System, method, and apparatus to detect and report track structure defects
First Claim
1. A track defect detection system for detecting track defects while a train is in motion on railway tracks, comprising:
- at least one defect sensor configured to sense an acceleration of at least a portion of the train; and
at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;
(a) detect, in real-time while the train is in motion on the railway tracks, at least one track defect in the railway tracks based at least partially on the acceleration of the at least a portion of the train as a function of an increasing velocity of the train, such that, the greater the velocity of the train, the greater the acceleration required to detect the at least one track defect; and
(b) generate track defect data based at least partially on a location of the train when the at least one track defect is detected; and
a back office server computer in communication with the at least one processor, wherein the back office server computer is configured to;
(a) receive, from the at least one processor, at least a portion of the track defect data; and
(b) store the at least a portion of the track defect data in a track defect database, wherein the track defect database comprises track locations associated with detected track defects.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system, method, and apparatus for detecting and reporting track defects while a train is in motion on railway tracks includes at least one defect sensor configured to sense an acceleration of at least a portion of the train; and at least one computer-readable medium. The at least one computer-readable medium comprises program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: detect, while the train is in motion on the railway tracks, at least one track defect in the railway tracks based at least partially on the acceleration of the at least a portion of the train; and generate track defect data based at least partially on a location of the train when the at least one track defect is detected.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A track defect detection system for detecting track defects while a train is in motion on railway tracks, comprising:
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at least one defect sensor configured to sense an acceleration of at least a portion of the train; and at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to; (a) detect, in real-time while the train is in motion on the railway tracks, at least one track defect in the railway tracks based at least partially on the acceleration of the at least a portion of the train as a function of an increasing velocity of the train, such that, the greater the velocity of the train, the greater the acceleration required to detect the at least one track defect; and (b) generate track defect data based at least partially on a location of the train when the at least one track defect is detected; and a back office server computer in communication with the at least one processor, wherein the back office server computer is configured to; (a) receive, from the at least one processor, at least a portion of the track defect data; and (b) store the at least a portion of the track defect data in a track defect database, wherein the track defect database comprises track locations associated with detected track defects. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A system for detecting and reporting track defects while a train travels over railway tracks, comprising:
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a track defect detection device comprising at least one defect sensor; and
a locomotive computer in communication with the track defect detection device, the locomotive computer configured to;(a) detect a track defect based at least partially on an acceleration sensed by the at least one defect sensor in real-time while the train is in motion as a function of a velocity of the train such that, the greater the velocity of the train, the greater the acceleration necessary to detect the track defect; (b) generate track defect data comprising a magnitude and location of the track defect, wherein the location is relative to at least one of the following;
a landmark, an authority block, or any combination thereof; and(c) communicate at least a portion of the track defect data to a remote server, wherein the at least a portion of the track defect data is stored in a track defect database. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of detecting track defects in railway tracks while a rail vehicle is in motion, comprising:
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monitoring an acceleration of at least a portion of a rail vehicle while the rail vehicle is in motion; determining, with at least one processer, if a track defect exists on the railway tracks in real-time while the rail vehicle is in motion, the determination based at least partially on a ratio between the acceleration and a velocity of the rail vehicle, such that, the greater the velocity of the rail vehicle, the greater the acceleration necessary to determine that the track defect exists; generating track defect data comprising a location of the track defect and at least one of the following;
a magnitude of the track defect, a severity of the track defect, the acceleration, a vertical acceleration, a lateral acceleration, an angular acceleration, the velocity of the rail vehicle, a characteristic of the track defect, a type of the track defect, or any combination thereof; andtransmitting the track defect data to a back office server, wherein at least a portion of the track defect data is stored in a track defect database. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium including program instructions that, when executed by at least one computer including at least one processor, causes the at least one computer to:
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monitor an acceleration of at least a portion of a train while the train is in motion;
determine, in real-time while the train is in motion, if a track defect exists on the railway tracks based at least partially on the acceleration and a velocity of the train, wherein the track defect is determined to exist based at least partially on the acceleration of the rail vehicle as a function of an increasing velocity of the rail vehicle;generate track defect data comprising a location of the track defect and at least one of the following;
a magnitude of the track defect, a severity of the track defect, the acceleration, a vertical acceleration, a lateral acceleration, an angular acceleration, a velocity of the train, a characteristic of the track defect, a type of the track defect, or any combination thereof; andtransmit at least a portion of the track defect data to a back office server, wherein the at least a portion of the track defect data is stored in a track defect database. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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Specification