Axle counter

Axle counters are now electronic components for counting the axes passing trains. Its principle is based on the fact that by the connected sensors ( point of delivery, wheel sensor ) counted axes are compared and exit at track entrance. The symbol usually used for an axle counter shows two points intersected by a horizontal line. Older Achszählerbauarten are practically only preserved in museums.

Technology

On a section of track multiple point sensors, known as pulse or wheel sensors are installed, which (deprecated motorized ) vehicle axles to report or electronic Achszählwerke. In electronic axle counters a part of the interface in a trackside connection box is installed near the encoders, the evaluation is usually centralized in the signal box building. When driving into the axle counter equipped with a track section, the axes of the rail vehicles are counted, tallied during extension. A track section is reported as "free" when all is counted axes have been counted again; is the number of incoming and counted axes unequal, the section is marked as an " occupied ".

In order to detect sensor failure better and determine the direction of travel can be, the wheel sensors or points of delivery are often designed as a double contacts. At Deutsche Bahn inductive busbar contacts are mainly used: A transmitter on the rail outer side emits a magnetic field which acts on a receptor on the rail inner side. When a wheel moves through this field, the field change is recognized as " counted axis". The direction of travel is detected by temporal shift of the field change of direction for the second transmitter / receiver pair.