Monitoring device for tension balancer

Abstract

To provide a tension balancer monitoring device configured to remotely and continuously detect an amount of displacement of a movable part of a tension balancer with high accuracy and acquire an expanded and retracted state of a train overhead line.SOLUTION: A tension balancer monitoring device 1 is configured to detect with a potentiometer 2 a relative displacement of a rod B3 of a spring tension balancer B configured to hold and lock an overhead line to predetermined tensile force by inserting in a telescopic manner the rod B3 with one end to which the overhead line is connected with respect to an outer cylindrical member B1 with one end connected to a pole P and biasing the rod in a pull-in direction with a spring and to transfer a detection result with a wireless transmitter 4 to a remote position. The potentiometer 2 is fixed to the outer cylindrical member B1. A wire 7 with a tip end fixed to the rod B3 is wound up, and thus a linear relative displacement of the rod B3 relative to the outer cylindrical member B1 is converted into a rotational displacement, and an electrical output corresponding to the relative displacement between an inner member and the outer cylindrical member B1 in accordance with the rotational displacement is emitted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a monitoring device for a tension balancer for an overhead wire, which is attached to a tension balancer for an overhead wire for a tram such as a suspension wire, an auxiliary suspension wire, and a trolley wire, to apply a predetermined tension, and grasps the amount of expansion and contraction of the overhead wire at a remote location.

Background Art

[0002] When the tension of the overhead wire that supplies power to the tram changes, the contact state between the overhead wire and the current collector such as a pantograph fluctuates, hindering a good power supply to the tram. Therefore, for example, a spring-type tension balancer that applies a predetermined tension to the overhead wire described in Patent Document 1 is provided. This tension balancer incorporates an inner cylinder and a rod in a triple structure inside an outer cylinder coupled to a structure, and springs are interposed between the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder and between the inner cylinder and the rod, respectively, and the tip of the rod is connected to the tram wire. By pulling out the rod by a predetermined dimension in advance and connecting it to the tram wire in a state where the spring is compressed, a predetermined tension is applied to the tram wire. Conventionally, a tension balancer that detects whether or not the displacement amount of the movable part of the tension balancer is within a predetermined range is disclosed in Patent Document 2. This tension balancer fixes a first transmitter and a second transmitter at the allowable limit positions of the displacement amount of the connecting rod to which the overhead wire is connected, and transmits detection signals respectively if the displacement amount is within the predetermined range. However, the first hammer part and the second hammer part are fixed so as to be displaced integrally with the connecting rod, and when the allowable range of the displacement amount is exceeded, it collides with the first transmitter or the second transmitter and breaks, thereby stopping the transmission of the detection signal to determine the deviation from the allowable range.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Disclosure of the Invention

