Wayside monitoring system and method

Abstract

A wayside monitoring method and system monitor a transmitted current that is injected into conductive components of a route traveled by vehicle systems, monitor a received current that represents a portion of the transmitted current that is conducted through the conductive components of the route, examine changes in the transmitted and/or received current over time to determine when the vehicle systems are on the route between a first location where the transmitted current is injected into the conductive components and a second location where the received current is monitored, and examine the changes in the transmitted and/or received currents. The changes are examined to identify (a) a contaminated portion of a surface on which the route is disposed, (b) a foreign object other than the vehicle systems that is contacting the route, and/or (c) a damaged or broken portion of at least one of the conductive components of the route.

1 . A method comprising:
 monitoring a transmitted current that is injected into conductive components of a route that is traveled by one or more vehicle systems;   monitoring a received current that represents at least a portion of the transmitted current that is conducted through the conductive components of the route;   examining changes in one or more of the transmitted current or the received current over time to determine when at least one of the vehicle systems is disposed on the route between a first location along the route where the transmitted current is injected into the conductive components and a different, second location along the route where the received current is monitored; and   examining the same changes in the one or more of the transmitted current or the received current to identify one or more of a contaminated portion of a surface on which the conductive components of the route are disposed, to identify a foreign object other than the one or more vehicle systems that is contacting the conductive components of the route, or to identify a damaged or broken portion of at least one of the conductive components of the route.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the changes that are examined to both determine when at least one of the vehicle systems is disposed on the route and to identify the at least one of the contaminated portion, the foreign object, or the damaged or broken portion of the at least one of the conductive components of the route include increases or decreases in the transmitted current and the received current and time periods over which the increases or decreases in the transmitted current and the received current occur. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the contaminated portion of the surface includes a portion of ballast material disposed beneath the conductive components of the route that at least partially conducts the transmitted current between the conductive components of the route through the contaminated portion of the surface. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the foreign object that is identified is one or more conductive bodies forming a short between the conductive components of the route. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the damaged or broken portion of the at least one of the conductive components of the route includes a portion of the at least one of the conductive components that is separated through an entire cross-sectional area of the at least one of the conductive components. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the contaminated portion of the surface on which the conductive components of the route are disposed is identified when the changes in the transmitted current and in the received current include an increasing trend in the transmitted current over an extended period of time that concurrently occurs with a decreasing trend in the received current over the extended period of time. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the foreign object is identified when the changes in the received current include a decrease in the received current to zero current or approximately zero current and temporary changes in the received current that are temporally correlated with temporary changes in the transmitted current. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the damaged or broken portion of the at least one of the conductive components of the route is identified when the changes in the transmitted current and in the received current include a decrease in the transmitted current that occurs concurrently with an elimination of the received current. 
     
     
         9 . A wayside monitoring system comprising:
 a transmit monitor including one or more processors configured to measure a transmitted current that is injected into conductive components of a route that is traveled by one or more vehicle systems; and   a receive monitor including one or more processors configured to measure a received current that represents at least a portion of the transmitted current that is conducted through the conductive components of the route;   wherein at least one of the transmit monitor or the receive monitor is configured to examine changes in one or more of the transmitted current or the received current over time to determine when at least one of the vehicle systems is disposed on the route between a first location along the route where the transmitted current is injected into the conductive components and a different, second location along the route where the received current is monitored, and   wherein at least one of the transmit monitor or the receive monitor is configured to examine the same changes in the one or more of the transmitted current or the received current to identify at least one of a contaminated portion of a surface on which the conductive components of the route are disposed, to identify a foreign object other than the one or more vehicle systems that is contacting the conductive components of the route, or to identify a damaged or broken portion of at least one of the conductive components of the route.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the at least one of the transmit monitor or the receive monitor is configured to examine the changes in the transmitted current and in the received current to both determine when at least one of the vehicle systems is disposed on the route and to identify the at least one of the contaminated portion, the foreign object, or the damaged or broken portion by identifying:
 increases or decreases in the transmitted current and the received current, and   time periods over which the increases or decreases in the transmitted current and the received current occur.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the at least one of the transmit monitor or the receive monitor is configured to identify the contaminated portion of the surface as a portion of ballast material disposed beneath the conductive components of the route that at least partially conducts the transmitted current between the conductive components of the route through the contaminated portion of the surface. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the at least one of the transmit monitor or the receive monitor is configured to identify the foreign object as one or more conductive bodies forming a short between the conductive components of the route. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the at least one of the transmit monitor or the receive monitor is configured to identify the damaged or broken portion of the at least one of the conductive components of the route as a portion of the at least one of the conductive components that is separated through an entire cross-sectional area of the at least one of the conductive components. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the at least one of the transmit monitor or the receive monitor is configured to identify the contaminated portion of the surface responsive to the changes in the transmitted current and in the received current including an increasing trend in the transmitted current over an extended period of time that concurrently occurs with a decreasing trend in the received current over the extended period of time. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the at least one of the transmit monitor or the receive monitor is configured to identify the foreign object responsive to the changes in the received current including a decrease in the received current to zero current or approximately zero current and temporary changes in the received current being temporally correlated with temporary changes in the transmitted current. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the at least one of the transmit monitor or the receive monitor is configured to identify the damaged or broken portion of the at least one of the conductive components of the route is identified responsive to the changes in the transmitted current and in the received current including a decrease in the transmitted current that occurs concurrently with an elimination of the received current. 
     
     
         17 . A method comprising:
 measuring a transmitted current that is applied to a conductive rail of a track over which one or more rail vehicles travel at a first location;   measuring a received current at a different, second location to the conductive rails of the track, the received current including at least a portion of the transmitted current that is conducted through one or more of the conductive rails from the first location to the second location; and   identifying changes in the transmitted current and in the received current over time in order to both identify when the one or more of the rail vehicles travel between the first location and the second location and when at least one of: ballast material disposed between the conductive rails becomes contaminated to at least partially form a short between the conductive rails, a foreign object other than the one or more rail vehicles forms the short between the conductive rails, or one or more of the conductive rails is damaged or broken between the first location and the second location.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the changes in the transmitted current and the changes in the received current indicate that the ballast material is contaminated when the transmitted current increases and the received current decreases over an extended period of time that is longer than a time period during which the one or more rail vehicles travel over the conductive rails between the first location and the second location at a track speed of the conductive rails. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the changes in the transmitted current and the changes in the received current indicate that the foreign object is forming the short between the conductive rails responsive to the transmitted current increasing and the received current concurrently decreasing, followed by one or more temporary changes in the transmitted current and one or more temporary changes in the received current occurring during common time periods. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the changes in the transmitted current and the changes in the received current indicate that one or more of the conductive rails is damaged or broken when the transmitted current decreases and the received current is concurrently eliminated.