Abstract: A method (20) is described for optically measuring the three-dimensional location of one or more wires W, in a group of wires W1-Wn, such a overhead power cables in an electric rail system. A first step (22) comprises obtaining stereoscopic image data for each of the wires W from the first and second spaced apart stereoscopic camera pairs 10a and 10b which lie in the common plane P1. At step (24), image data from the first and second stereoscopic camera pairs 10a and 10b is processed to identify each of the wires W in the region of interest (12). At step (26), a determination is made of the location in 3D space of selected identified wires W using image data from one of the cameras C1 or C2; and, C3 or C4 in each of the first and second camera pairs 10a and 10b.

Abstract: A method of magnetic crack depth prediction for a magnetisable component of a first geometry comprising determining a measure of remnant magnetic flux leakage for a section of the component and, converting the remnant magnetic flux leakage to a predicted crack depth for that section of the component using an empirically determined relationship between remnant magnetic flux leakage and crack depth for a previously tested in service component of the first geometry.

Abstract: A method for optically determining a physical attribute of a moving object, such as the height h of the carbons (14) of a pantograph head (10). This method incorporates a method for optically establishing a mathematical spatial relationship between one or more cameras (26) and one or more fanned lasers (24) each capable of projecting a laser beam along a laser plane (28). The method comprises: establishing an orientation and location of each camera (26) with respect to a co-ordinate system; establishing an orientation of each laser plane (28) within the co-ordinate system; and deriving a transformation function for calculating the three dimensional position of points within the plane (28) of each respective laser beam from a pixel location within a pixelated image created by each of the cameras.

Abstract: A method for optically determining a physical attribute of a moving object, such as the height h of the carbons (14) of a pantograph head (10). This method incorporates a method for optically establishing a mathematical spatial relationship between one or more cameras (26) and one or more fanned lasers (24) each capable of projecting a laser beam along a laser plane (28). The method comprises: establishing an orientation and location of each camera (26) with respect to a co-ordinate system; establishing an orientation of each laser plane (28) within the co-ordinate system; and deriving a transformation function for calculating the three dimensional position of points within the plane (28) of each respective laser beam from a pixel location within a pixelated image created by each of the cameras.

Abstract: A system 10 for detecting sliding of a wheel 12 on a rail 14 includes a roller 16 disposed adjacent the rail 14 so that a wheel 12 travelling along the rail 14 can engage the roller 16, and a tachometer 18 coupled with the roller 16 for providing a rotation signal representative of the degree of rotation of the roller. The system 10 includes a computer 20 which receives the rotation signal from the tachometer 18 and by using an appropriate rotation algorithm calculates the degree of rotation of the roller 16. The computer 20 then compares the degree of rotation with a predetermined range of roller rotations and, if the calculated degree of rotation of the roller is less than predicted by analysis, the apparatus 10 provides a signal indicative of the wheel 12 sliding.

Abstract: A system 10 for detecting sliding of a wheel 12 on a rail 14 includes a roller 16 disposed adjacent the rail 14 so that a wheel 12 travelling along the rail 14 can engage the roller 16, and a tachometer 18 coupled with the roller 16 for providing a rotation signal representative of the degree of rotation of the roller. The system 10 includes a computer 20 which receives the rotation signal from the tachometer 18 and by using an appropriate rotation algorithm calculates the degree of rotation of the roller 16. The computer 20 then compares the degree of rotation with a predetermined range of roller rotations and, if the calculated degree of rotation of the roller is less than predicted by analysis, the apparatus 10 provides a signal indicative of the wheel 12 sliding.