Automatic Rail Alignment System Using Segmented Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current rail alignment machines are heavy, bulky, and inflexible due to their rigid frames and lifting arms, making them costly and difficult to transport, which limits the flexibility and increases the cost of rail alignment and welding operations.
Innovation Solution
An automatic rail alignment system comprising a first and second alignment system installed on track elements with a position acquisition system, using actuation systems with pairs of cylinders to adjust rail positions automatically, eliminating the need for a rigid frame and lifting arm, allowing for compact and lightweight design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a rigid frame and lifting arm are used to ensure common geometric reference and support rail weight, then alignment precision and structural strength are improved, but device weight and size increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment device is divided into two independent alignment systems, each attached to separate track elements. Each system independently aligns one rail, eliminating the need for a single rigid frame spanning both rails. This segmentation reduces the overall device weight while maintaining alignment precision through independent positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical rigid frame structure with an electronic/optical positioning system. Each alignment system uses a position sensor to detect rail position and an actuation system to adjust it, substituting the need for a rigid mechanical reference frame with independent sensor-actuator pairs that achieve alignment through feedback control.
2Ease of operation
If a long rigid frame is used to accommodate welding space between rails, then welding accessibility is improved, but device complexity and transportation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The welding operation is decoupled from the alignment frame structure. Each alignment system independently positions its rail, and the welding process occurs between the two independently positioned rails. This eliminates the need for a long frame to maintain welding clearance, as the alignment systems can be compact while still allowing rail positioning for welding.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment systems are designed to be movable and adaptable rather than fixed to a rigid frame. The actuation systems allow dynamic adjustment of rail positions, and the entire alignment device can be moved along the track, providing welding accessibility without requiring a permanently long structural frame.
3Reliability
If a heavy alignment machine is used to ensure stability and precision, then alignment reliability is improved, but transportation flexibility and operational cost worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment device is segmented into two separate, lighter alignment systems that can be independently positioned on track elements. This segmentation reduces the weight of each individual component, improving transportation flexibility while maintaining overall alignment reliability through the coordinated operation of both systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces heavy mechanical stabilization structures with electronic positioning and control systems. Position sensors and actuation systems provide precise rail positioning without requiring heavy counterweights or rigid support structures, thereby reducing device weight while maintaining or improving alignment reliability through feedback control.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enables more flexible and cost-effective rail alignment and welding by reducing the weight and bulk of the alignment assembly, allowing it to be transported on smaller vehicles and positioned easily around rails, thereby reducing operational costs and increasing flexibility.
Implementation Method 1
a position acquisition system, comprising at least one position sensor of the first rail and/or the second rail
Implementation Method 2
a first actuation system adapted to automatically adjust a position of the first rail as a function of a position measured by the acquisition system
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
The invention relates to an assembly for automatic aligning of rails, comprising: - a first alignment system (10) suitable for placing on a first track element (70) on a first rail (100); - a second alignment system (20) suitable for placing on a second track element (70) on a second rail (200); and - a system for acquiring a position (30), comprising at least one position sensor, wherein the first alignment system (10) and/or the second alignment system (20) comprises an actuating system (51, 52) suitable for automatically adjusting a position of the first rail (100) and/or of the second rail (200) on the basis of a position measured by the acquisition system (30).