Sensor arrangement

Abstract

A sensor arrangement (20) comprises a wheel sensor (21) which is arranged to detect wheels of rail vehicles, a carrier (22), and a connector (23), wherein the wheel sensor (21) is fixed on the carrier (22), the connector (23) is fixed to the carrier (22), and the connector (23) is electrically connected with at least one electrical contact (24) of the wheel sensor (21).

Claims

1. A sensor arrangement, comprising: a wheel sensor which is arranged to detect wheels of rail vehicles; a carrier; and a connector, wherein: the wheel sensor is fixed on the carrier; the connector is fixed to the carrier and is in direct contact with the carrier; and the connector is for being electrically connected with at least one electrical contact of the wheel sensor.

2. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the sensor arrangement is configured to be fixed to a rail.

3. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the wheel sensor comprises an inductive sensor.

4. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the wheel sensor is fixed to the carrier by at least one screw and wherein the at least one screw is arranged at one side of the wheel sensor.

5. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the carrier comprises a first mounting part on which the wheel sensor is arranged.

6. The sensor arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the carrier comprises a second mounting part to which the connector is fixed.

7. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the connector is reversibly fixed to the carrier by at least one screw.

8. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the connector comprises an electrical contact.

9. The sensor arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the electrical contact is arranged closer to a bottom side of the carrier than the wheel sensor.

10. The sensor arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the connector comprises at least one hole in which a screw is arranged in such a way that the connector is fixed to the carrier.

11. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the connector comprises a female plug which faces a bottom side of the wheel sensor.

12. The sensor arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the wheel sensor comprises a male plug at the bottom side of the wheel sensor.

13. The sensor arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the bottom side of the wheel sensor faces a part of the carrier.

14. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a power cable is electrically connected to the connector.

15. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the connector is fixed to the carrier independently from the wheel sensor.

16. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the connector is reversibly fixed to the carrier.

17. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the connector further comprises at least one plug.

18. The sensor arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the connector is arranged at least partially within a recess or a hole of the carrier.

19. A sensor arrangement, comprising: a wheel sensor which is arranged to detect wheels of rail vehicles; a carrier; and a connector, wherein: the wheel sensor is fixed on the carrier; the connector is fixed to the carrier; and the connector is for being electrically connected with at least one electrical contact of the wheel sensor, wherein the carrier comprises: a first mounting part on which the wheel sensor is arranged; and a second mounting part to which the connector is fixed, and wherein the first mounting part extends parallel to a first plane which encloses an angle of greater than zero degrees with a second plane, and the second mounting part extends parallel to the second plane.

20. A sensor arrangement, comprising: a wheel sensor which is arranged to detect wheels of rail vehicles; a carrier; and a connector comprising: an electrical contact; and at least one hole in which a screw is arranged in such a way that the connector is fixed to the carrier, wherein: the wheel sensor is fixed on the carrier; the connector is fixed to the carrier; and the connector is for being electrically connected with at least one electrical contact of the wheel sensor.

Description

(1) The following description of figures may further illustrate and explain exemplary embodiments. Components that are functionally identical or have an identical effect are denoted by identical references. Identical or effectively identical components might be described only with respect to the figures where they occur first. Their description is not necessarily repeated in successive figures.

(2) In FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C an exemplary embodiment of a sensor arrangement is shown.

(3) In FIG. 2 a side view of a further exemplary embodiment of a sensor arrangement is shown.

(4) FIG. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of a carrier.

(5) With FIG. 4 an exemplary embodiment of a wheel sensor is described.

(6) In FIG. 5 an exemplary embodiment of a connector is shown.

(7) In FIG. 1A an exemplary embodiment of a sensor arrangement 20 is shown. The sensor arrangement 20 is fixed to a rail 25 via a clamp part 34 which is comprised by the sensor arrangement 20. The sensor arrangement 20 comprises a wheel sensor 21 which is arranged to detect wheels of rail vehicles. The wheel sensor 21 comprises two inductive sensors. The wheel sensor 21 is fixed on a carrier 22 of the sensor arrangement 20. The carrier 22 is fixed to the clamp part 34. For this purpose the carrier 22 comprises two holes 30 in which each a screw 26 is arranged to fix the carrier 22 to the clamp part 34. The two holes 30 in the carrier 22 have an elongated shape such that the position of the carrier 22 relative to the clamp part 34 can be adjusted to different heights. This means, by adjusting the position of the carrier 22 relative to the clamp part 34, the position of the wheel sensor 21 relative to the rail 25 can be adjusted.

(8) The sensor arrangement 20 further comprises a connector 23. The connector 23 is fixed to the carrier 22. For this purpose the connector 23 comprises two holes 30 in which each a screw 26 can be arranged to fix the connector 23 to the carrier 22. The carrier 22 comprises two holes 30 as well in which the two screws 26 are arranged. This means, the connector 23 is reversibly fixed to the carrier 22 by the two screws 26. The connector 23 further comprises an electrical contact 29. The two holes 30 of the connector 23 are arranged on opposite sides of the electrical contact 29. The electrical contact 29 is arranged on a side of the carrier 22 which faces away from the rail 25. A power cable 33 can be electrically connected to the electrical contact 29.

(9) The electrical contact 29 is arranged closer to a bottom side 32 of the carrier 22 than the wheel sensor 21. The bottom side 32 of the carrier 22 is the side of the carrier 22 which is the closest to the ground on which the sensor arrangement 20 is arranged. The bottom side 32 of the carrier 22 can be the side at which the clamp part 34 is arranged. This means, the electrical contact 29 is arranged at a lower position than the wheel sensor 21. Therefore, it is less likely that parts hanging down from a passing rail vehicle or humans or animals walking on the railway track get in contact with the power cable 33 which is connected to the electrical contact 29 of the connector 23.

