Device for detecting rail movement

• US 20050066743A1
• Filed: 10/17/2002
• Published: 03/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siegfried Pieper
• Original Assignee: Siegfried Pieper
• Inventors: Pieper, Siegfried
• Granted Patent: US 7,228,747 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/849
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 1/06 actuated by deformation of rail; actuated by vibration in rail

Abstract

The invention concerns a device for retaining a motion sensor consisting of a transmitter (2) and a receiver (3). The transmitter (2) and the receiver (3) are form-closed on the structural element (1) respectively by means of a housing (20, 30) and a retaining element (21) corresponding to the housing (20, 30) and connected thereto by a screw connection (22). Therefor, the housing (20, 30) and the retaining element (21) form a clamping connection with the structural element (1), the housing (20, 30) comprising a clamping element (23) in operative connection with the structural element (1).

Claims

1-16. -16. (cancelled)

17. A device for holding a transmitter and a receiver for detecting a deformation state of a component, the device comprising:

a first holding part;

a first receptacle, the transmitter being disposed on the first holding part via the first receptacle, wherein the first receptacle and the first holding part, together with the component, form at least one of a first connecting element, a first clamp, a first positive fit joint, a first glued joint, and a first welded joint;

a second holding part; and

a second receptacle, the receiver is being disposed on the second holding part via the second receptacle, wherein the second receptacle and the second holding part, together with the component, form at least one of a second connecting element, a second clamp, a second positive fit joint, a second glued joint, and a second welded joint.

19. The device as recited in claim 17, wherein the first receptacle is connected to the first holding part via a first fit and the second receptacle is connected to the second holding part via a second fit.

20. The device as recited in claim 17, wherein each of the fist and second fits are configured as at least one a groove-and-tongue joint and a location pin.

21. The device as recited in claim 17, further comprising at least one of a pin joint and a bolted joint, and wherein each of the first and second receptacles includes a lug and is connected to the respective holding part using the at least one of the pin joint and the bolted joint.

22. The device as recited in claim 17, wherein at least one of the first receptacle and the first holding part includes a clamping element in operative connection with the component.

23. The device as recited in claim 22, wherein the clamping element includes at least one of a bolt, a screw and a cam.

24. The device as recited in claim 22, wherein at least one of the first and second receptacles includes a holding element configured to hold one of the transmitter and the receiver.

25. The device as recited in claim 23, wherein the holding element includes a bore and a fastening element including a cap screw.

26. The device as recited in claim 17, further comprising an assembly device and wherein the first receptacle and the second receptacle each have at least one corresponding adjustment surface joined to one another using the assembly device.

27. The device as recited in claim 26, wherein the adjustment surface is configured as one of a groove, a bore and a bevel, and wherein the assembly device includes adjustment elements, each corresponding to one of the adjustment surfaces.

28. The device as recited in claim 26, further comprising an evaluation unit, wherein the component includes a measuring area and wherein the second receptacle is disposed in the measuring area and is in operative connection with the evaluation unit.

29. The device as recited in claim 28, further comprising a further transmitter in operative connection with a further receiver, the further transmitter and further receiver being disposed on an opposite side of the component from the receiver and the transmitter.

30. A method for measuring the deformation of a component using the device of claim 29, the method comprising:

generating a measuring current by the receiver;

transforming the measuring current into a measuring voltage inside the evaluation unit;

determining an angular change between the transmitter and the receiver according to the following formula;

$\frac{U_1-U_2}{U_1+U_2}=\mathrm{\Delta <br><br>}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>{\mathrm{\alpha <br><br>}}_1$

determining a load force F_Q in a vertical direction and a load force F_Y in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, the deformation state of the component in the being based on the load forces F_Q and F_Y, the determining of the load forces being performed based on the following formulae;

$\begin{array}{c}{F}_Q=\frac{\mathrm{\Delta <br><br>}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>{\mathrm{\alpha <br><br>}}_1+\mathrm{\Delta <br><br>}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>{\mathrm{\alpha <br><br>}}_2}{2}\\ F_Y=\frac{\mathrm{\Delta <br><br>}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>{\mathrm{\alpha <br><br>}}_1-\mathrm{\Delta <br><br>}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>{\mathrm{\alpha <br><br>}}_2}{\mathrm{\Delta <br><br>}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>{\mathrm{\alpha <br><br>}}_1+\mathrm{\Delta <br><br>}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>{\mathrm{\alpha <br><br>}}_2}\end{array}$

wherein α

₁ is the angular change between the transmitter and the receiver and α

₂ is the angular change between the further transmitter and the further receiver.

31. The method as recited in claim 30, further comprising:

detecting a deformation Δ

X of the component as a function of a length L of the component, the deformation Δ

X being proportional to the detected angular change Δ

α

;

determining a mean value formation Δ

X′

from a plurality of deformation graphs of a load cycle;

normalizing a deformation graph “

X over L”

using the mean value formation Δ

X′

; and

calculating a ratio of the deformation Δ

X to the normalized deformation Δ

X′

.

18. A device for detecting a deformation state of a railroad rail, the device comprising:

a deformation sensor disposed on the railroad rail, wherein the deformation sensor is arranged directly on a foot of the rail in a longitudinal direction of the railroad rail.