An intelligent metering device for railway locomotive instruments

Abstract

The present invention discloses an intelligent metering device for railway locomotive instruments, which relates to the technical field of railway locomotive instrument detection and calibration equipment, in order to solve the problem that the metering equipment has a single function and a scattered layout, resulting in low operating efficiency. Among them, the cabinet is divided into a metering work compartment and a device installation compartment; the metering work compartment is located above the device installation compartment; the metering work compartment is provided with a sealed door, and a shift assembly is provided on the side wall opposite to the sealed door in the metering work compartment; an image acquisition assembly is installed on the shift assembly; a ventilation window is provided on the bottom surface of the metering work compartment; a mounting seat is provided in the metering work compartment; the mounting seat is located between the image acquisition assembly and the sealed door; the mounting seat is connected to the corresponding signal source; the device installation compartment is provided with a metering control assembly, an environmental control assembly and a signal source; the power supply is electrically connected to the metering control assembly, the environmental control assembly, the signal source, the image acquisition assembly and the shift assembly. The above-mentioned metering equipment improves operating efficiency and quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of railway locomotive instrument detection and calibration equipment, in particular to railway locomotive instrument intelligent metering equipment. Background Art

[0002] Metrology plays an increasingly important role in supporting the high-quality development of railways, including railway operations management, engineering construction, equipment manufacturing, and cargo trade. Locomotives, as crucial railway equipment, require various instruments and sensors to monitor and display various parameters during operation, allowing drivers and accompanying personnel to observe the normal operation of various parameters in real time. Therefore, the ability of locomotive instruments to accurately reflect the locomotive's true condition is a major issue concerning driving safety.

[0003] Therefore, it is necessary to calibrate or verify the locomotive instruments regularly. At present, the calibration or verification of locomotive instruments and related management work in various domestic locomotive depots have the following problems:

[0004] (1) The existing locomotive instrument measurement (calibration, verification) equipment has a single function. The locomotive instrument measurement work needs to go through the following process: the instruments are sorted and sorted, transported to the corresponding measurement stations according to the classification, and the operators at the stations perform measurement calibration or measurement verification respectively. The work is complicated and the work efficiency is low;

[0005] (2) The existing metering equipment (stations) are scattered. As the number of instruments (including sensors) on the locomotive that need to be removed before metering work is carried out decreases, the workload of each operator is reduced. However, if the number of operators is simply reduced, the time for operators to shuttle back and forth between different metering stations will increase, and the staff will need to master the skills to operate different metering equipment, which requires high personal ability and quality.

[0006] To address this issue, a utility model patent, entitled "A Railway Locomotive Instrument Testing Device," with authorization publication number "CN207317830U," addresses the aforementioned issues by integrating testing equipment for several locomotive instruments onto a single workbench. However, this device does not fundamentally change the operational approach, and instrument calibration and testing still requires manual labor. Currently, locomotives are equipped with instruments primarily consisting of pressure gauges, voltmeters, ammeters, and speedometers. Most locomotives employ pointer-type (single-needle or double-needle) instruments, making the verification or calibration process complex and requiring manual recording of the displayed data. Furthermore, after removing the locomotive instruments from the locomotive, they must remain stationary in a constant temperature and humidity environment for a certain period of time (generally 24 hours) before calibration (or verification) can be performed. Consequently, the operational process is disjointed. Overall, this patent (A Railway Locomotive Instrument Testing Device) merely addresses the limited functionality and dispersed layout of existing metering equipment (workstations), without substantially improving the efficiency of locomotive instrumentation.

[0007] From the above, it can be seen that there is still a need to develop a measuring device that can truly solve the current problems in the metrological calibration of locomotive instruments. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is that locomotive instrument measurement equipment has a single function and a scattered layout, which leads to low efficiency and high personnel requirements for locomotive instrument measurement and calibration work; to this end, the present invention provides a railway locomotive instrument intelligent metering equipment that can efficiently complete locomotive instrument measurement and calibration work in a one-stop manner.

[0009] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: to provide an intelligent metering device for railway locomotive instruments, including a cabinet, a power supply, a signal source, a metering control component, an environmental control component, an image acquisition component, and a shift component; the cabinet is divided into a metering working chamber and a device installation chamber; the metering working chamber is an independent space located above the device installation chamber; a sealed door is provided on the front of the metering working chamber, and the shift component is provided on the side wall opposite to the sealed door in the metering working chamber; the image acquisition component is installed on the shift component, and the shift component drives the image acquisition component to move in a vertical plane; a ventilation window is provided on the bottom surface of the metering working chamber; several mounting seats are provided in the metering working chamber; the mounting seat is located between the image acquisition component and the sealed door; the mounting seat is connected to the corresponding signal source; the device installation chamber is provided with a metering control component, an environmental control component and a signal source; the power supply is electrically connected to the metering control component, the environmental control component, the signal source, the image acquisition component and the shift component respectively; and the environmental control component is connected to the ventilation window of the metering working chamber.

