Method of positioning an apparatus for fixedly embedding in a subgrade the structural members of erected structure and apparatus for fixedly embedding such structural members using that positioning method

(21) Filing Number: 348968 (51) Int.Cl.

E01B 29/32 (2006.01) E01B 35/02 (2006.01)

Patent Office of the Republic of Poland (22) Date of filing: 31.07.2001

The patent description has been reprinted due to the errors noted

<td colspan="2">₍₅₄₎ Kit for embedding at least one element in the substrate⁽⁵⁴⁾ and a method for guiding a rail vehicle of the assembly</td>

<td>(30) Priority: 2000-08-01, FR, 0010120</td><td>(73) The right holder of the patent: Alstom, Paris, FR</td>

<td>(43) Application was announced: February 11, 2002 BUP 04/02</td><td>(72) Inventor (s): IAN ROBERTSON, Andrezy, FR JEAN EHRSAM, Clamart, FR</td>

<td>(45) The grant of the patent was announced:</td><td rowspan="2">(74) Representative: item. stalemate. Katarzyna Karcz</td>

<td>May 31, 2012 WUP 05/12</td>

PL 211 342 B1

Description of the invention

The present invention relates to an assembly for embedding at least one element in the ground and a method for guiding a rail vehicle of this assembly.

In particular, the invention relates to a guiding method for guiding a device of the type described in patent application EP 0803609 for mounting rail pads used in the construction of a railway track, this device enabling the mounting of the rail pads in specific positions, determined with an accuracy of less than 1 millimeter.

From the patent description EP 803 609 a device for embedding rail chocks in concrete is known, which makes it possible to build a railway track quickly and cheaply. However, in order for the device to work effectively, it requires very precise positioning so that the positions of the mounted rail washers are sufficiently accurate. Currently known deposition devices work with guide rails laid on the construction site, previously installed along the route of the railway line, according to fixed reference points and geodetic measurements. These rails constitute a reference system for the positioning of the rail washer seating device.

However, the known methods involving the on-site laying of guide rails along the track have the substantial disadvantage that they are complicated and time-consuming, and thus significantly slow down the railway track construction process. Moreover, in order to obtain a good positioning accuracy of the deposition device, it is necessary that the ground on which the guide rails are laid on site is properly stabilized to prevent movement of the guide rails under the load exerted by the support points of the deposition device during its positioning. In addition, normal site work may cause the guide rails to move accidentally.

The object of the present invention is to remedy the above drawbacks by providing a guidance assembly and method that enables the rail vehicle to quickly and accurately embed elements into the ground. The method according to the invention is cheap and easy to use.

The inventive kit serves for embedding in the substrate at least one element comprising a rail vehicle and at least one measuring station.

The kit according to the invention is characterized in that

- the rail vehicle includes an arm displaced and rotated by a controller in relation to three mutually perpendicular axes, the arm supporting elements embedded in the ground and equipped with at least one mirror, the measuring station is equipped with laser optical measurement means that cooperate with a mirror mounted on the vehicle, which is adapted to receive data from the measuring station and determine the position in three-dimensional space of the elements and the arm based on the precise determination of the distance and angle between the mirror and the measuring station, furthermore the rail vehicle comprises an on-board computer adapted to receive data from the measuring station and calculate the position of the vehicle and the arm as a function of data from the measuring station,

the rail vehicle comprises an on-board controller connected to a computer adapted to control the displacement of the vehicle and the arm for the elements to be embedded in the ground at predetermined locations depending on the signals sent by the computer to the controller.

Preferably, the rail vehicle comprises driving and / or steerable wheels or a crawler undercarriage enabling the vehicle to move autonomously, the undercarriage of the vehicle also being provided with a mirror.

Also preferably, said elements are rail washers for supporting railroad rails embedded in the concrete slab before bracing it.

The method according to the invention relates to the guiding of a rail vehicle with a set embedding elements of the performed structure in the ground, in which the vehicle is guided according to topographic points.

The method according to the invention is characterized in that

- topographic points are determined along the structure being performed and the coordinates of these points in the reference system are determined,

- the measuring station is set up in the vicinity of the construction being made and the coordinates of the measuring station are determined in relation to at least one topographic point, and then

PL 211 342 B1

- the distance and angle between the rail vehicle and the measuring station are determined by means of laser optical measuring means of the measuring station,

- data on the measured distance and known position of the measuring station are sent to a computer by means of the measuring station and the position of the rail vehicle is calculated by means of the computer from the measured distance and the known position of the measuring station, then

the rail vehicle is moved by its on-board controller as a function of the calculated position of the vehicle, placing elements supported by the vehicle substantially along the axis of seating at predetermined positions, the coordinates of which are stored in a computer memory.

