System and method for detecting axle body and axle angle cracks of railway vehicle

Abstract

The invention provides a railway freight car axle in-service inspection method and system. The camber angle of the wheel connected to the target axle is measured at one or more points at which the wheel rotates a circle. Whether the target axle has a defect is determined according to the camber angle measured at one or more points during the rotation of the wheel. And when the camber angles of the wheels at one or more points in the rotating process of the wheels exceed a threshold value, determining that the target axle has defects, and / or when the camber angles of the wheels at any point in the rotating process of the wheels do not exceed the preset threshold value, determining that the target axle does not have defects. When it is determined that there is a defect, an alert is generated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates generally to defect detection of physical components and, more particularly, to techniques for detecting defects in railroad freight car axles while in service. Background Art

[0002] Every day, goods are transported by a variety of modes of transportation, including ships, planes, trains, and trucks. Trains, in particular, allow us to transport large amounts of materials, objects, and / or people over long distances at a relatively cheap price. The train is a great invention, and a typical train includes a locomotive engine that provides power to the train and allows the train cars to move on the tracks. A typical train car consists of a chassis and a body (e.g., container, platform, passenger car, etc.) on it. The chassis includes various components that enable the train car to be dragged or pushed on the railway car. Notably, the chassis includes multiple wheel sets, each of which has a pair of wheels connected together by axles.

[0003] Typical wheels are strong, durable, and well-designed, the result of years of engineering experience and development. Nevertheless, given the importance of freight transport and the significant financial and personal losses that could result from a wheelset failure, wheels need to be inspected regularly for defects. Because typical wheels are primarily composed of metal components, special attention should be paid to cracks, metal fatigue, and / or other defects when inspecting wheels. One particularly vulnerable component of a wheelset is the axle, which typically consists of an axle body (e.g., the portion of the axle between the two wheels), wheel mountings (e.g., the portion of the axle where the wheels are mounted), journals at each end of the axle (e.g., the outermost portion of the axle where the bearings are mounted), and a journal transition zone (e.g., the portion of the axle where the diameter transitions from the larger diameter of the wheel mountings to the smaller diameter of the journals).

[0004] Axle failures are almost always catastrophic and can often result in disastrous consequences and huge losses depending on the speed of the train and / or the weight of the load at the time of failure. There are many types of axle failures, but two particular in-service failures include body failures and journal failures. Both of these failures are caused by defects, usually cracks in the corresponding components. For example, a crack in the journal transition zone may lead to a journal transition zone failure, while a crack in the body may lead to a body transition zone failure. The consequence of an axle failure is often a derailment. However, currently, inspecting the body and / or journal transition zone of a wheelset is a very labor-intensive and cost-intensive process, as inspection of the axle usually requires the axle to be removed from the train car and sent to an inspection workshop for inspection using expensive specialized tools. Currently, it is almost impossible to inspect axles for journal transition zone or body defects at the wayside or in operation.

[0005] For example, reaching the axle body may require access to the bottom of the train car, which may be difficult, and operators are often reluctant to access the bottom of the train car to visually inspect the axle body. In addition, even if the operator can access the bottom of the train car to visually inspect the axle body, if the defect of the axle body happens to be located on the upward portion of the axle body (e.g., the twelve o'clock position) during inspection, the operator is likely to miss the defect, which may cause the operator to fail to discover the defect.

[0006] In-service inspection of the journal transition zone is more difficult because it is obscured by the rolling bearing. Once the bearing is mounted, detecting cracks in the journal transition zone is almost impossible because the journal transition zone is no longer accessible. Summary of the invention

[0007] The present disclosure achieves technical advantages as a system, method and computer-readable storage medium that provide an in-service inspection function for a railway freight car axle. The present disclosure provides a system with meaningful limitations integrated into practical applications, which may include measuring the camber angle of a wheel connected to a target axle (e.g., an axle being inspected) at at least one point during the wheel rotation, determining whether the target axle has a defect based on the wheel camber angle at at least one point during the wheel rotation, and generating an alarm based on determining that the target axle has a defect. In an embodiment, when it is determined that the camber angle of the wheel at at least one point of the wheel rotation exceeds a threshold, it can be determined that there is a defect in the target axle, and / or when it is determined that the camber angle of the wheel at any point of the wheel rotation does not exceed a predetermined threshold, it can be determined that there is no defect in the target axle. In an embodiment, measuring the wheel camber angle at at least one point during the wheel rotation may include: projecting multiple lines onto the wheel surface at at least one point during the wheel rotation, measuring the distance between one or more combinations of the multiple lines projected onto the wheel surface, and determining the wheel camber angle at at least one point during the wheel rotation based at least in part on the distance between one or more combinations of the multiple lines projected onto the wheel surface. In an alternative or additional embodiment, measuring the camber angle of the wheel at at least one point of wheel rotation may include: transmitting each of a plurality of ranging beams from a projector to a different point on the wheel surface at at least one point of the wheel rotation about a target axle, measuring the distance between the projector and the different point on the wheel surface to which each of the plurality of ranging beams is transmitted, and determining the camber angle of the wheel at at least one point of the wheel rotation based at least in part on the distance between the projector and the different point on the wheel surface to which each of the plurality of ranging beams is transmitted.

[0008] The present disclosure solves the technical problem of the lack of technical functionality to inspect in-service railway freight car axles by providing a novel and creative mechanism for inspecting in-service railway freight car axles. The technical solution provided herein that is lacking in traditional systems is not just a simple application of manual processes to a computer environment, but also includes the function of implementing technical processes to supplement the current manual solutions for railway freight car axle inspection by enabling in-service inspections that are currently impossible. Therefore, the present disclosure goes far beyond the scope of simply applying manual processes to computers. For example, the solution provided by the present disclosure includes implementing the function of measuring the camber angle of a wheel connected to a target axle at at least one point of wheel rotation, and determining whether there is a defect in the target axle based on the wheel camber angle measured at at least one point of wheel rotation.

[0009] Thus, the present disclosure discloses concepts that are inseparable from computer technology, such that the present disclosure provides technical advantages for implementing the function of inspecting in-service railway freight car axles. The systems and techniques of the embodiments provide improved systems by providing the ability to perform currently extremely expensive functions (e.g., railway freight car axle inspection) as well as performing currently impossible functions (e.g., in-service railway freight car axle inspection).

[0010] An object of the present invention is to provide a railway freight car axle in-service inspection system. Another object of the present invention is to provide a railway freight car axle in-service inspection method. Another object of the present invention is to provide a computer-based railway freight car axle in-service inspection tool. The present disclosure provides the above and other objects, including at least the following embodiments.

[0011] In a specific embodiment, a method for detecting the presence of a defect in a target axle of an in-service railway freight car wheel set is provided. The method includes emitting a plurality of ranging beams from a projector, projecting the beams onto a wheel surface connected to the target axle at at least one point in a rotation of the wheel. In an embodiment, each of the plurality of ranging beams can be projected onto a different point on the wheel surface. The method also includes measuring the distance between the projector and each different point on the wheel surface to which the plurality of ranging beams are projected, determining the camber angle of the wheel at at least one point in a rotation based at least in part on the measured distance between the projector and each different point on the wheel surface to which the plurality of ranging beams are projected, determining the presence of a defect in the target axle based on the camber angle of the wheel at at least one point in a rotation, and issuing an alarm based on determining the presence of a defect in the target axle.

[0012] In another embodiment, a method for detecting whether a defect exists in a target axle of an in-service railway freight car wheel set is provided. The method includes: projecting a plurality of lines onto a surface of a wheel connected to the target axle at at least one point of wheel rotation; measuring a distance between a first line of the plurality of lines and a second line of the plurality of lines; determining a wheel camber angle at at least one point of wheel rotation based at least in part on the measured distance between the first line of the plurality of lines and the second line of the plurality of lines; determining whether a defect exists in the target axle based on the wheel camber angle at at least one point of wheel rotation; and sending an alarm based on determining that a defect exists in the target axle.

[0013] In another embodiment, a method for detecting whether a defect exists in a target axle of a railway freight car wheel set in service is provided. The method includes: measuring the camber angle of each of a plurality of points of a wheel mounted on the target axle that rotates one circle around the target axle; determining whether a defect exists in the target axle based on the camber angle of each of a plurality of points of a wheel that rotates one circle around the target axle; and sending an alarm according to determining that a defect exists in the target axle.

[0014] In another embodiment, a computer-based tool is provided for detecting the presence of a defect in a target axle of an in-service railway freight car wheel set. The computer-based tool may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer code stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes a computing device to perform operations. The operations include emitting a plurality of ranging beams from a projector, emitting the beams onto a surface of a wheel connected to the target axle at at least one point in a rotation of the wheel. In an embodiment, each of the plurality of ranging beams may be projected onto a different point on the wheel surface. The operations also include measuring a distance between the projector and each different point on the wheel surface to which the plurality of ranging beams are projected, determining a camber angle of the wheel at at least one point in a rotation based at least in part on the measured distance between the projector and each different point on the wheel surface to which the plurality of ranging beams are projected, determining the presence of a defect in the target axle based on the camber angle of the wheel at at least one point in a rotation, and issuing an alarm based on determining the presence of a defect in the target axle.

[0015] In another embodiment, a computer-based tool is provided for detecting the presence of a defect in a target axle of an in-service railway freight car wheel set. The computer-based tool may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer code stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes a computing device to perform operations. The operations include: projecting a plurality of lines onto a surface of a wheel connected to the target axle at at least one point of wheel rotation; measuring a distance between a first line in the plurality of lines and a second line in the plurality of lines; determining a wheel camber angle at at least one point of wheel rotation based at least in part on the measured distance between the first line in the plurality of lines and the second line in the plurality of lines; determining the presence of a defect in the target axle based on the wheel camber angle at at least one point of wheel rotation; and sending an alarm based on determining the presence of a defect in the target axle.

[0016] In another embodiment, a computer-based tool is provided for detecting whether a defect exists in a target axle of an in-service railway freight car wheel set. The computer-based tool may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer code stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes a computing device to perform operations. The operations include: measuring the camber angle of a wheel mounted on the target axle at each of a plurality of points that rotate one circle around the target axle; determining whether a defect exists in the target axle based on the camber angle of the wheel at each of a plurality of points that rotate one circle around the target axle; and sending an alarm based on determining that a defect exists in the target axle.

[0017] In another embodiment, a system for in-service inspection of axles of railway freight cars is provided. The system includes at least one processor, and a memory operably coupled to the at least one processor and storing a processor-readable code, and when the processor-readable code is executed by the at least one processor, the memory is configured to perform operations. The operations include emitting a plurality of ranging beams from a projector, and emitting the beams onto the surface of a wheel connected to a target axle at at least one point in a rotation of the wheel. In an embodiment, each of the plurality of ranging beams can be projected onto a different point on the surface of the wheel. The operations also include measuring the distance between the projector and each different point on the surface of the wheel to which the plurality of ranging beams are projected, determining the camber angle of the wheel at at least one point in a rotation based at least in part on the measured distance between the projector and each different point on the surface of the wheel to which the plurality of ranging beams are projected, determining whether there is a defect in the target axle based on the camber angle of the wheel at at least one point in a rotation, and issuing an alarm based on determining that there is a defect in the target axle.

