Rail-mounted measuring device

Abstract

To provide a rail installation type measuring device which is capable of efficiently collecting detection values of a sensor, by eliminating the trouble of going to a place where the sensor is installed and connecting a data collection device to acquire measurement values.SOLUTION: A rail installation type measuring device comprises: detection means (21, 22) for detecting a prescribed physical amount, that are joined to a lateral face of a rail; a body case (11) incorporating an electric substrate (15) which receives a signal from the detection means and performs data processing; and attaching means (18A-18D) for mounting the body case to the rail; and display means (13) provided in the body case. In the measuring device, the display means is arranged so that its display surface is tilted relative to a vertical plane and positioned obliquely upward in a state that the body case is mounted to the rail using the attaching means. Further, the electric substrate can display a value detected according to a signal from the detection means, in the display means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a rail-mounted measuring device equipped with a sensor, and relates to a technique that is effective when applied to, for example, a rail axial force measuring device that measures the axial force of a rail on a railway track on which a train runs. [Background technology]

[0002] In railway tracks, rails can bulge or buckle due to an increase in thermal stress (rail axial force) caused by rising temperatures. When rails bulge or buckle, this can cause problems for train operations. To prevent such problems, rail axial force is measured and appropriately managed, and maintenance work is carried out. In particular, long rails are prevented from freely expanding and contracting by the longitudinal resistance force between the sleepers and the ballast, which causes a relatively large amount of thermal stress to accumulate, so it is important to accurately grasp the rail axial force. Inspection items for managing long rails include "indentation inspection" and "ballast lateral resistance force survey."

[0003] Currently, rail displacement inspection involves stretching a string in the direction of the track ties and measuring the rail's longitudinal movement relative to the string. The axial force is then estimated from the expansion and contraction of the rail between the reference posts. However, this current method requires a great deal of effort during inspection, and there is a risk of human error, such as misreading the amount of rail movement. Meanwhile, conventional inventions relating to rail axial force measuring devices include those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2. Of these, the invention described in Patent Document 1 is a rail axial force measuring device configured from a detection unit that forms a Wheatstone bridge with multiple strain gauge elements arranged and attached along the neutral axis and height axis of the rail, and a digital processor equipped with calculation means that calculates the rail axial force by subtracting the unbalanced output of the bridge circuit in the absence of axial force from the unbalanced output in the presence of axial force.

[0004] Furthermore, the rail axle stress measuring device described in Patent Document 2 has an axial pressure sensor consisting of a strain gauge sensor and a temperature sensor attached to the side of the rail, an axial pressure converter, and a data collection device. The axial pressure converter is made up of a detection value measurement bridge circuit, a solar panel, a power storage and supply device that stores and supplies the power generated by the solar panel, an IC chip that has a built-in data control program for sampling data, calculating data, storing data, and other purposes, and an ID tag that identifies the measurement position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-103533 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-033348 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The invention described in Patent Document 1 attaches only a detection unit (sensor) made up of a strain gauge element to the side of the rail, and provides a connector for pulling an extension cable from the strain gauge element and connecting it to a digital processor, which is then fixed to an iron pole near the trackbed.As a result, installing the extension cable is cumbersome, and in order to obtain measurements from each sensor, it is necessary to go to the location where the sensor is installed and connect the digital processor to the connector, which poses the problem of requiring a lot of time, effort, and labor.

[0007] On the other hand, the invention described in Patent Document 2 involves attaching an axial pressure sensor consisting of a strain gauge sensor and a temperature sensor to the side of the rail, and installing an axial pressure converter on the track connected to a cable drawn from the axial pressure sensor, but in order to obtain measured values ​​it is necessary to go to the location where the sensor and axial pressure converter are installed and connect a data collection device to the axial pressure converter, which requires a lot of time and effort.Furthermore, the rail axial force measuring device in Patent Document 2 has an axial pressure converter equipped with a solar panel as a power source that is installed on the track, which has the problem of interfering with trackbed maintenance work.

[0008] The present invention has been made with an eye on the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a rail-mounted measuring device that can efficiently collect sensor detection values, eliminating the need to go to a location where a sensor for detecting physical quantities related to the rail is installed, connect a data collection device, and obtain measurement values. Another object of the present invention is to provide a rail-mounted measuring device that does not interfere with trackbed maintenance work performed by a track maintenance vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides: A rail-mounted measuring device comprising: a detecting means joined to a side surface of a rail for detecting a predetermined physical quantity; a main body case incorporating an electronic board for receiving signals from the detecting means and performing data processing; an attachment means for attaching the main body case to a rail; and a display means provided on the main body case, the display means is disposed so that a display surface thereof is inclined relative to a vertical plane and faces obliquely upward when the main body case is attached to the rail by the attachment means, The electronic board is configured so that a value detected based on a signal from the detecting means can be displayed on the display means.

