METHOD FOR GAUGING A TRACK POSITION

Abstract

A method for gauging a track position uses a track gauging trolley (7) moved on the track. A gauging run is carried out with the track gauging trolley (7), a GPS antenna (8) and an RTK GPS receiver (11) that communicates with an RTK correction data service (RTK-KD), wherein at least one wheel (10) of the track gauging trolley (7) is pressed against a rail (4). Using boundary conditions such as constraint positions, constraint points and maximum permissible track position corrections, to avoid the disadvantages of the drifts of an inertial gauging system during long gauging runs and the only relative information on the track position, the position of the GPS antenna (8) with respect to a reference axis of the track (4, 10) is determined with the aid of a compensation scanner (6) and a computing unit (13), and the measured GPS coordinates are converted into Cartesian coordinates (Pi(xi, yi, zi)) recorded with the computing unit (13) as a spatial curve (3), from which the location image (1), from which a desired curvature image (ksoll) is calculated, and the longitudinal image (2), from which a desired longitudinal inclination image (Nsoll) is calculated, are formed. An inertial system (INS) is set up on the gauging trolley (7), with which inertial system a correction spatial curve of the same section is created, and recorded using the computing unit (13) and is used as a correction value for the GPS coordinates converted into Cartesian coordinates (Pi(xi, yi, zi)).

Claims

1. A method for gauging a track position using a track gauging trolley supported for movement on a track, said method comprising: carrying out a gauging run with the track gauging trolley, a GPS antenna, and an RTK-GPS receiver that communicates with an RTK correction data service, wherein at least one wheel of the track gauging trolley is pressed against a rail; including determining a position of the GPS antenna with respect to a reference axis of the track using a compensation scanner and a computing unit, and converting measured GPS coordinates into Cartesian coordinates (P.sub.i(x.sub.i, y.sub.i, z.sub.i)) and storing the converted GPS coordinates with the computing unit so as to form a spatial curve of a section; forming from the spatial curve a location image and a longitudinal image; calculating a nominal curvature image (GPS.sub.xysoll) from the location image; and calculating a nominal longitudinal inclination image (N.sub.soll) from the longitudinal image; and wherein an inertial system is set up on the track gauging trolley, and the method further comprises producing with said inertial system a correction spatial curve of the section; recording the correction spatial curve using the computing unit; and using the correction spatial curve to produce a correction value for the converted GPS coordinates.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the correction value is determined from a difference of actual values and nominal values from the location image and the longitudinal image, wherein the actual values are derived from the correction spatial curve determined by the inertial system and the nominal values are derived from the nominal curvature image (GPS.sub.xysoll).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the correction spatial curve generated by the inertial system is used as the spatial curve when the spatial curve has data of the GPS coordinates missing therefrom.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the compensation scanner comprises a laser scanner that determines a relative position of the GPS antenna to the rail.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein, the laser determines the relative position of the GPS antenna to the rail by determining an inclination of a machine frame and a distance thereof from the track gauging trolley.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the correction spatial curve generated by the inertial system is used as the spatial curve when the spatial curve has data of the GPS coordinates missing therefrom.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the compensation scanner comprises a laser scanner that determines a relative position of the GPS antenna to the rail.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein the compensation scanner comprises a laser scanner that determines a relative position of the GPS antenna to the rail.

9. The method according to claim 3, wherein the compensation scanner comprises a laser scanner that determines a relative position of the GPS antenna to the rail.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein, the laser determines the relative position of the GPS antenna to the rail by determining an inclination of a machine frame and a distance thereof from the track gauging trolley.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein, the laser determines the relative position of the GPS antenna to the rail by determining an inclination of a machine frame and a distance thereof from the track gauging trolley.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein, the laser determines the relative position of the GPS antenna to the rail by determining an inclination of a machine frame and a distance thereof from the track gauging trolley.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] In the drawing, the subject matter of the invention is shown schematically, for example, wherein:

[0027] FIG. 1 shows a diagram of 3D track coordinates—determination of the location image and the longitudinal image,

[0028] FIG. 2 schematically shows a track gauging trolley with GPS antenna on a machine frame and compensation scanner,

[0029] FIG. 3 schematically shows the projection of the spatial curve onto the xy-coordinate plane and the actual and nominal curvature image of the optimized track position with curved main points,

