The present invention relates to a control device for continuous diagnostics of the railway infrastructure.

Railway infrastructure means the structure defined by two side-by-side rails defining a track which in turn defines a route for a railway locomotion 5 means. The rails are defined by a number of elements (straight, curved and the like) welded together.

The rails thus defined are subject to a number of potentially harmful events during the year. The continuous passage of vehicles during the day, the expansion and contraction due to the different temperatures in the various io seasons and the different hours of the day are just some of the causes that can lead to a break or the formation of cracks or other similar undesired defects. In particular, such “anomalies” may occur near the aforementioned junction points and/or other portions of the elements which form the rail such as, for example, the rail span itself.

15 Unfortunately, such anomalies can lead to minor damage or inconvenience to the circulation of railway locomotion means as well as to much worse situations such as, for example, derailments of the aforementioned locomotion means.

To date, cyclic control systems are known such as, for example, the use of 2 0 a diagnostic train, i.e., a railway locomotion means configured to measure the tracks in order to verify the status and integrity thereof, or for example the cyclical intervention of technicians who can use measurement means which allow to evaluate the extent of the possible defect.

However, the above solutions have several critical issues. Such solutions 2 5 involve cyclical interventions and therefore between tests the rail is not diagnosed on events which may occur (and which would therefore be known after a certain period between interventions). Furthermore, such solutions may involve disturbances to the normal circulation of railway vehicles. In other words, with the passage of a diagnostic means and/or technicians on a given route, there will be problems with the normal circulation of the other means.

Furthermore, given the frequency of these checks, it is not possible to carry out any type of predictive diagnostics.

Other critical issues may arise, for example, in the case of a diagnostic train which presents anomalies and may not identify the defect, as well as in the event of delays or other problems for which it may not depart, perform the diagnosis with high time intervals which cannot therefore guarantee a diagnosis of the desired railway infrastructure. With regard to the example of the technicians, human intervention, by its nature, can be subject to undesired errors such as possible forgetfulness by technicians or diagnostics which are not carried out as precisely as possible.

In other words, one of the problems emerging from the prior art is a discontinuous control which can lead to both mild and disastrous events of a completely undesirable nature.

The use of sensors configured to control the rail so as to obtain the data necessary for the technicians to identify the presence or otherwise of the crack is known. Such sensors can be used on-site so that a technician who intervenes cyclically can recover the data necessary to identify a possible defect. Nevertheless, such sensors may have critical issues which would affect the reliability thereof.

For example, sensors are known which can be fixed by drilling directly into the rail. In the case of a check carried out after a disastrous event has already occurred (therefore in the case of corrective maintenance), this application is almost natural as it must intervene on an already damaged rail, but in the case where it is intended to carry out a diagnostic before the occurrence of any failure, this intervention is particularly delicate and could lead to the formation of defects. Alternatively, fixing systems are known by gluing (for example by means of the use of mastic) which allow the sensor to be interfaced to the rail without having to intervene destructively thereon. Nevertheless, the use of mastic does not guarantee an adequate reading by the sensor, and moreover the mastic itself does not hold up long enough to perform a diagnostic also for prolonged intervals of time. In other words, the sensors applied by gluing cannot remain glued to the rail for the time necessary to perform the diagnostics and also require high installation times.

The technical task of the present invention is therefore to provide a control device for continuous diagnostics of the railway infrastructure which is able to overcome the drawbacks arisen from the known art mentioned above. The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a control device for continuous diagnosis of the railway infrastructure which allows to obtain an accurate and effective diagnosis about the conditions of the railway infrastructure.

Furthermore, an object of the present invention is to provide a control device for continuous diagnosis of the railway infrastructure which allows a simplified and non-invasive installation of the device itself to the railway infrastructure.

A further object of the present invention is therefore to provide a control device for continuous diagnosis of the railway infrastructure which allows to precisely identify where an anomaly is present.

The specified technical task and the specified aims are substantially achieved by a control device for continuous diagnostics of the railway infrastructure, comprising the technical specifications set out in one or more of the appended claims. The dependent claims correspond to possible embodiments of the invention.

In particular, the present invention involves providing a control device for continuous diagnostics of the railway infrastructure comprising a main body shaped and sized so as to be positioned between a mushroom shaped portion and a base portion of a rail, at least one sensor element configured for the continuous monitoring of the rail in order to obtain monitoring data and a central processing unit configured to send the monitoring data to a peripheral unit configured to communicate with the control device. The main body is equipped with means for fast connection and removal of the control device to the rail.

Further features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the description of a exemplary, but not exclusive, and therefore non-limiting preferred embodiment of a control device.

