Train detection system for a railway track, a method for detecting a train on a railway track, and a controller for a train detection system for detecting a train on a railway track

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10946883-B2
Application number	US-201816059423-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2018
Priority date	Aug 9, 2018
Publication date	Mar 16, 2021
Grant date	Mar 16, 2021

Abstract

A train detection system for a railway track defines a first lateral side and a second lateral side opposite the first lateral side. Two cameras are arranged along the railway track spaced apart from each other. Each camera is placed on either the first lateral side or the second lateral side. The system includes at least one passive target. Each of the passive targets is placed within the field of view of at least one of the cameras and on the opposite lateral side of the railway track with respect to the at least one of the cameras in whose field of view the respective passive target is placed. The system also includes at least one controller adapted to recognise the passive target in the images provided by at least one of the cameras to the controller to determine whether a train is located on the railway track.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A train detection system for a railway track, the railway track defining a first lateral side and a second lateral side opposite the first lateral side, said train detection system comprising:
at least two cameras, said cameras being arranged along the railway track spaced apart from each other, each camera being placed on either the first lateral side or the second lateral side;
at least one passive target, each of said passive targets being placed within the field of view of at least one of the cameras and on the opposite lateral side of the railway track with respect to the at least one of the cameras in whose field of view the respective passive target is placed;
at least one light, said light being directed towards at least one of the cameras and/or the at least one passive target and adapted to emit light with varying intensity; and
at least one controller adapted to recognise the at least one passive target in the images provided by at least one of the cameras to the controller in order to determine whether a train is located on the railway track;
wherein the controller is adapted to detect light intensity variations over the time from the at least one light in order to determine that the cameras capture live images.

2. A train detection system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each light is arranged on the same lateral side as at least one of cameras.

3. A train detection system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the cameras have a field of view covering at least one passive target and at least one light.

4. A train detection system as claimed in claim 2 , including at least two lights wherein each light emits a unique signal different to that from each other light, said signal allowing each light to be distinguished from other lights.

5. A train detection system as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the frequency of light intensity variations over the time is different between different lights, and/or the patterns of each light.

6. A train detection system as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the at least two cameras are placed on the first lateral side of the railway track, and wherein the train detection system comprises at least two lights arranged spaced apart from each other on the first lateral side.

7. A train detection system as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the light intensity variations of the light(s) over the time are known to the controller so that the controller is able to distinguish natural light variations from the light intensity variations caused by the lights.

8. A train detection system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the train detection system comprises at least two passive targets spaced apart from each other.

9. A train detection system according to claim 1 , wherein the train detection system is adapted to be installed at a level crossing, wherein a first camera of the at least two cameras and a first passive target is arranged on a first side of a road or path intersecting the railway track, and a second camera of the at least two cameras and a second passive target is arranged on a second side of the road or of the path.

10. A train detection system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each passive target possesses at least one individual property recognisable by the cameras and/or by at least one controller treating the images captured by the cameras.

11. A train detection system according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one individual property is the size visible to the cameras, the shape visible to the cameras, a pattern or a colour visible to the cameras, or a combination thereof.

12. A method for detecting a train on a railway track, the railway track defining a first lateral side and a second lateral side opposite the first lateral side, said method comprising:
receiving image data from at least two cameras, said cameras being arranged along the railway track spaced apart from each other, each camera being placed on either the first lateral side or the second lateral side, said cameras being arranged such that at least one passive target, placed respectively on the opposite lateral side of the railway track with respect to at least one of the cameras, is within the field of view of the at least one of the cameras;
emitting a first light directed towards the at least one of the cameras and/or the at least one passive target with varying intensity over time;
detecting by the at least one of the cameras the light intensity variations over the time in order to determine that the at least one of the cameras captures live images, and
determining whether the received image data include image information about the at least one passive target, and, in case the image does not contain image data of the at least one passive target, determining that a train is located on the railway track.

13. A method for detecting a train on a railway track as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises determining whether the received image data include image information about at least two passive targets spaced apart from each other, each passive target possessing at least one individual property recognisable by the cameras or by a controller treating the images captured by the cameras, a first camera of the at least two cameras and a first passive target being arranged on a first side of a road intersecting the railway track, and a second camera of the at least two cameras and a second passive target being arranged on a second side of the road.

14. A method for detecting a train on a railway track as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises emitting a second light illuminating at least one passive target with varying intensity over time from the second lateral side of the track, wherein each light emitting a unique signal different to that from each other light.

15. A controller for a train detection system for detecting a train on a railway track, the railway track defining a first lateral side and a second lateral side opposite the first lateral side, the controller being adapted:
to receive image data from at least two cameras, said cameras being arranged along the railway track spaced apart from each other, each camera being placed on either the first lateral side or the second lateral side, said cameras being arranged such that at least one passive target, placed respectively on the opposite lateral side of the railway track with respect to at least one of the cameras, is within the field of view of the at least one of the cameras, at least one light emitting a first light directed towards at least one of the cameras and/or the at least one passive target with varying intensity over time;
to detect light intensity variations over the time from the at least one light in order to determine that one of the cameras captures live images; and
to determine whether the received image data include image information about the at least one passive target, and, in case the image does not contain image data of the at least one passive target, to determine that a train is located on the railway track.

16. A controller for a train detection system for detecting a train on a railway track as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the controller is adapted to determine whether the received image data include image information about at least two passive targets as to determine whether a train is located on the railway track, said passive targets being arranged such that said at least two passive targets are spaced apart from each other, each passive target possesses at least one individual property recognisable to the cameras, a first camera of the at least two came

Assignees

• Alstom Transp Tech

Inventors

• Fries Jeffrey
• Cooper Jared
• Martin Phillip
• Snyder Seneca
• Nagrodsky Nicholas

Classifications

• G06V20/48

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• B61L23/34

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• B61L23/007

  Safety arrangements on railway crossings · CPC title

• B61L29/22

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• B61L23/041

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