[0018] In another embodiment, a system for in-service inspection of axles of railway freight cars is provided. The system includes at least one processor, and a memory operably coupled to the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code, which, when executed by the at least one processor, is configured to perform operations. The operations include: projecting a plurality of lines onto a surface of a wheel connected to a target axle at at least one point of wheel rotation; measuring a distance between a first line of the plurality of lines and a second line of the plurality of lines; determining a wheel camber angle at at least one point of wheel rotation based at least in part on the measured distance between the first line of the plurality of lines and the second line of the plurality of lines; determining whether there is a defect in the target axle based on the wheel camber angle at at least one point of wheel rotation; and sending an alarm based on determining that there is a defect in the target axle.

[0019] In another embodiment, a system for in-service inspection of axles of railway freight cars is provided. The system includes at least one processor, and a memory operably coupled to the at least one processor and storing processor-readable code, and when the processor-readable code is executed by the at least one processor, the memory is configured to perform operations. The operations include: measuring the camber angle of each of a plurality of points of a wheel mounted on a target axle that rotates one circle around the target axle; determining whether there is a defect in the target axle based on the camber angle of each of a plurality of points of a wheel that rotates one circle around the target axle; and sending an alarm based on determining that there is a defect in the target axle.

[0020] The features and technical advantages of the present invention have been broadly summarized above so that the detailed description of the present invention below can be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the present invention will be described below, which constitute the subject matter of the claims of the present invention. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the disclosed concepts and specific embodiments can be easily used as the basis for modifying or designing other structures to achieve the same purpose of the present invention. It should also be recognized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention as described in the appended claims. The novel features of its organization and method of operation that are considered to be characteristic of the present invention, as well as further objects and advantages, can be better understood through the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, it should be clearly understood that each figure is used for illustration and description purposes only and does not represent a definition of the scope of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more completely understand the present invention, the following description is given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0022] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system 100 configured for capabilities and functionality for in-service railroad freight car axle inspection according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 2A An example of a wheel set is shown, in which the wheel is mounted on an axle without defects;

[0024] Figure 2B An example of a wheelset in normal operation is shown;

[0025] Figure 2C An example of a wheelset is shown where the axle is defective and the direction of rotation is in the lower half of the axle;

[0026] Figure 2D An example of a wheelset is shown where the axle is defective and the direction of rotation is in the upper half of the axle;

[0027] Figure 3A An example of measuring the camber angle of a wheel of a wheelset by projecting at least one line onto the wheel surface at a certain point when the wheel rotates one circle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0028] Figure 3B An example of measuring the camber angle of a wheel of a wheelset by projecting at least one line onto the wheel surface at another point of wheel rotation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0029] Figure 4A An example of measuring the camber angle of a wheel set by projecting at least one ranging light beam onto the wheel surface at a certain point during the rotation of the wheel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0030] Figure 4B An example of measuring the camber angle of a wheel of a wheelset by projecting at least one ranging beam onto the wheel surface at another point of the wheel rotation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0031] Figure 5 A high-level operational flow chart of a system configured for railroad freight car axle inspection in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0032] Figure 6 Another high-level flow chart illustrating the operation of a system for inspecting railroad freight car axles configured in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0033] Figure 7 Another high-level flow chart illustrating the operation of a system for inspecting railroad freight car axles configured in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that the disclosed embodiments are sometimes shown in diagrammatic form and in partial view. In some cases, details that are not necessary for understanding the disclosed methods and apparatus or that render other details difficult to understand may have been omitted. Of course, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments shown herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The disclosure and its various features and advantageous details set forth in the following written description will be more fully explained with reference to the non-limiting examples included in the accompanying drawings and the contents detailed in the specification. Descriptions of well-known components are omitted herein so as not to unnecessarily obscure the main features described herein. The following examples are intended to facilitate understanding of the implementation and practice of the disclosure. One of ordinary skill in the art will understand the disclosure as meaning that any suitable combination of the following functions or exemplary embodiments can be combined to achieve the claimed subject matter. The disclosure includes the number of representative species within the genus, or structural features common to members of the genus, so that one of ordinary skill in the art can identify members of the genus. Therefore, these examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0036] A person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that any system claim set forth herein encompasses all elements and limitations disclosed therein, and therefore requires that each system claim be considered as a whole. Any reasonably foreseeable item that has a functional relationship with a claim also falls within the relevant scope. After thoroughly understanding the disclosure and claims in the proposed application, the examiner searched for prior art disclosed in patents and other published documents (i.e., non-patent literature). Therefore, as evidenced by the issuance of this patent, the prior art fails to disclose or teach the elements and limitations set forth in the claims supported by the specification and drawings, and therefore the proposed claims are patentable under the applicable laws and rules of this jurisdiction.

[0037] Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to systems and techniques that provide in-service inspection capabilities for axles of railway freight cars. In a particular embodiment, the camber angle of a wheel connected to a target axle (e.g., an inspected axle) may be measured at at least one point of the wheel's rotation about the axis of the target axle. In an embodiment, measuring the wheel's camber angle at at least one point during the wheel's rotation may include: at a first point during the wheel's rotation about the target axle, projecting a plurality of lines onto a wheel surface, measuring distances between one or more combinations of the plurality of lines projected onto the wheel surface, and determining the wheel's camber angle at the first point during the wheel's rotation based at least in part on the distances between one or more combinations of the plurality of lines projected onto the wheel surface. In an alternative or additional embodiment, measuring the wheel's camber angle at at least one point of the wheel's rotation may include: at a first point during the wheel's rotation about the target axle, emitting each of a plurality of ranging beams from a projector onto a different point on the wheel surface, measuring the distance between the projector and the different point on the wheel surface to which each of the plurality of ranging beams is emitted, and determining the wheel's camber angle at the first point of the wheel's rotation based at least in part on the distances between the projector and the different point on the wheel surface to which each of the plurality of ranging beams is emitted. In some embodiments, the above-mentioned line technology and ranging beam technology can be used in combination, wherein a first technology (e.g., line technology and ranging beam technology) can be used to measure the camber angle at at least one point in the rotation of the wheel, and a second technology (e.g., line technology and ranging beam technology) can be used to verify the camber angle measurement value obtained using the first technology.

[0038] In one or more embodiments, a determination may be made as to whether a defect exists in a target axle based on a wheel camber angle measured at at least one point of wheel rotation. In one or more embodiments, an alarm may be generated based on a determination that a defect exists in the target axle. In one or more embodiments, the measuring device may be disposed proximate to the track. For example, the device may be placed on the field side of the track, on the gauge side of the track, or both. The systems and methods disclosed herein may operate on either side of the track.

[0039] In one or more embodiments, an "in-service" inspection or wayside inspection of a target axle of a railroad freight car may refer to an inspection of the target axle while the railroad freight car is in operation (e.g., while the railroad freight car is moving on railroad tracks). For example, embodiments of the present disclosure may provide techniques for inspecting an in-service axle without removing the axle to a workshop, and may allow for inspection of the axle while the railroad freight car is in operation, such as when the railroad freight car is part of a train and is being pulled or pushed on railroad tracks.

[0040] In one or more embodiments, a "target axle" may refer to an axle that is being inspected, for example, to determine if there are any defects in the axle. Specifically, a target axle may refer to an axle that is being inspected for axle body and / or journal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] In one or more embodiments, the "wheel angle" of a wheel may refer to the angle between the vertical axis of the wheel and the longitudinal axis passing through the axis to which the wheel is connected. In one or more embodiments, the "camber angle" of a wheel may refer to the angle between the vertical axis perpendicular to the plane of the rail and the axis passing perpendicularly through the wheel. More details related to wheel angle and camber angle are discussed below.

[0042] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system 100 configured for capabilities and functionality for in-service rail freight car axle inspection according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 As shown, the system 100 may include a server 110, a sensor 130, a network 145, and a user interface 140. These components and their individual components may operate in concert to provide functionality as discussed herein. For example, in operation according to an embodiment, the sensor 130 may be operable to collect data related to the camber angle of a wheel (e.g., a wheel 231 connected to an axle 230 of the wheel set 147) at at least one point of rotation of the wheel 231 when the wheel set 147 is in use. The functionality of the server 110 may be used to measure the camber angle of the wheel 231 at at least one point of rotation of the wheel 231 based on the data related to the camber angle of the wheel 231 collected by the sensor 130 at at least one point of rotation of the wheel 231, and determine whether there is a defect in the target axle 230 based on the camber angle of the wheel 231 measured at at least one point of rotation of the wheel 231. The functionality of the server 110 may generate an alarm based on determining that there is a defect in the target axle 147. In an embodiment, the alarm may be sent and received through a user interface (e.g., user interface 140). Based on the alert, corrective action may be taken with respect to the target axle 230 , such as in-depth inspection, replacement, repair, etc.

[0043] Figures 2A-2D An example of the camber angle of a wheel during rotation being affected by imperfections in the axle to which the wheel is attached is shown. Figure 2AAn example of a wheelset 147 is shown in which a wheel 231 is connected to an axle 230 without defects. In this example, the axle 230 may be free of defects. For example, there may be no cracks in the body of the axle 230 or at the journal transition zone 232. In some embodiments, the axle 230 may be designed to withstand up to 50% cracks without failure. Ideally, the wheel 231 may be connected to the axle 230 at a right angle so that the wheel vertical axis 237 of the wheel 231 forms a right angle with the longitudinal axis 234 passing through the axle 230. In this case, the wheel angle 221 may be formed by the angle between the wheel vertical axis 237 of the wheel 231 and the longitudinal axis 234 of the axle 230. In this ideal example, the wheel angle 221 may be ninety degrees. The camber angle 211 may be formed by the angle between the wheel vertical axis 237 and the vertical axis 239, which is an axis perpendicular to the plane 238, on which the rail to which the wheel 231 is connected during operation lies. In this ideal example, camber angle 211 may be zero degrees because wheel 231 may be connected to shaft 230 at a perfect ninety degree angle.

[0044] However, due to imperfections in the manufacturing process and acceptable tolerances, wheels are not typically mounted to axles at a perfect ninety degree angle. In addition, during operation, such as when wheelset 147 is in use, load forces acting on axle 230, upward forces acting on wheel 231 (e.g., from railroad tracks), and even imperfections in railroad tracks or wheel sides 235 (which come into contact with railroad tracks during operation) may cause axle 230 to flex or bend, which further affects the wheel angle and camber of wheel 231. For example, Figure 2B An example of the wheel set 147 during normal operation is shown. Figure 2B , load forces 250a and 250b may act on axle 230 of wheelset 147, pushing axle 230 downward. At the same time, upward forces 252a and 252b from the rails may act on wheel 231 in an upward direction. These forces may cause bending or deformation of axle 230, which may cause wheel 231 to rotate in a manner that increases the camber angle of wheel 231. In this example, wheel 231 may have a camber angle 212. Similarly, the wheel angle between the wheel vertical axis 237 of wheel 231 and the longitudinal axis 234 of axle 230 may decrease.

