Method and apparatus for detecting railway activity
US5713540A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 26, 1996 |
| Grant date | Feb 3, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 26, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB61L1/06
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A highly reliable early warning system that can provide efficient detection of railway activity and early warning of dangerous railway conditions to train operators and to central dispatch control offices. The warning system has an acoustic sensor circuit coupled to the railway for detecting sound waves resulting from physical vibrations thereon, an acoustic analyzer unit for analyzing the sound waves detected on the railway to identify any suspect conditions thereon and to generate an alarm if such a suspect condition is identified, and an acoustic signal processing unit for storing detected sound waves in a sound file for quick retrieval and analysis. The alarm signal may be transmitted over any communications system to the central control office and to trains traveling on the dangerous track. The stored sound files may be locally retrieved or downloaded to a remote location over a cellular system, thus enabling the analysis of the actual sound generated by the dangerous condition to determine the cause therefore.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.