Current collector with sensor device and method of operation

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for operating a current collector (10, 33), in which a positioning device (13, 56) moves a contact strip (14, 17, 27) relative to a contact wire and presses the contact strip against the contact wire using a pressing force to reach a sliding contact position, and a drive element (73) and / or a spring element (74) of the positioning device generate the pressing force on the contact strip. The current collector has a power supply unit (50) and a measurement unit (36, 43, 53, 58) having a measuring device (38, 44, 59), and at least two sensors (47, 48) of a sensor element (46) are provided, the power supply unit (50) generates at least the electrical energy required to power the sensor elements, each of the sensors outputs a measurement value, and a processing element (37, 49) processes the measurement value and correlates the measurement value with each other to determine a characteristic value representative of the operating state of the current collector and / or the contact wire. The present invention also relates to a current collector and a monitoring system.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a current collector and a method for operating the current collector arranged on the roof of a railway vehicle and configured to transfer electric power from a contact wire of an overhead contact line to the railway vehicle, the current collector comprising a positioning device having a slider arranged thereon, the positioning device displacing the slider relative to the contact wire and pressing the slider against the contact wire using a pressing force to reach a sliding contact position, thereby forming a sliding contact, and a drive element and / or a spring element of the positioning device generating the pressing force on the slider. [Background technology]

[0002] Carbon sliders are typically used to supply power to both tracked and trackless vehicles via contact wires. Such sliders are constantly exposed to wear due to the abrasion of the carbon material. When used, for example, in train locomotives, they must be replaced before reaching their final wear limit to avoid unsafe operating conditions, defects, or failures. An emergency stop function is typically built into the slider, which lowers the slider when it reaches its final wear state, i.e., even before it is damaged, e.g., broken. However, once such an emergency stop is activated, it is no longer possible to continue supplying power, and therefore, the vehicle cannot continue to operate using the slider. To avoid such a situation, sliders are periodically inspected to assess their wear. These inspections are performed by personnel and are difficult to perform because sliders are mounted on the roofs of vehicles such as locomotives. However, special safety precautions must be observed due to the high voltages applied to the contact wires. Therefore, such inspections are carried out at depots at regular intervals. Automatic wear monitoring systems, capable of signaling when wear reaches a critical limit, are known to avoid these costly inspections to some extent. For example, WO 2014 / 173798 A2 discloses sliders with wear indicator markings that can be detected by an infrared camera. During the passage of a camera placed on the railway track, the sliders are imaged by the camera, and the wear indicator marks can be detected by image processing. Depending on the appearance of the wear indicator marks, conclusions can be drawn about the degree of wear of the sliders. The drawback here is that permanent monitoring of the slider wear state is not possible, and establishing such monitoring in the railway network requires a relatively large technical effort and therefore is costly.

[0003] Furthermore, the positioning element may typically include a swinging element, a swinging element, an articulating element, and / or a pantograph, any of which applies the necessary pressing force to form a stable sliding contact by pressing the contact strip against the contact wire via a spring element. The spring element may be formed by an air spring, a tension spring, and / or a compression spring. It is also conceivable within the scope of the present invention that an air spring forms the drive element and the spring element. The spring element also compensates for the movement of the railway vehicle and the rerouting of the contact wire. Depending on the relative distance from the contact wire to the path of the railway vehicle and the speed of the railway vehicle, a highly variable force may act on the contact strip, which places a heavy load on the contact strip. The contact strip itself and / or the positioning device may also swing when stimulated. When the contact strip disengages from the contact wire, an arc discharge may occur, which increases the wear of the contact strip due to electrical burnout. This leads to an overall increase in the maintenance of the current collector and the replacement of the contact strip depending on the condition of the contact wire. It is therefore known to inspect sections of contact wire during test or measurement runs by rail vehicles. For this purpose, specially designed rail vehicles must be equipped with specially designed measurement technology, such as cameras that capture images of the contact wire. Such tests are therefore costly and only provide a snapshot of the operating state of the contact wire.

[0004] However, such measurement runs aimed at monitoring infrastructure such as contact wires are only carried out periodically and therefore in a time-limited manner. To enable periodic inspection of railcar elements requiring intensive maintenance, efforts are being made to continuously monitor these elements by sensors located on the railcar over at least one maintenance cycle, which may be, for example, eight years in the case of pantographs. However, relatively expensive sensors such as optical and / or fiber sensors are often used in a conventional manner. Another drawback of known monitoring systems is that the data is not pre-processed locally, i.e., directly on the railcar and / or in the area of ​​the mounting to be monitored, which means that large amounts of data need to be transmitted and processed.

[0005] Additionally, individual sensors and their measurements are considered only in isolation and not in combination with other measurements, particularly measurements of different sensor types, which may result in the benefits of swarm effects and / or swarm intelligence being used insufficiently or not at all.

[0006] A further disadvantage of known monitoring systems and methods is that they cannot operate in an energy self-sufficient manner for a desired period of time, in particular for several years, since they require an external power source, e.g., via the rail vehicle, depending on the sensor technology and their location on the rail vehicle, which requires intervention in or inconvenient connection to the electronics of the rail vehicle. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Therefore, there is a great need for a method of operating a current collector and a monitoring system using a current collector that can be operated in an energy self-sufficient manner and can reliably output and process sensor data from multiple sensors.

[0008] The object of the present invention is therefore to propose a method for operating a current collector, a current collector and a monitoring system using a current collector, all of which allow for an improvement of the operation of the current collector, in particular for monitoring its energy self-sufficiency.

[0009] 1. A method of operating a current collector disposed on a roof of a rail vehicle and configured to transfer electrical power from a contact wire of an overhead contact line to the rail vehicle, comprising: The method may be carried out using a current collector, the current collector includes a positioning device having a contact strip disposed thereon; the positioning device moves the slider relative to the contact wire, and uses a pressing force to press the slider against the contact wire of the overhead wire to reach a sliding contact position, thereby forming sliding contact; a drive element and / or a spring element of the positioning device for generating the pressing force on the contact strip; the current collecting device has a power supply unit disposed on the positioning device and a measuring unit having a measuring device; at least two sensors of the sensor elements of the measuring device are arranged on the positioning device and / or the contact strip; the power supply unit generates the electrical energy required to power at least the sensors of the sensor element; each of the sensors outputs a measurement value at the sliding contact position; method.

[0010] A processing element of the measuring device may process the measurements, and it is believed that the processing element correlates the measurements with each other to determine a characteristic value representative of the operating condition of the current collector and / or the contact wire of the overhead line.

[0011] The contact strip comprises a contact element, usually made of carbon, which can abut against the contact wire and thereby establish an electrical connection therewith. The contact element is held by a contact strip carrier, which in turn is attached to an articulation element, which may be designed as a pantograph or rocker. The pantograph and / or rocker, together with the underframe, form a positioning device for the contact strip and, therefore, together with the contact strip, a so-called current collector. This is then attached to the roof of the vehicle, preferably above the underframe, so as to contact the contact wire arranged above the vehicle. In the context of the present invention, the positioning device preferably comprises an underframe, an articulation element, and a rocker element. The underframe may be arranged on the railcar. The rocker element may hold the contact strip. The articulation element may be arranged between the underframe and the rocker element and may be articulated to the underframe and / or the rocker element. The articulation element preferably comprises an upper arm and a lower arm, which are articulated to each other. The upper arm and the lower arm may also be designed as an upper and lower pincer. The upper arm may be articulated to the rocking element and / or the lower arm may be articulated to the frame. The connection point of the articulation between the upper and lower arms of the articulation element may also be referred to as the articulation point of the articulation element of the positioning device.

[0012] The positioning device can press the contact strip against the contact wire and apply the necessary pressing force to form a safe sliding contact. The pressing force can be applied by air springs, tension springs, and / or compression springs. However, it is also conceivable that the pressing force can be applied by a motor using an electric motor and / or actuator. In this case, it has proven advantageous if at least one sensor, e.g., a current sensor and / or a voltage sensor, is arranged on the electric motor and / or actuator and interacts with it to measure the current and / or voltage. Since the electric motor and / or actuator are usually arranged at electrical potential on the rail vehicle, data can be transmitted wirelessly, preferably via Bluetooth, to the evaluation unit, the processing element, and / or the base unit.

[0013] The positioning device may be operated and / or controlled electrically or pneumatically and monitored accordingly by voltage and current measurements (electrically) and / or by at least one pressure sensor (pneumatically / hydraulic).

[0014] In this method, the current collector is provided with a measuring unit having a measuring device, which in turn may have a sensor element having at least two sensors. The sensors may be arranged on the positioning device and / or the contact strip, but in principle may be arranged anywhere on the current collector. By means of the sensor element and / or the sensors, different measured values ​​of the positioning device and / or the contact strip can be output as the sliding contact position is reached. These measured values ​​are physically measured variables that are directly operatively related to the positioning device, the contact strip or the contact wire and that vary during operation of the current collector.

[0015] The processing element may process the measured values ​​and / or variables measured by the sensors to determine characteristic values ​​suitable to represent the operating state of the current collector and / or the contact wire. The base unit may comprise the processing element.

[0016] Preferably, the processing element can determine the characteristic value by correlating corresponding measurements of the sensors with each other. This allows obtaining further information in the form of characteristic values ​​about the operating state of the current collector and / or the contact wire. The processing element can perform calculations using at least two measurements from at least two sensors. Depending on the type of sensor, the measurements can be of the same or different types. For example, the vertical movement of the positioning device can be measured using a first sensor, and the vertical movement of the contact strip can be measured using a second sensor. The processing element then correlates the two measurements by taking into account the relationship between the two measurements when calculating the characteristic value, such as, for example, the unevenness of the path relative to a flat contact wire or vice versa. If the vertical movements of the contact strip and the positioning device are identical, the movement is caused by the path of the contact wire and not the path.

[0017] The characteristic value may be a parameterized value, a characteristic variable, an index, or a data set. The characteristic variable may be included in the data set. In particular, the measured values ​​are intended to be digitally processed by a processing element to obtain a characteristic value that can be further digitally processed. The processing element is therefore formed by at least one digital electronic circuit capable of processing analog and / or digital signals from the sensor. The processing element may be, for example, a programmable logic controller (PLC), an integrated circuit (IC), or a computer.