[0045] The camber angle of a wheel can be affected by imperfections in the axle to which the wheel is connected. Figure 2B An example of the wheelset 147 during normal operation is shown. Figure 2C An example of a wheel set 147 is shown with a defect in the lower half of the axle. Figure 2CAs shown, there may be a defect 240 in axle 230. The camber angle of a wheel will be affected not only by the defect in the axle to which the wheel is connected, but also by the rotational position of the defect within the rotational range of the axle. Figure 2C In the example, defect 240 may be rotationally positioned in the lower half of shaft 230. That is, defect 240 is located between the three o'clock and nine o'clock positions within the lower half, and in this example, defect 240 is rotationally positioned at the six o'clock position. In this example, as shaft 230 rotates, defect 240 may change its rotational position. For example, if shaft 230 is rotated ninety degrees clockwise, defect 240 may eventually be in a rotational position at the nine o'clock position.

[0046] In one or more embodiments, when the defect of an axle is rotationally located in the lower half of the axle, the camber angle of the wheels connected to the axle may not be significantly affected. Figure 2C In the example shown, defect 240 may not have a measurable effect on the camber angle of wheel 231, which in this case is camber angle 212, which may be equal to Figure 2C In the example of FIG. 2B, there is no defect on the axle 230. However, in one or more embodiments, when the defect of the axle is rotationally located in the upper half of the axle, the camber angle of the wheels connected to the axle may be significantly affected.

[0047] Figure 2D An example of a wheel set 147 is shown with a defect in the upper half of the shaft. Figure 2D As shown, defect 240 may be rotationally positioned in the upper half of shaft 230. That is, defect 240 is located between the upper three and nine o'clock positions, and in this example, defect 240 is rotationally positioned at the twelve o'clock position. In this example, if shaft 230 is rotated ninety degrees clockwise, defect 240 may ultimately be in a rotational position at the three o'clock position. As described above, when the defect of an axle is rotationally positioned in the upper half of the axle, the camber angle of the wheels mounted to the axle may be significantly affected. For example, if Figure 2D In the example shown, defect 240 may affect the camber angle of wheel 231, in which case the camber angle may increase to camber angle 213, which may be greater than Figure 2B The camber angle of the axle 230 in the example when there is no defect, or Figure 2C The defect 240 in the example is the camber angle when it is rotationally positioned at the lower half of the axle 230. In this way, by detecting and measuring the camber angle of the wheels connected to the target axle at different points of wheel rotation, the embodiments of the present disclosure can provide the function of detecting whether there is a defect in the target axle.

[0048] Reference again Figure 1It is worth noting that while the following discussion focuses on an in-service inspection of a target axle (e.g., target axle 230) in which the camber angle is measured and determined for one of the wheels (e.g., wheel 231) connected to the target axle, this is for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting in any way. In embodiments, an online inspection may include performing measurements, such as determining the camber angles of other wheels connected to the target axle 230. In these cases, additional measurements (e.g., camber angle measurements of other wheels also connected to the target axle 230) may be used to verify the results of the measurements performed on wheel 231, or may be combined with the measurements performed on wheel 231 (e.g., by taking an average) to obtain an overall result.

[0049] It is worth noting that the functional blocks and components of the system 100 of the embodiment of the present invention can be implemented using a processor, an electronic device, a hardware device, an electronic component, a logic circuit, a memory, a software code, a firmware code, etc. or any combination thereof. For example, one or more functional modules, or parts thereof, can be implemented as discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or a combination thereof, configured to provide logic for performing the functions described herein. Additionally or alternatively, when implemented in software, one or more functional blocks or some parts thereof may include code segments that can operate on a processor to provide logic for performing the functions described herein.

[0050] It is also noted that the various components of system 100 are shown as single and independent components. However, it is understood that each of the various illustrated components may be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single application, server module, etc.), may be functional components of a single component, or the functionality of these various components may be distributed across multiple devices / components. In such embodiments, the functionality of each respective component may be aggregated from the functionality of multiple modules located in a single or multiple devices.

[0051] It should also be noted that the functionality described with reference to each different functional block of system 100 described herein is for illustrative purposes only and not for purposes of limitation, and that the functionality provided by the different functional blocks may be combined into a single component or may be provided by computing resources located in a cloud-based environment accessible via a network (e.g., one of networks 145).

[0052] The user terminal 140 may be implemented as a mobile device, a smart phone, a tablet computing device, a personal computing device, a laptop computing device, a desktop computing device, a computer system of a vehicle, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart watch, other types of wired and / or wireless computing devices, or any portion thereof. In an embodiment, the user terminal 140 may be configured to provide an interface (e.g., a graphical user interface (GUI)) that is configured to facilitate an operator to interact with the system 100 (e.g., via the network 145) to execute and utilize the functions provided by the server 110. In an embodiment, for example, the functions of the user terminal 140 may be used to enable an operator to provide configuration parameters that may be used by the system 100 to provide the function of inspecting the target axle 230 in service. In an embodiment, the configuration parameters may include a wheel profile, such as a profile that includes information defining the shape, layout, or configuration of a wheel connected to the target axle 230, which the system 100 may use to determine whether there is a defect in the target axle 230. For example, in some cases, the profile of the wheel may be such that, even if the wheel is not defective, the wheel may have a normal camber angle or camber angle range under normal operation. In these cases, the system 100 may use the wheel profile to determine whether the camber angle measurement of the wheel indicates a defect in the target axle.

[0053] In an embodiment, the functionality of the user terminal 140 may include receiving an alarm (e.g., an alarm generated using functionality of the server 110). In an embodiment, the alarm may be presented to an operator via the GIU of the user terminal 140. The operator may be the operator of the train on which the wheelset 147 is installed, or may be a different operator.

[0054] The sensor 130 may be configured to collect data related to the camber angle of the wheel 231 on the target axle 230 connected to the wheelset 147 at at least one point of the rotation of the wheel 231 during the use of the wheelset 147, and transmit or transfer the collected data to the server 110 for further processing. For example, the wheelset 147 may be installed on a train car, and the train car may travel along a railway track. In an embodiment, the sensor 130 may be configured to collect data related to the camber angle of the wheel 231 at at least one point of the rotation of the wheel 231 when the train in which the wheelset 147 is located passes through the railway track. In some embodiments, the sensor 130 may be installed on the periphery of the railway track on which the train with the wheelset 147 installed travels. For example, the sensor 130 may be arranged on the side of the railway track and may be positioned with a line of sight toward the railway track, so that the sensor 130 can collect data related to the camber angle at at least one point in any wheel rotation passing through the line of sight of the sensor 130. In some embodiments, sensor 130 may be configured to detect the camber angle of the wheel with a resolution of at least 0.01 degrees, or even higher, which may enable sensor 130 to detect changes in the camber angle of the wheel of at least plus or minus 0.01 degrees.

[0055] In some embodiments, the line of sight of sensor 130 is configured to ensure full coverage of at least one rotation of any wheel that passes through the visible area of ​​sensor 130. For example, when wheel 231 passes through the visible area of ​​sensor 130, the configuration of sensor 130 ensures that wheel 231 is visible to sensor 130 during a full rotation. In this way, sensor 130 can be configured to collect data related to the camber angle of wheel 231 at any point in the rotation of wheel 231. In some embodiments, sensor 130 can be configured to collect data related to the camber angle of wheel 231 at multiple points during the rotation of wheel 231. The ability of sensor 130 to collect data related to the camber angle of wheel 231 at any moment in the rotation of wheel 231 is important because some axle defects may cause the camber angle of a wheel connected to the defective axle to change when the defect is located at a particular orientation of the defective axle (e.g., when the defect is located at the upper half of the axle), but the camber angle will not change when the defect is located at a different orientation of the defective axle (e.g., when the defect is located at the lower half of the axle). In this way, sensor 130 can collect data related to the camber angle of wheel 231 at any point in the rotation of wheel 231, which enables system 100 to ensure that camber angle changes associated with a particular direction of the axle are detected because the axle rotates at the same rate as the attached wheel and because the sensor covers the entire rotation of wheel 231.

[0056] In some embodiments, the sensor 130 may include a single sensor with a sufficiently wide visible area to ensure full coverage of the entire rotation of the wheel 231. Notably, in a typical configuration, the axle of the wheel set and the wheel connected to the axle will complete a rotation approximately every ten straight feet, in which case the sensor 130 may be configured to have a visible area of ​​approximately ten feet. In an embodiment, the sensor 130 may be configured to continuously collect data related to the camber angle of the wheel 231 at any point in the rotation of the wheel 231 as the wheel 231 passes through the visible area of ​​the sensor 130. In some embodiments, the sensor 130 may be configured to collect data related to the camber angle of the wheel 231 at different points during the rotation of the wheel 231. For example, in some embodiments, the sensor 130 may be configured to collect data related to the camber angle of the wheel 231 at least every quarter interval of the rotation of the wheel 231. In this way, it can be ensured that data related to the camber angle of the wheel 231 can be collected while defects (if any) located in the upper half of the target axle 230 can be collected. In some embodiments, sensor 130 may collect data related to the camber angle of wheel 231 at more regular intervals than every quarter interval of a rotation of wheel 231 (eg, every eighth, sixteenth, etc. intervals).

[0057] In some embodiments, sensor 130 may include multiple sensors that, when combined, include a sufficiently wide visible area to ensure full coverage of the entire rotation of wheel 231. In these embodiments, each sensor of sensor 130 may be configured to collect data related to the camber angle of wheel 231 at a different point during the rotation of wheel 231. For example, in some embodiments, multiple sensors of sensor 130 may be placed side by side. In this case, each of the multiple sensors of sensor 130 may cover a different point in the rotation of wheel 231.

[0058] In an embodiment, the sensor 130 may include a projector 131 and a data collector 132. The cooperative functionality of the projector 131 and the data collector 132 may operate to provide the functionality of collecting data related to the camber angle of the wheel 231 at at least one point of the rotation of the wheel 231. The projector 131 may be configured to project at least one object onto the surface of the wheel 231 at at least one point of the rotation of the wheel 231. In some embodiments, the projector 131 may be configured to have the ability to project at least one object onto the surface of the wheel 231 at any point of the rotation of the wheel 231. In some embodiments, the projector 131 may have a wide field of view or may include multiple projectors such that the projector 131 may be configured to project at least one object onto the surface of the wheel 231 at any point of the rotation of the wheel 231.

