Deterioration state estimation device

Abstract

To provide a deterioration state estimation device capable of estimating a deterioration state of a suspension with a small number of sensors and without requiring a preparation of a special measurement state for deterioration state estimation.SOLUTION: A deterioration state estimation device includes a data detection device for detecting acceleration of a part brought into direct or indirect contact with a track of a moving body, a motion analysis part for acquiring information on a time history of an axial load applied to a suspension of the movable body on the basis of the detected acceleration, and a deterioration progress prediction part for calculating a deterioration degree of the suspension by applying information on the acquired time history to a predetermined correlation between the information on the time history of an axial load applied to the suspension and the deterioration degree of the suspension.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a deterioration state estimation device for estimating the deterioration state of a suspension of a moving body. [Background technology]

[0002] In moving objects that travel on roads, such as railway cars, elevators, automobiles, and construction machinery, suspensions, such as anti-vibration rubber and dampers, are important components that ensure the moving object's riding comfort and its driving performance, including safety and stability. However, rubber parts such as anti-vibration rubber and damper parts such as oil dampers used in suspensions are known to deteriorate over time. When suspensions deteriorate, for example, rubber parts can harden or soften due to deterioration, changing their original properties and potentially making it impossible to guarantee the driving performance expected at the time of design. Therefore, proper suspension management and maintenance such as regular inspection and replacement are necessary.

[0003] Suspension maintenance involves visually checking for abnormalities and checking characteristics through inspection and measurement, but because most suspensions are installed inside moving objects, it is often difficult to visually inspect them from the outside, and maintenance requires the moving object to be disassembled or dismantled. However, such work places a heavy burden on maintenance workers and also necessitates the stopping of the moving object during maintenance, which is problematic.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art As a technique for evaluating the deterioration state of a suspension, for example, a device described in Patent Document 1 is known. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-66631 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The technology of Patent Document 1 relates to an elastic member (rubber part) of a coupling device, such as a single-link traction device used in railway vehicles, installed between the carbody and the bogie. Specifically, vibration detection devices are provided at three measurement points on the traction device, and when the traction device is excited by a vibration excitation device, the vibration detection devices detect vibrations generated in the traction device at the three measurement points. An evaluation device measures the amount of vibration transmitted between the three measurement points and identifies the resonance frequency of the vibration transmission amount based on the measured vibration transmission amount. The evaluation device calculates the spring constant of the rubber part based on the resonance frequency of the vibration transmission amount, and can evaluate the deterioration state of the rubber part based on the calculated change in spring constant or change in resonance frequency.

[0007] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, the evaluation of the deterioration state requires disassembly and dismantling work, such as removing the traction device from the coupling on the vehicle body, and then installing it on the vibration excitation device. Furthermore, it is necessary to install multiple vibration detection devices on the traction device to obtain vibration data, which makes the evaluation time-consuming.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a deterioration state estimation device that can estimate the deterioration state of a suspension using a small number of sensors and without requiring special preparation for estimating the deterioration state. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, one of the representative degradation state estimating devices of the present invention comprises: a data detection device for detecting acceleration of a part of the moving body that is in direct or indirect contact with the traveling path; a motion analysis unit that acquires information about a time history of an axial load applied to a suspension of the moving body based on the detected acceleration; This is achieved by providing a deterioration progression prediction unit that calculates the degree of deterioration of the suspension by applying the acquired information regarding the time history to a predetermined correlation between information regarding the time history of the axial load applied to the suspension and the degree of deterioration of the suspension. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a deterioration state estimation device that can estimate the deterioration state of a suspension using a small number of sensors and without requiring any special preparation for estimating the deterioration state. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a railway vehicle including a degradation state estimating device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a degradation state estimating device according to the first embodiment and an example of a processing flow according to the configuration. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the processing executed by the data preprocessing unit 100. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the processing executed by the motion analysis unit 200. As shown in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the time history of the axial load of the suspension calculated by the motion analysis unit 200. In FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the process executed by the deterioration progress predicting unit 300. As shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the correlation between the equivalent load frequency of the axial load and the degree of deterioration from the initial characteristics of the suspension, as determined by the deterioration progression predicting section 300. In FIG. [Figure 8]FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the results of the display device 60 presenting the recommended inspection and replacement timings for the suspension. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example in which the present invention is applied to the estimation of the life span of anti-vibration rubber of an elevator. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a railway vehicle including a degradation state estimating device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a degradation state estimating device according to an embodiment and an example of a processing flow according to the configuration. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the configuration of a damper component as an example of a suspension. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, a suspension deterioration state estimation device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. This embodiment relates to a device that can estimate the deterioration state of a suspension of a moving body. In the following embodiment, a railroad vehicle will be described as an example of the moving body.

