A course control device includes: an information acquisition unit to acquire information via any of wireless devices arranged along a track from a first station to a second station; and a course control unit to control the course of a course control target train based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit. The course control unit prevents the course control target train from proceeding to the course in at least one of a case where at least one of the wireless devices is in a failure state, a case where an on-board device that is mounted in a preceding train preceding the course control target train on the track and controls the preceding train based on information acquired via the wireless devices is in a failure state, and a case where the preceding train is in a stationary state between the first station and the second station.

System includes a controller configured to obtain one or more of a route parameter or a vehicle parameter from discrete examinations of one or more of a route or a vehicle system. The route parameter is indicative of a health of the route over which the vehicle system travels. The vehicle parameter is indicative of a health of the vehicle system. The discrete examinations of the one or more of the route or the vehicle system separated from each other by one or more of location or time. The controller is configured to examine the one or more of the route parameter or the vehicle parameter to determine whether the one or more of the route or the vehicle system is damaged. The system also includes examination equipment configured to continually monitor the one or more of the route or the vehicle system responsive to determining that the one or more of the route or the vehicle is damaged.

A Rail Drone can include: a payload interface, a drivetrain, and a rail platform 515. The Rail Drone can additionally or alternatively include any other suitable set of components. The Rail Drone can integrate a standardized payload interface and an autonomous electric road vehicle platform into a rolling stock architecture. The Rail Drone can be a stand-alone, payload-agnostic, motive element which can be independently or cooperatively capable of carrying heavy loads across long distances at various cruising speeds.

An examining system includes one or more application devices onboard a vehicle system. The application devices may electrically conduct an examination signal into one or more conductive bodies extending along a route and may include a catenary, a third rail, and/or a cable. The examining system may include one or more detection units that may be disposed onboard the vehicle system and that may monitor one or more electrical characteristics of the one or more conductive bodies in response to the examination signal being conducted into the one or more conductive bodies. The examining system may include an identification unit that may examine the one or more electrical characteristics of the one or more conductive bodies monitored by the one or more detection units to identify a compromised or damaged section of the one or more conductive bodies.

An acquisition unit and a processing unit are provided. The acquisition unit acquires, from a mobile terminal possessed by a passenger of a mobile object, mobile-object state information indicating a state of the mobile object and boarding identifying information to identify a time when and a location where the passenger boards the mobile object. The processing unit, based on time information given when the mobile-object state information is acquired, associates location information on the mobile object given when the mobile-object state information is acquired, the mobile-object state information, and the boarding identifying information and stores in a storage unit.

A train control system uses artificial intelligence for maintaining synchronization between centralized and distributed train control models. A machine learning engine receives training data from a data acquisition hub, a first set of output control commands from a centralized virtual system modeling engine, and a second set of output control commands from a distributed virtual system modeling engine. The machine learning engine compares the first set of output control commands and the second set of output control commands, and trains a learning system using the training data to enable the machine learning engine to safely mitigate any difference between the first and second sets of output control commands using a learning function including at least one learning parameter.

A train control system uses sensory inputs related to operational parameters of a train for automatically scoring or classifying particular train driving strategies implemented by a machine learning model for a particular train operating on a predefined route or route segment. The train control system includes one or more predefined rules related to one or more of a first set of the operational parameters, wherein each of the rules defines a Boolean, true or false classification based on whether a particular train driving strategy results in one or more of the first set of operational parameters complying with the rule. One or more comparative key performance indicators are related to one or more of a second set of operational parameters, and are used to rank the particular train driving strategy for the predefined route or route segment relative to a different train driving strategy for the same or comparable route or route segment.

A method for operating a train comprising two or more locomotives, the method comprising the steps of: a) Setting one or more locomotive control levels and choosing a selected route of travel; b) Calculating a target train speed profile and a target in-train force profile over at least a portion of the selected route; c) Measuring one or more operating parameters related to the operation of the train; d) Calculating a future train speed profile and a future in-train force profile for a future period based on at least one of the one or more operating parameters, at least one of the one or more locomotive control levels and one or more pieces of information relating to the selected route; e) Calculating adjusted locomotive speed control levels relating to the one or more operating parameters based on a difference between the target train speed profile and the future train speed profile, the adjusted locomotive control levels being adapted to maintain the target train speed profile over the future period; f) Calculating adjusted in-train force control levels relating to the one or more operating parameters based on a difference between the target in-train force profile and the future in-train force profile, the adjusted in-train force control levels being adapted to maintain the target in-train force profile below a target level over the future period; g) Dividing the adjusted locomotive control levels and the adjusted in-train force control levels between the two or more locomotives to form locomotive-specific locomotive control levels for each of the two or more locomotives, the locomotive-specific locomotive control levels being at least partially adapted to control and/or balance in-train force levels below the target level h) Provide locomotive-specific locomotive control levels for communication to each of the two or more locomotives; and i) Operating each of the two or more locomotives according to the locomotive-specific locomotive control levels.

An abrasion inspection apparatus includes: a first imaging unit that is installed on a side of a track, a vehicle traveling along the track, a guide wheel being installed on a side of the vehicle, the first imaging unit imaging an inside of the track via a telecentric lens; a second imaging unit that is installed in a vehicle traveling direction with respect to the first imaging unit on the side of the track and images the inside of the track via a telecentric lens; an image acquisition unit that acquires an image which is an image of a boundary of the guide wheel captured by the first imaging unit and is an image of a boundary on a first direction side in the vehicle traveling direction and an image which is an image of the boundary of the guide wheel captured by the second imaging unit at the same time as the capturing of the image by the first imaging unit and is an image of a boundary on an opposite side to the first direction side; and a guide wheel detection unit that detects an abrasion situation of the guide wheel according to a position of a boundary indicated in the images acquired by the image acquisition unit.

An abrasion inspection apparatus includes: a first imaging unit that is installed on a side of a track, a vehicle traveling along the track, a guide wheel being installed on a side of the vehicle, the first imaging unit imaging an inside of the track via a telecentric lens; a second imaging unit that is installed in a vehicle traveling direction with respect to the first imaging unit on the side of the track and images the inside of the track via a telecentric lens; an image acquisition unit that acquires an image which is an image of a boundary of the guide wheel captured by the first imaging unit and is an image of a boundary on a first direction side in the vehicle traveling direction and an image which is an image of the boundary of the guide wheel captured by the second imaging unit at the same time as the capturing of the image by the first imaging unit and is an image of a boundary on an opposite side to the first direction side; and a guide wheel detection unit that detects an abrasion situation of the guide wheel according to a position of a boundary indicated in the images acquired by the image acquisition unit.