[0059] In embodiments, the at least one object may include at least one line. In these embodiments, the projector 131 may be configured to project the at least one line onto the surface of the wheel 231. The line projected onto the surface of the wheel 231 may follow the contour of the wheel. In some embodiments, the at least one line may include at least one laser line projected onto the surface of the wheel 231. For example, Figure 3A and 3B An example of measuring the camber angle of a wheel of a wheelset by projecting at least one line onto the wheel surface at different points of the wheel rotation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 3A As shown, lines 320, 322, and 324 may be projected onto the surface 236 of the wheel 231 (e.g., by the projector 131) at the first point of rotation of the wheel 231. It is noteworthy that the first point of rotation of the wheel 231 may represent a point of a defect present in the target axle to which the wheel 231 is connected, and the defect may be oriented or positioned in such a direction (e.g., positioned in the lower half toward the bottom of the target axle) so as not to affect the normal bending of the target axle or not to affect the camber angle of the wheel 231 by more than a threshold amount. For example, the camber angle 330 at the first point of rotation of the wheel 231 may be a "normal" or "acceptable" camber angle. In this example, each of the lines 320, 322, and 324 may be projected onto a different portion of the surface 236 of the wheel 231. In addition, each of the lines 320, 322, and 324 may be projected at a specific distance from the other lines. For example, line 320 may be projected at a distance 310a from line 324 and at a distance 312a from line 322. Line 322 may be projected to be a distance 314a from line 324. In an embodiment, distances 310a, 312a, and 314a may be previously known distances or may be preconfigured distances. Figure 3B An example of lines 320, 322, and 324 projected by projector 131 onto surface 236 at a second point in the rotation of wheel 231 is shown. Notably, the second point in the rotation of wheel 231 may be different from the first point in the rotation of wheel 231 and may represent a point in the rotation of a target axle to which wheel 231 may be connected, where the defect may be oriented or positioned in such a direction (e.g., positioned in the upper half toward the top of the target axle) as to affect the normal bending of the target axle or to affect the camber angle of wheel 231 by more than a threshold amount. In this case, the rotation of the target axle and wheel 231 may cause the defect to move to that direction, thereby affecting the normal camber angle of wheel 231. For example, the camber angle 331 of wheel 231 at the second point in the rotation may deviate from a "normal" or "acceptable" camber angle by more than a predetermined threshold amount. Therefore, in this example, the camber angle 331 of wheel 231 at the second point in the rotation may be different from the camber angle 331 of wheel 231 at the first point in the rotation (e.g., as Figure 3AIn this case, since the camber angles at the first and second points of the rotation of the wheel 231 are different, the distance between the lines 320, 322, and 324 at the second point of the rotation of the wheel 231 may be different from the distance between the lines 320, 322, and 324 at the first point of the rotation of the wheel 231. Figure 3B As shown, at a second point in the rotation of wheel 231, line 320 may be projected to a distance 310b from line 324 and to a distance 312b from line 322. Line 322 may be projected to a distance 314b from line 324.

[0060] In embodiments, the at least one object may include at least one ranging beam. In these embodiments, the projector 131 may be configured to project the at least one ranging beam onto the surface of the wheel 231. In embodiments, each of the at least one ranging beam may be projected onto a different point on the surface of the wheel 231. For example, Figure 4A and 4B An example of measuring the camber angle of a wheel of a wheelset by projecting at least one ranging beam onto the wheel surface at different points of the wheel rotation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 4A As shown, a ranging beam may be emitted from the projector 131 and projected onto a point 425 on the surface 236 of the wheel 231, and a ranging beam may be emitted from the projector 131 and projected onto a point 427 on the surface 236 of the wheel 231 at a first point in the rotation of the wheel 231. It is noteworthy that the first point in the rotation of the wheel 231 may represent a point of a defect present in the target axle to which the wheel 231 is connected, and the defect may be oriented or positioned in such a direction (e.g., positioned in the lower half toward the bottom of the target axle) so as not to affect the normal bending of the target axle or not to affect the camber angle of the wheel 231 by more than a threshold amount. For example, the camber angle 410 of the wheel 231 at the first point in the rotation may be a "normal" or "acceptable" camber angle. In this example, the point 425 may be a different point on the surface 236 of the wheel 231 than the point 427. In some embodiments, the ranging beam may be projected onto the point 425 and the point 427 so that an imaginary line passing through the point 425 and the point 427 is a line relative to a plane (e.g., Figure 1 238) on which wheel 231 is mounted during operation. In an embodiment, each of points 425 and 427 is at a distance from projector 131. For example, point 425 is at a distance 420 from projector 131, and point 427 is at a distance 422 from projector 131. In other words, the distance between projector 131 and point 425 to which the first ranging beam is projected is distance 420, and the distance between projector 131 and point 427 to which the second ranging beam is projected is distance 422. Figure 4BAn example of a ranging beam emitted from the projector 131 and projected onto a point 425 of the surface 236 of the wheel 231 is shown, as well as an example of a ranging beam emitted from the projector 131 and projected onto a point 427 of the surface 236 of the wheel 231 at a second point in the rotation of the wheel 231. Notably, the second point in the rotation of the wheel 231 may be different from the first point in the rotation of the wheel 231 and may represent a point of a defect present in a target axle to which the wheel 231 may be connected, the defect may be oriented or positioned in such a direction (e.g., positioned in the upper portion toward the top of the target axle) as to affect the normal bending of the target axle or to affect the camber angle of the wheel 231 by more than a threshold amount. For example, the camber angle 411 of the wheel 231 at the second point in the rotation may deviate from a "normal" or "acceptable" camber angle by more than a predetermined threshold amount. Thus, in this example, the camber angle 411 of the wheel 231 at the second point in the rotation may be different from the camber angle 331 of the wheel 231 at the first point in the rotation (e.g., as Figure 4A In this case, since the camber angles at the first and second points of the rotation of wheel 231 are different, the distance between projector 131 and points 425 and 427 at the second point of the rotation of wheel 231 may be different from the distance between projector 131 and points 425 and 427 at the first point of the rotation of wheel 231. Figure 4B As shown, at the second point where the wheel 231 rotates, the distance between the projector 131 and the point 425 to which the first ranging beam is projected is distance 421, and the distance between the projector 131 and the point 427 to which the second ranging beam is projected is distance 423.

[0061] Reference again Figure 1, the data collector 132 may be configured to collect measurements associated with at least one object projected onto the surface of the wheel 231 by the projector 131 at at least one point of the rotation of the wheel 231. In an embodiment, the data collector 132 may be configured to collect measurements associated with the object projected onto the surface of the wheel 231 by the projector 131 at any point of the rotation of the wheel 231. In some embodiments, the data collector 132 may have a wide field of view such that the data collector 132 may collect measurements associated with the at least one object projected onto the surface of the wheel 231 at any point and / or at all points of the rotation of the wheel 231. For example, in some embodiments, the data collector 132 may have a visible area of ​​sufficient size to collect measurements at any point during the rotation of the wheel 231. In some embodiments, the data collector 132 may include multiple data collectors that, when combined, may include a sufficiently wide visibility area to ensure full coverage of the entire rotation of the wheel 231. In some embodiments, each projector of projector 131 can be associated with a data collector of data collector 132 so that the data collector of data collector 132 can collect measurement values ​​associated with at least one object projected onto the surface of wheel 231 by the projector corresponding to the data collector.

[0062] In embodiments, measurements associated with the at least one object projected onto the surface of wheel 231 may include distance measurements, headings, lengths, and / or any other measurements that may be used to determine the camber angle of wheel 231 when the measurements are collected. For example, in embodiments where the at least one object projected onto wheel 231 includes a plurality of lines, measurements associated with the at least one object may include measurements of distances between the projections of the plurality of lines. Figure 3A For example, at a first point in the rotation of wheel 231, projector 131 may project a plurality of lines including lines 320, 322, and 324 onto different portions of surface 236 of wheel 231. As described above, at a first point in the rotation of wheel 231, such as Figure 3AAs shown, a point of a defect that may be present in a target axle to which wheel 231 may be connected may be indicated, and the defect may be oriented or positioned in a direction that does not affect the normal bending or normal camber of the target axle. At a first point in the rotation of wheel 231, the camber angle of wheel 231 may be camber angle 330. In this example, data collector 132 may be configured to measure, determine, obtain, or otherwise collect measurements of the distances between one or more pairs of lines 320, 322, and 324. For example, data collector 132 may collect distance 310a as the distance between lines 320 and 324, collect distance 312a as the distance between lines 320 and 322, and collect distance 314a as the distance between lines 322 and 324. As described above, distances 310a, 312a, and 314a may represent normal distance measurements because these measurements are collected at points where the camber angle of wheel 231 is not affected by the target axle defect (e.g., the defect of the target axle is located in the lower half of the axle, or there may be no defect in the target axle). Figure 3B 2 shows an example where the projector 131 projects lines 320, 322, and 324 onto the surface 236 of the wheel 231 at a second point in the rotation of the wheel 231. As described above, the second point in the rotation of the wheel 231, such as Figure 3B As shown, a point may represent a defect on the target axle to which the wheel 231 may be attached, and the defect may be oriented or positioned in a direction that affects the normal bend or normal camber of the target axle. For example, at the second point of rotation of the wheel 231, the camber angle of the wheel 231 may be a camber angle 332, which may be greater than the camber angle 330 at the first point of rotation of the wheel 231. In this example, the data collector 132 may collect the distance 310b as the distance between the lines 320 and 324, collect the distance 312b as the distance between the lines 320 and 322, and collect the distance 314b as the distance between the lines 322 and 324. In this case, one or more of the distances 310b, 312b, and 314b may be different from the corresponding distances 310a, 312a, and 314a (e.g., normal distances) because these distances 310b, 312b, and 314b are collected at a point (e.g., the second point) in the rotation of the wheel 231, at which the camber angle of the wheel 231 is affected by the defect of the target axle (e.g., the defect of the target axle is located in the upper half of the axle). The distances 310a, 312a, 314a, 310b, 312b, and / or 314b may be transmitted or communicated to the server 110 for further processing. In some embodiments, the data collector 132 may transmit a set of distances (e.g., a set of distances including the distance between each line at a specific point of the rotation of the wheel 231) including the distance between the maximum lines relative to all collected distance sets (e.g., each set of distances corresponding to the distance between each projection line at a different point of the rotation of the wheel 231).

