Accurate and high-performance 3D position measurement of fiducial marks by stereoscopic system for railway track inspection

Abstract

Modern demands for railway track measurements require high accuracy (about 2-5 mm) of rails placement along the track to ensure smooth, safe and fast transportation. As a mean for railways geometry measurements we suggest a stereoscopic system which measures 3D position of fiducial marks arranged along the track by image processing algorithms. The system accuracy was verified during laboratory tests by comparison with precise laser tracker indications. The accuracy of ±1.5 mm within a measurement volume 150×400×5000 mm was achieved during the tests. This confirmed that the stereoscopic system demonstrates good measurement accuracy and can be potentially used as fully automated mean for railway track inspection.