Measuring and testing – Brake testing – Vehicle installation
Patent
1992-12-21
1994-07-12
Williams, Hezron E.
Measuring and testing
Brake testing
Vehicle installation
340454, 356381, 348142, B61H 1100, G01B 1104, G01L 528, H04N 718
Patent
active
053277821
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a brake shoe measuring apparatus for rolling stock which automatically detects the thickness, or amount of wear, of a brake shoe of a running vehicle.
BACKGROUND ART
The brake shoe used on the vehicle is a brake part which is pressed into direct contact with a tread of a wheel or with a disk sliding surface to apply a braking power to the vehicle.
FIG. 13 is a typical drawing showing one example of a brake shoe of rolling stock.
In FIG. 13, a wheel 20 mounted on a bogie frame 23 is rotating on a rail surface 22. A brake shoe 21 for the wheel tread is mounted also on the bogie frame 23 through a holder 27. This brake shoe 21 for the wheel tread is pressed against the tread of the wheel 20 at the time of brake application to the vehicle.
FIG. 14 is a typical drawing showing another example of the brake shoe for the vehicle.
In FIG. 14, a disc 25 rotating together with the wheel 20 is mounted on an axle 24 which connects two wheels 20 placed on two rails. On either side of this disc 25 is provided a brake shoe 26 for the disc. When the brake is applied, the disc 25 rotating together with the axle 24 is held by a brake shoe 26 for the disc, thereby applying the brake to the vehicle.
The brake shoe 21 for the wheel tread (see FIG. 13) and the brake shoe 26 for the disc (see FIG. 14) are gradually worn to decrease in thickness t during brake application, and will require replacement for safety when worn away to specific limit thickness (wear limit value). In the event of abnormal brake application, the brake shoes will be subjected to abnormal wear. To check the wears described above, the prior-art technique has such a disadvantage that a checker goes around the vehicle which is at a stop to make visual checks of a worn condition of the brake shoes. Replacement of the brake shoe, when found necessary, will be carried out at this point of time.
Also the prior-art technique has such a problem that since the thickness and a worn condition of the brake shoes are detected by the above method, much time and work is required and the brake shoes are replaced at the time when the necessity of their replacement is found. The above-described method of brake shoe replacement, however, is not systematic and besides because the check is visually performed, it is difficult to properly control data concerning the thickness and worn condition of the brake shoes.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
To eliminate the above and other disadvantages of prior techniques the present invention has an object to provide an automatic brake shoe measuring apparatus for rolling stock which is capable of automatically detecting the thickness or the presence or absence of wear of the brake shoes of a running vehicle.
The automatic brake shoe measuring apparatus for rolling stock of the present invention for accomplishing the aforementioned object has a camera unit which comprises a monitor camera for photographing the brake shoes of the vehicle during travel and outputting an image signal (i.e. video signal or image data), an image memory for storing the image signal, a sensor which responds to the passage of the vehicle by specific positions on tracks, and a trigger detector which outputs a trigger signal so that an image signal representing the image of a specific brake shoe of the aforesaid vehicle will be stored in the image memory in accordance with a signal received from the sensor; and an image processing unit which comprises an extraction means for extracting the aforesaid specific brake shoe from the image signal stored in the image memory and transferred from the camera unit, an arithmetic means for determining the thickness of the specific brake shoe extracted by the extraction means, and a display means which displays the thickness of the specific brake shoe determined by the arithmetic means.
In this case, there may be provided a light source which emits flashing light to a specific brake shoe the instant that the camera unit photographs the specific brake shoe in accordance with the
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Adachi Shigetoshi
Arai Hiroshi
Kanazawa Sumio
Miyake Makoto
Nishii Hisao
Dombroske George
Kawasaki Steel Corporation
Williams Hezron E.
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