EP2209945B1 - Permanent way for a railway - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a superstructure for a rail track, according to the preamble of claim 1.

The superstructure of conventional railroad tracks includes components such as rails, sleepers, mounting components, resilient layers, liners, a ballast bed, one or more layers of slab track, a bound or unbound support layer, a reinforcement, or a prestressing reinforcement. Since railways are designed for a long service life of the order of several decades, it is often difficult for damage to identify the corresponding component and to obtain component-specific information. Only a few components of the superstructure are normally provided with information at all, for example, on concrete sleepers usually a manufacturer's identification, a type designation and the year of manufacture is given. Since this information is in the form of surface-mounted alphanumeric characters, their acquisition is cumbersome. On the other components of the superstructure, however, no characteristic information is attached at all, so that subsequently no component-specific information can be obtained WO 2007/012851 A1 . EP 1 612 118 A or EP 1 521 072 A1 ,

The invention is therefore based on the object to provide a superstructure for a rail track, in which the reading of information is facilitated

To solve this problem, a superstructure with the features of claim 1 is provided.

The invention is based on the finding that a designed as a concrete sleeper component of the superstructure may be provided with an information carrier, are stored in the component-specific information. Through digital storage For example, virtually any amount of information can be stored permanently in the information carrier.

The superstructure according to the invention can comprise one or more components from the following group: rail, fastening component, elastic layer, inlay, ballast bed, slab track, layer of slab track, bound or unbound base course, reinforcement and / or prestressing reinforcement. This results in a whole range of possibilities for attaching the information carrier.

The information carrier can be attached at different locations on the component of the superstructure according to the invention. According to a first variant, the information carrier may be mounted on the surface of the component of the superstructure. This has the advantage of good accessibility and a minimization of interference when reading the information carrier. In addition, information carriers can also later be attached to the surface of the component of the superstructure.

According to the invention, the information carrier is at least partially integrated in the formed as a concrete sleeper component of the superstructure according to the invention. With this type of attachment, the information carrier is well protected against mechanical effects. As a further alternative, an arrangement of the information carrier in a cavity of the component is possible, whereby the information carrier is protected both against mechanical effects and against the effects of weather.

According to one embodiment of the invention, it may be provided that the information carrier without its own power supply is readable. This has the advantage that the life of the information carrier is not dependent on the life of a power supply. Alternatively, it is possible for the information carrier to have its own energy supply, which comprises, for example, a battery or an accumulator. In this variant, the distance between the read-out device and the information carrier can be larger.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the information carrier of the superstructure according to the invention may have a writable or rewritable memory device. This allows the subsequent storage of information that is not yet known at the time of manufacture. Likewise, certain information can be collected and read out over a longer period of time.

Advantageously, the superstructure according to the invention may comprise an information carrier which is arranged approximately in the middle of the threshold. The information carrier can also be located at a location of the threshold with reduced concrete thickness, since then no disturbances during readout are to be feared.

In order to acquire information about one or more components of the superstructure, it can be provided that the information carrier has at least one measuring device for acquiring measured values. Preferably, measured values detected by the measuring device can be stored in the storage device of the information carrier. This allows the data to be available not only at the time of readout by the readout device but permanently. It can be provided that the measuring device be designed to measure a force or a pressure. This makes it possible to detect the stress of the component when driving through a rail vehicle. Likewise, the force or pressure profile during driving can be detected in order to monitor the condition of components of the superstructure on the basis of this data and to detect changes or damage.

Alternatively or additionally, the measuring device can also be designed to measure a temperature. As a further alternative, the measuring device can be designed to measure an expansion of a component of the superstructure in order to obtain information on deformations, signs of fatigue or damage on the basis of these measured values.

It is also conceivable that the measuring device for detecting the geographical position of the component of the superstructure, in particular by means of a GPS receiver is formed.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the information carrier can be designed to transmit information to another information carrier. This allows not only an automatic reading of the information but also an independent transfer of information through the information carrier to other information carriers until the information reaches a recipient. In this context, the information carrier of the superstructure according to the invention can be designed so that it transmits information on the occurrence of an event. An example of the occurrence of an event is the exceeding or falling below of a threshold value by a value detected by the measuring device. This allows, for example, the independent transfer of the measured values and the information derived therefrom on the damage or impairment of a component of the superstructure, without a read-out external must be initiated.

Advantageously, the information carrier for transmitting the information can be embodied on one of the following frequencies: 125 kHz, 13.56 MHz, 433 MHz, 866 MHz, 915 MHz, 950 MHz. But also frequencies of 2.45 GHz or 5.8 GHz are conceivable.

Fig. 1

ein Oberbau mit einem an der Schiene angeordneten Informationsträger in einer geschnittenen Ansicht;

Fig. 2

ein Ausführungsbeispiel eines erfindungsgemäßen Oberbaus;

Fig. 3

ein weiteres Ausführungsbeispiel eines erfindungsgemäßen Oberbaus;

Fig. 4

eine Auslesevorrichtung; und

Fig. 5

einen erfindungsgemäßen Informationsträger.

