State detection device and state detection method

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of easily and accurately detecting a change in a state of a switch machine which is operated by transmitting a driving force of a motor through a clutch.SOLUTION: A state detection device 1 calculates time series data of a torque equivalent value during switching operation of a switch machine 3, which performs the switching operation by making a driving force of a motor sequentially act on an internal mechanism and an external mechanism through a clutch by performing power supply control to the motor, corrects the time series data based on a data portion in a predetermined stable period after a starting period of the operation of the motor and before the operation of the external mechanism among the calculated time series data, and determines a change in the state of the switch machine 3 based on the corrected time series data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a state detection device that detects a change in the state of a point machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Various methods have been proposed for detecting any changes in the state of a point machine, which is a type of railway equipment, that could lead to an abnormality. For example, a method is known in which the presence or absence of a sign of an abnormality in a point machine is determined by comparing the motor current waveform associated with the point machine's switching operation with a standard waveform, which is the motor current waveform of the point machine under normal conditions (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-144714 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The point machine performs a switching operation to switch the tongue rail between normal and reverse positions by transmitting the rotational power generated by the motor to the operating rod via a clutch directly connected to the motor shaft, causing linear motion. If a change (increase) in the load occurs during switching operation due to an increase in frictional resistance between the tongue rail and the floor plate or the presence of foreign matter, the motor voltage and motor current will change. By detecting this change, it is possible to determine the change in the state of the point machine (load change).

[0005] The torque during switching operations of a point machine varies depending on the temperature characteristics of the motor and clutch of the point machine. Magnetic clutches, which are often used, have a characteristic that the clutch weakens at high temperatures and strengthens at low temperatures. For this reason, even if the load is constant, the torque tends to increase in the cold winter months and decrease in the hot summer months. Torque fluctuations appear as fluctuations in the motor voltage and motor current during switching operations, which reduces the accuracy of detecting changes in the state of the point machine. Therefore, to improve the accuracy of detecting changes in the state of the point machine, it is necessary to eliminate the effects of the temperature characteristics of the motor and clutch.

[0006] One possible approach is to compensate for the temperature difference based on the ambient temperature (environmental temperature) where the point machine is installed. However, point machines are typically installed outdoors, and environmental factors at the installation location, such as sunlight and ventilation, can easily cause a temperature difference between the ambient temperature and the temperature inside the case housing the motor and clutch. Even in installation locations with similar environmental factors, the temperatures of the motor and clutch housed inside the case can vary from point machine to point machine due to differences in switching load, switching frequency, and other factors. Therefore, treating the ambient temperature of the point machine as the actual temperature of the motor and clutch housed inside the case is insufficient to improve detection accuracy. Therefore, installing a thermometer such as a thermocouple inside the case to directly measure the temperature of the motor and clutch housed inside the point machine case is an option. However, installing a thermometer in each of the many point machines installed on the tracks is time-consuming and costly, making this approach impractical.

[0007] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a technology that can simply yet accurately detect changes in the state of a point machine that operates by transmitting the driving force of a motor via a clutch. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The first invention to solve the above problem is: a torque equivalent value calculation unit (for example, the torque equivalent value calculation unit 202 in FIG. 11 ) that calculates time-series data of a torque equivalent value or a motor current (hereinafter collectively and collectively referred to as "torque equivalent value") during a switching operation of a point machine that performs a switching operation by controlling the power supply to the motor so that the driving force of the motor acts on an internal mechanism and an external mechanism in sequence via a clutch; a correction means (for example, the correction unit 204 in FIG. 11 ) for correcting the time series data based on a data portion of the time series data during a predetermined stable period after the motor start period and before the external mechanism is activated; A determination means (for example, the determination unit 206 in FIG. 11) that determines a state change of the point machine based on the corrected time series data; The state detection device is provided with:

[0009] Other inventions include: Calculating time series data of torque equivalent values ​​or motor current (hereinafter collectively and collectively referred to as "torque equivalent values") during the switching operation of a point machine that performs switching operation by controlling the power supply to the motor so that the driving force of the motor acts sequentially on an internal mechanism and an external mechanism via a clutch; correcting the time series data based on a data portion of the time series data during a predetermined stable period after the motor start-up period and before the external mechanism is activated; determining a state change of the point machine based on the corrected time series data; A state detection method including the above may be configured.

[0010] According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily and accurately detect changes in the state of a point machine that operates by transmitting the driving force of a motor via a clutch. In other words, during the stable period following the motor start-up period, during which the motor starts operating and torque fluctuates significantly, the driving force of the motor acts only on the internal mechanism. Therefore, the data portion of the time-series data of torque equivalent values ​​during the stable period is not affected by external loads, but is affected only by the temperature characteristics of the motor and clutch. Therefore, by using the data portion of the time-series data of torque equivalent values ​​during the stable period, corrections can be made to the time-series data to remove the effects of the temperature characteristics of the motor and clutch. Furthermore, any changes in the state of the point machine during switching operation appear as changes in the motor torque, and therefore changes in the state of the point machine can be accurately detected by using the time-series data of torque equivalent values ​​after the corrections. The same applies to motor current.

