Rail Vehicle And Infrastructure Damage Detection With Dual-State Sensors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for detecting damage in rail-bound vehicles and infrastructure elements are inefficient, requiring all vehicles to be equipped with sensors and relying on complete match of measurement data with comparison sets, which can be costly and time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A method using sensors on rail-bound vehicles that operate in different measurement states, allowing for partial matches and adaptable sampling rates to detect damage, reducing sensor usage and energy consumption while improving detection speed and accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all vehicles are equipped with sensors and complete match of measurement data is required, then detection reliability is improved, but system cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by requiring only a subset of sensors to detect damage rather than all sensors. The evaluation unit determines damage when measurement data from at least one sensor in each group matches damage patterns,无需 complete data from all sensors. This reduces system complexity while maintaining detection reliability through strategic sensor placement and evaluation logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the sensor system into multiple independent groups, where each group can independently detect damage. By dividing sensors into groups that monitor different aspects of vehicle condition, the system achieves reliable damage detection without requiring all sensors to function simultaneously, thereby reducing overall system complexity and cost.
2Measurement precision
If high sampling rates are used for all sensors, then measurement precision is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic sampling rates where sensors operate at different frequencies based on their specific measurement tasks. Critical sensors that detect immediate damage risks use high sampling rates for precision, while less critical sensors use lower sampling rates to conserve energy. The control unit dynamically adjusts sampling parameters based on vehicle operating conditions and detected anomaly levels.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sensors are assigned different sampling rates according to their local measurement requirements. Sensors monitoring critical components experience high-frequency vibrations use higher sampling rates, while sensors monitoring stable parameters use lower rates. This localized optimization of sampling quality maintains measurement precision where needed while reducing overall energy consumption.
3Measurement precision
If all sensors are operated continuously, then detection accuracy is improved, but computational effort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The evaluation unit processes measurement data partially by evaluating only necessary sensor groups for each damage type. When damage is detected in one area, the system focuses computational resources on confirming and characterizing that specific damage rather than continuously processing all sensor data. This selective evaluation maintains detection accuracy while improving computational efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and evaluates only the critical measurement data needed for damage detection from the full sensor dataset. The control unit identifies and processes specific measurement patterns indicative of damage, ignoring redundant information. This extraction approach maintains detection accuracy by focusing on key indicators while reducing overall computational effort required.
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
Enables faster and more accurate detection of damage in rail-bound vehicles and infrastructure elements by using fewer sensors and allowing for partial matches, adapting to different operating conditions, and reducing computational effort.
Implementation Method 1
The sensors (12, 14, 16, 18) are designed to acoustically detect an acceleration of the rail-bound vehicle (10) relative to the infrastructure element (20) traversed by the rail-bound vehicle (10) using predeterminable detection frequencies
Implementation Method 2
A first subset (12, 14) of the sensors (12, 14, 16, 18) is operated in a first measuring state... In the first measuring state, the sensors (12, 14) record acceleration values of the train (10)
Data Source
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AI summary
The proposal relates to a method for detecting damage to a transport system (100), which comprises a rail-based vehicle (10) and an infrastructure element (20) that can be passed by the rail-based vehicle (10), by means of a plurality of sensors (12, 14, 16, 18) arranged on the rail-based vehicle (10). The plurality of sensors (12, 14, 16, 18) can be operated in a first measurement state and a second measurement state. The method comprises a first measurement data acquisition step (Sa1) for acquiring first measurement data by way of at least one sensor (12, 14, 16, 18) operated in the first measurement state and a second measurement data acquisition step (Sa2) for acquiring second measurement data from the sensors (12, 14, 16, 18) operated in the second measurement state. Furthermore, the method comprises a first match determination step (Sb1) for determining a first match between the first measurement data and a first stored comparison dataset (32) and a second match determination step (Sb2) for determining a second match between the second measurement data and a second stored comparison dataset (42). Moreover, the method comprises a first damage detection step (Sc1) for detecting damage to the rail-based vehicle (10) on the basis of the first match and a second damage detection step (Sc2) for detecting damage to the infrastructure element (20) that can be passed by the rail-based vehicle (10) on the basis of the second match. A control device (70) for carrying out the method is also proposed.