Wheels and rails: inspection during operation
High speeds, constant vibrations and tough environmental conditions: Rails and wheels used in railway engineering are subject to high stresses. At the same time, they guarantee a smooth ride and great comfort. To prevent accidents and ensure safe and reliable operation, it is crucial to identify wear and damage to rail profiles and wheel rims at an early stage. Renowned manufacturers of measurement and inspection systems therefore rely on Photonfocus embedded vision systems. They are used in stationary wheel measurement systems and for production inspections, as well as in mobile solutions, such as for surveying points or sections of the track with test trains.
Laser triangulation is used for rapid three-dimensional measurement and inspection: A laser line is projected onto the workpiece being inspected, and a camera records the height offset of the line in pixels. When entire objects are scanned using this method, the individual light sections can be combined to form a three-dimensional measurement result. The Photonfocus 3D sensors and intelligent embedded vision solutions with onboard data processing are ideally suited for measuring rails, wheels, and brakes in railway technology. They combine high-speed image sensors with subpixel-accurate real-time calculation of the laser line’s position, thereby achieving extremely high triangulation rates. As a result, robust and cost-effective triangulation systems with one or more cameras can be implemented.
Recommended camera features
The following camera features are typically required for this application: