheel state, etc. The adjustment process is difficult to ensure that the gain value always meets the detection requirements due to the tedious adjustment process and operator experience. SUMMARY

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a rail flaw detection gain control method to realize automatic control of rail flaw detection gain, which can effectively improve the detection data quality of the rail flaw detection system and solve the problem of excessive dependence of gain adjustment on operator experience. The method comprises:

[0005] Collecting ultrasonic echo signals of rail flaw detection;

[0006] Processing the ultrasonic echo signals to obtain an A-scope waveform;

[0007] Converting the A-scope waveform to obtain a B-scope digital waveform, wherein the B-scope digital waveform is a square wave;

[0008] Counting B-scope clutter in the B-scope digital waveform;

[0009] Controlling the gain of the ultrasonic echo signals according to the number of B-scope clutter;

[0010] Locking the gain when the current gain meets the locking condition;

[0011] Eliminating the B-scope clutter generated in the B-scope digital waveform and outputting.

[0012] The embodiments of the present application provide a rail flaw detection gain control device to realize automatic control of rail flaw detection gain, which can effectively improve the detection data quality of the rail flaw detection system and solve the problem of excessive dependence of gain adjustment on operator experience. The device comprises:

[0013] A signal collection module for collecting ultrasonic echo signals of rail flaw detection;

[0014] A signal processing module for processing the ultrasonic echo signals to obtain an A-scope waveform;

[0015] A-mode waveform conversion module, used for converting the A-mode waveform to obtain a B-mode digital waveform, wherein the B-mode digital waveform is a square wave;

[0016] Clutter calculation module, used for counting B-mode clutter in the B-mode digital waveform;

[0017] Gain control module, used for performing gain control on the ultrasonic echo signal according to the B-mode clutter number;

[0018] Gain locking module, used for locking the gain when the current gain meets a locking condition;

[0019] Clutter elimination module, used for eliminating the B-mode clutter generated in the B-mode digital waveform and outputting.

[0020] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer device, including a memory, a processor and a computer program stored in the memory and capable of running on the processor, and the processor realizes the rail flaw detection gain control method when executing the computer program.

[0021] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, and the computer program realizes the rail flaw detection gain control method when executed by a processor.

[0022] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program, and the computer program realizes the rail flaw detection gain control method when executed by a processor.

[0023] In the embodiment of the present application, the ultrasonic echo signal of rail flaw detection is collected, the ultrasonic echo signal is processed to obtain an A-mode waveform, the A-mode waveform is converted to obtain a B-mode digital waveform, the B-mode digital waveform is a square wave, the B-mode clutter in the B-mode digital waveform is counted, the gain control on the ultrasonic echo signal is performed according to the B-mode clutter number, the gain is locked when the current gain meets a locking condition, and the B-mode clutter generated in the B-mode digital waveform is eliminated and outputted. Compared with the method in the prior art which excessively depends on the experience of an operator to perform gain adjustment, the embodiment of the present application realizes automatic gain control by processing to obtain an A-mode waveform, converting to obtain a B-mode digital waveform, then counting the B-mode clutter in the B-mode digital waveform, performing gain control according to the B-mode clutter number, and locking the gain, and finally eliminates the B-mode clutter generated in the B-mode digital waveform, thereby outputting a high-quality ultrasonic echo signal, i.e. the B-mode digital waveform with the B-mode clutter eliminated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or prior art description. Obviously, the drawings in the following description only constitute some embodiments of the present application, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can also be obtained from these drawings without creative labor. In the drawings:

[0025] Figure 1 A flow chart of the rail flaw detection gain control method in the embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the A-scope waveform in the embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the amplitude and threshold of the A-scope waveform in the embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the gate depth information in the embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the B-scope digital waveform in the embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the rail flaw detection gain control device in the embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the computer device in the embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more clear, the following will further describe the embodiments of the present application in combination with the drawings. Herein, the schematic embodiments of the present application and the descriptions thereof are used to explain the present application, but not as a limitation to the present application.

[0033] Figure 1 A flow chart of the rail flaw detection gain control method in the embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 1 the method comprises:

[0034] Step 101, collecting an ultrasonic echo signal of rail flaw detection;

[0035] Step 102, processing the ultrasonic echo signal to obtain an A-scope waveform;

[0036] Step 103, converting the A-scope waveform to obtain a B-scope digital waveform, the B-scope digital waveform being a square wave;

[0037] Step 104, counting B-scope clutter in the B-scope digital waveform;

[0038] Step 105, according to the B display clutter number, gain control for the ultrasonic echo signal is carried out;

[0039] Step 106, when the current gain meets the locking condition, the gain is locked;

[0040] Step 107, the B display clutter generated in the B display digital waveform is eliminated, and output.

[0041] In the embodiment of the present application, compared with the method in the prior art which excessively relies on the experience of the operator to carry out gain adjustment, the embodiment of the present application realizes automatic gain control by processing to obtain the A display waveform, converting to obtain the B display digital waveform, then counting the B display clutter in the B display digital waveform, carrying out gain control through the B display clutter number, locking the gain, and finally eliminating the B display clutter generated in the B display digital waveform, so as to output the ultrasonic echo signal with high quality, that is, the B display digital waveform without B display clutter.

[0042] The method provided by the embodiment of the present application is applied to an ultrasonic flaw detection system adopting the pulse reflection detection principle. After an ultrasonic transducer is excited by a high-voltage pulse, the ultrasonic transducer will vibrate according to its inherent vibration frequency to emit ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic waves continue to propagate in the steel rail, and once there is a defect or a cavity in the steel rail, part of the ultrasonic wave energy will be reflected and received by the transducer.

[0043] In step 101, the ultrasonic echo signal for steel rail flaw detection is collected; wherein the ultrasonic echo signal is collected by an FPGA analog signal collection card, and can be collected in a timing manner.

[0044] In step 102, the ultrasonic echo signal is processed to obtain an A display waveform; in an embodiment, processing the ultrasonic echo signal includes:

[0045] The ultrasonic echo signal is subjected to orthogonal filtering, detection and envelope. Figure 2 FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the A display waveform in the embodiment of the present application, and the A display waveform includes a start pulse, an interface wave, a damage echo and a bottom surface echo, wherein only the damage echo and the bottom surface echo are used to judge whether there is damage, and the judgment basis is whether the amplitude of the A display waveform is greater than a threshold value, such as Figure 3 FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the amplitude of the A display waveform and the threshold value in the embodiment of the present application, if the damage echo exceeds the threshold value, the gate depth information thereof is displayed in the form of an icon, such as Figure 4The figure is the schematic diagram of the gate depth information in the embodiment of the present application. The threshold is basically not adjusted in this process, so the amplitude of the A-scope waveform is controlled by the gain. If the gain changes, the amplitude will be higher or lower than the threshold, so the setting of the gain is directly related to the detection of the damage. The gain control here is needed for the interface gate, the monitoring gate and the bottom wave gate, which correspond to the interface wave, the damage echo and the bottom echo respectively.

[0046] The interface gate gain is manually controlled because the ultrasonic reflector is the rail surface, and its signal is fixedly present in the detection process. In a wide gain range (more than 20 dB), the signal amplitude can meet the requirements. Its purpose is to track the rail surface and eliminate the influence of the damage sound path caused by the change of the probe wheel depression or the up and down bounce, thereby ensuring the accurate positioning of the damage. The monitoring gate gain and the bottom wave gate gain are automatically controlled.

[0047] In step 103, the A-scope waveform is converted to obtain a B-scope digital waveform, and the B-scope digital waveform is a square wave. Figure 5 The figure is the schematic diagram of the B-scope digital waveform in the embodiment of the present application. In this conversion process, only the bottom echo adopts a fixed threshold much larger than the detection threshold. In an embodiment, the A-scope waveform is converted to obtain a B-scope digital waveform, which includes:

[0048] The A-scope waveform is compared with the detection threshold. The A-scope waveform greater than the detection threshold is set to 1, and the A-scope waveform less than the detection threshold is set to 0.

[0049] In step 104, the B-scope clutter in the B-scope digital waveform is counted. In the B-scope digital waveform, the B-scope clutter is counted N every time a falling edge appears.

[0050] In step 105, the gain control for the ultrasonic echo signal is performed according to the number of B-scope clutters. In an embodiment, the gain control for the ultrasonic echo signal is performed according to the number of B-scope clutters, which includes:

[0051] When the number of B-scope clutters is greater than a set threshold, the gain is reduced.

[0052] When the number of B-scope clutters is not greater than the set threshold, the gain is increased.

[0053] In step 106, the gain is locked when the current gain meets the locking condition. In an embodiment, the locking condition is that the amplitude of the interface wave is less than a second set threshold and / or the detection vehicle for collecting the ultrasonic echo signal is parked and the detection button is in the start state.

[0054] Among them, the amplitude of the bottom echo less than the second set threshold indicates that the wheel has been lifted, and the gain is locked, otherwise the gain is not locked. The interface wave here is the commonly known 0-degree interface wave.

[0055] At step 107, the B-mode clutter generated in the B-mode digital waveform is eliminated, and output.

[0056] In an embodiment, the B-mode clutter generated in the B-mode digital waveform is eliminated, comprising:

[0057] The B-mode digital points without echo in the B-mode digital waveform generated by the two ultrasonic emissions are filtered out.

