Railway signal snap action relay contact gap and uniformity testing device and method

Abstract

A kind of railway signal snap-on relay contact gap, evenness testing device and method, belong to relay detection technical field, including test probe, acquisition control unit, manipulator system unit, probe sensor is connected with the single-chip microcontroller of acquisition control unit, the single-chip microcontroller input port is connected with pull-up resistor, the single-chip microcontroller of acquisition control unit is connected with manipulator system unit, test probe is connected with manipulator system unit, single-chip microcontroller is connected with the upper contact point, lower contact point of relay.The present application is driven by vertical direction by manipulator system control test probe and drives pull rod action, using the principle that vertical direction movement track after test probe and armature contact is synchronous with pull rod and middle contact point to monitor the position information of middle contact point, the opening and closing state of relay contact is collected simultaneously to calculate the contact gap of upper contact point and lower contact point.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of relay testing technology, and particularly relates to a test device and method for the contact gap and uniformity of railway signal snap-fit ​​relays. Background Technology

[0002] Relays are crucial components in railway control systems, playing a vital role in railway traffic safety. Currently, the signal relays used in domestic railways are all snap-action relays. Contact gap is one of the main mechanical characteristic parameters and a critical indicator of relay reliability. Currently, contact gap testing is performed manually using feeler gauges, requiring operators to manipulate each contact. The accuracy of the test results demands a high level of experience and proficiency from the operators, and the results are easily affected by human factors, making it difficult to guarantee accuracy and consistency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of the above-mentioned shortcomings and deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides a test device and method for testing the gap and uniformity of railway signal interlocking relay contacts. The test probe is controlled by a robotic arm system to drive the relay armature in the vertical direction to move the pull rod. During the movement, the position information of the middle contact is monitored by utilizing the principle that the vertical movement trajectory of the test probe after contacting the armature is synchronized with the pull rod and the middle contact. At the same time, the open and closed states of the relay contacts are collected to calculate the contact gap of the upper and lower contacts.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the main technical solutions adopted by the present invention include:

[0005] A testing device for the contact gap and uniformity of a railway signal interlocking relay includes a test probe, a data acquisition and control unit, and a robotic arm system unit. The test probe is equipped with a probe sensor, which is connected to a microcontroller in the data acquisition and control unit. The microcontroller's input port is connected to a pull-up resistor. The microcontroller monitors the contact state between the test probe and the armature, as well as the open and closed states of the relay contacts. The microcontroller in the data acquisition and control unit is connected to the robotic arm system unit. The test probe is also connected to the robotic arm system unit. The microcontroller is connected to the upper and lower contacts of the relay, and the relay's middle contact is connected to the GND of the switching power supply. The microcontroller is connected to the relay coil via a Darlington transistor to control the relay's operation.

[0006] Furthermore, the probe sensor is connected to the microcontroller input port RA0 of the acquisition control unit via a soldered wire. The microcontroller input port RA0 is connected to pin 2 of the pull-up resistor R0, and pin 1 of the pull-up resistor R0 is connected to the 5V+ of the 5V switching power supply.

[0007] Furthermore, after the test probe contacts the counterweight of the relay, the relay's fixing screw, yoke, armature, and counterweight form a metal conductor circuit. When the probe contact contacts the counterweight, the circuit pulls the microcontroller input port RA0 to a low level of 0.

[0008] Furthermore, the microcontroller input ports RB0~RB7 and RC0~RC7 of the acquisition control unit are connected to pin 2 of pull-up resistors R1~R16 respectively, and pin 1 of pull-up resistors R1~R16 is connected to DC5V+ of the 5V switching power supply; the microcontroller input ports RB0~RB7 and RC0~RC7 are also connected to the 8 upper contacts and 8 lower contacts of the relay under test respectively, and all intermediate contacts are connected to GND of the 5V switching power supply.

[0009] Furthermore, the output port RD0 of the microcontroller of the acquisition control unit is connected to the input port IN1 of the Darlington transistor ULN2003, the output port OUT1 of the Darlington transistor ULN2003 is connected to pin 4 of the coil of the relay under test, the COM port of the Darlington transistor ULN2003 is connected to the DC24V+ of the 24V switching power supply, the GND port of the Darlington transistor ULN2003 is connected to the GND of the 24V switching power supply, pin 1 of the coil of the relay under test is connected to the DC24V+ of the 24V switching power supply, and pin 2 and pin 3 of the coil of the relay under test are connected.

