Power rail impact analysis system

• US 20090063084A1
• Filed: 08/29/2008
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kevin R. Jensen
• Original Assignee: Kevin R. Jensen
• Inventors: Jensen, Kevin R.
• Application Number:
  US12/231,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20090063084A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/115
• CPC Class Codes: B61K 9/08 Measuring installations for surveying permanent way applications of measuring apparatus or devices for track building purposes E01B35/00; measuring techniques G01

Abstract

A power rail impact analysis system which provides a total system evaluation of a conductor bar system such as may be used in mass transit, automated people movers, material handling machines, or other mobile electric vehicles. The analysis system of this invention takes samples and records data from the current passing through individual collectors, impacts seen by the collectors, and temperature information of the conductor bar.

Claims

1. A means for evaluating a power conductor bar system which supplies electrical power to a vehicle or machine traveling upon rails or a fixed guideway;

comprising;

a position locator mounted on the vehicle or machine;

an accelerometer mounted on the vehicle or machine;

a current sensor mounted on the vehicle or machine;

an infrared camera mounted on the vehicle or machine;

a data acquisition system mounted on the vehicle which receives data from the position locator, accelerometer, current sensor and infrared camera; and

a computer connected to said data acquisition system for recording in a data file for processing.

2. The means of claim 1 wherein discrete temperature data is supplied from said infrared camera to said data acquisition system.

3. The means of claim 2 wherein the video image from said infrared camera is captured onto remote hard disks.

4. The means of claim 1 wherein said position locator comprises a GPS system.

5. The means of claim 4 wherein said position locator also includes an inertial navigation unit.

6. The means of claim 5 wherein position locator also includes a Doppler speed sensor.

8. The means claim 1 further including a current sensor mounted on the vehicle or machine which supplies data to said data acquisition system.

9. The means of claim 1 further including a current sensor mounted on the vehicle or machine which supplies data to said data acquisition system.

10. The means of claim 1 further including an accelerometer mounted on the vehicle or machine which supplies data to said data acquisition system.

12. The means of claim 8 wherein the video image from said infrared camera is captured onto remote hard disks.

7. A means for evaluating a power conductor bar system which supplies electrical power to a vehicle or machine traveling upon rails or a fixed guideway;

comprising;

a position locator mounted on the vehicle or machine;

one or more sensors attached to the vehicle for sensing the condition of the power conductor bar;

a data acquisition system mounted on the vehicle which receives data from the position locator and the one or more sensors; and

a computer connected to said data acquisition system for recording in a data file for processing.

11. The means of claim 7 wherein discrete temperature data is supplied from said infrared camera to said data acquisition system.

13. The means of claim 7 wherein said position locator comprises a GPS system.

14. The means of claim 13 wherein said position locator also includes an inertial navigation unit.

15. the means of claim 14 wherein position locator also includes a Doppler speed sensor.