A distributed measurement system to detect train wheel condition

In recent years, China's high-speed railway has developed rapidly, with the continuous increase in the number of train units. The safety of train units has become a top priority in vehicle safety. Abnormal conditions such as wheel size exceeding limits, tread surface abrasion, and detachment directly affect the operational safety of train units. This paper presents a study on a distributed measurement system for dynamically detecting train wheel conditions. This system is installed at the entrance and exit lines of the vehicle depot. It is an automated, non-contact, multifunctional online inspection system that integrates image processing, image measurement, and automatic control technologies. By installing detection devices such as lasers and high-resolution cameras on the trackside, it achieves non-contact and dynamic detection of the external dimensions and tread surface defects of passing train wheelsets. Firstly, the article introduces the composition of the system. Secondly, a detailed description of the system is provided, including the dynamic detection technology of wheel size based on multi-line structured light vision and the detection and identification of various defects using image grayscale information. Finally, a summary is given.