[0018] The fact that the processing element can determine characteristic values ​​suitable for representing the operating state of the current collectors and / or contact wires makes it possible to determine, monitor, and / or influence the operating state of the current collectors and / or contact wires. The operating state is understood to be a structural variable characteristic of the current collectors and / or contact wires that exists during operation. Since the operating state of the current collectors also substantially depends on the state and / or operating state of the track, the characteristic value can also represent the operating state of the track. Overall, maintenance of the current collectors, contact wires, and track can thus be performed in a targeted manner without the need to observe regular maintenance intervals or perform test runs on the railcar. Overall, this allows the current collectors and / or contact wires to be operated more cost-effectively, thereby enabling the railcar as a whole to be operated more economically.

[0019] Since the power supply unit according to the present invention generates the power required to power at least the sensors of the sensor elements directly from the current collector, the measurement unit can also be operated in an energy self-sufficient manner over long periods, for example, years, without the need for electronic intervention in the railway vehicle. Preferably, the power supply unit generates the power required to power the complete measurement unit, which consists of at least a measurement device and a processing element. It is conceivable that the processing element also comprises a data collector element, and that the evaluation unit and control device are also integrated into the measurement device. If the evaluation unit, control device, and / or data collector elements are provided on the current collector, the power supply unit also preferably generates the power required to operate the evaluation unit, control device, and / or data collector elements. The power supply unit preferably has at least one power supply element.

[0020] As described above, a plurality of characteristic values ​​or a group of characteristic values ​​can be determined from measurements of at least two sensors. For example, a model of the path traveled by a rail vehicle can be determined by evaluating a group of characteristic values, and / or a fingerprint depending on the recorded measurements can be assigned to a track section. Determining the fingerprint of the traveled path is based on the fact that contact wires have individual characteristics at each location, which can be detected by sensors. At each location, a location sensor, such as a GPS sensor, can be provided, and its data can be associated with the contact wire characteristics so that the individual characteristics can be reliably assigned to a geographic location. In the context of the present invention, it is recognized that unique elements of the contact wire infrastructure, such as stanchions, hangers, anchors, separators, and / or crossings, can affect and / or generate a unique fingerprint of the contact wire or railway network. Thus, a unique fingerprint of a contact wire section and / or a line section can be generated when traveling across or along this track section. Based on the unique characteristics of the contact wire, defects in the contact wire can be assigned to the defect location after the contact wire fingerprint is recorded. In particular, if the same contact wire is passed multiple times, it is possible to identify whether the cause of the defect is due to the contact wire or the pantograph by comparing the measured contact wire section fingerprint with previously measured contact wire section fingerprints and / or with measurements from other sensors that record measurements on the state of the current collectors, for example. The height of the contact wire, both when in contact and when suspended without obstruction, can be recorded and / or derived from measurements as part of the contact wire section fingerprint recording and / or independently of the contact wire section fingerprint recording.

[0021] The characteristic values ​​determined by the method according to the invention may also represent the degree of wear of the contact strip, such as normal wear during operation and / or unintended and / or unplanned wear, such as notches on the contact elements. Furthermore, the pressing force, the rise time and / or the fall time of the current collector may be calculated. It is also conceivable that the state of individual elements of the current collector, in particular the positioning device, may be represented by the characteristic values. Thus, the characteristic values ​​may represent the operating state of rockers, joint guides, pantographs and / or spring elements according to the embodiment.

[0022] Additionally, characteristic values ​​representative of the operating condition of the current collectors and / or contact wires may be determined from measurements of the current and / or voltage dropping across the current collectors, which may be fed to a processing element and correlated by the processing element so that characteristic values ​​representative of the operating condition of the current collectors and / or contact wires may be determined.

[0023] The self-contained design of the current collector and, in particular, the measurement unit using a power supply unit located on the current collector allows the measurement unit to be operated independently of the railcar, and the measurement unit transmits measurements and / or characteristic values, preferably by using wireless data transmission. Therefore, the measurement unit and power supply unit can be preferably placed on the current collector later, i.e., retrofitted, and operated independently of information and power supplies from the railcar. The basic functionality of the current collector is therefore unaffected by the measurement unit and power supply unit, and no intervention is required on other elements of the railcar. To ensure this preferred independence from the railcar, the power supply unit generates at least the power required to operate the sensor elements, preferably the entire measurement unit. By using an economical processor in combination with intelligent processing algorithms, the measurement unit requires only an average of approximately 0.5 W–5 W, preferably approximately 1 W. This low power consumption is negligible compared to the power transmitted by the current collector.

[0024] Preferred embodiments of the present invention are the subject of the dependent claims. In addition, all combinations of at least two features disclosed in the present specification, claims and / or drawings are within the scope of the present invention. It is to be understood that the description of the method equally refers to the current collector and monitoring system according to the present invention without separate reference thereto. In particular, it is to be understood that the present disclosure includes conventional linguistic transformations and / or meaningful substitutions of respective words within the framework of conventional linguistic conventions, and in particular the use of synonyms not explicitly mentioned in the respective expressions but supported by generally recognized linguistic literature.

[0025] At least the electrical energy required to power the sensors of the sensor elements can be generated by a first power supply element from an alternating current applied to the current collector and / or by a second power supply element from a direct current applied to the current collector. Preferably, the current collector comprises a first and a second power supply element. Thus, advantageously, the energy self-sufficient operation of the measurement unit can be ensured regardless of the type of power supply to the railway vehicle, for example, its operation can be generated by an AC or a DC power supply. Thus, when the current collector is operated on an AC power network, a first power supply element can be used, which is also referred to as an AC power supply element in the context of the present invention, and when the current collector is operated on a DC power network, a second power supply element can be used to generate the electrical power required to power at least the sensors of the sensor elements, which is also referred to as a DC power supply element in the context of the present invention.

[0026] The power supply unit therefore comprises two power supply elements based on different principles and arranged on the current collector, so that a self-contained power supply for the measurement unit can be ensured when both direct current and alternating current are applied to the current collector. Preferably, a direct current power supply element (DC energy harvester) and an alternating current power supply element (AC energy harvester) are arranged on the current collector.

[0027] When the current collector operates on an AC power grid, i.e., when an AC voltage is applied to the current collector, an AC current is used in the power supply element to induce an AC current in the toroidal coil, which is converted into a DC voltage that can be used by the power supply unit and / or the base unit of the measurement unit for the measurement unit. To transmit current from the contact wire to the railcar, the current collector can have at least one busbar, preferably four busbars, in a known manner. In the context of the present invention, it has proven advantageous to arrange bolts on the frame at the points where current is transmitted from the articulation elements of the current collector to the frame by at least one busbar, through which the toroidal coil can slide and be connected to the busbar, for example, by cable lugs. Thus, the AC current flows through the bolts, inducing an AC current in the toroidal coil, which can then be converted into a DC voltage that can be used by the measurement unit. The bolts are preferably designed so that the current flowing through the busbars from the contact wire to the railcar is not impeded. It is conceivable that an AC power supply element is connected to each of the busbars of the current collector. For example, a current collector may have four bus bars and four AC power elements, each of the AC power elements being assigned to a bus bar of the current collector.

[0028] The energy generation during operation of a current collector in a DC power network by a DC power supply element is based on the voltage drop due to the resistance of the current collector busbars. In the context of the present invention, it is recognized that current collectors, in particular current collector busbars, usually have a resistance of only a few milliohms (mΩ). During operation in a DC power network, the resistance of the current collector causes a voltage drop across this resistance depending on the current. This voltage may be, for example, several hundred millivolts (mV). The voltage dropped from the current collector and / or busbar due to their resistance can be tapped off and used to power a measurement unit. It has proven particularly suitable if the DC power supply element comprises an electric wire laid along the current collector, in particular along the articulating element of the current collector from the oscillating element to the current collector frame. This first electric wire may be called a bypass wire and may terminate in a base unit arranged, for example, on the frame. The base unit may again be contacted via a further second electric wire with the part of the busbar connected to the current collector frame. This results in a parallel connection between the busbar of the current collector and the first and second electric wires routed in parallel via the base unit. In this context, it is recognized that it is essential that the first electric wire routed from the rocking element of the current collector to the base unit has a higher resistance, in particular a significantly higher resistance, than the busbar of the current collector.

[0029] The power supply unit may have a voltage converter, such as a step-up converter and / or a step-down converter. In addition, the power supply unit may have an energy storage device, which allows a time-delayed energy output depending on the requirements of the measurement unit. As a result, the device according to the present invention allows for self-contained, high-quality monitoring of the interaction between the current collector and the contact wire and / or the contact wire of the overhead line, as well as their conditions, which can be output as characteristic values, at low hardware costs.

[0030] The angular position, acceleration, speed, rotation, frequency, temperature, illuminance, force, current, voltage, electrical resistance, distance, mass, air pressure, noise, wear, and / or local position of the positioning device can be output and processed as measurements, either continuously or non-continuously. Acceleration can be easily measured using a gyro sensor. The angular position of the positioning device can be used to measure the deflection of the oscillating element or pantograph relative to the railcar at the pivot point of the oscillating element and / or pantograph. Another suitable sensor can be used for this purpose, such as a rotary potentiometer at the pivot point or a gyro sensor measuring the tilt angle or rotation angle. Temperature can be measured using a temperature sensor on the positioning device and / or oscillating element or pantograph, or on the contact strip, to determine, for example, whether there is a risk of the contact wire freezing. Illumination can be measured using an optical sensor or a camera, which forms a sensor. This can be used to detect, for example, irregularities on the surface of the contact wire or arcing. Force can be measured by strain gauges, force sensors, pressure sensors, etc. Thus, for example, the pressure can be measured as a function of the air pressure in the cylinder of the positioning device. Current and / or voltage can be measured using an ammeter and / or pressure gauge as sensors. Resistance can be determined from the current and voltage, which can be a measure of the contact quality and provide information about the state of wear of the contact strip. For example, the quality of energy transfer between the contact strip and the contact wire can be determined. Mass can also be determined using force sensors. Air pressure can be measured with an air spring or pressure cylinder to apply the pressure. The local position of the current collector can be easily determined, for example, by a satellite navigation system such as GPS. Sound can be measured by a microphone so that noise can be evaluated as a measurement value. Wear can be measured by a sensor, which can be used to measure the height and / or thickness of the contact strip. Measurement values ​​can be detected and processed continuously. It is also possible to output and process measurements discontinuously, for example, at fixed times or on specific occasions.