[0011] The second invention is the first invention, the correction means performs correction to increase or decrease the torque equivalent value for the entire time series data. It is a state detection device.

[0012] According to the second invention, since the temperature characteristics of the motor and clutch are considered to have a uniform effect during the conversion operation, appropriate correction can be made by increasing or decreasing the torque equivalent value for the entire time series data.

[0013] The third invention is the first invention, the correction means corrects the time series data by increasing or decreasing a torque equivalent value based on a difference between a data portion of the stable period of the time series data and a data portion of the stable period of a predetermined reference time series data; the determination means makes the determination by comparing the corrected time series data with the reference time series data. It is a state detection device.

[0014] According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the temperature characteristics of the motor and the clutch are considered to have a uniform effect during switching operations, appropriate correction can be performed by increasing or decreasing the torque equivalent value for the entire time series data based on the difference between the data portion of the stable period of the calculated time series data and the data portion of the stable period of a predetermined reference time series data. For example, by using time series data of torque equivalent values ​​related to switching operations at a certain reference temperature as reference time series data, time series data of torque equivalent values ​​related to switching operations at a different temperature can be corrected to time series data at the reference temperature. Then, by comparing the corrected time series data with the reference time series data, changes in the state of the point machine can be detected with high accuracy.

[0015] A fourth invention is any one of the first to third inventions, the determination means determines a state change of the point machine based on the torque equivalent value during the motor start-up period and / or the torque equivalent value during the operation period of the external mechanism in the corrected time-series data. It is a state detection device.

[0016] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the motor start-up period is a period in which the motor starts to operate and torque fluctuates greatly, so that a significant change in the motor state can occur, and the operating period is a period in which the motor driving force acts on an external mechanism, causing the external mechanism to operate, so that the influence of the external load is significant. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately determine a change in the state of the point machine based on the torque equivalent value during the motor start-up period and / or the operating period.

[0017] A fifth invention is any one of the first to third inventions, the determination means makes the determination using a Mahalanobis distance that includes, as variables, at least an average value and a maximum value of the torque equivalent value during an operation period of the external mechanism in the corrected time-series data. It is a state detection device.

[0018] According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the state change of the point machine can be determined using a Mahalanobis distance whose variables include at least the average value and the maximum value of the torque equivalent value during the operation period of the external mechanism in the corrected time series data. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] An example of application of a condition detection device. [Figure 2] An example of a switch machine configuration. [Figure 3] Equivalent circuit diagram of an induction motor. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the impedance on the primary side of an induction motor. [Figure 5] 10 is an example of time series data (conversion waveform) of torque equivalent values ​​related to conversion operation. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an evaluation test of temperature characteristics. [Figure 7] An example of the temperature characteristics of the torque equivalent value, which is a result of an evaluation test. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of correction of time-series data of torque equivalent values. [Figure 9] An example of the result of determining a change in the state of a point machine. [Figure 10] An example of the result of determining a change in the state of a point machine. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of a state detection device. [Figure 12] An example of point machine management data. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart of a state detection process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the forms to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to the following embodiments. In addition, in the description of the drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals.

[0021] [Overall configuration] 1 shows an application example of a state detection device 1 according to this embodiment. The state detection device 1 is a device that detects a change in the state of a point 3, and is communicably connected to a terminal device 5 associated with the point 3 via a communication network N.

[0022] The point machine 3 has an induction motor as a drive source, and performs a switching operation to switch the tongue rail between the normal position and the reverse position by controlling the power supply to the induction motor. In other words, the point machine 3 starts from a stopped state and supplies power to the induction motor to rotate it, and the driving force of the induction motor acts sequentially on the internal mechanism and the external mechanism via the magnetic clutch to perform a switching operation, and then stops the power supply to the induction motor to stop the rotation, and returns to a stopped state again.

[0023] The terminal device 5 is installed inside the corresponding point 3 or in an adjacent tool box. The terminal device 5 acquires motor drive information, which is the motor voltage and motor current of the induction motor of the corresponding point 3. Specifically, during the switching operation of the point 3, the terminal device 5 inputs and samples the motor voltage measured by a voltage sensor and the motor current measured by a current sensor at predetermined intervals, for example, 50 milliseconds, and acquires the digital values ​​through A / D conversion. In other words, the motor drive information is time-series data of the motor voltage and motor current. The start and end of the switching operation of the point 3 can be determined, for example, by whether the motor current is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold or by a switching command from an external device. The terminal device 5 then transmits (outputs) the acquired motor drive information for one switching operation to the status detection device 1.

