Patent ID: 8914171
Filing Date: 2014-12-16
Classification: B61L

Abstract:
1. A system comprising: first and second application devices configured to be disposed onboard a vehicle of a vehicle system traveling along a route having first and second conductive tracks, the first and second application devices each configured to be at least one of conductively or inductively coupled with one of the conductive tracks, the first application device configured to electrically inject a first examination signal into the conductive track that the first application is coupled thereto, the second application device configured to electrically inject a second examination signal into the conductive track that the second application device is coupled thereto; first and second detection units configured to be disposed onboard the vehicle, the detection units configured to monitor one or more electrical characteristics of the first and second conductive tracks in response to the first and second examination signals being injected into the conductive tracks; and an identification unit configured to be disposed onboard the vehicle, the identification unit configured to examine the one or more electrical characteristics of the first and second conductive tracks monitored by the first and second detection units in order to distinguish a section of the route traversed by the vehicle from among three states of the route based on the one or more electrical characteristics, the three states including a first state in which the section is potentially damaged, a second state in which the section is not damaged and does not include an electrical short that one or more of conductively or inductively couples the first conductive track to the second conductive track, and a third state in which the section is not damaged and includes an electrical short, wherein: the one or more electrical characteristics indicate receipt of neither the first examination signal nor the second examination signal at the first detection unit and receipt of neither the first examination signal nor the second examination signal at the second detection unit as the vehicle travels over a section of the route in the first state, the one or more electrical characteristics indicate receipt of the first examination signal at both the first detection unit and at the second detection unit and receipt of the second examination signal at the both first detection unit and at the second detection unit as the vehicle travels over a section of the route in the second state, and the one or more electrical characteristics indicate receipt of one of the first and second examination signals at the first detection unit and receipt of the other of the first and second examination signals at the second detection unit as the vehicle travels over a section of the route in the third state.