[0058] In summary, in the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the ultrasonic echo signal of rail flaw detection is collected; the A-mode waveform is obtained by processing the ultrasonic echo signal; the B-mode digital waveform is obtained by converting the A-mode waveform, and the B-mode digital waveform is a square wave; the B-mode clutter in the B-mode digital waveform is counted; the gain control for the ultrasonic echo signal is performed according to the number of B-mode clutters; the gain is locked when the current gain meets the locking condition; the B-mode clutter generated in the B-mode digital waveform is eliminated, and output. Compared with the method in the prior art which excessively relies on the experience of the operator to adjust the gain, the A-mode waveform is obtained by processing, the B-mode digital waveform is obtained by converting, then the B-mode clutter in the B-mode digital waveform is counted, the gain control is performed by the number of B-mode clutters, and the gain is locked, so that the automatic gain control is realized, and finally the B-mode clutter generated in the B-mode digital waveform is eliminated, so that the high-quality ultrasonic echo signal, i.e., the B-mode digital waveform without B-mode clutter, is output.

[0059] The embodiment of the present application also provides a rail flaw detection gain control device, and the principle thereof is similar to the rail flaw detection gain control method, which will not be described herein.

[0060] Figure 6 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the rail flaw detection gain control device in the embodiment of the present application, comprising:

[0061] The signal collection module 601 is configured to collect the ultrasonic echo signal of rail flaw detection.

[0062] The signal processing module 602 is configured to process the ultrasonic echo signal to obtain an A-mode waveform.

[0063] The waveform conversion module 603 is configured to convert the A-mode waveform to obtain a B-mode digital waveform, and the B-mode digital waveform is a square wave.

[0064] The clutter calculation module 604 is configured to count the B-mode clutter in the B-mode digital waveform.

[0065] The gain control module 605 is configured to perform the gain control for the ultrasonic echo signal according to the number of B-mode clutters.

[0066] The gain locking module 606 is configured to lock the gain when the current gain meets the locking condition.

[0067] The clutter elimination module 607 is configured to eliminate the B-mode clutter generated in the B-mode digital waveform and output.

[0068] In an embodiment, the ultrasonic echo signal is collected by an FPGA analog signal collection card.

[0069] In an embodiment, the signal processing module is specifically configured to:

[0070] The ultrasonic echo signal is subjected to quadrature filtering, detection and envelope.

[0071] In an embodiment, the waveform conversion module is specifically configured to:

[0072] The A-mode waveform is compared with a detection threshold, and the A-mode waveform greater than the detection threshold is set to 1, and the A-mode waveform less than the detection threshold is set to 0.

[0073] In an embodiment, the gain control module is specifically configured to:

[0074] When the number of B-mode clutters is greater than a set threshold, the gain is reduced;

[0075] When the number of B-mode clutters is not greater than the set threshold, the gain is increased.

[0076] In an embodiment, the locking condition is that the amplitude of the interface wave is less than a second set threshold and / or the detection vehicle collecting the ultrasonic echo signal is parked and the detection button is in a start state.

[0077] In an embodiment, the clutter elimination module is specifically configured to:

[0078] The B-mode digital wave points without echo in the B-mode digital waveform for both the previous and the next ultrasonic emission are filtered out.

[0079] In summary, in the device provided in the embodiment of the present application, the ultrasonic echo signal for rail flaw detection is collected; the ultrasonic echo signal is processed to obtain an A-mode waveform; the A-mode waveform is converted to obtain a B-mode digital waveform, and the B-mode digital waveform is a square wave; the number of B-mode clutters in the B-mode digital waveform is counted; the gain control for the ultrasonic echo signal is performed according to the number of B-mode clutters; the gain is locked when the current gain meets the locking condition; the B-mode clutter generated in the B-mode digital waveform is eliminated and output. Compared with the method in the prior art which excessively relies on the experience of the operator to adjust the gain, the present application obtains an A-mode waveform by processing, converts to obtain a B-mode digital waveform, then counts the B-mode clutters in the B-mode digital waveform, controls the gain through the number of B-mode clutters, and locks the gain, thereby realizing automatic gain control, and finally eliminating the B-mode clutter generated in the B-mode digital waveform, so as to output a high-quality ultrasonic echo signal, i.e., the B-mode digital waveform without B-mode clutter.

[0080] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer device, Figure 7 For a schematic diagram of the computer device in the embodiment of the present application, the computer device 700 comprises a memory 710, a processor 720, and a computer program 730 stored in the memory 710 and capable of running on the processor 720, and the processor 720 implements the rail flaw detection gain control method described above when executing the computer program 730.

[0081] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, and the computer program is executed by a processor to implement the rail flaw detection gain control method described above.

[0082] The embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, which comprises a computer program, and the computer program is executed by a processor to implement the rail flaw detection gain control method described above.