[0031] It is conceivable that at least an acceleration sensor can be used as the sensor, and the acceleration sensor can be disposed on the contact strip and / or the positioning device. The sensor may be a rotational acceleration sensor, a translational acceleration sensor, and / or a vibration sensor, which can be used to measure the movement and / or acceleration of the positioning device and / or the contact strip. For example, an acceleration sensor can detect the movement of the contact strip on the contact wire, and from this movement, conclusions can be drawn about the shape of the contact wire and / or the contact strip. For example, a step between the contact wires, which may cause the contact strip to lift off the contact wire, can be easily detected. Therefore, special measurements or on-site inspections of the contact wire to detect such defects are no longer necessary. Furthermore, changes in the contact strip as a result of wear and / or rubbing cause changes in the shape of the contact strip. This can lead to variations between new and worn contact strips. During the movement of the rail vehicle, the slider periodically rubs against the contact wire. The processing element can derive changes in the slider from the slider movement together with other measurements, such as the movement of the positioning device. The processing element can also store the movement profiles of new and worn sliders, and perform a comparison to determine the wear state and / or wear of the slider. Furthermore, this wear can also be output in the form of a characteristic value. In addition, damage or deformation of the slider and damage to the contact wire can also be easily detected.

[0032] Furthermore, at least one sensor can be used, which can be arranged in the contact strip, on the contact strip, on the contact strip's mounting element, or on a rocking element of the positioning device that holds the contact strip. Thus, the sensor can be arranged, for example, on the recess of the contact strip and / or on the contact strip's contact element. Furthermore, the sensor can also be attached directly to the contact strip and / or the contact strip holder. Additionally or alternatively, the sensor can be designed as a vibration sensor and arranged on the contact strip's mounting element. The contact strip can have, for example, two mounting elements, by means of which the contact strip is attached to the positioning device. In addition, a further contact strip can be arranged on the rocking element, which can also have a sensor, so that this contact strip can also be monitored by the measuring unit. It is also possible for the sensor device to have more than two sensors arranged at the aforementioned points, thereby determining the characteristic value even more precisely.

[0033] Additionally or alternatively, recesses such as drilled holes introduced into the contact strip, in particular into the contact element of the contact strip, can be detected by wear sensor technology. The wear sensor technology can include an acceleration sensor. At least three recesses can be introduced into the contact element of the contact strip at a horizontal distance parallel to the direction of movement, preferably penetrating the contact element at the wear limit. At least three recesses can be introduced into the contact element of the contact strip at a horizontal distance parallel to the direction of movement, preferably penetrating the contact element at the wear limit. These recesses become exposed when the wear limit is reached and cause characteristic vibrations due to contact with the contact wire, taking into account the pulling speed. These vibrations can be detected, for example, using at least one acceleration sensor. Preferably, the recesses have a diameter of 2 mm to 5 mm. More preferably, the recesses have a diameter of 3 mm.

[0034] The positioning device may have a rocking element holding the contact strip, an underframe arranged on the railway vehicle, and an articulation element arranged between the underframe and the rocking element. At least one sensor arranged on the rocking element and at least one power supply unit arranged on the articulation element and / or the underframe may be used as part of the method according to the invention. By arranging a sensor on the rocking element, for example an acceleration sensor or a vibration sensor, measurements can be output near the contact element and the contact wire of the overhead line. Preferably, a first electric wire of the DC power supply element is arranged on the articulation element, and the AC power supply element is arranged on the frame of the positioning device. The current generated by the first and / or second power supply elements, e.g., the AC power supply element and the DC power supply element, is preferably conducted to a base unit attached to the frame, where it can be converted and / or further distributed.

[0035] As described above, the positioning device may include a rocker element that holds the slider, an underframe disposed on the railcar, and an articulation element disposed between the underframe and the rocker element. Measurement values ​​of at least two sensors may be transmitted to a data collector element disposed on the articulation element and / or the rocker element and configured for data collection. Transmission is preferably performed via wires. By using the data collector element, a measuring unit and / or multiple sensors of multiple measuring units may be coupled via a tree structure of bus cables. In the context of the present invention, it is recognized that a tree structure of wiring is preferable compared to a linear structure such as the known linear CAN bus. In particular, a tree structure can be formed by simple and symmetrical wiring, which provides significantly increased flexibility compared to linear wiring. By using the data collector element, the amount of data can also be concentrated and / or reduced. That is, only selected data and / or already processed data need to be transmitted. This significantly reduces the effort required for data transmission. The data collector element may be provided on the rocker element and / or the slider and / or the contact element, thereby forming a tree structure of wiring according to the present invention. Preferably, two data collector elements can be provided for each rocker. Alternatively or additionally, the data collector elements can be provided on the articulated element, in particular in the region of the articulated element's articulation, i.e., the region of the connection between the upper and lower arms. This means that initial data collection can occur directly on the rocking element, and further data collection can occur on the articulated element. The data collector elements can include an acceleration sensor, a gyroscope, and / or a rotation sensor. For example, a data collector device provided on the articulated element's articulation can determine the height of the rocking element relative to the railway vehicle using at least a gyroscope and an acceleration sensor and analysis of angle measurements at the articulation. In addition, the data collector element located on the articulated element can output information about the lateral deflection of the articulated element, and therefore also about the current collector. The data collector element on the articulated element's articulation can also be used to activate a measurement unit.Thus, the data collector element can determine, depending on the distance between the oscillating element and the railcar, whether the slider is in contact with the contact wire and / or whether the train is moving. If the train is moving and / or the slider is in contact with the contact wire of the overhead line, the measurement unit can be activated. Alternatively or additionally, activation can also be performed by a pressure sensor arranged on a spring element of the positioning device or a voltage sensor on a motor-driven drive element of the positioning device.

[0036] According to a further embodiment, the voltage and / or current applied to the current collector wires can be measured at the current collector wires by at least one sensor in the base unit of the measuring unit, which is arranged on the underframe. The wires are preferably formed from metal profiles, conductor rails and / or busbars, through which the current required by the rail vehicle flows from the contact strip to the rail vehicle. The sensors arranged on the base unit can, for example, detect and / or calculate the train's vibration and / or tilt position. By outputting the measured values ​​on the base unit arranged on the underframe, it is preferably possible to more accurately assign fault patterns and / or detect characteristic values. The measured values ​​determined by the base unit arranged on the underframe, which is connected to the rail vehicle, allow conclusions to be drawn as to what extent the fault or abnormality is attributable to the rail vehicle itself, to what extent it is attributable to the state of the track on which the rail vehicle is traveling, or whether it is actually attributable to the current collector and / or contact wire.

[0037] The pressure in the pressure line of the positioning device can be measured by a pressure sensor arranged on the underframe. Preferably, the pressure in the pressure line of the positioning device is measured by at least one pressure sensor, which is connected to a base unit of the measurement unit arranged on the underframe. Preferably, the pressure line of the positioning device is monitored by a pressure sensor in the case of an air flow collector, which is typically used in long-distance transportation (heavy rail and high speed). The static pressure and / or dynamic fluctuations can be determined from the pressure values ​​measured in the pressure line of the positioning device. The pressure sensor and / or the measurement values ​​output by the pressure sensor can also be used to put the measurement unit into standby mode and / or restart the measurement unit if a movement and / or pressure change occurs that indicates the railway vehicle is moving. For example, if the pressure in the pressure line of the positioning device increases, the rocking element is raised by the positioning device, and therefore conclusions about the railway vehicle can be drawn.

[0038] The processing element can perform the analysis of the measured values ​​while the slider is guided along the contact wire. The processing element can therefore perform this analysis while the rail vehicle is in motion. Within the scope of this method, the measured values ​​can also be analyzed while the rail vehicle is stationary, for example at a station or depot. In particular, characteristic values ​​for the operating state of the contact wire of the overhead line can preferably only be obtained when the slider is guided along the contact wire.

[0039] The processing element can output and store the sensor measurements and / or characteristic values ​​at regular time intervals, in response to changes, or continuously. It can therefore be provided that measurements and / or characteristic values ​​are output and stored only when the values ​​change, in order to keep the amount of data low. Alternatively, continuous output and storage can be provided. Storing measurements and / or characteristic values ​​allows processing to be performed even after output. Thus, for example, measurements can be output while the railcar is in motion, and characteristic value(s) can only be determined during maintenance of the railcar at a depot. For example, the condition of the contact wires along the railcar's path can be determined after a trip.

[0040] The measuring device may have a control device, which controls an actuator for driving the positioning device, and the drive of the positioning device may be adjusted by an adjusting element of the control device depending on the measured values ​​and / or characteristic values. The driving element may comprise an actuator, which may be connected to the oscillating element and / or the oscillating element of the positioning device, so that linear movement of the actuator moves the slider between the sliding contact position and the retracted position. The actuator may be formed, for example, by a linear drive or a pneumatically or hydraulically driven cylinder or bellows. It is also possible for the pressing force to be varied by the actuator or for the actuator to generate the pressing force. Thus, the actuator may form a spring element and / or be coupled to the spring element. The control device may then receive signals and / or measured values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​from the measuring device and use them by the adjusting element to adjust the driving element. For example, if the processing element detects a break in the slider, the actuator may be used to pivot the slider to the retracted position of the railcar. Furthermore, the pressing force may be adjusted by the actuator. In principle, such a control device may exist as an assembly of the railway vehicle, independent of the measuring device.

[0041] The pressing force can be adjusted by the adjusting element as a function of the measured value and / or characteristic value. For example, the pressing force can be generated to be substantially constant, regardless of the angular position and movement of the positioning element. This also significantly prevents the contact strip from lifting off the contact wire as a result of unevenness or other influences. The processing element can output the characteristic value to the control device, for example, after the contact strip is accelerated off the contact wire, and the control device can then prevent the contact strip from lifting off by means of the adjusting element and / or the actuator, for example, by applying a counter force to the oscillating element. At the same time, the pressing force can also be adjusted so that excessive wear of the contact strip does not occur as a result of the increased pressing force. Therefore, if an improvement in the electrical contact with the contact wire is made, the pressing force can also be relatively reduced.

