Specialists from Kazan National Research Technical University named after A. N. Tupolev (KNRTU-KAI) have created a new system for monitoring the transverse level of rails. The device stabilizes the measuring frame in a horizontal position regardless of shaking, which allows you to record the slightest deviations of the rail track and immediately link them to the distance traveled.
The "heart" of the system is a single-axis force gyro stabilizer based on a three-degree gyroscope in a gimbal suspension. A special pendulum sensor and correction motor keep the frame strictly horizontal, and the system angle sensor records the deviations of the wagon from the true horizon.
The Kazan system does not give errors on slopes, turns and uneven sections. The microcontroller not only calculates the speed and distance traveled, but also corrects the operation of the gyropendulum, taking into account the dynamics of movement. All data — the angle of deviation and the excess of rail threads in millimeters — are automatically recorded on a USB drive with precise reference to the mileage, which simplifies the planning of repair work.
The new technology increases the accuracy of transverse level measurements by 20–50%, eliminates the influence of vibrations and makes the equipment compact enough for small track gauges.