Preferably, measurements are made at various reference points along the structure being constructed and in that as the rail vehicle moves, the measuring station is moved between the measuring points, maximizing the accuracy of the calculations performed by the measuring station.

Also preferably, two consecutive measuring points are set at a distance which is in the range from 50 m to 100 m, which gives an accuracy of measuring the position of the elements below 1 mm.

Preferably, a railroad structure is made and the elements are rail pads supporting the rails, the rail pads being embedded in the concrete slab before the slab sets.

The subject matter of the invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment in the drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a rail pad mounting set for supporting rail rails using the prior art guidance method; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a rail pad mounting assembly using a guidance method according to a specific embodiment of the invention; fig. 3 is a schematic plan view of the rail pad seating assembly shown in Figure 2 at a curve in a railroad track; Fig. 4 is a detail view of the driven arm of the rail pad seating assembly shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 shows an example of a rail pad that may be used to build a railroad track.

For the sake of clarity of the drawing, only those elements necessary for understanding the present invention are shown in the figures.

Fig. 1 shows a rail vehicle 11 for carrying a rail pad seating set which is guided in a manner known in the art, the set being placed above the concrete slab of the track 10 before the concrete sets. In fig. 1 The rail vehicle 11 for mounting the rail pads along the rail track is guided by means of two on-site guide rails 12 on both sides of the concrete slab 10 as reference points for vehicle positioning 11. The vehicle 11 for mounting the rail washers is equipped with a wheel 13 supporting the vehicle 11 on the rails 12, which rests on the upper surface of one of the guide rails 12 and acts as a reference point with respect to the mounting axis Z, and further with two wheels 13 resting on the edges, on both sides of the other. guide rail 12, fixing the position of the vehicle 11 in the X, Y plane, perpendicular to the mounting axis Z.

Such a deposition method has the disadvantage that the on-site guide rails have to be arranged in advance, using a complicated and time-consuming process, which significantly slows down the progress of construction works related to the construction of the railway track.

Figures 2 and 3 show a rail vehicle 1 for the seating of rail pads 2 guided along a railroad track using a specific embodiment of the guidance method according to the invention.

In FIG. 2, the mounting kit for mounting the rail pads 2 comprises a rail vehicle 1 installed on four wheels, two of which are steerable and the other two are driving wheels, which allows the vehicle to move autonomously in a certain direction. The vehicle comprises a rear face provided with an arm 5 which can be driven to shift and rotate about three perpendicular axes X, Y and Z, and which is equipped with a mechanism allowing very precise movements to be realized.

The arm 5, shown separately in Fig. 4, is substantially H-shaped and supports on the lower side two cylinders 6, at the ends of which are fitted corresponding rail washers 2 intended to be embedded in a freshly poured concrete slab, the rail washers 2 being held by away from each other by shoulder 5 at a distance that corresponds to the track width that

PL 211 342 B1 is to be laid. The arm 5 is equipped with two angle indicators (not shown) which continuously measure the orientation of the arm 5 with respect to the X and Y axes.

The rail washers 2, one of which is shown in Fig. 5, are conventional rail washers and include a plate 21 made of a rigid material such as cast iron, and a pair of retaining means 22 each including a threaded pin enabling the rail to be attached to the rail washer 2 at the same time. with the help of nuts. The rail pad 2 also includes two substantially cylindrical mounting bolts 23 ensuring that the rail pad will be fixed in the concrete slab 10 after bracing the concrete.

In Fig. 4 it can be seen that the arm 5 has at the rear three mirrors 7 intended to cooperate with the measuring station 3 positioned next to the railway track under construction. The mirror 7 is also mounted on the roof of the rail vehicle 1.

The measuring station 3, located next to the route of the railway track under construction, is installed on a tripod placed vertically above the measuring point 8. The measuring station 3 includes a laser rangefinder equipped with a light source and a light receiver allowing for a very accurate measurement of the distance and angle between the measuring station and the set mirrors installed on the arm 5 and the rail vehicle 1. The laser measuring device used is, for example, the one sold under the name Leica with the number TC / TCA 2003.