[0083] Those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as a method, a system, or a computer program product. Therefore, the present application can adopt a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Moreover, the present application can adopt a computer program product implemented on one or more computer usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer usable program codes.

[0084] The present application is described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the method, device (system), and computer program product according to the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or block in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, and the combination of the flows and / or blocks in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing devices to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the computer or other programmable data processing devices generate a device for implementing the functions specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams. Figure 1 The functions specified in one or more flows and / or blocks Figure 1 The functions specified in one or more flows and / or blocks

[0085] These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer readable storage medium capable of guiding the computer or other programmable data processing devices to work in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer readable storage medium produce a product comprising instruction devices, which implement the functions specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams. Figure 1 The functions specified in one or more flows and / or blocks Figure 1 The functions specified in one or more flows and / or blocks

[0086] These computer program instructions can also be loaded into computer or other programmable data processing devices, so that a series of operational steps are performed on the computer or other programmable data processing devices to generate computer-implemented processes, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable data processing devices provide processes for implementing the flows Figure 1 one flow or multiple flows and / or blocks Figure 1 one block or multiple blocks.

[0087] The above-described specific embodiments, the purpose, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present application are further described in detail, it should be understood that the above-described is only a specific embodiment of the present application, and is not used to limit the protection scope of the present application, any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method of rail flaw detection gain control, characterized by, The method comprises the following steps: collecting ultrasonic echo signals of rail flaw detection; processing the ultrasonic echo signals to obtain an A-scope waveform; converting the A-scope waveform to obtain a B-scope digital waveform, wherein the B-scope digital waveform is a square wave; counting B-scope clutter in the B-scope digital waveform; the B-scope clutter is counted whenever a falling edge appears in the B-scope digital waveform; controlling gain for the ultrasonic echo signals according to the number of B-scope clutters; locking the gain when the current gain meets a locking condition; eliminating the B-scope clutter generated in the B-scope digital waveform and outputting; converting the A-scope waveform to obtain a B-scope digital waveform, comprising: comparing the A-scope waveform with a detection threshold, setting the A-scope waveform greater than the detection threshold to 1, and setting the A-scope waveform less than the detection threshold to 0; controlling gain for the ultrasonic echo signals according to the number of B-scope clutters, comprising: decreasing the gain when the number of B-scope clutters is greater than a set threshold; increasing the gain when the number of B-scope clutters is not greater than the set threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The ultrasonic echo signals are collected by an FPGA analog signal acquisition card.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, The processing of the ultrasonic echo signals comprises: orthogonal filtering, detection and envelope of the ultrasonic echo signals.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, The locking condition is that the amplitude of an interface wave is less than a second set threshold and / or the detection vehicle for collecting the ultrasonic echo signals is parked and the detection button is in a start state.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, The elimination of the B-scope clutter generated in the B-scope digital waveform comprises: filtering out B-scope digital wave points with no echo in the B-scope digital waveform before and after ultrasonic emission.

6. A rail flaw detection gain control device characterized by comprising: The method comprises the following steps: a signal collection module for collecting ultrasonic echo signals of rail flaw detection; a signal processing module for processing the ultrasonic echo signals to obtain an A-scope waveform; a waveform conversion module for converting the A-scope waveform to obtain a B-scope digital waveform, wherein the B-scope digital waveform is a square wave; a clutter calculation module for counting B-scope clutter in the B-scope digital waveform; the B-scope clutter is counted whenever a falling edge appears in the B-scope digital waveform; a gain control module for controlling gain for the ultrasonic echo signals according to the number of B-scope clutters; a gain locking module for locking the gain when the current gain meets a locking condition; a clutter elimination module for eliminating the B-scope clutter generated in the B-scope digital waveform and outputting; the waveform conversion module is used for comparing the A-scope waveform with a detection threshold, setting the A-scope waveform greater than the detection threshold to 1, and setting the A-scope waveform less than the detection threshold to 0; the gain control module is used for decreasing the gain when the number of B-scope clutters is greater than a set threshold; increasing the gain when the number of B-scope clutters is not greater than the set threshold.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein, The ultrasonic echo signals are collected by an FPGA analog signal acquisition card.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein, The signal processing module is specifically used for: orthogonal filtering, detection and envelope of the ultrasonic echo signals.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein, The locking condition is that the amplitude of an interface wave is less than a second set threshold and / or the detection vehicle for collecting the ultrasonic echo signals is parked and the detection button is in a start state.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein, The clutter elimination module is specifically used for: filtering out B-scope digital wave points with no echo in the B-scope digital waveform before and after ultrasonic emission.

11. A computer device comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that, The processor executes the computer program to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 5.

12. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is executed by the processor to implement the method in any one of claims 1 to 5.

13. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product comprises a computer program, and the computer program is executed by the processor to implement the method in any one of claims 1 to 5.

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