[0010] Compared with the existing technology, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: the metering work chamber in the cabinet provides a closed space with constant temperature and humidity for metering work, and the instrument can be directly installed on the corresponding installation slot in the metering work chamber after being disassembled, saving the time of transporting the instrument; the image acquisition component is driven by the shift component to complete the image acquisition and indication reading of the instrument calibration process on each installation slot, replacing manual reading and recording work, and improving work efficiency and quality.

[0011] In order to achieve better technical effects, the following improvements can be made on the basis of the above technical solutions. The specific improvement solutions are as follows.

[0012] Furthermore, the number and type of mounting seats in the metering working compartment match the number and type of pointer instruments on the locomotive.

[0013] That is, according to the instruments of the assigned locomotive model, the number and type of mounting bases are customized, so as to achieve a truly one-stop completion of the measurement operations of all pointer instruments on a locomotive, greatly improving the operating efficiency.

[0014] Furthermore, the signal source includes a voltage source, a current source, a resistance source and a pressure source; and the mounting base includes at least a mounting base for mounting a mechanical pressure gauge, a voltage and current meter, and a locomotive speed meter.

[0015] Furthermore, the mounting seats in the metering working chamber are arranged in layers.

[0016] Furthermore, the mounting base is layered in the vertical direction and is divided into three layers; the top layer is provided with a mounting base for a mechanical pressure gauge, the middle layer is provided with a mounting base for a voltage and current meter, and the bottom layer is provided with a mounting base for a locomotive speedometer.

[0017] Furthermore, the image acquisition component includes a camera, a fill light and a mounting frame; the mounting frame is fixedly mounted on the shift component, and the camera and the fill light are fixed on the mounting frame.

[0018] Furthermore, the fill light adopts two surface light sources, and the surface light sources are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the camera.

[0019] Furthermore, the shifting component adopts a cross module or a serial robot arm with more than three axes.

[0020] Furthermore, the top edge of the sealed door is hinged to the cabinet body, and support rods are respectively connected between the two side edges of the sealed door and the cabinet, and the support rods are gas spring type support rods.

[0021] Furthermore, the metering control component includes an industrial computer and an input and output module; the industrial computer adopts a fanless embedded industrial computer; and an air conditioner is adopted as the environmental control component. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 This is a front view of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 is with Figure 1 corresponding stereograms of embodiments of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a cabinet in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 is with Figure 3 The AA cross-sectional view of the corresponding cabinet;

[0026] Figure 5 is a structural diagram of an image acquisition component according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 6 Therefore Figure 5 A top view of the image acquisition assembly in an embodiment of the present invention, which is a main view;

[0028] In the figure: cabinet 1, metering work chamber 101, sealing door 1011, mounting base 1012; device mounting chamber 102; image acquisition component 2, camera 201, fill light 202, mounting bracket 203; shift component 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0030] The railway locomotive instrument intelligent metering device provided in this embodiment is mainly composed of a cabinet 1, a power supply, a signal source, a metering control component, an environmental control component, an image acquisition component 2, and a shift component 3.

[0031] Among them, the cabinet 1 is divided into a metering work chamber 101 and a device installation chamber 102. In this embodiment, the cabinet 1 is cubic in shape, close to a rectangular structure. It uses metal plates (such as Q235 steel plates with a thickness of 1.2 mm) to cut through sheet metal processes (bending, punching, cutting, etc.), and then uses welding or riveting processes to form. During the implementation process, in order to enhance the strength and stability of the cabinet 1, metal profiles are used to build a support frame inside the cabinet 1, and then the processed metal plates are fixed on the support frame.

[0032] In this embodiment, the independent space on the upper right side of the cabinet 1 is the metering working compartment 101; the space below the metering working compartment 101 is the device installation compartment 102, and the space between the back of the metering working compartment 101 and the inner wall of the cabinet 1 is connected to the device installation compartment 102, which is used to install electrical components such as wiring terminals and relays, as well as control air circuits and other accessories.