[0013] [Embodiment 1] First, the configuration of a suspension deterioration state estimation device will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Note that while a deterioration state estimation device that estimates the deterioration state of a railway vehicle suspension will be described, this embodiment is not limited to railway vehicles and can be applied to a deterioration state estimation device that estimates the deterioration state of a rail vehicle suspension.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a railway vehicle including a deterioration state estimating device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. First, in order to explain the configuration of the railway vehicle, each direction will be defined. The longitudinal direction of the railway vehicle is defined as the X direction, the width direction or sleeper direction of the railway vehicle is defined as the Y direction, and the height direction of the railway vehicle is defined as the Z direction. Hereinafter, these directions may be simply referred to as the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction.

[0015] A railway vehicle that runs on a running path (hereinafter referred to as the track) 2 is made up of a car body 1 and a pair of bogies 16. The car body 1 is mounted on the bogie 16 via air springs 8. The bogie 16 is made up of a bogie frame 11, air springs 8, yaw dampers 4, axle dampers 5, wheel sets 13, axle spring devices 14, axle boxes 12 that serve as bearing housings for the wheel sets 13, and axle box support rubbers 15.

[0016] The wheel sets 13 are rotatably held relative to axle boxes 12 installed in the sleeper direction (Y direction in Figure 1), and the axle boxes 12 and the bogie frame 11 are elastically supported in the vertical direction (Z direction in Figure 1) by axle spring devices 14, and are elastically supported in the horizontal direction by axle box support rubbers 15. Air springs 8 are arranged between the car body 1 and the bogie frame 11, and the car body 1 is elastically supported on the bogie frame 11 by these air springs 8.

[0017] The yaw damper 4 is provided between the car body 1 and the bogie 16 and mainly reduces vibrations in the yawing direction of the bogie (the direction of rotation around the Z axis in FIG. 1), while the axle damper 5 is provided between the bogie frame 11 and the axle box 12 and mainly reduces vibrations in the vertical direction and pitching direction of the bogie (the direction of rotation around the Y axis in FIG. 1).

[0018] A data detector 10 for measuring the acceleration of the axle box is installed on the axle box 12. The data detector 10 may be any device that can measure acceleration, and an acceleration sensor, for example, may be used.

[0019] In this embodiment, the suspension for which the deterioration state is estimated will be described using rubber parts 900 provided at both ends of the yaw damper 4 as shown in Fig. 12. The deterioration state estimation device according to this embodiment can also be applied to the axle damper 5 in Fig. 1, or rubber parts similarly provided at both ends of a lateral movement damper or a single-link traction device, although not shown in Fig. 1.

[0020] The vehicle body 1 is equipped with a travel information acquisition device 30 for acquiring travel information such as travel speed and travel position. The travel information acquisition device 30 may be any device that can acquire travel information, and may be, for example, an on-board control device or a GPS device that detects the current position of the railway vehicle.

[0021] The vehicle body 1 also includes a data processing device 40 for estimating the deterioration state of the suspension from the acceleration measured by the data detection device 10 and the running speed and position information acquired by the running information acquisition device 30. The data detection device 10 may be located on the ground outside the railway vehicle.

[0022] Additionally, on the ground outside the railway vehicle, a result display device 60 is provided that receives the estimation results of the deterioration state of the suspension processed by the data processing device 40 using a well-known transmission device 600. The result display device 60 has a function of notifying the operation manager, maintenance workers, etc. on the ground based on the estimation results.

[0023] Next, a specific processing flow for determining the degradation state in the degradation state estimating device of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, an example will be described in which an acceleration sensor is used in the axle box 12 of the bogie 16 as the data detection device 10.

