Wheel shape measuring apparatus

Abstract

To measure the diametrical D2 of a railway running wheel with high accuracy and excellent operability.SOLUTION: The wheel 10 has a reference groove 22 of a predetermined D1 on the wheel inner surface 19 perpendicular to the axis 21. The L-shaped support tool 30 includes a first extension part 31 having an abutting part 33 abutting on the wheel inner surface 19, and a second extension part 32 extending outward in the axial direction of the wheel 10 from the first extension part 31. The locking protrusions 34a and 34b respectively provided on the pair of support members 41a and 41b constituting the first extension portion 31 are locked to the reference groove 22. The gauge head 51 of the measuring device 50 on the second extending portion 32 is displaced inward in the radial direction of the wheel assembly 10 at a position spaced apart from the contact portion 33 by the length L1 in the axial direction and comes into contact with the measurement target portion 23 on the wheel tread 16, and the displacement amount Δ D is measured. The radius D2 (= D1 + 2·Δ D) of the wheel 10 is obtained by calculation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wheel shape measuring device, and more particularly to a device for measuring the shape of the tread diameter, etc. of a wheel running on a railway. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional wheel diameter measuring instrument has a housing that extends circumferentially across the tread of a wheel on a rail, straddling it in a sort of horse-riding fashion. A pair of contacts that protrude toward the tread are fixed at a distance around the tread, and a dial gauge is placed between these contacts. The dial gauge's spindle, or contact point, displaces from the outside to the inside in the radial direction of the wheel to contact the tread. The dial gauge displays a directly readable tread diameter corresponding to the amount of contact point displacement by contacting the tread at three points: the pair of contacts arranged circumferentially and the contact point between them. Wheel treads are subject to deformation due to friction with the rail caused by skidding and sliding while the wheel is running, as well as damage. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] With this conventional technology, if the contact point of at least one of the pair of contacts on the tread is deformed due to wear or damage, the amount of deformation at the contact point alone cannot be accurately measured, resulting in an error in the tread diameter value measured by the dial gauge. Therefore, the measurement accuracy of the conventional technology is low. Furthermore, the wheel diameter measuring device in the prior art, including the housing, is large and heavy. The presence of machinery and mechanical parts near the wheels under the railroad vehicle limits the working space. Therefore, the prior art has poor operability in the limited working space. An object of the present invention is to provide a wheel shape measuring device that can measure the shape, such as the diameter of the tread of a railway wheel, with high accuracy and excellent operability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] The present invention provides (a) The wheel 10 is a railway wheel, and has a reference groove 22 formed concentrically with the wheel 10 on an inner wheel surface 19 perpendicular to its axis 21. A measurement portion 23 is set at a predetermined distance L1 from the wheel inner surface 19 on the tread 16 axially outward of the flange 18, (b) an L-shaped support 30; (b1) a first extension portion 31 extending along the radial direction of the wheel 10 and having an abutment portion 33 abutting against the wheel inner surface 19; (b2) a second extension portion 32 that is connected to the first extension portion 31 radially outward from the flange 18 of the wheel 10 and extends outward in the axial direction of the wheel 10; An L-shaped support 30 having an overall L-shape; (c) a pair of locking projections 41 provided on the first extending portion 31, projecting outward in the axial direction of the wheel 10 beyond the abutting portion 33, and locked in the reference groove 22 at positions spaced apart in the circumferential direction thereof; (d) A measuring device 50 provided on the second extending portion 32, (d1) A probe 51 that displaces from the outside to the inside in the radial direction of the wheel 10 and contacts the measurement target portion 23; (d2) A wheel shape measuring device 1 characterized by including a measuring instrument 50 having a measuring part 52 that measures the position at which the measuring element 52 contacts the measured part 23 along the radial direction of the wheel 10 using a pair of locking protrusions 41 as a reference. [Effects of the Invention]

[0005] In this document, reference symbols are used to refer to paired components individually with the suffix a or b, and collectively with just the number. Also, when referring to one of a pair of components, the suffix a or b may be omitted and only the number may be used to avoid redundancy, and an explanation of the other component may be omitted.

[0006] The measurement operation will be explained by briefly describing the configuration for ease of understanding. With reference to Figures 1, 2, and 13, the shape measuring device 1 for a wheel 10 measures and calculates the diameter D2 of a predetermined measurement portion 23 of the tread 16 of the wheel 10, and this value D2 is referred to as the diameter of the wheel 10. The L-shaped support 30 has a first extension 31 and a second extension 32. The abutment portion 33 of the first extension 31 abuts against the wheel inner surface 19, which is the back surface of the wheel 10. At two circumferentially spaced positions, a pair of locking projections 41a, 41b (Figure 4) on the first extension 31 are engaged with a reference groove 22 having a predetermined diameter D1 formed facing the wheel inner surface 19 of the wheel 10. The L-shaped support 30, and therefore the measuring device 50 on the second extension 32, are attached to the wheel 10.

[0007] The measurement target portion 23 on the tread 16 of the wheel 10 is predetermined at a position offset outward in the axial direction of the wheel 10 (to the right in FIG. 1 ) by a predetermined distance L1 (e.g., 65 mm) from the wheel inner surface 19 with which the abutting portion 33 abuts. With the measuring device 50 held on the wheel 10, the probe 51 of the measuring device 50, which functions as a caliper, moves downward in FIGS. 1 , 2 , and 13 in parallel with the wheel inner surface 19, radially inward toward the axis 21 of the wheel 10 (e.g., radially inward parallel to one radius line 71 of the wheel 10 in FIG. 13 ), until it abuts and contacts the measurement target portion 23 on the tread 16 of the wheel 10. The measuring unit 52 measures the position of the probe 51 along the radial direction of the wheel 10, and therefore, for example, the distance ΔD in the radial direction of the wheel 10 between the reference groove 22 and the position of the probe 51 abutting the measurement target portion 23. In this way, the measuring unit 52 calculates and measures the diameter D2 (=D1+2·ΔD) of the part to be measured 23.