[0042] The measuring device may transmit the measured values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​to the evaluation unit, where the measured values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​may be stored in a database of the evaluation unit and / or processed by an evaluation device of the evaluation unit. Thus, the evaluation unit may comprise a database and an evaluation device. Thus, the evaluation unit may serve for the collection and further processing of the measured values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​and may be formed by a computer. The evaluation unit may be a computing device that is remote from the measuring unit and / or the rail vehicle, for example, enabling cloud services. The measured values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​may be transmitted automatically and / or upon request of the evaluation unit. For example, the evaluation device may display or output the results of the evaluation to the driver. The evaluation unit may have a functional range that exceeds the functional range of the processing element. By combining the measured values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​of several measuring units, the evaluation unit may improve the quality of the description of the state of the monitored elements of the current collector, in particular, the causes and effects of damage to the contact wire or the current collector and may unambiguously assign specific characteristic values, for example. This is because several characteristic values ​​and / or several measured values ​​from several measurement units and / or measurement devices can be combined and processed for each element of the current collector, for example in the sense of swarm intelligence. By combining different sensor types, "virtual sensors" can also be created. In the context of the present invention, swarm effect is to be understood as the combination of data from different sensors and / or different sensor elements and / or different measurement devices and / or different measurement units and / or different monitoring systems.

[0043] In principle, however, it is also possible to integrate the processing element into the evaluation unit and vice versa, such an evaluation unit also being present as an element group of the rail vehicle, independent of the current collector.

[0044] The measuring device may have a transmitting element by means of which the measured values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​of the measuring device can be transmitted via a data connection to an evaluation unit and / or a control device, which may be remote from the measuring unit or integrated into the measuring unit. If the control device and / or the evaluation unit are integrated into the measuring unit, the data connection may be formed simply by a line connection. Therefore, it is also possible to install elements of the measuring device, such as the processing element and the control device, as well as the evaluation unit, elsewhere on the railway vehicle. When transmitting the measured values ​​and / or characteristic values, data can be exchanged, for example, based on a transmission protocol. The data connection can be established continuously, at regular intervals, or on an event-based basis. Overall, this allows the data collected by the measuring device to be collected and evaluated. Various evaluation possibilities thus enable the analysis of specific conditions and events, which can be used to optimize the operation of the current collector and contact wire and / or the railway vehicle.

[0045] The data connection may be established via an external data network. In this context, the data connection may be established via a mobile phone network, a WLAN, a satellite connection, the Internet or any other wireless standard, alone or in combination. If the evaluation unit and / or the control device are spaced apart from the measuring device, they may be arranged fixedly outside the rail vehicle, e.g., in a building, away from the rail vehicle. In particular, this makes it possible to monitor and / or control the function of the current collector on the rail vehicle without this work having to be performed by a person on the rail vehicle himself.

[0046] The evaluation unit can process the measurement values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​of the measurement units of several current collectors. In this way, the evaluation unit can process the measurement values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​of several current collectors arranged on individual railcars. By comparing the measurement values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​of the current collectors, the accuracy of the measurement and / or monitoring can be further increased. In addition, the evaluation unit can be used to process the characteristic values ​​of current collectors arranged on different railcars. This can also significantly improve the accuracy of the measurement and monitoring of the railcars and / or their respective contact wires. Among other things, it is possible in this way to obtain an up-to-date and constantly changing picture of the network and the railcars operating thereon. As a result, the operating conditions can be optimized, thereby significantly reducing operating costs. Regular and frequent inspections of the infrastructure and railcars are no longer necessary, which significantly increases the safety of the vehicles during operation. There is no need to perform special measurement runs.

[0047] The user unit can establish a data connection with the evaluation unit and / or the measuring unit, and the measured values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​can be transmitted and output to the user unit. The measured values ​​and / or characteristic values, as well as the results of the evaluation of the measured values ​​and / or characteristic values, can be made available to the end user via the user unit. The user unit can be a computer independent of the evaluation unit and / or the measuring unit. This computer can be a stationary computer, a mobile device, etc., with which a further data connection can be established for data exchange with the evaluation unit and / or the measuring unit. Data exchange can take place via an external data network, such as the Internet. In this way, data processed using the evaluation unit and / or measured values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​processed using the evaluation device can be made available to a wider range of users. The measured values ​​and / or characteristic values, or the results of the evaluation of the measured values ​​and / or characteristic values, can be made available individually to the end user via the user unit. The evaluation unit can be formed, for example, by a server equipped with software, which transmits information contained in the evaluation unit's database to the user unit. This transmission can consist of providing selected information, such as the current wear state of the contact strip, on a website. Such a web page or web interface may be provided to make the data visually accessible to the end user. The website or web interface may be adapted to the end user and its application case. The evaluation unit, the measurement unit and / or the user unit may transmit the data to various systems of the end user, e.g. existing systems of the end user, such as a rail network operator. Alerts and / or warning messages and / or information messages may also be transmitted and / or output via the evaluation unit and / or the user unit.

[0048] The processing element or evaluation unit can evaluate the time evolution of the measured values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​and determine the state of wear of the current collectors and / or contact wires, taking into account time-dependent components related to wear and / or components dependent on the measured variables. In this way, not only can statements be made about the current state of wear, but it is also possible to determine approximately when, for example, a contact strip or contact wire is likely to wear out. This makes it possible to precisely determine maintenance intervals for the current collectors and / or contact wires and optimize them in terms of time, for example by adapting them to the actual state of the current collectors and / or contact wires. In addition, the time course information can be used to determine when a particular event occurred. If an event occurs repeatedly, the system can make a decision therefrom. For example, it can be detected that a poor electrical contact or increased wear is occurring when a particular track section is used.

[0049] The sensor element can output vibrations of the contact strips, allowing the processing element or evaluation unit to determine the wear state of the contact strips and / or the contact wire. Wear of the contact strips can change their shape, particularly their height. This change in shape can also change the vibration behavior of the contact strips. For example, the processing element can determine the natural and / or resonant frequencies of the contact strips and / or the positioning device as vibrations. From the vibrations, the processing element can determine the degree of wear of the contact strips, the positioning device, and / or the contact wire. If the vibration behavior changes as the components of the contact strips and / or the positioning device or the material of the contact wire wears, this change can be used to draw conclusions about the degree of wear of the contact strips, the positioning device, and / or the contact wire. For example, it is possible to determine not only whether the contact strips are new or completely worn, but also how worn they are. The shape of the contact strips is essentially determined by the wear of the carbon material of the contact elements on the contact strips. This can essentially cause differences in the height of the contact strips and / or the contact elements between new and worn contact strips. During the movement of a railway vehicle, a slider is usually brought into contact with and / or rubbed against the contact wire continuously and alternately along its length, so that wear of the slider can occur unevenly along the length of the slider. This means that the wear of the slider can be greater in the center of the slider than at its ends. Depending on the condition of the contact wire, grooves can also be formed on the slider. Therefore, the height of the slider can change unevenly with use, which affects the slider shape. Furthermore, since the continuous normal change of the contact wire along the slider length can be detected while the railway vehicle is moving, the slider condition can also be determined from this.

[0050] The processing device can calculate the shape using the finite element method. For example, it can be provided that the processing device calculates the possible shape of the contact strip from the vibration behavior of the contact strip using a calculation model based on the finite element method. In particular, the above-mentioned possibility of wear of the contact strip can be taken into account here. This makes it possible to determine the wear state of the contact strip more accurately.

[0051] The processing element or evaluation unit determines the following operational conditions: arcing of the contact strips and / or contact wire, a zigzag path of the contact wire, icing of the contact wire, and / or contact wire defects. In the context of the present invention, the term "contact wire defect" includes not only damage and / or defects of the contact wire, but also improper laying and / or positioning of the contact wire. Electric arcs can be determined, for example, by measuring the current transmitted to the contact strip. Furthermore, the illuminance or luminance can be measured in the area of ​​the contact wire, so that if measurement peaks occur simultaneously, the presence of an arc can be determined with high certainty from both measurements. Since contact wires are usually arranged in a zigzag pattern along the travel path, this zigzag pattern of the contact wire can also be determined, for example, by an acceleration sensor and / or an induction sensor. This makes it possible to create a profile of the contact wire along the path. The contact wire profile can be stored in the evaluation unit in the form of a contact wire map and / or a contact wire path. Any defects detected on the overhead contact wire and / or contact cable can thus be accurately assigned to a clearly identifiable location on the contact cable. Contact cable icing can also be easily determined by measuring multiple sensors and / or measurements, such as the ambient temperature and humidity in the area of ​​the contact cable. Areas of the contact cable and / or track sections along the route can also be identified as having a higher or lower probability of icing, such as areas of water. This data can also be stored in the evaluation unit. Additionally, defects in the contact cable and / or contact cable can be detected using sensors. For example, an acceleration sensor can be used to detect an impact on the contact strip as a result of a defect in the contact cable, and a pressure sensor can be used to simultaneously detect a changing pressure force. Overall, this makes it possible to draw conclusions about the operating state of the contact cable by combining separate measurements from the same or different types of sensors and to document this operating state in the form of characteristic values ​​and / or other data suitable for describing the operating state. In particular, since measurements can be easily and repeatedly recorded during normal operation, this does not require dedicated measurement runs.

[0052] The processing element or evaluation unit performs a sample analysis or statistical evaluation of the measured values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​stored over a period of time and derives an index from the sample analysis or statistical evaluation. This allows correlations between measured values, characteristic values, and / or data records to be determined, if any, by using the sample analysis. Causal relationships can typically be derived from correlations. In the simplest embodiment of the method, correlations detected by the sample analysis can be used to determine causal relationships, which knowledge can then be used to optimize the operation of the railway vehicle. For example, the occurrence of defects in a section of contact wire may be correlated with a specific type of railway vehicle or current collector. This allows the cause of the defect and / or the causal relationship between the defect and the railway vehicle to be determined and corrected in a targeted manner. If a sufficient amount of data is available, it can be checked using statistical evaluation to ensure, for example, that the defect is not a case of randomly detected events. Nevertheless, statistical evaluation can be used, for example, to weight the defects or their frequency or to calculate the probability of occurrence of the defect.

