Abstract
This paper describes the kinematics used for the calculation of track geometric irregularities of a new Track Geometry Measuring System (TGMS) to be installed in railway vehicles. The TGMS includes a computer for data acquisition and process, a set of sensors including an inertial measuring unit (IMU, 3D gyroscope and 3D accelerometer), two video cameras and an encoder. The kinematic description, that is borrowed from the multibody dynamics analysis of railway vehicles used in computer simulation codes, is used to calculate the relative motion between the vehicle and the track, and also for the computer vision system and its calibration. The multibody framework is thus used to find the formulas that are needed to calculate the track irregularities (gauge, cross-level, alignment and vertical profile) as a function of sensor data. The TGMS has been experimentally tested in a 1:10 scaled vehicle and track specifically designed for this investigation. The geometric irregularities of a 90 m-scale track have been measured with an alternative and accurate method and the results are compared with the results of the TGMS. Results show a good agreement between both methods of calculation of the geometric irregularities.
Highlights
Measurement of track geometry irregularities is a fundamental task in railway track maintenance with immense economic significance worldwide
Weston et al published a set of papers [5,6,7] showing the measurement of vertical and lateral track irregularities using accelerometers and gyroscopes mounted in the bogie frame and a very simple kinematic model of the vehicle motion
This paper describes a Track Geometry Measuring System (TGMS) based on inertial sensors and computer vision that can be installed in in-service vehicles
Summary
Measurement of track geometry irregularities is a fundamental task in railway track maintenance with immense economic significance worldwide. Weston et al published a set of papers [5,6,7] showing the measurement of vertical and lateral track irregularities using accelerometers and gyroscopes mounted in the bogie frame and a very simple kinematic model of the vehicle motion. To the authors’ best knowledge, the algorithms used to turn the sensors data into measured irregularities have not been described in the scientific literature, or they are described using an over-simplified track geometry, for example, assuming that the track is straight This information is not provided by the companies that work in the important business of track inspection.
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