Preventing troublebefore it happens and having forethoughts----currently, the track traffic fastdevelops, more and more people pay focused attention to risk prevention andsafety guarantee in the running management, because the safety cannot beguaranteed unless the risk and hazard are minimized. To the track trafficundertaking the mission of passenger and freight transportation, timely findingthe failure and hazard of the equipment is crucial to the work for ensuring runningsafety.

After popularizingthe shield door and safety door systems which are totally independentlyresearched and developed and achieve the international advanced technical levelin the last year, Dinghan Company, who takes independent innovation as thedevelopment idea of the enterprise, also advances to the field of check ontrack traffic, and popularizes the new-generation independent-innovative tracktraffic series check equipment which focuses on check, positioning and presentationand can precisely and effectively direct maintenance and repair work. Thedynamic check equipment of contact line and track of Dinghan focuses oneffectively directing the repair work, the high-precision check data and theprecise information of physical position are combined, thus, the efficiency ofmaintenance and repair is doubled, and the running safety is improved.

New results of Independent Innovation

——Dinghan popularizes thenew-generation track traffic dynamic check equipment

During the period of the 12th5-year plan, China willcontinuously perfect the interregional traffic network, construct the intercityhigh-speed network, develop the public traffics in prior, and improve the levelof transportation service. Meanwhile, China will continuously increase theinvestment in traffic construction, and construct a rapid and safe trafficnetwork. The track traffic is environment protecting and rapid and the mainstream of traffic development, there is no doubt in this fact, but besides thehigh speed, safety and the management relating to the safety are alsosignificant. Chinese track traffic will become the track traffic of which theconstruction is fastest in the world and the safety coefficient gets the trustof Chinese.

Troubles in work of check and repair

Thedaily maintenance work of the track traffic relates to the running safety ofthe track traffic, wherein the maintenance and repair of the contact line andtrack are particularly important. Because of the high development requirement onthe safe running of the track traffic, the requirements on the safe checkequipment is also higher, and then what is the biggest trouble to the personnelfor check and repair?

Theperson in charge of overhaul in the power supplying section of a railwaysbureau answers this question without hesitation:”the positioning in the checkof the contact line is not precise!” As we know, actually, the imprecisepositioning is common in the current check on the contact line and track check.All of the current check equipment of contact line and track utilize the methodof positioning by combining the speed sensor and the database to position thefailure point, and it is limited by low precision. In this method, the propnumber of the line, kilometer posts and other geological data are inputted intothe database in advance, and then the speed sensor mounted on the wheel is usedfor positioning, errors will be caused because of vibration, slipping, changeof wheel track contact points, etc., particularly to Chinese railway, somelines between stations is very long, the lowest error is more than ten meters,and the highest error can be hundreds of meters, the failure can be checked,but the positioning is not precise, the exact problem cannot be known. Becauseof this big error, based on equipment check, manual troubleshooting is alsorequired, which causes mountain in labor. Most of the checking vehicles utilizethe skylight time to work, besides time limitation, carry out manualconfirmation for multiple times will severely influence the overhaulefficiency.

Theformer first-generation checking vehicles which focus on check but ignorepositioning can find out many problems but because the failure points cannot beprecisely positioned, the efficiency of maintenance and repair of the powersupplying industrial areas along the line are reversely reduced, thus, theoverhaul personnel hates the work of checking the equipment.

Thenthe dynamic check equipment which can greatly increase the positioningprecision of the failure point and minimize the positioning error of thefailure point will no doubt be favored by all overhaul personnel. DinghanCompany gets it! Based on the original method of positioning by combining thespeed sensor and the database, Dinghan adopts more and more advancedpositioning methods, such as post positioning of contact line and check andpositioning method of links of the tension length, this multi-positioningmethod improves the positioning precision of the failure point. After long-timetechnical accumulation and one year of research and development, Dinghan hasresearched and developed the dynamic check equipment of contact line of modelsof IRMM-1, IRWM-1, IRWM-2, IRWM-3 and IRWM-4 applied to the state railway, CRWM-1and CRWM-2 used for city track traffic and CTWM-1 and CTWM-2 applied to city tramcars,and IRTM-1 applied to the railway, CRTM-1 applied to city track traffic andother track dynamic check equipment. Besides improving the check andpositioning precision, the equipment also has many different practicalfunctions exceeding the check equipment of the same kind.

