JP7854325B2 - Monitoring device for tension balancer - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a monitoring device for tension balancers, which are attached to overhead line tension balancers that apply a predetermined tension to overhead lines for trains, such as suspension wires, auxiliary suspension wires, and trolley wires, and are used to remotely monitor the amount of expansion and contraction of the overhead lines.

When the tension of the overhead lines supplying power to trains changes, the contact state between the overhead lines and current collectors such as pantographs fluctuates, hindering a good power supply to the trains. For this reason, for example, a spring-type tension balancer is provided to apply a predetermined tension to the overhead lines, as described in Patent Document 1. This tension balancer incorporates an inner cylinder and a rod in a triple-layered configuration within an outer cylinder connected to a structure, with springs interposed between the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder, and between the inner cylinder and the rod, and the tip of the rod is connected to the overhead line. By extending the rod to a predetermined length in advance and connecting it to the overhead line with the spring compressed, a predetermined tension is applied to the overhead line.
Conventionally, a tension balancer that detects whether the displacement of the movable part of the tension balancer is within a predetermined range has been disclosed in Patent Document 2. In this tension balancer, a first transmitter and a second transmitter are fixed at the permissible limit position of the displacement of the connecting rod to which the overhead wire is connected, and if the displacement is within the predetermined range, a detection signal is transmitted by each transmitter. However, the first hammer part and the second hammer part are fixed so as to displace integrally with the connecting rod, and if the displacement exceeds the permissible range, the transmission of the detection signal is stopped by colliding with and destroying the first transmitter or the second transmitter, thereby determining that the displacement has exceeded the permissible range.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-207629 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2009-179309

The conventional tension balancer described in Patent Document 2 above only indicates that the displacement of the connecting rod has deviated from the allowable range, and cannot accurately indicate the amount of displacement with specific numerical values. Furthermore, since the deviation of the displacement is determined by the cessation of radio wave transmission, it cannot be distinguished as a malfunction of the transmitting equipment itself, and it is necessary to prepare and install a new transmitter each time the displacement of the connecting rod deviates, and moreover, it is a troublesome installation work that takes time to accurately adjust the position of the transmitter and hammer part according to the allowable range.
Furthermore, a relay device needs to be installed between the transmitter and the remote location in order to transmit the detection signal.
Furthermore, the tension balancer only monitors when the displacement of the connecting rod deviates from a preset allowable range. As long as the displacement of the connecting rod remains within the allowable range, it may mistakenly determine that the system is functioning normally, even if there are abnormalities such as mechanical failure of the tension balancer, current flow in the overhead wire, damage to the overhead wire, or the occurrence of suppression resistance. As a result, abnormalities in the tension balancer or overhead wire may be overlooked, potentially leading to unforeseen problems such as reduced current collection performance, sparks due to disconnection, localized wear of the trolley wire, pantograph interference at crossover points, and breakage of the overhead wire.
Therefore, in view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a tension balancer monitoring device that can continuously grasp the amount of displacement with high accuracy, improve the ability to monitor the state of the tension balancer, allow for continued use even in the event of an abnormality, simplify the network, further detect abnormalities in the overhead line and tension balancer, and can be retrofitted to an existing tension balancer.

To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a tension balancer monitoring device 1 for remotely checking the relative displacement of the inner member with respect to the outer cylinder member B1, which holds the overhead wire in place while maintaining a predetermined tension. This device includes an outer cylinder member B1 with one end connected to a support column P, an inner member with an inner cylinder B2 and rod B3 inserted into the outer cylinder member B1 so as to be freely retractable, and a spring-like pressure accumulating member that biases the inner member to return it to its original position after it has protruded from the outer cylinder member B1. The device also includes a potentiometer 2 fixed to either the outer cylinder member B1 or the inner member, with its tip fixed to the other, which converts the linear relative displacement between the inner member and the outer cylinder member B1 into rotational displacement by winding a wire 7, and emits an electrical output corresponding to the relative displacement between the inner member and the outer cylinder member B1 in accordance with the rotational displacement, and a wireless transmitter 4 that transmits the output of the potentiometer 2 to a remote location.

