DE10114575A1 - Device for determining the remaining thickness of at least one round contact wire - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for determining the residual thickness of at least one circular contact wire (4) comprising a position determination unit (2) for determining the position of the or each contact wire (4), said unit being coupled to a residual-thickness determination unit (7). Tracking means of the residual-thickness determination unit (7) are impinged by output signals corresponding to the position of the or each contact wire (4). The tracking means allow an image recording field (8) of the residual-thickness determination unit (7) to track the current position of the or each contact wire (4), in such a way that the width of a worn surface, caused by erosion on the underside of the or each contact wire (4) and the residual thickness resulting therefrom can be determined, the geometry of each contact wire being known.

Description

The invention relates to a device for determining the Remaining thickness of at least one round contact wire according to the Preamble of independent claim 1.

Such a device is from October 10, 1999 dated final report "Automatic optical surveillance of the contact wire in railways ", final report on the BMBF Collaborative project PROFIL, funding code 16SV703 / 0, be known. In the previously known device is an illumination unit available, with which the or each contact wire to a Line of light expanded laser light as illuminating radiation is acted upon. To determine the cross-sectional profile of a Contact wires are image acquisition means and image processing means a residual thickness determination unit provided with which Take light cuts from each side of the respective contact wire bar and can be processed to determine the remaining thickness. Around a migration of the respective contact wire from the Ge to counteract the field of view of the image recording means are from the image processing means control signals can be generated with which The visual field is continuously controlled via tracking devices the respective contact wire remains directed. A disadvantage of this previously known device, however, is that due to the lack Initial information about the position of the contact wire while still stood a search must be carried out in order to Field of view of the image recording means on the to be captured Align contact wire. Furthermore, there are considerable Problems with running in another contact wire, for example wise in the area of turnouts. After all, the accuracy if the contact wire's altitude changes Correction options limited.  

From the article "Contact wire position measurement on high-speed lines" by H. Höfler, N. Dimopoulos and B. Metzger, published in eb 3/98 (electric railways 96 ( 1998 ) 3), pages 61 to 64 is a device for determining both the altitude as well as the lateral position of up to four contact wires. This device has a scanning-radiation source which is designed as a laser and can be intensity-modulated, with which a directed scanning beam can be emitted via a pivotable mirror in a plane oriented at an angle to the longitudinal direction of the or each contact wire. The direction of the scanning beam is determined via a measurement of the position of the mirror and the distance to the respective contact wire is determined via a transit time measurement, so that the combination of the data obtained in this way enables the height and lateral position of the respective contact wire to be determined without contact even at high speeds.

The invention has for its object a device Specify initially mentioned type with which a provision the remaining thickness of at least one round contact wire both at standstill as well as at high speeds with high Accuracy is feasible.

This object is achieved with the character nenden features of independent claim 1.

The fact that in the device according to the invention with the position determination unit coupled to the tracking means with which the position of the or each contact wire is determined is bar and the face with appropriate correction signals field of the image recording means to the current position of the respective contact wire can be kept aligned on the one hand a relief at high speeds time-critical image data processing from the task of Aus Direction of the field of view of the image recording means on the  respective contact wire and on the other hand trapping the drive wire achieved even at standstill. By keeping the Mapping relationships as well as capturing the width of the Finally, the grinding mirror is used to determine the remaining thickness of the respective contact wire with knowledge of the cross section of a wear-free contact wire a relatively fast and thus at both low and high speeds with a high degree of precision Condition of the contact wires created.

Appropriate embodiments of the invention are the subject matter of subclaims.

Further expedient configurations and advantages of the Er are the subject of the following description of Embodiments with reference to the figures of the drawing voltage.