[0033] like Figure 1As shown, a sealed door 1011 is provided on the front of the metering working chamber 101, and a shift assembly 3 is provided on the side wall opposite to the sealed door 1011 in the metering working chamber 101. In this embodiment, bolts are used to fix the fixed part (stator) of the shift assembly 3 to the side wall; the moving part (mover) of the shift assembly 3 is used to install the image acquisition assembly 2, and the image acquisition assembly 2 is fixed to the moving part of the moving assembly.

[0034] The shift component 3 drives the image acquisition component 2 to move in the vertical plane, and the movement range at least covers the range of all mounting seats 1012, that is, it ensures that the image acquisition component 2 can be moved to the front of any instrument to be calibrated (or the preset indication reading position, that is, the image acquisition position).

[0035] like Figure 2 As shown, the metering chamber 101 has a rectangular vent located on the bottom surface near the left and right side walls. The vent is covered with a cover plate with air holes. Because the vent and cover are relatively simple in structure and their placement is not critical, they are not shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0036] Several mounting blocks 1012 are located within the metrology chamber 101. These blocks are used to mount instruments to be calibrated (verified). These blocks are located between the image acquisition assembly 2 and the sealed door 1011. These blocks are connected to corresponding signal sources to provide the necessary signals for instrument calibration (verification). The number and type of mounting blocks 1012 should be determined based on specific needs.

[0037] The metering control component, the environmental control component and the signal source are all installed in the device installation compartment 102 .

[0038] The power supply is electrically connected to the metering control component, the environmental control component, the signal source, the image acquisition component 2, and the shift component 3 respectively; the power supply adopts AC220V, 50Hz.

[0039] The environmental control component is connected to the ventilation window of the metering working chamber 101, and the temperature and humidity of the metering working chamber 101 are regulated through the ventilation window.

[0040] In the specific implementation process, in order to achieve better results, the following preferred implementation schemes can also be adopted, as detailed below.

[0041] As a preferred embodiment, the number and type of mounting seats 1012 in the metering work chamber 101 match the number and type of pointer instruments on the locomotive.

[0042] During implementation, the number and types of pointer instruments are counted based on the locomotive models assigned to the section, and corresponding mounting blocks 1012 are then installed within the metrology work compartment 101. Specifically, the number and types of mounting blocks 1012 are customized based on the instruments on the assigned locomotive models, enabling a truly one-stop metrological verification of all pointer instruments on a locomotive, significantly improving operational efficiency.

[0043] As a preferred embodiment, the signal source includes a voltage source, a current source, a resistance source, and a pressure source; the mounting base 1012 includes at least a mounting base 1012 for mounting a mechanical pressure gauge, a voltage and current meter, and a locomotive speed meter. Each mounting base 1012 is connected to a corresponding signal source.

[0044] Among voltage sources, current sources, and resistance sources, a multi-function calibrator is used as the generator of voltage and current signal sources. When selecting a multi-function calibrator, one with a wide range, fine gradations, high precision, and good stability should be selected; a standard resistor is used as the resistance source to output a resistance signal, which is mainly used to calibrate mechanical pressure gauges.

[0045] The pressure source adopts a pressure generating device with a built-in pressure generator, which does not require an external gas source and generates pressure quickly, stably and without overshoot. A high-precision pressure sensor is installed at the outlet of the pressure generating device to collect the generated pressure in real time.

[0046] As a preferred embodiment, Figure 1 、 2 As shown, the mounting seats 1012 in the metering work chamber 101 are arranged in layers. The layers are made of bent steel plates, and a corresponding number of mounting seats 1012 are arranged on the layers. The corresponding signal sources are connected to the mounting seats 1012 from the bottom of the layers.

[0047] In specific implementation, Figure 4 As shown, ( Figure 4 The mounting base is omitted in the figure, mainly used to illustrate the "layered arrangement"), the mounting base 1012 is arranged in three layers in the vertical direction; the top layer is provided with a mounting base 1012 for a mechanical pressure gauge, the middle layer is provided with a mounting base 1012 for a voltage and current meter, and the bottom layer is provided with a mounting base 1012 for a locomotive speedometer. Specifically, the top layer is provided with eight mounting bases 1012 for calibrating mechanical pressure gauges, the middle layer is provided with ten mounting bases 1012 for calibrating arc-shaped square meters (this meter is an electrical signal instrument, namely a voltage and current meter), and the bottom layer is provided with a mounting base 1012 for calibrating a circular speedometer and a mounting base 1012 for calibrating a mechanical tachometer.

