Methods and systems employing strain gauge signals to determine the dynamics of moving railcars

摘要

The present invention provides a system and method for measuring weight and speed of a moving railcar through dynamic processing of a voltage signal from at least one strain gauge embedded into a rail on the railroad track. The system comprises at least one strain gauge, an amplifier circuit, a converter circuit, and a first processing means. The method performed by the first processing means is a state machine expert system algorithm which dynamically determines the baseline non-stressed voltage level and the peak voltage level upon the strain gauge being stressed by a moving railcar passing over the strain gauge. The method further provides for eliminating the effects of debounce on the weight calculations by continuously monitoring the voltage signal from the strain gauge for a predetermined period of time after an initial peak is detected and updating that value if a greater peak is detected within the predetermined period of time. Other aspects of the present invention include a second processing means which performs fault tolerance and weight calculations based on the baseline voltage level and peak voltage level of each operating strain gauge. The system also provides for transmitting control signals to external braking devices located on the railroad track for improved control in coupling of the moving railcars.