[0010] The railway signal snap-fit ​​relay contact gap and alignment test method using the aforementioned device includes the upper contact gap and alignment test method: the test probe is placed at a preset test probe starting position, the test probe moves upward, and when the probe sensor of the test probe contacts the counterweight, the microcontroller acquisition point signal is pulled low to a low level of 0, the position of the contact in the relay release state is determined and recorded, and based on this position, the test probe continues to move upward until the upper contact and the middle contact contact, the position when the upper contact and the middle contact are closed is recorded and calculated to obtain the upper contact gap and alignment.

[0011] Test method for lower contact gap and alignment: The test probe is placed in the preset starting position, the relay coil is energized to make the relay pull up, and the test probe moves upward. When the probe sensor of the test probe contacts the counterweight, the signal of the microcontroller acquisition point is pulled low to a low level of 0. The position of the middle contact in the relay's energized state is determined and recorded. Using this position as a reference, when the relay coil is de-energized, the test probe moves the middle contact down to the point where the lower contact and the middle contact contact. The position when the lower contact and the middle contact are closed is recorded and calculated to obtain the lower contact gap and alignment.

[0012] Furthermore, it includes the following steps:

[0013] Step S01: Connect the relay to be tested;

[0014] Step S02: Move the test probe to the preset position;

[0015] Step S03: Move the test probe up to the position where it contacts the counterweight and record the position information;

[0016] Step S04: The test probe continues to move upward while monitoring the position information of the 8 sets of upper and middle contacts when they are closed;

[0017] Step S05: Calculate the gaps of the 8 sets of upper contact points;

[0018] Step S06: Select the maximum and minimum gaps and calculate the alignment of the upper joints;

[0019] Step S07: The test probe moves to the preset position, and the relay is energized and activated;

[0020] Step S08: Move the test probe up to the position where it contacts the counterweight and record the position information; then de-energize the relay.

[0021] Step S09: The test probe moves downward while simultaneously monitoring the position information of the 8 sets of lower and middle contacts when they are closed;

[0022] Step S10: Calculate the gaps of 8 sets of lower contact points;

[0023] Step S11: Select the maximum and minimum gaps and calculate the alignment of the lower joint.

[0024] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This invention provides a testing device and method for the gap and alignment of railway signal contact relays. The device uses a data acquisition and control unit to control a robotic arm system to move the test probe. The closed loop formed by the test probe and the armature of the relay under test detects whether the probe is in contact with the counterweight. After contact, a common travel body is formed between the test probe, the counterweight, the armature, the pull rod, and the relay's middle contact. This common travel body allows the movement of the test probe to be equated to the movement of the middle contact. By combining the displacement information acquired when the contact is in contact with the closed state of the contact, the gap and alignment of the contact can be calculated. This invention enables automatic testing of relay contact gap and alignment, saving time and effort, with high testing efficiency and high accuracy. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the testing device of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a relay structure;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a relay contact group;

[0028] Figure 4This is a schematic diagram of the contact gap on the relay.

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the gap between the lower contacts of the relay.

[0030] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the test probe structure;

[0031] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a relay action and contact monitoring circuit.

[0032] In the diagram: 1. Relay under test; 2. Contact group; 3. Coil core; 4. Test probe; 5. Armature; 6. Pull rod; 7. Counterweight; 8. Yoke; 9. Fixing screw; 10. Probe sensor; 11. Robot arm connection box; 12. Upper contact; 13. Middle contact; 14. Lower contact. Detailed Implementation

[0033] To better explain and facilitate understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0034] like Figure 2 As shown, the main structural components related to the test of the relay under test 1 consist of contact group 2, coil core 3, armature 5, pull rod 6, counterweight 7, yoke 8, and fixing screw 9. Each contact group 2 includes an upper contact 12, a middle contact 13, and a lower contact 14. When the coil of the relay under test 1 is not energized and is in the released state, the minimum vertical distance between the middle contact 13 and the upper contact 12 is the upper contact gap. When the coil of the relay under test 1 is energized and is in the energized state, the minimum vertical distance between the middle contact 13 and the lower contact 14 is the lower contact gap. Figure 3-5 As shown, the homogeneity values ​​of the upper and lower contacts can be obtained by calculating the maximum and minimum gap difference during the release and engagement processes.