[0048] During the specific implementation process, in the metering work chamber 101, a corresponding simulated tapping mechanism is set above each mounting seat on the top layer. Under the control of the metering control component, the simulated tapping mechanism replaces the manual execution of the action of tapping the instrument during the calibration process of the mechanical pressure gauge.

[0049] As a preferred embodiment, the image acquisition component 2 includes a camera 201 , a fill light 202 and a mounting bracket 203 ; the mounting bracket 203 is fixedly mounted on the shift component 3 , and the camera 201 and the fill light 202 are fixed on the mounting bracket 203 .

[0050] The mounting frame 203 of the image acquisition component 2 (i.e., the machine vision component) includes a light source mounting portion and a camera mounting portion, such as Figure 5 As shown. The camera 201 used in this embodiment is a binocular camera, and two groups of binocular cameras are configured to meet the needs of collecting different instrument value images with different postures. For example, Figure 5 As shown, the horizontally arranged binocular cameras are used to read the indications of the instruments to be tested with vertical dials, such as pressure gauges and locomotive speedometers, and another set of double-sided cameras are used to read the indications of arc-shaped square gauges.

[0051] In addition, the image acquisition component 2 preferably uses a camera 201 with low noise, high resolution, and excellent image quality. The camera 201 in the image acquisition component 2 transmits uncompressed images in real time via a USB 3.0 interface to the metering control component for image analysis. A fill light 202 provides supplemental illumination for the camera 201, ensuring that the captured images are noise-free and high-quality, facilitating image analysis.

[0052] As a preferred embodiment, the fill light 202 uses two surface light sources, which are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the camera 201.

[0053] The light source selected by the fill light 202 is a surface light source formed by using LED lamp beads through a diffuser plate. Figure 3 As shown, two surface light sources are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the camera 201 so that the illumination range covers the entire dial of the instrument to be tested. In order to facilitate the adjustment of the light source position, the camera mounting portion and the light source mounting portion of the mounting bracket 203 are hingedly connected, with the hinge axis along the vertical direction, and a damping hinge is used to realize the hinge connection between the two, so that the light source can be adjusted according to the required illumination angle. For example, the planes where the surface light sources on both sides of the camera 201 are located can be adjusted to a position with an angle of 50° as needed, that is, Figure 6 The angles shown are 25° with the symmetry plane.

[0054] As a preferred embodiment, the shifting component 3 adopts a cross module.

[0055] A cross module is used as the shift component 3 to move the image acquisition component 2 to the reading position of the instrument to be calibrated (verified). The measurement control component controls the shift component 3 to achieve precise alignment between the image acquisition component 2 and the instrument to be verified.

[0056] In addition, a serial robotic arm with more than three axes can also be used as the shift component 3, wherein the base of the serial robotic arm serves as the stator of the shift component 3 and is fixed on the inner wall of the metering working chamber 101; the end of the serial robotic arm serves as the mover of the shift component 3 and is fixedly installed with the image acquisition component 2.

[0057] As a preferred embodiment, the top edge of the sealed door 1011 is hinged to the cabinet body, and support rods are connected between the two sides of the sealed door 1011 and the cabinet 1. The support rods are gas spring-type support rods. The sealed door 1011 is made of tempered glass or other transparent materials (such as acrylic panels).

[0058] As a preferred implementation scheme, the metering control component includes an industrial computer and an input / output module; the industrial computer is a fanless embedded industrial computer; and an air conditioner is used as the environmental control component.

[0059] The metering control component serves as the control core. It connects to the imported IO control module through the industrial computer. Different signal sources are controlled by different signal lines through IO channels to connect to different instrument signal terminals, ensuring that the signal types required by different instruments are connected to the signals sent by the signal sources. Using bus technology, the computer controls the pressure source, voltage and current source, resistance source, and speed generator to transmit the required signal to the current instrument. It controls the motion component to move the visual component to the position of the instrument to be measured, controls the camera 201 to take pictures, and performs three-dimensional reconstruction and difference processing on the obtained pictures to automatically analyze the current indication of the instrument.

[0060] In addition, a display, mouse and keyboard are provided on the side wall of the cabinet 1 for displaying the measurement process, setting relevant parameters, and connected to the industrial computer in the measurement control component; in order to facilitate the printing and viewing of the calibration results, a wireless or wired printer can also be configured.

