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 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.

A video content analysis system for mobile assets that includes track detection and infrastructure monitoring component. The track detection and infrastructure monitoring includes a reinforcement learning component, an object detection and location component, and an obstruction detection component to analyze video data, audio data, vehicle data, weather data, and route/manifest data to determine internal and/or external conditions relating to an the asset. A data acquisition and recording system uploads the data, internal and/or external condition information, object detection information, object location information, and obstruction detection information to a remote memory module and provides streaming video data in real-time to a remotely located user. Remotely located users can view the data in various view modes through a web browser or virtual reality device, which provides for quicker emergency response, validates the effectiveness of repairs and rerouting, and monitors crew performance and safety.

The present invention defines a method of determining a vertical profile signal of a rail surface that includes, obtaining a vertical acceleration signal acc.sub.1, by measuring vertical acceleration of a bogie of a rail vehicle that runs on the rail surface; processing the vertical acceleration signal to obtain a vertical velocity signal; determining the vertical profile signal of the rail surface, by using the vertical acceleration signal and the vertical velocity signal as inputs to a simulation model of the bogie, the model having an unsprung mass connected to a sprung mass, the vertical acceleration signal acc.sub.1 represents the vertical acceleration of the unsprung mass; and measuring a linear velocity signal of the rail vehicle, the linear velocity signal is used in the step of determining to convert the vertical profile signal from the time domain to the distance domain.

Novel tools and techniques for monitoring railway track geometry. In one aspect, some such tools and techniques can determine a location of a platform along a railway, capture one or more images of the railway, and/or analyze the rail configuration at that point. In another aspect, some solutions might employ photogrammetric techniques to analyze the rail configuration and thereafter store data about the rail configuration, perhaps correlated with the location of the images, in a data store.

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 fiber optic sensor unit for detecting a mechanical force acting on a rail includes at least a first sensor fiber, a first elongated fiber optic strain sensor and a second elongated fiber optic strain sensor. The first sensor fiber includes the first strain sensor and is characterized in that the at least one sensor fiber is attached to a sensor plate. The first fiber strain sensor and the second strain sensor are arranged in an x-type or v-type geometry, wherein the first strain sensor and the second strain sensor are arranged in an angle of 60° to 120°, in particular of 90°, to each other. Measurements with increased amplification of the measurement signal and improved raw data can be made.

A Railroad Tie Management System is disclosed that can provide an efficient and organized method of inspecting and auditing ties in a rail system. Tie mark files can be retrieved by a client from a server or database in operable communication with the client, and upon instantiation of an inspection process governed by the system, an inspection information table and tie grid can be generated. The tie grid can operable to receive commands from a user, and the inspection information table is operable to automatically increment and decrement fields contained within in response to changes within the tie grid. The tie grid can also be configured to incorporate data from tie scans and serve the data to the client in a useful and user-friendly manner.

The present invention provides a method for determining an element characteristic of at least one railroad element, comprising the steps of: providing a motion sensor (2) on the at least one railroad element (6); collecting motion data provided by the motion sensor (2), wherein the motion data is representing a motion characteristic of the railroad element (6) different from the element characteristic; determining the element characteristic on the basis of the motion data.

A railway track (1) including at least two railway rails (2) and at least one measuring apparatus (3), disposed under at least one of the railway rails (2), for measuring vertical contact pressure, wherein the measuring apparatus (3) has at least one mat-shaped or planar carrying body (4) with a multiplicity of measuring sensors (5), disposed at a distance from one another, for measuring the vertical surface pressure at the respective positions of the respective measuring sensors (5).