A kinetic energy harvesting device implementing a half-wave mechanical motion rectification (HMMR) mechanism is described. The energy harvesting device may include an energy harvesting railroad tie, where the tie includes a tie housing configured to be coupled to at least one rail. The tie housing includes at least one spring and at least one energy harvester. The at least one energy harvester includes a generator having an output shaft, a gearhead, a ball screw or other motion transmission, and a one-way clutch. Under a force of a passing wheel on the at least one rail, the at least one energy harvester is compressed, which causes a rotation of the ball screw or other motion transmission, a rotation of the output shaft, and a transmission of torque to a shaft of the gearhead, driving the generator in a unidirectional rotation to generate electrical power via the one-way clutch.

A fastening system configured to attach railroad crossties to one or more support structures such as the girder of a bridge. The fastening system includes a plate mounted on a crosstie and a clip attached to the plate that is configured to provide a force between the support structure and the crosstie and secure the crosstie in place.

A fastening system configured to attach railroad crossties to one or more support structures such as the girder of a bridge. The fastening system includes a plate mounted on a crosstie and a clip attached to the plate that is configured to provide a force between the support structure and the crosstie and secure the crosstie in place.

Encoded information means located on an infrastructure to be decoded by sensors located on mobiles, in such a way that these means encode the position they occupy in the infrastructure and allow for a mobile travelling along the same trajectory, provided with the adequate sensor, to read, decode and transform it immediately into information on its exact position in the infrastructure and being characterised by the fact that along the same trajectory described by a mobile it is possible to encode information in the infrastructure by means of different objects presenting dielectric change boundaries or dielectric/metal boundaries at different heights or distances regarding the origin of the onboard sensor, these boundaries being interrogated by a sensor on board the mobile by means of pressure or electromagnetic waves and by measuring the time the waves take to return to the sensor, making it possible to determine the distance at which the reflections occur and in this way to extract the information.

Encoded information means located on an infrastructure to be decoded by sensors located on mobiles, in such a way that these means encode the position they occupy in the infrastructure and allow for a mobile travelling along the same trajectory, provided with the adequate sensor, to read, decode and transform it immediately into information on its exact position in the infrastructure and being characterised by the fact that along the same trajectory described by a mobile it is possible to encode information in the infrastructure by means of different objects presenting dielectric change boundaries or dielectric/metal boundaries at different heights or distances regarding the origin of the onboard sensor, these boundaries being interrogated by a sensor on board the mobile by means of pressure or electromagnetic waves and by measuring the time the waves take to return to the sensor, making it possible to determine the distance at which the reflections occur and in this way to extract the information.

Encoded information means located on an infrastructure to be decoded by sensors located on mobiles, in such a way that these means encode the position they occupy in the infrastructure and allow for a mobile travelling along the same trajectory, provided with the adequate sensor, to read, decode and transform it immediately into information on its exact position in the infrastructure and being characterised by the fact that along the same trajectory described by a mobile it is possible to encode information in the infrastructure by means of different objects presenting dielectric change boundaries or dielectric/metal boundaries at different heights or distances regarding the origin of the onboard sensor, these boundaries being interrogated by a sensor on board the mobile by means of pressure or electromagnetic waves and by measuring the time the waves take to return to the sensor, making it possible to determine the distance at which the reflections occur and in this way to extract the information.

Encoded information means located on an infrastructure to be decoded by sensors located on mobiles, in such a way that these means encode the position they occupy in the infrastructure and allow for a mobile travelling along the same trajectory, provided with the adequate sensor, to read, decode and transform it immediately into information on its exact position in the infrastructure and being characterised by the fact that along the same trajectory described by a mobile it is possible to encode information in the infrastructure by means of different objects presenting dielectric change boundaries or dielectric/metal boundaries at different heights or distances regarding the origin of the onboard sensor, these boundaries being interrogated by a sensor on board the mobile by means of pressure or electromagnetic waves and by measuring the time the waves take to return to the sensor, making it possible to determine the distance at which the reflections occur and in this way to extract the information.

Embodiments of the present technology are directed to a grooved composite industrial block product. The industrial block products described herein may be manufactured from plastic materials. Methods for manufacturing such grooved composite block products are additionally described herein, and comprise filling a grooved block mold with a polymeric mixture comprising plastic materials. The grooved composite block products described herein may be utilized in various industrial applications, including as railroad ties and industrial matting.

A fastening system configured to attach railroad crossties to one or more support structures such as the girder of a bridge. The fastening system includes a plate mounted on a crosstie and a clip attached to the plate that is configured to provide a force between the support structure and the crosstie and secure the crosstie in place

A kinetic energy harvesting device implementing a half-wave mechanical motion rectification (HMMR) mechanism is described. The energy harvesting device may include an energy harvesting railroad tie, where the tie includes a tie housing configured to be coupled to at least one rail. The tie housing includes at least one spring and at least one energy harvester. The at least one energy harvester includes a generator having an output shaft, a gearhead, a ball screw or other motion transmission, and a one-way clutch. Under a force of a passing wheel on the at least one rail, the at least one energy harvester is compressed, which causes a rotation of the ball screw or other motion transmission, a rotation of the output shaft, and a transmission of torque to a shaft of the gearhead, driving the generator in a unidirectional rotation to generate electrical power via the one-way clutch.