Such description will be set out hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings given only for illustrative and, therefore, non limiting purpose, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a control device which forms the object of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic representation of an operation of the control device of figure 1 ;

With reference to the accompanying figures, 1 refers overall to a control device for continuous diagnostics of the railway infrastructure which, for the sake of disclosure simplicity, will be indicated hereinafter as device 1. Railway infrastructure “F” means the structure defined by two side-by-side rails “R” defining a track which in turn defines a route for a railway locomotion means. The rails “R” are defined by a number of elements (straight, curved and the like) welded together (the term elements may be understood as beams or other elements used to make the rail “R”).

In figure 1 , a rail “R” of a track has been schematically defined. The rail “R” comprises a mushroom-shaped portion “RF”, defining a rolling surface of the wheel of a railway vehicle, a base portion “RS”, defining a support portion of the rail “R”, and a stem portion “RG” developing between the mushroom-shaped portion “RF” and the base portion “RS”. The rail “R” thus described defines a groove “G”, defined between the mushroom shaped portion “RF” and the base portion “RS”. The rail “R” shown in figure 1 is of the vignole type but, for the purposes of the present disclosure and invention, the rail “R” may be of any type (such as a rail “R” of the “Phoenix” or “filled groove” type).

The device 1 comprises a main body 2 shaped and sized so as to be positioned between the mushroom-shaped portion “RF” and the base portion “RS” of the rail “R”. Advantageously, the main body 2 has dimensional features such as to reduce the overall dimensions thereof so as not to remain involved in the normal operation of any railway vehicle (be it a train or other similar vehicle).

Preferably, the main body 2 develops parallel to the rail “R”. In other words, the main body 2 has a main development direction or surface parallel to the rail “R”.

Preferably, the main body 2 has a cross section contained in the groove “G” (such as for example shown in figure 1). Therefore, the main body 2 may have any size or main development surface but such dimensions must be such that it is contained within the groove “G” (i.e. , within the extension of the mushroom-shaped portion “RF”).

Preferably, and as represented in figure 1 , the cross section has a transversal size “T1” which is smaller than a transversal size “T2” of the mushroom-shaped portion “RF” of the rail “R”.

Advantageously, the transversal size “T1” of the main body 2 (i.e., the device 1) allows to avoid mechanical interference with the passage of the rolling stock (i.e., the railway vehicle/means).

Preferably, the main body 2 is made of aluminum which is a sufficiently robust material for outdoor installations and which also ensures an operating ambient temperature between -25 and +70°C. Alternatively, the main body 2 may be made of stainless steel.

The device 1 further comprises at least one sensor element 3 configured for the continuous monitoring of the rail “R” in order to obtain monitoring data. The sensor element 3 is contained within the main body 2 which therefore defines a containment body for the components of the device 1 itself. Preferably, the sensor element 3 is made in the form of a passive ultrasonic sensor configured to detect emissions associated with the formation of a defect. In other words, the sensor element 3 (when the device 1 is installed on the rail “R”) is configured to constantly “listen” to the rail “R” so as to measure/perceive the emissions generated upon the formation of any type of defect in the rail “R” (or in a specific section of rail “R”).

The control device 1 (i.e., the sensor element 3) may be configured to monitor the rail “R” near a portion of the rail “R” related to an installation point of the control device 2 on the rail “R”.

Preferably, the control device 1 is installed near a respective junction point of the rail “R” or a welding point of the rail “R”.

Therefore, the control device 1 is configured to perform a “short range” type diagnostic. To identify this type of diagnostic, it has been indicated in figure 2 with the symbol “SR” related to a representative (and therefore non-limiting) extension of the limits within which to start this type of “short range” diagnostic.

The control device 1 (i.e., the sensor element 3) can be configured to monitor a portion of rail “R” between two welding points of rail “R” defining a span “C” of rail “R” itself.

Therefore, the control device 1 is configured to perform a “long range” type diagnostic. Since the span “C” can also be several tens of meters long and therefore defines an area between two joints of the rail “R”, the control device 1 is therefore configured to work at such distances. In figure 2, the entire extension of the span “C” is indicated as a “long range” diagnostic area, but it should be underlined that this area can also be represented by reduced intervals comprised in the span “C”. For example, a reduced range of the span “C” can be understood as a diagnostic range which does not take into account portions already diagnosed by the “short range” type diagnostic and schematically identified in figure 2 with the symbol

“Of ” Preferably, the control device 1 defines a distance between the control device 1 itself and any defect (if present). Thereby, among the monitoring data there are also spatial data related to where to identify the crack (or other defect) along the entire length of the span “C” with respect to where the control device 1 is located.

The control device 1 can also perform “short range” type diagnostics and “long range” type diagnostics simultaneously.

