A system (e.g., an off-board camera system) includes a camera and a communication device. The camera is configured to be disposed on an off-board device remotely located from a non-aerial vehicle as the non-aerial vehicle moves along a route. The camera is configured to generate image data representative of an upcoming segment of the route relative to a direction of travel of the non-aerial vehicle. The communication device is configured to be disposed on the off-board device and to wirelessly communicate the image data to the non-aerial vehicle during movement of the non-aerial vehicle along the route.

A device for detecting railway equipment defects, comprising at least three diagnostic modules mounted on a generic railway vehicle: a first module (geometrical module) configured to measure at least a geometrical feature of the track; a second module (acceleration module) configured to measure in at least a point of said vehicle the side and/or vertical accelerations transmitted from the track to said vehicle; a third module (visual module) configured to acquire the images of the track elements and to analyze them to verify the presence of anomalies;
said modules being configured to associate with each detection carried out when the railway vehicle passes, on which they are mounted, the position where the detection was carried out and to calculate, for each detection, a severity index representative of the deviation of the detection with respect to the standard condition without defects.

The method and device to ensure the safety of people's life and health is based on the measurements of spontaneous electromagnetic radiation caused by the deformation from a structure or device, the nucleation and growth of plant cells and living organisms; calculating energy stored in a portion of the structure or cells based on the measured intensity; performing a comparison of the energy stored with a critical value for the structure and pathological changes in the cells; and indicate potential failure of the structure or the level of pathological changes based on the performed comparison.

Systems, methods and devices for a computer vision-based pixel-level rail components detection system using an improved one-stage instance segmentation model and prior knowledge, aiming to inspect railway components in a rapid, accurate, and convenient fashion.

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.

A system and method for strategic track and maintenance planning (STAMP) that can provide an organizational and adaptive infrastructure configured to facilitate railroad asset management and capital planning is presented. The system can provide a railroad asset inspector with relevant data for an assigned inspection segment. Location-based functionality can acquire a device's precise location and provide only the data necessary for the inspection of a particular railroad asset by providing step-by-step input prompting based upon the device location. The system provides adaptive thresholding of asset-related criteria to determine whether and when asset maintenance should occur. The system can acquire inspection data for one or more railroad assets, apply a data optimization algorithm to the inspection data, analyze railroad asset-related data (including historical data), and generate an optimized capital plan with a schedule for railroad asset maintenance and replacement.

A system for analyzing thermal properties of a railroad includes a thermal imaging device configured to generate thermal image data reproducible as a thermal image of a portion of the railroad, the thermal image data being associated with a location of the portion of the railroad, an electronic display device, a memory device configured to receive and store therein the generated thermal image data; and one or more processors configured to: determine a temperature metric of the portion of the railroad based at least in part on the thermal image data; and cause the electronic display device to display (i) a first graph indicative of the temperature metric of the portion of the railroad and (ii) a second graph indicative of a railroad track geometry metric associated with the location of the portion of the railroad.

A method for assembling a strain gauge arrangement for an axle counter, includes: a strain sensor element; a carrier, to which the strain sensor element is fastened; and a railroad track structure to be monitored. When the carrier is fastened to the structure at least a part of it is kept in an elastically deformed state. The carrier is embodied with a first carrier piece opposing a second carrier piece. The strain sensor element is fastened to the first carrier piece with a first fixing point, to the second carrier piece with a second fixing point, and to neither the first nor the second carrier piece with a central section between the fixing points. At least the part of the carrier is elastically braced by means of a bracing element for when adhesively bonding to the structure to be monitored. Thereafter the bracing element is removed.

In the present invention, a transformable robot has been developed that can both drive and fly in the air to detect the different safety conditions and is referred to as a hybrid UAV/UGV. The invention relates to a transformable robot capable of flying and driving for survey of humps, visual sight lines, gates, lights, grades, rail deformations, culverts, drainage pipes, or signs at railroad crossings that comprise a ground locomotion system, an air locomotion system, controls, and a sensor that is necessary to do the survey of the different safety related conditions.

Provided are a structure deterioration detection system and a structure deterioration detection method capable of detecting deterioration of a structure at low cost. In one example embodiment, a structure deterioration detection system includes an optical fiber cable that is placed along the longitudinal direction of a structure and continuously detects any vibration along the longitudinal direction of the structure, and a signal processing unit including a vibration measurement unit that measures the strength of a detected vibration, a per unit time integration unit that integrates the vibration strength for a specified period of time, an information storage unit that stores the integrated vibration strength, and a deterioration determination unit that makes a determination about whether deterioration of the structure has occurred by comparing the integrated vibration strengths at different times.