[0008] According to the present invention, the measuring unit 52 can calculate and output not only the diameter D2 of the measurement target portion 23 but also the radius, the distance ΔD, and various other values ​​related to the shape of the wheel 10.

[0009] The present invention provides The measuring probe 51 of the measuring instrument 50 is characterized in that it displaces from the radially outer side to the radially inner side of the wheel 19 (from the top to the bottom in Figure 13) at a position a predetermined distance L1 axially away from the abutment portion 33 within an imaginary plane 72 that includes the perpendicular bisector 71 of an imaginary line segment 73 connecting two points of the reference groove 22 where the pair of engaging protrusions 41 are engaged and the axis 21 of the wheel 10. According to the present invention, the position along the radial direction of the wheel 10 where the measuring tip 54 ( FIG. 14 ) of the probe 51 comes into contact with the measured portion 23 is detected by the measuring unit 52. This makes it possible to measure, for example, the distance ΔD of the measured portion 23 along the radial direction of the wheel 10 where the measuring tip 54 comes into contact. The perpendicular bisector 71 is sometimes referred to as one radius line 71 of the wheel 10.

[0010] The present invention provides The measurement unit 52 (e) a displacement detection unit 55 that outputs a displacement detection signal representing the displacement of the probe 51 in the radial direction of the wheel 10; (f) A memory 56 for storing the displacement detection signal from the displacement detection unit 55 is included.

[0011] According to the present invention, as shown in Fig. 15, the displacement detection unit 55 of the measuring unit 52 outputs a displacement detection signal representing the displacement of the probe 51, thereby making it possible to detect the position along the radial direction of the wheel 10 where the measuring tip 54 of the probe 51 abuts against the measured portion 23, and therefore the shape of the wheel 10. The displacement detection signal is stored in a memory 56 and is given to a signal processing circuit 57 implemented by a microcomputer or the like for arithmetic processing. This makes it possible to grasp, for example, the driving safety depending on the shape of the wheel 10, the situation over time, and the like. The signal processing circuit 57 may be configured to output the processed data to an external device.

[0012] The present invention provides The L-shaped support 30 is (g) a pair of support members 34 spaced apart perpendicular to the axis 21 of the wheel 10 and having an overall L-shaped configuration, each support member 34 comprising: (g1) a first support piece 35 extending parallel to one radius line of the wheel 10; (g2) a support member 34 having a second support piece 36 connected to the first support piece 35 and extending outward in the axial direction of the wheel 10; (h) spacers 37, 38 for fixing the support members 34 at intervals; (i) The first extending portion 31 is constituted by the first support pieces 35 of the support members 34 via the spacers 37, 38, Each first support piece 35 has an abutment portion 33 that abuts against the wheel inner surface 19, Each of the first support pieces 35 is provided with a locking protrusion 41, (j) The second extending portion 32 is characterized in that it is formed by the second support pieces 36 of the support members 34 with the spacers 37, 38 interposed therebetween.

[0013] According to the present invention, an L-shaped support 30 having a first extension portion 31 and a second extension portion 32 is realized by fixing a pair of support members 34a, 34b, each having an L-shape, at a distance from each other in a direction perpendicular to the axis 21 of the wheel 10 (perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 2, left-right direction in FIGS. 5 and 6), as shown in Figures 3 and 4. The first extension portion 31 of the L-shaped support 30 is formed by first support pieces 35a, 35b of the support members 34a, 34b via the spacers 37, 38, and the second extension portion 32 is formed by first support pieces 36a, 36b of the support members 36a, 36b via the spacers 37, 38. Each of the first support pieces 35a, 35b has abutment portions 33a, 33b that abut against the wheel inner surface 19, and is provided with each locking protrusion 41a, 41b (FIG. 4). A measuring device 50 is provided on the second support pieces 36a, 36b of the second extension portion 32. Therefore, during measurement, the operator can easily visually confirm that the abutment portions 33a, 33b are abutting against the wheel inner surface 19 and that the locking protrusions 41a, 41b are respectively locked into the reference groove 22, improving operability. In addition, the device can be made lightweight, facilitating maintenance and inspection.

[0014] The present invention provides The reference groove 22 and each locking projection 41 are locked together as follows: With the locking protrusion 41 fitted into the reference groove 22, This is achieved by the contact between the inner peripheral surface 24 facing the wheel inner surface 19 radially outward of the reference groove 22 and the contact portions 44, 45 of the locking projection 41 radially outward of the wheel 10.

[0015] 10 to 13, the inner circumferential surface 24 of the reference groove 22 comes into contact with the contact portions 44, 45 of the locking projections 41, thereby achieving locking between the reference groove 22 and each locking projection 41. Since the inner circumferential surface 24 faces the wheel inner surface 19 at its radially outer side within the reference groove 22, the operator can operate the L-shaped support 30 to press the contact portion 33 against the wheel inner surface 19, and then, in the locked state, apply a force to the L-shaped support 30 radially outward of the wheel 10, thereby pressing the contact portions 44, 45 of the locking projections 41 against the inner circumferential surface 24, thereby performing measurements. This provides excellent operability for measurements.

[0016] The contact portions 44, 45 may be configured, for example, to extend parallel to the axis 21 and make line contact with the inner circumferential surface 24, or to make point contact with the inner circumferential surface 24. This ensures that only the contact portions 44, 45 of each locking protrusion 41 come into contact with the inner circumferential surface 24 during measurement. It also prevents portions of each locking protrusion 41 other than the contact portions 44, 45 from undesirably coming into contact with the inner circumferential surface 24. This also prevents the contact portions of each locking protrusion 41 with the inner circumferential surface 24 from undesirably changing with each measurement. This therefore reduces variation in measurement values ​​and maintains high measurement accuracy.

[0017] The present invention provides The measuring end 54 of the measuring device 50, which abuts and contacts the measured portion 23 of the measuring element 51, is characterized by being formed by a corner portion that is perpendicular to the radial direction of the wheel 10 and extends perpendicular to the axis 21 of the wheel 10.