[0053] The processing element or evaluation unit correlates the measurement values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​of different sensors with each other and derives functional dependencies of the measurement values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​by artificial intelligence. It is also contemplated to perform sample analysis using artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence can be used, for example, in the context of machine learning or deep learning and / or data classification. According to a preferred embodiment, a statistical model can be created using machine learning (ML). The determined characteristic values ​​can be used as features or training data in the machine learning, and patterns and / or regularities can be identified within the training data. Functional dependencies between sensors can also be investigated. For example, the transmitted current can be correlated with temperature, potentially determining that the contact wire is frozen. Furthermore, sample analysis of the measurement values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​can detect thinner contact wire sections compared to intact or new contact wire, thereby drawing conclusions about potential causes of errors and / or failures. Many other operating conditions and events can also be identified and interpreted as a result of functional dependencies. These include, for example, variations along the contact wire and its relative position, inclination and number, lifting of the contact strip from the contact wire and, if applicable, sparks and / or arcs, wear of the contact strip as a result of mechanical friction on the contact wire and / or electrical burns as a result of pressure, average wear in particular over the route, track sections with particularly high or low wear, wear rate as a function of driving actions such as acceleration or stopping, current load, damage and / or position deviations of the overhead contact wire and / or contact wire, current load, in particular short-term overcurrents, short-circuit currents, operation of protective fuses or short circuits in the event of a fault, the state of wear elements of the current collector such as bearings, joints, structural elements, damage to the contact strip as a result of, for example, a collision with an obstacle, position, speed, acceleration and direction of travel of the rail vehicle. These exemplary conditions and events mentioned above can be responded to accordingly by maintenance measures, adjustments to the driving behaviour of the rail vehicle or other suitable measures.

[0054] Additionally, the processing element or evaluation unit may correlate signals and / or measurements and / or characteristic values ​​from sensors not associated with the current collector with signals and / or measurements and / or characteristic values ​​from sensors associated with the current collector, by taking into account further signals and / or measurements and / or characteristic values ​​from sensors such as ground contacts, wheel flange lubrication, shaft ground, etc. In principle, by using the processing element, all signals and / or measurements that can be measured on a railway vehicle can be processed in this way.

[0055] The position sensor of the sensor element can determine the local position of the current collector, which can be assigned to characteristic values ​​or measured values ​​of other sensors of the sensor element, and the evaluation unit can determine the state of the contact wire. The position sensor can determine the position of the current collector, specifically the position of the railcar, for example using satellite navigation. This makes it possible to determine, for example, at which position along the route a specific measured value of another sensor of the sensor element was output. This allows the associated local position to be assigned to the event and / or measured value. Furthermore, the evaluation unit can be used to determine the state of the contact wire, for example by evaluating the vibrations of the current collector and / or oscillating element along the contact wire. For example, if the contact wire is severely worn, the oscillating element may exhibit an altered vibration behavior. Steps, obstructions, and tilts on the contact wire can also be determined and assigned to positions on the track. This can be used to influence the speed of the railcar on such local sections of the route.

[0056] The evaluation unit may generate a data model of the contact wire along at least a track section of the route of the rail vehicle, the data model including multiple different local positions of the track section, each of which is assigned a measurement value and / or a characteristic value. The data model may be stored in the evaluation unit and may include data and / or files representing the path of the contact wire. The data model may be a graphical representation and / or mapping of the path of the contact wire along the route, or in a simpler embodiment, may be a list including, for example, contact wire elements. The data model may include multiple different local positions and / or routes of the associated track section as respective data sets, so that the structural characteristics of the contact wire are represented by the data model. Each local position and / or data record may be assigned a measurement value and / or a characteristic value. For example, the data model may include information about the zigzag path of the contact wire and information about the length of each straight portion of the contact wire. A local position relative to a reference point and / or a route length of the route may be assigned to this zigzag path. If measurements are determined here using sensors or characteristic values ​​are determined here using processing elements, these can be assigned to a local position of the relevant track section, if the local position is known or has been determined during the relevant measurement. In this way, any event or defect associated with the contact wire can be recorded and, if necessary, accurately identified in the field, e.g. for repair, by knowing the local position.

[0057] The data model can be adapted by continuously and repeatedly outputting measured values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​for the railcar's travel along the track section. For example, a route can be repeatedly traveled with one or more of these current collectors on one or more different railcars. When the measured values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​are output each time, the data model stored in the evaluation unit can be improved by continuous comparison. For example, an event that occurs only once can be recognized as such and ignored, while a recurring event indicates a special characteristic or problem at a particular local location of the contact wire or current collector and / or railcar. Continuous adaptation of the data model can record the intensity of use and associated wear, which allows for improved planning of maintenance measures and repairs. Continuous adaptation of the data model can also be used to determine the local position, so that the local position of the current collector can be determined by comparing data acquired from the current collector during travel with the data model.

[0058] Furthermore, a measurement unit may be used, which is formed on the current collector independently of the railway vehicle. Thus, the measurement unit may be arranged on and / or integrated into the current collector independently of the railway vehicle in terms of its location and / or function. Therefore, a connection between the measurement unit and the railway vehicle is not necessarily required. In particular, the measurement unit does not need to be connected to the low-voltage network of the railway vehicle. Therefore, the measurement unit, e.g., the current collector, may be used independently of the type of railway vehicle and without special certification from the railway vehicle manufacturer. Nevertheless, connecting the measurement unit to the railway vehicle, e.g., the driver's cab, may optionally provide for signaling of measured values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​to the vehicle driver. In particular, bidirectional data exchange may be performed between the measurement unit and the railway vehicle. For example, wear may be signaled to the driver's cab, or railway vehicle measurements available in the driver's cab, such as speed, may be processed by the measurement unit. Preferably, however, the measurement unit may be used independently of the railway vehicle.

[0059] The characteristic value can be determined during operation of the railway vehicle when the current collector is in contact with the contact wire. Alternatively or additionally, the characteristic value can be determined during stationary operation of the railway vehicle, where the current collector can be placed in a stationary position or moved between a contact wire contact position and a stationary position on the railway vehicle. Thus, the characteristic value can be determined only based on measurements that can be output in a stationary state. When the contact strip is released from the contact wire or moved from a stationary position on the railway vehicle toward the contact wire, vibrations are induced in the contact strip, allowing the contact strip to vibrate substantially without external influences. This makes it possible, for example, to determine the state of wear by using the vibrations of the contact strip.

[0060] The current collector is arranged on the roof of a railway vehicle and is configured to transfer power from a contact wire of an overhead contact line to the railway vehicle, the current collector comprising a positioning device having a slider arranged thereon, the positioning device being designed to move the slider relative to the contact wire and to press the slider against the contact wire using a pressing force to reach a sliding contact position, the positioning device having a drive element and / or a spring element for generating the pressing force against the slider. According to the present invention, the current collector comprises a power supply unit arranged on the current collector and a measuring unit having a measuring device, at least two sensors of the sensor elements of the measuring device are arranged on the positioning device and / or the slider, the power supply unit generates at least the electrical energy required to power the sensors of the sensor elements, and a processing element of the measuring device processes the measured values, each of the sensors outputs a measured value at the sliding contact position, and the processing element correlates the measured values ​​with each other to determine a characteristic value representative of the operating state of the current collector and / or the contact wire. For current collector embodiments and advantages, please refer to the method description above.

[0061] It will be understood that the statements made regarding the method are equally relevant to the current collector according to the invention and the monitoring system according to the invention, the latter not being mentioned separately.

[0062] According to a preferred embodiment, the current collector positioning device may have a rocking element for holding the contact strip, an underframe arranged on the railway vehicle, and an articulation element arranged between the underframe and the rocking element. Referring to the description of the method above, at least one sensor may be arranged on the rocking element, and at least one power supply unit may be arranged on the articulation element and / or on the underframe. Preferably, the first and second power supply elements are arranged on the articulation element and / or on the underframe, and are designed so that the first power supply element generates power when the current collector is operated on an AC power network, and the second power supply element generates power when the current collector is operated on a DC power network.

[0063] Data collector elements may be arranged on the articulation element and / or on the oscillating element of the positioning device. Data and / or measurements may be processed and / or bundled in the data collector element to reduce the amount of data transferred. A data collector element may be connected to at least two sensors and / or measuring devices. In addition, a data collector element may be connected to multiple other data collector elements, meaning that the amount of data from multiple upstream data collector elements may be further reduced by the data collector element. Data collection and data collector elements may be used to create a tree-like structure of connections between the measurement unit and / or elements of the monitoring system. Preferably, data transmission between the measurement unit, sensors, and data collector elements is connected by cables, thereby also creating a tree-like wiring structure. At least one data collector element may be connected to the base unit. According to a particularly preferred embodiment, four sensors may be arranged on the oscillating element, preferably two sensors assigned to the contact strip and two sensors assigned to each of the data collector elements. In other words, this means that two data collector elements are arranged on the oscillating element, each of which is connected to two sensors and reduces the amount of data therefrom. A further data collector element can be arranged at the articulating element's bend. This data collector element arranged at the articulating element's bend is connected by a cable to a base unit, where the data and / or measurements arriving at the base unit are further processed, reduced and / or forwarded. The forwarding of data from the base unit is preferably carried out wirelessly.

[0064] The base unit of the measuring unit may comprise pressure, current and / or voltage sensors. Thus, the base unit may output data relating to pressure, voltage and current, in addition to processing and forwarding data received from other sensors. It is also conceivable that pressure, current and / or voltage sensors are arranged on the frame and / or positioning device, and that their measured values ​​are transmitted to the base unit for evaluation and / or forwarding.

[0065] The monitoring system may include a plurality of railcars, each having at least one current collector, and an evaluation unit for processing the measured values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​of the measurement units of the current collectors. As mentioned above, this makes it possible to monitor several current collectors of a railcar, or several railcars with current collectors, and / or to control the associated current collectors using one evaluation unit. In any case, it is also contemplated that each current collector has an evaluation unit. Railcars may each have several current collectors. Overall, this allows the monitoring system to collect and evaluate data sets from the current collectors, regardless of the type of data connection. The monitoring system may have an evaluation unit spaced apart from the current collectors and / or railcars, or may be located at a fixed location, e.g., in a building, away from the railcars. Data stored in the evaluation unit can thus be used, for example, to establish correlations between the local location, the time of detection, and any faults detected in the current collectors. Thus, for example, a relatively high wear level or a specific fault in a current collector or contact wire can be assigned to a period or a route.

[0066] The monitoring system may comprise one or more user units, which are spaced apart from one another. A data connection(s) to each user unit may be established via an external data network. A user unit may be a computer independent of the monitoring system. This computer may be a stationary computer, a mobile device, etc., through which a data connection for data exchange with the monitoring system may be established. Data may be exchanged via an external data network, such as the Internet. In this way, data processed by the evaluation unit may be made available to an extended user group via an output device. The output device may be, for example, a server with a software application, which transmits the results calculated by the evaluation unit and the information contained in the database to each user unit. This transmission may be achieved by providing selected information, such as the current status of current collectors, contact wires, and the railcar's support structure, on a website. This information is then made available to railcar operators separately.