[0063] In embodiments where the at least one object projected onto wheel 231 includes multiple ranging beams projected onto different points on the surface of wheel 231, the measurements associated with the at least one object may include measurements of the distance between a projector (e.g., projector 131) and each point to which a different ranging beam may be projected. Figure 4A For example, multiple ranging beams may be emitted from projector 131 and projected onto different points, such as point 425 and point 427 on surface 236 of wheel 231 at a first point in the rotation of wheel 231. As described above, the first point in the rotation of wheel 231, such as Figure 4A , which may represent a point of a defect present in the target axle to which the wheel 231 may be connected, and the defect may be oriented or positioned in a direction that does not affect the normal bending or normal camber of the target axle. At the first point of rotation of the wheel 231, the camber angle of the wheel 231 may be the camber angle 410. In this example, the data collector 132 may be configured to measure, determine, obtain, or otherwise collect measurements of the distance between the projector 131 and each of the points 425 and 427. For example, the data collector 132 may detect a reflection of a ranging beam projected onto the point 425 and may measure the distance between the projector 131 and the point 425 as the distance 420. In this example, the data collector 132 may detect a reflection of a ranging beam projected onto the point 427 and may measure the distance between the projector 131 and the point 427 as the distance 422. In this manner, the projector 131 and the data collector 132 may operate in coordination to provide a range sensing or ranging function. In this case, distances 420 and 422 may represent normal distance measurements because these measurements are collected at points where the camber angle of wheel 231 is not affected by the target axle defect (e.g., the target axle's defect is located in the lower half of the axle, or there may be no defect in the target axle). Figure 4B An example of multiple ranging beams projected onto points 425 and 427 of surface 236 of wheel 231 at a second point in the rotation of wheel 231 is shown. The second point in the rotation of wheel 231, such as Figure 4BAs shown, a point may represent a defect present on the target axle to which wheel 231 may be attached, which defect may be oriented or positioned in a direction that affects the normal bend or normal camber of the target axle. For example, at the second point of rotation of wheel 231, the camber angle of wheel 231 may be camber angle 411, which may be greater than camber angle 410 at the first point of rotation of wheel 231. In this example, data collector 132 may detect a reflection of a ranging beam projected onto point 425 and may measure the distance between projector 131 and point 425 as distance 421. Data collector 132 may detect a reflection of a ranging beam projected onto point 427 and may measure the distance between projector 131 and point 427 as distance 423. In this case, one or more of the distances 421 and 423 may be different from the corresponding distances 420 and 422 (e.g., normal distances) because these distances 421 and 423 are collected at a point (e.g., the second point) in the rotation of the wheel 231, at which the camber angle of the wheel 231 is affected by the defect of the target axle (e.g., the defect of the target axle is located in the upper half of the axle). The distances 420, 421, 422, and 423 may be transmitted or communicated to the server 110 for further processing. In some embodiments, the data collector 132 may transmit a set of distances (e.g., a set of distances including the distance between the projector and each point of each ranging beam projected at a specific point in the rotation of the wheel 231), including a maximum distance between the projector and the point where the ranging beam is projected, which maximum distance is related to all collected sets of distances (e.g., each set of distances corresponds to the distance between the projector and each point of each ranging beam projected at each different point in the rotation of the wheel 231).

[0064] It is worth noting that in some embodiments, measurements may be collected at more than two points during the rotation of wheel 231. Therefore, it is worth noting that the discussion herein regarding the collection of data related to the camber angle at a first point and a second point during the rotation of wheel 231 is for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting in any way. In some embodiments, data related to the camber angle of wheel 231 may be collected at additional points during the rotation of wheel 231, for example, 4, 6, 8, 12, 32, etc. points during the rotation of wheel 231. In some embodiments, data related to the camber angle of wheel 231 may be collected continuously through the rotation of wheel 231, rather than at different discrete points.

[0065] Reference again Figure 1, the server 110, the user interface 140, and the sensor 130 may be communicatively coupled via a network 145. The network 145 may include a wired network, a wireless communication network, a cellular network, a cable transmission system, a local area network (LAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), etc. In some embodiments, the sensor 130 and the server 110 may be directly communicatively coupled without routing through the network 145, for example via a direct connection between the sensor 130 and the server 110.

[0066] The server 110 may be configured to facilitate the following operations: measuring the camber angle of a wheel connected to a target axle at at least one point of wheel rotation, determining whether there is a defect in the target axle based on the camber angle of the wheel at at least one point of wheel rotation, and generating an alarm when a defect is determined in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The functions of the server 110 may be provided by the various components of the server 110 in cooperation, as described in detail below. Although Figure 1 A single server 110 is shown, but it will be appreciated that the server 110 and its various functional blocks may be implemented as a single device, or may be distributed across multiple devices having their own processing resources, whose overall functionality may be configured to perform operations in accordance with the present disclosure. Figure 1 The components of server 110 are shown as single and independent blocks, and each of the various components of server 110 can be a single component (e.g., a single application, server module, etc.), can be a functional component of the same component, or the functions can be distributed on multiple devices / components. In such an embodiment, the functions of each corresponding component can be aggregated by the functions of multiple modules located in a single or multiple devices. In addition, the specific functions described for a specific component of server 110 may actually be part of a different component of server 110, and therefore, the description of the specific functions described for a specific component of server 110 is only for illustrative purposes and is not limited in any way.

[0067] like Figure 1As shown, the server 110 includes a processor 111, a memory 112, a database 126, a camber angle measurement logic 120, a defect detector 122, and an alarm generator 124. The processor 111 may include a processor, a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a plurality of microprocessors, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an application specific standard product (ASSP), or any combination thereof, and may be configured to execute instructions to perform operations according to the disclosure herein. In some embodiments, the implementation of the processor 111 may include code segments (e.g., software, firmware, and / or hardware logic) that may be executed in hardware (e.g., a processor) to perform the tasks and functions described herein. In other embodiments, the processor 111 may be implemented as a combination of hardware and software. The processor 111 may be communicatively coupled to the memory 112.

[0068] The memory 112 may include one or more semiconductor memory devices, read-only memory (ROM) devices, random access memory (RAM) devices, one or more hard disk drives (HDDs), flash memory devices, solid-state drives (SSDs), erasable ROMs (EROMs), compact disk ROMs (CD-ROMs), optical disks, other devices configured to store data in a persistent or non-persistent state, network storage, cloud storage, local storage, or a combination of different memory devices. The memory 112 may include a processor-readable medium configured to store one or more instruction sets (e.g., software, firmware, etc.) that, when executed by a processor (e.g., one or more processors of the processor 111), perform tasks and functions as described herein.

[0069] The memory 112 may also be configured to facilitate storage operations. For example, the memory 112 may include a database 124 for storing various information related to the operation of the system 100. In some embodiments, the database 126 may store configuration parameters related to the operation of the system 100, such as user information, wheel profiles, acceptable camber angles, predetermined thresholds for camber angle changes, etc. In some embodiments, the database 126 may store machine learning models, mathematical models, rule models, and / or other models that may be used by components of the server 110 to analyze and process collected data related to the camber angles of wheels connected to the target axle to detect whether the target axle is defective. In some embodiments, detecting whether the target axle is defective may include determining the probability or possibility that the target axle to be detected is defective, and determining that the target axle is defective when the probability or possibility exceeds a threshold. The database 124 is shown as being integrated into the memory 112, but in some embodiments, the database 124 may be provided as a separate storage module, or may be provided as a cloud-based storage module. Additionally or alternatively, the database 124 may be a single database, or may be a distributed database implemented by multiple database modules.

[0070] The camber angle measurement logic 120 may be configured to measure the camber angle of the wheel connected to the target axle at at least one point of the wheel rotation. In an embodiment, the camber angle measurement logic 120 may measure the camber angle of the wheel connected to the target axle at at least one point in a circle based on the data collected by the sensor 130 related to the camber angle of the wheel at at least one point in a circle. In an embodiment, the data collected by the sensor 130 related to the camber angle of the wheel at at least one point in a circle of the wheel may represent data related to the camber angle of the wheel at different points in a circle of the wheel rotation, for example, the sensor 130 may collect data related to the camber angle of the wheel at different points in a circle of the wheel rotation of the measured values. In some embodiments, the camber angle measurement logic 120 may be configured to measure the camber angle at each different point of the wheel rotation based on the data collected by the sensor 130 at each different point of the wheel rotation. In some embodiments, the camber angle measurement logic 120 may be configured to measure the camber angle at a point in the wheel rotation corresponding to the maximum measurement value collected by the sensor 130. In these cases, camber angle measurement logic 120 may measure a camber angle corresponding to a maximum camber angle of the wheel (e.g., based on a maximum measurement collected by sensor 130), rather than measuring each camber angle at each point in a wheel rotation for which sensor 130 may collect measurements.

[0071] In an embodiment, the camber angle measurement logic 120 may measure the camber angle of the wheel based on the distance measurements collected by the sensor 130. For example, the camber angle measurement logic 120 may measure the camber angle of the wheel based on the distance between lines projected onto the wheel surface and / or based on the distance between a projector of a ranging beam and a point to which the ranging beam is projected.

[0072] For example, refer to Figure 3A , the sensor 130 may collect distances 310a, 312a, and 314a associated with lines 320, 322, and 324 projected onto the surface 236 of the wheel 231 at the first point of rotation of the wheel 231 and transmit them to the camber angle measurement logic 120. It is worth noting that the first point of rotation of the wheel 231 may represent a point of a defect present in the target axle to which the wheel 231 is connected, and the defect may be rotationally positioned in a direction that does not affect the normal bending of the target axle, or does not affect the camber angle of the wheel 231 by more than a threshold amount (e.g., may be rotationally positioned in the lower half of the axle 230). In this case, the camber angle 330 of the wheel 231 at the first point of rotation may be a "normal" or "acceptable" camber angle. The camber angle measurement logic 120 may be configured to measure the camber angle of the wheel 231 at the first point of rotation based on the distances 310a, 312a, and 314a. For example, the camber angle measurement logic 120 may determine that the distances 310a, 312a, and 314a may indicate that the wheel 321 has a camber angle 330. In an embodiment, the camber angle measurement logic 120 may determine that the distances 310a, 312a, and 314a may indicate that the wheel 321 has a camber angle 330 based on a mathematical operation applied to the distances 310a, 312a, and 314a. For example, the ideal distances between the three lines 320, 322, and 324 may be known (e.g., the distances when the camber angle of the wheel 321 is zero degrees). In this case, the camber angle measurement logic 120 may determine the difference between the distances 310a, 312a, and 314a and the ideal distances to determine the camber angles indicated by the distances 310a, 312a, and 314a. In this way, the camber angle measurement logic may measure the camber angle of the wheel 321 at the first point at which the wheel 321 rotates. In an embodiment, the camber angle measurement logic 120 may report or transmit the camber angle measurement result to the defect detector 122 .