[0035] This invention provides a testing device for the contact gap and uniformity of railway signal interlocking relays, such as... Figure 1 As shown, it includes a test probe 4, a data acquisition and control unit, and a robotic arm system unit. The test probe is equipped with a probe sensor 10, which is connected to the microcontroller of the data acquisition and control unit. Specifically, as... Figure 6 As shown, the test probe 4 is connected to the robotic arm system unit via the robotic arm connection box 11. The robotic arm system unit includes a three-axis motor system and a slide module. The specific structure of the robotic arm system unit is existing technology and will not be described in detail here. The data acquisition and control unit is connected to the robotic arm system unit to control the movement of the robotic arm along its three axes. The test probe 4 is fixed to the robotic arm system unit via a bracket to maintain synchronous displacement. The probe sensor 10 of the test probe 4 is connected to a microcontroller input port of the data acquisition and control unit via a soldered wire.

[0036] The microcontroller input port is connected to a pull-up resistor, and the microcontroller monitors the contact state between the test probe 4 and the armature 5, as well as the open and closed states of the relay contacts under test. Specifically, the 17 microcontroller input ports of the acquisition and control unit are pulled up to a high level by the pull-up resistors. One input port monitors the contact state between the test probe and the armature, and the other 16 input ports monitor the open and closed states of the relay contacts under test. The microcontroller of the acquisition and control unit is connected to the robotic arm system unit, the test probe 4 is connected to the robotic arm system unit, the microcontroller is connected to the upper contact 12 and lower contact 14 of the relay, the middle contact 13 of the relay is connected to the GND of the switching power supply, and the microcontroller is connected to the relay coil through a Darlington transistor to control the relay operation.

[0037] Specifically, the probe sensor 10 is connected to the microcontroller input port RA0 of the acquisition control unit via a soldered wire. The microcontroller input port RA0 is connected to pin 2 of the pull-up resistor R0, and pin 1 of the pull-up resistor R0 is connected to the 5V+ of the 5V switching power supply.

[0038] Specifically, the fixing screw 9 is connected to the GND of the 5V switching power supply. After the test probe 4 contacts the counterweight 7 of the relay, the fixing screw 9, yoke 8, armature 5, and counterweight 7 of the relay form a metal conductor circuit. When the probe sensor contacts the counterweight, the circuit pulls the microcontroller input port RA0 to a low level (0) to detect whether the probe sensor 10 is in contact with the counterweight 7. After the test probe 4 contacts the counterweight 7, it can form a common travel body of the test probe 4, counterweight 7, armature 5, pull rod 6, and relay contact 13. Through this common travel body, the movement displacement of the test probe can be equivalent to the movement displacement of the contact 13. Combined with the closed state of the contact, the displacement information when the contact is in contact can be collected, and then the gap and uniformity of the contact can be calculated.

[0039] like Figure 7 As shown, the 16 microcontroller input ports RB0~RB7 and RC0~RC7 of the acquisition and control unit are connected to pin 2 of pull-up resistors R1~R16, and pin 1 of pull-up resistors R1~R16 is connected to DC5V+ of the 5V switching power supply. The 16 microcontroller input ports RB0~RB7 and RC0~RC7 are also connected to the 8 upper contacts 12 and 8 lower contacts 14 of the relay under test 1, and all intermediate contacts 13 are connected to GND of the 5V switching power supply. The above connections constitute a monitoring circuit for determining whether each group of contacts is closed.

[0040] One output port RD0 of the microcontroller in the acquisition and control unit is connected to the input port IN1 of the Darlington transistor ULN2003. The output port OUT1 of the Darlington transistor ULN2003 is connected to pin 4 of the coil of the relay under test. The COM port of the Darlington transistor ULN2003 is connected to the DC24V+ of the 24V switching power supply. The GND port of the Darlington transistor ULN2003 is connected to the GND of the 24V switching power supply. Pin 1 of the coil of the relay under test is connected to the DC24V+ of the 24V switching power supply. Pins 2 and 3 of the coil of the relay under test are connected. The drive circuit formed by the above connections can control the operation of the relay under test through the output port RD0 of the microcontroller.

[0041] The device also includes a power supply unit, which includes a 48V switching power supply, a 24V switching power supply, and a 5V switching power supply. The 48V switching power supply is connected to the robotic arm system unit; the 24V switching power supply is connected to the Darlington transistor and the relay under test of the acquisition and control unit; and the 5V switching power supply is connected to the microcontroller.