[0018] According to the present invention, as shown in Fig. 14, for example, the probe 51 is formed in the shape of a flat plate having a rectangular cross section that is elongated in the radial direction of the wheel 10 (the vertical direction in Fig. 14, the displacement direction of the probe 51). The probe tip 54 of the probe 51 is realized by a corner portion formed by an inner surface 58 that is perpendicular to the plane of Fig. 14, extends vertically, and is perpendicular to the radial direction, and a lower free end surface 59 that is perpendicular to the plane of Fig. 14 and parallel to the axis 21. Therefore, the measuring tip 54, which is the corner portion, comes into point contact with the circular measured portion 23 centered on the axis 21 of the wheel 10, thereby achieving accurate measurement of the measured portion 23.

[0019] The present invention provides Each locking projection 41 is characterized by having contact portions 44, 45 that come into contact with a plurality of circumferentially spaced locations on the inner peripheral surface 24 of the reference groove 22 radially outward. According to the present invention, each of the pair of locking protrusions 41a, 41b has a plurality of (e.g., two in FIGS. 10, 12, and 13) contact portions 44, 45 (i.e., for example, two contact portions 44a, 45a on one locking protrusion 41a, and for example, two contact portions 44b, 45b on the other locking protrusion 41b). For example, in FIG. 13, the contact portions 44 (individually 44a, 44b) are provided closer to one radial line 71 of the wheel 10 than the contact portions 45 (individually 45a, 45b), and the contact portions 44, 45 are symmetrical with respect to an imaginary plane 72 including the one radial line 71. In this way, the contact portions 44, 45 contact the inner circumferential surface 24 of the reference groove 22 radially outward at a plurality of (e.g., two) locations. During measurement, the operator presses the abutment portion 33 of the L-shaped support 30 against the wheel inner surface 19 while keeping each locking projection 41 pressed against the inner circumferential surface 24 of the reference groove 22. In particular, when the contact portions 44, 45 are configured to make line or point contact with the inner circumferential surface 24, the contact area is extremely small, making them susceptible to large stresses and prone to deformation and wear. According to the present invention, each locking projection 41a, 41b has multiple contact portions 44, 45, so wear on the contact portions 44, 45 due to measurement operations can be minimized, improving measurement accuracy and extending the lifespan.

[0020] The present invention provides Each of the contact portions 44, 45 is formed to extend parallel to the axis 21 of the wheel 10, The reference groove 22 has an inner peripheral surface 24 extending in parallel to the axis 21 of the wheel 10. Each of the contact portions 44, 45 and the inner circumferential surface 24 is characterized by being in line contact. According to the present invention, the inner surface 24 has the diameter D1 of the reference groove 22 and is a right cylinder, and each contact portion 44, 45 is in line contact with the inner surface 24, which allows each locking protrusion 41 to remain stably locked in the reference groove 22 compared to, for example, point contact, and this also improves measurement accuracy.

[0021] The present invention provides The pair of locking projections 41 are respectively provided on the pair of mounting portions 42 to form locking pieces 40, The mounting portion 42 is positioned by abutting against positioning protrusions 76 (Figures 7 and 8), 81 (Figures 16 to 18), and 91 (Figures 19 to 20) fixed to the first extension portion 31, and is characterized by being removably fixed with bolts 63, 83, and 93. The present invention provides The pair of locking projections 41 are respectively provided on the pair of mounting portions 42 to form locking pieces 40, The mounting portion 42 is characterized in that it is positioned on the first extending portion 31 by knock pins 86 and 87 (FIGS. 19 to 21) and detachably fixed by a bolt 93. According to the present invention, the locking protrusions 41 may be provided integrally with each of the first support pieces 35 that constitute the first extension portion 31, for example, but according to another concept of the present invention, the locking protrusions 41 may be provided on the mounting portions 42, respectively, to form locking pieces 40 that are detachably fixed to the first extension portion 31. Because the locking pieces 40 are detachable from the first extension portion 31, when the locking protrusions 41 of the locking pieces 40 become deformed or worn due to repeated measurement operations, the mounting portions 42 on which the locking protrusions 41 are provided can be removed from the first extension portion 31 and replaced with new locking pieces 40, making it possible to continue high-precision measurements. In order to enable the locking piece 40 to be accurately positioned and attached to the first extension portion 31, the attachment portion 42 is removably fixed by bolts 63, 83, 93 in contact with positioning protrusions 76, 81, 91 fixed to the first extension portion 31 or by knock pins 86, 87.

[0022] The present invention provides (a) The wheel 10 is a railway wheel, and has a reference groove 22 formed concentrically with the wheel 10 on an inner wheel surface 19 perpendicular to its axis 21. A measurement target is set at a predetermined distance from the wheel inner surface 19, (b) an L-shaped support 30; (b1) a first extension portion 31 extending along the radial direction of the wheel 10 and having an abutment portion 33 abutting against the wheel inner surface 19; (b2) an L-shaped support 30 having a second extension portion 32 that is connected to the first extension portion 31 radially outward of the flange 18 of the wheel 10 and extends outward in the axial direction of the wheel 10; (c) a pair of locking projections 41 provided on the first extending portion 31, projecting outward in the axial direction of the wheel 10 beyond the abutting portion 33, and locked in the reference groove 22 at positions spaced apart in the circumferential direction thereof; (d) The wheel shape measuring device 1 is characterized by including a measuring device 50 provided on the second extending portion 32 and for measuring the shape of the wheel 10. According to the present invention, the measuring device 50 can measure not only the diameter of the tread 16 of the wheel 10, but also other shapes including the diameter of the wheel, and can be implemented to measure values ​​of the measured part, such as the thickness and height of the flange, damage thereto and its location and extent, tire thickness, etc. To enable these and other measurements, the measuring device 50 provided on the second extension portion 32 may set the displacement direction of the probe 52, or may be realized by a configuration that performs measurements non-contact using an optical, magnetic, or other configuration.