The checkon the track traffic contact line has experienced the step of continuousdevelopment. Dinghan divides the former equipment into two periods, the check equipmentof contact line of the first generation is the pure contact-type andmechanical-type check, the check items are very few, and many sensors need tobe mounted on the pantograph, which is equal to reform the checking vehicleafter leaving the factory, it will influence pantograph contact line relationand running safety. Though it can replace the manual check, the integrity islow, check efficiency is low and the interference resistance is low. With thecontinuous development of the electrification of the track traffic, theequipment of the first generation is gradually replaced by the second generationof the check equipment with the combination of no-contact type and contacttype. But we know the check result is for directing maintenance, the new wayfocuses on check and ignores positioning and presentation, though the checkefficiency is improved, the failure point usually cannot be preciselypositioned, which causes the reference of maintenance and repair to be notprecise, and in the late stage, a great amount of manual work is required forestimation.

Whenreferring to the overhaul of contact line, besides the problem of imprecise positioning,the person in charge of overhaul in the power supplying section of the railwaybureau mentioned above also pointed out many other troubles: for many sensorsare mounted on the pantograph of the checking vehicle, the mass of the pantographis increased, the normal catenary-pantograph contact relation is influenced,which causes the reference reliability of the check data is not precise. Thereis a big difference between check data of two contiguous checking vehicles, andit cannot confirm which check data is correct; dynamic compensation is notsupported, and the vibration in running severely influences the check result;most of check products adopt low-cost hardware equipment, the outdoorprotection level is low, the interference resistance is common, it is sensitiveto light illumination, and the check precision is influenced; the softwarefunctions of real-time printing, comparison of historical data, data correlation,etc., are not available, which causes the printing and analysis of the reportforms in check work can only be carried out after the work. According to thecheck reports obtained from the analysis of a great quantity of report forms,the little-experience operation personnel cannot effectively complete it.

Sameproblems also exist in the track check equipment. The railway speed has beenincreased for multiple times, the running speed of the railway becomes more andmore fast, and the traffic operation of the city track is also very busy, thus,track check is the crucial safeguard of running safety. Accurately, timely andfully checking the potential danger of the railway line and running safety and24-hour mastering the dynamic status of the line are crucial to ensure runningsafety. The track dynamic check equipment carries out continuous dynamic checkon the ground track in the running process of the railway, and accuratelyprovides the line information endangering the running safety and the relevantdata of the line quality status to relevant personnel so as to ensure running safety.

Whenmentioning the current rack overhaul, the personnel in charge of track overhaulof a subway running company also bitterly said:”besides the similar problems ofthe contact line check equipment in positioning precision, hardware equipmentand software functions, the mounting problem of hardware equipment of trackcheck also causes a lot of troubles. For being scattered on the underbody,track check equipment can easily loosen or even fall off.”

Itis understood that the track overhaul of some railway bureaus still utilize thehand-propelling checking vehicle, only the track gauge and track height can bechecked, but the torsion (warp), abrasion, etc., cannot be checked.

Whenplanning to enter the field of track traffic check, Dinghan put the question ofhow to solve the actual problem of the user on the first position. Beforeplanning to research and develop the check equipment, through continuouscommunication with the user and going to the frontline of check, Dinghan gotthese user’s actual problems. These tough problems which should be solved assoon as possible reversely give faith to Dinghan, making the new-generationcheck products for solving these user’s troubles is the R&D direction ofDinghan check equipment.

Createthe new-generation check equipment with the full-new idea

Dinghanbelieves there should be three application sections of the check equipment,i.e., check, positioning and presentation, and no section should be ignored,wherein besides check and presentation, the full check is crucial to the checkequipment, the check result convenient for the user to look should be perfectlydisplayed, but the precise positioning is the weakest section of the currentcheck equipment and troubles the user most. Without precise positioning, greattroubles will be caused to overhaul no matter how perfect the full check norpresentation is, the overhaul efficiency will be decreased, and the overhaulwork will be drudgery.

Multi-positioningmethod is utilized to effectively improve the positioning precision of thefailure point, which becomes the obvious characteristic of Dinghan checkproducts. Besides this point, in the sections of check and presentation,Dinghan also highly exceeds the functions of the former check equipment.

To theaspect of check, multi-dynamic compensation technologies are combined, dynamiccompensation is carried out to various check parameters of the contact linethrough horizontal and vertical components, the influence on the check resultcaused by horizontal and vertical vibration, etc., of the vehicle body iseffectively reduced. Based on the dynamic check function of the contact line,the thermal infrared imager and 3D high-precision laser sensor are used for respectivelychecking the temperature and abrasion of the contact line so as to timely findout the hazards caused by offline arc, loosened joints, oxidization andcorrosion, working abrasion, etc., thus, accidents can be avoided. 