This invention allows for the accurate and continuous quantification of the displacement of the tension balancer's stroke from a remote location without having to visit the installation site. This improves the ability to monitor the tension balancer's condition, facilitates the checking of the expansion and contraction of long overhead power lines, reduces maintenance costs for tension balancers, and is particularly advantageous for checking the condition of tension balancers located in hard-to-reach places. Furthermore, it is easy to install, can be retrofitted to existing tension balancers, and simplifies the network.

This is a perspective view of a support column on which a tension balancer, equipped with a displacement monitoring device according to the present invention, is installed. This is a perspective view of a tension balancer equipped with the displacement monitoring device according to the present invention. Figure 2 is a front view of the tension balancer. Figure 2 is a plan view of the tension balancer. Figure 2 is a left side view of the tension balancer. This is a perspective view of a potentiometer. Figure 6 is a front view of the potentiometer. Figure 6 is a side view of the potentiometer. This is a perspective view of the mounting frame.

One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In Figure 1, the tension balancer monitoring device 1 comprises a potentiometer 2 attached to the outer cylindrical member B1 of the tension balancer B, a temperature sensor 3 installed on the support column P to which the tension balancer B is attached and which detects the ambient temperature around the tension balancer B, a transmitter 4 installed on the support column P and electrically connected to the potentiometer 2 and the temperature sensor 3, and a solar panel 5 and its control device 6 installed on the support column P to supply power to the potentiometer 2, the temperature sensor 3 and the transmitter 4.

In Figures 2 to 5, the tension balancer B is constructed by coaxially assembling an inner cylinder B2 and an inner rod B3 in a triple-layered configuration within an outer cylinder B1, one end of which is connected to a structure such as a support column P. Springs, acting as pressure accumulators (not shown), are interposed between the outer cylinder B1 and the inner cylinder B2, and between the inner cylinder B2 and the rod B3. The tip of the rod B3 is connected to the overhead wire. The tension balancer B is pre-extended by a predetermined length according to the ambient temperature at the time of installation, and the spring is compressed before connecting to the overhead wire, thereby applying a predetermined tension to the train line.

The potentiometer 2 consists of a rotating body (not shown) into which a wire 7, with one end extended, is secured to a pull-out fitting B4 for securing the overhead wire to the rod B3. The wire 7 is wound onto a rotating body that is constantly biased to rotate in the retraction direction by a spring. The potentiometer 2 continuously outputs a voltage corresponding to the displacement of the rod B3 relative to the outer cylindrical member B1, which corresponds to the rotational displacement of the rotating body that extends or retracts the wire 7 in accordance with the stroke of the rod B3 relative to the outer cylindrical member B1.

As shown in Figures 6 to 8, the potentiometer 2 is fixed to the rod-protruding end of the outer cylinder member B1 with a mounting band 8. The mounting band 8 passes through the bent pieces at both ends of the mounting plate 9 to which the potentiometer 2 is fixed, wraps around the outer cylinder member B1, and is tightened and secured with a fastener 8a.

The tip of the wire 7 is fixed by a mounting frame 10 to a pull fitting B4, the base end of which is connected to a rod B3 and to which an overhead wire (not shown) is connected. As shown in Figure 9, the mounting frame 10 comprises a pair of opposing frame plates 10a and 10b that sandwich the pull fitting B4 from above and below, bolts 10c and nuts 10d that tighten and fix the opposing ends of the frame plates 10a and 10b, and an adjustable bracket 10e that slides slidably in the extension direction from one end of the frame plate 10a, and to which a locking ring 10f for connecting the wire 7 is fixed, thereby positioning and fixing the bracket.

As shown in Figure 1, the transmitter 4 is attached to the support pole P and continuously wirelessly transmits electrical signals from the potentiometer 2 and temperature sensor 3. The signals transmitted from this transmitter 4 are received by a receiver at a remote location, and numerical data of the displacement is acquired by a monitoring server. The expansion and contraction of the overhead wires, along with the ambient temperature around the overhead wires, is recorded, thereby managing the condition of the tension balancer and the overhead line.

