US 9,921,584 B2Granted

Route examination system and method

AssigneeGeneral Electric Company

InventorsDattaraj Jagdish Rao, Nidhi Naithani, Anju Bind, Sreyashi Dey Chaki

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A route examination system includes a thermographic camera configured to be logically or mechanically coupled with a vehicle that travels along a route. The thermographic camera is also configured to sense infrared radiation emitted or reflected from the route and to generate a sensed thermal signature representative of the infrared radiation that is sensed. The system also includes a computer readable memory device configured to store a designated thermal signature representative of infrared radiation emitted from a segment of the route that is not damaged. The system also includes an analysis processor configured to determine a condition of a first portion of the route relative to other portions of the route at least in part by comparing the sensed thermal signature and the designated thermal signature.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A system comprising:

a sensor configured to be logically or mechanically coupled with a vehicle that travels along a route, the sensor configured to sense radiation emitted or reflected from the route, the sensor configured to generate a first signature representative of the radiation that is sensed from the route;
and
one or more processors configured to compare the first signature with a stored signature of radiation emitted or reflected from an undamaged route, the one or more processors also configured to determine a rate of change to the route based on a comparison of the first signature with the stored signature, and the one or more processors are further configured to implement one or more actions in response to the rate of change of the route, wherein the one or more processors are configured to direct a vehicle controller of the vehicle to autonomously slow movement of the vehicle responsive to the one or more processors determining that the route is damaged.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/435,458Filed 17 Feb 2017 · continuation in part
Priority: 3 Apr 2014
Published: US 2017/0160746 A18 Jun 2017
Granted: 20 Mar 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification32 codes

G05D 1/0246
Using optical position detecting means: using a video camera in combination with image processing means
B60W 10/18
Conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function: including control of braking systems
B60W 10/20
Conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function: including control of steering systems
B60W 10/22
Conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function: including control of suspension systems

Family

Application14/243,933Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 3 Apr 2014
Application15/075,854Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 21 Mar 2016
US 2017/0160746 A1Pre-grant publication · published 8 Jun 2017
US 9,575,007 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2015/0285688 A1Published application
US 2016/0202199 A1Published application
US 9,921,584 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.