[0023] The present invention provides Prepare the above-mentioned wheel shape measuring device 1, With the reference groove 22 and each locking protrusion 41 locked together, and the abutment portion 33 of the first extension portion 31 abutting against the wheel inner surface 19, This is a wheel shape measuring method characterized by measuring the shape of the wheel 10 using a measuring device 50.

[0024] According to the method of the present invention, by using the above-described device 1 for measuring the shape of the wheel 10, the shape of the tread diameter and the like of a wheel running on a railway can be measured with high accuracy and excellent operability.

[0025] Furthermore, the present invention realizes a measuring device 1 including the following components (a) to (d). The components related to the invention of the following measuring device 1 will be described using the same reference numerals and suffixes a and b as the corresponding components in the embodiment for measuring the shape of the wheel 10 described above.

[0026] The present invention provides (a) The object 10 to be measured is It has a contact reference surface 19, A reference groove 22 is formed facing the contact reference surface 19, and this reference groove 22 forms at least a part of a circle having an axis 21 perpendicular to the contact reference surface 19 as its center. (b) an L-shaped support 30 having an abutment portion 33 that abuts against the abutment reference surface 19 of the target object 10; (c) a pair of locking projections 41a, 41b provided on the L-shaped support 30 and respectively locked in the reference groove 22 at positions spaced apart in the circumferential direction thereof; (d) The measuring device 1 is characterized by including a measuring instrument 50 that is provided on the L-shaped support 30 and measures the object 10.

[0027] The present invention can be implemented not only for measuring the shape of the wheel 10, which is the object of measurement, but also for other measurement tasks. Measurements using the measuring instrument 50 may be not only the dimensions and length of the object of measurement 10, but also physical quantities such as the temperature of the measurement target portion 23. The contact portion 33 of the measuring device 1 is brought into contact with the contact reference surface 19 of the object of measurement 10, and the pair of locking projections 41 of the measuring device 1 are respectively locked into the reference groove 22 at positions spaced apart in the circumferential direction thereof, thereby allowing the support 30 to be attached to the object of measurement 10 in a stable position. The measuring instrument 50 attached to this support 30 can measure the object of measurement 10 in a stable position, thereby improving its accuracy. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the diameter of a railway wheel 10 is measured using a shape measuring device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view simply showing a state of the shape measuring device 1 during measurement operation. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the shape measuring device 1 as seen from diagonally inside the wheel 10 (diagonally below and to the left in FIG. 2). [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the shape measuring device 1 as seen from diagonally outside the wheel 10 (diagonally above right in FIG. 2). [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a front view of the shape measuring device 1 as seen from the left side of FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a plan view of the shape measuring device 1 as seen from above in FIG. [Figure 7] 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the free end portion (lower portion in FIG. 1) of a first support piece 35a of an L-shaped support member 34a of the shape measuring instrument 1 shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IX-IX in FIG. 7. [Figure 10] 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a locking protrusion 41 of a locking piece 40 and a mounting portion 42 in the vicinity thereof. [Figure 11] 13 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the hub 11 showing the reference groove 22 as viewed from an imaginary plane 72 (FIG. 13) passing through the axis 21 of the wheel 10. FIG. [Figure 12] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the front of a reference groove 22 facing an inner wheel surface 19 of a wheel 10, and showing a cross section of an engaging protrusion 41 engaged with the reference groove 22 as seen from the inner wheel surface 19. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a skeleton diagram showing the configuration of one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 12. [Figure 14] 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view seen from an imaginary plane 72 showing the state in which the measuring end 54 of the probe 51 abuts and contacts the measured portion 23 of the tread 16. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the measuring device 50. [Figure 16] 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the free end of a first support piece 35a of an L-shaped support member 34a according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XVII-XVII in FIG. 16. [Figure 18] 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XVIII-XVIII in FIG. 16. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the free end of a first support piece 35a in an L-shaped support member 34a according to still another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX-XX in FIG. 19. [Figure 21] 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XXI-XXI in FIG. 19. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the measurement of the diameter of a railway wheel 10 using a shape measuring device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the measurement operation in a simplified manner. The wheel 10 is disk-shaped and has a rim 11, a wheel core 12 connected to the rim 11, and a boss 13 at a central position connected to the wheel core 12. An axle hole 14 is formed in the boss 13, which holds an axle 15. The rim 11 has a tread 16 located on the outer periphery of the disk and in contact with the rail, and a flange 18 on the inside of the tread 16 (to the left in FIG. 1, diagonally downward left in FIG. 2 facing the other wheel) that expands radially outward through a throat 17 and serves as a guide for the rail. The wheel 10, and therefore the axle 15, has an axis 21. The tread 16 is formed in a truncated cone shape, with the outer diameter decreasing toward the outside of the axial direction of the wheel 10 (to the right in FIG. 1), allowing the wheel 10 to smoothly travel around curved rails.

[0030] As the wheel 10 travels, the tread 16 of the wheel 10 wears due to contact with and sliding on the rail. To ensure that the worn tread 16 can continue to be used safely, the shape measuring device 1 measures the diameter D2 of the measurement target portion 23 on the tread 16 of the wheel 10 and monitors the wear. This diameter D2 of the measurement target portion 23 can be called the diameter of the wheel 10.

[0031] When measuring the diameter D2 of the wheel tread 16 using the shape measuring device 1, the wheel 10 has, on its rim 11, a wheel inner surface 19 perpendicular to the axis 21 of the wheel 10 and a reference groove 22 formed concentrically with the wheel 10 and facing the wheel inner surface 19. A measurement portion 23 is set on the wheel tread 16 axially outward of the flange 18, spaced a predetermined distance L1 from the wheel inner surface 19. The diameter D1 of the inner circumferential surface 24 of the reference groove 22 (see FIGS. 11 and 12 described below) is, for example, 780 mm, and the distance L1 may be, for example, 65 mm, as described above. The radial distance ΔD between the measurement portion 23 and the inner circumferential surface 24 of the reference groove 22 may be, for example, 40.8 mm when the measurement portion 23 is not worn. The diameter D2 of the measurement portion 23 on the wheel tread 16 is expressed by Equation (1). D2 = (D1 + 2 ΔD) ……(1) Therefore, the distance ΔD is measured by the shape measuring device 1, and the diameter D2 can be calculated and measured.