[0025] First, vibration acceleration data of the axle box while the train is running is acquired by the acceleration sensor of the data detection device 10. At the same time, the running speed and running position are acquired by the running information acquisition device 30. The acquired vibration acceleration data of the axle box is correlated with the information on the running speed and running position, and output to the data processing device 40.

[0026] The data processing device 40 has a data pre-processing unit 100, a motion analysis unit 200, and a deterioration progress prediction unit 300. Fig. 2 shows an overview of the processing flows of the data pre-processing unit 100, the motion analysis unit 200, and the deterioration progress prediction unit 300, and the specific processing flows of each unit will be described in detail using Figs. 3 to 8.

[0027] First, the processing procedure in the data preprocessing unit 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure executed by the data preprocessing unit 100. In the following, each step number in the flowchart will be prefixed with "S" to match the figure.

[0028] In S101, the data preprocessing unit 100 acquires vibration acceleration data of the axle box 12 obtained from the data detection unit 10.

[0029] In S102, the data preprocessing unit 100 performs filtering on the acquired vibration acceleration data using a well-known filtering technique, such as removing frequency bands that do not contribute to degradation, to prepare for processing described later.

[0030] In S103, the data pre-processing unit 100 calculates vibration displacement data of the axle box 12 by performing second-order time integration on the filtered vibration acceleration data of the axle box 12. This vibration displacement data can be used as a vibration input from the track 2, which is a disturbance input to the vehicle, and is required by the motion analysis unit 200, which will be described later. The axle box 12 is rigidly connected to the wheelset 13, which is in direct contact with the track 2, and is therefore indirectly in contact with the track 2. For this reason, the vibration of the axle box 12 is highly correlated with the vibration input from the track 2. Therefore, vibration acceleration data of a part that indirectly contacts the track 2, such as the axle box 12, can be used as an analysis input for the motion analysis unit 200, which will be described later. It is also possible to measure the vibration acceleration of a part that directly contacts the track 2 and use it as vibration acceleration data.

[0031] In S104 , the data preprocessing unit 100 acquires the traveling speed and traveling position data obtained from the traveling information acquisition device 30 .

[0032] In S105, the data preprocessing unit 100 compares the travel position data with a map / route map stored in advance to obtain the track alignment at the travel position. The map / route map is, for example, table data in which track alignment information for each travel position is recorded. Specifically, analysis input data necessary for motion analysis by the motion analysis unit 200 (described later), such as linear information such as straight lines or curves at the travel position, and in the case of curves, curve radius and cant, is generated.

[0033] In S106, the data pre-processing unit 100 outputs analysis input data such as the vibration displacement data of the axle box processed by the data pre-processing unit 100, and the track shape generated from the running speed and running position data, to the motion analysis unit 200 described later.

[0034] Next, a description will be given of the processing flow of the motion analysis unit 200. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure executed by the motion analysis unit 200.

[0035] In S201, the motion analysis unit 200 acquires analysis input data generated from the vibration displacement data of the axle box output by the data pre-processing unit 100, the running speed and the running position data.

[0036] In S202, the motion analysis unit 200 performs motion analysis using analysis input data generated from the vibration displacement data of the axle box, the running speed and running position data, and the vehicle motion analysis model. Here, the motion analysis does not specify an analytical method as long as it is a method that can calculate the forces generated in the suspension using vibration displacement data and running conditions such as the running speed and track alignment as input, and general multibody dynamics analysis, in which each vehicle part is simulated with a mass element and the suspension with a spring element and a damper element, can be used.

[0037] In S203, the motion analysis unit 200 acquires the time history of the axial load of each suspension provided on the vehicle, calculated by the motion analysis.

[0038] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the time history of the suspension axial load, with the vertical axis representing the magnitude of the suspension axial load 220 and the horizontal axis representing time. As shown in Fig. 5, the time change (waveform data) of the amplitude of the suspension axial load 220, i.e., the time history, is calculated. The suspension axial load is a load generated in the axial direction 901 of the suspension, as shown in Fig. 12.

[0039] In S204, the motion analysis unit 200 calculates an equivalent load frequency (information related to the time history of the axial load applied to the suspension) from the time history of the axial load. Note that the equivalent load frequency is an index introduced as an evaluation value that indicates the magnitude of the axial load amplitude and the frequency (number of occurrences) of the axial load, and can be calculated using the following formula (1) after performing a frequency analysis on the axial load history using the rainflow method or the like.

[0040]

number

[0041] where n eq is the equivalent load frequency, n i is the frequency of load occurrence in class i when the axial load history is classified into N classes according to the magnitude of amplitude using the rainflow method, etc., and S i is the amplitude of the load in class i, S eq is the amplitude of the equivalent load when calculating the equivalent load frequency, and β is the slope of the graph when the horizontal axis represents the frequency of axial load on the suspension and the vertical axis represents the amplitude of the load. i , S i can be obtained from the time history of the axial load. eq , β can be obtained from the results of an element test carried out in advance to obtain the correlation between the equivalent load frequency and the degree of deterioration of the suspension, which will be described later.

[0042] The motion analysis unit 200 executes the processes of S203 and S204 for each suspension provided on the vehicle.

[0043] In S205, the motion analysis unit 200 outputs the equivalent load frequency of each suspension processed by the motion analysis unit 200 to the deterioration progress prediction unit 300, which will be described later.

[0044] As described above, the axial load of the suspension, which is required by the deterioration progress prediction unit 300 described later, can be estimated and interpolated using the motion analysis unit 200. Therefore, according to this embodiment, compared to the case where a sensor is installed on each suspension and the axial load is directly measured, there is no need to install multiple sensors for deterioration state estimation, and the number of measurement points required for deterioration state estimation can be reduced. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the number of sensors required for deterioration state estimation can be reduced.

[0045] Next, a description will be given of the processing flow of the deterioration progress predicting unit 300. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the procedure of the processing executed by the deterioration progress predicting unit 300 in the form of a flowchart.

[0046] In S301, the deterioration progression predicting unit 300 acquires the equivalent load frequency of each suspension output by the motion analyzing unit 200.

[0047] In S302, the deterioration progression predicting unit 300 applies the correlation between the equivalent load frequency and the degree of deterioration of the suspension to the acquired equivalent load frequency of each suspension.

[0048] Figure 7 shows an example of the correlation between the equivalent load frequency of the axial load and the degree of deterioration from the initial characteristics of the suspension, such as the spring constant and damping coefficient, as determined from the results of an element test of the suspension. As shown in Figure 7, there is a correlation (in this case, a substantially linear relationship) between the equivalent load frequency of the axial load and the degree of deterioration from the initial characteristics of the suspension. Therefore, by determining this correlation in advance, the degree of deterioration of the suspension can be estimated from the obtained equivalent load frequency of the axial load. Note that it is preferable to identify the correlation between the equivalent load frequency and the degree of deterioration of the suspension in advance through element tests, running tests, etc., and store it in memory, etc.

[0049] As described above, by using the correlation between the equivalent load frequency of the axial load and the degree of suspension deterioration, the degree of suspension deterioration can be indirectly estimated from the axial load calculated by the motion analysis unit 200. Therefore, there is no need to directly measure the characteristics by vibrating the suspension, and no special measurement conditions need to be prepared for estimating the deterioration state. Therefore, the deterioration state can be easily estimated without stopping the operation of the vehicle.

[0050] In S303, the deterioration progression predicting unit 300 estimates the current degree of deterioration of the suspension by applying the correlation in S302.

[0051] The method for predicting the future deterioration progression will be described with reference to the processing from S304 onwards. In S304, the deterioration progression prediction unit 300 first acquires future operation plan data for the vehicle equipped with the suspension to be estimated, and generates analysis input data related to the future operation plan from the acquired operation plan data. The operation plan data specifically includes information such as the vehicle's planned operation dates, planned running section, and run curve. From the planned running section and run curve, analysis input data such as running speed and track alignment for each planned operation date can be generated. Furthermore, vibration displacement data of the axle box for the planned running section is prepared by calculating vibration displacement data from the most recent vibration acceleration data of the axle box acquired by the data detection device 10.

[0052] In S305, the deterioration progression prediction unit 300 performs a motion analysis using analysis input data such as the running speed and track alignment for each scheduled operation date, vibration displacement data of the axle box for the scheduled running section, and a vehicle motion analysis model. The motion analysis makes it possible to calculate a predicted history of the axial load of each suspension provided on the vehicle. The motion analysis performed in S305 may be the same as the motion analysis used in S202. Note that the coefficients of the suspension spring elements and damper elements used in the vehicle motion analysis model can be updated to reflect the current degree of deterioration estimated in S303, thereby enabling a highly accurate analysis that reflects the degree of suspension deterioration.

