Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus including accelerometer and tilt sensor for detecting railway anomalies

US6044698A · kind A · utility

40Cited by
30References
37Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateNov 30, 1998
Grant dateApr 4, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 30, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01S19/14
  • WIPO fieldTransport
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A technique for monitoring anomalies in a railway system 400. The technique uses a motion sensor 207, 209 operably coupled to a chassis of a rail car 101 to detect a possibility of an event which may correspond to an anomaly in the railway system. A global positioning sensor (GPS) 213 operably coupled to the chassis detects a geographical location of the rail car 101 at a time corresponding to the event, which correlates the anomaly to the geographical location and the time. The technique also uses a processor 301 operably coupled to the motion sensor 207, 209 to direct a signal corresponding to the event and a recorder 215 operably coupled to the processor 301 to log the signal which may correspond to the anomaly and the geographical location of the rail car corresponding to the event. A central station 104 tracks and analyzes the anomaly over time to predict a possible defect in the railway system.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.