Show it:

Fig. 1, an illumination unit and a residual thickness determination unit of an individual contact wire are arranged in a perspective view a Lagebestim mung unit of an exemplary embodiment play an inventive device which is on a roof of the car of a railway car charged and for determining the remaining thickness,

Fig. 2 schematically shows an exemplary structure of a position determination unit and a Restdickenbestim mung unit of an inventive device,

Fig. 3 schematically shows a further exemplary construction of a residual thickness determination unit for a device according OF INVENTION dung,

Fig. 4 mung unit in a perspective view a Lagebestim, a lighting unit and a residual thickness determining unit of a further imple mentation of an inventive Vorrich tung, which are mounted on a carriage roof of a railway wagons and heavy for determining the remaining set of two adjacent contact wires,

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of the effect of lead-through means after the location determination unit,

Fig. 6 in a block diagram the structure of image recording means and image processing means of the rest of the thickness determination unit and

Fig. 7 is a schematic representation in section of a partially worn contact wire with an associated gene generated by image recording means and image processing means of the residual thickness determination unit.

Fig. 1 1 does not show in a perspective view a vehicle roof 1 of a in Fig. In detail shown, designed for checking routes railway wagons. On the car roof 1 , at least with its optical components explained in more detail below, a position determination unit 2 of a device according to the invention is attached. With the position determination unit 2 , a directional scanning beam 3 as scanning radiation is pivotable in an angle, preferably perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of a contact wire 4 running above the roof 1 of the plane 4 , in a manner explained in more detail below. The contact wire 4 , which is designed on its intended arrangement in the downward-facing area with a rounded cross-section, serves in particular to supply railroad railcars with electrical energy, and is subject to a certain amount of wear and tear on the underside due to the action of the pressing force of the current collector used for this purpose.

Furthermore, a lighting unit 5 is attached to the device of the invention on the roof of the car 1 with the Be leuchtungsstrahlung in an elongated, preferably rectangular angularly aligned to the longitudinal direction of the contact wire 4 illumination field 6 in the direction of the contact wire 4 can be emitted. The position of the illumination field 6 is preferably stationary. The extension of the lighting field 6 across the contact wire 4 is set up so that even extreme lateral edge positions of the contact wire 4 are still within the lighting field 6 . This ensures constant illumination of the area where the contact wire 4 is located with illuminating radiation. The lighting unit 5 has, for example, an elongated, radiation-intensive fluorescent lamp, the illuminating radiation of which is bundled via mirror optics and a cylindrical lens optics to the illumination field 6, which is preferably relatively narrow in the transverse direction.

Furthermore, the device according to the invention has a residual thickness determination unit 7 which, at least with its optical components explained in more detail below, is also attached to the car roof 1 . With the Restdickenbestim mung unit 7 of the BL LEVEL are tung radiation can be received and processed in a more detail below described manner from the illumination field 6 in an image pickup visual field 8 thrown back portions.

Fig. 2 shows schematically an exemplary structure of a position determination unit 2 and a residual thickness determination unit 7 of a device according to the invention. The position determination unit 2 has a modulator 9 which is connected to a radiation-intensive scanning radiation source 10 , for example as a laser emitting in the near infrared spectral range. The scanning beam 3 , which is periodically, for example sinusoidal or rectangular, intensity-modulated can be emitted with the scanning radiation source 10 controlled by the modulator 9 . The scanning beam 3 strikes a scanning reflector 11 , which is actuated by a scanning reflector actuating module 12 and is pivotably mounted. As a result, as explained in connection with FIG. 1, the scanning beam 3 emerging from the position determination unit 2 can be pivoted accordingly. The scanning reflector control module 12 has a rotary encoder with which an angle signal corresponding to the rotary position of the scanning reflector 11 can be output.

The position determination unit 2 according to FIG. 2 furthermore has a scanning radiation detection module 13 , with which, when the scanning beam 3 strikes the contact wire 4 shown in FIG. 1, a reflected portion 14 reflected in the direction of the position determination unit 2 can be detected as a portion of the scanning beam 3 with an intensity detector , The output signal of the scanning radiation detection module 13 can be fed to a runtime determination module 15 . The runtime determination module 15 is also fed by an output signal of the modulator 9 which corresponds to the phase position of the transmitted scanning beam 3 . With the transit time determination module 15 , the entire transit time of the scanning beam 3 between the position determination unit 2 and the contact wire 4 can be determined from the phase difference between the output signal of the modulator 9 and the output signal of the scanning radiation detection module 13 and output as a transit time signal.

