Title: Appliance, e.g. to measure rail geometry

An appliance is proposed with which a standard train wagon can be provided. For that the appliance is designed to be mounted to the automatic coupling of a standard tram wagon, preferably of a passenger train, to be substantially suspended by it.

As is known, this automatic coupling as present at the front and back of each locomotive and wagon of a train wagon, and with it the wagons are coupled to become a tram.

Thus the appliance is mounted externally from the train

(preferably at a distance from the cabin wall) , and can be used with an arbitrary train within the existing time schedule. This provides the following advantages: around the appliance there is "unobstructed sight" which is e.g. advantageous for wireless (radio) communication, e.g. for GPS or sight onto the ground, e.g. at the rails, or sight upwards, e.g. at the overhead supply lines/ electrical supply goes easily through the automatic coupling such that batteries are not required; mounting and demounting can be realised in an easy and quick manner; the coupling offers a robust, suspended platform; the distance to the machinist room is close and has little obstructions such that communication, e.g. wire less e.g. with a short range (thus difficult to tap) communication system, such as Wifi or Bluetooth, is possible and the machinist room can thus be used as control room.

Preferably the appliance is designed such that it can be coupled with an automatic train coupling that is not m use m a different sense, typically the coupling at the front or back of the tram. Preferably the back coupling is used, such that influences from the environment, such as wind, ram, insects, birds, to the appliance are limited, while no sight obstruction for the machinist is introduced.

Preferably the appliance is designed such that it is present at the top and/or free front of the automatic coupling. Preferably the appliance has dimensions and a weight such that it can be manipulated by a single person with merely manual power. The weight is for that e.g. 25 kg to a maximum and the appliance preferably fits m a cube with sides of 1 metre,

possibly while disregarding an antenna or other projecting part of relatively small dimensions. In any case the appliance measures such that it, mounted to the automatic coupling, remains within the profile of free space. The appliance is preferably substantially mounted to the automatic coupling such that it is centred and preferably has a relatively small profile relative to the train cabin, seen in frontal view.

Preferably the appliance is designed to be mounted to the automatic coupling in a hooking and/or clamping manner. Thus no tools are required for mounting and dismounting and said operations can be carried out quickly. E.g. the appliance is provided with hook and/or clamping parts. It is feasible that the appliance is provided with parts that co operate in a hooking or clamping manner with the parts of the automatic coupling that are designed to co operate in a hooking or clamping manner with parts of a according to the rules with it coupled, corresponding automatic coupling. Preferably the appliance is designed for a quick coupling with the automatic coupling, both mechanic and electric (for the supply) . The coupling is preferably designed for driving speeds above 50 or 100 km/hr, such that the appliance provides no limitations to the driving speed of the passengers train that is used within the typical time schedule. Preferably a rigid mechanical coupling between appliance and automatic coupling is realised. It will be appreciated that the appliance typically is completely carried by the automatic coupling. An own carriage to bear on the ground while in use at the automatic coupling is not required. An immediate contact between appliance and ground could e.g. be realised by a sensor of contact type. This will hardly if any offer mechanical support to the appliance.

The appliance can be of any feasible type and is preferably a measuring appliance. With it e.g. the driving comfort for the passengers can be measured by measuring accelerations at the automatic coupling. Although the invention is not limited to it, the system is particularly designed for interaction with the immediate environment of the track or element of it, such as a rail,

sleeper, ballast, overhead line or different civil or railway technical structure. Preferably the appliance is for that provided with one or more sensors or detectors. It comprises one or more of an acceleration sensor, gyroscope, GPS receiver, GSM communication system (e.g. to provide an inertial measuring system), antenna, sound and/or image recording device, e.g. video camera), distance and/or position measuring system (e.g. of contact less type, such as laser measuring system) . With GPS any wire less position determination system is meant, e.g. satellite supported, e.g. RTK-GPS. With GSM any system is meant for radio communication over large distance, preferably active in a, e.g. cellular, network, such as GPRS, UMTS or IRRIDIUM, e.g. with base stations located on earth and/or in space. The communication systems (such as WiFi or GSM) can be designed for uni or bidirectional communication. Preferably the system is designed such that the GPS receiver, or part of it, such as antenna, has a substantially fixed location relative to a sensor or detector of the system. E.g. the antenna is rigidly mounted to the housing and/or is inflexible. The sensors/detectors are preferably connected to an apparatus that belongs to the appliance, such as computer orf processor, to process the data coming from it.

In a non-limiting example the appliance is used to acquire information about the rail geometry. The appliance contains a laser measuring system, inertial measuring system, bidirectional WiFi communication and computer, housed in a common, weather proof housing above which a RTK-GPS antenna projects. With its quick coupling the appliance is mechanically and electrically coupled to the automatic coupling at the back of the train to provide with it a rigid union. Different from the automatic coupling the appliance is free from the train and the ground.

The antenna projects sufficiently high to be unobstructed to a minimum by the cabin of the train. With the inertial measuring system combined with RTK-GPS the geographic location of the instrument can be accurately determined. The laser measuring system continually or intermittently measures the

location of a rail relative to the appliance. Combination of the geographic location of the appliance and position of the rail relative to the appliance offers the geographic position of the rail- From that elevation, straightness, canting en different relevant parameters of the rail geometry are known.

Through the WiFi connection the appliance communicates with the machinist room. From said space the appliance can thus be controlled, such as started, stopped, data deletion or retrieval. Measuring data about the rail geometry are collected by the appliance while the train drives with the speed that is allowed for said part of the track (baanvaksnelheid) . The invention is also applicable to tram and subway. The appliance is properly suspended by mounting to the coupling, since the coupling is mounted by suspension to the wagon, the wagon is mounted by suspension to the carriage and the wheels riding at the track are mounted by suspension to the carriage, such that the appliance has a threefold suspension relative to the track. It has come out that this is particularly beneficial to be able to carry out measurements while advancing at high speed.

The appliance preferably has one or more of the following properties: in operation the appliance is approximately 3 metres high; the appliance can be retracted to a height of 1.75 or 1.5 metres to a maximum; if mounted to the coupling the lower side of the appliance is between 50 cm and 1 metre above the track; the antenna or mounting of it has such a rigidity that at the loads which the antenna bears in operation at advancing speeds of the train above 50 or 100 km/hr the location of the top of the antenna differs 5 or 2 or 1 millimetre, to a maximum, from the location it has during a stand still of the train; the antenna is a preferably inflexible and/or rod shaped body which during operation extends substantially straight up from the housing of the appliance and has a length of preferably 1.5 or 1.75 or 2 or 2.25 metres, to a minimum, e.g. for the part that projects above the housing of the appliance.

To the antenna preferably two, three or more a mutual angular spacing keeping stages are mounted which preferably

flexible pulling members preferably extend from the appliance inclined upward to the antenna and e.g. close to the top of the antenna are mounted to it, to rigidify the antenna. One or more of these stages can at an end be provided with a quick coupling for easy coupling and decoupling with the antenna or housing.

Preferably the antenna is permanently mounted to the housing of the appliance and/or is designed to be retractable. E.g. the antenna is telescoping or mounted to the housing by a hinge and/or is provided along its length with one or more hinges. The hinge preferably allows swivelling over an angle of not more than 180, 170 or 160 degrees. Most preferred is an antenna which is immovably mounted to the housing with a single hinge at a location between the housing and the top of the antenna, preferably approximately half way or between 0.4 and 0.6 of the height of the appliance in the operative attitude, such that when the antenna is retracted the height of the appliance is approximately halved.

In an example the antenna is with its basis rigidly fixed to the housing of the appliance and projects in operation from the housing straight upward. At the top of the antenna there are three stages permanently mounted. From the location of connection these stages extend inclined downward such that their distance from the antenna continually increases, while the mutually maintain an equal angular spacing. The stages are mounted to the housing of the appliance, wherein minimally or exactly one of the stages is mounted to the housing by a quick coupling. Thus a pulling tension is active in all stages in the operating condition. At a location between the top of the antenna and the housing the antenna has a pivot point that allows swivelling over a maximum angle with a value in the range between 160 and 180 degrees. By uncoupling the stage from the housing through its quick coupling, the tension is removed from all stages and the part of the antenna above the pivoting point can swivel around the pivoting point to retract the antenna.