Route examining system

US9802631B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• General Electric Company · US

Inventors

• Brett Alexander Matthews · Albany, US
• Gregory Boverman · Niskayuna, US
• Yuri Alexeyevich Plotnikov · Niskayuna, US
• Frederick Wilson Wheeler · Niskayuna, US
• Majid Nayeri · Niskayuna, US
• Jeffrey Michael Fries · Grain Valley, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 18, 2016
• Grant date: Oct 31, 2017
• Expiry date: Feb 18, 2036

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B61L3/10
• WIPO field: Transport
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

Systems for examining a route inject one or more electrical examination signals into a conductive route from onboard a vehicle system traveling along the route, detect one or more electrical characteristics of the route based on the one or more electrical examination signals, and detect a break in conductivity of the route responsive to the one or more electrical characteristics decreasing by more than a designated drop threshold for a time period within a designated drop time period. Feature vectors may be determined for the electrical characteristics and compared to one or more patterns in order to distinguish between breaks in the conductivity of the route and other causes for changes in the electrical characteristics.