Method, apparatus, and system for non-contact manual measurement of a wheel profile

• US 7,715,026 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2006
• Issued: 05/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beena Vision Systems, Inc. (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Beena Vision Systems, Inc. (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Nayebi, Kambiz
• Primary Examiner(s): Toatley, Jr.; Gregory J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Valentin; Juan D
• Application Number:
  US11/535,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20080074679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 356/625
• CPC Class Codes: B61K 9/12 Measuring or surveying wheel-rims measuring techniques G01
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/24 for measuring contours or curvatures
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/10 Suspensions, axles or wheels

Abstract

A method, apparatus and system for non-contact measurement of a railway wheel profile are disclosed herein. To measure the wheel profile, a laser having a distance displacement sensor and angular displacement sensor projects a beam of light onto the surface of a railway wheel to measure the wheel profile. In an alternate embodiment, a rail thickness measurement gauge is provided. In another alternate embodiment, a witness groove measurement gauge is provided.

Claims

1. A method for measuring the profile for a railway wheel, said method comprising:

placing one laser having an angular displacement sensing unit and distance displacement sensing unit in a calibrated location proximate to a railway wheel;

energizing said laser to emanate a laser beam;

rotating said laser to cause said laser beam to reflect off a plurality of locations on at least a portion of said railway wheel;

capturing angular displacement and distance displacement data of said plurality of locations; and

calculating a set of wheel parameters based upon said captured distance displacement data and angular displacement data of said reflected beam from said plurality of locations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said set of wheel parameters comprise flange height, flange thickness, flange, slope, tread hollow, rim thickness, wheel diameter, and witness groove reading.

3. An apparatus for optically measuring the profile for a railway wheel, said apparatus comprising:

a means for placing one laser having angular displacement and distance displacement sensing units in a calibrated location proximate to a railway wheel;

a means for energizing said laser to emanate a laser beam;

a means for rotating said laser said to cause said laser beam to reflect off a plurality of points on at least a portion of said railway wheel;

a means for capturing angular displacement and distance displacement data of said plurality of points; and

a means for calculating a set of wheel parameters based upon said captured distance displacement data and angular displacement data of said reflected beam from said plurality of points.

4. An apparatus for measuring a railway wheel witness groove, said apparatus comprising:

a laser rotatably attached to a measurement unit, said measurement unit comprising a laser displacement sensor to measure distance data of a beam of said laser and a rotary encoder to measure the angular displacement data of said laser when emitting said beam; and

a bracket for mounting said measurement unit on a railway wheel.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising holder pins to facilitate mounting of said bracket on said railway wheel at a calibrated position.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a calculation unit in communication with said measurement unit, wherein said calculation unit comprises a communication unit for receiving distance data and angular displacement data from said measurement unit.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said calculation unit further comprises a microprocessor unit for converting said distance data and said angular displacement data into a Cartesian coordinates.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said calculation unit further comprises an LCD display for displaying said distance data, angular displacement data, and Cartesian coordinate data.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said calculation unit further comprises a memory storage unit for storing said distance data, angular displacement data, and Cartesian coordinate data.

10. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising a witness groove measurement device comprising a shaft of known length extending in a direction substantially parallel to the radius of the railway wheel, and means for removably engaging the witness groove measurement device with the witness groove of the railway wheel.

11. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising a rim index measurement device comprising a shaft of known length extending in a direction substantially parallel to the radius of the railway wheel, and means for aligning the rim index measurement device with the railway wheel rim corner.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the shaft of the rim index measurement device has sufficient length such that a portion of the shaft extends beyond the flange of the railway wheel and may be measured by the laser.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein said computational unit further comprises a processor for converting said distance measurement and said angular displacement measurement into Cartesian coordinates.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said computational unit further comprises an output processor wherein said output processor displays said converted said distance measurement and said angular displacement measurement to a user.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein said computational unit further comprises a memory storage unit for storing measured angular displacement measurement, distance displacement measurement, and converted angular displacement measurement and distance displacement measurement.

17. The computational unit of claim 12 wherein said computational unit is a handheld personal digital assistant.

13. A system for optically measuring the profile for a railway wheel, said system comprising:

one laser having an angular displacement sensing unit and distance displacement sensing unit, said distance displacement sensing unit providing the distance measurement of a laser beam travel emanating from said laser and said angular displacement sensing unit providing angular displacement measurement of said laser;

a mounting device for mounting said laser onto a railway wheel at a calibrated position, said laser rotatably mounted onto said mounting device;

a computational unit in communication with said distance displacement sensing unit and said angular displacement sensing unit for receiving said distance measurement and said angular displacement measurement.

18. A method for measuring a railway wheel diameter, said method comprising the steps of:

placing a laser having angular displacement and distance displacement sensing units in a calibrated location proximate to a railway wheel;

energizing said laser to emanate a laser beam;

rotating said laser to cause said laser beam to reflect off a plurality of points on a witness groove measurement device and along the outer surface of said railway wheel substantially perpendicular to the wheel circumference;

capturing angular displacement and distance displacement data of said plurality of points; and

calculating the wheel diameter based upon said captured distance displacement data and angular displacement data of said plurality of points.

19. An apparatus for measuring a railway wheel witness groove, said apparatus comprising:

a laser rotatably attached to a measurement unit, said measurement unit comprising a laser displacement sensor to measure distance data of a beam of said laser and a rotary encoder to measure the angular displacement data of said laser when emitting said beam;

a bracket for mounting said measurement unit on a railway wheel; and

and a witness groove measurement device, wherein said witness groove measurement device comprises a magnet for removably attaching said witness groove measurement device onto a train wheel witness groove.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said witness groove measurement device further comprises a surface extending distally from said magnet, wherein said surface is removably engaged with the witness groove.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said witness groove measurement device further comprising a shaft of known length extending in a direction substantially parallel to the radius of the railway wheel, wherein said shaft has sufficient length such that a portion of the length of said shaft may be measured by said laser.