[0067] Further preferred embodiments of the monitoring system are derived from the description of the features of the method. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0068] In the following, the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows a side view of a current collector on a railcar. [Figure 2a] FIG. 2a shows a front view of an unused contact strip. [Figure 2b] Figure 2b shows a front view of the worn contact strip. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a cross section of the contact wire path. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a surveillance system with a rail vehicle. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of a first embodiment of the measurement unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of the measurement unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of another monitoring system. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of the current collector. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 shows a side view of the current collector according to FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 shows a front view of the current collector according to FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 shows a top view of the current collector according to FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 shows another perspective view of the current collector according to FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 shows the frame of the current collector according to FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 shows a portion of the articulation element of the current collector according to FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 shows a perspective view from below of the rocking element of the current collector according to FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 shows a perspective view from above of a portion of the swaying element of the current collector according to FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 shows a perspective view of a data collector element arranged on an articulation element of a current collector according to FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 shows a schematic diagram of the DC power supply elements. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 shows a perspective view of an AC power element placed on the frame of the current collector according to FIG. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 shows a schematic diagram of a first embodiment of the wear sensor technology. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 shows a cross section through the contact strip with a second embodiment of the wear sensor technology. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 shows a schematic diagram of the tree structure of the measurement unit. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 shows a perspective view of the base unit of the measurement unit. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 shows a schematic diagram of an application of a schematic data network. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0069] 1 shows a current collector 10 on the roof 11 of a railway vehicle (not shown in detail here) with a positioning device 13 in the form of a pantograph 12. On the pantograph 12, two contact strips 14 are arranged on a swaying element 15 so as to cross a contact wire 16. The swaying element 15 is arranged on an articulation element 72. An underframe 71 connects the positioning device 13 to the roof 11 of the railway vehicle. The railway vehicle moves at a speed V F The contact strip 14 moves with a force F across and / or perpendicular to the contact wire 16. A The contact strip 14 is pressed against the contact wire 16 by a contact element 16a. The contact strip 14 is made of a carbon contact element (not shown in detail here) and a contact strip holder, and as explained herein, the movement of the contact strip 14 on the contact wire 16 causes wear of the carbon material.

[0070] 2a-2b show the contact strip 17 in various views and in various states of wear. The contact strip 17 essentially consists of a contact element 18 and a contact strip holder 19, the latter being made of carbon or graphite. The contact strip holder 19 has a cross section 20, usually made of aluminum, to which the contact element 18 is attached. A mounting element 21 is formed on the cross section 20 and serves to connect the contact strip 17 to a positioning device (not shown here).

[0071] 2a shows that the contact strip 17 is in a new, i.e. unused, state, so that the height HCN of the contact element 18 and / or the height HTN of the contact strip 17 in the region of the center 22 of the contact strip 17 remains unchanged and / or has a maximum value. In the region of the mounting element 21 and the center 22, an acceleration sensor (not shown here) of the sensor device of the measuring system is mounted.

[0072] 2b shows that, as a result of the worn state of the contact strip 17, the height HCW of the contact element 18 and / or the height HTW of the contact strip 17 in the region of the center 22 are significantly reduced due to the wear of the surface 23 of the contact element 18. This causes a change in the vibration behavior of the contact strip 17, because the resistance moment and / or mass of the contact strip 17 change and / or decrease. The friction of the contact element 18 is most severe in the region of the center 22, because the contact wire (not shown here) forms a zigzag path and rubs against the contact strip 17 on the surface 23 alternately between the outer ends 24 and / or surfaces 23 of the contact elements 18 during the movement of the railway vehicle.

[0073] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a contact wire 25 relative to a route 26 and a slider 27 of a current collector (not shown) of a railway vehicle. The contact wire 25, shown here in cross section, forms a zigzag path relative to the route 26. The overhead contact line (not shown in detail here) is designed so that the contact wire is held at attachment points 28 of the overhead contact line. The contact wire 26 extends in a substantially straight section 29 between the attachment points 28. As the railway vehicle travels along the route 26, the contact wire 25 rubs against the slider 27 in a reciprocating motion along its length. The current collector is equipped with a measurement unit having a measuring device and at least two sensors of the sensor elements of the measuring device. The sensors can output vibrations of the slider 27, and a processing element of the measuring device can process these measurements and correlate them with each other. The processing element can use this to determine and / or calculate the operating state of the overhead contact line and / or the zigzag path of the contact wire 25.

[0074] FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a monitoring system 30 and a rail vehicle 31. The rail vehicle travels on a track 32 and has a current collector 33 on the roof 34 of the rail vehicle 31, which may be in contact with a contact wire 35. The monitoring system 30 includes a plurality of measurement units 36 on the current collector 33, each of which includes a processing element 37 and a measurement device 38. The monitoring system further includes an evaluation unit 39, which receives, stores, and processes data sets from the measurement units 36. The evaluation unit 39 may analyze the data sets and output the analysis results. The measurement units 36 are connected to the evaluation unit 39 via a data connection 40, whereby the data sets are transmitted by wireless signals via an external data network 41. Data records may also be transmitted bidirectionally. The processing element 37 stores measurements of sensors (not shown in detail here) in the measurement units 36 and / or the current collector 33, correlates them, and consequently determines the operating state of the current collector 33 or the contact wire 35. The results are transmitted to the evaluation unit 39, as described above. In principle, it is possible and sufficient to connect the measurement unit 36 ​​to the external data network 41 via a single data connection. Optionally, it is also possible to exchange data sets directly and / or bypass the external data network 41 between the measurement unit 36 ​​and the evaluation unit 39. The measurement unit 36 ​​can also be connected to the driver's cab 42 of the rail vehicle 31, so that the results and / or measurements of the processing element 37 can be displayed to the driver in the cab 42.

[0075] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a first embodiment of a measuring unit 43. The measuring unit 43 is formed from a measuring device 44 and further comprises an evaluation unit 45. The measuring device 44 further comprises a sensor element 46 having a plurality of sensors 47, 48 and a processing element 49. In addition, a power supply device 50 is provided, by which electrical energy is supplied to the measuring device 44. The power supply element 50 may be an energy storage device, a generator, or an external power source, for example, via a rail vehicle or a contact wire. The evaluation unit 45 comprises a database 51 and an evaluation device 52 and receives data and / or measurement values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​from the processing element 49. The processing element 49 receives and processes the measurement values ​​from the sensors 47, 48 of the sensor element 46. The measurement values ​​relate to operating parameters and / or physically measured variables of a contact pressure device (not shown here) of a current collector, such as the current collector shown by way of example in FIG. 1. The processing element 49 processes the measurement values ​​in order to correlate the measurement values ​​and determine characteristic values ​​representative of the operating state of the associated current collector and / or the contact wire of the overhead line. The characteristic values ​​determined in each case are continuously or continuously transmitted from the processing element 49 to the evaluation unit 45, where they are stored in a database 51 and / or further processed and / or prepared by the evaluation device 52.

[0076] 6 shows a further measuring unit 53 in which, in contrast to the measuring unit of FIG. 5, the processing element 49 transmits data to a control device 54. The control device 54 is formed by an adjusting element 55 and a positioning device 56, the adjusting element 55 adjusting an actuator (not shown in detail here) of the positioning device 56 depending on the transmitted data. The adjusting element 55 thus adjusts the pressing force of the contact strip of the current collector with the positioning device 56, so that the contact strip is substantially prevented from lifting off the conductor rail.

[0077] FIG. 7 shows a monitoring system 57 having a measuring unit 58. The monitoring system 57 may have multiple measuring units 58. In contrast to the measuring unit of FIG. 6, the measuring unit 58 has a measuring device 59 with a transmitting element 60. The transmitting element 60 receives data and / or measurement values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​from the processing element 49 and transmits them to the control device 54. Furthermore, a data connection 62 exists between the transmitting element 60 and an external data network 61, which transmits the measurement values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​via a radio signal. An evaluation unit 64 having a database 65 and an evaluation device 66 is connected to the external data network 61 via a further data connection 63 and exchanges data and / or measurement values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​with the transmitting element 60 via the external data network 61. In principle, it is also possible to directly exchange this data via the direct data connection 62, bypassing the external data network 61. In addition, a user unit 68 is provided, which is connected to the external data network 61 via a further data connection 69. Thus, the user unit 69 can exchange data with the evaluation unit 64. That is, data from the measurement unit 58 processed by the evaluation unit 64 can be output and / or displayed via the user unit 68 and made available for further use. The user unit 68 can also be directly connected to the evaluation unit 64 via a direct data connection 70. Thus, it is possible to obtain measured values ​​via sensors 47, 48 (not shown) attached to the current collectors as a whole and use these for direct control and / or adjustment of the respective current collectors by the control device 54. Furthermore, this data can be transferred to the evaluation unit 64 via an external data network 61, such as the Internet, for storage and evaluation. Thus, functional correlations of the data can be used, evaluated, and interpreted. The results of these evaluations can be made available to the end user via the user unit 68.

[0078] FIG. 8 shows a current collector 10, which essentially consists of a frame 71 of a positioning device 13 and a swinging element 15 holding a contact strip 14. The positioning device 13 has an articulation element 72, which has an upper arm 84 and a lower arm 85, which are hinged to each other. The lower arm 85 is articulated to the frame 71 of the current collector 10, and the upper arm 84 is connected to the swinging device 15. Furthermore, the current collector 10 has a drive element 73 and a spring element 74 arranged on the frame. The current extracted from the contact wire by the contact strip 14 is conducted through an electric wire 78 designed as a busbar and is wired to a railway vehicle (not shown here), thereby supplying power via the swinging element 15, the upper arm 84, the lower arm 85, and the base support 71. The current flowing through the busbar 78 and / or the applied voltage are used by a power supply unit 50 to power a sensor 47 arranged on the current collector 10. The power supply unit 50 may have a first power supply element 75 and a second power supply element 76. The first power supply element 75 is designed to generate from AC current at least the electrical energy required to power the sensor 47 of the sensor element 46. The second power supply element 76 generates from DC current applied to the current collector 10 the electrical energy required to power the sensor 47 of the sensor element 46. The first power supply element 75 is illustrated in more detail in FIG. 19, and the second power supply element 76 is illustrated in more detail in FIG. 18. FIG. 8 also shows a base unit 80, which, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, has at least one connection for a data line 88 coming from a lower arm 85 of the positioning device 13, a connection for the power supply unit 50, and a connection for a data line 88 coming from the pressure sensor 81. The pressure sensor 81 is arranged on the pressure line 79 of the positioning device 13, so that in the event of a pressure change in the pressure line 79 output by the pressure sensor 81, conclusions can be drawn regarding the operation of the positioning device 13 and / or the height of the slider 14 connected to the positioning device 13. The second power supply element 76 is provided with a bypass line 87 connected to the base unit 80.