[0010] According to the measuring device having the above-mentioned configuration, the detected values ​​are displayed on the display means which is arranged so that the display surface is inclined with respect to the vertical plane and faces diagonally upward. Therefore, the detected values ​​displayed on the display means can be read by an image camera mounted on a traveling vehicle and image processed to obtain physical quantities related to the rails, such as the rail axial force. This eliminates the need to go to the location where the detecting means (sensor) is installed to obtain measured values, and makes it possible to efficiently collect the detected values ​​of sensors installed in multiple locations.

[0011] Preferably, the electronic board has a code conversion function, and the display means displays the display information as a two-dimensional code. With this configuration, even a display means with a relatively low resolution can display the sensor's detection information (measurement values), and the detection information can be acquired by an image camera mounted on a moving vehicle, making it possible to efficiently collect the detection values ​​of sensors installed in multiple locations.

[0012] Preferably, the electronic board includes a counting means for counting the number of times the display on the display means has been updated, The display means displays the detected value by the detecting means and the counted value by the counting means. With this configuration, if the electronic components that make up the measuring device fail or the power supply is cut off and the display content cannot be updated, the count value by the counting means will no longer change, making it possible to determine that there is an abnormality in the measuring device and preventing incorrect judgments from being made based on incorrect information.

[0013] Preferably, the display means is electronic paper, the main body case is provided with a storage section for storing a battery that supplies a power supply voltage to the electronic board; The electronic board is configured to operate using power from the battery, acquire detection values ​​based on signals from the detection means at predetermined time intervals, and display the detection values ​​on the display means if or when predetermined conditions are met. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the display means that displays constantly, so that a battery can be used as the power source. Furthermore, using a battery eliminates the need to install a solar panel and lay a power cable, making it possible to simplify the installation work of the measuring device.

[0014] Furthermore, it is desirable that the main body case be formed so that the upper and lower ends of the front surface of the main body case are positioned closer to the rail than the tangent line connecting the head side of the rail and the side of the bottom flange. With this configuration, the case of the measuring device can be prevented from interfering with trackbed maintenance work by the track maintenance vehicle.

[0015] Also preferably, the attachment means is a magnet; The surface of the main body case that is joined to the rail is curved to correspond to the side surface of the rail, and a recess is formed in part of the curved surface that can accommodate the detection means attached to the side surface of the rail. This configuration allows the measuring device to be easily installed and removed from the side of the rail, and because the surface of the main case that joins to the rail is curved to correspond to the side of the rail, the measuring device can be firmly fixed to the side of the rail using only the attractive force of the magnet.In addition, the sensor and the cable connecting the electronic board to the sensor can be prevented from interfering with the rear wall of the main case, improving the adhesion between the main case and the rail. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] The rail-mounted measuring device according to the present invention can efficiently collect rail axial forces without the need to go to a location where a sensor for detecting rail axial forces is installed, connect a data collection device, and acquire measurements. Another advantage is that it does not interfere with trackbed maintenance work by a track maintenance vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a rail axial force measuring device according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal configuration of the rail axial force measuring device according to the embodiment of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 2 is an external view showing a state in which the detecting means (temperature sensor and strain sensor) of the rail axial force measuring device of the embodiment of FIG. 1 are attached to the side surface of the rail. FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a perspective view showing a display form on a display panel in the rail axial force measuring device of the embodiment in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which the rail axial force measuring device of the embodiment in FIG. 1 is attached to the side surface of a rail. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing how to read information displayed on a display panel of a rail axial force measuring device attached to the side surface of a rail. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment in which a rail-mounted measuring device according to the present invention is applied to a rail axial force measuring device will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a rail axial force measuring device to which the present invention is applied, and Fig. 2 shows an exploded perspective view thereof. The rail axial force measuring device 10 of this embodiment is a measuring instrument that has a strain sensor that detects strain, is attached to the web side of the rail to be measured, and has the function of measuring the rail axial force.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rail axial force measuring device 10 of this embodiment includes a front case 11A and a rear case 11B each having a box shape with one side open, and the main body case 11 is formed by joining the four corners of the front case 11A and the rear opening of the rear case 11B together with the rear opening of the front case 11A butting against each other. Also, a sealant 12 (see FIG. 2) such as an O-ring is inserted between the opening of the front case 11A and the opening of the rear case 11B, thereby sealing the internal space of the main case 11. Furthermore, the size of the case is designed so that the height of the main case 11 is smaller than the distance between the bottom flange and the chin of the rail head.

