Railways – Track layers – Tamper
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-04
2001-04-24
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Railways
Track layers
Tamper
C104S007200, C104S012000, C033S287000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06220170
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of, and a tamping machine for, correcting the position of a railroad track composed of laterally adjacent track sections connected by branch tracks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,757 describes the simultaneous operation by two tamping machines to work a switch or crossing section of a track, the switch section being formed by two track sections extending parallel to one another and a branch track connecting the same. The tamping machines are positioned adjacent to one another on the respective track sections and are working in tandem, being connected to one another by means of a control cable to enable the track lifting operation on both track sections to occur synchronously. This is to take into account the fact that the switch section, due to the branch track and the long ties connecting the two track sections, constitutes a structural unit, and that the switch section should consequently and expediently be lifted in its entirety only.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,499 discloses the use of the so-called “Global Positioning System” (GPS) in the context of correcting the position of a track by means of a tamping machine. A number of stationary satellite receivers are provided in place of the—heretofore customary—fixed track reference points, the position of the satellite receivers having been established with sufficient accuracy on an absolute basis. In addition to said stationary satellite receivers, a further satellite receiver is mobile together with the tamping machine on the track to be corrected. With the aid of this mobile satellite receiver, it is possible to convert the measured relative position of the track into absolute coordinates.
Finally, it is known from European patent application EP 0 722 013 A1 to measure the actual position of a track to be treated relative to a neighboring track by using the latter as a reference. Thus it is possible to reproduce the actual track position after it has been destroyed by the working operation of the machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the primary object of this invention to provide an improved method of correcting a railroad track, suitable particularly for adjacently situated track sections of a track switch or crossing section.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved tamping machine for correcting the position of such a railroad track.
The above and other objects are accomplished according to the invention with a method of the type described in the introduction which comprises the steps of measuring the position of each individual track section relative to an absolute reference system common to said track sections while registering high points, thereby forming actual position curves, and parallel thereto detecting actual versines of the track position by means of a further, machine-specific reference system; generating a target position curve, common to the measured track sections, which is composed of the registered high points of the individual measured track sections and design sections, located between said high points, which smoothen the trace of the actual position curves; determining track correction values by obtaining the difference between the actual position curve of a respective track section and the common target position curve; and implementing the track position correction while synchronously lifting and/or laterally shifting the measured adjacent track sections according to the determined track correction values.
With the above-mentioned steps of the method, it becomes possible for the first time to achieve exact and accurate agreement of the positions of the track sections linked by a branch track by first detecting all the high points of the entire switch section, said high points being critical for the track position correction, and then moving the track sections into a common plane in accordance with said high points. In doing so, it is essential to include the high points of both track sections, connected to one another, for creating a single, common target position curve, and to carry out the lifting of the track sections synchronously to accomplish the track position correction. Using this method, it becomes possible for the first time to bring into an optimal position even track switch or crossing sections which extend over a length of one to two kilometers.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tamping machine for correcting the position of a railroad track, comprising undercarriages supporting the machine for mobility on the track, a vertically and/or laterally adjustable track lifting and lining unit, a machine-specific reference system for measuring versines of the track, and a further, absolute reference system for measuring the position of the track, consisting of a first GPS-receiver mounted on and mobile with the tamping machine and a second GPS-receiver disposed stationary with respect to the track.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a tamping machine for correcting the position of a railroad track, comprising undercarriages supporting the machine for mobility on the track, a vertically and/or laterally adjustable track lifting and lining unit, a machine-specific reference system for measuring versines of the track, and a further, absolute reference system for measuring the position of the track, consisting of a laser transmitter disposed stationary with respect to the track and rotatable about a vertical axis and a laser receiver arranged on the tamping machine.
These embodiments make it possible in an advantageous way to implement the track position correction with already existing machines while requiring only minimal additional expenditure or refitting procedures.
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Leitcomputer Fur Stopfmaschinen by Bernhard.
Lichtberger, In “Elsenbahningenieur” 44 (1993) 9, pp. 570-574.
Oberlechner Gunther
Theurer Josef
Franz Plasser Bahnbaumaschinen-Industriegessellschaft m.b.H.
Kasper Horst M.
Morano S. Joseph
Olson Lars A.
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