[0032] The shape measuring device 1 basically includes an L-shaped support 30 having an overall L-shape, a pair of locking projections 41a and 41b (see FIG. 4 described later), and a measuring device 50. The L-shaped support 30 has a first extension portion 31 and a second extension portion 32. The first extension portion 31 extends in the radial direction of the wheel 10 (the up-and-down direction in FIG. 1 ) and has an abutment portion 33 that abuts against the wheel inner surface 19. The second extension portion 32 is connected to the first extension portion 31 radially outward (upward in FIG. 1 ) of the flange 18 of the wheel 10 and extends outward in the axial direction of the wheel 10 (to the right in FIG. 1 ). The abutment portion 33 may be in surface contact with the wheel inner surface 19 as in this embodiment, but in other embodiments, it may be in line contact or in point contact at multiple different points in the radial direction of the wheel 10, and extend perpendicular to the axis 21. The locking projections 41a, 41b are provided on the first extending portion 31, protrude beyond the contact portion 33 outward in the axial direction of the wheel 10 by a projection length s1 (FIGS. 7 and 11), and are locked into the reference groove 22 at positions spaced apart in the circumferential direction. The projection length s1 may be, for example, 1 mm.

[0033] The second extension portion 32 has a mounting portion 39. The mounting portion 39 extends from the axial outward direction of the wheel 10 (to the right in FIG. 1) to the radial outward direction (upward in FIG. 1) on the second extension portion 32. A measuring device 50 is provided on the mounting portion 39. The measuring device 50 has a probe 51 and a measuring unit 52. The probe 51 moves parallel to the contact portion 33 from the radial outward direction to the radial inward direction of the wheel 10 (from the top to the bottom in FIG. 1) and makes point contact with the measured portion 23. The measuring unit 52 measures a distance ΔD ( FIG. 13 ) from the position where the probe 51 makes point contact with the measured portion 23 along the radial direction of the wheel 10, using the pair of locking protrusions 41 as a reference, and thereby measures the diameter D2 by calculating the above-mentioned equation (1).

[0034] Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the shape measuring device 1 as seen from diagonally inside the wheel 10 (diagonally downward left in Fig. 2), Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the shape measuring device 1 as seen from diagonally outside the wheel 10 (diagonally upward right in Fig. 2), Fig. 5 is a front view of the shape measuring device 1 as seen from the left in Fig. 1, and Fig. 6 is a plan view of the shape measuring device 1 as seen from above in Fig. 1. Referring to these drawings, the L-shaped support 30 has a pair of support members 34a, 34b whose overall shape is L-shaped, and is configured symmetrically with respect to an imaginary plane 72 that includes the axis 21 of the wheel 10 and one radius line 71 of the wheel 10, as shown in Fig. 13 described below. Each support member 34a, 34b has a first support piece 35a, 35b extending parallel to one radius line 71 of the wheel 10, and a second support piece 36a, 36b that connects to the first support piece 35a, 35b radially outward of the wheel 10 and extends outward in the axial direction of the wheel 10. Each support member 34a, 34b is fixed by spacers 37, 38. The first support pieces 35a, 35b of each support member 34a, 34b are connected by the spacer 37 near the portions where they connect to the second support pieces 36a, 36b, and by the spacer 38 near the free ends of the first support pieces 35a, 35b, with a gap between them in a direction perpendicular to the axis 21 of the wheel 10 (left and right direction in Figures 5 and 6). The first extending portion 31 is constituted by first support pieces 35a, 35b of the support members 34a, 34b with spacers 37, 38 interposed therebetween. The first support pieces 35a, 35b have contact portions 33a, 33b that contact the wheel inner surface 19. The first support pieces 35a, 35b are provided with locking protrusions 41a, 41b, respectively.

[0035] The second extending portion 32 is formed by second support pieces 36a, 36b of the support members 34a, 34b with spacers 37, 38 interposed therebetween. Mounting portions 39a, 39b are provided adjacent to the second support pieces 36a, 36b. The mounting portions 39a, 39b extend from the outer side of the second support pieces 36a, 36b in the axial direction of the wheel 10 (to the right in FIG. 3, left in FIG. 4) to the outer side in the radial direction (upward in FIGS. 3 and 4).

[0036] Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the free end (lower part of Fig. 1) of the first support piece 35a of the L-shaped support member 34a shown in Fig. 1 of the shape measuring device 1, Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line VIII-VIII in Fig. 7, and Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line IX-IX in Fig. 7. A cover member 70 is fixed near the free end of the first support piece 35a, and a locking piece 40 covered by this cover member 70 is replaceably attached. The locking piece 40 has a locking protrusion 41 that engages with the reference groove 22 and an attachment portion 42 that continues from the locking protrusion 41. The attachment portion 42 extends in a direction (leftward in Fig. 7) away from the abutment portion 33 that abuts against the wheel inner surface 19.

[0037] 10 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the locking protrusion 41 of the locking piece 40 and the nearby mounting portion 42. The locking protrusion 41 of the locking piece 40 has a locking apex 43 and a receding portion 46 that is connected to the locking apex 43 and moves away from the wheel inner surface 19 as it moves radially inward of the wheel 10. The locking apex 43 has a pair of contact portions 44, 45 that are connected to each side portion 48 of the mounting portion 42. The mounting portion 42 is flat and has an elongated rectangular cross section that is elongated along the axis 21 of the wheel 10, and has a positioning apex 47, both side portions 48, and a bottom portion 49.