[0024] The status detection device 1 is installed in a station premises or a control center, but may also be realized on a cloud system. Furthermore, it may also be realized as an on-board device mounted on a commercial train or a maintenance vehicle. The status detection device 1 uses motor drive information related to the switching operation of the point 3 received from the terminal device 5 to detect a corresponding change in the status of the point 3.

[0025] [Point machine configuration] Fig. 2 is a top view showing an example of the configuration of the internal mechanism of the point machine 3, with the top cover of the case 10 removed to reveal the interior. According to Fig. 2, the point machine 3 is equipped with a circuit controller 32, a control relay 34, an external terminal board 36, a speed reduction mechanism 20, and a switch locking mechanism 22 inside the openable case 10, which is a housing. Cables required for signals to and from the power source and external devices (for example, interlocking devices) are collected on the external terminal board 36 and then pulled out together from the case 10 as a cable bundle 38.

[0026] The point machine 3 also has an operating rod 16 and a locking rod 18 that are slidably provided through the case 10, and a lock piece 24 (24a, 24b) that engages with the locking rod 18 and is slidably provided in the case 10 in a direction intersecting the locking rod 18. A tongue rail of a turnout is connected to the operating rod 16 via a point bar, and the tip of the tongue rail is connected to the locking rod 18 via a connecting rod.

[0027] The point machine 3 also includes a motor section 10a having an induction motor 12 and a magnetic clutch 13. When a switching command signal is received from the interlocking device, power is supplied to the induction motor 12 via a control relay 34. The rotational power generated by the induction motor 12 is transmitted to a speed reduction mechanism section 20 via a magnetic clutch 13 directly connected to a drive shaft 14 that penetrates the side of the case 10, and is converted into an appropriate torque by the speed reduction mechanism section 20 before being transmitted to a switching locking mechanism section 22. The speed reduction mechanism section 20 is a group of gears that receives the driving force of the induction motor 12, and includes a pinion gear 20a attached to the drive shaft 14 of the induction motor 12, a bevel gear 20b meshing with the pinion gear 20a, a first reduction gear 20c attached to the rotation shaft of the pinion gear 20a, an intermediate gear 20d meshing with the pinion gear 20a, a second reduction gear 20e provided on the rotation shaft of the second reduction gear 20e, and a switching gear 20f, which is the final gear meshing with the pinion gear 20a.

[0028] The switching and locking mechanism 22 converts the rotational power reduced by the reduction mechanism 20 into linear motion of the operating rod 16 and locks and unlocks the locking rod 18. Switching by the switching and locking mechanism 22 is achieved by engagement between a switching roller 22a protruding from the underside of the switching gear 20f and a switching cam groove 22b engraved on the operating rod 16 in a direction intersecting the movement direction of the operating rod 16. That is, the movement direction of the switching roller 22a moves clockwise or counterclockwise depending on the rotation direction of the induction motor 12, and the switching cam groove 22b engaging with the switching roller 22a causes the operating rod 16 to slide leftward or rightward in FIG. 2. The operating rod 16 is connected to the switch adjuster of the turnout via a point rod, so that the turnout can be switched between the normal position and the reverse position by sliding the operating rod 16 leftward or rightward in FIG. 2. When the tongue rail is moved by the sliding movement of the operating rod 16, the locking rod 18 connected to the tongue rail via the front rod and the connecting rod is moved to a position corresponding to the opposite position of the tongue rail in the longitudinal direction.

[0029] Locking is achieved by the diverting roller 22a and the first and second locking plates 22c and 22d, each having a locking cam groove engraved on its upper surface that engages with the diverting roller 22a. A lock piece 24a extends from the first locking plate 22c toward the locking pin 18, and a lock piece 24b extends from the second locking plate 22d toward the locking pin 18. As the diverting roller 22a moves clockwise / counterclockwise, one of the first locking plate 22c and the second locking plate 22d slides away from the locking pin 18, and the other slides toward the locking pin 18. As a result, one of the lock pieces 24a, 24b slides out of the locking pin 18, and the other slides toward the locking pin 18 to fit into it.

[0030] The locking rod 18 is connected to the tip of the tongue rail of the turnout via a connecting rod. Therefore, the locking rod 18 slides left or right in Fig. 2 according to the change of the turnout position between normal and reverse. Then, either the lock piece 24a or 24b engages with the locking rod 18, thereby locking the tongue rail after the change.

[0031] [Detection of changes in point machine status] The detection of a change in the state of the point 3 by the state detection device 1 will be described.

[0032] (A) Torque equivalent value When detecting a change in the state of the point 3, first, time-series data of a torque equivalent value is calculated based on time-series data of the motor voltage and motor current, which are motor drive information related to one switching operation of the point 3. The torque equivalent value is a value equivalent to the torque of the induction motor 12. In this embodiment, the torque equivalent value k is calculated from the motor voltage V1 and motor current I1, which are motor drive information, according to the following equation (1).

number

[0033] In equation (1), "R1" is the resistance (real component) of the primary side (motor connection side: stator) of induction motor 12, and "ω" is the angular frequency of AC power supplied to induction motor 12. As will be described later, this torque equivalent value k is a value based on the mutual inductance M of induction motor 12, and in this embodiment, it is the reciprocal (1 / M) of the mutual inductance M. Then, based on the time-series data of the calculated torque equivalent value related to one switching operation of point 3, a change in the state of point 3 is detected.

[0034] FIG. 3 is an equivalent circuit diagram of induction motor 12. As shown in FIG. 3, induction motor 12 can be expressed as an equivalent circuit similar to a transformer. In this equivalent circuit, AC drive power is supplied to the primary side (motor connection side: stator) from power source AC, and point machine 3, which serves as a load, is connected to the secondary side (rotor). The induced current I2 flowing through the secondary side (rotor) has a value corresponding to the load torque. Consider a case where the motor voltage V1 (primary-side voltage) of induction motor 12 changes while point machine 3 is normal, i.e., the load on induction motor 12 remains unchanged. In this case, to prevent the induced current I2 on the secondary side (rotor) from changing, slip (motor slip) s occurs in induction motor 12, causing a change in load resistance R2. The motor slip changes the electromagnetic coupling between the primary and secondary sides, i.e., the mutual inductance M. This change in mutual inductance M causes a change in the primary-side motor current I1.

[0035] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the impedance of the primary side of induction motor 12 on the complex plane. The horizontal axis is the real axis, and the vertical axis is the imaginary axis. The primary side impedance is the composite impedance of the real component R1 and the imaginary component Mω. The following equation (2) holds between the primary side voltage (motor voltage) V1 and current (motor current) I1 and the composite impedance.

number

[0036] Transforming equation (2) yields equation (1). That is, equation (1), which is the reciprocal of mutual inductance M, is the torque equivalent value k. In other words, torque equivalent value k is a value based on mutual inductance M of induction motor 12.

[0037] (B) Time series data of torque equivalent value (conversion waveform) FIG. 5 is an example of time-series data of the torque equivalent value of induction motor 12 associated with one switching operation of point 3, and shows the torque equivalent value, which is a discrete value, as a continuous waveform (hereinafter referred to as a "switching waveform"). In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis represents time, with the start of the switching operation (startup time of induction motor 12) set to "0 seconds." The vertical axis represents the torque equivalent value. Also, point 3 is in a normal state.

[0038] The switching operation of the point machine 3 is divided into three periods: an unlocking period in which the locking mechanism is unlocked when the point machine is stopped; a stroke period in which the operating rod 16 is linearly moved to switch the tongue rail between normal and reverse positions; and a locking period in which the locking mechanism is locked. The unlocking period is a period in which the driving force of the induction motor 12 is applied via the magnetic clutch 13 to the internal mechanisms of the point machine 3, such as the speed reduction mechanism 20 and the switching and locking mechanism 22 housed inside the case 10, and is the period before the operating rod 16 operates. The unlocking period is further divided into a motor starting period in which power supply to the induction motor 12 starts and the number of rotations per unit time increases, and a stable period (stable period) in which the number of rotations per unit time stabilizes. The stroke period is a period in which the driving force of the induction motor 12 is also applied via the magnetic clutch 13 to external mechanisms, such as the operating rod 16 and locking rod 18. For example, the period from about 1.5 seconds to about 2.0 seconds after the start of the conversion operation is the stable period, and the stroke period begins when about 2.0 seconds have elapsed. The point at which the torque equivalent value suddenly drops to zero is the end of the conversion operation.

[0039] (C) Temperature characteristics Incidentally, the induction motor 12 and the magnetic clutch 13 of the point machine 3 have temperature characteristics, and the torque (torque equivalent value) during the switching operation of the point machine 3 varies depending on the temperature characteristics.

[0040] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an evaluation test for evaluating the temperature characteristics of induction motor 12 and magnetic clutch 13. As shown in FIG. 6, the evaluation test was conducted using a device configured by removing motor section 10a from case 10 and connecting a powder brake as an external mechanism in place of operating rod 16. Furthermore, the motor voltage V was kept constant (50 Hz AC 105 V), and the powder brake, which is the load, was controlled so that the torque measured by the torque measurement sensor remained constant. At this time, the temperature of motor section 10a was measured with a thermocouple, and the motor current I was measured with a current sensor. Then, a torque equivalent value was calculated from motor voltage V and motor current I according to equation (1).

[0041] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the test results, plotting the test results with the temperature of the motor section 10a (motor section temperature) on the horizontal axis and the torque equivalent value on the vertical axis. The test results show that there is a temperature characteristic in which the torque equivalent value decreases as the motor section temperature increases, even when the load is constant. Furthermore, this temperature characteristic (the relationship between the motor section temperature and the torque equivalent value) is nonlinear. Note that the change (increase) in the motor section temperature that occurred in this test was mainly due to self-heating when the motor was running.

