Patent ID: 11893727
Assignee: HARSCO TECHNOLOGIES LLC
Field: Audio-visual technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  G  H | IPC B  G  H

Claim 0:
1. A rail vehicle comprising:
a frame coupled to a plurality of rail wheels configured to move along a rail track; and
a railroad track feature detection system coupled to the frame, the feature detection system comprising:
a camera coupled to the frame and positioned such that the camera is configured to capture a plurality of images of a rail track as the rail vehicle moves along the rail track; and
a computer having: at least one memory comprising instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute the instructions, wherein the instructions cause the at least one processor to:
receive the plurality of images, and for each of the images:
assign a location identifier;
detect one or more rail features;
identify the one or more rail features as a relevant rail feature from a dataset of predetermined rail features; and
assign a feature identifier to each identified rail feature;

based on the location identifier and the feature identifier:
determine a geographical location of the one or rail more features; and
track the one or more rail features;

assign a first location identifier to a first image of the plurality of images;
identify, in the first image, the one or more rail features;
assign a second location identifier to a second image of the plurality of images;
compare the first location identifier with the second location identifiter to determine a first displacement distance between the identified rail features in the first image;
based on the first displacement distance, determine if one or more rail features in the second image correspond to one of the one or more identified rail features in the first image; and
based on the determintion that:
a first subset of the one or more rail features in the second image correspond to at least one of the one or more identified rail features in the first image, setting the first subset as detected rail features and re-identifying the first subset of the one or more rail features; and
a second subset of the one or more features in the second image does not correspond to at least one of the one or more identified rail features in the first image, setting the second subset as detected rail features and identifying, in the first image, the second subset of the one or more rail features.