A system and method for inspecting a railway track bed using a plurality of sensors that are synchronized for rapid interrogation of a railway track bed while the sensors are in motion at a high rate of speed.

An aerial system and method use a distance sensor to measure spatial distances between the distance sensor and plural vehicles in a vehicle system formed from the vehicles operably coupled with each other during relative movement between the distance sensor and the vehicle system. The spatial distances measured by the distance sensor are used to determine a size parameter of the vehicle system based on the spatial distances that are measured.

A route examination system includes a thermographic camera configured to be logically or mechanically coupled with a vehicle that travels along a route. The thermographic camera is also configured to sense infrared radiation emitted or reflected from the route and to generate a sensed thermal signature representative of the infrared radiation that is sensed. The system also includes a computer readable memory device configured to store a designated thermal signature representative of infrared radiation emitted from a segment of the route that is not damaged. The system also includes an analysis processor configured to determine a condition of a first portion of the route relative to other portions of the route at least in part by comparing the sensed thermal signature and the designated thermal signature.

Systems for examining a route inject one or more electrical examination signals into a conductive route from onboard a vehicle system traveling along the route, detect one or more electrical characteristics of the route based on the one or more electrical examination signals, and detect a break in conductivity of the route responsive to the one or more electrical characteristics decreasing by more than a designated drop threshold for a time period within a designated drop time period. Feature vectors may be determined for the electrical characteristics and compared to one or more patterns in order to distinguish between breaks in the conductivity of the route and other causes for changes in the electrical characteristics.

A sensing system includes a leading sensor, a trailing sensor, and a route examining unit. The leading sensor is onboard a first vehicle of a vehicle system that is traveling along a route. The leading sensor measures first characteristics of the route as the vehicle system moves along the route. The trailing sensor is disposed onboard a second vehicle of the vehicle system. The trailing sensor measures second characteristics of the route as the vehicle system moves along the route. The route examining unit is disposed onboard the vehicle system and receives the first characteristics of the route and the second characteristics of the route to compare the first characteristics with the second characteristics. The route examining unit also identifies a segment of the route as being damaged based on a comparison of the first characteristics with the second characteristics.

An electrical detection device carried by a rail vehicle traveling on a railway track to detect faults in at least one rail, including a contact support suitable for being mechanically linked to the rail vehicle, at least one reference contact and corresponding measuring contact applied to a rail, and carried by the support, a processing circuit to which each reference contact and measuring contact are connected, suitable for measuring the impedance between the corresponding reference and measuring contacts, means for positioning the contact support facing the surface of the rail in a measurement direction corresponding to the axis of the rail, such that each first reference contact and each corresponding measuring contact relate to the same rail, and at least two measuring contacts transversely offset relative to the measurement direction, wherein the processing circuit includes means for measuring the impedance between at least one reference contact and each measuring contact.

A method for measuring wear of a rail (20) comprises detecting a first set of wheel signals (SW1) by a wheel sensor (21) mounted to the rail (20), determining a first average wheel signal (AV1) of the first set of wheel signals (SW1), detecting at least one second set of wheel signals (SW2) by the wheel sensor (21), where the second set of wheel signals (SW2) is detected after detecting the first set of wheel signals (SW1), determining a second average wheel signal (AV2) of the second set of wheel signals (SW2), and determining a difference signal (DIF) given by the difference between the second average wheel signal (AV2) and the first average wheel signal (AV1), wherein a wheel signal is detected when a wheel (22) of a rail vehicle passes the wheel sensor (21). Furthermore, an evaluation system (23) for measuring wear of a rail (20) is provided.

The railroad maintenance support system includes a processor, and memory unit. The processor estimates deterioration prediction model, for each of multiple railroad facilities, used to predict the deterioration of railroad facility with maintenance accuracy as an explanatory variable, which is information about the accuracy of maintenance of railroad facility converted from sensing data obtained from sensor apparatus of railroad facility, and stores in the memory unit. In the estimation of the deterioration prediction model, the processor performs a the process of estimating deterioration prediction model of second railroad facility, which includes an explanatory variable is a deterioration prediction of deterioration prediction model of first railroad facility already estimated and stored in the memory unit. The processor outputs overall maintenance cost by maintenance based on deterioration prediction of deterioration prediction model for each railroad facility.

The present disclosure generally relates to automated detection of railroad track features. Images of a railroad track are captured and analyzed to identify track features such as anchors, spikes, rail ties, tie plates, and joints. Various image processing techniques are utilized to accurately distinguish between track features and other objects in the captured images. Track features identified in the images are assigned identifiers and locations and stored in a database so that a status and/or condition of the track features may be monitored for maintenance purposes.

The invention relates to a method for monitoring the physical state of a longitudinal element (IO) of a railway-type rail, the method having a step of detecting mechanical waves moving along the longitudinal element (IO), in particular due to the passing of a train, by means of an array of mechanical wave sensors placed along and in contact with the longitudinal element, the array having at least one first pair (A) of sensors each positioned at one end of a first portion (IOa) of the longitudinal element (IO), and a step of processing the signals emitted by the sensors in the array of sensors, the processing step having the determination of at least one first interfered signal determined from signals provided by the sensors in the first pair (A) of sensors over a first predetermined period of time.