That is, the control device 1 is configured to perform a continuous diagnostic check of the critical points of the rail “R” (i.e. , of the railway infrastructure “F”). The term critical points refers to those areas of the rail “R” which suffer continuous stresses due to external events such as the passage of trains or other railway vehicles or the increase in heat with the consequent expansion of the rail “R” itself.

The control device 1 further comprises a central processing unit 4 configured to send the monitoring data to a peripheral unit (not shown) configured to communicate with the control device 1 itself.

Preferably, the central processing unit 4 is equipped with a wireless communication system 5. Thereby, the central processing unit 4 allows the device 1 to communicate with other devices (such as a tablet, a smartphone or the aforementioned peripheral unit).

Advantageously, the use of the wireless communication system 5 allows to further reduce the overall dimensions of the device 1. In other words, the device 1 is free of wiring which would otherwise create unwanted dimensions.

Preferably, the central processing unit is also configured to realize a communication between the control device 1 and further control devices 1 installed along the rail (as for example shown in figure 2). Each control device 1 is configured to perform a “short range” and/or “long range” type diagnostic pertaining to elements aligned with each other and joined to define the rail “R”.

Thereby, the control devices 1 are able to communicate with each other so as to precisely identify where possible the defects of the rail “R” (cracks and the like) are located. For example, two control devices 1 located at the ends of the same element (i.e., at the respective junction/welding points of the rail “R”) are able to communicate with each other so as to identify whether the crack or other defect is closer to one sensor or the other. If the defect is in the middle of the two control devices 1 (i.e., in the middle of the span “C”), for example, both control devices 1 would simultaneously send a datum related to the defect indicating the location thereof precisely and unequivocally.

Preferably, the central processing unit 4 is further configured to discriminate the background noise of the monitoring data if a defect has been detected. For example, it is possible that the passage of a train can stress the sensor element 3 of the control devices 1 and cause an incorrect reading of the status of the rail “R” (i.e., a diagnostic corrupted by the passage of the train) to occur and the central processing unit 4 is therefore configured so that such noise is discriminated so that other units, with which the device 1 is in communication, do not signal a false alarm, going to analyse the data received in real time.

Preferably, the control device 1 can be placed in communication with a user interface device so as to perform a calibration.

The control device 1 (i.e. the main body 2) is equipped with means for fast connection and removal 6 of the control device 1 to the rail “R”. In other words, the main body 2 is equipped, as a function of the size and shape of the main body 2 with respect to the groove “G”, the aforementioned means 6 in number, shape and size suitable for realizing the reversible connection of the control device 1 to the rail “R”.

Preferably, the means for fast connection and removal 6 of the control device 1 comprise permanent magnets configured to connect the main body 2 to the mushroom-shaped portion “RF” and/or the base portion “RS” and/or the stem portion “RG” of the rail “R”. In other words, as a function of the size and shape of the main body 2, the means for fast connection and removal 6 may be used to connect the control device 1 to one or more of the portions of rail “R” with which the device 1 may interact without creating encumbrances and above all without having to make changes to the track.

Preferably, the device 1 also comprises means for self-feeding (not represented) configured to store stored energy by exploiting vibrations and/or temperature changes of the rail “R”.

In other words, the control device 1 may be provided with energy harvesting/power harvesting systems which define accumulators which exploit the vibrations of the rails “R” and/or temperature changes to obtain energy. Preferably, the energy can be obtained from the forms of stray energy present in the work environment. Furthermore, the energy generated is stored with age-tolerant technologies such as, for example, supercapacitors (power storage)

Advantageously, the device 1 disclosed above allows to overcome the problems resulting from the prior art.

Advantageously, the device 1 is preferably usable in a diagnostic system and to communicate the monitoring data to the other elements of the system (such as the peripheral units).

Advantageously, since the device 1 is as if it were battery powered and since it is provided with a wireless communication interface to other elements of a diagnostic system to which the device 1 belongs (with which the device 1 signals the type of defect and the kilometric position along the rail “R”), no wiring activity is necessary for installation.

Furthermore, the use of the means for the fast connection and removal 6 to the rail “R” allows to avoid having to make mechanical changes to the rail “R”.

Furthermore, the device 1 (i.e., the main body 2) has dimensions such as to avoid mechanical interference with the passage of railway vehicles. Advantageously, the device 1 may communicate once the non-destructive check has been performed when the train passes in order to reduce energy consumption.

Advantageously, the device 1 allows to obtain an accurate and effective diagnostic about the conditions of the railway infrastructure “F”.

Advantageously, the device 1 allows a simplified and non-invasive installation of the device 1 itself to the railway infrastructure “F”. Advantageously, the device 1 allows to precisely identify where an anomaly is present.