Measuring instrument for determining the actual condition of wheel sets

• US 7,952,729 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2007
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hegenscheidt-MFD GMBH and Company KG
• Original Assignee: Hegenscheidt-MFD GMBH and Company KG
• Inventors: Braun, Norbert, Rosenland, Dieter, Nijssen, Theo, de la Riva, Camilo
• Primary Examiner(s): Toatley; Gregory J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ton; Tri T
• Application Number:
  US12/302,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20090168078A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,470 Days
• Field of Search: 356620-623, 356601-604, 356612-615, 356/3.01, 356/635, 250/224, 25055922-55924, 250/200, 250/216, 250/221, 250/222.1, 250/559.01, 250/559.19
• US Class Current: 356/614
• CPC Class Codes: B61K 9/12 Measuring or surveying wheel-rims measuring techniques G01

Abstract

A measuring instrument has a first section for rolling a wheelset under lateral guidance of the wheelset into a measurement section with an auxiliary rail for supporting the wheelset on the outer edges of its wheels and a third section for rolling out the wheelset into the railway track, with the first and third section of the measuring instrument also designed as track panels and for which the optical beam devices under the measurement section are intended. The first and third section of the measuring instrument are flexibly embedded in the ballast of the superstructure of the railway track, while at least one of the optical beam devices is mounted vibration-free on the formation of the railway track in a pre-determined position in relation to the measurement section of the measuring instrument with no contact to the other parts of the measuring instrument.

Claims

1. A measuring instrument, positioned in a track panel of a railway track, for determining actual condition of wheelsets and wheels of a railway vehicle passing by using several optical beam devices, with the measuring instrument featuring a first section for rolling in a wheelset under lateral guidance of the wheelset, a measurement section with an auxiliary rail for supporting the wheelset on the outer edges of its two wheels and a third section for rolling out the wheelset into the railway track, with the first and third section of the measuring instrument also designed as track panels and flexibly embedded in a ballast of the superstructure of the railway track and of which the optical beam devices are positioned beneath the measurement section and mounted vibration-free on a base plate on a formation of the railway track in a pre-determined position in relation to the measurement section of the measuring instrument with no contact to the other parts of the measuring instrument, with the base plate designed as first trough, circumferentially enclosed by side walls, with several coverings which each have a recess in the area of the beam path and can be opened during measurements, wherein a first trough is positioned within a second trough at an approximately even distances to walls all round.

2. The measuring instrument according to claim 1, wherein recesses along the bottom of the walls of the second trough are used to drain water and dirt.

3. The measuring instrument according to claim 2, wherein the second trough lies on a flat plate mounted directly on the formation of the railway track or on a thin layer of lightweight concrete.

4. The measuring instrument according to claim 1, wherein the first trough rests on at least three flexible supports within the second trough.

5. The measuring instrument according to claim 1, wherein the first trough is connected to a compressed air supply.

6. The measuring instrument according to claim 1, wherein at least the first section used to roll the wheel set into the measurement section includes a track segment of which two rail segments are flanked on their outer side by strips which project several millimeters over respective rail heads at a constant slight slope in the area of the measurements section and pass into an auxiliary rail which bridges the measurement section.

7. The measuring instrument according to claim 6, wherein the third section for rolling out the wheelset has the same design as the first section for rolling in the wheelset.

8. The measuring instrument according to claim 1, wherein the first and third sections each have a length of between 2.5 and 5 mm.

9. The measuring instrument according to claim 1, wherein the measurement section has a length of between 0.25 and 0.5 m.

10. The measuring instrument according to claim 1, wherein the measuring instrument can be run over by railway vehicles at speeds of between 5 and 50 km/h.

11. The measuring instrument according to claim 2, wherein the measuring instrument can be run over in both directions of the railway track.