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 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,wherein the leading sensor is configured to acquire the first inspection data at a first resolution level and the trailing sensor is configured to acquire the second inspection data 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 at least one of per unit time, per unit distance, or per unit area.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A sensing system includes a leading sensor, a trailing sensor, and a route examining unit. The leading sensor is onboard a first vehicle of a vehicle system that is traveling along a route. The leading sensor measures first characteristics of the route as the vehicle system moves along the route. The trailing sensor is disposed onboard a second vehicle of the vehicle system. The trailing sensor measures second characteristics of the route as the vehicle system moves along the route. The route examining unit is disposed onboard the vehicle system and receives the first characteristics of the route and the second characteristics of the route to compare the first characteristics with the second characteristics. The route examining unit also identifies a segment of the route as being damaged based on a comparison of the first characteristics with the second characteristics.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. 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, wherein the leading sensor is configured to acquire the first inspection data at a first resolution level and the trailing sensor is configured to acquire the second inspection data 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 at least one of per unit time, per unit distance, or per unit area. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. 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 at least one of per unit time, per unit distance, or per unit area, 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. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A sensing system comprising:
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a leading sensor configured to be disposed onboard a first vehicle of a vehicle system that travels along a route, the leading sensor also configured to measure first characteristics of the route as the vehicle system travels along the route; a trailing sensor configured to be disposed onboard a second vehicle of the vehicle system that is directly or indirectly mechanically coupled with the first vehicle, the trailing sensor also configured to measure second characteristics of the route as the vehicle system moves along the route; and a route examining unit configured to be disposed onboard the vehicle system, wherein the route examining unit is configured to receive the first characteristics of the route and the second characteristics of the route and to compare the first characteristics with the second characteristics, the route examining unit also configured to identify a segment of the route as being damaged based on a comparison of the first characteristics with the second characteristics. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification