Method and system for determining signal state

A system, comprising:

• a receiver for time series data of a detected electrical signal being delivered to a signal lamp, and a state of the signal lamp can switch from one at least one of the following states to another of the following states:
• an on state, an off state, and a flashing state;
• and
• a controller in communication with the receiver, and that determines the state of the signal lamp based on the time series data, and determines whether the signal lamp is in a flashing state based on an amplitude value of the electrical signal relative to an amplitude-change threshold value over a specified number of amplitude changes.

A system for determining a state of a signaling device, comprising:

• a signal lamp configured to indicate a condition of a railway as a function of a state of the signal lamp, the signal lamp controlled by the signaling device;
• a sensor coupled to the signal lamp and configured to detect an electrical signal powering the signal lamp;
• and
• a signaling aspect processor coupled to the sensor and comprising:
• a data storage device;
• a data acquisition unit configured to receive the electrical signal detected by the sensor and save time series data of the electrical signal to the data storage device;
• and
• a processing unit configured to determine the state of the signal lamp based on the time series data, wherein the state of the signal lamp is identified as flashing if the electrical signal varies by greater than a specified amplitude-change threshold over a specified number of amplitude changes within a specified flash-detection time interval.