Jonathan L. Waite

Interferometric radar principles in track hazard detection to improve safety

The IN-RAIL track hazard detection system uses radar interferometry to improve railroad safety by detecting dangerous situations that occur on railways. Common detectable hazards on railroads include rockslides and washouts. The IN-RAIL radar system provides an efficient and cost effective way to detect these problems, thus, improving railway safety. The IN-RAIL radar consists of one transmit antenna and two receive antennas. The transmit antenna sends out a linearized frequency modulated chirp. Two horn antennas receive the reflected signal from the scene. The received signal is amplified, passed through a matched filter, and sampled. The authors process the sampled data using a Fast-Fourier-Transform algorithm which gives frequency and phase information. Frequency in the signal is proportional to range in the observed scene. The phase of each range bin contains the topographical information of the scene. Other algorithms are then used to determine the topography of the scene. By comparing the topography given by the current set of radar data to a known safe topography the authors can then determine if there is a hazard on the railroad tracks.