Patents
US 11834082 B2: Rail buckle detection and risk prediction
- Granted
- 2023-12-05
- Filed
- 2019-09-18 application 16574446
- Type
- Utility · 20 claims
- Elsewhere
- Google Patents ↗ · USPTO patent document ↗ · USPTO Patent Center record ↗
Abstract
A system and method for detecting buckled rail and for predicting a risk for rail buckling is disclosed. The method may comprise receiving data from a camera mounted on locomotive traveling on the railroad track. The data may include images of the buckled rail and dimensions of the buckled rail when the camera detects the buckled rail. The data may further include images of the ballast and condition of the ballast. The method may further comprise receiving data from a thermal camera mounted to the locomotive indicating the temperature of the rails. The method may further comprise transmitting an alarm signal to a display interface of a remote unit if the dimensions of the buckled rail meet a predetermined threshold, and predicting a risk for rail buckling based at least on the temperature of the rails and the condition of the ballast.
Source: PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 (ipg231205.xml).
Assignees
| Assignee | Type | Place | Also on furp.org | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progress Rail Services Corporation 113 patents | US company or organization | Albertville, AL | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Inventors
| Inventor | Place | Patents | Person page | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marc D. Miller | Lee's Summit, MO | 14 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Chad A. Moore | Kyle, TX | 2 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Lawrence A. Mianzo | Pittsburgh, PA | 17 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Mike Hoffelder | Norwich, NY | 1 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Darrell Cantrell | Shawnee, KS | 1 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Derrill J. Koelz | Pittsburgh, PA | 1 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 | |
| Narayana G. Nadukuru | Stoops Ferry, PA | 2 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
CPC categories
| Subclass | Category | First group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| B61L | Guiding railway traffic; ensuring the safety of railway traffic | B61L23/042 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
| B61K | Auxiliary equipment specially adapted for railways, not otherwise provided for | B61K9/08 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
| G06Q | Information and communication technology [ict] specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes; systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not otherwise provided for | G06Q10/0635 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
| G01N | Investigating or analysing materials by determining their chemical or physical properties | G01N19/08 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
| G06T | Image data processing or generation, in general | G06T2207/10048 | PVGPATDIS, file of 2026-04-10 |
Cooperative Patent Classification, as currently assigned (one row per subclass).
Assignments and security interests
| Recorded | What | From | To | Reel/frame | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-09-18 | Assignment Assignment of assignor's interest | MILLER, MARC signed 2019-09-03 MOORE, CHAD A. signed 2019-09-08 HOFFELDER, MIKE signed 2019-09-10 MIANZO, LAWRENCE A. signed 2019-09-17 | PROGRESS RAIL SERVICES CORPORATION ALBERTVILLE, AL | 50415/757 | ECORSEXC, file of 2026-09-25 |
Documents recorded with the USPTO Assignment Recordation Branch that list this patent. A security interest is a lender’s claim on the patent as collateral; a release ends it.
USPTO bulk data: PatentsView granted patents, disambiguated (PVGPATDIS) for patents, assignees, inventors, places and CPC categories; the USPTO Patent Assignment Dataset (ECORSEXC) for assignments and security interests. Patents filed in the last 20 years. No claims or full text. Links to other records are by name (and state): EXACT means the identical full name and state; FUZZY means a looser name match, with the confidence shown.