US 12,534,117 B2Granted

Method for determining a change of a state of a track section of a railroad and corresponding apparatus

OwnerChristopher J. Schuchmann, Jeffrey Fries +3inventors

InventorsChristopher J. Schuchmann, Jeffrey Fries, John Ross, Anuka Sawh, Shilpa Cherian

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Abstract

A method determines a change of a state of a track section of a railroad. The track section includes a first end electrically connected to a first track device, a second end electrically connected to a second track device, and rails connecting the first end with the second end. The track section is associated with at least one computing unit. At least one of the first and second track devices is in communication with the computing unit. Upon initialization of the method, the state of the track section is a first predetermined state. At least one of the first track device and the second track device is a receiving track device, which measures a received current intensity at a receiving end. The method includes a first monitoring of the received current intensity and a second monitoring of a transmitted current intensity.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A method for determining a change of a state of a track section of a railroad, the track section comprising a first end electrically connected to a first track device, and a second end electrically connected to a second track device, the track section further comprising rails connecting the first end with the second end, the track section being associated with at least one computing unit, at least one of the first track device and the second track device being in communication with the computing unit,

upon initialization of the method, the state of the track section being a first predetermined state, wherein at least one of the first track device and the second track device, called receiving track device, measures a received current intensity at a receiving end, the receiving end being the end among the first end and the second end, which is electrically connected to the receiving track device, wherein the received current intensity is equal to a first initial value upon initialization of the method, and the first track device applies a voltage to the first end and measures a transmitted current intensity transmitted by the first track device along the rails of the track section towards the second end, wherein the transmitted current intensity is equal to a second initial value upon initialization of the method, the method comprising:
first monitoring of the received current intensity, wherein the first monitoring comprises comparing at least one present value of the received current intensity measured by the receiving track device with said first initial value so as to obtain a relative change value comprising a percentage of variation of the received current intensity, wherein the first monitoring further comprises comparing the relative change value with a relative threshold value so as to obtain a comparison result;
second monitoring comprising monitoring of the transmitted current intensity so as to obtain a monitoring result, the second monitoring being implemented if the comparison result indicates a decrease of the received current intensity according to the relative change value more than the relative threshold value;
and
changing of the state of the track section, in function of the monitoring result, to a second predetermined state or a third predetermined state.

2 more elements

An apparatus for determining a change of a state of a track section of a railroad comprising a first end, a second end and rails connecting the first and with the second end, the apparatus comprising a first track device configured to be electrically connected to the first end of the track section, a second track device configured to be electrically connected to the second end of the track section, and at least one computing unit configured to communicate with at least one of the first track device and the second track device,

wherein the apparatus is configured to present an initial condition, in which the state of the track section is defined to a first predetermined state, wherein at least one of the first track device and the second track device, called receiving track device, measures a received current intensity received at a receiving end, the receiving end being the end among the first end, which is electrically connected to the receiving track device, wherein, in the initial condition, the received current intensity is equal to a first initial value, wherein the first track device applies a voltage to the first end and measures a transmitted current intensity transmitted by the first track device along the rails of the track section towards the second end, and wherein, in the initial condition, the transmitted current intensity is equal to a second initial value,
wherein the computing unit is configured for implementing:
first monitoring of the received current intensity, wherein the first monitoring comprises comparing at least one present value of the received current intensity measured by the receiving track device with said first initial value so as to obtain a relative change value comprising a percentage of variation of the received current intensity, wherein the first monitoring further comprises comparing the relative change value with a relative threshold value so as to obtain a comparison result;
second monitoring comprising monitoring of the transmitted current intensity so as to obtain a monitoring result, the second monitoring being implemented if the comparison result indicates a decrease of the received current intensity according to the relative change value more than the relative threshold value;
changing of the state of the track section, in function of the monitoring result, to a second predetermined state or a third predetermined state.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.