A method for determining an actual geometry of a track by a track inspection vehicle which is movable on the track, wherein reference points positioned in a lateral environment of the track are automatically recorded by a non-contacting recording system arranged on the track inspection vehicle and their respective actual distance from the track is determined. A three-dimensional trajectory of the track is recorded by an inertial measuring system arranged on the track inspection vehicle, wherein the trajectory is divided by a computing unit into trajectory sections each having a section starting point related to a first reference point and a section end point related to a second reference point, wherein a virtual longitudinal chord is defined for each trajectory section in relation to the assigned reference points, and wherein actual distances between the trajectory and the respectively defined longitudinal chord are calculated for each trajectory section.

A system and method for adjusting light emitter output for a railway track inspection system based on data feedback from one or more sensors. The system includes: a power source; a light emitting apparatus emitting light energy toward a railway track; a 3D sensor acquiring three-dimensional data of the railway track; a shaft encoder emitting pulses at a rate that corresponds to a speed of the railway track vehicle; and an algorithm operable on processor to: analyze the three-dimensional data from the 3D sensor; receive pulses from the shaft encoder; and adjust a light emitter control output value based on the analyzed three-dimensional data and the received pulses. A controller in communication with the processor is configured to control the light intensity of the light emitting apparatus in response to the light emitter control output value.

A track geometry measurement system includes a plurality of wheels, a frame, an inertial measurement unit, a global positioning system, and a processor. The plurality of wheels are operable to trail over rail track. The frame is coupled to the wheels. The inertial measurement unit (IMU) is coupled to the frame. The global positioning system (GPS) is coupled to the frame. The processor is configured to determine a relative position of a portion of the frame based on data from the GPS and data from the IMU.

A monitoring method and system monitor a transmitted current that is injected into conductive components of a route traveled by vehicle systems, monitor a received current that represents a portion of the transmitted current that is conducted through the conductive components of the route, examine changes in the transmitted and/or received current over time to determine when the vehicle systems are on the route between a first location where the transmitted current is injected into the conductive components and a second location where the received current is monitored, and examine the changes in the transmitted and/or received currents. The changes are examined to identify (a) a contaminated portion of a surface on which the route is disposed, (b) a foreign object other than the vehicle systems that is contacting the route, and/or (c) a damaged or broken portion of at least one of the conductive components of the route.

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.

A positive train control may comprise a plurality of different sensors coupled to a processor that determines whether there is an anomaly of a track way, and if there is, provides an alert and/or a train control action. The plural sensors may include a visual imager, an infrared imager, a radar, a doppler radar, a laser sensor, a laser ranging device, an acoustic sensor, and/or an acoustic ranging device. Data from the plural sensors is geo-tagged and time tagged. Some embodiments of the train control employ track monitors, switch monitors and/or wayside monitors, and some employ locating devices such as GPS and inertial devices.

In a rail inspection system, a positional deviation can be detected with accuracy. The rail inspection system includes a first sensor unit which is disposed to face a rail for a vehicle, and includes at least one receiver coil and at least one oscillation coil which are arranged in an arrangement direction intersecting with a layout direction of the rail, an AC voltage source which applies AC voltage to the oscillation coil, and a displacement detection unit which detects a displacement between the rail and the first sensor unit based on an induced voltage of the receiver coil. The first sensor unit is configured such that, when the displacement is a first displacement, a first maximum value appears in the induced voltage, and when the displacement is a second displacement, a second maximum value of which a phase is reversed against the first maximum value appears in the induced voltage.

A rail position measurement device that measures a three-dimensional position of a rail using a measurement vehicle includes: a position posture measurement device to measure a position and a posture of the measurement vehicle; and a laser scanner that is a sensor installed on the measurement vehicle so as to be capable of irradiating at least a web and a bottom of a side surface of the rail with laser light and used for measuring the three-dimensional position of the rail.

The invention relates to a method for determining an actual position of rails of a track by means of an optical sensor device, positioned on a rail vehicle, for recording the position of the track and adjacent installations. In this, it is provided that, by means of the sensor device, a course of the track and a course of the adjacent installations, in particular a catenary installation, are recorded for a track section as preliminary actual data, and that the preliminary actual data are transformed into corrected actual data in an evaluation device in that a recorded course of at least one adjacent installation is transformed into a course with a specified geometric shape. In addition, the invention relates to a system for implementing the method.

A method and a system (30) for inspecting and/or mapping a railway track (18). The method comprises: acquiring geo-referenced rail geometry data associated with geometries of two rails (20) of the track along the section; acquiring geo-referenced 3D point cloud data, which includes point data corresponding to the two rails and surroundings of the track along the section; deriving track profiles of the track from the geo-referenced 3D point cloud data and the geo-referenced rail geometry data; and comparing the track profiles and generating enhanced geo-referenced rail geometry data and/or enhanced geo-referenced 3D point cloud data based on the comparison.