[0004] The conventional tension balancer described in Patent Document 2 above only indicates that the displacement of the connecting rod has deviated from the allowable range, and cannot accurately indicate the amount of displacement with specific numerical values. Furthermore, since the deviation of the displacement is determined by the cessation of radio wave transmission, it cannot be distinguished as a malfunction of the transmitting equipment itself, and it is necessary to prepare and install a new transmitter each time the displacement of the connecting rod deviates, and moreover, it is a troublesome installation work that takes time to accurately adjust the position of the transmitter and hammer part according to the allowable range. Furthermore, a relay device needs to be installed between the transmitter and the remote location in order to transmit the detection signal. Furthermore, the tension balancer only monitors when the displacement of the connecting rod deviates from a preset allowable range. As long as the displacement of the connecting rod remains within the allowable range, it may mistakenly determine that the system is functioning normally, even if there are abnormalities such as mechanical failure of the tension balancer, current flow in the overhead wire, damage to the overhead wire, or the occurrence of suppression resistance. As a result, abnormalities in the tension balancer or overhead wire may be overlooked, potentially leading to unforeseen problems such as reduced current collection performance, sparks due to disconnection, localized wear of the trolley wire, pantograph interference at crossover points, and breakage of the overhead wire. Therefore, in view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a tension balancer monitoring device that can continuously grasp the amount of displacement with high accuracy, improve the ability to monitor the state of the tension balancer, allow for continued use even in the event of an abnormality, simplify the network, further detect abnormalities in the overhead line and tension balancer, and can be retrofitted to an existing tension balancer. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a tension balancer monitoring device 1 for remotely checking the relative displacement amount of the inner member with respect to the outer cylinder member B1 of the tension balancer B, which holds the overhead wire while maintaining a predetermined tension, and a potentiometer 2 that converts the linear relative displacement between the inner member and the outer cylinder member B1 into rotational displacement by winding a wire 7 fixed to either the outer cylinder member B1 or the inner member, with its tip fixed to the other of the outer cylinder member B1, and emits an electrical output corresponding to the relative displacement amount between the inner member and the outer cylinder member B1 according to the rotational displacement, and a wireless transmitter 4 that transmits the output of the potentiometer 2 to a remote location. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] In this invention, the displacement amount of the tension balancer's stroke can be quantified and continuously checked with high accuracy from a remote location without having to go to the tension balancer installation site, improving the ability to monitor the condition of the tension balancer, making it easier to check the expansion and contraction state of long overhead lines for railway power lines, reducing the maintenance costs of the tension balancer, and being particularly convenient for checking the condition of tension balancers installed in hard-to-reach locations. Furthermore, it is easy to install, can be retrofitted to existing tension balancers, and simplifies the network. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a support column on which a tension balancer, equipped with a displacement monitoring device according to the present invention, is installed. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view of a tension balancer equipped with the displacement monitoring device according to the present invention. [Figure 3] Figure 2 is a front view of the tension balancer. [Figure 4]Figure 2 is a plan view of the tension balancer. [Figure 5] Figure 2 is a left side view of the tension balancer. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view of a potentiometer. [Figure 7] Figure 6 is a front view of the potentiometer. [Figure 8] Figure 6 is a side view of the potentiometer. [Figure 9] This is a perspective view of the mounting frame. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In Figure 1, the tension balancer monitoring device 1 comprises a potentiometer 2 attached to the outer cylindrical member B1 of the tension balancer B, a temperature sensor 3 installed on the support column P to which the tension balancer B is attached and which detects the ambient temperature around the tension balancer B, a transmitter 4 installed on the support column P and electrically connected to the potentiometer 2 and the temperature sensor 3, and a solar panel 5 and its control device 6 installed on the support column P to supply power to the potentiometer 2, the temperature sensor 3 and the transmitter 4.

[0009] In Figures 2 to 5, the tension balancer B is constructed by coaxially assembling an inner cylinder B2 and a rod B3 as an inner member in a triple-layered configuration within an outer cylinder member B1, one end of which is connected to a structure such as a support column P. A spring, which is a pressure accumulator (not shown), is interposed between the outer cylinder member B1 and the inner cylinder B2, and between the inner cylinder B2 and the rod B3. The tip of the rod B3 is connected to the overhead wire. The tension balancer B is pre-extended by a predetermined length according to the ambient temperature at the time of installation, and the spring is compressed before connecting to the overhead wire, thereby applying a predetermined tension to the train line.

[0010] Potentiometer 2 is designed so that a wire 7, with one end extended, is secured to a pull fitting B4 for securing an overhead wire to rod B3. The wire 7 is wound onto a rotating body (not shown) that is constantly biased to rotate in the retraction direction by a spring, and the potentiometer 2 continuously outputs a voltage corresponding to the displacement of rod B3 relative to the outer cylindrical member B1, which corresponds to the rotational displacement of the rotating body that extends or retracts the wire 7 in accordance with the stroke of rod B3 relative to the outer cylindrical member B1.

[0011] As shown in Figures 6 to 8, the potentiometer 2 is fixed to the rod-protruding end of the outer cylinder member B1 with a mounting band 8. The mounting band 8 passes through the bent pieces at both ends of the mounting plate 9 to which the potentiometer 2 is fixed, wraps around the outer cylinder member B1, and is tightened and secured with a fastener 8a.

[0012] The tip of the wire 7 is fixed by a mounting frame 10 to a pull fitting B4, the base end of which is connected to a rod B3 and to which an overhead wire (not shown) is connected. As shown in Figure 9, the mounting frame 10 comprises a pair of opposing frame plates 10a and 10b that sandwich the pull fitting B4 from above and below, a bolt 10c and a nut 10d that tightens and fixes the opposing ends of the frame plates 10a and 10b, and an adjustable bracket 10e that slides freely in the extension direction from one end of the frame plate 10a and is positioned and fixed by fixing a locking ring 10f for connecting the wire 7.