(10) The connector 23 is electrically connected with electrical contacts 24 of the wheel sensor 21. This connection is not visible in FIG. 1. The electrical contacts 24 of the wheel sensor 21 are arranged at a bottom side 32 of the wheel sensor 21, where the bottom side 32 faces the clamp part 34. The carrier 22 comprises a hole 30 through which the connector 23 extends towards the wheel sensor 21.

(11) In FIG. 1B a side view on the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A is shown. The clamp part 34 extends below the rail 25 and is fixed to the rail 25 at both sides of the rail 25. The carrier 22 comprises a first mounting part 27 on which the wheel sensor 21 is arranged. This means, the bottom side 32 of the wheel sensor 21 is in direct contact with the first mounting part 27. The carrier 22 further comprises a second mounting part 28 to which the connector 23 is fixed. The first mounting part 27 and the second mounting part 28 are integrally connected with each other. The first mounting part 27 extends parallel to a first plane and the second mounting part 28 extends parallel to a second plane. The first plane encloses an angle of greater than zero degrees with the second plane. The first plane can enclose an angle of at least 90 with the second plane.

(12) In FIG. 1C a further side view on the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A is shown. The viewing direction in FIG. 1C is rotated by 90 to the viewing direction in FIG. 1B. The connector 23 is fixed to the carrier 22 by two screws 26 which are arranged on opposite sides of the electrical contact 29. The two screws 26 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the electrical contact 29.

(13) In FIG. 2 a further exemplary embodiment of the sensor arrangement 20 is shown. The clamp part 34 is fixed to the rail 25 by clamping the rail 25 from below. The rail 25 is not shown in FIG. 2. The clamp part 34 comprises two screws 26 which extend below the rail 25. The carrier 22 is fixed to the clamp part 34 by two screws 26 which extend through the two holes 30. The connector 23 is fixed to the carrier 22 by two screws 26 which are arranged on opposite sides of the electrical contact 29. A power cable 33 is connected to the electrical contact 29 of the connector 23. This means, the power cable 33 is electrically connected to the connector 23. The wheel sensor 21 is fixed to the carrier 22 by at least one screw 26. The carrier 22 comprises a hole 30 in the first mounting part 27 through which the screw 26 for fixing the wheel sensor 21 extends. The wheel sensor 21 can be fixed to the carrier 22 by two screws 26. The screws 26 for fixing the wheel sensor 21 to the carrier 22 are arranged at the bottom side 32 of the wheel sensor 21. This means, the bottom side 32 of the wheel sensor 21 faces a part of the carrier 22, namely the first mounting part 27.

(14) In FIG. 3 an exemplary embodiment of the carrier 22 is shown. The carrier 22 comprises the first mounting part 27 in which four holes 30 are arranged in order to fix the wheel sensor 21 to the carrier 22 by screws 26. The second mounting part 28 of the carrier 22 comprises an elongated hole 30 through which the connector 23 extends when mounted. Next to the elongated hole 30 for the connector 23 two holes 30 are arranged in order to fix the connector 23 by two screws 26 to the carrier 22. As the wheel sensor 21 and the connector 23 are fixed to the carrier 22 at different positions, both components can be mounted and removed independently from each other. The carrier 22 further comprises two elongated holes 30 which are arranged on opposite sides of the hole 30 for the connector 23. In the two elongated holes 30 two screws 26 can be arranged to fix the carrier 22 to the clamp part 34. The first mounting part 27 and the second mounting part 28 enclose an angle of at least 90.

(15) In FIG. 4 an exemplary embodiment of the wheel sensor 21 is shown. At the bottom side 32 the wheel sensor 21 comprises two holes 30 for fixing the wheel sensor 21 to the carrier 22 via screws 26. Between the two holes 30 the wheel sensor 21 comprises a further hole 30 in which electrical contacts 24 of the wheel sensor 21 are arranged. The electrical contacts 24 are formed as a male plug.

(16) In FIG. 5 an exemplary embodiment of the connector 23 is shown. The connector 23 comprises two holes 30 in which screws 26 can be arranged to fix the connector 23 to the carrier 22. The connector 23 further comprises the electrical contact 29. The two holes 30 are arranged on opposite sides of the electrical contact 29. The connector 23 further comprises a female plug 31 which faces the bottom side 32 of the wheel sensor 21 when mounted in the sensor arrangement 20. The female plug 31 is configured to be electrically connected to the male plug of the wheel sensor 21. The female plug 31 comprises eight electrical contacts 24. The female plug 31 is arranged in a cylinder shaped part 40 of the connector 23. The cylinder shaped part 40 comprises two recesses which extend along the circumference of the cylinder shaped part 40. The cylinder shaped part 40 is configured to fit into the hole 30 in which the male plug of the wheel sensor 21 is arranged. In the recesses sealing rings 41 or gaskets are arranged in order to protect the electrical connection between the wheel sensor 21 and the connector 23 against humidity. The cylinder shaped part 40 further comprises protrusions 42 in order to provide reverse-polarity protection.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

(17) 20: sensor arrangement 21: wheel sensor 22: carrier 23: connector 24: electrical contact 25: rail 26: screw 27: first mounting part 28: second mounting part 29: electrical contact 30: hole 31: female plug 32: bottom side 33: power cable 34: clamp part 40: cylinder shaped part 41: sealing ring 42: protrusion