[0079] 9-17 show a schematic view of the current collector 10 according to the present invention, particularly in conjunction with FIG. 8. It can be seen from FIGS. 9-13 that a base unit 80 is arranged on the frame 71 of the current collector 10, thereby connecting the current collector 10 to the roof 34 of the railcar. Data lines 88 and bypass lines 87 of the second power supply element 76 run along the articulation element 72, through the frame 71, and to the base unit 80. To reduce data transfer to the base unit 80, three data collector elements 77 designed for data collection are arranged on the current collector 10. In particular, one data collector element 77 is arranged in the joint region between the upper arm 84 and the lower arm 85 of the articulation element 72. Two further data collector elements 77 are arranged on the rocking element 15. Data from at least two sensors 47 connected to the data collector element 77 via data lines 88 can be collected by the data collector element 77 arranged on the rocking element 15. The sensors 47 are designed as motion sensors, with two sensors 47 arranged on each contact strip. The sensors 47 designed as motion sensors can measure at least acceleration and rotation in three axes. In addition to data collection, the data collector elements 77 can also be used to output measurement values. For example, the data collector elements 77 can include motion sensors that measure acceleration and rotation in three axes. Furthermore, the base unit 80 can also include motion sensors that measure acceleration and rotation in three axes. Thus, a total of at least eight motion sensors can be arranged on the current collector 10, and these motion sensors can be connected in a tree structure via data lines 88. This is again illustrated in FIG. 22. The base unit 80 can include a processing element 37 in which the measurement values ​​of the measurement units 36 and / or sensors 47 and the data collector elements 77 are configured to function in conjunction with each other to determine the operating state of the current collector 10 and / or the contact wire 25 (not shown here). The measuring unit 36 ​​may further comprise a pressure sensor 81, which is arranged on the frame 71. The pressure sensor 81 measures the pressure in the pressure line 79 of the drive element 73 or the spring element 74 of the current collector 10.The data of the pressure sensor 81 is supplied to the base unit 80 via a data line 88. The base unit 80 can transfer the measured values ​​or characteristic values ​​determined by the processing element 37 to an external data network 41 (not shown here) or to the evaluation unit 39. The power supply of the monitoring system, in particular the power supply of the sensor 47 and the data collector element 77 constituted by the measuring unit 36, can be supplied via a first power supply element 75 or a second power supply element 76, depending on the operation of the current collector 10. The first power supply element 75 is designed as an AC power supply element and is used when the current collector 10 is operated from an AC power grid. The first power supply element 75 is arranged on the frame 71 and comprises at least one toroidal coil 93 and a bolt 94. The first power supply element 75 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 19 . The second power supply element 76 is designed as a DC power supply element and is used to operate the current collector 10 from a DC power grid. The second power supply element 76 includes a bypass line 87 that extends from the rocking element 15 to the base unit 80. Referring to Figure 18, the second power supply element 76 will again be described.

[0080] 17 can be used as an example to explain the fixing of the data collector element 77 to the positioning device 13. According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 17, the data collector element 77 is arranged on the lower arm 85 in the region of articulation with the upper arm 84 of the articulation element 72. A plate-like mounting device 90 for connecting the data collector element 77 to the lower arm 85 is fixed to the lower arm 85 by means of a clamp 89. As can be seen in FIG. 17, a data line 88 running from the oscillating element 15 via the upper arm 84 terminates at the data collector element 77, and further data lines run from the data collector element 77 in the direction of the frame 71 (not shown here) and the base unit 80.

[0081] FIG. 18, as can be seen in particular from the combined view of FIGS. 8-13, shows diagrammatically the operating mode of the second power supply element 76 arranged on the positioning device 13. It is known that an electric wire 78, here in the form of a busbar, runs from the oscillating element 15 to the frame 71 and from there to the railcar (not shown) in order to supply power to the railcar by transferring power from the contact wire to the railcar. This electric wire 78 has a relatively low resistance, preferably in the milliohm range, and during operation, depending on the value of the current flowing through the electric wire 78, a voltage drop of several hundred millivolts may occur across this electric wire 78 due to the resistance of the wire. This voltage can be tapped by the second power supply element 76 and used to power the monitoring system 30, in particular the measuring unit 36. For this purpose, the second power supply element 76 is provided with a bypass wire 87, which is preferably 16 mm long. 2 1. According to the invention, a bypass line 87 is laid along the articulation element 72 from the oscillating element 15 to the base unit 80. A further contact line 91 is used to establish an electrical contact between the base unit and the frame 71, the contact line being designed in the form of a wire and preferably shorter than the bypass line 87. This makes it possible to obtain a parallel circuit with a relatively high impedance resistance compared to the wire 78 designed in the form of a busbar, by which a sufficient voltage can be taken off to power the measuring unit 36.

[0082] Figure 19, in conjunction with Figures 8-13, shows the operating mode of the first power element 75, which is used when the current collector 10 is operated on an AC power grid. The toroidal coil 93 and bolts 94 of the first power element 75 are attached to the frame 71 by a holding device. The attachment is made at a point on the frame, where the current is transferred from the lower arm 85 of the articulation element 72 to the frame 71 by an electric wire 78 designed in the form of a busbar. The toroidal coil 93 is pressed onto the bolts 94, and the electric wire 78 is connected to the bolts 94 by a cable lug. Thus, when the current collector 10 is operated on an AC power grid, an AC current flows through the bolts 94, which then induces an AC current in the toroidal coil 93. The AC current is then conducted via additional electric wires to the base unit 80, where it is converted into a usable DC voltage. The current is discharged through the frame via a current discharge 92. The bolts 94 are designed so that they do not restrict the flow of current from the contact wire to the railcar via the electric wires 78. If the current collector 10 has multiple electric wires 78 designed like a bus bar, each of the electric wires 78 can be used for power supply by the first power supply element 75 and / or the second power supply element 76. Thus, multiple power supply elements 75 and / or power supply elements 76 can be provided on the current collector 10. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 19 , a data cable 88 for transmitting measurements to the base unit 80 can be provided on the first power supply element 75.

[0083] To determine the state of wear of the contact element 18 of the contact strip 14, the measurement unit may have a wear sensor 86. The wear sensor 86 may be designed as shown in Fig. 20 or 21. According to the embodiment of the wear sensor 86 shown in Fig. 20, the acting forces F and F between the contact wire 16 and the contact element 18 are measured. Nis taken into account, which varies depending on the position of the contact wire 16 and the state of wear of the contact element 18. It is recognized in the context of the present invention that depending on the position of the contact wire 16 and the wear of the contact element 18, characteristic vibrations or accelerations occur in the contact element 18, which can be output by the sensor 47, which is preferably designed as an acceleration sensor. These characteristic vibrations and / or accelerations can be used to determine the state of wear of the contact element 18.

[0084] Alternatively and / or additionally, the wear sensor 86 according to Fig. 21 can be used to determine the state of the contact element 18 of the contact strip 14. For this purpose, a recess 95 is formed in the contact element 18, the upper edge of which defines a wear limit 96. As soon as the contact element 18 has worn down to the wear limit 96, the recess 95 becomes exposed and causes characteristic vibrations and / or accelerations which can be output by the sensor 47. These characteristic vibrations and / or accelerations can be used to determine a characteristic value representative of the state of wear and to indicate when the wear limit 96 has been reached.

[0085] FIG. 22 shows a schematic diagram of the wiring tree structure of the measurement unit 36 ​​on the current collector 10. As can be seen from the combined view of FIGS. 8-16, according to the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 22, two sensors 47 are arranged on each of the two contact strips 14. Preferably, the sensors 47 are designed as motion sensors capable of detecting acceleration and vibration in three axes. Two of the sensors 47 are connected to respective data collector elements 77, which also have motion sensors. The two data collector elements 77 connected to the sensors 47 are connected to further data collector elements 77 via data lines 88 for further data collection. These further data collector elements 77 transmit data via the further data lines 88 to a base unit 80. The base unit 80 may include a processing element 37 and / or transmit data via a wireless connection 97 to the evaluation unit 39 or to an external data network 41. The base unit is further configured to receive and further process data from the pressure sensor 81 and / or the electrical measurement sensor 82 via the data lines 88. The electrical measurement sensor 82 may include a pressure sensor and / or a current sensor, which may be used to measure the voltage value of the current collector applied to the electrical wire 78 and / or the current value flowing through the electrical wire 78. Additionally, the base unit 80 is designed to wirelessly receive and further process data from the wear sensor 86.

[0086] 23 shows a schematic structure of the base unit 80. The base unit has a logic board 99, a power supply board 100, and a circuit board 98 of the power supply unit 50. To form a wireless connection 97, the base unit 80 also includes a wireless module.

[0087] FIG. 24 shows an example of data processing in an external data network 41, which is designed as a cloud service application, in particular an IoT hub 110. Measurement values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​output by the monitoring system 30 at the current collector 10 are wirelessly transmitted to the external data network 41. In the external data network 41, which is designed as a cloud service application, messages can be divided into measurements and / or linked to each other in step S1. In step S2, the data can be further distributed. Thus, in step S4, copies of the measurement values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​can be created for each user. Additionally, before further processing and / or preparation of the data, the data can be stored in step S3. In steps S5-S8, the data can be processed according to user requests and / or managed by the user and / or used in different user-specific applications. This means that users can access the data and use it in different applications. For example, data for different users (S8) and / or different current collectors, different railcars, or different trains can be managed (S5). For this purpose, various rating, selection and / or classification proposals or services may be proposed to the user as part of so-called Asset-Services (S6). Following the Data Services (S7), different data models may be made available to the user depending on the user's request. The user can securely access the applications S5-S8 via the Access Gateway 111.

