TRANSPORT RAIL SYSTEM WITH WEIGHING MEANS

• US 20160069733A1
• Filed: 04/04/2014
• Published: 03/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayern Engineering GmbH & Co., KG
• Original Assignee: Bayern Engineering GmbH & Co., KG
• Inventors: WARZECHA, Volker, KUEHBANDNER, Erich
• Granted Patent: US 9,581,487 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/047 using electrical weight-sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/06 on overhead rails
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/12 having electrical weight-sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 3/15 measuring variations of magnetic properties
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 7/00 Weighing apparatus wherein the balancing is effected by magnetic, electromagnetic, or electrostatic action, or by means not provided for in the preceding groups
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/125 by using magnetostrictive means magnetostrictive sensors H10N35/101
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/127 by using inductive means G01L1/122, G01L1/125 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/22 using resistance strain gauges

Abstract

Transport rail system capable of detecting a weight of a rail vehicle, includes one or more rails, and one or more sensors for measuring a magnetic property. At least one of the sensors is adapted to measure a change of a magnetic property in order to determine a weight bearing on one or more of the rails, the change of the magnetic property being caused by stress exerted on the rail by the weight, and one or more of the sensors are adapted to measure the change of a magnetic property of the rail itself and/or that one or more of the sensors are adapted to measure the change of a magnetic property of a supporting structure of the rail.

Claims

1. Transport rail system capable of detecting a weight of a rail vehicle, comprising:

one or more rails, and

one or more sensors for measuring a magnetic property,

wherein at least one of the sensors is adapted to measure a change of a magnetic property in order to determine a weight bearing on one or more of the rails, the change of the magnetic property being caused by stress exerted on the rail by said weight,

wherein one or more of the sensors are adapted to measure the change of a magnetic property of the rail itself and/or that one or more of the sensors are adapted to measure the change of a magnetic property of a supporting structure of the rail.

2. Transport rail system according to claim 1, wherein the transport rail system comprises two or more sensors adapted to measure the change of the magnetic property.

3. Transport rail system according to claim 1, wherein the transport rail system comprises two or more sensors adapted to measure the change of a magnetic property of the rail itself or of a supporting structure of the rail and at least two of those sensors are mounted in a way to measure the change of the magnetic property in different measurement directions, the measurement directions having an angle between each other.

4. Transport rail system according to claim 1, wherein one or more sensors comprise one or more measurement arrangements for measuring the magnetic property, the measurement arrangement(s) having a surface of a coil or an integral pole core being in direct mechanical contact with the respective element of the transport rail system whose magnetic property to be measured changes.

5. Transport rail system according to claim 1, wherein one or more sensors comprise one or more measurement arrangements for measuring the magnetic property, the measurement arrangement(s) having an air gap between itself and the respective element of the transport rail system whose magnetic property to be measured changes.

6. Transport rail system according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the rails have a supporting structure and one or more sensors are adapted to measure the change of a magnetic property of the supporting structure of the rail caused by stress exerted on that rail by said weight.

7. Transport rail system according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the rails have one or more sensors mounted to them which are adapted to measure the change of a magnetic field property of that rail caused by stress exerted on that rail by said weight.

8. Transport rail system according to claim 7, wherein one or more sensors adapted to measure a change of a magnetic property caused by stress exerted on the rail is arranged on the rail in an intermediate position between two supporting points of a supporting structure of the rail.

9. Transport rail system according to claim 1, wherein the physical effect underlying the change of the magnetic property to be measured by the sensors is the inverse magnetostrictive effect.

10. Transport rail system according to claim 1, wherein the transport rail system has two or more rails arranged in parallel to each other.

11. Transport rail system according to claim 1, wherein the transport rail system is a monorail system.

12. Transport rail system according to claim 1, wherein the element of the transport rail system whose magnetic property changes due to the applied stress comprises ferromagnetic steel.

13. Transport rail system according to claim 1, wherein at least one rail of the transport rail system is permanently magnetized.

14. Transport rail system according to claim 1, wherein one or more sensors for measuring a magnetic property of the transport rail system are removably mounted to the transport rail system.