Disclosed is a method for determining the relationship between a track-circuit current signal and a railway vehicle location, including: sending, by a track circuit, current signal across a railway track block; measuring the current signal for different railway vehicles running successively on the railway track block; aligning the measured current signals and calculating a reference curve as the average value of all the aligned curves by using a Dynamic Time Warping algorithm, this reference curve representing the relationship between the track-circuit current signal and the railway vehicle location on the railway track block.

A method for forming 3D image data representative of the subsurface of infrastructure located in the vicinity of a moving vehicle. The method includes: rotating a directional antenna, mounted to the moving vehicle, about an antenna rotation axis; performing, using the directional antenna whilst it is rotated about the antenna rotation axis, a plurality of collection cycles in which the directional antenna emits RF energy and receives reflected RF energy; collecting, during each of the plurality of collection cycles performed by the directional antenna.

A method for forming 3D image data representative of the subsurface of infrastructure located in the vicinity of a moving vehicle. The method includes: rotating a directional antenna, mounted to the moving vehicle, about an antenna rotation axis; performing, using the directional antenna whilst it is rotated about the antenna rotation axis, a plurality of collection cycles in which the directional antenna emits RF energy and receives reflected RF energy; collecting, during each of the plurality of collection cycles performed by the directional antenna.

A system for surveying a track includes two outer measuring devices and a central measuring device disposed therebetween, relative to the longitudinal direction of the track. Each measuring device has a specific position relative to the track in order to detect geometric track parameters. One outer measuring device includes a camera with a recording area in which a measuring object of the other outer measuring device and a measuring object of the central measuring device are disposed. The camera is connected to an evaluation device for pattern recognition. All of the position parameters of the track required for precise lining and levelling of the track are thus recorded by a single camera. A method of operating the system is also provided.

A system for surveying a track includes two outer measuring devices and a central measuring device disposed therebetween, relative to the longitudinal direction of the track. Each measuring device has a specific position relative to the track in order to detect geometric track parameters. One outer measuring device includes a camera with a recording area in which a measuring object of the other outer measuring device and a measuring object of the central measuring device are disposed. The camera is connected to an evaluation device for pattern recognition. All of the position parameters of the track required for precise lining and levelling of the track are thus recorded by a single camera. A method of operating the system is also provided.

A system and method for automating railroad maintenance for a tie gang using electronic tie marking (ETM) configured to optimize railroad asset maintenance. The system enables the automating of an adaptive maintenance process for the asset that is being maintainanced. The system can identify a railroad asset scheduled for maintenance using various forms of inspection including real-time kinematic (RTK)-corrected GPS data, radar signal processing data, and real-time imaging. The system also provides for the acquisition and upload of asset pictures for verification and analysis of a railroad asset. The system can identify a next location to perform maintenance and can calculate an optimum path based on sensor input incorporating machine-specific and environmental characteristics. The system further can provide a customizable user interface to identify, track, and process information related to maintenance of the railroad asset.

A system and method for automating railroad maintenance for a tie gang using electronic tie marking (ETM) configured to optimize railroad asset maintenance. The system enables the automating of an adaptive maintenance process for the asset that is being maintainanced. The system can identify a railroad asset scheduled for maintenance using various forms of inspection including real-time kinematic (RTK)-corrected GPS data, radar signal processing data, and real-time imaging. The system also provides for the acquisition and upload of asset pictures for verification and analysis of a railroad asset. The system can identify a next location to perform maintenance and can calculate an optimum path based on sensor input incorporating machine-specific and environmental characteristics. The system further can provide a customizable user interface to identify, track, and process information related to maintenance of the railroad asset.

A method for gauging a track position uses a track gauging trolley (7) moved on the track. A gauging run is carried out with the track gauging trolley (7), a GPS antenna (8) and an RTK GPS receiver (11) that communicates with an RTK correction data service (RTK-KD), wherein at least one wheel (10) of the track gauging trolley (7) is pressed against a rail (4). Using boundary conditions such as constraint positions, constraint points and maximum permissible track position corrections, to avoid the disadvantages of the drifts of an inertial gauging system during long gauging runs and the only relative information on the track position, the position of the GPS antenna (8) with respect to a reference axis of the track (4, 10) is determined with the aid of a compensation scanner (6) and a computing unit (13), and the measured GPS coordinates are converted into Cartesian coordinates (Pi(xi, yi, zi)) recorded with the computing unit (13) as a spatial curve (3), from which the location image (1), from which a desired curvature image (ksoll) is calculated, and the longitudinal image (2), from which a desired longitudinal inclination image (Nsoll) is calculated, are formed. An inertial system (INS) is set up on the gauging trolley (7), with which inertial system a correction spatial curve of the same section is created, and recorded using the computing unit (13) and is used as a correction value for the GPS coordinates converted into Cartesian coordinates (Pi(xi, yi, zi)).

A method for gauging a track position uses a track gauging trolley (7) moved on the track. A gauging run is carried out with the track gauging trolley (7), a GPS antenna (8) and an RTK GPS receiver (11) that communicates with an RTK correction data service (RTK-KD), wherein at least one wheel (10) of the track gauging trolley (7) is pressed against a rail (4). Using boundary conditions such as constraint positions, constraint points and maximum permissible track position corrections, to avoid the disadvantages of the drifts of an inertial gauging system during long gauging runs and the only relative information on the track position, the position of the GPS antenna (8) with respect to a reference axis of the track (4, 10) is determined with the aid of a compensation scanner (6) and a computing unit (13), and the measured GPS coordinates are converted into Cartesian coordinates (Pi(xi, yi, zi)) recorded with the computing unit (13) as a spatial curve (3), from which the location image (1), from which a desired curvature image (ksoll) is calculated, and the longitudinal image (2), from which a desired longitudinal inclination image (Nsoll) is calculated, are formed. An inertial system (INS) is set up on the gauging trolley (7), with which inertial system a correction spatial curve of the same section is created, and recorded using the computing unit (13) and is used as a correction value for the GPS coordinates converted into Cartesian coordinates (Pi(xi, yi, zi)).

An imaging apparatus is mounted on a moving object and configured to capture an image while moving along a moving direction of the moving object. The imaging apparatus includes a sensor unit including a sensor substrate on which an image sensor is mounted, and a main unit including a main substrate on which an electronic component configured to process an output signal from the sensor substrate is mounted. The imaging apparatus further includes a heat dissipation fin configured to dissipate heat generated in at least one of the sensor unit and the main unit. The heat dissipation fin is provided in a direction substantially parallel to the moving direction.