The residual thickness determination unit 7 of FIG. 2 includes a first deflection reflector 16, a second deflecting reflector 17 and a third deflection reflector 18 via the back-reflected from the trolley wire 4 in the direction of the residual thickness determination unit 7 illumination radiation components 19 of the Ligh ting radiation via a folded optical path to an image pickup reflector 20 of Tracking means 21 can be fed. With the image pick-up reflector 20 , the illuminating radiation portions 19 can be deflected out of the plane in which the deflection reflectors 16 , 17 , 18 lie. The image pick-up reflector 20 is designed to be pivotable via an image pick-up reflector actuating module 22 of the tracking means 21 .

In the embodiment according to FIG. 2, image recording means 23 of the residual thickness determination unit 7 have a lens 25 which can be adjusted in the focal length and thus in the magnification by means of a focal length adjusting module 24 and which, due to its design, is also referred to as a zoom lens. A two-dimensional area detector 26 of the image recording means 23 with a number of flatly arranged detector elements sensitive to the illuminating radiation components 19 is arranged downstream of the objective 25 and connected to image processing means 27 .

The image pickup reflector detection module 22 is connected to the Abtastreflektorstellmodul 12 and acted upon by the generated from the rotary encoder 12 of the Abtastreflektorstellmoduls angle signal. Furthermore, the focal length control module 24 is connected to the propagation time determination module 15 for feeding the distance signal. The scanning reflector control module 12 , the transit time determination module 15 , the image recording reflector control module 22 and the focal length control module 24 cooperate in such a way that by tracking the image recording reflector 20 and the focal length of the lens 25 at any time due to correction of the imaging conditions, the image of the contact wire 4 is of the same size the area detector 26 is located.

Fig. 3 shows schematically a further exemplary structure of a residual thickness determination unit 7 for a device according to the invention, wherein for the residual thickness determination unit 7 according to FIG. 2 and the residual thickness determination unit 7 shown in FIG. 3, corresponding components are provided with the same reference numerals and are not described further below are explained. In the case of the residual thickness determination unit 7 , the third deflection reflector 18 is designed to be pivotable, controlled by a deflection reflector control module 28 . The image recording means 23 of the residual thickness determination unit 7 according to FIG. 3 are equipped with a one-dimensional line detector 29 which has a number of detector elements arranged in a row and sensitive to the illumination radiation components 19 . When the third deflection reflector 18 is pivoted, the one-dimensional image of the contact wire 4 can thus be displaced via the line detector 29 , so that even with a very slow movement or when the device according to the invention is at a standstill, by pivoting the third deflection reflector 18 into successive positions by reading out the line detector 29 a two-dimensional image of the contact wire 4 can be generated in each position and subsequent area-like assignment of the one-dimensional images.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of a position determination unit 2 , a lighting unit 5 and a residual thickness determination unit 7 of a further exemplary embodiment of a device according to the invention, which is attached to a roof 1 of a railroad car not shown in detail in FIG. 4 and for determining the Remaining thickness of two adjacent contact wires 4 are set up with one of the types explained with reference to FIG. 1. The location determination unit 2 is designed substantially as that in the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1 to Fig. 3 position determination unit 2 described and adapted back reflected by the two contact wires 4 reflection portions 14 of the scanning beam 3 discriminated from each other to capture and accordingly in each case a contact wire 4 attached Generate pairs of angle signals and runtime signals. The lighting unit 5 is set up to generate a stationary illumination field 6 , within which the two contact wires 4 are located even in extreme peripheral positions. The residual thickness determination unit 7 according to the execution example of Fig. 4 comprises up to common Bildverarbei processing means 27 is substantially a corresponding doubling 7 according to the first-mentioned embodiment to accommodate separate for each contact wire 4 images of the explained with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 the structure of the residual thickness determination unit ,

Fig. 5 shows a schematic view of the effect of tracking means 21 of the above-explained Lagebestim mung units 7. In Fig. 5 it is illustrated that by swiveling the image pick-up reflector 20 a lateral migration of the contact wire 4 and by changing the focal length of the lens 25 by adapting the focal length and thus the imaging scale to constant imaging conditions, emigration in height is so compensatable bar that, for example, an equally large image of the respective contact wire 4 falls on the surface detector 26 .