[0042] (D) Correction of time series data (conversion waveform) of torque equivalent value As such, the point machine 3 has temperature characteristics in which the torque equivalent value (torque) fluctuates depending on the motor temperature, so the time series data of the torque equivalent value (conversion waveform) is corrected to remove fluctuations due to temperature, and then a state change of the point machine 3 is determined based on the corrected time series data of the torque equivalent value. The time series data of the torque equivalent value (conversion waveform) is corrected so as to increase or decrease the torque equivalent value for the entire time series data based on the difference between the data portion of the stable period, which is a predetermined stable period after the motor startup period and before the operation of the external mechanism, and the data portion of the stable period of the predetermined reference time series data.

[0043] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the correction of time-series data (conversion waveforms) of torque equivalent values. In the example of FIG. 8, two types of time-series data (conversion waveforms) of torque equivalent values ​​related to two switching operations at different ambient temperatures were acquired: time-series data for "summer," when the ambient temperature is relatively high, and time-series data for "winter," when the ambient temperature is low. This is because the level of the ambient temperature is thought to affect the temperature of the induction motor 12 and magnetic clutch 13 of the point machine 3. The time-series data for "summer" is used as reference time-series data, the time-series data for "winter" is used as time-series data to be corrected (pre-correction time-series data), and the time-series data obtained after correcting the pre-correction time-series data is used as post-correction time-series data. The upper part of the figure shows the entire time-series data (conversion waveforms), and the lower part shows a portion of each time-series data (conversion waveforms) enlarged along the vertical axis (torque equivalent value). Note that these two types of time-series data are time-series data for the same point machine 3, which is in a normal state.

[0044] Comparing these two types of time series data, the time series data in "winter" when the ambient temperature is low (pre-correction time series data) has a larger torque equivalent value overall and a shorter switching time than the time series data in "summer" when the ambient temperature is high (reference time series data). This is presumably due to temperature characteristics in which the torque equivalent value increases as the ambient temperature decreases, due to a decrease in the temperature of the induction motor 12 and magnetic clutch 13 of the point machine 3.

[0045] A specific correction of the time series data involves calculating the average torque equivalent values ​​in the stable period for each of the pre-correction time series data (time series data of torque equivalent values ​​in "winter") and the reference time series data (time series data of torque equivalent values ​​in "summer"). The torque equivalent values ​​of the pre-correction time series data are then uniformly increased or decreased by the difference between the average torque equivalent values. In the example of FIG. 8, the pre-correction time series data (time series data of torque equivalent values ​​in "winter") have larger torque equivalent values ​​overall than the reference time series data (time series data of torque equivalent values ​​in "summer"), so the pre-correction time series data are corrected by uniformly decreasing the torque equivalent values.

[0046] The reason why correction is made based on the stable period data portion of the time-series data of the torque equivalent value is that the stable period is a period in which the driving force of the induction motor 12 acts on the internal mechanism of the point machine 3, and is a period in which no external force is applied. Therefore, the torque equivalent value in the stable period should theoretically be constant, and if the torque equivalent value in the stable period differs, it is presumed that this is due to the influence of temperature characteristics.

[0047] (E) Determining status changes In this way, by comparing the time series data of torque equivalent values ​​corrected using the reference time series data, which is time series data of torque equivalent values ​​related to switching operations when the point 3 is normal (corrected time series data), with the reference time series data, it is possible to determine state changes with high accuracy, while removing the influence of the temperature characteristics of the induction motor 12 and magnetic clutch 13 of the point 3. This is because correction using the reference time series data is equivalent to converting pre-correction time series data, in which the temperatures of the induction motor 12 and magnetic clutch 13 of the point 3 are different from the reference time series data, into time series data at the reference temperature by removing fluctuations in the torque equivalent values ​​due to the temperature difference.

[0048] The temperatures of the induction motor 12 and magnetic clutch 13 housed in the case 10 of the point machine 3 may differ for each point machine 3 due to environmental factors at the installation location of the point machine 3, such as sunlight and ventilation, as well as differences in switching load and switching frequency, and therefore the influence of the temperature characteristics may also differ for each point machine 3. By using the reference time series data as in this embodiment, it is possible to apply appropriate correction to the time series data for each point machine 3 to remove the influence of the temperature characteristics of the induction motor 12 and magnetic clutch 13, and as a result, it is possible to accurately detect changes in the state of the point machine 3.

