Railway-type rail with optical sensor for detection of rolling stock movements

摘要

The rail has an optical sensor and an electronic module linked to the sensor with optic fibres. The sensor is a reed contact with optical sensing of the switching state. It is in the magnetic field of one or more permanent magnets so that wheels of a passing rail vehicle cause a change of the sensor switching state by their effect on that magnetic field, thus enabling the wheels to be detected. The reed contacts are modified by additional shutters or similar so that optical losses are minimised. The optical sensing is by reflection. An additional permanent magnet has mechanical adjusters to equalise the contacts.