FIG. 6 shows in a block diagram the structure of the image recording means 23 and the image processing means 27 of the remaining thickness determination unit 7 . As already explained in connection with FIG. 3, Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, act on the Ligh ting radiation components 19, designed as a zoom lens objective 25, for example, the area detector is preceded by 26 as shown in Fig. 6. Depending on the type of surface detector 26 , it is expedient, given the amount of data to be generated, that a contact wire 4 is worn by current collectors quasi continuously, at least without sharp steps, only a number of equally spaced lines at an angle to the longitudinal direction of the contact wire 4 aligned rows of detector elements.

The output signal of the area detector 26 can be fed as a so-called field programmable gate array (FPGA) noise filter 30 , with which noise components based on a function of FPGA's hardware-related in the noise filter 30, a programmed noise suppression algorithm can be eliminated. The output signal of the noise filter 30 can be fed to an edge filter 31, which is also preferably implemented as an FPGA. With the edge filter 31 , on the basis of a filter function that is also programmed for the hardware, edges contained in the image recorded by the surface detector 26 , that is to say lines of pixels with uniform characteristics, can be filtered out.

The output signal of the edge filter 31 can be stored in a fast image memory 32 , in which the pixels corresponding to the edge profiles can be stored depending on the corresponding position on the contact wire 4 . The image memory 32 can be accessed with extremely short read and write times. To generate the position data, a position transmitter 33 is provided, which is coupled, for example, to a wheel axle of the railway wagons equipped with the device according to the invention. The image memory 32 is connected to a computing module 34, for example designed as a single-user computer, to which an input module 35 , for example a keyboard, a mass data memory 36 , for example a so-called hard disk, and an output module 37 designed as a screen and / or printer are connected as peripheral devices ,

With the computing module 34 , the double-filtered image data read out from the image memory 32 acting as an intermediate store, as further explained below in connection with FIG. 7 by way of example, can be determined with respect to the distance from edges characteristic of the degree of wear of the respective contact wire 4 and based on the knowledge the geo metrical cross section conditions in a correspondingly formed, wear-free trolley wire 4, the residual thickness of the examined contact wire 4 in function of the position be tunable.

Fig. 7 shows a schematic representation in section of a contact wire 4 which is partially worn by the action of the current collectors during driving operation, with an associated image generated by the image recording means 23 and image processing means 27 of the residual thickness determination unit 7 and reproduced via the output module 37 . In the picture, an outer first edge 38 and an outer second edge 39 are usually included, which when the contact wire 4 is arranged as intended in the lower region due to the rounded cross section of the outer edge of a curved first flank 40 and a second flank 41 of the Driving wire 4 correspond.

The image also contains an inner third edge 42 and an inner fourth edge 43 , each of which is assigned to the inner edge of the first flank 40 or the second flank 41 . The inner third edge 42 and the inner fourth edge 43 to limit the up with intended to the contact wire 4 trim down between the first edge 40 and second edge 41 extending, flat-ground by wear and designated as abrasive mirror 44 area of the contact wire. 4

In unfavorable cases, such as with extreme lateral edge positions of the respective contact wire 4 , one of the outer edges 38 , 39 for the image recording means 23 may be covered and therefore not included in the image. In these cases, however, is further characterized by identification of the inner edges 42, 43, the width of the grinding mirror 44 determined as boundaries of the grinding mirror 44th

With knowledge of the geometrical cross-section ratios in a correspondingly designed, not worn contact wire 4 of the grinding level of the trolley wire 4 and the degree of wear can be determined from the now known position-dependent width 24 on the residual thickness calculated back. Furthermore, if the edge filter 31 is designed appropriately and the image data provided by the area detector 26 or the line detector 29 is substantially fully utilized, singular events such as burn-in points can also be automatically recognized via corresponding image processing algorithms, which may also indicate an acute need for replacement indicate.

