SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INSPECTING A ROUTE DURING MOVEMENT OF A VEHICLE SYSTEM OVER THE ROUTE
First Claim
1. A sensing system comprising:
- a leading sensor configured to be coupled to a leading vehicle in a vehicle system that travels along a route, the leading sensor also configured to acquire first inspection data indicative of a condition of the route as the vehicle system travels over the route;
a trailing sensor configured to be coupled to a different, trailing vehicle that is directly or indirectly mechanically coupled with the leading vehicle in the vehicle system, the trailing sensor also configured to acquire additional, second inspection data indicative of the condition to the route subsequent to the leading sensor acquiring the first inspection data; and
a route examining unit configured to be disposed onboard the vehicle system and to identify a section of interest in the route based on the first inspection data acquired by the leading sensor, wherein the route examining unit also is configured to direct the trailing sensor to acquire the second inspection data within the section of interest in the route when the first inspection data indicates damage to the route in the section of interest.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A sensing system includes a leading sensor, a trailing sensor, and a route examining unit. The sensors are coupled to a vehicle system that travels along a route. The leading sensor acquires first inspection data indicative of a condition of the route as the vehicle system travels over the route. The condition may represent the health of the route. The trailing sensor acquires additional, second inspection data that is indicative of the condition to the route subsequent to the leading sensor acquiring the first inspection data. The route examining unit identifies a section of interest in the route based on the first inspection data acquired by the leading sensor. The route examining unit also directs the trailing sensor to acquire the second inspection data within the section of interest in the route when the first inspection data indicates damage to the route in the section of interest.
85 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A sensing system comprising:
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a leading sensor configured to be coupled to a leading vehicle in a vehicle system that travels along a route, the leading sensor also configured to acquire first inspection data indicative of a condition of the route as the vehicle system travels over the route; a trailing sensor configured to be coupled to a different, trailing vehicle that is directly or indirectly mechanically coupled with the leading vehicle in the vehicle system, the trailing sensor also configured to acquire additional, second inspection data indicative of the condition to the route subsequent to the leading sensor acquiring the first inspection data; and a route examining unit configured to be disposed onboard the vehicle system and to identify a section of interest in the route based on the first inspection data acquired by the leading sensor, wherein the route examining unit also is configured to direct the trailing sensor to acquire the second inspection data within the section of interest in the route when the first inspection data indicates damage to the route in the section of interest. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method comprising:
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acquiring first inspection data indicative of a condition of a route from a leading sensor coupled to a leading vehicle in a vehicle system as the vehicle system travels over the route; determining that the first inspection data indicates damage to the route in a section of interest in the route; and directing a trailing sensor coupled to a trailing vehicle of the vehicle system to acquire additional, second inspection data of the route when the first inspection data indicates the damage to the route, the leading vehicle and the trailing vehicle mechanically directly or indirectly interconnected with each other in the vehicle system, and the leading vehicle passing over the section of interest of the route before the trailing vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A sensing system comprising:
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a leading sensor configured to be coupled to a leading rail vehicle of a rail vehicle system that travels along a track, the leading sensor also configured to acquire first inspection data indicative of a condition of the track in an examined section of the track as the rail vehicle system travels over the track; a trailing sensor configured to be coupled to a trailing rail vehicle of the rail vehicle system and to acquire additional, second inspection data indicative of the condition of the track subsequent to the leading rail vehicle passing over the examined section of the track and the leading sensor acquiring the first inspection data; and a route examining unit configured to be disposed onboard the rail vehicle system, the route examining unit also configured to direct the trailing sensor to acquire the second inspection data in the examined section of the track when the first inspection data indicates damage to the track such that both the leading sensor and the trailing sensor acquire the first inspection data and the second inspection data, respectively, of the examined section of the track during a single pass of the rail vehicle system over the examined section of the track. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A sensing system comprising:
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a leading sensor configured to be coupled to a leading rail vehicle of a rail vehicle system that travels along a track, the leading sensor also configured to automatically acquire first inspection data indicative of a condition of the track in an examined section of the track as the rail vehicle system travels over the track, wherein the first inspection data is acquired at a first resolution level; a trailing sensor configured to be coupled to a trailing rail vehicle of the rail vehicle system and to automatically acquire additional, second inspection data indicative of the condition of the track subsequent to the leading rail vehicle passing over the examined section of the track and the leading sensor acquiring the first inspection data, wherein the second inspection data is acquired at a second resolution level that is greater than the first resolution level such that the second inspection data includes a greater amount of data than the first inspection data, and wherein the leading rail vehicle and the trailing rail vehicle are directly or indirectly mechanically connected in the rail vehicle system; and a route examining unit configured to be disposed onboard the rail vehicle system, the route examining unit also configured to automatically direct the trailing sensor to acquire the second inspection data in the examined section of the track when the first inspection data indicates damage to the track such that both the leading sensor and the trailing sensor acquire the first inspection data and the second inspection data, respectively, of the examined section of the track during a single pass of the rail vehicle system over the examined section of the track.
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26. A sensing system comprising:
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a route examining unit configured to be disposed onboard a vehicle system that travels along a route, wherein the route examining unit is configured to receive first inspection data from a leading sensor configured to be coupled to a leading vehicle of the vehicle system as the vehicle system travels over the route, the first inspection data indicative of a condition of the route in an examined section of the route; wherein the route examining unit is further configured to identify damage in the examined section of the route based on the first inspection data; and wherein the route examining unit is further configured to direct a trailing sensor to acquire second inspection data in the examined section of the route responsive to identifying the damage, the trailing sensor configured to be coupled to a trailing vehicle of the vehicle system that is indirectly or directly mechanically coupled to the leading vehicle.
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Specification