[0013] As shown in Figure 1, the transmitter 4 is attached to the support pole P and continuously wirelessly transmits electrical signals from the potentiometer 2 and temperature sensor 3. The signals transmitted from this transmitter 4 are received by a receiver at a remote location, and numerical data of the displacement is acquired by a monitoring server. The amount of expansion and contraction of the overhead wire is recorded along with the ambient temperature around the overhead wire, thereby managing the condition of the tension balancer and the overhead line.

[0014] This monitoring device 1 for the tension balancer is configured such that since a predetermined tension is applied to the overhead line by the tension balancer B, when the overhead line expands or contracts due to temperature changes, the displacement of the rod B3 of the tension balancer B causes the wire 7 of the potentiometer 2 to be extended or retracted, resulting in a voltage output corresponding to the rotational displacement. This voltage output, together with the voltage output of the temperature sensor, is sent to the transmitter 4. The numerical data of the expansion / contraction amount of this trolley wire and the air temperature is wirelessly transmitted by the transmitter 4 to the receiver at a remote location. Without having to visit the installation site of the tension balancer B, the displacement of the rod B3 of the tension balancer B and the air temperature are acquired at a remote location, recorded by the monitoring server, and centrally managed. From the displacement amount of the rod B3 and the air temperature thus obtained, by comparing the actual expansion / contraction length of the overhead line corresponding to the displacement amount of the rod B3 with the normal expansion / contraction length (calculated value) that has a specific proportional relationship with the temperature of the trolley wire, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of abnormalities in the overhead line or the tension balancer. Also, by comparing the displacement amounts of the rods B3 of the tension balancers B connected to both ends of the overhead line, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of the occurrence of a flow in the overhead line. Therefore, it reduces the maintenance work for the tension balancer B and the overhead line, and is particularly convenient for checking the status of the tension balancer B and the overhead line that are difficult to access for inspection.

Explanation of Signs

[0015] 1 Monitoring device for tension balancer 2 Potentiometer 3 Temperature sensor 4 Transmitter 5 Solar panel 6 Control device 7 Wire 8 Mounting band 8a Fastener 9 Mounting plate 10 Mounting frame 10a Frame plate 10b Frame plate 10c Bolt 10d Nut 10f Locking ring 10e Bracket B Tension balancer B1 Outer cylinder member B2 Inner cylinder B3 Rod B4 Pull handle hardware P-post

Claims

1. A tension balancer monitoring device for remotely monitoring the relative displacement of the inner member with respect to the outer cylinder member of a tension balancer that holds an overhead wire in place while maintaining a predetermined tension, comprising: an outer cylinder member connected at one end to a support column; an inner member connected at one end to an overhead wire and inserted into the outer cylinder member so as to be able to move in and out of the outer cylinder member; and a pressure accumulating member that biases the inner member so as to return the inner member that has protruded from the outer cylinder member to its original position, wherein the tension balancer holds an overhead wire in place while maintaining a predetermined tension, A potentiometer is provided that, by winding a wire fixed to the outer cylindrical member and with its tip locked to the inner member, converts the linear relative displacement between the inner member and the outer cylindrical member into rotational displacement, and generates an electrical output corresponding to the amount of relative displacement between the inner member and the outer cylindrical member that corresponds to the rotational displacement, A wireless transmitter that transmits the output of this potentiometer to a remote location, The system comprises a mounting frame for securing the wire of the potentiometer to the inner member, A monitoring device for a tension balancer, characterized in that a bracket is included in a part of the mounting frame that slidably engages with the outer cylindrical member in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the outer cylindrical member and secures the end of the wire opposite the potentiometer in the axial direction.

2. The mounting frame comprises a pair of opposing frame plates that sandwich the inner member from both sides a pull fitting for connecting overhead wires, The bolts that fasten the frame plates to the pull fittings are located between the opposing ends of the pair of frame plates. The bracket is slidably engaged with one of the frame plates in the extensional direction to secure the end of the wire, The monitoring device for a tension balancer according to claim 1, further comprising a locking member for positioning and fixing the bracket to the frame plate and adjusting the extension length from the frame plate.

3. The monitoring device for a tension balancer according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature near the overhead line and transmitting it to the remote location along with the linear relative displacement between the inner member and the outer cylindrical member via the wireless transmitter.

4. The mounting member for attaching the potentiometer to the outer cylinder member includes a mounting band that is wrapped around the outer circumference of the outer cylinder member and tightened to secure it, A monitoring device for a tension balancer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises a mounting plate for fixing the potentiometer to the mounting band.

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