[0042] This invention also provides a method for testing the contact gap and alignment of a railway signal snap-fit ​​relay using the aforementioned device, including a method for testing the upper contact gap and alignment: the test probe is placed at a preset test probe starting position, the test probe moves upward, and when the probe sensor of the test probe contacts the counterweight, the signal at the microcontroller acquisition point is pulled low to a low level of 0, the position of the contact in the relay release state is determined and recorded, and with this position as a reference, the test probe continues to move upward until the upper contact and the middle contact contact, the position when the upper contact and the middle contact are closed is recorded and calculated to obtain the upper contact gap and alignment;

[0043] Test method for lower contact gap and alignment: The test probe is placed in the preset starting position, the relay coil is energized to make the relay pull up, and the test probe moves upward. When the probe sensor of the test probe contacts the counterweight, the signal of the microcontroller acquisition point is pulled low to a low level of 0. The position of the middle contact in the relay's energized state is determined and recorded. Using this position as a reference, when the relay coil is de-energized, the test probe moves the middle contact down to the point where the lower contact and the middle contact contact. The position when the lower contact and the middle contact are closed is recorded and calculated to obtain the lower contact gap and alignment.

[0044] Specifically, the steps include the following:

[0045] Step S01: Connect the relay to be tested 1;

[0046] Step S02: The test probe 4 is moved to a preset position, specifically by the acquisition control unit controlling the robotic arm to move the test probe 4 to the preset starting position of the test probe;

[0047] Step S03: The test probe 4 moves up to the position where it contacts the counterweight 7 and records the position information. Specifically, the acquisition control unit controls the test probe 4 to move upward. When the test probe 4 contacts the counterweight 7, the signal of the microcontroller acquisition point will be pulled low to a low level of 0. The test probe 4 stops moving upward. At this time, the position of the connection point is recorded as WS0.

[0048] Step S04: The test probe continues to move upward while monitoring the position information when the 8 sets of upper contacts and middle contacts are closed. Specifically, the acquisition and control unit controls the test probe 4 to continue moving upward and records the position information WS1~WS8 when the 8 sets of upper contacts 12 and middle contacts 13 are closed.

[0049] Step S05: Calculate the gaps of the 8 sets of upper contact points. Specifically, subtract WS0 from WS1~WS8 to obtain the gaps of each upper contact point 12 as JS1~JS8.

[0050] Step S06: Select the maximum and minimum gaps, and calculate the upper joint alignment. Specifically, select the maximum value JS from JS1 to JS8. max With minimum value JS min The homogeneity of the upper node, QS=JS, is calculated by subtraction. max -JS min ;

[0051] Step S07: The test probe moves to the preset position, and the relay is energized and pulled up. Specifically, the data acquisition control unit controls the robotic arm to move the test probe 4 to the preset starting position of the test probe, and the relay coil is energized to make the relay pull up.

[0052] Step S08: The test probe moves up to the position where it contacts the counterweight and records the position information. The relay is de-energized. Specifically, the acquisition control unit controls the test probe 4 to move upward. When the test probe 4 contacts the counterweight 7, the signal of the microcontroller acquisition point will be pulled low to a low level of 0. The test probe 4 stops moving upward. At this time, the position of the middle contact 13 is recorded as WX0.

[0053] Step S09: The test probe moves downward while monitoring the position information of the 8 sets of lower contacts and middle contacts when they are closed. Specifically, the acquisition and control unit controls the test probe 4 to move downward and records the position information WX1~WX8 of the 8 sets of lower contacts 14 and middle contacts 13 when they are closed.

[0054] Step S10: Calculate the gaps of the 8 lower contact points. Specifically, subtract WX0 from WX1~WX8 to obtain the gaps of each lower contact point as JX1~JX8.

[0055] Step S11: Select the maximum and minimum gaps, and calculate the alignment of the lower joint. Specifically, select the maximum value JX from JX1 to JX8. max With minimum value JXmin The homogeneity of the lower node is calculated by subtraction: QX = JX max -JX min .

[0056] The above examples illustrate that the present invention can realize the automatic measurement of contact gaps, and forms an initial position judgment and detection circuit for the contact through the structure of the test probe and the relay itself, which solves the problem that the robot control system cannot locate the initial state of the contact. In particular, when testing the lower contact gap and alignment, the relay can be energized first, then the probe is used to locate the position, and then the relay is de-energized to achieve the testing of the lower contact gap and alignment.

