System and method for aligning a railroad signaling system

• US 7,908,114 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2007
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Ruggiero, Andrew Lawrence
• Primary Examiner(s): Charioui; Mohamed
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ngon; Ricky
• Application Number:
  US11/748,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20080288170A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,400 Days
• Field of Search: 702/151, 702/85, 702/92, 702/105, 702/107, 324200-263, 246473 R-473 A, 246/473.1, 246/473.2, 246/473.3, 246111-113, 246/114.R, 246/114.A, 700/56, 700/57, 700/279, 700/280, 700/302
• US Class Current: 702/151
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 5/1872 Mobile mounting arrangements on a mast; Arrangements for hoisting of the lamp along the mast
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 5/1881 Wiring diagrams for power supply, control or testing

Abstract

A system is provided for aligning a railroad signal. The system includes at least one tilt device and at least one directional device to measure the respective tilt and direction of the railroad signal, and at least one controller coupled to the tilt device and the directional device. The controller is switchable between a calibration mode and a monitoring mode. Upon switching to the calibration mode, a correct tilt and correct direction of the railroad signal in a proper alignment is respectively measured and recorded in a memory of the controller. More particularly, upon recording the correct tilt and correct direction, the controller switches into the monitoring mode to determine if one of a measured tilt and a measured direction of the railroad signal exceeds a respective tilt threshold and direction threshold stored in the memory of the controller.

Claims

1. A method for aligning a railroad signal, said method comprising:

switching a controller into a calibration mode;

measuring a correct tilt of the railroad signal in a proper alignment to obtain a measured correct tilt;

measuring a correct direction of said railroad signal in the proper alignment to obtain a measured correct direction;

switching said controller from said calibration mode to a monitoring mode;

measuring a tilt of said railroad signal to obtain a measured tilt;

measuring a direction of said railroad signal to obtain a measured direction; and

determining if one of a measured tilt and a measured direction of the railroad signal exceed a respective tilt threshold and direction threshold stored in the memory of the controller; and

detecting a presence of a mean shift over a time duration of one of said tilt and direction, which mean shift negates transient vibrations of the railroad signal during said time duration.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recording said measured correct tilt and said measured correct direction in a memory of said controller.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising one of:

switching the controller into one of an alarm mode;

adjusting the railroad signal to position the railroad signal with at least one of said correct tilt and said correct direction; and

scheduling a manual repair of at least one of the tilt and direction of said railroad signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said measured correct tilt comprises three vector components of the gravitational pull in three dimensions on the railroad signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said measured correct direction comprises an angular direction of the railroad signal.