The measuring station 3 also comprises a radio transmitter 9, which transmits the results of measurements carried out at any time by the laser device to the receiver 30 installed on the vehicle 1. The receiver 30 of the rail vehicle 1 is connected to a computer 31 that is located on the vehicle 1 and calculates the exact position. arm 5, expressed in three coordinates (3D), on the basis of information sent from measuring station 3 and the known position of the measuring point 8. The computer 31 is connected to a controller (not shown) that controls the displacement of the arm 5 and the actuators 6, and controls the motors for displacing and controlling the vehicle.

The method of guiding the rail pad seating set is described below.

Fig. 3 shows how, prior to the step of placing the rail pads 2, along the route of the railway track, a plurality of measuring points spaced at intervals of 50 to 100 m are determined and are designated with the number 8.

On the day on which the rail pads 2 are to be mounted, the mounting vehicle 1 is positioned over that part of the track where the concrete slab 10 has just been poured and the concrete has not yet set. When the rail vehicle 1 is in the starting position, the measuring station 3 is set at the nearest measuring point 8 so that the rear part of the vehicle 1, in particular the mirrors 7 of the arm 5 and the vehicle 1, can be seen from it. Measuring station 3 is positioned very precisely at point 8 by positioning it above point 8, and the X, Y, Z coordinates of measuring station 3 are determined by measuring the vertical distance between the measuring station and point 8 with a staff. In another embodiment of the method according to the invention, the measuring station 3 can alternatively be placed at any point in the vicinity of the railway track so that mirrors 7 can be seen from it. The X, Y, Z coordinates of measuring station 3 are then determined by observing various known measuring points, precisely determining the position of measuring station 3 on the basis of the measured distances and angles.

When the position of the measuring station 3 is known, the laser rangefinder is directed towards the rear surface of the vehicle 1, so that it can measure the distance and angle between its position and the position of each of the mirrors 7, in particular the mirror 7 located on the roof of the vehicle 1.

The measurement results are immediately transmitted by radio from the transmitter 9 to a computer 31 located on board the rail vehicle 1, which computer then calculates the exact position of the vehicle 1 in three-dimensional space, based on the data sent from the measuring station 3, and on the basis of the known position of the measuring station. 3.

Since the exact coordinates of the points where the rail pads 2 should be placed have been stored in the memory of the computer 31, the computer 31 calculates on the basis of these points and the position of the vehicle 1 determined by the station, the distance between the arm 5 and the point where the next one is to be placed. rail pad 2, the arm in the rest position, from which it can move by several centimeters, maintaining six degrees of freedom. Based on this distance, the computer 31 sends signals to the controller which controls the steering and drive wheels so as to move the vehicle 1 along the axis of the track until the pivot arm 5, which remains stationary at rest, is close enough to the points where the washers are. rail 2 theoretically are to be seated. Of course, because of the backlash

In the propulsion system of the vehicle 1, the positioning of the vehicle relative to the track is not that accurate, which means that the tolerance is about 1 centimeter.

When the rail vehicle 1 stops at said position, the computer 31 checks the position of the arm 5 in three-dimensional space on the basis of data sent from the measuring station 3 and sends signals to the controller instructing it to steer the arm 5 within its six degrees of freedom so that the rail pads are carried by the arm 5 was placed in the ideal seating points of the rail washers 2 and that they achieved them with very high precision. The actuators 6 are then actuated so as to embed the rail washers 2 in the soft concrete 10 by following the method described in the patent application EP 0803609.

After placing the two rail pads 2, the arm 5 is retracted to the rest position, and the computer 31 looks for the coordinates of successive points where new rail pads should be inserted 2. The guiding method allowing the vehicle 1 to be brought to the area of ​​said new points is similar to that described above.

In order to maintain a sufficient guidance accuracy of the vehicle 1 mounting the rail pads to achieve a positioning accuracy of the rail pads of less than 1 mm, the measuring station 3 has to be regularly transferred to the measuring point closest to the vehicle 1 from which the mirror set 7 is directly visible.

This method of guidance is operationally very fast and cheap to use, it only requires the determination of measuring points every 50 to 100 m and the installation of the measuring station on the day when the rail pads are to be installed. Moreover, such a guiding method has the advantage of not making direct contact between the rail mounting set and the reference frame, and thus eliminates physical stresses that could be produced by the rail mounting set on the reference frame.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the described and illustrated embodiment which is presented here by way of illustration only.

The embodiment thus describes a set for embedding rail washers in a concrete slab, but the guiding method according to the invention can equally well be used for guiding the device for embedding any elements necessary for the construction of a given structure.

In other embodiments, not shown, the vehicle may be equipped with a tracked undercarriage instead of a wheeled undercarriage, or any other means allowing its displacement.