[0053] In S306, the deterioration progression prediction unit 300 calculates (predicts) a future equivalent load frequency from the calculated prediction history of the axial load for each suspension. By applying the correlation between the equivalent load frequency and the degree of suspension deterioration to the predicted equivalent load frequency, it is possible to calculate a prediction result of the future deterioration progression degree. Note that the correlation between the equivalent load frequency and the degree of suspension deterioration used in S306 may be the same as that used in S302.

[0054] In S307, the deterioration progression prediction unit 300 outputs the predicted results of the current degree of deterioration and the future degree of deterioration progression (increase in the degree of deterioration per unit time) of each suspension processed by the deterioration progression prediction unit 300 to the result display device 60 described later.

[0055] The result display device 60 displays the recommended inspection and replacement timing for each suspension based on the current deterioration level of each suspension and the predicted future deterioration progression level.

[0056] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the results of the display device 60 presenting the recommended inspection and replacement timings for the suspension.

[0057] FIG. 8 is a graph in which the horizontal axis represents the cumulative operating time of the vehicle and the vertical axis represents the degree of deterioration from the initial characteristics of the suspension. By sequentially performing the processing of the data detection device 10 and the data processing device 40 described above for each suspension of the vehicle, a history 321 of the current degree of deterioration can be displayed. Furthermore, by performing processing S304 to S307 of the deterioration progress prediction unit 300 of the data processing device 40, future deterioration progress prediction results 322 can also be displayed in addition to the history 321. If an allowable limit for the degree of deterioration of the suspension has been set in advance, the result display device 60 can estimate the time when the allowable limit will be reached based on the deterioration progress prediction result 322 and can also display the limit time.

[0058] Periodic inspections are scheduled to be performed periodically for each railway vehicle. Based on the estimated limit time, the result display device 60 can identify a periodic inspection 325 to be performed before the estimated limit time and recommend it as the time to inspect (and replace, if necessary) the suspension. This display can be viewed by ground operations managers and maintenance workers, who can identify the suspension to be inspected (and replaced, if necessary) at the appropriate time based on the displayed results. By performing the suspension inspection (and replacement, if necessary) in accordance with the pre-planned periodic inspection 325, it is possible to avoid increasing the number of periodic inspections and to eliminate unnecessary work such as stopping the operation of the vehicle just for the inspection and maintenance of the suspension.

[0059] On the other hand, in the periodic inspection 324 in which the recommended inspection of the suspension is not performed, it is assumed that there is a margin for the allowable limit of the deterioration of the suspension, and the maintenance cost can be reduced by reducing the inspection items of the suspension.

[0060] According to this embodiment, it is possible to easily estimate the state of deterioration of a suspension using a minimum number of sensors and without the need to prepare special measurement conditions for estimating the state of deterioration. Therefore, it is possible to estimate the state of deterioration without stopping the operation of a railway vehicle. Furthermore, it is possible to predict the future progression of deterioration of the suspension, and by reducing the number of periodic inspection items for which maintenance is not required depending on the degree of deterioration, it is possible to reduce maintenance costs, and it is possible to perform inspections and part replacements before the deterioration reaches the allowable limit, thereby enabling efficient inspection and maintenance.

[0061] The present invention can be applied not only to railway vehicles but also to other vehicles that have similar suspensions and travel on a road, such as elevators, automobiles, and construction machinery.

[0062] [Variations] For example, in the case of an elevator, it is possible to estimate the deterioration state of the vibration isolation rubber, which acts as a suspension to reduce the transmission of vibration from the car frame to the car compartment.

[0063] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example in which the present invention is applied to estimation of the deterioration state of anti-vibration rubber of an elevator.

[0064] An elevator 70 running on the runway 2 is composed of a car room 71 where passengers board, a car frame 72 that supports the car room, vibration-damping rubber 73 that reduces the transmission of vibration from the car frame 72 to the car room 71, and a roller guide unit 74 that serves as a guide wheel.

