Rail measurement system

• US 20090073428A1
• Filed: 08/21/2008
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KLD Labs, Inc.
• Original Assignee: KLD Labs, Inc.
• Inventors: Magnus, Steven, Magnus, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 7,659,972 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/237.100
• CPC Class Codes: B61K 9/08 Measuring installations for surveying permanent way applications of measuring apparatus or devices for track building purposes E01B35/00; measuring techniques G01
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 23/047 Track or rail movements
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 23/048 Road bed changes, e.g. road bed erosion
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/25 by projecting a pattern, e.g. one or more lines, moiré fringes on the object G01B11/255 takes precedence ; image analysis for depth or shape recovery G06T7/50

Abstract

A system and method of continuously measuring the profile of a rail in real time is disclosed. The rail which the profile is obtained in position on a track bed, The system includes a means for transmitting a beam of light at a selected wavelength onto the rail to illuminate a portion of the rail. The light is preferably a beam of laser light. A digital image of said illuminated portion of said rail is recorded. The digital image is manipulated to filter all light except for the selected wavelength. Rail wear is determined from the digital image created by the selected wavelength of light.

Claims

1. A method of continuously measuring the profile of a rail in real time where said rail is in position on a track bed comprising

transmitting a beam of light at a selected wavelength onto said rail to illuminate a portion of said rail,

recording a digital image of said illuminated portion of said rail, manipulating said digital image to filter all but said selected wavelength,

determining rail wear from said digital image created by the selected wavelength of light.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein a first beam of light is transmitted onto a first side of said rail and a second beam of light is transmitted onto a second side of said rail.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein said first beam of light has a different wavelength than said second beam of light.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein a first camera records the digital image by said first beam of light and a second camera records the digital image created by the second beam of light.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein the digital image recorded by the first camera is filtered at the same wavelength as the first beam of light and the digital image recorded by the second camera is filtered at the same wavelength as the second beam of light.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein a first beam of light is transmitted onto the gauge side of said rail and a second beam of light is transmitted onto the side of a conductor rail.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein a first camera records the digital image created by said first beam of light and a second camera records the digital image created by said second beam of light.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein a beam of light is transmitted onto a conductor rail.

9. The method according to claim 8 wherein a camera records the digital image by said beam of light.

10. A system that continuously measures the profile of a rail in real time where said rail is in position on a track bed comprising

A means for transmitting a beam of light at a selected wavelength onto said rail to illuminate a portion of said rail,

A means for recording a digital image of said illuminated portion of said rail,

A means for filtering all wavelengths of light from said digital image except the light of the selected wavelength,

A means for determining rail wear from said digital image created by said selected wavelength of light.

11. A method for providing a detailed rail profile analysis of a rail sample in real-time comprising computing one or more rail dimensional measurements, comparing the measurements so obtained to a representative “

new rail”

measurement, compiling a rail wear analysis for said sample.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein the rail dimensional measurements are obtained by a first and second sensor head.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein each sensor head has an image acquisition means said image acquisition means being comprised of a source of laser light and a digital camera.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein one image acquisition means is angled to capture a profile of the gauge side of the running rail while a second image acquisition means is angled to capture the profile of the conductor rail.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein one or more of the conductor rail vertical position, conductor rail lateral position, conductor rail/running rail profile, track gauge, conductor rail temperature and conductor rail wear are measured.

16. The method according to claim 13 wherein a first and second image acquisition means are angled towards opposite sides of a running rail.

17. The method according to claim 16 wherein one or more of the rail profile, new rail size identification, rail height, vertical wear, rail width, lateral wear, lip flow, rail inclination (rotation), gauge of the running rail, and the gauge face angle can be calculated.

18. The method according to claim 17 wherein there are four sensor heads.

22. The method according to claim 13 wherein each camera and laser is fixed to one another so any positional movement over the camera field of view represents track movement.

23. The method according to claim 13 wherein the distance traveled is measured using an encoder wheel attached to the axle of one of the trucks.

24. The method according to claim 23 wherein after a preset distance, determined by counting the number of wheel encoder pulses, the sensor heads activate the lasers and acquire a video image.

25. The method according to claim 13 wherein rail samples are captured after a user defined period of time between acquisitions.

19. The method according to claim 19 wherein one image acquisition means resides on each sensor head.

20. The method according to claim 20 wherein the sensor heads are mounted underneath a vehicle in pairs over left and right rails.

21. The method according to claim 21 wherein each pair of sensor heads has one sensor head angled to capture the profile of the conductor rail and the other sensor head angled to capture the profile of the running rail.