IMPROVEMENT OF METHODS AND TOOLS FOR OVERHEAD CONTACT LINES DIAGNOSTICS

Abstract

This paper describes developments of tools and methods in a wear of contact wire aspect, based on optical diagnostic systems and computer vision. In general, such diagnostic systems contribute towards improved service quality, reduced costs and increased security in railways. The contact wire is an important part of the OCL. It interacts with the pantographs which are mounted on the roof of trains and moving at various speeds. It is subject to abrasion, friction, scraping, corrosion, erosion, vibration, arcing and welding at different degrees of severity depending on the wire and collector strip materials, modes of interaction and the environmental conditions that defines the wear of contact wires. Measuring systems which automatically detect the degree of wire wear are necessary in order to carry out efficient OCL infrastructure management and condition-based maintenance of contact wire. The problem of wear measurement characterized by some important determining factors like lighting conditions, background scenery and the disparity of reflexives properties of the contact wire. Besides, in order to conduct an efficient inspection, the measures have to be carried out in a changing speed of inspection train. Finally, an important issues for designing and developing measurement systems are the number of wire in measurement range. Systems have to be able to measure not less than four contact wires which are simultaneously in a range of vision and the contact wire geometric parameters such as height and displacement (stagger). The measuring systems have to acquire, process and store a considerable amount of data in real time. Due to the amount of information to be processed, a high-performance architecture and effective algorithms are needed for real-time monitoring. The hardware and software modernization of a high-speed laser system for a contact wire parameters measurements are examined. Such modernization is fulfilled mostly by implementing a real-time high-speed compression algorithms and using LED backlighting. The results of the measurement of the contact wire’s wear obtained by a modernized high-speed laser system during an inspection trips on a new modern laboratory-car are given in this article. Keywords:, optical diagnostic systems, LED emitter,overhead contact lines of railways