System, method, and apparatus to detect and report track structure defects

• US 8,914,162 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wabtec Corporation (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Wabtec Corporation (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Kernwein, Jeffrey D., Neupaver, Albert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Calvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): QUILLEN, ALLEN ERNEST
• Application Number:
  US13/795,302
• Publication Number:
  US 20140277824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 644 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1
• US Class Current: 701/1
• 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: B61L 15/0054 Train integrity supervision, e.g. end-of-train [EOT] devices
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 2205/04 Satellite based navigation systems, e.g. global positioning system [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 23/044 Broken rails
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 23/045 Rail wear
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 23/047 Track or rail movements
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 23/048 Road bed changes, e.g. road bed erosion
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/025 Absolute localisation, e.g. providing geodetic coordinates

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.

Claims

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.

2. The track defect detection system of claim 1, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the at least one processor to receive, from the at least one defect sensor, at least one of the following:

vertical acceleration data, lateral acceleration data, angular acceleration data, or any combination thereof.

3. The track defect detection system of claim 1, wherein the track defect detection system further comprises at least one defect detection device, the at least one detection device comprising the at least one defect sensor.

4. The track defect detection system of claim 3, wherein the at least one defect detection device is adapted to be attached to at least one of the following:

a locomotive, a railcar, an end-of-train unit, a head-of-train unit, or any combination thereof.

5. The track defect detection system of claim 3, further comprising an onboard computer system, the onboard computer system including the at least one processor, wherein the onboard computer performs at least step (b) of claim 1, and wherein at least one of the onboard computer and the at least one defect detection device performs step (a) of claim 1.

6. The track defect detection system of claim 1, wherein the acceleration comprises a vertical acceleration of the at least a portion of the train.

7. The track defect detection system of claim 1, wherein the at least one track defect is detected by comparing a track defect magnitude to a predetermined threshold, wherein the track defect magnitude is calculated at least partially based on the acceleration and the velocity of the train.

8. The track defect detection system of claim 1, further comprising an onboard navigation system, the onboard navigation system comprising the at least one defect sensor.

9. A system for detecting and reporting track defects while a train travels over railway tracks, comprising:

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.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a navigation system, the navigation system comprising the track defect detection device.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the track defect detection device is adapted to be attached to at least one of the following:

a locomotive, a railcar, an end-of-train unit, a head-of-train unit, or any combination thereof.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the magnitude of the track defect is determined at least partially based on the acceleration and a velocity of the train.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the location of the track defect comprises at least one of a track region and a longitude and latitude.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the locomotive computer and the remote server is configured to generate at least one speed restriction bulletin based at least partially on the location of the track defect.

15. A method of detecting track defects in railway tracks while a rail vehicle is in motion, comprising:

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; and

transmitting 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.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the track defect data is generated at least partially by associating, in at least one data structure, the location of the track defect with the 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 rail vehicle, a characteristic of the track defect, a type of the track defect, or any combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising generating a speed restriction bulletin for at least the location of the track defect.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising transmitting, to the back office system, a repair request for the track defect.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the acceleration comprises a vertical acceleration, and wherein the track defect is determined to exist based at least partially on a ratio of the vertical acceleration to the velocity of the rail vehicle.

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:

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; and

transmit 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.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the track defect is determined to exist based at least partially on an inverse relationship between the acceleration and the velocity of the rail vehicle.