[0020] Front case 11A is formed so that the front side is inclined upward, and a display panel 13 such as electronic paper whose display content can be rewritten is arranged in an upward inclined position on this inclined front side, and a protective transparent panel 14 made of an acrylic plate or the like is arranged on the front side of display panel 13. In addition, behind display panel 13 is arranged electronic board 15 on which electronic components such as an MPU (microprocessor) that has the function of driving and controlling display panel 13 and receiving signals from sensors and converting measured values ​​into two-dimensional codes, and an IC memory that stores measured values ​​and other data are mounted, and this is configured to be fixed inside front case 11A with screws.

[0021] Rear case 11B is also provided with a recess 16 that houses a battery that supplies power to electronic board 15, and an insertion hole 17 through which a cable 20 that connects electronic board 15 with the strain sensor and temperature sensor passes. Furthermore, rectangular magnets 18A and 18B such as neodymium magnets are secured to the upper part of the back surface of rear case 11B, and similar magnets 18C and 18D are secured to the lower part of the back surface of rear case 11B, lined up side by side, with screws.

[0022] 1, a recess 19 is provided in the vertical center of the rear case 11B to allow the strain sensor 21 and temperature sensor 22 attached to the side of the rail web at the height of the neutral axis NA and the cable 20 drawn out from inside the case to escape so as not to interfere with the rear wall of the main body case 11. The cable 20 may include a signal line (cord) for directly acquiring log data from the IC memory on the electronic board 15.

[0023] It should be noted that the lower magnets 18C, 18D may be omitted depending on conditions, for example, in locations where trains run infrequently. When the magnets 18C, 18D are omitted, the rail axial force measuring device 10 can be easily removed from the side of the rail by simply placing a finger on the lower outside part of the front case 11A and lifting the main body case 11, which is an advantage since the magnets 18A, 18B alone are capable of adhering to the side of the rail.

[0024] 5, the back surface of rear case 11B is formed in a curved shape with the central portion in the vertical direction bulging outward to correspond to the curved shape of the web portion of rail R. This causes magnets 18A, 18B and 18C, 18D to be parallel to the rail surface, increasing the contact area and the attractive force, and making it possible to prevent the device from falling off the side of the rail due to rail vibrations caused by the running train. Although not particularly limited, in the rail axial force measuring device 10 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a program is created so that the MPU on the electronic board 15 has a code conversion function so that the measured value is displayed on the display panel 13 as a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark).

[0025] In addition, in the rail axial force measuring device 10 of this embodiment, the front surface of the front case 11A on which the display panel 13 is provided is configured to have an upward inclination so that the two-dimensional code displayed on the display panel 13 can be photographed by an image camera 23 mounted on a carriage of a running train, as shown in FIG. 6. Here, the smaller the upward tilt angle θ of the front surface of front case 11A, the less distortion there will be in the image captured by image camera 23 of the displayed 2D code, but the smaller the tilt angle θ, the more light reflected by protective transparent panel 14 will appear in the image, making the captured image unclear, and the more main case 11 will protrude to the side of the rail, increasing the risk of damage during trackbed maintenance work. However, distortion in the captured image can be easily corrected by image processing.

[0026] Therefore, it is desirable to design the shape of the main body case 11 so that the upper and lower ends of the main body case 11 are located closer to the rail than the tangent line A connecting the head side of the rail R and the side of the bottom flange, as shown in Figure 6. In addition, in order to obtain a clear image using the image camera 23 and avoid misreading of the measurement values, it is desirable to form a coating on the surface of the transparent panel 14 that has anti-reflective and water-repellent properties to repel rainwater.

[0027] Next, a method for displaying measured values ​​on the display panel 13 in the rail axial force measuring device 10 of this embodiment will be described. As described above, the rail axial force measuring device of this embodiment uses a battery built into the main body case 11 as its power source. Therefore, it is important to reduce power consumption as much as possible to reduce the frequency of battery replacement. Therefore, in this embodiment, electronic paper is used as the display panel 13, which consumes power only when updating the displayed content. In addition, some measures have been taken to reduce the number of times the displayed content is updated. Specifically, the detection operation by the sensor is set to a frequency of, for example, once an hour, and the displayed content of the display panel 13 is updated when predetermined conditions are met.