To theproblem that the hardware equipment for track check are scattered, all checkdevices of Dinghan track check equipment are integrated in the check beammounted on the bogie to get the integration of mounting maintenance andintegration of analysis and presentation, and algorithm is used for developingequipment performance to realize the purposes of equipment simplification, costreduction and precision improvement.  Throughthe average recursive filtering method, the first order lagging filtering methodand other multi-filtering methods, Dinghan track check effectively inhibits theinterference of random errors on check parameters of track height, trackdirection, horizon (over-high), track abrasion, etc., and makes the check curvecorrectly reflect the track status.

To theaspect of presentation, a perfect displaying interface can make the checkresult be clearer so as to better direct the maintenance work. Dinghan check equipmentcan carry out custom setup according to displaying colors of curves of variouscheck items, reference scales, unit, display, hide and print items in the curvediagram, and set deduction standards of over-limit points according to thedemand of check grading of the check unit to satisfy the user to carry outvarious combined inquiry, analysis and statistic requirements according to thecheck result, the configuration is flexible, and the operation is simple and convenient.The catenary-pantograph real-time images can be simultaneously outputted on onescreen, the main control and monitor console can carry out real-timecorrelation to data, charts and images. The computer, monitor, television setand other terminals can simultaneously monitor, and the various-pointsynchronous monitoring on the catenary-pantograph running status is realized.

Basedon the best status of check, positioning and presentation, Dinghan checkequipment also has a strong background, which makes the three sections exist sideby side and play a part together, Dinghan equipment can provide the mostprecise check result for the user and become the most reliable helper of theuser, this is the core of Dinghan check equipment—built-in expert judgmentsystem. This system can count and analyze a great amount of check data. The compensationalgorithm can greatly improve the reliability of the check result, and form thecurve report, table report form and transfinite report form in real time andunreal time, thus, the check data is more completely, directly and fullydisplayed, and the work of maintenance and repair is effectively and preciselydirected. It supports the recording and mobile storage of various check reportforms, real-time or unreal time printing, optional printing and full-optionprinting of various check report forms and derive various check electronicreport forms. Dinghan check equipment can support the storage of the imagerecord of 5 seconds before or after the over-limit point, carry out the curvediagram overlapping comparison and table transverse comparison of the currentcheck data and historical check data. At one hand, it is combined with theexpert judgment system to carry out normalization estimation on the quality ofcontact line, and on the other hand, it can follow the closed loop conditionreferring to the repair of failure points so as to provide scientific basis forthe dispatch of the follow-up maintenance work.

Thesuccessful popularization of the full-new Dinghan check equipment leads theapplying innovation of the technology of check equipment, overcomes the coretough problems of weak ability of the check data combining with the precise positioningcapability and applied in the laser sensor engineering, and fills the gap ofthe application in Chinese contact line and track dynamic check technology.

Then how is the actual application effect?

Currently, it is shown by the user report of Dinghan Dynamic CheckEquipment of IRWM-1 Railway Contact Line supplied by the power supplying officeof Urumqi Railway Bureau: “since being put into operation, the equipment hasoutstanding status and accurate positioning, and the expert system can satisfythe onsite requirements.”;” the comprehensive performance when running underthe status of 80km/h is outstanding.”;”the monitoring equipment of the checksystem can carry out real-time monitoring and record the running status of the pantograph,be synchronous with the check data, and better satisfy the demand of ourbureau,”;”after being put into operation, the check equipment providesscientific data for maintenance and overhaul of the contact line of the powersupplying office.”

Itcan be shown by the data of track dynamic check equipment which is on trial inthe subway, the expert analysis system and the track quality estimation systemof Dinghan check equipment have correct judgment, the positioning of check datais very accurate, and it can provide accurate information of failure points foronsite maintenance and overhaul.

Dinghan also popularizes the clearance check equipment. The originalcheck on construction clearance depends on manual patrol. The failure in theline of which the geological condition is harsh cannot be easily found. Thesection check method is usually used for the clearance of subway equipment. Atelescopic frame is made according to the clearance size of the equipment anddifferent sections and radiuses, and fixed on the flatbed trailer to be used asthe clearance checking vehicle and drawn by the diesel engine to check thewhole line section by section. The method has the advantages of full andcompleted check, and disadvantages of high consumption of manpower and materialpower. Dinghan clearance check equipment can solve the above problems andproblems of low hardware cost and poor software function of the originalequipment.

In September,2011, Chengdu Branch of Beijing Dinghan Check Technology Co., Ltd was founded. Itis supported by Southwest Jiaotong University which is the most authentic inthe field of railway check in China. Mr. Qi Qingtao who has devoted to R&Dof railway locomotive vehicle dynamics and dynamic check equipment of contactline undertakes the position of general manager.