Claims (14)

1. Device for determining the residual thickness of at least one round contact wire ( 4 ) with a lighting unit with which the or each contact wire ( 4 ) can be acted upon by illuminating radiation, and with an image recording means and image processing means have the residual thickness determination unit with which a portion of the or each contact wire (4) rückgewor fenen illuminating radiation, the residual thickness of the jeweili gen contact wire (4) is determinable, wherein tracking means are provided with which the or each contact wire (4) is preserved in the visual field of the image pickup means, as characterized by that there is a position determination unit ( 2 ) with which the position of the or each contact wire ( 4 ) can be determined, that the tracking means ( 21 ) are coupled to the position determination unit ( 2 ), with the tracking means ( 21 ) the imaging ratios being kept constant and that the image recording means ( 23 ) and the image processing smittel (27) of a contact wire (4) are arranged for detecting the respective grinding mirror (44), with knowledge of the cross section of a wear-free contact wire (4), the residual thickness of the respective contact wire (4) can be determined across the width of the grinding mirror (44). 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that with the lighting unit ( 5 ) an elongated, angular to the longitudinal direction of the or each contact wire ( 4 ) aligned lighting field ( 6 ) can be generated, the extension of the lighting field ( 6 ) transverse to the The longitudinal direction of the respective contact wire ( 4 ) is at least as large as the greatest possible distance to be expected from the lateral edge positions of the or each contact wire ( 4 ). 3. Device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the tracking means ( 21 ) have an objective ( 25 ) with a focal length adjustment module ( 24 ) adjustable focal length. 4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that the tracking means ( 21 ) via an image pick-up reflector actuating module (22) actuated at an angle to the longitudinal direction of the or each contact wire ( 4 ) have the pivotable image pick-up reflector ( 20 ), via reflected lighting radiation components ( 19 ) from a laterally extending the longitudinal direction of the or each contact wire ( 4 ) angular range the lens ( 25 ) can be fed. 5. Apparatus according to claim 3 or claim 4, characterized in that the position determination unit ( 2 ) has a modulator ( 9 ) with which a scanning radiation source ( 10 ) for emitting intensity-modulated scanning radiation ( 3 ) can be controlled, a scanning radiation detection module ( 13 ) , with which reflected components ( 14 ) of scanning radiation ( 3 ) can be detected, and has a transit time determination module ( 15 ) coupled to the modulator ( 9 ) and the scanning radiation detection module ( 13 ), with which the phase difference between the transmitted scanning radiation ( 3 ) and the recovered portion ( 14 ) of the scanning radiation ( 3 ) the distance to the or each contact wire ( 4 ) can be determined. 6. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that the position determination unit ( 2 ) has a pivotable scanning reflector ( 11 ) with which the scanning radiation ( 3 ) can be pivoted over an angular range oriented at an angle to the longitudinal direction of the or each contact wire ( 4 ). 7. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that the position determination unit ( 2 ) has a rotary encoder with which an angular signal corresponding to the angular position of the scanning reflector ( 11 ) can be generated, the angular signal to the image recording reflector adjusting module ( 22 ) for tracking the image recording reflector ( 20 ) can be fed. 8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that a distance signal of the or each contact wire ( 4 ) corresponding distance signal from the transit time determination module ( 15 ) to the focal length adjusting module ( 24 ) for tracking the focal length of the lens ( 25 ) is feed bar. 9. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that the image recording means ( 23 ) have a two-dimensional surface detector ( 26 ) with a number of detector elements arranged in a surface. 10. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that the image processing means ( 27 ) are set up in such a way that a selection of rows of detector elements arranged in a row can be processed. 11. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that the image recording means ( 23 ) have a one-dimensional line detector ( 29 ) with detector elements arranged in a row. 12. The apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that the tracking means ( 21 ) have a pivotable deflection reflector ( 18 ) with which the field of view of the line detector ( 29 ) in the longitudinal direction of the or each contact wire ( 4 ) is displaceable. 13. The apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that the deflecting reflector ( 18 ) is periodically pivotable. 14. Device according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the image processing means ( 27 ) have application-adapted programmable filters, in particular a noise filter ( 30 ) for suppressing noise components and an edge filter ( 31 ) for recognizing lines of uniform characteristics ,