[0028] As a predetermined condition, for example, one of 72 measured values ​​may be selected as a representative value, allowing the display content to be updated once every three days.The method for evaluating the safety against rail buckling uses an index called safety level α, which is expressed as the ratio between the minimum buckling strength and the maximum axial force, and is managed to ensure that α = 1.2 or higher, and it is known that the maximum axial force is proportional to the difference between the maximum rail temperature and the neutral temperature.

[0029] Therefore, in determining the representative value, it is efficient to use the neutral temperature (= rail temperature + strain / linear expansion coefficient). For example, the measurement value by the temperature sensor 22 is T, the measurement value by the strain sensor 21 is ε, and the linear expansion coefficient of the rail is β (1.14 × 10 -5), the value that minimizes T+(ε / β) can be considered as the representative value. It is also known that the lower the neutral temperature, the lower the degree of safety and the safer it can be determined to be. Therefore, instead of the above-mentioned "obtaining 72 measurements and determining a representative value," the predetermined condition may be set to a threshold of 1°C of the neutral temperature, i.e., the display content of the display panel 13 may be updated when the neutral temperature changes by 1°C.

[0030] Next, examples of the content (type of information) displayed on the display panel 13 will be described. In the rail axial force measuring device of this embodiment, the electronic board 15 is provided with a counting means for counting the number of times the display on the display panel 13 has been updated as a count value, and three items are selected as the display contents of the display panel 13: a count value for alive monitoring, and temperature and strain values ​​measured by the sensors. The count value is a value that is incremented each time the display contents are updated, and if this count value has not been updated for a predetermined period of time or more, it can be determined that an abnormality has occurred in the device, such as a circuit failure or dead battery.

[0031] The count value is represented by a two-digit number between "0" and "99," with the temperature represented by a three-digit number and the strain represented by a four-digit number. There are several QR Code (registered trademark) specifications, and a 25 x 25 cell code can encode 48 characters, so if the above three types of data are represented by the above numbers of digits, a maximum of six sets of data can be displayed.

[0032] Furthermore, some trains currently in operation are equipped with track material monitoring devices equipped with a profile camera (a distance meter using a laser) and an image camera, and test runs have confirmed that by displaying a QR code (registered trademark) of the above specifications on the display panel 13 of the rail axial force measuring device of this embodiment, the displayed content can be read by the image camera of the existing track material monitoring device. According to the rail axial force measuring device having the above-described configuration, the measurement values ​​of the temperature sensor and strain sensor for detecting the rail axial force can be obtained by the image camera mounted on the vehicle, thereby eliminating the need to go to the location where the sensors are installed, connect a data collection device to the rail axial force measuring device, and obtain the measurement values, and making it possible to efficiently collect the rail axial force.

[0033] When measuring the axial force of a long rail to monitor the track, it is desirable to have information on the location of the rail axial force measuring device. Therefore, it is conceivable to include information on the installation location of the rail axial force measuring device (for example, kilometers or latitude and longitude) in the display content of the display panel 13. However, some existing track material monitoring devices store kilometerage information when storing data acquired by the profile camera and image camera. Therefore, in a rail axial force measurement device that is attached to the rails of a line on which a train equipped with such a monitoring device runs, there is no need to include the location information of the rail axial force measurement device in the display content of the display panel 13. For this reason, the rail axial force measurement device of this embodiment displays only the count value and the temperature and strain values ​​measured by the sensors.

[0034] The display of the count value may be omitted. Also, in the case of a rail axial force measuring device that is mounted on a rail on a line on which a train equipped with a monitoring device does not run, an input mode switch or setting switch for setting the kilometer distance may be provided on the electronic board to input or set information about the location where the measuring device is installed (for example, the kilometer distance), and the set location information and the measured temperature and strain values ​​may be displayed on the display panel 13. Here, the location information may also be input using a signal line for acquiring log data from an IC memory inside the case, which is included in the cable 20. Furthermore, as a method of linking the acquired measurement values ​​with the measurement device, the identification code of the measurement device may be displayed on the display panel 13 instead of the location information (kilometers), and a table showing the relationship between the identification code and installation location information (kilometers) may be stored in the memory device of the device that manages the acquired measurement values, and the measurement location may be determined by referring to the table.