After one year of R&D, Beijing Dinghan Check Technology Co., Ltdpopularizes the track traffic check products which integrates the advantages ofGerman DB Company and Italy MERMEC Company and the scientific achievement ofSouthwest Jiaotong University, adopts the latest sensor technology, computertechnology, industrial control technology, software control technology,software engineering theory, software development tool and latest systemintegration concept and means. The developed railway check product has compactstructure, outstanding stability and reliability, high check precision andcorrect positioning of failure points, and can provide real and effective checkdata for the check unit, and scientific basis for the maintenance and repair ofthe railway facility of the check unit. The check equipment of Dinghan ownsfull proprietary intellectual property rights, 9 software copyrights and 24patents, and is on the top of the filed in China.

Within a few years, Dinghanproducts are expanded to the power supply system of track traffic electricoperation, the power supply system of shield door and the power supply systemof communication from the intelligent power supply system of track trafficsignals, and sequentially the shield door and safety door systems and thedynamic check system of track traffic which owns full proprietary intellectualproperty rights are sequentially popularized, Dinghan has become the enterprisemodel of independent innovation.

Weare awed by the R&D power of Dinghan which can succeed in every newlyexpanded field. With economic globalization and the rapid growth of science,the competition among enterprises is more and more fierce. To the high-techenterprise, technology is crucial to the development of enterprise forever. Mostenterprises which expand in competition and keep growth for a long term arethose which pay attention to technical innovation and carry out large-scaleinvestment on the basic research project. The core  competitive power of Dinghan is the leadingtechnical power and the R&D capability of continuous innovation. Dinghancan timely grasp and satisfy the continuously-changed demands of the customerand market by R&D innovation. Dinghan always believes that technology iscrucial to the enterprise, and only the enterprise which owns core technologycan survive for a long time in the future markets at home and abroad, andcontinuously develops and grows.

The enterprise cannot success except continuouslyinnovate, and continuous and effective R&D are the source for continuousinnovation. At the time focusing on innovation, R&D have become the footingstone for the enterprise to survive and develop. Dinghan management can lookfar ahead from a high plane, correctly seize the future tendency, construct thestrategic structure and form the core capability so as to grasp the competitiveadvantage in innovation.

Afterthe GEM of the enterprise is successfully listed in 2009, Mr. Gu Qingwei, whois the president of Dinghan Company clearly defines three changes of Dinghan infuture: firstly, expand partial electromechanical branch systems from theproduct line to the subway field so as to realize the change from railway tosubway; secondly, realize the change from ground to the vehicle, and sizes theopportunity of the vehicle-mount auxiliary power supply business to enter thevehicle market; and at last, the company pays high attention to and closelyfollows the existing line railway market, and integrates industrial resource bysurrounding the requirements of transportation safety, check, running andmonitoring of the railway so as to realize the change from the newly-built linemarket to the existing line market. It is expected that the shares of newproducts of these three aspects in future will occupy 2/3 of the revenue shareof the company.

Observing from the industrial value transferring tendency, infuture, with the gradual decrease of newly-built projects and gradual increaseof the stock market, the service life of the equipment will be over, thus, thefields of maintenance, repair, check, monitoring, etc, of the existing line andequipment will become a new value market. Dinghan check will provide a firmfoundation for Dinghan to enter the field in large scales in future.

The competition among countries and the completion among countriesin future is the competition of technical innovation capability.  The enterprise will not be controlled byothers after mastering the core technology. At present, home-made city tracktraffic equipment in China achieves a big progress but the home-made degree ofthe technical equipment in many key fields is not high. The whole industryshould accelerate the progress of home-made track traffic equipment together toform the strong system of city track traffic technology with Chinese proprietaryintellectual property rights.

The competition among countries and the completion among countriesin future is the competition of technical innovation capability.  The enterprise will not be controlled byothers after mastering the core technology. At present, home-made city tracktraffic equipment in China achieves a big progress but the home-made degree ofthe technical equipment in many key fields is not high. The whole industryshould accelerate the progress of home-made track traffic equipment together toform the strong system of city track traffic technology with Chinese proprietaryintellectual property rights.

Bycontinuous independent innovation, Dinghan will sufficiently display theinfluence of the core technology, conserve the leading advantage of the productin technology, and contribute to the home-made progress of Chinese tracktraffic equipment. We also expect Dinghan products to be applied on more andmore track traffic lines. May Dinghan, the national brand, continuously developand expand with the pace of construction of Chinese track traffic.