Trolley Wire Wear Measurement Correction for Pantograph Tilt
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wear measuring techniques for trolley wires fail to accurately calculate the remaining diameter due to the tilt angle of the pantograph, resulting in an overestimation of the diameter when the trolley wire is tilted, as the wear width appears narrower in images captured by cameras.
Innovation Solution
A wear measuring method and device that corrects the wear width measurement by accounting for the tilt angle of the pantograph, using either the whole pantograph's tilt angle, the tilt angle at the deviating position, or a combination of both to accurately determine the actual wear width of the trolley wire.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the wear width is measured directly from the captured image without correction, then the measurement process is simple, but the measurement precision deteriorates due to pantograph tilt causing the wear width to appear narrower than actual
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by introducing the tilt angle θ as a correction parameter. The actual wear width is calculated by changing the measured wear width through a mathematical transformation involving the tilt angle, specifically using the relationship: actual wear width = measured wear width / cos(θ). This transforms the inaccurate 2D image measurement into an accurate 3D wear width measurement by accounting for the pantograph's tilt state.
2Measurement precision
If the pantograph tilt angle is measured and used for correction, then the measurement precision improves, but the device complexity increases due to additional sensors and calculation requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by making the wear measuring camera serve multiple functions: it simultaneously captures both the wear width information and the tilt angle information. By equipping the camera with tilt angle detection capability (through acceleration sensors or gyro sensors), a single device performs both wear measurement and tilt measurement, eliminating the need for separate tilt sensors and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by using the measured tilt angle θ to correct the wear width measurement in real-time. The tilt angle detection result feeds back into the wear width calculation process, allowing the system to dynamically adjust the measurement based on the pantograph's actual tilt state, thereby improving measurement accuracy under varying conditions.
Data Source
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AI summary
A wear measuring device which has a wear measurement camera (2) to image the bottom face of the trolley wire (3) in contact with a pantograph (5) installed on the roof of a train (1) and comprises an image processing unit (10) that measures wear width of a trolley wire (3) by processing the image of the bottom of the trolley wire (3) that is imaged with the wear measurement camera (2), wherein two pantograph imaging cameras (6, 7) that image each marker (8, 9) mounted in two locations, on the left and right, of the pantograph (5) are installed on the roof of the train (1), an angle of inclination calculating unit (14) that calculates the angle of inclination of the entire pantograph (5) on the basis of images acquired by the pantograph imaging cameras (6, 7) is provided in the image processing unit (10), and a correction calculating unit (15) uses the angle of inclination of the entire pantograph (5) calculated by the angle of inclination calculating unit (14) as the angle of inclination of the trolley wire (3).