System and method for railroad track tie plate orientation
First Claim
1. A machine for automatically orienting railroad tie plates, comprising:
- a sensing region;
at least one optical sensor associated with the sensing region and connected to the machine, wherein the at least one optical sensor is adapted to sense a physical feature of a tie plate;
an electronic controller operably connected to the at least one optical sensor and disposed to receive therefrom a sensor signal indicative of the physical feature of the tie plate when the tie plate is in the sensing region;
wherein the electronic controller is further disposed to;
determine an orientation of the tie plate based on the sensor signal;
compare the orientation of the tie plate with a predetermined orientation; and
provide a command to at least one actuator adapted to perform at least one tie plate orientation operation to change the orientation of the tie plate based on the comparison of the orientation of the plate with the predetermined orientation.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A machine for automatically orienting railroad tie plates includes a sensing region having at least one optical sensor adapted to sense a physical feature of a tie plate. An electronic controller is connected to the optical sensor and is disposed to receive a sensor signal indicative of the physical feature of the tie plate when the tie plate is in the sensing region. The electronic controller further determines an orientation of the tie plate based on the sensor signal, compares it to one or more predetermined or possible orientations, and provides a command to at least one actuator adapted to perform at least one tie plate orientation operation to change the orientation of the tie plate based on the comparison of the orientation of the plate with the predetermined orientation.
26 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A machine for automatically orienting railroad tie plates, comprising:
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a sensing region; at least one optical sensor associated with the sensing region and connected to the machine, wherein the at least one optical sensor is adapted to sense a physical feature of a tie plate; an electronic controller operably connected to the at least one optical sensor and disposed to receive therefrom a sensor signal indicative of the physical feature of the tie plate when the tie plate is in the sensing region; wherein the electronic controller is further disposed to; determine an orientation of the tie plate based on the sensor signal; compare the orientation of the tie plate with a predetermined orientation; and provide a command to at least one actuator adapted to perform at least one tie plate orientation operation to change the orientation of the tie plate based on the comparison of the orientation of the plate with the predetermined orientation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for automatically sorting and orienting tie plates in a tie plate placing machine, comprising:
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sensing at least one physical feature of each tie plate by scanning a portion thereof with an optical sensor; providing a signal indicative of a physical feature from the optical sensor to an electronic controller; determining an orientation of each tie plate in the electronic controller based on the signal; comparing the orientation of each tie plate with at least four predetermined orientations; assigning an orientation designation to each tie plate based on the comparison between the orientation of each tie plate with the predetermined orientations; and re-orienting each tie plate based on the orientation designation. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A machine for placing tie plates between rails and rail ties in a railroad, the machine including a tie plate depositor and a tie plate collector arranged to collect individual tie plates strewn along a rail bed, the machine comprising:
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a frame having wheels adapted for riding on the railroad; an engine connected to the frame and arranged to power the wheels thus moving the machine along the railroad; an operator cab connected to the frame; a sorting and orientation portion of the machine disposed on the frame and including at least one plate orientation actuator; a sensing region defined on a portion of the machine; a conveyor system extending between the collector, the sensing region, the sorting and orientation portion, and the tie plate depositor, wherein the conveyor system is adapted to transport tie plates thereon; at least one optical sensor associated with the sensing region and connected to the machine, wherein the at least one optical sensor is adapted to sense a physical feature of at least one tie plate passing through the sensing region while transported by the conveyor system; an additional optical sensor arranged opposite the at least one optical sensor and disposed adjacent the sensing region and arranged to scan a first side of the at least one tie plate as it passes through the sensing region, the at least one optical sensor is adapted to scan a second side of the at least one tie plate; an electronic controller operably connected to the at least one optical sensor and disposed to receive therefrom a sensor signal indicative of the physical feature of a tie plate when the tie plate is in the sensing region; wherein the electronic controller is further disposed to; determine an orientation of the tie plate based on the sensor signal; designate one of four predetermined orientations to the orientation of the tie plate; and provide a command signal to the at least one plate orientation actuator to change the orientation of the tie plate, based on the designated predetermined orientation, before the tie plate is provided to the tie plate depositor by the conveyor system.
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Specification