Method and device for diagnosing a railroad switch with a point machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12005944-B2
Application number	US-202117527627-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2021
Priority date	Dec 4, 2020
Publication date	Jun 11, 2024
Grant date	Jun 11, 2024

Abstract

For diagnosing a railroad switch with a point machine, a first and a second time series of a sensor signal of the point machine are received. Moreover, changes in the first and the second time series are detected indicating changes of operational conditions of the point machine. Furthermore, an event point of a respective change in the first and in the second time series is allocated to a respective component of the railroad switch or of the point machine based on a simulation modelling the respective component. Then for a respective component: event points allocated to that respective component are identified, the sensor signal at a first identified event point in the first time series is compared with the sensor signal at a second identified event point in the second time series, and depending on the comparison a component-specific fault information and an identification of the respective component are output.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for diagnosing a railroad switch with a point machine, the method comprising:
a) receiving a first time series and a second time series of a sensor signal of the point machine, the sensor signal being sensitive to an operation of the point machine;
b) detecting changes in the first time series and the second time series indicating changes of operational conditions of the point machine;
c) allocating an event point of a respective change in the first time series and in the second time series to a respective component of the railroad switch or of the point machine based on a simulation modelling the respective component; and
d) for a respective component:
identifying event points allocated to the respective component;
comparing the sensor signal at a first identified event point in the first time series with the sensor signal at a second identified event point in the second time series; and
depending on the comparing, outputting a component-specific fault information and an identification of the respective component
wherein, at least one of:
(1) a mismatch between the sensor signal at the first identified event point and the sensor signal at the second identified event point is quantified, and from the quantified mismatch a quantified fault information is derived and output; and
(2) a dynamic time warping method is used to quantify a measure of a similarity between the first time series and the second time series, and from the quantified similarity measure a quantified fault in-formation is derived and output,

wherein at least one of the quantified mismatch and the quantified similarity is compared with a predetermined threshold to determine whether the respective component is damaged or not.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sensor signal specifies a drive current or a power consumption of the point machine.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein by the simulation an operation of a respective component and a corresponding time series of the sensor signal are simulated, for different components the corresponding time series are searched for component-individual patterns, and
from a respective component-individual pattern a characteristic event point is selected and allocated to the respective component.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mismatch between the sensor signal at the first identified event point and the sensor signal at the second identified event point is quantified, and
from the quantified mismatch the quantified fault information is derived and output, wherein the quantified mismatch is compared with the predetermined threshold to determine whether the respective component is damaged or not.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein:
the quantified mismatch is compared with a second predetermined threshold to determine whether a degradation of the respective component is gradual or sudden; and/or
from the quantified mismatch a severity of a damage, a root cause of the damage, a failure mode, a degradation, and/or a remaining useful lifetime of the respective component is determined.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the dynamic time warping method is used to quantify a measure of a similarity between the first time series and the second time series; and
from the quantified similarity measure the quantified fault in-formation is derived and output, wherein the quantified similarity is compared with the predetermined threshold to determine whether the respective component is damaged or not.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein:
the quantified similarity measure is compared with a second predetermined threshold to determine whether a degradation of the railroad switch or the point machine is gradual or sudden; and/or
from the quantified similarity measure a severity of a damage, a root cause of the damage, a failure mode, a degradation, and/or a remaining useful lifetime of the railroad switch or the point machine is determined.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second time series is regularly taken from a current operation of the point machine; and
the first time series is taken from a fault-free and/or historic operation period of the point machine, and/or from an operation immediately preceding the current operation.

9. A device for diagnosing a railroad switch with a point machine, configured to perform the a computer-implemented method for diagnosing the railroad switch with the point machine, the method comprising:
a) receiving a first time series and a second time series of a sensor signal of the point machine, the sensor signal being sensitive to an operation of the point machine;
b) detecting changes in the first time series and the second time series indicating changes of operational conditions of the point machine;
c) allocating an event point of a respective change in the first time series and in the second time series to a respective component of the railroad switch or of the point machine based on a simulation modelling the respective component; and
d) for a respective component:
identifying event points allocated to the respective component;
comparing the sensor signal at a first identified event point in the first time series with the sensor signal at a second identified event point in the second time series; and
depending on the comparing, outputting a component-specific fault information and an identification of the respective component
wherein, at least one of:
(1) a mismatch between the sensor signal at the first identified event point and the sensor signal at the second identified event point is quantified, and from the quantified mismatch a quantified fault information is derived and output; and
(2) a dynamic time warping method is used to quantify a measure of a similarity between the first time series and the second time series, and from the quantified similarity measure a quantified fault in-formation is derived and output,

wherein at least one of the quantified mismatch and the quantified similarity is compared with a predetermined threshold to determine whether the respective component is damaged or not.

10. A computer program product, comprising a computer readable hardware storage device having computer readable program code stored therein, said program code executable by a processor of a computer system to implement a computer-implemented method for diagnosing the railroad switch with the point machine, the method comprising:
a) receiving a first time series and a second time series of a sensor signal of the point machine, the sensor signal being sensitive to an operation of the point machine;
b) detecting changes in the first time series and the second time series indicating changes of operational conditions of the point machine;
c) allocating an event point of a respective change in the first time series and in the second time series to a respective component of the railroad switch or of the point machine based on a simulation modelling the respective component; and
d) for a respective component:
identifying event points allocated to the respective component;
comparing the sensor signal at a first identified event point in the first time series with the sensor signal at a second identified event point in the second time series; and
depending on the comparing, outputting a component-specific fault information and an identification of the respective component
wherein, at least one of:
(1) a mismatch between the sensor signal at the first identified event point and the sensor signal at the second identified event point is quantified, and from the quantified mismatch a quantified fault informa

Assignees

• Siemens Mobility GmbH

Inventors

• Khalil Mohamed
• Boschert Stefan
• Kouroudis Ioannis

Classifications

• B61L1/02

  Electric devices associated with track {, e.g. rail contacts} · CPC title

• B61L27/53 Primary

  for trackside elements or systems, e.g. trackside supervision of trackside control system conditions · CPC title

• B61L27/60 Primary

  Testing or simulation · CPC title