[0049] In the point machine 3, a change (increase) in the load due to an abnormality in the point machine 3, such as an increase in frictional resistance between the tongue rail and the floor plate due to the inclusion of foreign matter or a lack of lubricant, appears as a change in the torque of the induction motor 12 during the stroke period in which the tongue rail is converted between normal and reversed positions by linearly moving the operating rod, and during the locking period in which the tongue rail is brought into close contact with the base rail. For this reason, it is desirable to determine the change in the state of the point machine 3 by comparing the data portions of the stroke period and locking period, which are periods in which the driving force of the induction motor 12 is applied to an external mechanism, out of the corrected time series data, with the reference time series data.

[0050] 9 and 10 show examples of the results of determining the state change of a point 3 based on the corrected time series data. FIG. 9 shows the results of the determination for a certain point 3, and FIG. 10 shows the results of the determination for a different point 3 from that shown in FIG. 9. The determination result for one switching operation is shown in one plot. The state change for each point 3 was determined by correcting the time series data of the torque equivalent value for each of many switching operations (pre-correction time series data) acquired over a determination period of approximately six months from "summer" to "winter" based on the difference from the reference time series data, and comparing the corrected time series data of the torque equivalent value (corrected time series data) with the reference time series data. The reference time series data was the time series data of the torque equivalent value for a day in "summer" when the load on the point 3 was normal and the temperatures of the induction motor 12 and the magnetic clutch 13 were relatively high. Furthermore, to make it easier to understand the results of determining the state change, we selected points 3 that are relatively heavily affected by the temperature characteristics of the induction motor 12 and the magnetic clutch 13. We also assumed that the change in load over time (i.e., the state change to be determined) is relatively small for the point 3 in Fig. 9 and large for the point 3 in Fig. 10.

[0051] 9 and 10, the comparison (i.e., judgment) between the corrected time series data and the reference time series data was performed by calculating the Mahalanobis distance, which serves as an index representing the degree of similarity between the two sets of time series data. The Mahalanobis distance was calculated by finding the average and maximum values ​​of the torque equivalent values ​​during the stroke period and locking period for each of the corrected time series data and the reference time series data, and calculating these two variables. The stroke period and locking period are periods during which the driving force of the induction motor 12 is applied to an external mechanism. The smaller the Mahalanobis distance, the more "similar" the two sets of time series data are, in other words, the smaller the load change on the point machine 3 is, indicating a normal state. Note that the maximum value of the torque equivalent value during the motor starting period may be included in the variables used to calculate the Mahalanobis distance.

[0052] The state change judgment results shown in Figures 9 and 10 are plots of the Mahalanobis distance between the pre-correction time series data and the corrected time series data and the reference time series data for each conversion operation, with the horizontal axis representing the date and time (conversion date and time) when the conversion operation was performed during a judgment period of approximately six months from "summer" to "winter" and the vertical axis representing the Mahalanobis distance.

[0053] For point machine 3 in Figure 10, regular maintenance (oiling work to reduce frictional resistance between the tongue rail and the deck plate) was performed multiple times during the evaluation period, and the timing of this maintenance is indicated by a vertical dashed oval. Point machine 3 in Figure 10 experiences large changes in load over time, so the Mahalanobis distance increases in a short period of time, but it can be seen that the load is reduced by maintenance, causing the Mahalanobis distance to decrease.

[0054] 9 and 10, a rough look at the pre-correction time series data shows that the Mahalanobis distance is larger in the "winter" season, which is the latter half of the judgment period, compared to the "summer" season, which is the first half of the judgment period. Furthermore, a rough look at the post-correction time series data shows that the Mahalanobis distance is smaller in the "winter" season, which is the latter half of the judgment period, because the "summer" time series data is used as the reference time series data. Since the effects of the temperature characteristics of induction motor 12 and magnetic clutch 13 have been removed by the correction, it is presumed that the increase in the Mahalanobis distance in the "winter" season in the pre-correction time series data is due to the effects of the temperature characteristics of induction motor 12 and magnetic clutch 13.

[0055] [Function Configuration] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the state detection device 1. According to Fig. 11, the state detection device 1 includes an operation unit 102, a display unit 104, a communication unit 106, a processing unit 200, and a storage unit 300, and can be configured as a type of computer system.

[0056] The operation unit 102 is realized by an input device such as a button switch, a touch panel, or a keyboard, and outputs an operation signal corresponding to the operation performed to the processing unit 200. The display unit 104 is realized by a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or a touch panel, and performs various displays corresponding to display signals from the processing unit 200. The communication unit 106 is realized by a wired or wireless communication device, and communicates with an external device such as a terminal device 5 via a communication network N.

[0057] The processing unit 200 is realized by an arithmetic device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and based on programs, data, etc. stored in the storage unit 300, issues instructions to and transfers data to each unit constituting the state detection device 1, thereby performing overall control of the state detection device 1. The processing unit 200 also has, as functional units according to this embodiment, a torque equivalent value calculation unit 202, a correction unit 204, and a determination unit 206. However, these functional units can also be configured as independent arithmetic circuits using an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), etc.

