The invention provides a track sensor system for a railroad. The track sensor system includes a track sensor device has, in its interior, a first actuator coupled to a first inductor via a first actuator shaft, and a second actuator coupled to a second inductor via a second actuator shaft. A power system provides power distribution to the actuators and inductors. An input/output communications and railroad computing device provide independent or additional functionality to the track sensor system.

A cyber security system for providing security to a railway system, the system comprising: a data monitoring and processing hub; a network of data collection agents configured to monitor communications transmitted between railway infrastructure and/or rolling stock entities and mirror the communications to the hub; wherein the processing hub comprises computer executable instructions executable to: process the mirrored communications to determine normative patterns of communications between the entities; use the normative patterns to determine sequences of related communications; determine characteristic features of the determined communications sequences; and use the determined characteristic features to determine whether a given communication mirrored to the hub by a data collection agent of the network of data collection agents is anomalous.

A system for dynamically adjusting a configuration of an intra-train communication network includes an electronic device and a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium has one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the electronic device to receive one or more parameters values associated with a train consist, determine whether a potentially adverse condition that would affect intra-train communication for the train consist is anticipated based on at least a portion of the received parameters, in response to determining that the potentially adverse condition is anticipated, identify one or more updated network parameter settings that will assist in maintaining intra-train communication of the train consist during an occurrence of the potentially adverse condition by executing a machine learning model, and implement the identified one or more updated network parameter settings.

A method includes obtaining one or more images of a segment of a route from a camera while a vehicle is moving along the route. The segment of the route includes one or more guide lanes. The method also includes comparing, with one or more computer processors, the one or more images of the segment of the route with a benchmark visual profile of the route based at least in part on an overlay of the one or more images onto the benchmark visual profile or an overlay of the benchmark visual profile onto the one or more images. The one or more processors identify a misaligned segment of the route based on one or more differences between the one or more images and the benchmark visual profile and respond to the identification of the misaligned segment of the route by modifying an operating parameter of the vehicle.

A method is provided that may include obtaining image data related to a route from a imaging device associated with a vehicle. The method may also include determining an environmental condition based on the image data, and operating the vehicle or communicating an alert signal based on the environmental condition that is determined.

A method for software update of software embedded in an electronic device having a nominal operating mode making it possible to exchange messages with a remote server according to a long-range low-speed communication protocol, where the messages contain information generated by the embedded software. The method is computer-implemented and comprises at least steps consisting in: receiving, via the long-range low-speed communication protocol, a message for activating a short-range high-speed communication protocol; activating the short-range high-speed communication protocol; halting the nominal operating mode; and updating the embedded software with a software update received via the short-range high-speed communication protocol.

A deployable measurement system for analyzing a rail of a railroad track includes a housing, a reflecting assembly coupled to the housing, a movement assembly coupled to the housing, and an optical measurement system disposed within the housing. Both the housing and the reflecting assembly are moveable between a stored position and a deployed position. The movement assembly includes a deployment assembly that moves the reflecting assembly from the stored position to the deployed position, and a retraction assembly that moves the reflecting assembly from the deployed position to the stored position. The optical measurement system emits and receives light. The reflecting assembly reflects the emitted light toward the rail. The reflecting assembly reflects light reflected off of the rail toward the optical measurement system. The light received by the optical measurement system is used to measure parameters related to the rail.

A system and method for minimizing safety hazards along a railroad track by optimizing visual railroad inspection frequency based on acquired data relating to railroad safety maintenance. The system and method can provide various rating systems for the railroad assets to optimize railroad inspections by focusing the inspections to railroad assets experiencing suboptimal conditions. The ratings of the railroad assets are based on various data collected from physical factors impacting the life of the railroad assets, such as an amount of rainfall, locomotive weight and frequency of passing, and manually detected defects. The system and method can focus the railroad inspection efforts to the railroad assets requiring increased attention in response to the suboptimal conditions. The focused inspections can result in longer lifespan of the railroad assets, efficient inspections, and safer railroads.

A system and method for minimizing safety hazards along a railroad track by optimizing visual railroad inspection frequency based on acquired data relating to railroad safety maintenance. The system and method can provide various rating systems for the railroad assets to optimize railroad inspections by focusing the inspections to railroad assets experiencing suboptimal conditions. The ratings of the railroad assets are based on various data collected from physical factors impacting the life of the railroad assets, such as an amount of rainfall, locomotive weight and frequency of passing, and manually detected defects. The system and method can focus the railroad inspection efforts to the railroad assets requiring increased attention in response to the suboptimal conditions. The focused inspections can result in longer lifespan of the railroad assets, efficient inspections, and safer railroads.

Described herein is a fully autonomous drone-based track inspection system that does not rely on GPS but instead uses optical images taken from the drone to identify the railroad track and navigate the drone to cruise along the track to perform track inspection tasks; track images are taken by the onboard drone camera and processed to provide both navigation information for autonomous drone flight control and track component health evaluation.