Claims

1. 1. A method of operating a current collector (10, 33) arranged on a roof (11, 34) of a rail vehicle (31) and configured to transfer power from a contact wire (16, 25, 35) of an overhead contact line to said rail vehicle (31), comprising: The current collector (10, 33) comprises a positioning device (13, 56) having a contact strip (14, 17, 27) disposed thereon; the positioning device (13, 56) moves the contact strip (14, 17, 27) relative to the trolley wire, and forms sliding contact by pressing the contact strip against the trolley wire using a pressing force to reach a sliding contact position; a drive element (73) and / or a spring element (74) of the positioning device for generating the pressing force on the contact strip; the current collector comprises a power supply unit (50) arranged on the positioning device (13, 56) and a measuring unit (36, 43, 53, 58) having a measuring device (38, 44, 59); at least two sensors (47, 48) of the sensor element (46) of the measuring device are arranged on the positioning device and / or on the contact strip, the power supply unit (50) generates the electrical energy required to power at least the sensors of the sensor element; each of the sensors outputs a measurement value at the sliding contact position; a processing element (37, 49) of the measurement device processes the measurements; the processing element correlates the measurements with each other to determine a characteristic value representative of the operating condition of the current collector and / or the contact wire. method.

2. a first power supply element (75) of the power supply unit (50) generating the electrical energy required to power the sensors (47, 48) of the sensor element (46) by means of an alternating current applied to the current collector (10); and / or a second power supply element (76) of the power supply unit (50) generates the electrical energy required to power the sensors (47, 48) of the sensor element (46) by means of a direct current applied to the current collector (10); The method of claim 1.

3. the angular position, acceleration, frequency, temperature, illuminance, force, current, voltage, electrical resistance, distance, mass, air pressure, noise, wear, and / or local position of the positioning device (13, 56) are output and processed as measurements, either continuously or non-continuously; 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2.

4. At least an acceleration sensor is used as the sensor (47, 48), and the acceleration sensor is arranged on the contact strip (14, 17, 27) and / or the positioning device (13, 56). The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. at least one sensor (47, 48) is used, said sensor being arranged in the contact strip (14, 17, 27), on the contact strip, on the mounting element (21) of the contact strip, or on the oscillating element (15) of the positioning device (13, 56) holding the contact strip; The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The positioning device (13, 56) includes a swing element (15) for holding the slider (14, 17, 27), an underframe (71) disposed on the railway vehicle, and an articulation element (72) disposed between the underframe (71) and the swing element (15), At least one sensor (47, 48) arranged on the rocking element (15) is used, At least one power supply unit (50) is used, which is arranged on the articulation element (72) and / or on the frame (71). The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The positioning device (13, 56) includes a swing element (15) for holding the slider (14, 17, 27), an underframe (71) disposed on the railway vehicle, and an articulation element (72) disposed between the underframe (71) and the swing element (15), the measured values ​​of the at least two sensors (47, 48) are transmitted, preferably by wire, to a data collector element (77) arranged on the articulation element (72) and / or on the oscillating element (15) and configured for data collection; The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. the voltage applied to the wires (78) of the current collectors (10, 33) and / or the current flowing through the wires (78) of the current collectors (10, 33) is measured by at least one sensor of a base unit (80) of the measuring unit (36, 43, 53, 58) arranged on the frame (71); The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. the pressure in the pressure line (79) of the positioning device (13, 56) is measured by a pressure sensor (81) arranged on the frame (71), in particular by at least one pressure sensor (81) of a base unit (80) of the measuring unit (36, 43, 53, 58) arranged on the frame (71); The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. While the contact strip (14, 17, 27) is guided along the contact wire (16, 25, 35), the processing element (37, 49) performs an analysis of the measurements. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The processing element (37, 49) outputs and stores the measured values ​​and / or the characteristic values ​​of the sensors (47, 48) at regular time intervals, in response to changes, or continuously. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. a control device (54) of the measuring device (38, 44, 59) controls an actuator that drives the positioning device (13, 56); the actuation of the positioning device is adjusted by an adjusting element (55) of the control device depending on measured and / or characteristic values; The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. The pressure is adjusted by the adjusting element (55) depending on the measured value and / or the characteristic value. The method of claim 7.

14. the measuring device (38, 44, 59) transmits the measured values ​​and / or the characteristic values ​​to an evaluation unit (39, 45, 64); the measured values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​are stored in a database (51, 65) of the evaluation unit and / or processed by an evaluation device (52) of the evaluation unit; The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. a transmitting element (60) of the measuring device (38, 44, 59) transmitting the measured values ​​and / or the characteristic values ​​of the measuring device (38, 44, 59) to the evaluation unit (39, 45, 64) and / or the control device (54) via a data connection (40, 62, 63, 67, 69, 70); the evaluation unit and / or the control device are spaced apart from the measuring unit (36, 43, 53, 58) or are integrated in the measuring unit; 10. The method of claim 9.

16. The data connection (40, 62, 63, 69) is established via an external data network (41, 61). The method of claim 10.

17. the evaluation unit (39, 45, 64) processes the measured values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​of the measuring units (36, 43, 53, 58) of the current collectors (10, 33); The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11.

18. a user unit (68) forming a data connection (40, 62, 63, 67, 69, 70) to said evaluation unit (39, 45, 64) and / or said measurement unit (36, 43, 53, 58), the measured values ​​and / or the characteristic values ​​are transmitted to and output by the user unit; The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12.

19. the processing element (37, 49) or the evaluation unit (39, 45, 64) evaluates the temporal changes of the measured values ​​and / or the characteristic values ​​and determines the state of wear of the current collector (10, 33) and / or the contact wire, taking into account time-dependent components related to the wear and / or components dependent on the measured values. A method according to any one of claims 9 to 13.

20. The sensor element (46) outputs the vibration of the contact strip (14, 17, 27), the processing element (37, 49) or the evaluation unit (39, 45, 64) determines the state of wear of the contact strip and / or the contact wire. A method according to any one of claims 9 to 14.

21. the processing element (37, 49) or the evaluation unit (39, 45, 64) determines, as operating conditions, arcing of the contact strip (14, 17, 27) and / or the contact wire (16, 25, 35), a zigzag path of the contact wire, icing of the contact wire, and / or defects of the contact wire. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 15.

22. the processing element (37, 49) or the evaluation unit (39, 45, 64) performs a pattern analysis or a statistical evaluation of the measurements and / or characteristic values ​​stored over a period of time and derives an index from the pattern analysis or the statistical evaluation. A method according to any one of claims 9 to 16.

23. the processing element (37, 49) or the evaluation unit (39, 45, 64) correlates the measurement values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​of the different sensors (47, 48) with each other and derives functional dependencies of the measurement values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​by means of artificial intelligence.

18. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 17.

24. a position sensor of the sensor element (46) determining the local position of the current collector (10, 33); the local position is assigned to the characteristic value or the measured value of another sensor (47, 48) of the sensor element; The evaluation unit (39, 45, 64) determines the state of the contact wire. A method according to any one of claims 9 to 18.

25. the evaluation unit (39, 45, 64) generates a data model of the contact wire along at least a track section of the route (26) of the rail vehicle (31); the data model comprises a plurality of different local locations of the track section, each of which is assigned a measurement and / or characteristic value; 20. The method of any one of claims 9 to 19.

26. the data model is adapted by continuously and repeatedly outputting the measured values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​for the travel of the railway vehicle (31) along the track section.

21. The method of claim 20.

27. a measuring unit (36, 43, 53, 58) is used, the measuring unit being formed on the current collector (10, 33) independently of the railway vehicle (31); 27. The method of any one of claims 1 to 26.

28. the characteristic value is determined during operation of the railway vehicle (31) when the slider (14, 17, 27) is in contact with the contact wire (16, 25, 35); the characteristic value is alternatively or additionally determined when the railway vehicle is stationary, the slider is disposed in a stationary position or is movable between a contact position with the contact wire and the stationary position on the railcar; 28. The method of any one of claims 1 to 27.

29. A current collector (10, 33), the current collector is arranged on the roof (11, 34) of the railcar and is configured to transfer power from the contact wires (16, 25, 35) of the overhead contact line to the railcar (31); The current collector comprises a positioning device (13, 56) having a contact strip (14, 17, 27) disposed thereon; the positioning device is designed to move the contact strip relative to the contact wire and form sliding contact by pressing the contact strip against the contact wire using a pressing force to reach a sliding contact position, the positioning device has a drive element and / or a spring element, and the pressing force on the contact strip is generated by the drive element and / or the spring element; The current collector has a power supply unit (50) arranged on the current collector and a measurement unit (36, 43, 53, 58) having a measurement device (38, 44, 59), at least two sensors (47, 48) of the sensor element (46) of the measuring device are arranged on the positioning device and / or on the contact strip, each of the sensors outputs a measurement value at the sliding contact position; the power supply unit (50) generates at least the electrical energy required to power the sensors (47, 48) of the sensor element (46); a processing element (37, 49) of the measurement device processes the measurements; the processing element correlates the measurements with each other to determine a characteristic value representative of the operating condition of the current collector and / or the contact wire. Current collector.

30. The positioning device (13, 56) includes a swing element (15) for holding the slider (14, 17, 27), an underframe (71) disposed on the railway vehicle (31), and an articulation element (72) disposed between the underframe (71) and the swing element (15), At least one sensor (47, 48) is arranged on said rocking element (15), At least one power supply unit (50) is arranged on the articulation element (72) and / or on the frame (71), 25. A current collector (10, 33) according to claim 24.

31. The positioning device (13, 56) includes a swing element (15) for holding the slider (14, 17, 27), an underframe (17) disposed on the railway vehicle (31), and an articulation element (72) disposed between the underframe (71) and the swing element (15), a data collector element (77) is arranged on the articulation element (72) and / or the swing element (15); 26. A current collector (10, 33) according to claim 24 or 25.

32. a pressure sensor (81), a current sensor and / or a voltage sensor are provided, said pressure sensor and / or voltage sensor in particular comprising a base unit (80) of said measuring unit (36) arranged on said frame (71); A current collector (10, 33) according to any one of claims 24 to 26.

33. A monitoring system (30) comprising a plurality of railway vehicles (31), each having at least one current collector (10, 33) according to claim 24, the monitoring system comprises an evaluation unit (39, 45, 64) for processing the measured values ​​and / or characteristic values ​​of the measuring units (36, 43, 54, 58) of a plurality of current collectors; Surveillance system.

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