B61L23/047

System and method of surveying a track

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.

Automated tie marking

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.

METHOD FOR GAUGING A TRACK POSITION
20230221448 · 2023-07-13 ·

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)).

Measurement Method, Measurement Device, Measurement System, And Measurement Program
20230019808 · 2023-01-19 ·

A measurement method includes: generating first measurement data based on observation data of an observation point of a structure; generating second measurement data by performing filter processing on the first measurement data; calculating a first deflection amount of the structure; calculating a second deflection amount by performing filter processing on the first deflection amount; approximating the second measurement data with a linear function of the second deflection amount to calculate a first-order coefficient and a zero-order coefficient; calculating a third deflection amount based on the first-order coefficient, the zero-order coefficient, and the second deflection amount; calculating an offset based on the zero-order coefficient, the second deflection amount, and the third deflection amount; and calculating a static response by adding the offset and a product of the first-order coefficient and the first deflection amount.

System and method for mapping a railway track

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.

Derivation Method, Derivation Device, Derivation System, And Program
20230003610 · 2023-01-05 ·

A derivation method includes: an acquisition step of acquiring time-series data including a physical quantity generated at a predetermined observation point in a structure as a response caused by a movement of a formation moving object formed with one or more moving objects on the structure; an environment information acquisition step of acquiring, as environment information, information on a structure length that is a length of the structure, a moving object length that is a length of the moving object, and an installation position of a contact portion of the moving object with the structure; a fundamental frequency derivation step of deriving a fundamental frequency of the time-series data based on the time-series data; a passing period derivation step of deriving a passing period during which the formation moving object passes through the structure based on the time-series data; and a number derivation step of deriving the number of the moving objects included in the formation moving object based on the environment information, the fundamental frequency, and the passing period.

Measurement Method, Measurement Device, Measurement System, And Measurement Program
20230003575 · 2023-01-05 ·

A measurement method includes: generating second measurement data by performing filter processing on observation data-based first measurement data; calculating a first deflection amount of a structure based on an approximate equation of deflection of the structure, observation information, and environment information; calculating a second deflection amount by performing filter processing on the first deflection amount; calculating a third deflection amount based on the second deflection amount and a first-order coefficient and a zero-order coefficient which are calculated based on the second measurement data and the second deflection amount, and the second deflection amount; calculating an offset based on the zero-order coefficient, the second deflection amount, and the third deflection amount; calculating a first static response by adding the offset and a product of the first-order coefficient and the first deflection amount; and calculating a first dynamic response by subtracting the first static response from the first measurement data.

Systems and methods for inspecting a railroad
11529980 · 2022-12-20 · ·

A method for analyzing one or more conditions of a transportation pathway includes obtaining, using an imaging device of an inspection system, image data reproducible as a plurality of images of the transportation pathway, each of the plurality of images being reproducible as an image of a portion of the transportation pathway, each portion of the transportation pathway having an associated location along a length of the transportation pathway, analyzing, using one or more processors of the inspection system, the image data to determine a first plurality of metrics indicative of a condition of the transportation pathway at each of the associated locations, and generating a first graph, using the determined first plurality of metrics, that is indicative of the condition of the transportation pathway at each of the associated locations.

A SYSTEM, A VEHICLE AND A METHOD FOR THE DETECTION OF POSITION AND GEOMETRY OF LINE INFRASTRUCTURES, PARTICULARLY FOR A RAILWAY LINE
20220388553 · 2022-12-08 ·

A detection system and method for line infrastructures of a railway line includes: at least one electromagnetic-wave detection device having at least one transceiver antenna, the electromagnetic-wave detection device being configured for emitting electromagnetic waves towards a line infrastructure by means said at least one transceiver antenna and for receiving electromagnetic waves reflected by said line infrastructure; and a control unit configured for processing the electromagnetic waves reflected by said line infrastructure and determining a position of said line infrastructure with respect to a pre-set reference system. The at least one electromagnetic-wave detection device is configured for installation on board a railway vehicle.

System and method for continuous welded rail risk modeling

A system for modeling risk of rail buckling in railroad infrastructure is presented. The system can receive a myriad of data related to railroad tracks and/or railroad operations, and weight the data using specially-designed weighting factors that can be unique to each data type. The weighted data can be transformed via specialized algorithms to generate location scores reflective of a risk isolated to a particular area. The system can further utilize additional specialized algorithms to elucidate how such isolated risk can be extrapolated from one location to another. The system can implement a multilayer approach, formulating one or more layers of risk models and aggregating such models into an overarching risk model that can more-accurately forecast risk of rail buckling in a railroad track.