[0038] 7 to 10, the cover member 70 has a positioning protrusion 76 and a receiving portion 77, with a recess 61 formed therebetween to accommodate the mounting portion 42. The mounting portion 42 fits loosely into the recess 61 of the cover member 70, which is fixed to the first support piece 35a, and is accommodated between the first support piece 35a and the cover member 70. A pair of bolt holes 62 that pass through the recess 61 are formed in the cover member 70, spaced apart in the width direction of the first support piece 35 (the left-right direction in FIGS. 7 and 9, the direction along the axis 21 of the wheel 10). A bolt mounting hole 64 is formed in the mounting portion 42 of the locking piece 40 for a flat head bolt 63 that detachably fastens the locking piece 40 to the first support piece 35. The bolt mounting hole 64 includes a truncated conical seating recess 65 that receives the head of the flat head bolt 63, and a bolt through hole 66 through which the shank of the flat head bolt 63 is inserted. The inner diameter of the bolt through hole 66 is formed to be larger than the outer diameter of the shaft of the flat head bolt 63. This makes it possible to adjust the displacement of the mounting part 42 in the vertical direction in Figures 7 and 8. The flat head bolt 63 is threaded into a threaded hole 67 of the first support piece 35a.

[0039] A threaded hole 68 having an axis in the longitudinal direction of the first support piece 35a is formed in a receiving portion 77 of the cover member 70 closer to the spacer 38 (lower in FIGS. 7 and 8), and a setscrew 69 is threaded into the threaded hole 68. The setscrew 69 presses the bottom portion 49 of the mounting portion 42, causing the positioning top portion 47 of the mounting portion 42 to abut and fix against a reference wall surface 78 (the lower surface in FIGS. 7 and 8) of the positioning protrusion 76 facing the storage recess 61. In this way, the locking piece 40 can be accurately positioned in an attitude perpendicular to the direction in which the first support piece 35 extends (the up-and-down direction in FIGS. 7 and 8). This makes it possible to accurately set the relative positions and angles of the mounting portion 42, and therefore the locking protrusion 41 of the locking piece 40, and the abutting portion 33 of the support piece 35. This means that even after replacing the locking piece 40, the mounting position can be restored to the original position before replacement, maintaining high measurement accuracy.

[0040] Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the hub 11 showing the reference groove 22 as seen from an imaginary plane 72 (Fig. 13) passing through the axis 21 of the wheel 10, and Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing the front of the reference groove 22 facing the wheel inner surface 19 of the wheel 10, as well as a cross-sectional view of the locking protrusion 41 locked in the reference groove 22 as seen from the wheel inner surface 19. The reference groove 22 is a rotating body space having a right cylindrical inner circumferential surface 24 that shares a common axis with the axis 21 of the wheel 10 and is perpendicular to the wheel inner surface 19, a groove bottom 25 that is rounded and continues inward in the axial direction of the inner circumferential surface 24 (to the right in Fig. 11) and is formed concave as seen from the wheel inner surface 19, and an inclined surface 26 that continues from the groove bottom 25 radially inward (downward in Figs. 11 and 12) as it approaches the wheel inner surface 19.

[0041] A pair of contact portions 44, 45 formed on the locking apex 43 of the locking protrusion 41 of the locking piece 40 extend parallel to the axis 21 of the wheel 10, and the radially outer inner circumferential surface 24 of the reference groove 22 also extends parallel to the axis 21 of the wheel 10, so that each contact portion 44, 45 is in line contact with the inner circumferential surface 24. When the abutment portion 33 of the first extension portion 31 is abutted against the wheel inner surface 19 for measurement operations, the remaining portion of the locking protrusion 41 other than the contact portions 44, 45 of the locking apex 43 does not come into contact with the inside of the reference groove 22.

[0042] FIG. 13 is a skeleton diagram showing the configuration of one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 12. The locking pieces 40a, 40b provided on the pair of support members 34a, 34b are configured symmetrically with respect to an imaginary plane 72 including the axis 21 of the wheel 10 and a radius 71 of the wheel 10 passing through a point P on the axis 21. Referring mainly to FIGS. 11 to 13, the outer peripheral surface of the locking apex 43 located between the contact portions 44, 45 of the locking protrusion 41 of the locking piece 40 may be a plane inclined outward in the width direction of the first extension portion 31 (left and right direction in FIG. 12). The mutually separated contact portions 44a, 44b in FIGS. 12 and 13 are located lower than the mutually close contact portions 45a, 45b in FIGS. 12 and 13. Therefore, the outer peripheral surface of the locking apex 43 located between the contact portions 44, 45 does not contact the inner peripheral surface 24 of the reference groove 22. In another embodiment, the outer peripheral surface of the locking apex 43 between the contact portions 44, 45 may be a concave surface recessed radially inward of the wheel 10 (downward in FIGS. 10 and 12) relative to the contact portions 44, 45. To calculate and measure the position at which the probe 52 contacts the measured portion 23, and therefore the distance ΔD, one of the pair of contact portions 44, 45 that contact the inner peripheral surface 24 of the reference groove 22 can be used for calculation. By providing the pair of contact portions 44, 45, wear on each of the contact portions 44, 45 due to frequent use can be reduced compared to a configuration in which a single contact portion 44 or 45 is provided. Instead of the configuration in which each contact portion 44, 45 is in line contact with the inner circumferential surface 24, in another embodiment of the present invention, one of the contact portions 44 or 45 may be in line contact with the inner circumferential surface 24, or one or both of the contact portions 44, 45 may be in point contact with the inner circumferential surface 24 instead of line contact. In this way, the engagement between the reference groove 22 and each locking protrusion 41 is achieved by abutment between the inner circumferential surface 24, which faces the wheel inner surface 19 radially outward of the reference groove 22, and the contact portions 44, 45 of the locking protrusion 41 on the radially outward side of the wheel 10, with the locking protrusion 41 fitted into the reference groove 22.