[0065] Vibration acceleration data is also acquired for the anti-vibration rubber 73 of the elevator 70 by providing a data detection device 10 on the roller guide portion 74, which is a portion that indirectly contacts the runway 2. In addition, information such as the running speed is acquired from a running information acquisition device 30, for example, a control device, and processing similar to that shown in Figures 3 to 8 is performed to estimate the deterioration state of the anti-vibration rubber 73. The data detection device 10, data processing device 40, and result display device 60 are the same as those in the above-mentioned embodiment, so their description will be omitted.

[0066] [Embodiment 2] A deterioration state estimating device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 10 and 11. Note that the same configurations and processes as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted, with only differences from the first embodiment being described below. In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, a railway vehicle will be used as an example of a moving body for description.

[0067] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a railway vehicle including a degradation state estimating device according to embodiment 2. As shown in Fig. 10, a thermal load acquisition device 50 is added to the components of embodiment 1.

[0068] The second embodiment is configured to estimate the deterioration state of the suspension, taking into consideration the deterioration due to the thermal load on the suspension, acquired by the thermal load acquisition device 50. The thermal load acquisition device 50 may be, for example, a device that measures the temperature around the suspension using a thermistor, thermocouple, or resistance temperature detector, and acquires a temperature history that correlates the measured temperature with time. Furthermore, if the temperature history around the suspension can be estimated from the outside air temperature, etc., instead of installing the thermal load acquisition device 50 in the vehicle, the temperature history around the suspension estimated from the outside air temperature acquired from weather data issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency or the like may be used.

[0069] In the case of rubber parts such as anti-vibration rubber, not only the load but also the thermal load acting on the rubber parts may be involved as major degradation factors. According to this embodiment, it is possible to estimate the degree of degradation of the suspension when subjected to the thermal load in addition to the load load.

[0070] 11 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a degradation state estimating device according to embodiment 2 and an example of a processing flow according to the configuration. The operation based on the processing flow in FIG. 11 is as follows.

[0071] First, the data detection device 10 acquires vibration acceleration data of parts that are in direct or indirect contact with the roadway, as well as information on the vehicle's running speed and running position, as in the first embodiment. Furthermore, the thermal load acquisition device 50 acquires the temperature history (information on the thermal load) around the suspension. The acquired temperature history is input to the deterioration progress prediction unit 300.

[0072] The processing by the data pre-processing unit 100 and the motion analysis unit 200 is the same as in the first embodiment. The temperature history acquired by the thermal load acquisition device 50 and the equivalent load frequency of each suspension calculated by the motion analysis unit 200 are input to the deterioration progression prediction unit 300. The thermal load received by the suspension can be estimated from the temperature history. That is, the higher the temperature to which the suspension is exposed, the greater the thermal load, and the longer the suspension is exposed to high temperatures, the greater the thermal load.

[0073] In the degradation progression prediction unit 300 of the second embodiment, in the process of S302 (FIG. 6) of the first embodiment, the input temperature history and equivalent load frequency are applied to a predetermined correlation between the equivalent load frequency that takes into account (associated with) the thermal load and the degree of suspension degradation to estimate the current degree of suspension degradation. As the correlation between the equivalent load frequency that takes into account the thermal load and the degree of suspension degradation, for example, the correlation between the equivalent load frequency and the degree of suspension degradation when a thermal load and an axial load are applied to the suspension, obtained through element testing or the like, can be used.

[0074] As described above, the deterioration state estimating device of this embodiment can estimate the degree of deterioration of the suspension even when it is subjected to a thermal load in addition to a weight load.

[0075] Furthermore, similar to the first embodiment, the second embodiment can be applied not only to railway vehicles but also to moving objects that travel on roads, such as construction machinery, elevators, and automobiles, which have similar suspensions.

[0076] In the case of the elevator shown in Figure 9, a thermal load acquisition device 50 is installed on the car frame 72 or the like to acquire the temperature history around the vibration-damping rubber 73, and the same effect can be obtained by performing processing similar to that shown in Figure 11.

[0077] The present invention is not limited to the above-described first and second embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0078] This specification includes the disclosure of the following inventions. (First aspect) a data detection device for detecting acceleration of a part of the moving body that is in direct or indirect contact with the traveling path; a motion analysis unit that acquires information about a time history of an axial load applied to a suspension of the moving body based on the detected acceleration; a deterioration progression prediction unit that calculates the degree of deterioration of the suspension by applying the acquired information on the time history to a predetermined correlation between information on the time history of the axial load applied to the suspension and the degree of deterioration of the suspension.