[0057] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Any modifications, alterations, substitutions, and variations made by those skilled in the art to the above embodiments are within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A testing device for the contact gap and uniformity of a railway signal interlocking relay, characterized in that: The system includes a test probe, a data acquisition and control unit, and a robotic arm system. The test probe is equipped with a probe sensor, which is connected to the microcontroller of the data acquisition and control unit. The microcontroller's input port is connected to a pull-up resistor. The microcontroller monitors the contact state between the test probe and the armature, as well as the open and closed states of the relay contacts. The microcontroller of the data acquisition and control unit is connected to the robotic arm system, and the test probe is also connected to the robotic arm system. The microcontroller is connected to the upper and lower contacts of the relay, and the relay's middle contact is connected to the GND of the switching power supply. The microcontroller is connected to the relay coil through a Darlington transistor to control the relay's operation. After the test probe contacts the relay's counterweight, the relay's fixing screw, yoke, armature, and counterweight form a metal conductor circuit. When the probe contact touches the counterweight, the circuit pulls the microcontroller's input port RA0 to a low level (0). The contact between the test probe and the counterweight constitutes a common travel body for the test probe, counterweight, armature, pull rod, and relay's middle contact.

2. The test device for the contact gap and uniformity of a railway signal interlocking relay according to claim 1, characterized in that: The probe sensor is connected to the microcontroller input port RA0 of the acquisition control unit via a soldered wire. The microcontroller input port RA0 is connected to pin 2 of the pull-up resistor R0, and pin 1 of the pull-up resistor R0 is connected to the 5V+ of the 5V switching power supply.

3. The test device for the contact gap and uniformity of a railway signal interlocking relay according to claim 1, characterized in that: The microcontroller input ports RB0~RB7 and RC0~RC7 of the acquisition and control unit are connected to pin 2 of pull-up resistors R1~R16 respectively, and pin 1 of pull-up resistors R1~R16 is connected to DC5V+ of the 5V switching power supply. The microcontroller input ports RB0~RB7 are connected to the 8 upper contacts of the relay under test, RC0~RC7 are connected to the 8 lower contacts of the relay under test, and all intermediate contacts are connected to GND of the 5V switching power supply.

4. The test device for the contact gap and uniformity of a railway signal snap-fit ​​relay according to claim 1, characterized in that: The output port RD0 of the microcontroller of the acquisition control unit is connected to the input port IN1 of the Darlington transistor ULN2003. The output port OUT1 of the Darlington transistor ULN2003 is connected to pin 4 of the coil of the relay under test. The COM port of the Darlington transistor ULN2003 is connected to the DC24V+ of the 24V switching power supply. The GND port of the Darlington transistor ULN2003 is connected to the GND of the 24V switching power supply. Pin 1 of the coil of the relay under test is connected to the DC24V+ of the 24V switching power supply. Pins 2 and 3 of the coil of the relay under test are connected.

5. A method for testing the contact gap and uniformity of railway signal interlocking relays using the device described in any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, include Test method for upper contact gap and alignment: The test probe is placed at the preset test probe starting position. The test probe moves upward. When the probe sensor of the test probe contacts the counterweight, the signal of the microcontroller acquisition point is pulled low to a low level of 0. The position of the contact in the relay release state is judged and recorded. Based on this position, the test probe continues to move upward until the upper contact and the middle contact contact. The position when the upper contact and the middle contact are closed is recorded and calculated to obtain the upper contact gap and alignment. Test method for lower contact gap and alignment: The test probe is placed in the preset starting position, the relay coil is energized to make the relay pull up, and the test probe moves upward. When the probe sensor of the test probe contacts the counterweight, the signal of the microcontroller acquisition point is pulled low to a low level of 0. The position of the middle contact in the relay's energized state is determined and recorded. Using this position as a reference, when the relay coil is de-energized, the test probe moves the middle contact down to the point where the lower contact and the middle contact contact. The position when the lower contact and the middle contact are closed is recorded and calculated to obtain the lower contact gap and alignment.

6. The method for testing the contact gap and uniformity of railway signal interlocking relays according to claim 5, characterized in that: Includes the following steps: Step S01: Connect the relay to be tested; Step S02: Move the test probe to the preset position; Step S03: Move the test probe up to the position where it contacts the counterweight and record the position information; Step S04: The test probe continues to move upward while monitoring the position information of the 8 sets of upper and middle contacts when they are closed; Step S05: Calculate the gaps of the 8 sets of upper contact points; Step S06: Select the maximum and minimum gaps and calculate the alignment of the upper joints; Step S07: The test probe moves to the preset position, and the relay is energized and activated; Step S08: Move the test probe up to the position where it contacts the counterweight and record the position information; then de-energize the relay. Step S09: The test probe moves downward while simultaneously monitoring the position information of the 8 sets of lower and middle contacts when they are closed; Step S10: Calculate the gaps of 8 sets of lower contact points; Step S11: Select the maximum and minimum gaps and calculate the alignment of the lower joint.

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