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High Speed Rail IDEA Project 53 [Completed (IDEA)]
Feasibility of Magnetometer Sensors for Railroad and Highway Equipment
| Project Data |
| Funds: |
$79,987 |
| Staff Responsibility: |
Chuck Taylor |
| Completion Date: |
6/1/2006 |
| Fiscal Year: |
2005 |
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This project examined the feasibility of a train and vehicle detection system based on magnetometer sensor technology. Possible applications tof this technology include train location and speed detection for the activation of grade crossing warning systems; detection of highway vehicles and other obstructions at grade crossings; detection of Hi-Rail and other track maintenance equipment on or adjacent to the track; and detection of right-of-way incursions by non-railroad vehicles and equipment. The sensor technology used is Anisotropic Magnetoresistive (AMR) magnetometers. These sensors consist of a nickel-iron (Permalloy) thin film deposited on a silicon wafer. When exposed to the earth’s magnetic field, the electrical resistance of the Permalloy film changes with changes in the field such as would be caused by the nearby movement of a large ferrous metal mass such as a locomotive or an automobile. The output of these sensors is a unique signature that can be analyzed to determine not only the presence of an object, but the characteristics of the object, e.g., locomotive or Hi-Rail vehicle, its location and direction of movement (See Figure 1), and its speed. Contract tasks included selection of candidate sensors, and laboratory and field tests of those sensors. Field testing included tests using automobiles, locomotives, rail cars, and Hi-Rail vehicles.
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