[0058] The torque equivalent value calculation unit 202 calculates time series data of the torque equivalent value during the switching operation of the switch 3, which performs switching operation by controlling the power supply to the motor and causing the driving force of the motor to act sequentially on the internal mechanism and external mechanism via the clutch.

[0059] Specifically, from the time series data of motor voltage and motor current, which are motor drive information related to one switching operation of the point 3 obtained from the terminal device 5, the time series data of the torque equivalent value related to the switching operation is calculated according to equation (1) (see Figures 3 to 5).

[0060] The correction unit 204 corrects the time series data of the torque equivalent value based on a data portion of a predetermined stable period after the motor start period and before the operation of the external mechanism, and also performs the correction so as to increase or decrease the torque equivalent value for the entire time series data based on the difference between the data portion of the stable period of the time series data and the data portion of the stable period of the predetermined reference time series data.

[0061] Specifically, the average torque equivalent value during the stable period is calculated for each of the time series data to be corrected and the reference time series data, and the torque equivalent value of the time series data to be corrected is uniformly increased or decreased by the difference between the average torque equivalent values ​​(see Figure 8).

[0062] The determination unit 206 determines a state change of the point 3 based on the time series data corrected by the correction unit 204. The determination is made by comparing the corrected time series data with the reference time series data. The determination is made based on the torque equivalent value during the motor start-up period and / or the torque equivalent value during the operation period of the external mechanism in the corrected time series data. The determination is made using a Mahalanobis distance whose variables include at least the average value and maximum value of the torque equivalent value during the operation period of the external mechanism in the corrected time series data.

[0063] Specifically, for each of the time series data of the corrected torque equivalent value and the reference time series data, the average and maximum values ​​of the torque equivalent value during the stroke period and the locking period, which are the operating periods of the external mechanism, are calculated, and the Mahalanobis distance between the time series data before correction and the reference time series data is calculated using the average and maximum values ​​as variables.The presence or absence of a change in the state of the point 3 is determined depending on whether the Mahalanobis distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (see Figures 9 and 10).

[0064] The storage unit 300 is realized by a storage device such as a hard disk, a ROM (Read Only Memory), or a RAM (Random Access Memory), and stores programs, data, and the like used by the processing unit 200 to comprehensively control the state detection device 1. The storage unit 300 is also used as a working area for the processing unit 200, and temporarily stores results of calculations executed by the processing unit 200 in accordance with various programs, input data via the operation unit 102 and the communication unit 106, and the like. In this embodiment, the storage unit 300 stores point management data 310.

[0065] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the point management data 310. According to Fig. 12, the point management data 310 stores, for each point 3, switching data for each switching operation and reference switching data in association with the point ID of the corresponding point 3.

[0066] The switching data includes motor drive information acquired from the terminal device 5 of the point 3, pre-correction time series data, corrected time series data, switching direction, switching time, a maximum torque equivalent value and an average torque equivalent value, which are the maximum and average values ​​of the torque equivalent values ​​during the stroke period and locking period in the corrected time series data, and a state change determination result. The pre-correction time series data is time series data of torque equivalent values ​​during switching operation calculated by the torque equivalent value calculation unit 202 based on the motor drive information. The corrected time series data is time series data obtained after the pre-correction time series data has been corrected by the correction unit 204. The state change determination result is a determination result of a state change of the point 3 based on the corrected time series data by the determination unit 206.

[0067] The reference switching data is data relating to the switching operation when the point machine 3 is normal, and includes reference time series data used to correct the time series data, the switching direction, the switching time, and a reference maximum torque equivalent value and a reference average torque equivalent value, which are the maximum and average values ​​of the torque equivalent values ​​during the stroke period and locking period in the reference time series data.

[0068] [Processing flow] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the state detection process performed by the state detection device 1. This process is a process related to one switching operation of the point 3.

[0069] First, motor drive information, which is time-series data of motor voltage and motor current related to one switching operation of the point 3, is acquired from the terminal device 5 (step S1). Then, the torque equivalent value calculation unit 202 calculates time-series data of the torque equivalent value based on the acquired motor drive information and in accordance with equation (1) (step S3).

[0070] Next, the correction unit 204 corrects the calculated time series data of the torque equivalent value (pre-correction time series data) using the reference time series data. That is, the correction unit 204 calculates the average value of the torque equivalent value in the stable period of each of the pre-correction time series data and the reference time series data, and corrects the torque equivalent value of the pre-correction time series data by uniformly increasing or decreasing it by the difference between the average values ​​(step S5).

[0071] Next, the determination unit 206 determines a state change of the point 3 based on the corrected time series data (corrected time series data). That is, for each of the corrected time series data and the reference time series data, the maximum and average values ​​of the torque equivalent values ​​in the stroke period and the locking period are calculated (step S7), and the Mahalanobis distance between the corrected time series data and the reference time series data, using the maximum and average values ​​as variables, is calculated (step S9). If the calculated Mahalanobis distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (step S11: YES), it is determined that a state change has occurred (step S13), and if the Mahalanobis distance is less than the threshold (step S11: NO), it is determined that no state change has occurred (step S15). After the above processing has been performed, the state detection processing ends.

[0072] [Action and effect] According to this embodiment, state changes in the point machine 3, which operates by transmitting the driving force of the induction motor 12 via the magnetic clutch 13, can be detected simply and accurately. That is, the stable period following the motor start-up period in which the induction motor 12 starts operating and the torque fluctuates significantly is a period in which the driving force of the induction motor 12 acts only on the internal mechanism. Therefore, the data portion of the time-series data of the torque equivalent value during the stable period is not affected by external loads, but is affected only by the temperature characteristics of the induction motor 12 and the magnetic clutch 13. Therefore, based on the data portion of the time-series data of the torque equivalent value during the stable period, the time-series data can be corrected to remove the effects of the temperature characteristics of the induction motor 12 and the magnetic clutch 13. Any state changes occurring during the switching operation of the point machine 3 are manifested as changes in the torque of the induction motor 12. Therefore, based on the time-series data of the torque equivalent value after the stable period, state changes in the point machine 3 can be accurately detected.

[0073] [Variations] It should be noted that the applicable embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0074] (A) Torque equivalent value In the above embodiment, the torque equivalent value of induction motor 12 is the reciprocal of mutual inductance M (see equation (1)), but mutual inductance M itself may be used as the torque equivalent value. Also, if the motor characteristics of induction motor 12 (the relationship between torque and motor voltage / motor current) are known, the torque equivalent value may be converted into an actual torque value by comparing the torque based on the motor characteristics with the torque equivalent value.

[0075] (B) Motor current Furthermore, if the fluctuation of the motor voltage is small, the motor current may be used instead of the torque equivalent value. That is, the time series data of the motor current included in the motor drive information may be used as the pre-correction time series data, and the Mahalanobis distance from the reference time series data may be calculated using the maximum value of the motor current during the motor start-up period and the average and maximum values ​​of the motor current during the stroke period and lock period as variables.

[0076] (C) Determining status changes In the above embodiment, the state change (load change) of the point 3 based on the corrected time series data is determined using the Mahalanobis distance between the corrected time series data and the reference time series data, but other methods may be used. For example, the time series data of the torque equivalent value may be regarded as an image of a switching waveform, and the similarity between the corrected time series data and the reference time series data may be found.

[0077] (D) Configuration of the state detection device 1 Furthermore, the calculation of the torque equivalent value may be performed by the terminal device 5. In other words, the terminal device 5 may have the function of the torque equivalent value calculation unit 202 that the state detection device 1 has, and the terminal device 5 may be included in the state detection device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 1...Status detection device 200...Processing section 202...torque equivalent value calculation unit 204...correction unit 206...Judgment section 300...Storage section 310...Point machine management data 3...Point machine 12...Induction motor 13...Magnetic clutch 5...Terminal device

Claims

1. a torque equivalent value calculation means for calculating time series data of a torque equivalent value or a motor current (hereinafter collectively and collectively referred to as "torque equivalent value") during a switching operation of a point machine that performs a switching operation by controlling the power supply to the motor so that the driving force of the motor acts on an internal mechanism and an external mechanism in sequence via a clutch; a correcting means for correcting the time series data based on a data portion of the time series data during a predetermined stable period after the motor start period and before the external mechanism is activated; a determination means for determining a change in the state of the point machine based on the corrected time-series data; A state detection device comprising:

2. the correction means performs correction to increase or decrease the torque equivalent value for the entire time series data. The state detection device according to claim 1 .

3. the correction means corrects the time series data by increasing or decreasing a torque equivalent value based on a difference between a data portion of the stable period of the time series data and a data portion of the stable period of a predetermined reference time series data; the determination means makes the determination by comparing the corrected time series data with the reference time series data. The state detection device according to claim 1 .

4. the determination means determines a state change of the point machine based on the torque equivalent value during the motor start-up period and / or the torque equivalent value during the operation period of the external mechanism in the corrected time-series data. The state detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. the determination means makes the determination using a Mahalanobis distance that includes, as variables, at least an average value and a maximum value of the torque equivalent value during an operation period of the external mechanism in the corrected time-series data. The state detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. Calculating time series data of torque equivalent values ​​or motor currents (hereinafter collectively and collectively referred to as "torque equivalent values") during the switching operation of a point machine that performs a switching operation by controlling the power supply to the motor so that the driving force of the motor acts sequentially on an internal mechanism and an external mechanism via a clutch; correcting the time series data based on a data portion of the time series data during a predetermined stable period after the motor start-up period and before the external mechanism is activated; determining a state change of the point machine based on the corrected time series data; A state detection method including:

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