[0030] FIG. 4 shows the GPS spatial curve or INS spatial curve and an arc principal point with compensation polynomial M for determining the GPS coordinates,

[0031] FIG. 5 shows a diagram of the receiver and control electronics, and

[0032] FIG. 6 schematically shows the projection of the GPS spatial curve or INS spatial curve onto the yz-coordinate plane (longitudinal image) and the actual and nominal inclinations of the optimized track position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0033] FIG. 1 shows schematically the spatial curve 3 measured and recorded with RTK-GPS with coordinate triples P.sub.i(x.sub.i, y.sub.i, zi). By setting z to zero, the projection of this spatial curve 3 onto the xy-plane, the location image 1, is obtained. Similarly, by setting x to zero, the projection of the spatial curve 3 onto the yz-plane, the so-called longitudinal image 2, is obtained. For each of the measured and recorded coordinate triples P.sub.i, the current arc length s.sub.i (track km) is calculated from the GPS coordinates and stored as a parameter.

[0034] According to the invention, FIG. 2 shows a track gauging trolley 7 having a wheel 10 pressed against the left rail 4. A GPS antenna 8 is mounted above it on the machine frame 9 at the height H.sub.A. On the underside of the machine frame 9 above the track gauging trolley 7 there is a laser scanner as a compensation scanner 6 with a scanning area β. The laser scanner scans over a ruler as a grid with center marking 5 which is set up on the track gauging trolley. From the scan data, the height H of the machine frame 9 above the track gauging trolley 7, the lateral displacement D of the gauging trolley 7 relative to the machine frame (e.g. in an arc) 9 and the differential angle α of the inclination of the gauging trolley to the machine frame can be calculated. With this data, the position H.sub.GPS, D.sub.GPS of the antenna 8 on the reference rail 10 can now be calculated. This allows the spatial track of the track to be specified in GPS coordinates or converted to Cartesian coordinates.

[0035] FIG. 3 shows schematically in the upper diagram the projection of the GPS spatial curve GPS.sub.xyist (or the INS spatial curve INS.sub.xyist) onto the xy-plane (the local image) 1 (dashed line). The solid line shows the calculated nominal geometry curve GPS.sub.xysoll (or INS.sub.xysoll). S denotes the arc length calculated from the GPS data of the GPS spatial curve 3 (or measured with odometer) and co-stored.

[0036] FIG. 4 shows the GPS spatial curve 3 (or INS spatial curve) in the upper diagram. This can be used, for example, to restore the absolute position defined via the optimization during future maintenance of the track position. For this purpose, for example, a compensation polynomial M (e.g. 2.sup.nd order with a=5-10 m length) is calculated over a range ±a of the spatial curve 3. The calculated coordinate at location LA is then specified as the absolute GPS coordinate GPS.sub.KOOLA. The distance of this nominal GPS coordinate to the actual GPS coordinate at LA is calculated as the deviation δ.sub.i. In the lower diagram, the nominal curvature pattern k.sub.solland the actual curvature pattern k.sub.ist are shown in the region of the transition arc start LA. The point LA is then known as GPS.sub.KOOLA in absolute coordinates.

[0037] FIG. 5 schematically shows the RTK-GPS receiver 11 with GPS antenna 8 and a radio antenna 12 and the radio connection with the RTK correction service RTK-KD. The RTK-GPS receiver is connected to a computing unit 13, to which a screen 16, a keyboard 17, a compensation scanner 6, an odometer 15, an inertial measurement unit INS and a control and regulation unit FPL are connected. The computing unit 13 calculates INS nominal curvature and nominal inclination images as well as lift and straightening correction values from the GPS data 11 and the INS data, respectively, and transmits these to the control and regulation unit FPL of a maintenance machine.

[0038] FIG. 6 shows schematically in the upper diagram the projection of the GPS spatial curve GPS.sub.yzist (or the INS.sub.yzist) onto the yz-plane (the longitudinal image) 2 as a dashed line. The solid line shows the calculated nominal inclination image GPS.sub.yzsoll (or INS.sub.yzsoll). S denotes the arc length calculated from the GPS data of the GPS spatial curve 3 (or the odometer in the case of an INS measurement) and co-stored. The lower diagram shows the actual inclination N.sub.ist from the longitudinal projection GPS.sub.yzist (or INS.sub.yzist) (dashed line) and Ni.sub.soll the nominal curvatures from the optimization calculation (solid line).