[0073] Reference again Figure 3B, the sensor 130 may collect distances 310b, 312b, and 314b associated with lines 320, 322, and 324 projected onto the surface 236 of the wheel 231 at a second point in the rotation of the wheel 231 and transmit them to the camber angle measurement logic 120. It is worth noting that the second point in the rotation of the wheel 231 may be different from the first point in the rotation of the wheel 231 and may represent a point of a defect present in the target axle to which the wheel 231 may be connected, the defect may be rotationally positioned in such a direction as to affect the normal bending of the target axle or such that the effect on the camber angle of the wheel 231 exceeds a threshold amount (e.g., may be rotationally positioned in the upper half of the axle 230). The camber angle measurement logic 120 may be configured to measure the camber angle at the second point in the rotation of the wheel 231 based on the distances 310b, 312b, and 314b. For example, the camber angle measurement logic 120 may determine that the distances 310b, 312b, and 314b may indicate that the wheel 321 has a camber angle 331. The camber angle measurement logic 120 may determine the difference between the distances 310b, 312b, and 314b and an ideal distance (e.g., a distance when the camber angle of the wheel 321 is zero degrees) to determine the camber angle indicated by the distances 310b, 312b, and 314b. In this manner, the camber angle measurement logic may measure the camber angle of the wheel 321 at the second point of rotation of the wheel 331 as the camber angle 331. It is noteworthy that the camber angle 331 of the wheel 231 at the second point of rotation may be greater than the camber angle 330 of the wheel 231 at the first point of rotation because the defect in the target axle to which the wheel 231 is connected may be rotationally located in the upper half of the target axle at the second point of rotation of the wheel 231, thereby increasing the camber angle of the wheel 231 relative to the camber angle at the first point of rotation of the wheel 231. In an embodiment, the camber angle measurement logic 120 may report or transmit the camber angle measurement result to the defect detector 122.

[0074] Reference again Figure 4A, the sensor 130 may collect distances 420 and 422 associated with the ranging beams projected onto points 425 and 427 on the surface 236 of the wheel 231 at the first point of rotation of the wheel 231 and transmit them to the camber angle measurement logic 120. It is also worth noting that the first point of rotation of the wheel 231 may represent the point of a defect present in the target axle to which the wheel 231 is connected, and the defect may be rotationally positioned in a direction that does not affect the normal bending of the target axle, or does not affect the camber angle of the wheel 231 by more than a threshold amount (e.g., may be rotationally positioned in the lower half of the axle 230). In this case, the camber angle 410 of the wheel 231 at the first point of rotation may be a "normal" or "acceptable" camber angle. The camber angle measurement logic 120 may be configured to measure the camber angle at the first point of rotation of the wheel 231 based on the distances 420 and 422. For example, the distance 420 may represent the distance between the projector 131 of the sensor 130 and the point 425 on the surface 236 of the wheel 231. In the same example, distance 422 may represent the distance between projector 131 of sensor 130 and point 427 on surface 236 of wheel 231, which is different from point 425. Camber angle measurement logic 120 may be configured to apply mathematical and geometric operations to determine the camber angle of wheel 231. For example, knowing distances 420 and 422 and the source point of the ranging beam, camber angle measurement logic 120 may measure the angle of a vertical axis passing through wheel 231. In this case, camber angle measurement logic 120 may determine that distances 420 and 422 may indicate that wheel 321 has camber angle 410. In an embodiment, camber angle measurement logic 120 may report or transmit the camber angle measurement result to defect detector 122.

[0075] refer to Figure 4B, the sensor 130 may collect distances 421 and 423 associated with the ranging beams projected onto points 425 and 427 on the surface 236 of the wheel 231 at the second point of the wheel 231 rotation and transmit them to the camber angle measurement logic 120. It is worth noting that the second point of the wheel 231 rotation may be different from the first point of the wheel 231 rotation and may represent a point of a defect present in the target axle to which the wheel 231 may be connected, and the defect may be rotationally positioned in such a direction as to affect the normal bending of the target axle or such that the effect on the camber angle of the wheel 231 exceeds a threshold amount (e.g., may be rotationally positioned in the upper half of the axle 230). The camber angle measurement logic 120 may be configured to measure the camber angle of the wheel 231 at the second point of the wheel 231 rotation based on the distances 421 and 423. For example, the distance 421 may represent the distance between the projector 131 of the sensor 130 and the point 425 on the surface 236 of the wheel 231. In the same example, distance 423 may represent a distance between projector 131 of sensor 130 and point 427 on surface 236 of wheel 231 that is different from point 425. Camber angle measurement logic 120 may use mathematical and geometric operations to determine that distances 421 and 423 may indicate that wheel 321 has camber angle 411. Notably, camber angle 411 of wheel 231 at the second point in rotation may be greater than camber angle 410 of wheel 231 at the first point in rotation because a defect in the target axle to which wheel 231 is connected may be rotationally located in the upper half of the target axle at the second point in rotation of wheel 231, thereby increasing the camber angle of wheel 231 relative to the camber angle of wheel 231 at the first point in rotation. In an embodiment, camber angle measurement logic 120 may report or transmit the camber angle measurement result to defect detector 122.

[0076] In some embodiments, the camber angle measurement logic 120 may not measure the camber angle at the first and second points of the rotation of the wheel 321, but may determine that the camber angle of the wheel 321 has changed by more than a predetermined threshold. For example, the camber angle measurement logic 120 may determine that the camber angle at the second point of the rotation of the wheel 231 is greater than the camber angle at the first point of the rotation of the wheel 231. In an embodiment, the camber angle measurement logic 120 may report the camber angle change to the defect detector 122. In some embodiments, (e.g., when collecting data for more than two points in the rotation of the wheel 231), the camber angle measurement logic 120 may report the camber angle change between all measurement points, or may report the largest change. For example, the camber angle measurement logic 120 may determine that the camber angle change between two points in one rotation of the wheel 231 is greater than the camber angle change at any other two points in one rotation of the wheel 231. In this case, the camber angle measurement logic 120 may report this largest change to the defect detector 122. In some embodiments, instead of measuring the camber angle of the wheel 321 at the first and second points in the rotation of the wheel 321, the camber angle measurement logic 120 may determine that the camber angle of the wheel 321 has changed. For example, the camber angle measurement logic 120 may determine that the distance measured by the sensor 130 at the second point in the rotation of the wheel 321 is different from the distance measured by the sensor 130 at the first point in the rotation of the wheel 321. In some cases, the camber angle measurement logic 120 may determine that the distance measured by the sensor 130 at the second point in the rotation of the wheel 321 differs from the distance measured by the sensor 130 at the first point in the rotation of the wheel 321 by more than a predetermined threshold. In these cases, the camber angle measurement logic 120 may report the measurement difference to the defect detector 122.

[0077] It is worth noting that the measured value of the wheel camber angle can represent the measured value of the wheel camber angle at a specific point during the rotation of the wheel. Therefore, in an embodiment, the camber angle measurement logic 120 can be configured to measure multiple camber angles based on data collected by the sensor 130 at different points in the rotation of the wheel, each camber angle corresponding to the wheel camber angle at a different point in the rotation of the wheel. As described above, the camber angle during the rotation of the wheel may be affected by defects in the axle to which the wheel is mounted. In this case, the wheel camber angle measured by the camber angle measurement logic 120 can be used to determine whether there is a defect in the target axle to which the wheel is connected.

[0078] Reference again Figure 1, the defect detector 122 may be configured to determine whether there is a defect in the target axle based on the camber angle of the wheel at at least one point in one rotation of the wheel. For example, the defect detector 122 may determine whether the camber angle of the wheel connected to the target axle at one or more points of the wheel rotation indicates that there is a defect in the target axle. In an embodiment, determining whether the camber angle of the wheel connected to the target axle at one or more points of the wheel rotation indicates that there is a defect in the target axle may include determining the probability or possibility that the camber angle of the wheel connected to the target axle at one or more points of the wheel rotation indicates that there is a defect in the target axle. In some embodiments, when the probability or possibility that the camber angle of the wheel indicates that there is a defect in the target axle exceeds a threshold, the defect detector 122 may determine that the camber angle of the wheel connected to the target axle at one or more points of the wheel rotation indicates that there is a defect in the target axle.

[0079] As described above, the camber angle of a wheel may be affected by a defect in the axle to which the wheel is connected. In an embodiment, when the camber angle of the wheel at a certain point in the rotation exceeds a predetermined threshold, the defect detector 122 may determine that the camber angle of the wheel connected to the target axle at a certain point in the rotation may indicate a defect in the target axle. In an embodiment, the predetermined threshold may be a predetermined angle, such as an angle of 0.186 degrees, or an angle of approximately 0.2 degrees. In this example, when the camber angle measurement results of the wheel mounted to the target axle provided by the camber angle measurement logic 120 include a camber angle at a certain moment in the rotation of the wheel exceeding a predetermined threshold, the defect detector 122 may determine that the axle may be defective.

[0080] In an embodiment, when the camber angle measurement result of the wheel mounted to the target axle provided by the camber angle measurement logic 120 includes data indicating that the camber angle at a certain point after the wheel rotates one circle is greater than the normal camber angle by more than a predetermined threshold, the defect detector 122 may determine that the target axle may be defective. For example, a normal camber angle may be configured, which may indicate the camber angle of a wheel connected to an axle without defects (for example, a normal camber angle is 0.01-0.02). In some embodiments, a predetermined threshold may also be configured (for example, a predetermined threshold of 0.02-0.1 degrees). In these embodiments, when the camber angle measurement result provided by the camber angle measurement logic 120 indicates that the camber angle at a certain point after the wheel rotates one circle is greater than the configured normal camber angle by more than a configured predetermined threshold, the defect detector 122 may determine that the target axle is defective.

[0081] In some embodiments, a normal camber angle and a predetermined threshold value that cannot be exceeded can be determined by configuring a normal distribution based on a known good wheel set. For example, a known good wheel set (which may include an axle without defects) can be input into the system 100, and for each wheel set, a set of camber angle measurements can be obtained, including camber angle measurements at multiple points in a rotation of the wheel connected to the good axle. A normal distribution can be obtained from the multiple sets of camber angle measurements. In this case, the defect detector 122 can determine that if the camber angle measurement result exceeds the normal distribution, it indicates that the axle is defective.

[0082] In some embodiments, the defect detector 122 may include a learning model that can adjust the value of normal camber angles and predetermined thresholds that cannot be exceeded. For example, during operation, the system 100 can determine a defective axle based on determining that the camber angle at some point in the rotation of the wheels connected to the target axle is greater than the configured normal camber angle by more than a configured predetermined threshold. However, it may be discovered that the determination of the defective axle by the system 100 is a false positive. In this case, the data can be fed back to the defect detector 122, which can be configured to learn and adjust the configuration of acceptable camber angles and acceptable thresholds.

[0083] In some embodiments, the defect detector 122 may be configured to combine the camber angle measurements at multiple points in the wheel rotation provided by the camber angle measurement logic 120 to obtain an average camber angle measurement for the wheel rotation. For example, the camber angle measurement logic 120 may provide a camber angle measurement for each of the multiple points in the wheel rotation. The defect detector 122 may combine (e.g., may average) the multiple camber angle measurements to obtain an average camber angle for one wheel rotation. The defect detector 122 may compare the average camber angle to a predetermined threshold, and may determine that there is a defect in the target axle when the average camber angle exceeds the predetermined threshold.

