HOT RAIL WHEEL BEARING DETECTION SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20080283680A1
• Filed: 05/16/2008
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Progress Rail Services Corporation (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Hershey, John Erik, Bonanni, Pierino Gianni, Mathews, Harry Kirk JR., Osborn, Brock Estel
• Granted Patent: US 8,157,220 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 246/169A
• CPC Class Codes: B61K 9/04 Detectors for indicating the overheating of axle bearings and the like, e.g. associated with the brake system for applying the brakes in case of a fault

Abstract

Hot rail car bearings or wheels are identified by sensing an infrared radiation from the hot surface and determining whether features of the sensed signals are indicative of hot rail car surfaces. The features may include the signals themselves, with distances or correlations being established between the signals and signals of known hot bearings or wheels. The features may be analyzed in a feature or decision space, with boundaries being established that identify hot bearings or wheels, or that establish false positive features or noise. The identification may also be implemented as a matched filter.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a moving hot bearing or wheel of a rail car comprising:

(a) establishing features of sensor signals in a decision space;

(b) establishing a relationship between the features for discriminating between abnormally hot bearings or wheels and bearings or wheels that are not abnormally hot;

(c) receiving signals representative of temperature of the moving bearing or wheel; and

(d) determining whether the bearing or wheel is likely hotter than desired based upon the relationship and the signals.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) includes identifying a decision boundary by analysis of clustering of the features in the decision space.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) includes identifying a region in the decision space in which the features are indicative that a bearing or wheel is hotter than desired.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein step (b) includes identifying a region in the decision space in which the features are not indicative that a bearing or wheel is hotter than desired.

5. The method of claim 3, comprising adjusting a boundary of the region.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the decision boundary is adjusted based upon a FIFO analysis of decisions.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) includes determining a set of features indicative that a bearing or wheel is hotter than desired, and step (d) includes determining a distance between sampled sensor signals and the set of features.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) includes determining a set of features indicative that a bearing or wheel is hotter than desired, and step (d) includes determining a correspondence between sampled sensor signals and the set of features.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) includes establishing a matched filter having an impulse response that provides an output indicative that a bearing or wheel is hotter than desired.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the features include at least one of signal amplitude, signal persistence at an elevated level, a waveform shape, and average power.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the features include a normalized fourth moment of sensed infrared radiation.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the features include sampled sensor signals.

16. The method of claim 1, comprising adjusting a boundary of the region.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the decision boundary is adjusted based upon a FIFO analysis of decisions.

13. A method for detecting a moving hot bearing or wheel of a rail car comprising:

(a) establishing features of sensor signals in a decision space;

(b) identifying a region in the decision space in which the features are indicative that a bearing or wheel is hotter than desired;

(c) receiving signals representative of temperature of the moving bearing or wheel; and

(d) determining whether the bearing or wheel is likely hotter than desired based upon the region and the signals.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein step (b) includes identifying a decision boundary by analysis of clustering of the features in the decision space.

15. The method of claim 13, including identifying a region in the decision space in which the features are not indicative that a bearing or wheel is hotter than desired.

18. A system for detecting a moving hot bearing or wheel of a rail car comprising:

a sensor configured to detect radiation from a moving hot bearing or wheel and to generate a signal representative of the radiation; and

processing circuitry configured to receive signals from the sensors and to determine whether the bearing or wheel is likely hotter than desired based upon a relationship between the features in a decision space, the features permitting discriminating between abnormally hot bearings or wheels and bearings or wheels that are not abnormally hot.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the processing circuitry is configures to establish the relationship between the features in the decision space.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the features include at least one of signal amplitude, signal persistence at an elevated level, a waveform shape, and average power.