[0035] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the rail axial force measuring device 10 of the above embodiment, electronic paper is used as the display panel 13, but a liquid crystal panel may also be used. Also, in the above embodiment, a battery is used as the power source, but a solar panel and a secondary battery may also be used as the power supply. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a magnet is used as a means for attaching the rail axial force measuring device 10 to the side of the rail, but a mounting bracket equipped with a means for gripping the rail flange (a rail catcher) may also be used.

[0036] Furthermore, the present invention has been described above as being applied to a rail axial force measuring device that measures and displays rail axial force (strain and temperature). However, the present invention can also be used in a measuring device that is installed, for example, in a location where corrugation is likely to occur on the rail surface, and that measures and displays rail vibrations and sounds to detect corrugation. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 10 Rail axial force measuring device 11 Main unit case 11A Front case 11B Rear case 12 Sealing material 13 Display panel (display means) 14 Protective transparent panel 15 Electronic board 16 Battery storage recess 17 Cable insertion hole 18A~18D Magnet (mounting means) 19 Recessed portion to prevent interference between the sensor and the case 20 Cable 21 Strain Sensor 22 Temperature sensor 23 Image Camera

Claims

1. A rail-mounted measuring device comprising: a detecting means joined to a side surface of a rail for detecting a predetermined physical quantity; a main body case incorporating an electronic board for receiving signals from the detecting means and performing data processing; an attachment means for attaching the main body case to a rail; and a display means provided on the main body case, the display means is disposed so that a display surface thereof is inclined relative to a vertical plane and faces obliquely upward when the main body case is attached to the rail by the attachment means, the electronic board is configured to be able to display a value detected based on a signal from the detection means on the display means; A rail-mounted measuring device characterized in that the electronic board has a code conversion function, and the display means is configured to display the display information as a two-dimensional code.

2. the electronic board is provided with a counting means for counting the number of times the display on the display means has been updated, 2. The rail-mounted measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the display means is configured to display the detected value by the detecting means and the counted value by the counting means.

3. A rail-mounted measuring device comprising: a detecting means joined to the side of a rail for detecting a predetermined physical quantity; a main body case incorporating an electronic board for receiving signals from the detecting means and performing data processing; an attachment means for attaching the main body case to a rail; and a display means provided on the main body case, the display means is disposed so that a display surface thereof is inclined relative to a vertical plane and faces obliquely upward when the main body case is attached to the rail by the attachment means, the electronic board is configured to be able to display a value detected based on a signal from the detection means on the display means; the electronic board is provided with a counting means for counting the number of times the display on the display means has been updated, A rail-mounted measuring device, characterized in that the display means is configured to display the detected value by the detecting means and the counted value by the counting means.

4. A rail-mounted measuring device comprising: a detecting means joined to the side of a rail for detecting a predetermined physical quantity; a main body case incorporating an electronic board for receiving signals from the detecting means and performing data processing; an attachment means for attaching the main body case to a rail; and a display means provided on the main body case, the display means is disposed so that a display surface thereof is inclined relative to a vertical plane and faces obliquely upward when the main body case is attached to the rail by the attachment means, the electronic board is configured to be able to display a value detected based on a signal from the detection means on the display means; the display means is electronic paper, the main body case is provided with a storage section for storing a battery that supplies a power supply voltage to the electronic board; A rail-mounted measuring device characterized in that the electronic board is configured to operate using power from the battery, obtains detection values ​​based on signals from the detection means at predetermined time intervals, and displays the detection values ​​on the display means if or when predetermined conditions are met.

5. the display means is electronic paper, the main body case is provided with a storage section for storing a battery that supplies a power supply voltage to the electronic board; The rail-mounted measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the electronic board is configured to operate on power from the battery, to obtain detection values ​​based on signals from the detection means at predetermined time intervals, and to display the detection values ​​on the display means if or when predetermined conditions are met.

6. A rail-mounted measuring device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the main body case is formed so that the upper and lower ends of the front part of the main body case are located on the rail side of the tangent line connecting the head side of the rail and the side of the bottom flange.

7. the attachment means is a magnet; A rail-mounted measuring device as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the surface of the main body case that is joined to the rail is curved to correspond to the side surface of the rail, and a recess is formed in part of the curved surface that can accommodate the detection means affixed to the side surface of the rail.

Images