Further advantages and details of the invention will be described below with reference to the figures. The figures are schematic representations and show:

Fig. 1

a superstructure with an arranged on the rail information carrier in a sectional view;

Fig. 2

an embodiment of a superstructure according to the invention;

Fig. 3

a further embodiment of a superstructure according to the invention;

Fig. 4

a read-out device; and

Fig. 5

an information carrier according to the invention.

Fig. 1 shows a solid track 1 for rail vehicles in a sectional view. On a lower support layer 2 are asphalt layers 3, 4, on which a superstructure is arranged. In the illustrated embodiment, the superstructure is formed by a concrete sleeper 5, rails 6, rail fasteners 7 and arranged under the rail 6 elastic layer 8.

At the in Fig. 1 left rail 6, an information carrier 9 is arranged on the vertical portion. The information carrier 9 can either be mounted during the production of the fixed carriageway or be subsequently attached to a component of the superstructure. The information carrier 9 is formed in the illustrated embodiment as an RFID transponder, it is a passive tag. Passive tags do not have their own power supply, but they can be read by an externally generated electromagnetic field. In the information carrier 9 is a writable memory device in which information can be stored before or during the production of the fixed carriageway. According to the invention, each information carrier is assigned a specific number on the basis of which information about the production of the respective component or its installation can be called up at a later time. The reading in the information carrier Information stored can be done by means of a carriage 6 movable on the rails, which includes a corresponding read-out device.

Fig. 2 shows a second embodiment of the invention in a sectional view. Unlike the first embodiment, an information carrier 10 is attached to the outside of the concrete sleeper 5. The information carrier 10 comprises a measuring device which is designed to measure an elongation. The acquired measured values are permanently stored in the storage device of the information carrier 10 and can be retrieved later by means of a read-out device. On the basis of the recorded measured values, changes in concrete threshold 5 can be detected, for example if the measured strains exceed a certain threshold value. Such unexpectedly high elongation may indicate a damaged concrete sleeper or other adverse change requiring maintenance or repair. Based on the information stored in the storage device, the respective component of the superstructure can be easily identified.

Fig. 3 shows a third embodiment in which the concrete sleeper 5 is provided with two information carriers 9. The one on the left side of Fig. 3 shown information carrier 9 is integrated into the concrete sleeper 5, that it is visible on the outside. The other on the right side of Fig. 3 This information carrier 9 is particularly well protected against external influences, however, it can not be subsequently replaced, which in the case of the left side of Fig. 3 shown information carrier 9 is possible.

Fig. 4 shows a movable on a railroad carriage 11, which has a read-out device 12 for reading out information carriers 9.

Fig. 5 schematically shows an information carrier 9, which has a storage device 13 and a measuring device 14.

Claims (15)

1. Superstructure (8) for a rail trackway, having a component which is embodied as a concrete sleeper (5) and has an information carrier (9, 10), which can be read out with a reading device (11), for digitally stored data, characterized in that the information carrier (9, 10) is at least partially integrated into the concrete sleeper (5), wherein the data which is stored in the information carrier (9, 10) comprises a specific number which is assigned to the respective component.
2. Superstructure according to Claim 1, characterized in that the information carrier (9, 10) is accessible and/or can be read out from the outside.
3. Superstructure according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the information carrier (9, 10) is arranged in a cavity in the component of the superstructure.
4. Superstructure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the information carrier (9, 10) can be read out without a separate power supply.
5. Superstructure according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the information carrier (9, 10) has a power supply.
6. Superstructure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the information carrier (9, 10) has a memory device (13) which can be written to or re-written to.
7. Superstructure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in the case of the component of the superstructure which is embodied as a concrete sleeper (5), the information carrier (9, 10) is arranged approximately in the centre of the concrete sleeper (5).
8. Superstructure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, in the case of the component of the superstructure which is embodied as a concrete sleeper (5), the information carrier (9, 10) is arranged at a location with a reduced thickness of the concrete.
9. Superstructure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the information carrier (9, 10) has at least one measuring device (14) for detecting measured values by means of which detected measured values can be stored in a or the memory device (13).
10. Superstructure according to Claim 9, characterized in that measuring device (14) is designed to measure a force and/or a pressure and/or to measure a temperature and/or to measure elongation.
11. Superstructure according to Claim 9, characterized in that measuring device (14) is designed to detect a geographic position, in particular by means of a GPS receiver.
12. Superstructure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the information carrier (9, 10) is designed to transmit information to one or more other information carriers.
13. Superstructure according to Claim 12, characterized in that an information carrier (9, 10) is designed to transmit information when an event occurs.
14. Superstructure according to Claim 13, characterized in that information can be transmitted if at least one measured value which is detected by the measuring device (14) exceeds or undershoots a threshold value.
15. Superstructure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the information carrier (9, 10) is designed to transmit information at one of the following frequencies: 125 kHz, 13.56 MHz, 433 MHz, 868 MHZ, 915 MHz, 950 MHz, 2.45 GHz or 5.8 GHz.

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