[0079] (Second aspect) The degradation state estimating device according to the first aspect, the moving body is a rail vehicle having a car body and a bogie, the suspension connects the car body and the bogie and includes a rubber part; The deterioration state estimation device is characterized in that the data detection device detects the acceleration of the axle box of the bogie.

[0080] (Third aspect) A degradation state estimating device according to the first or second aspect, The deterioration state estimation device is characterized in that the information regarding the time history of the axial load applied to the suspension is an equivalent load frequency of the axial load applied to the suspension.

[0081] (Fourth aspect) A degradation state estimating device according to any one of the first to third aspects, The deterioration state estimation device is characterized in that the deterioration progression prediction unit predicts a future deterioration progression degree based on the calculated current degree of deterioration of the suspension and future operation plan data.

[0082] (Fifth aspect) A degradation state estimating device according to a fourth aspect, A deterioration state estimation device characterized by having a result display device that indicates the time when inspection of the suspension is necessary based on the predicted degree of deterioration progress.

[0083] (Sixth aspect) A degradation state estimating device according to a fifth aspect, The result display device is characterized in that, based on the degree of deterioration progression, it presents a periodic inspection scheduled before the degree of deterioration of the suspension reaches an allowable limit as a recommended inspection time for the suspension.

[0084] (Seventh aspect) A degradation state estimating device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the data detection device acquires information about the heat load; The deterioration progression prediction unit calculates the degree of deterioration of the suspension by applying the acquired information about the time history to a predetermined correlation between information about the axial load applied to the suspension and the degree of deterioration of the suspension associated with information about the thermal load.

[0085] (Eighth aspect) A degradation state estimating device according to a seventh aspect, A deterioration state estimation device, characterized in that the information regarding the thermal load is a temperature history around the suspension obtained from a thermal load acquisition device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 1 vehicle body, 2 running path, 10 data detection device, 30 running information acquisition device, 40 data processing device, 50 heat load acquisition device, 60 result display device, 100 Data preprocessing unit, 200 Motion analysis unit, 300 Deterioration progression prediction unit

Claims

1. a data detection device for detecting acceleration of a part of the moving body that is in direct or indirect contact with the traveling path; a motion analysis unit that acquires information about a time history of an axial load applied to a suspension of the moving body based on the detected acceleration; a deterioration progression prediction unit that calculates the degree of deterioration of the suspension by applying the acquired information on the time history to a predetermined correlation between information on the time history of the axial load applied to the suspension and the degree of deterioration of the suspension.

2. The degradation state estimating device according to claim 1, the moving body is a rail vehicle having a car body and a bogie, the suspension connects the car body and the bogie and includes a rubber part; The deterioration state estimation device is characterized in that the data detection device detects the acceleration of the axle box of the bogie.

3. The degradation state estimating device according to claim 1, The deterioration state estimation device is characterized in that the information regarding the time history of the axial load applied to the suspension is an equivalent load frequency of the axial load applied to the suspension.

4. The degradation state estimating device according to claim 1, The deterioration state estimation device is characterized in that the deterioration progression prediction unit predicts a future deterioration progression degree based on the calculated current degree of deterioration of the suspension and future operation plan data.

5. The degradation state estimating device according to claim 4, A deterioration state estimation device characterized by having a result display device that indicates the time when inspection of the suspension is necessary based on the predicted degree of deterioration progress.

6. The degradation state estimating device according to claim 5, The result display device is characterized in that, based on the degree of deterioration progression, it presents a periodic inspection scheduled before the degree of deterioration of the suspension reaches an allowable limit as a recommended inspection time for the suspension.

7. The degradation state estimating device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the data detection device acquires information about the heat load; The deterioration progression prediction unit calculates the degree of deterioration of the suspension by applying the acquired information about the time history to a predetermined correlation between information about the axial load applied to the suspension and the degree of deterioration of the suspension associated with information about the thermal load.

8. The degradation state estimating device according to claim 7, A deterioration state estimation device, characterized in that the information regarding the thermal load is a temperature history around the suspension obtained from a thermal load acquisition device.

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