US 12,337,882 B2
Device, system and method for monitoring conditions on a railway track
Franz Antony Struwig, Somerset West (ZA); and Christian Kunneke, Somerset West (ZA)
Assigned to HISWAY LABS (PTY) LTD, Somerset West (ZA)
Filed by HISWAY LABS (PTY) LTD, Somerset West (ZA)
Filed on Dec. 10, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/548,199.
Application 17/548,199 is a continuation in part of application No. PCT/IB2020/055452, filed on Jun. 10, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 1043288 (NL), filed on Jun. 10, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0111878 A1, Apr. 14, 2022
Int. Cl. B61L 23/04 (2006.01); B61L 1/18 (2006.01); B61L 23/16 (2006.01)
CPC B61L 23/042 (2013.01) [B61L 1/187 (2013.01); B61L 23/044 (2013.01); B61L 23/048 (2013.01); B61L 23/166 (2013.01); B61L 23/045 (2013.01)] 23 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A monitoring device for a track-bound monitoring system for monitoring conditions on a railway track comprising a first rail and a second rail, the device comprising:
a signal generation unit having an output, the signal generation unit being configured to generate at the output an electrical monitoring signal having a monitoring signal characteristic, the output being electrically connectable to at least one of the first rail and the second rail;
a signal sensing unit having an input, the signal sensing unit being sensitive to signals at the input, the input being electrically connectable to at least one of the first rail and the second rail; and
a controller which is connected to the signal generating unit and to the signal sensing unit;
the controller being configured to cause the signal generation unit to generate the monitoring signal which propagates in the first rail and to receive, while the monitoring signal is being generated, from the sensing unit a return signal, the return signal being derived from the monitoring signal and having a return signal characteristic; and
the controller further being configured to utilize a time difference between the monitoring signal characteristic and the return signal characteristic to monitor conditions on the railway track.