[0061] The intelligent metering device for railway locomotive instruments provided by the present invention is used to complete the calibration or verification of all instruments on a locomotive (referring to pointer-type instruments that need to be disassembled for metrological calibration or verification). The metrological calibration (verification) steps are as follows:

[0062] Step 1: Remove all the pointer instruments that need to be measured off the vehicle;

[0063] Step 2: Install the disassembled pointer meter on the corresponding mounting seat 1012 in the metering work chamber 101 according to the type;

[0064] Step 3: Set the instrument-related information through the metering control component, and start the timed automatic calibration mode after completing the information setting;

[0065] Step 4: After the temperature and humidity in the metering working chamber 101 reach the set values (it is appropriate to select a temperature of 23°C and a humidity of 50%, which meets the calibration requirements of all instruments to be tested), timing is performed. After the timing is completed, the metering control component completes the calibration of the instrument in a top-down and left-to-right order.

[0066] During the instrument calibration process, the metrology control component controls the shift component 3 to move the image acquisition component 2 to the indication reading position of the instrument being calibrated; then, it controls the signal source to send a signal of the corresponding value according to the calibration procedure, and the image acquisition component 2 will take a photo of each detection point and pass the photo to the metrology control component. Finally, the metrology control component analyzes the image and "reads" the corresponding indication; and gives the instrument metrology calibration result according to the calibration procedure, that is, whether it is qualified.

[0067] Step 5: After completing the calibration of all instruments in the metering work chamber 101, the operation is completed and a relevant signal is sent to the operator.

Claims

1. A railway locomotive instrument intelligent metering device, comprising a cabinet, a power supply, a signal source, a metering control component, an environmental control component, an image acquisition component, and a shift component, characterized in that: The cabinet is divided into a metering work compartment and a device installation compartment; the metering work compartment is an independent space located above the device installation compartment; A sealing door is provided on the front of the metering working chamber, and the shifting assembly is provided on the side wall opposite to the sealing door in the metering working chamber; The image acquisition component is installed on the shift component, and the shift component drives the image acquisition component to move in a vertical plane; The image acquisition component includes a camera, a fill light and a mounting bracket; The mounting frame is fixedly mounted on the shift assembly, and the camera and fill light are fixed on the mounting frame; the camera is a binocular camera, and two sets of binocular cameras are configured. The horizontally arranged binocular camera is used to indicate the value of the instrument to be tested with the dial vertically, and the other set of double-sided cameras is used to read the indication of the arc square meter; A ventilation window is provided on the bottom surface of the metering work chamber; a plurality of mounting seats are provided in the metering work chamber; the mounting seats are located between the image acquisition component and the sealed door; the mounting seats are connected to corresponding signal sources; a metering control component, an environmental control component, and a signal source are provided in the device installation chamber; the power supply is electrically connected to the metering control component, the environmental control component, the signal source, the image acquisition component, and the shift component respectively; the environmental control component is connected to the ventilation window of the metering work chamber; The signal source includes a pressure source, a voltage and current source, a resistance source, and a speed generating device; The metering control component includes an industrial computer and an input and output module; The metering control component is connected to the imported IO control module through the industrial computer, and different signal sources are controlled by different signal lines through IO channels to connect with different instrument signal terminals, ensuring that the signal types required by different instruments are connected with the signals sent by the signal sources. Using bus technology, the computer controls the pressure source, voltage and current source, resistance source, and speed generator to transmit the required signal to the current instrument, controls the motion component to move the visual component to the position of the instrument to be measured, controls the camera to take pictures, and performs three-dimensional reconstruction and difference processing on the obtained pictures to automatically analyze the current indication of the instrument.

2. The intelligent metering device for railway locomotive instruments according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number and type of mounting bases in the metering work compartment match the number and type of pointer instruments on the locomotive.

3. The intelligent metering device for railway locomotive instruments according to claim 2, characterized in that: The mounting seats in the metering working chamber are arranged in layers.

4. The intelligent metering device for railway locomotive instruments according to claim 3, characterized in that: The mounting base is arranged in layers in the vertical direction and is divided into three layers; the top layer is provided with a mounting base for a mechanical pressure gauge, the middle layer is provided with a mounting base for a voltage and current meter, and the bottom layer is provided with a mounting base for a locomotive speedometer.

5. The intelligent metering device for railway locomotive instruments according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fill light adopts two surface light sources, and the surface light sources are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the camera.

6. The intelligent metering device for railway locomotive instruments according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shifting component adopts a cross module or a serial robot arm with more than three axes.

7. The intelligent metering device for railway locomotive instruments according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top edge of the sealed door is hinged to the cabinet body, and support rods are respectively connected between the two side edges of the sealed door and the cabinet, and the support rods are gas spring type support rods.

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