Patent ID: 6662728
Filing Date: 2003-12-16
Classification: E01B

Abstract:
A machine for treating a track extending in a longitudinal direction and comprised of two rails fastened to ties supported on ballast, the machine being mounted for mobility on the track and comprising:a) a working device constructed to operate cyclically for carrying out work on the track; b) an odometer for registering a distance travelled by the machine along the track; c) a non-contact scanning device, operatively connected to the odometer, for detecting a position of a tie, the scanning device being mounted on the machine above the track and designed as a distance measuring device for registering in a non-contact manner vertical distance measurement values between the scanning device and a tie or ballast surface of the track; and d) a control unit for centering the working device in dependence upon the scanned tie position, the control unit being connected to the distance measuring device and designed for continuously and sequentially subdividing a measuring span, correlated to the distance travelled, into tie detection sections alternating with ballast detection sections, wherein each tie detection section comprises distance measurement values differing only slightly from one another, while the adjoining ballast detection section is characterized by a sequence of abruptly fluctuating distance measurement values.