Clearance measurement system, video clearance measurement vehicle and improved method of performing clearance measurements

• US 5,212,655 A
• Filed: 11/21/1990
• Issued: 05/18/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CSX Transportation Incorporated (CSX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: CSX Transportation Incorporated (CSX Corporation)
• Inventors: Boehle, Joseph B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Application Number:
  US07/616,996
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 364/516, 364/505, 364/506, 364/560, 364/561, 364/562, 364/563, 364/443, 364/424.02, 358/103, 358/107
• US Class Current: 702/155
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/002 Active optical surveying means optical plumbing G01C15/105
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 7/04 involving a vehicle which moves along the profile to be traced
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging

Abstract

A clearance measurement system including a video clearance measurement vehicle. The vehicle includes a video camera and a light source which emits a beam of light in a vertically and laterally extending plane. The vehicle can be driven on a railroad track at night to record illuminated portions of obstacles located along the railroad track. Various notes are overlaid on a videotape of the recorded images. The videotapes are used to prepare clearance diagrams or are analyzed by software to determine whether a reference object will pass freely along the track without hitting any of the obstacles.

Claims

1. A clearance control system for measuring peripheries of obstacles at locations which are spaced apart along a path of movement, the system comprising:

a vehicle movable on a support surface along the path of movement;

radiation transmitting means supported on the vehicle for providing a beam of energy which reflects off portions of outer peripheries of obstacles located above the support surface and facing the path of movement, the radiation transmitting means comprising a light system which projects a beam of light in a vertical plane which is perpendicular to the path of movement; and

recording means for recording signals corresponding to coordinates of the portions of the obstacles, the recording means being supported by the vehicle in fixed relationship thereto such that the recording means continuously records the signals while the vehicle moves along the path of movement, the recording means receiving reflections of the beam of energy off the portions of the obstacles and the signals recorded by the recording means corresponding to coordinates of the portions of the obstacles, the recording means comprising a video camera which records images during movement of the vehicle.

2. The clearance control system of claim 1, further including movable support means for moving the recording means between first and second spaced-apart positions, the first position corresponding to a predetermined location at which the recording means records the signals and the second position corresponding to a location at which the movable support means is stored.

3. The clearance control system of claim 1, further comprising data storage means for storing data received from the video camera, the data storage means including a data disk on which the data is stored.

4. A clearance control system for measuring peripheries of obstacles at locations which are spaced apart along a path of movement and for determining whether a reference object will pass freely along the path of movement without hitting any of the obstacles, the system comprising:

a vehicle movable on a support surface along the path of movement;

recording means for recording signals corresponding to coordinates of portions of outer peripheries of obstacles located above the support surface and facing the path of movement, the signals being recorded in relation to at least one fixed reference point, the recording means being supported by the vehicle such that the recording means can record the signals while the vehicle moves along the path of movement;

means for receiving the signals from the recording means and for storing data corresponding to coordinates of the portions of the obstacles; and

means for determining whether a reference object will pass freely along the path of movement without hitting any of the obstacles.

5. The clearance control system of claim 4, wherein the recording means comprises a video camera which records images on a videotape of the obstacles along the path of movement.

6. The clearance control system of claim 5, wherein the determining means comprises a clearance diagram.

7. A clearance control system for measuring peripheries of obstacles along a path of movement and for determining whether a reference object will pass freely along the path of movement without hitting any of the obstacles, the system comprising:

data storage means for storing data continuously received from a video camera, the data corresponding to coordinates of portions of outer peripheries of obstacles facing and surrounding the path of movement, the data representing structural coordinates of the portions of the obstacles in relation to at least one fixed reference point; and

means for determining whether a reference object will pass freely along the path of movement without hitting any of the obstacles.

8. The clearance control system of claim 7, wherein the data storage means includes a data disk on which graphic files are stored.

9. The clearance control system of claim 7, further including a monitor for displaying an image received from the video camera.

10. The clearance control system of claim 7, further including a data display computer for overlaying information on a video tape of the video camera which supplies the data to the data storage means.

11. The clearance control system of claim 7, wherein the at least one fixed reference point comprises two spaced-apart fixed reference points.

12. The clearance control system of claim 7, wherein the path of movement comprises a railroad track and the means for determining comprises a clearance diagram.

13. The clearance control system of claim 7, wherein the path of movement comprises a railroad track and the obstacles comprise obstructions located adjacent to the railroad track.

14. A clearance control system for measuring peripheries of obstacles along a path of movement, the system comprising:

recording means for recording signals corresponding to coordinates of portions of outer peripheries of obstacles facing and surrounding the path of movement; and

data storage means for receiving the signals from the recording means, converting the signals to data corresponding to coordinates of the portions of the obstacles and storing the data, the data representing structural coordinates of the obstacles in relation to at least one fixed reference point.

15. The clearance control system of claim 14, wherein the recording means records images of the obstacles within a zone up to about thirty feet wide and up to about twenty-five feet high from a support surface located along the path of movement.

16. The clearance control system of claim 14, wherein the recording means comprises a video camera which records images on a videotape of the obstacles along the path of movement.

17. The clearance control system of claim 16, further comprising a video monitor for providing a visually observable picture of the images recorded by the camera while the images are being recorded by the camera.

18. The clearance control system of claim 16, further comprising a slow motion video playback for slowing down or freezing video images recorded by the video camera and converting means for converting the visual images recorded by the camera to the data stored in the data storage means.

19. The clearance control system of claim 18, wherein the converting means digitizes the image recorded by the camera and numerical data corresponding to the digitized image is stored by the data storage means.

20. The clearance control system of claim 14, wherein the data storage means receives the signals from a video camera while the video camera records the images of the obstacles.

21. The clearance control system of claim 20, wherein the data storage means includes a disc on which the signals are stored.