[0084] In some embodiments, the defect detector 122 may be configured to determine whether there is a defect in the target axle based on the camber angle measurement of the wheel and the profile of the wheel. For example, in an embodiment, the profile of the wheel connected to the target axle may be obtained. In these embodiments, the sensor 130 may be configured to detect the profile of the wheel, such as by using multiple lines and determining the profile of the wheel. In this case, the measured wheel profile may be compared with the wheel profile stored in the wheel profile database (e.g., database 126) to find a profile match. In an embodiment, the wheel profile in the database may include an indication of a normal camber angle range. For example, the first wheel profile may include an indication of an acceptable or normal camber angle range. The normal camber angle range indicates that when a wheel having a first wheel profile is mounted to an axle without defects, the camber angle of the first wheel profile is generally normal. In these embodiments, the defect detector 122 may compare the wheel camber angle measured at different points of wheel rotation with the normal range of the wheel based on the wheel profile, and when the measured camber angle is within the normal range, the defect detector may determine that there is no defect in the target axle to which the wheel is connected. However, when the wheel camber angle measured at any point in the wheel's rotation is outside the normal range for the wheel based on the wheel profile, the defect detector 122 may determine that a defect exists in the target axle to which the wheel is connected.

[0085] The alarm generator 124 may be configured to generate an alarm based on determining that there is a defect in the target axle. In an embodiment, the alarm generated by the alarm generator 124 may include alarms of different severity levels. For example, an alarm of level one severity may indicate to the operator that the defect detected in the target axle is very serious and the train must be stopped immediately to avoid a potential catastrophic failure. An alarm of level two severity may indicate to the operator that the defect detected on the target axle is of medium degree and the train may be sent to the next available inspection point for further action. An alarm of level three severity may indicate to the operator that the degree of defect detected on the target axle is low and the train may be allowed to continue to the destination and take further action. In an embodiment, the alarm may be handled by arranging or performing an in-depth inspection, which may include sending the target axle to a workshop for inspection, replacing the target axle and / or repairing the target axle.

[0086] It is worth noting that the above discussion of three severity levels is for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting in any way. In fact, in embodiments, more or less than three severity levels may be used to classify alarms, and in these cases, the severity of the alarm may correspond to the severity of the defect detected in the target axle.

[0087] FIG4 illustrates a high-level flow chart 400 of the operation of a system for providing automatic inventory control configured in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, Figure 5 The functionality in the example block shown can be replaced by Figure 1 The system 100 of the embodiment of the present invention is performed according to the embodiment of the present invention. In an embodiment, the operations of the method 400 may be stored as instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the operations of the method 400.

[0088] At block 502, the camber angle of a wheel connected to a target axle is measured at each of a plurality of points during a rotation of the wheel about the target axle. In an embodiment, a sensor and / or camber angle measurement logic (e.g., Figure 1 The functions of the sensor 130 and / or the camber angle measurement logic 120 in the embodiment may be used to measure the camber angle of the wheel connected to the target axle at each of a plurality of points at which the wheel rotates about the target axle. In an embodiment, the sensor and / or the camber angle measurement logic may perform operations to perform the operations and functions described above with reference to the sensor 130 and / or the camber angle measurement logic 120 and Figure 1-4B As shown, the camber angle of a wheel connected to the target axle is measured at each of a plurality of points at which the wheel rotates about the target axle.

[0089] At block 504, a determination is made as to whether there is a defect in the target axle based on the camber angle of the wheel at each of a plurality of points during one rotation of the wheel around the target axle. Figure 1 The function of the defect detector 122 in the embodiment can be used to determine whether the target axle has a defect according to the wheel camber angle of each of the multiple points during the wheel rotation around the target axle. In an embodiment, the defect detector can be based on the wheel camber angle of each of the multiple points during the wheel rotation around the target axle, as described above with reference to the defect detector 122 and Figure 1-4B The operations and functions shown perform operations to determine whether a target axle is defective.

[0090] At block 506, an alert may be sent based on a determination that a defect exists in the target axle. In an embodiment, an alert generator (e.g., Figure 1 The function of the alarm generator 124 in the target axle can be used to send an alarm based on the determination that there is a defect in the target axle. In an embodiment, the alarm generator can be based on the above reference to the alarm generator 124 and Figure 1-4B The operations and functions shown operate to send an alert based on determining that a defect exists in a target axle.

[0091] Figure 6 A high-level flow chart 600 is shown of the operation of a system for providing automatic inventory control configured in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, Figure 6The functionality illustrated in the example block shown can be accomplished by Figure 1 The system 100 is executed according to the embodiments of the present invention. In an embodiment, the operations of the method 600 may be stored as instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the operations of the method 600.

[0092] At block 602, a plurality of ranging beams may be emitted from a projector onto a surface of a wheel connected to a target axle, the beams being emitted at at least one point of the wheel's rotation. In an embodiment, each of the plurality of ranging beams is projected onto a different point on the wheel surface. In an embodiment, a sensor (e.g., Figure 1 The function of the projector 131 of the sensor 130 can be used to transmit multiple ranging beams onto the surface of the wheel connected to the target axle at at least one point of one rotation of the wheel. In an embodiment, the sensor can perform operations to transmit multiple ranging beams onto the surface of the wheel connected to the target axle, at at least one point of the wheel rotation, according to the operations and functions described above with reference to the projector 131 of the sensor 130 and as shown in FIG. 1-4B, and measure the camber angle of the wheel connected to the target axle at each of the multiple points of the wheel rotation around the target axle.

[0093] At block 604, the distance between the projector and each different point on the wheel surface onto which each of the plurality of ranging beams is projected is measured. Figure 1 The functionality of the data collector 132 of the sensor 130 can be used to measure the distance between the projector and each different point on the surface of the wheel, each of the multiple ranging beams is projected onto these points. In an embodiment, the sensor can be operated to measure the distance between the projector and each different point on the surface of the wheel, each of the multiple ranging beams is projected onto these points according to the operations and functions described above with reference to the data collector 132 of the sensor 130, such as Figure 1-4B shown.

[0094] At block 606, a camber angle of the wheel at at least one point in a revolution is determined based at least in part on a measured distance between the projector and each different point on the wheel surface onto which each of the plurality of ranging beams is projected. In an embodiment, the camber angle measurement logic (e.g., Figure 1The functionality of the camber angle measurement logic 120 in the embodiment may be used to determine the camber angle of the wheel at at least one point during the rotation of the wheel, which is based at least in part on the measured distance between the projector and each different point on the surface of the wheel, each of the plurality of ranging beams being projected onto the surface of the wheel. In an embodiment, the camber angle measurement logic may perform operations to determine the camber angle of the wheel at at least one point during a rotation of the wheel, the operations being based at least in part on the measured distance between the projector and each different point on the surface of the wheel, each of the plurality of ranging beams being projected onto the surface of the wheel according to the reference camber angle measurement logic 120 and Figure 1-4B The operations and functions shown are projected onto these points.

[0095] At block 608, a determination is made as to whether there is a defect in the target axle based on the camber angle of the wheel at each of a plurality of points during one rotation of the wheel around the target axle. Figure 1 The function of the defect detector 122 in the embodiment can be used to determine whether the target axle has a defect according to the wheel camber angle of each of the multiple points during the wheel rotation around the target axle. In an embodiment, the defect detector can be based on the wheel camber angle of each of the multiple points during the wheel rotation around the target axle, as described above with reference to the defect detector 122 and Figure 1-4B As shown, the camber angle of a wheel connected to the target axle is measured at each of a plurality of points at which the wheel rotates about the target axle.

[0096] At block 610, an alert may be sent based on a determination that a defect exists in the target axle. In an embodiment, an alert generator (e.g., Figure 1 The function of the alarm generator 124 in the target axle can be used to send an alarm based on the determination that there is a defect in the target axle. In an embodiment, the alarm generator can be based on the above reference to the alarm generator 124 and Figure 1-4B As shown, the camber angle of a wheel connected to the target axle is measured at each of a plurality of points at which the wheel rotates about the target axle.

[0097] Figure 7 A high-level flow chart 700 is shown of the operation of a system for providing automated inventory control configured in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, Figure 7 The functionality illustrated in the example block shown can be accomplished by Figure 1 The system 100 is executed according to the embodiments of the present invention. In an embodiment, the operations of the method 700 may be stored as instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the operations of the method 700.

[0098] At block 702, a plurality of lines may be projected onto a surface of a wheel connected to a target axle at at least one point of the wheel's rotation. Figure 1The function of the projector 131 of the sensor 130 can be used to project a plurality of lines onto the surface of the wheel connected to the target axle at at least one point during a rotation of the wheel. In an embodiment, the sensor can operate and function according to the above description of the projector 131 of the sensor 130, and as Figure 1-4B As shown, the operation of projecting a plurality of lines onto the surface of the wheel connected to the target axle is performed at at least one point during one rotation of the wheel.

[0099] At block 704, a distance between a first line in the plurality of lines and a second line in the plurality of lines is measured. In an embodiment, a sensor (e.g. Figure 1 The function of the data collector 132 of the sensor 130 can be used to measure the distance between the first line of the plurality of lines and the second line of the plurality of lines. In an embodiment, the sensor can be based on the data collector 132 of the reference sensor 130 and Figure 1-4B The operations and functions shown perform operations to measure a distance between a first line of a plurality of lines and a second line of the plurality of lines.

[0100] At block 706, a camber angle of the wheel at at least one point in a revolution is determined based at least in part on a distance measured between a first line in the plurality of lines and a second line in the plurality of lines. In an embodiment, the camber angle measurement logic (e.g., Figure 1 The functionality of the camber angle measurement logic 120 in the embodiment can be used to determine the camber angle of the wheel at at least one point during the rotation of the wheel based at least in part on the measured distance between the first line in the plurality of lines and the second line in the plurality of lines. In an embodiment, the camber angle measurement logic can perform operations to determine the camber angle of the wheel at at least one point during the rotation of the wheel based at least in part on the measured distance between the first line in the plurality of lines and the second line in the plurality of lines as described above with reference to the camber angle measurement logic 120 and Figure 1-4B The operation and function shown determine the camber angle of at least one point in the wheel revolution.

[0101] At block 708, a determination is made as to whether there is a defect in the target axle based on the camber angle of the wheel at each of a plurality of points during one rotation of the wheel around the target axle. Figure 1 The function of the defect detector 122 in the embodiment can be used to determine whether the target axle has a defect according to the wheel camber angle of each of the multiple points during the wheel rotation around the target axle. In an embodiment, the defect detector can be based on the wheel camber angle of each of the multiple points during the wheel rotation around the target axle, as described above with reference to the defect detector 122 and Figure 1-4B As shown, the camber angle of a wheel connected to the target axle is measured at each of a plurality of points at which the wheel rotates about the target axle.

