System and Method for Aligning a Railroad Signaling System

• US 20080288170A1
• Filed: 05/15/2007
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Ruggiero, Andrew Lawrence
• Granted Patent: US 7,908,114 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/1
• 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 system for aligning a railroad signal, said system comprising:

a tilt device for measuring a tilt of the railroad signal;

a directional device for measuring a direction of the railroad signal; and

a controller coupled with the tilt device and with the directional device, the controller switchable between a calibration mode and a monitoring mode.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said calibration mode configures the controller to store a tilt threshold and a direction threshold of the railroad signal in a memory of said controller.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said monitoring mode configures the controller to determine if a measured tilt of the railroad signal exceeds the tilt threshold, and

wherein said monitoring mode further configures the controller to determine if a measured direction of the railroad signal exceeds the direction threshold.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said railroad signal is coupled to one of a railroad signaling system aligned with one of a roadway intersecting a railroad track, and a railroad signaling system adjacent a railroad track.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said tilt device comprises an accelerometer, and

wherein said directional device comprises a compass.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said accelerometer is a 3 axis DC-coupled accelerometer, and

wherein said compass is an electronic compass.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said DC-coupled accelerometer is configured to measure said correct tilt comprising three vector components of the gravitational pull in three dimensions on the railroad signal;

and wherein said electronic compass is configured to measure said correct direction comprising an angular direction of the railroad signal.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein said monitoring mode configures said controller to determine if one of a measured tilt and measured direction of the railroad signal exceeds a respective tilt threshold and direction threshold stored in a memory of said controller;

wherein said monitoring mode further configures said controller to detect the presence of a tilt mean shift over a time duration, which tilt mean shift comprise a shift of one of a vector mean of the railroad signal tilt in three dimensions as measured by the DC-coupled accelerometer beyond one of a respective three dimensions comprising said tilt threshold, and

wherein said monitoring mode further configures said controller to detect a presence of a direction mean shift over the time duration, which direction means shift comprises a shift of a vector mean of the railroad signal angular direction as measured by the electronic compass beyond a respective angular direction threshold.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said controller is configured to detect 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.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said controller is configured to determine if a measured tilt of the railroad signal exceeds a respective tilt threshold at an adjustable sample rate, and

wherein said controller is further configured to determine if a measured direction of the railroad signal exceeds a direction threshold at an adjustable sample rate.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said controller comprises means for processing measured tilt data and measured direction data with an error detection filter.

12. The system of claim 3, wherein said controller is configured to switch to an alert mode upon one of said measured tilt and measured direction exceeding a respective tilt threshold and direction threshold.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said controller is configured to send at least one alert signal to a remote terminal for requesting realignment of the railroad signal to proper alignment.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

at least one of a fulcrum and cantilever coupled with the railroad signal; and

a motor coupled with the at least one of a fulcrum and cantilever wherein the motor is configured to move the fulcrum or cantilever to adjust at least one of a tilt and direction of said railroad signal.

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

providing a tilt device for measuring the tilt of the railroad signal;

providing a directional device for measuring the direction of the railroad signal; and

coupling a controller to the tilt device and the directional device.

16. 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; and

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

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

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

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

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.

19. The method of claim 18, 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.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein said measured correct tilt comprises three vector components of the gravitational pull in three dimensions on the railroad signal.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein said measured correct direction comprises an angular direction of the railroad signal.

22. Computer readable media containing program instructions for aligning a railroad signal, the computer readable media comprising:

computer program code that when executed by a processor causes the processor to perform the step of determining if one of a measured tilt and a measured direction of said railroad signal exceeds a respective tilt threshold and direction threshold stored in a memory of said controller.