Integrated rail and track condition monitoring system with imaging and inertial sensors

A railroad track inspection system for mounting to a railroad vehicle, comprising:

• a plurality of track scanning sensors comprising a laser sensor system for track surface profile measurement;
• an inertia sensor;
• a data store for storing track scan data recorded by the track scanning sensors;
• a scan data processor for automatic analysis of said track scan data upon receipt thereof to detect one or more track components within the scan data;
• wherein the system comprises a common housing defining an enclosure for the track scanning sensors, the inertia sensor, and scan data processor, the common housing having a mounting for attachment of the system to a railroad vehicle in use;
• and
• a master clock and a triggering unit for synchronising operation of the inertia sensor and the plurality of track scanning sensors to output sensor data according to a common master clock signal;
• wherein the scan data processor is arranged to receive and process concurrent sensor signal outputs of the plurality of tack scanning sensors and the inertia sensor.

A railroad track inspection system for mounting to a railroad vehicle, comprising:

• a plurality of track scanning sensors comprising one or more visual imaging sensor and one or more laser sensor system for three dimensional track geometry measurement;
• an inertia sensor;
• a data store for storing track scan data recorded by the track scanning sensors;
• and
• a scan data processor for automatic analysis of said track scan data upon receipt thereof to detect one or more track components within the scan data;
• wherein the system comprises a common housing defining an enclosure for the track scanning sensors, the inertia sensor, and scan data processor, the common housing having a common support structure on which the track scanning sensors and inertia sensor are mounted, wherein the scan data processor is arranged to receive and process concurrent sensor signal outputs of the plurality of tack scanning sensors and the inertia sensor;
• and
• wherein the common housing having a mounting for attachment of the system to a railroad vehicle in use.