[0102] At block 710, an alert may be sent based on a determination that a defect exists in the target axle. In an embodiment, an alert generator (e.g., Figure 1 The function of the alarm generator 124 in the target axle can be used to send an alarm based on the determination that there is a defect in the target axle. In an embodiment, the alarm generator can be based on the above reference to the alarm generator 124 and Figure 1-4B As shown, the camber angle of a wheel connected to the target axle is measured at each of a plurality of points at which the wheel rotates about the target axle.

[0103] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that without the specific combination of computer hardware and other structural components and mechanisms assembled in the system of the present invention and described herein, the above advantages and purposes will not be possible to achieve. In addition, the algorithms, methods and processes disclosed herein improve and convert any general-purpose computer or processor disclosed in this specification and the accompanying drawings into a special-purpose computer, which is programmed to execute the disclosed algorithms, methods and processes to achieve the above functions, advantages and goals. It should also be understood that for those who are proficient in this field, there are a variety of programming tools that can be used to generate and implement the functions and operations described above. In addition, the selection of a specific programming tool may be determined by the specific goals and constraints of implementing these concepts, which are selected to implement the concepts proposed in this article and the appended claims.

[0104] The description in this patent document should not be read as implying that any particular element, step, or function is an essential or critical element that must be included in the scope of the claims. Furthermore, unless the exact words "means for..." or "step for..." are expressly used in a particular claim and followed by a participle phrase identifying the function, no claim is intended to be relied upon against any additional claim or claim element. The terms used in the claims (such as (but not limited to) “mechanism”, “module”, “device”, “unit”, “component”, “element”, “member”, “device”, “machine”, “system”, “processor”, “processing device” or “controller”) should be understood and intended to refer to structures known to those skilled in the relevant art, and are further modified or enhanced by the features of the claims themselves, and are not intended to refer to Even under the broadest reasonable interpretation, according to this paragraph of the specification, the claims are not intended to invoke the

[0105] The present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. For example, each new structure described herein may be modified to accommodate specific local changes or requirements while retaining their basic configuration or structural relationship to each other, or while performing the same or similar functions described herein. Therefore, the present embodiments should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. Therefore, all changes within the meaning and equivalent range of the claims should be included in the claims. In addition, the individual elements in the claims are not well-known, conventional or traditional. Instead, the claims are directed to the unconventional inventive concepts described in the specification.

[0106] It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits and algorithm steps described in conjunction with the disclosure herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software or a combination of the two. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits and steps have been generally described above from a functional aspect. Whether such functions are implemented as hardware or software depends on specific applications and the design constraints imposed on the entire system. A skilled person can implement the described functions in different ways for each specific application, but this implementation decision should not be interpreted as causing deviations from the scope of the present disclosure. It will also be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that the order or combination of components, methods or interactions described herein are merely examples, and the components, methods or interactions of the various embodiments of the present disclosure can be combined or performed in a manner other than that shown and described herein.

[0107] Figure 1-7 The functional blocks and modules in the can include processors, electronic devices, hardware devices, electronic components, logic circuits, memories, software codes, firmware codes, etc., or any combination thereof. Consistent with the foregoing, the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the disclosure herein can be implemented or executed using a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but, alternatively, the processor can also be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0108] The steps of the method or algorithm described in conjunction with the content disclosed herein can be directly embodied in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module can reside in a RAM memory, a flash memory, a ROM memory, an EPROM memory, an EEPROM memory, a register, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium can be integrated with the processor. The processor and the storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal, a base station, a sensor, or any other communication device. Alternatively, the processor and the storage medium can reside in a user terminal as discrete components.

[0109] In one or more exemplary designs, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, these functions may be stored in a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or codes, or transmitted via a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. For example, but not limited to, such a computer-readable medium may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the required program code device in the form of an instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. In addition, a connection may also be appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or digital subscriber line (DSL), the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or DSL are all included in the definition of the medium. Disks and discs include compact disc (CD), laser video disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0110] Although the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. In addition, the scope of the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments of the processes, machines, manufactures, material compositions, devices, methods and steps described in the specification. It will be readily understood by those of ordinary skill in the art from the disclosure of the present invention that processes, machines, manufactures, material compositions, devices, methods or steps that are currently available or developed in the future and perform substantially the same functions as the corresponding embodiments described herein or achieve substantially the same results may be utilized according to the present invention. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to include these processes, machines, manufactures, material compositions, devices, methods or steps within their scope.

Claims

1. A method for detecting whether a target axle of a railway freight carriage wheel set in use has defects, comprising: emitting a plurality of ranging beams from a projector onto a surface of a wheel connected to a target axle, each of the plurality of ranging beams being projected onto a different point on the surface of the wheel at at least one point of rotation of the wheel; measuring the distance between the projector and each different point on the wheel surface onto which the plurality of ranging beams are projected; determining a camber angle of the wheel at at least one point in a revolution based at least in part on a measured distance between a projector and each different point on the wheel surface onto which each of the plurality of ranging beams is projected; determining whether a defect exists in the target axle based on the camber angle of the wheel at at least one point in one rotation; as well as An alarm is issued when a defect is determined in the target axle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the defect is present in one or more of the following components: The axle body of the target axle; and The journal transition area of ​​the target axle.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one point in the wheel's rotation comprises a plurality of points in the wheel's rotation, and wherein determining the wheel's camber angle at the at least one point in the wheel's rotation comprises determining the camber angle at each of the plurality of points in the wheel's rotation.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: A first point among multiple points of wheel rotation differs from a second point among multiple points of wheel rotation by at least 90 degrees to 180 degrees, and wherein determining whether there is a defect in the target axle based on the wheel camber angle at at least one point of wheel rotation includes: determining whether there is a defect in the target axle based on the wheel camber angle at the first point among multiple points of wheel rotation and the wheel camber angle at the second point among multiple points of wheel rotation.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether there is a defect in the target axle comprises determining whether a camber angle of a wheel at a first point among at least one point of rotation of the wheel is greater than a camber angle of the wheel at a second point among at least one point of rotation of the wheel by a threshold value.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether a defect exists in the target axle comprises determining whether a wheel camber angle at a first point of at least one point during a rotation of the wheel is greater than a predetermined threshold angle.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether there is a defect in the target axle comprises determining whether a wheel camber angle at a first point of at least one point in wheel rotation is greater than a reference camber angle by a threshold value, the reference camber angle representing a camber angle of a wheel connected to a non-defective axle.

8. A method for detecting whether a target axle of a railway freight carriage wheel set in use has defects, comprising: projecting a plurality of lines onto a surface of a wheel connected to a target axle at at least one point of wheel rotation; measuring a distance between a first line in the plurality of lines and a second line in the plurality of lines; determining a camber angle of the wheel at at least one point in a revolution based at least in part on a measured distance between a first line of the plurality of lines and a second line of the plurality of lines; determining whether a defect exists in the target axle based on the camber angle of the wheel at at least one point in one rotation; as well as An alarm is issued when a defect is determined in the target axle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the defect is present in one or more of the following components: The axle body of the target axle; and The journal transition area of ​​the target axle.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one point in the wheel's rotation comprises a plurality of points in the wheel's rotation, and wherein determining the wheel's camber angle at the at least one point in the wheel's rotation comprises determining the camber angle at each of the plurality of points in the wheel's rotation.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: A first point among multiple points of wheel rotation differs from a second point among multiple points of wheel rotation by at least 90 degrees to 180 degrees, and wherein determining whether there is a defect in the target axle based on the wheel camber angle at at least one point of wheel rotation includes: determining whether there is a defect in the target axle based on the wheel camber angle at the first point among multiple points of wheel rotation and the wheel camber angle at the second point among multiple points of wheel rotation.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein determining whether there is a defect in the target axle comprises determining whether a wheel camber angle at a first point of at least one point of rotation of the wheel is greater than a threshold value of a wheel camber angle at a second point of at least one point of rotation of the wheel.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein determining whether a defect exists in the target axle comprises determining whether a wheel camber angle at a first point of at least one point during wheel rotation is greater than a predetermined threshold angle.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein determining whether there is a defect in the target axle comprises determining whether a wheel camber angle at a first point of at least one point in wheel rotation is greater than a reference camber angle by a threshold value, the reference camber angle representing a camber angle of a wheel connected to a non-defective axle.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the camber angle of the wheel at at least one point in a revolution based at least in part on the measured distance between a first line of the plurality of lines and a second line of the plurality of lines comprises: The distance between each pair of the plurality of lines is measured to generate a set of distance measurements for at least one point in the wheel's rotation.

16. A method for detecting whether a target axle of a railway freight carriage wheel set in use has defects, comprising: measuring a camber angle of a wheel connected to the target axle at each of a plurality of points at which the wheel rotates one revolution around the target axle; determining whether the target axle has a defect based on a wheel camber angle at each of a plurality of points at which the wheel rotates one circle around the target axle; and An alarm is issued based on a determination that a defect exists in a target axle.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein: Measuring the wheel camber angle at each of a plurality of points at which the wheel rotates about the target axle includes one or more of the following: The first camber angle measurement process includes: emitting a plurality of ranging beams from a projector onto the wheel surface at each of a plurality of points during the rotation of the wheel, each of the plurality of ranging beams projecting onto a different point on the wheel surface; and measuring the distance between the projector and each different point on the wheel surface to which the plurality of ranging beams are projected; and The second camber angle measurement process includes: Projecting a plurality of lines onto a surface of a wheel attached to the target axle at each of a plurality of points of wheel rotation; and Measures the distance between a first line in the plurality of lines and a second line in the plurality of lines.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein: Determining whether there is a defect in the target axle based on the wheel camber angle at each of a plurality of points during wheel rotation includes one of the following: determining whether there is a defect in the target axle based on the wheel camber angle at each of a plurality of points in a wheel rotation measured using a first camber angle measurement process, and verifying whether there is a defect in the target axle based on the wheel camber angle at each of a plurality of points in a wheel rotation measured using a second camber angle measurement process; or Determine whether there is a defect in the target axle based on the wheel camber angle at each of multiple points in the wheel rotation measured using the second camber angle measurement process, and verify whether there is a defect in the target axle based on the wheel camber angle at each of multiple points in the wheel rotation measured using the first camber angle measurement process.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising: Get the wheel profile of the wheel connected to the target axle; comparing the wheel profile to profiles stored in a database to obtain a matched profile, the matched profile including an indication of a normal camber angle range for the matched profile, wherein determining whether a defect exists in the target axle based on the camber angle of the wheel at each of a plurality of points in wheel rotation includes determining whether any camber angle of the wheel at any of the plurality of points in wheel rotation is outside the normal range of camber angles; as well as Based on determining that the wheel camber angle at one or more of the plurality of points in the wheel rotation is outside a normal range of camber angles, it is determined that there is a defect in the target axle.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein determining whether a defect is present in the target axle comprises determining whether a wheel camber angle at one or more of a plurality of points in wheel rotation is greater than a predetermined threshold angle.

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