Two-Channel Optoelectronic System for Monitoring the Railway Rails

Abstract

Increase in the freight traffic volume and train speed requires creation of means for monitoring the railway track condition for timely detection of the defects. The paper describes operation principles of the high-speed precision equipment for operational monitoring straightness of the rolling surface with the railway rails, and provides an experimental assessment of the equipment error based on these principles. High performance of the monitoring procedure is ensured by registering the images of structured illumination in the rail cross-sections by the main channel linear camera. At the track-measuring car speed of 180 km/h, omissions of the short surface defects, including those in the form of the rail joints steps, are practically eliminated. The paper proposes a method for compensating for errors arising from the track-measuring car oscillations. The method is based on obtaining information on the car vertical oscillations in the additional channel that registers the rail head image displacement relative to the registering equipment installation base and using the monitoring system calibration. The paper describes a calibration technique for the two-channel optoelectronic system. Results of full-scale testing the prototype of an optoelectronic system for monitoring the railway rails straightness confirmed correctness of the technical solutions underlying it

Please cite this article in English as:

Kolyuchkin V.Ya., Marenov N.E. Two-channel optoelectronic system for monitoring the railway rails. Herald of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Series Instrument Engineering, 2025, no. 2 (151), pp. 19--34 (in Russ.). EDN: SQZLWO

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