This tension balancer monitoring device 1 applies a predetermined tension to the overhead wire by the tension balancer B. When the overhead wire expands or contracts due to temperature changes, the displacement of the rod B3 of the tension balancer B causes a voltage output corresponding to the rotational displacement of the wire 7 of the potentiometer 2, which is sent to the transmitter 4 along with the voltage output of the temperature sensor. This numerical data of the amount of expansion or contraction of the overhead wire and the temperature is wirelessly transmitted by the transmitter 4 to a receiver at a remote location. This allows the displacement of the rod B3 of the tension balancer B and the temperature to be acquired remotely without having to go to the installation site of the tension balancer B, and recorded and centrally managed by a monitoring server. By comparing the actual expansion or contraction length of the overhead wire corresponding to the displacement of the rod B3 with the normal expansion or contraction length (calculated value) which has a specific proportional relationship with the temperature of the overhead wire, it is possible to determine whether there is an abnormality in the overhead wire or the tension balancer. Furthermore, by comparing the displacement of the rod B3 of the tension balancer B connected to both ends of the overhead wire, it is possible to determine whether or not there is flow in the overhead wire. Therefore, this reduces maintenance work on tension balancer B and overhead lines, and is particularly convenient for checking the condition of tension balancer B and overhead lines installed in hard-to-reach locations.

1. Monitoring device for tension balancer 2. Potentiometer 3. Temperature sensor 4. Transmitter 5. Solar panel 6. Control device 7. Wire 8. Mounting band 8a. Fastener 9. Mounting plate 10. Mounting frame 10a. Frame plate 10b. Frame plate 10c. Bolt 10d. Nut 10f. Locking ring 10e. Bracket B. Tension balancer B1. Outer cylinder member B2. Inner cylinder B3. Rod B4. Pull handle fitting P. Support column

Claims (4)

A tension balancer monitoring device for remotely monitoring the relative displacement of the inner member with respect to the outer cylinder member of a tension balancer that holds an overhead wire in place while maintaining a predetermined tension, comprising: an outer cylinder member connected at one end to a support column; an inner member connected at one end to an overhead wire and inserted into the outer cylinder member so as to be able to move in and out of the outer cylinder member; and a pressure accumulating member that biases the inner member so as to return the inner member that has protruded from the outer cylinder member to its original position, wherein the tension balancer holds an overhead wire in place while maintaining a predetermined tension,
A potentiometer is provided that, by winding a wire fixed to the outer cylindrical member and with its tip locked to the inner member, converts the linear relative displacement between the inner member and the outer cylindrical member into rotational displacement, and generates an electrical output corresponding to the amount of relative displacement between the inner member and the outer cylindrical member that corresponds to the rotational displacement,
A wireless transmitter that transmits the output of this potentiometer to a remote location,
The system comprises a mounting frame for securing the wire of the potentiometer to the inner member,
A monitoring device for a tension balancer, characterized in that a bracket is included in a part of the mounting frame that slidably engages with the outer cylindrical member in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the outer cylindrical member and secures the end of the wire opposite the potentiometer in the axial direction. The mounting frame comprises a pair of opposing frame plates that sandwich the pull fittings for connecting overhead wires to the inner member from both sides,
The bolts that fasten the frame plates to the pull fittings are located between the opposing ends of the pair of frame plates.
The bracket engages with one of the frame plates so as to be slidable in the extensional direction and secures the end of the wire,
The monitoring device for a tension balancer according to claim 1, further comprising a locking member for positioning and fixing the bracket to the frame plate and adjusting the extension length from the frame plate. The monitoring device for a tension balancer according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature near the overhead line and transmitting it to the remote location along with the linear relative displacement between the inner member and the outer cylindrical member via the wireless transmitter. The mounting member for attaching the potentiometer to the outer cylinder member includes a mounting band that is wrapped around the outer circumference of the outer cylinder member and tightened to secure it,
A monitoring device for a tension balancer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises a mounting plate for fixing the potentiometer to the mounting band.