Innovative mobile method to determine railway track axis position in global coordinate system using position measurements performed with GNSS and fixed base of the measuring vehicle

• Published in: Measurement : journal of the International Measurement Confederation 2021-04, Vol.175, p.109016, Article 109016
• Main Authors: Wilk, Andrzej, Koc, Władysław, Specht, Cezary, Skibicki, Jacek, Judek, Slawomir, Karwowski, Krzysztof, Chrostowski, Piotr, Szmagliński, Jacek, Dąbrowski, Paweł, Czaplewski, Krzysztof, Specht, Mariusz, Licow, Roksana, Grulkowski, Sławomir
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Coordinates; Deformation; Design parameters; Deviation; Geometric constraints; Geometric layout of the track; Global navigation satellite system; Global positioning systems; GPS; Inclinometry; Mathematical models; Measurement methods; Navigation satellites; Position measurement; Position measurements performed with GNSS; Railway networks; Railway track axis; Railway tracks; Satellite tracking; Simulation
• ISSN: 0263-2241; 1873-412X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.measurement.2021.109016

•Determining the railway track axis position by using multiple GNSS receivers.•Innovative method of determining the railway track axis with high precision level.•Measurements performed under dynamic conditions.•Vehicle movements compensation by using inclinometers and visual measurement system. The shape of the railway track axis and its position in the global coordinate system are essential when defining design parameters of the railway. Correct reconstruction of these quantities is vital for both verifying the compliance of real track parameters with the design and for diagnosing, as all track deformations can also be defined as deviations of real parameters from their design values. The measurements of quantities related to the railway track geometry can be divided into global and local ones. Global measurements determine the position of elements in the global system of geographic coordinates, while local measurements give relative positions of elements with respect to other elements (e.g. lateral inclination at a given kilometre of the railway track) or temporary deviation of parameters from their assumed value (e.g. various track deformations). Depending on the applied measuring method, either global or local parameters are determined, or both of them simultaneously. The article proposes an innovative method to determine the railway track axis position, which makes use of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) receivers distributed in such a way as to form a geometric constraint called the fixed base. The analysis of theoretical properties and metrological attributes of the fixed base is presented. All theoretical analyses have been verified experimentally.