[0043] The probe 51 of the measuring instrument 50 is displaced from the outer side to the inner side in the radial direction of the wheel 19 at a position separated by a predetermined distance L1 from the contact portion 33 in the axial direction of the wheel 10 within an imaginary plane 72 including a radius line 71, which is a perpendicular bisector of an imaginary line segment 73 connecting two points of the reference groove 22 at which the pair of locking projections 41 are locked (i.e., the two points of the contact portions 44a and 44b or the two points of the contact portions 45a and 45b that contact the inner circumferential surface 24), and the axis 21 of the wheel 10. Referring to FIG. 13 , the distance ΔD measured by the displacement of the probe 51 is the length in the radial direction outward (upward in FIG. 13 ) based on an imaginary line 74 that passes through an intersection Q of the radius line 71 and the imaginary line segment 73 within the imaginary plane 72 and is parallel to the axis 21, and the imaginary line 74 is parallel to the imaginary line 74 and intersects with the inner circumferential surface 24 of the reference groove 22.

[0044] FIG. 14 is an enlarged cross-sectional view, viewed from an imaginary plane 72, showing the state in which the measuring tip 54 of the probe 51 abuts and contacts the measurement target portion 23 of the wheel tread 16. The probe 51 is formed in the shape of a flat plate with a rectangular cross section that is elongated in the radial direction of the wheel 10 (the vertical direction in FIG. 14, the displacement direction of the probe 51). The measuring tip 54 of the probe 51 is realized by a corner portion formed by an inner surface 58 that extends vertically and perpendicular to the axis 21 (and therefore perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 14), and a lower free end surface 59 that is parallel to the axis 21 and perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 14. Therefore, the measuring tip 54, which is the corner portion, comes into point contact with the circular measurement target portion 23 centered on the axis 21 of the wheel 10, thereby achieving accurate measurement of the measurement target portion 23.

[0045] FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the measuring instrument 50. The measuring instrument 50 includes a displacement detection unit 55, whose operation is controlled by an operation button 95, that outputs a displacement detection signal representing the displacement of the probe 51 in the radial direction of the wheel 10, and a memory 56 that stores the displacement detection signal from the displacement detection unit 55. The displacement detection unit 55 of the measuring unit 52 outputs a displacement detection signal representing the displacement of the probe 51, thereby detecting the radial position of the wheel 10 at which the measuring tip 54 of the probe 51 abuts the measured portion 23, and thus the shape of the wheel 10. The displacement detection signal is stored in the memory 56. The data in the memory 56 is output and calculated by operating the input button 95, displayed on the display 94, and also provided to and processed by a signal processing circuit 57, which may be implemented by a microcomputer or the like. This makes it possible to determine, for example, the impact of the shape of the wheel 10 on driving safety and the status over time. The signal processing circuit 57 is configured to output the calculated data externally, for example, via wireless communication. By identifying the displacement detection signals for each of the multiple wheels 10 and storing the corresponding measurement date and time in the memory 56, it is possible to detect changes over time in each wheel 10, and to facilitate the maintenance and upkeep of the wheels 10.

[0046] Figures 16 to 18 show another embodiment of the present invention, corresponding to Figures 7 to 9, respectively, and similar to the above-described embodiment. Corresponding parts are designated by the same names and reference numerals, and their description will be omitted. Figure 16 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the free end (lower part of Figure 16) of first support piece 35a of L-shaped support member 34a. Figure 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line XVII-XVII in Figure 16. Figure 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line XVIII-XVIII in Figure 16. A positioning protrusion 81 is fixed near the free end of first support piece 35a. Shanks of flat head bolts 63 are inserted into bolt through-holes 66 of a pair of bolt mounting holes formed in mounting portion 42 of locking piece 40, and mounting portion 42 is threaded into threaded hole 67 of first support piece 35a so that its displacement can be adjusted in the vertical direction in Figures 16 and 17. The locking piece 40 is attached to the first support piece 35a with accurate positioning achieved when the positioning top 47 of its mounting portion 42 abuts against the reference wall surface 82 of the positioning protrusion 81 facing downward in Figure 17. This allows the relative positions and angles of the locking protrusion 41 of the locking piece 40 and the abutment portion 33 of the support piece 35 to be accurately set, and high measurement accuracy can be maintained even when the locking piece 40 is replaced.

[0047] Figures 19 to 21 show still another embodiment of the present invention, which corresponds to Figures 16 to 18 described above, respectively, and are similar to the above-described embodiments, so corresponding parts are given the same names and reference numerals and their explanations will be omitted. Figure 19 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the free end (lower part of Figure 19) of first support piece 35a of L-shaped support member 34a, Figure 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line XX-XX in Figure 19, and Figure 21 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line XXI-XXI in Figure 19. It is noteworthy that in order to accurately position and attach the locking piece 40 to the first support piece 35a, a configuration is provided in which the positioning apex 47 of the attachment portion 42 of the locking piece 40 abuts against a reference wall surface 92 of a positioning protrusion 91 fixed to the first support piece 35a, and the first support piece 35a and the attachment portion 42 are accurately positioned by a pair of knock pins 86, 87, and the shank of a pan head bolt 93 is inserted into a bolt through hole 84 formed in the attachment portion 42 between the knock pins 86, 87 and tightly tightened into the threaded hole 67. The knock pins 86, 87 may be formed integrally with the first support piece 35a, or may be inserted into knock pin pilot holes formed in the first support piece 35a and the attachment portion 42. [Industrial Applicability]

[0048] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and improvements are possible within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure. All or part of the components constituting each of the above-described embodiments can be combined as appropriate within the scope of not contradicting each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 Shape measuring device 10 wheels 16 treads 19 Wheel inner surface 21 axis 22 Reference groove 23 Part to be measured 24 Inner peripheral surface 30 L-shaped support 31 1st extension part 32 Second extension part 33 Contact part 34a, 34b Support members 35a, 35b 1st support piece 36a, 36b 2nd support piece 37, 38 Spacer 40 Locking piece 41 Locking protrusion 42 Mounting part 43 Locking top 44, 45 Contact area 50 measuring instruments 51 Probe 52 Measuring part 55 Displacement detection unit 56 memory 57 Signal Processing Circuit 63 Flat head bolt 66, 84 Bolt through holes 67 screw hole 69 Set screw 70 Cover member 76, 81, 91 Positioning protrusions 77 Receiving part 78, 82, 92 Reference wall 83, 93 Pan bolt 86, 87 Knock pin

