Patent ID: 9308925
Filing Date: 2016-04-12
CPC Classification: B61L

Claim Text:
1. An inspection system, comprising: a first sensor system configured to be operably disposed onboard a rail vehicle, wherein the first sensor system comprises a sensor that is configured to generate sensor signals indicative of wayside rail equipment inspected by the sensor; a control module configured to be operably coupled to the sensor and operative to determine at least one of operability or alignment of the wayside rail equipment based on the sensor signals received from the sensor; and a database configured to receive and store at least one of results of wayside rail equipment inspections or locations of wayside rail equipment to be inspected, wherein: the database includes plural designated values respectively corresponding to plural devices of the wayside rail equipment to be inspected along a route to be traveled by the rail vehicle, each designated value indicative of a determined amount of light emitted from the device corresponding to the designated value when the device is operational and properly aligned; the sensor is configured to generate the sensor signals corresponding to light emitted from the plural devices of the wayside rail equipment and sensed by the sensor as the rail vehicle travels along the route; and the control module is configured to perform a comparison of the designated values to the sensor signals and to generate output signals based on the comparison.