Vibration monitoring system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10324067-B2
Application number	US-201815889972-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2018
Priority date	May 14, 2015
Publication date	Jun 18, 2019
Grant date	Jun 18, 2019

Abstract

A method detects the presence of a vehicle on a railway track using a sensing processor monitoring a sensing system for detecting vibration into ground installed along the railway track. The sensing system includes a detection module for detecting a vehicle on the railway track. The method includes an initialization step which includes the sub-steps of emitting a first signal to be received by the sensing processor through the sensing system, sending a first message to the sensing processor, monitoring the sensing system, and configuring the detection module in function of the received first signal and configuration data received in the first message. The configuration data can include location of the initialization device, intensity/magnitude of the first signal, emission time of the first signal, and/or type of object corresponding to the first signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for detecting the presence of an object on a railway track, using a sensing processor monitoring a sensing system for detecting vibration propagating through the ground, said sensing system being installed along the railway track and said sensing processor detecting the object on the railway track, the method comprising an initialization step comprising the sub-steps of:
by an initialization device, emitting a first signal to be received by the sensing processor through the sensing system;
by the initialization device, sending to the sensing processor, a first message comprising configuration data selected from the group consisting of: location of the initialization device, intensity of the first signal, emission time of the first signal, type of object corresponding to the first signal;
by the sensing processor, monitoring the sensing system; and
by the sensing processor, differentiating the first signal form a second signal induced by the object moving on the track based on the received first signal and the received configuration data.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensing system comprises a fiber optic cable.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the emitting and sending sub-steps are approximately realized simultaneously.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the configuration data is the first signal intensity and during the configuring sub-step a set of measured data relative to the received first signal are memorized and are associated with the configuration data.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the method comprises a control step comprising sub-steps of:
by a control device, outputting a fourth signal to be received by the sensing processor through the sensing system; and
by the sensing processor, modifying at least one of the memorized set of measured data or data relative to a received second signal based on of the received fourth signal.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein following the outputting of the fourth signal the control step comprises the following sub-step:
by the control device, sending to the sensing processor, a second message comprising control data selected from the group consisting of: location of the control device, intensity of the fourth signal, and emission time of the fourth signal.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the fourth signal is outputted at predetermined times and/or during predetermined time periods, the fourth signal having a predetermined intensity and/or frequency.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein during the modifying sub-step the sensing processor compares the received fourth signal with memorized data in order to detect changing in environmental conditions of the railway track, the at least one of the memorized set of measured data or data relative to the received second signal being modified based on the detected changing in environmental conditions of the railway track.

9. The method of claim 4 , wherein during the configuring sub-step the memorized set of measured data is associated with a type of detected object, according to the signal intensity comprised in the associated configuration data and is associated also with a location of the type of detected object determined based on the location of the initialization device comprised in the configuration data.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein following the initialization step, the method comprises a detecting step comprising the sub-steps of:
by the sensing processor, monitoring the sensing system; and
by the sensing processor, comparing one or more received second signal with the memorized set of measured data in order to determine a type of detected object circulating on the railway track and preferentially also its location.

11. The method of claim 4 , wherein the memorized set of measured data is relative to a general form of the first signal monitored by the sensing processor through the sensing system and corresponds to a signal signature associated with a type of detected object.

12. The method of claim 4 , wherein following the initialization step, the method comprises a detecting step comprising the sub-steps of:
by the sensing processor, monitoring the sensing system; and
by the sensing processor, comparing one or more received second signal with each memorized set of measured data in order to determine a type of detected object circulating on the railway track and preferentially also its location.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the initialization step is realized several times for a given location of the initialization device, different first signals having different intensity levels being successively emitted, the initialization device being moved along the track during the initialization step.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein following the initialization step, the method comprises a detecting step comprising the sub-steps of:
by the sensing processor, monitoring the sensing system; and
by the sensing processor, comparing one or more received second signal with each memorized set of measured data in order to determine the type of object circulating on the railway track and preferentially also its location.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein during the emitting sub-step several first signals having the same intensity levels are successively emitted, while the initialization device staying at the same location and wherein during the configuring sub-step the sensing processor is configured based on the received first signals and the received configuration data.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the initialization device is movable along the railway track.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the initialization step is repeated: at predetermined time intervals, or each time an activator on the initialization device is activated, or when the initialization device is not moving for a predetermined amount of time.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises a security step comprising sub-steps of:
by a calibration device, outputting a third signal having a predetermined characteristic to be received by the sensing processor through the sensing system;
by the sensing processor, monitoring the sensing system; and
by the sensing processor, determining if said characteristic of the signal from the calibration device has a value within a predetermined threshold window.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein:
the sub-step of determining if the signal level of the third signal is within the predetermined threshold includes verifying if at least one of the calibration device or sensing system has moved.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first signal is an acoustic signal and a vibration signal sent into the ground.

21. A detecting system for detecting the presence of an object on a railway track, comprising:
a sensing system for detecting vibration propagating through the ground, said sensing system being installed along the railway track,
a sensing processor configured to monitor the sensing system and to detect the object on the railway track, and
an initialization device configured to emit a first signal to be received by the sensing processor through the sensing system and to send to the sensing processor a first message comprising configuration data selected in the group comprising: location of the initialization device, intensity of the first signal, emission time of the first signal,
wherein the sensing processor is configured to differentiate the first signal from a second signal induced by the object

Assignees

• Alstom Transp Tech

Inventors

• Nagrodsky Nicholas David
• Kiss Jr James Michael
• Fries Jeffrey
• Diaz Derick
• Farmer David

Classifications

• G01N29/2418 Primary

  using optoacoustic interaction with the material, e.g. laser radiation, photoacoustics (photoacoustic cells G01N21/1702; measuring characteristics of vibrations by using radiation-sensitive means G01H9/00; acousto-optical conversion techniques for short-range imaging G01S15/8965; sound-producing devices using laser bundle G10K15/046) · CPC title

• G01N29/12

  by measuring frequency or resonance of acoustic waves {(measuring frequency or resonant frequency of mechanical vibrations or acoustic waves in general G01H1/06, G01H3/04, G01H13/00; acoustic resonators G10K11/04; vibration or shock testing of structures G01M7/00)} · CPC title

• G01N29/11

  by measuring attenuation of acoustic waves · CPC title

• G01N2291/01

  Indexing codes associated with the measuring variable · CPC title

• G01M11/30

  Testing of optical devices, constituted by fibre optics or optical waveguides · CPC title