Claims

1. (a) The wheel is a railway wheel, and has a reference groove formed concentrically with the wheel on the inner surface of the wheel perpendicular to its axis, a measurement portion is set at a predetermined distance L1 from the wheel inner surface on the tread surface axially outward of the flange, (b) An L-shaped support, (b1) a first extension portion that extends along the radial direction of the wheel and has an abutment portion that abuts against an inner surface of the wheel; (b2) a second extension portion that is connected to the first extension portion radially outward from the flange of the wheel and extends outward in the axial direction of the wheel; An L-shaped support tool having an overall L-shaped shape; (c) a pair of locking projections provided on the first extending portion, projecting outward in the axial direction of the wheel beyond the abutting portion, and locking into the reference groove at positions spaced apart in the circumferential direction thereof; (d) a measuring device provided on the second extension portion, (d1) a probe that displaces from the outside to the inside in the radial direction of the wheel and contacts the measurement target; (d2) A wheel shape measuring device characterized by including a measuring instrument having a measuring part that measures the position at which the measuring element contacts the measured part along the radial direction of the wheel using the pair of locking protrusions as references.

2. 2. The wheel profile measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the measuring instrument's probe is displaced from the outer side to the inner side in the radial direction of the wheel at a position spaced a predetermined distance L1 outward from the contact portion in the axial direction of the wheel within an imaginary plane including the wheel axis and the perpendicular bisector of an imaginary line connecting two points in the reference groove where the pair of locking projections are locked.

3. The measurement section is (e) a displacement detection unit that outputs a displacement detection signal that represents the displacement of the probe in the radial direction of the wheel; 3. The wheel shape measuring device according to claim 2, further comprising: (f) a memory for storing the displacement detection signal from the displacement detection section.

4. The L-shaped support is (g) A pair of spaced support members perpendicular to the wheel axis and having an overall L-shaped configuration, each support member being: (g1) a first support piece extending parallel to one radius line of the wheel; (g2) a support member having a second support piece connected to the first support piece and extending outward in the axial direction of the wheel; (h) a spacer for fixing each support member at a distance; (i) the first extension portion is constituted by a first support piece of each support member via a spacer; Each of the first support pieces has an abutment portion that abuts against the inner surface of the wheel, Each of the first support pieces is provided with a locking protrusion, (j) The wheel shape measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the second extending portion is constituted by a second support piece of each support member via a spacer.

5. The reference groove and each locking projection are locked by With the locking protrusion fitted into the reference groove, 2. The wheel shape measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement is achieved by abutting an inner peripheral surface of the reference groove facing the inner surface of the wheel radially outward with a contact portion of the locking protrusion radially outward of the wheel.

6. 2. The wheel shape measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the measuring end of the measuring device's probe that abuts and contacts the portion to be measured is perpendicular to the radial direction of the wheel and is formed by a corner portion that extends perpendicular to the axis of the wheel.

7. 6. The wheel shape measuring device according to claim 5, wherein each of the locking projections has contact portions that come into contact with a plurality of circumferentially spaced locations on the inner peripheral surface of the reference groove radially outward.

8. Each contact portion is formed to extend parallel to the axis of the wheel, The inner peripheral surface of the reference groove on the radially outer side is also formed to extend parallel to the axis of the wheel, 8. The wheel shape measuring device according to claim 7, wherein each contact portion and the inner peripheral surface are in line contact.

9. The pair of locking protrusions are respectively provided on the pair of mounting portions to form locking pieces, 8. The wheel shape measuring device according to claim 7, wherein the mounting portion is positioned by contacting a positioning protrusion fixed to the first extension portion, and is detachably fixed with a bolt.

10. The pair of locking protrusions are respectively provided on the pair of mounting portions to form locking pieces, 8. The wheel shape measuring device according to claim 7, wherein the mounting portion is positioned on the first extension portion by a knock pin and detachably fixed by a bolt.

11. (a) The wheel is a railway wheel, and has a reference groove formed concentrically with the wheel on the inner surface of the wheel perpendicular to its axis, A measurement portion is set at a predetermined distance from the inner surface of the wheel, (b) A support device comprising: (b1) a first extension portion extending along the radial direction of the wheel and having an abutment portion abutting against an inner surface of the wheel; (b2) a support having a second extension portion that is connected to the first extension portion radially outward from the flange of the wheel and extends outward in the axial direction of the wheel; (c) a pair of locking projections provided on the first extending portion, projecting outward in the axial direction of the wheel beyond the abutting portion, and locked in the reference groove at positions spaced apart in the circumferential direction thereof; (d) a measuring device provided on the second extension portion for measuring the wheel shape.

12. A wheel shape measuring device according to claim 1 or 11 is provided, With the reference groove and each locking protrusion locked, and with the abutment portion of the first extension portion abutting against the inner surface of the wheel, A method for measuring the shape of a wheel, characterized in that the probe of a measuring device is displaced from the outside to the inside in the radial direction of the wheel, and the position at which it comes into contact with the part to be measured is measured.

13. (a) The object to be measured is having a contact reference surface, a reference groove is formed facing the contact reference surface, and the reference groove forms at least a part of a circle having an axis perpendicular to the contact reference surface as a center; (b) an L-shaped support having an abutment portion that abuts on the abutment reference surface of the object; (c) a pair of locking protrusions provided on the L-shaped support and respectively locked in the reference groove at positions spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the reference groove; (d) A measuring device provided on the L-shaped support and configured to measure the object.

Images