Abnormal Vehicle Dynamics Detection

• US 20160207552A1
• Filed: 01/15/2016
• Published: 07/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Electronic Machines Corp.
• Original Assignee: International Electronic Machines Corp.
• Inventors: Mian, Zahid F., Gamache, Ronald W., Hayes, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 9,714,043 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0072 On-board train data handling
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0081 On-board diagnosis or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/40 Handling position reports or trackside vehicle data
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/57 for vehicles or trains, e.g. trackside supervision of train conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 1/00 Measuring characteristics of vibrations in solids by using direct conduction to the detector G01H9/00, G01H11/00 take precedence

Abstract

A solution for evaluating a vehicle, such as a railroad vehicle, is provided. Vibration data relating to the railroad vehicle can be acquired by vibration sensing devices located adjacent to a rail. Enhanced signal data can be generated from the vibration data acquired by the vibration sensing devices. The enhanced signal data can be evaluated for any anomalous features, such as vibration peaks. When multiple anomalous features are present, these features can be further evaluated to determine whether they indicate a presence of a defect on the railroad vehicle that is producing a periodic signal.

Claims

1. A method of evaluating a railroad vehicle, the method comprising:

a computer system acquiring vibration data from a plurality of vibration sensing devices located along at least one rail along which the railroad vehicle is traveling;

the computer system generating enhanced signal data from the vibration data acquired by the plurality of vibration sensing devices;

the computer system evaluating the enhanced signal data for any anomalous vibration features;

in response to identifying a plurality of anomalous vibration features in the vibration data, the computer system evaluating the plurality of anomalous vibration features for an indication of a presence of at least one defect producing a periodic signal on the railroad vehicle; and

the computer system identifying the railroad vehicle as including a defect in response to identifying the indication of the defect on the railroad vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating enhanced signal data includes:

the computer system generating signal data for the vibration data acquired from each of the plurality of vibration sensing devices; and

the computer system adding the signal data for each of the plurality of vibration sensing devices to generate the enhanced signal data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the evaluating the enhanced signal data includes the computer system identifying anomalous vibration peaks within the enhanced signal data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one defect includes a wheel flat.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the evaluating the enhanced signal data includes the computer system identifying any enhanced signal data exceeding a maximum noise peak level.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the evaluating the plurality of anomalous vibration features includes the computer system evaluating a time spacing between the plurality of anomalous vibration features, wherein a plurality of anomalous vibration features having a substantially uniform time spacing indicates the defect.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the evaluating the plurality of anomalous vibration features further includes the computer system comparing the substantially uniform time spacing with a time for a wheel revolution of a railroad wheel on the railroad vehicle, wherein a substantially uniform time spacing approximately the same as the time for the wheel revolution indicates the defect.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the computer system transmitting a result of the evaluation for processing by a user system.

9. A railroad vehicle management system comprising:

a plurality of vibration sensing devices located adjacent to at least one rail of a set of rails on which railroad wheels travel, wherein the plurality of vibration sensing devices have a known spacing; and

a computer system for evaluating the railroad vehicle, wherein the evaluating includes;

acquiring vibration data from the plurality of vibration sensing devices;

generating enhanced signal data from the vibration data acquired by the plurality of vibration sensing devices;

evaluating the enhanced signal data for any anomalous vibration peaks;

in response to identifying a plurality of anomalous vibration peaks in the vibration data, evaluating the plurality of anomalous vibration peaks for an indication of a defect on the railroad vehicle; and

identifying the railroad vehicle as including a defect in response to identifying the indication of a defect on the railroad vehicle.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a set of wheel sensors located adjacent to at least one of the set of rails on which railroad wheels travel, wherein the computer system activates the plurality of vibration sensing devices in response to receiving an indication of a railroad wheel from a wheel sensor in the set of wheel sensors.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one defect includes a wheel flat.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of vibration sensing devices includes no more than twelve vibration sensing devices for each of the at least one rail.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising a user system, wherein the computer system provides the user system with information relating to the evaluation of the railroad vehicle.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the user system comprises a railroad vehicle management system, and wherein the information includes information relating to a presence of the defect.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the user system comprises at least one vibration-sensitive device, and wherein the information includes information relating to the vibration generated by the railroad vehicle.

16. A method of evaluating a railroad wheel for a defect, the method comprising:

a computer system acquiring vibration data from a plurality of vibration sensing devices located adjacent to a rail along which the railroad wheel is traveling;

the computer system generating enhanced signal data from the vibration data acquired by the plurality of vibration sensing devices;

the computer system evaluating the enhanced signal data for any anomalous vibration features; and

in response to identifying a plurality of anomalous vibration features in the vibration data, the computer system evaluating the plurality of anomalous vibration features for an indication of a wheel flat on the railroad wheel based on a time spacing between the plurality of anomalous vibration features.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the anomalous vibration features include anomalous vibration peaks, and wherein the evaluating the enhanced signal data includes the computer system identifying any enhanced signal data exceeding a maximum level.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising in response to the railroad wheel including the indication of a defect, the computer system estimating a severity of the defect using a cepstrum analysis of the vibration data.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the railroad wheel is one of a plurality of railroad wheels on a railroad vehicle, the method further comprising in response to the railroad wheel including the indication of a defect, the computer system identifying the railroad wheel on the railroad vehicle with the defect.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the defect is a wheel flat.