US5094004A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Railroad track gager/leveler/linear measurer
Assignee: United States Department of the Army
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Filing: 1991-06-21
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Granted: 1992-03-10
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Expires: 2011-06-21
Abstract
Abstract An instrument for measuring railroad track geometry for a pair of tracks. e instrument includes a carriage having wheels for permitting the carriage to ride on one of the tracks. An elongated cross-level bar has one end mounted on the carriage and the other end joined to a roller assembly. The roller assembly supports a pair of measuring wheels that ride on the top of the other track. A plurality of sensors are mounted on the bar for sensing the gage and cross-level of said tracks, and for measuring the linear distance that the instrument moves with respect to the tracks. A removable handle, hinged to the cross-level bar, supports a digital read-out meter for displaying the gage, cross-level and distance traversed.
Inventors
- 👤 Cecil T. Wooten
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 17:41
CPC Classifications
E; E01; E01B; E01B35/00; E01B35/02; E01B35/04; G; G01; G01B; G01B5/00; G01B5/14; G01C; G01C22/00; G01C22/02; E01B2203/00; E01B2203/16
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
309 words
An instrument for measuring the geometry of a pair of railroad tracks comprising: a carriage having mobile means for permitting said carriage to ride on one of said tracks, said mobile means including a plurality of top running wheels and a plurality of side running wheels and said carriage including means for supporting said top running wheels to roll on the top surface of said one of said tracks and means for supporting said side running wheels to roll on the side surface, of said one of said tracks; an elongated cross-level bar having first and second ends, said first end being mounted on said carriage; roller means connected to said second end of said cross-level bar for supporting said bar and for permitting said instrument to ride on the other of said tracks, said roller means including support means for mounting a plurality of measuring wheels to roll on the top surface of said other of said tracks; a plurality of gage wheels slideably mounted on said cross-level bar and positioned for rolling on the inside surface of said other of said tracks including spring bias means coupled to said gage wheels and said cross-level bar for biasing said gage wheels against the inside surface of said other of said tracks and for biasing said side running wheels against the inside surface of said one of said tracks; sensor means mounted on said bar, comprising a first means for sensing the gage of said tracks, a second means for sensing the cross-level of said tracks, and a third means for measuring the linear distance that said instrument moves with respect to said tracks, said sensor means further including gage sensing means coupled to said gage wheels for sensing relative position of said gage wheels with respect to said cross-level bar, said gage sensing means including a linear resistor.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
309 words
An instrument for measuring the geometry of a pair of railroad tracks comprising: a carriage having mobile means for permitting said carriage to ride on one of said tracks, said mobile means including a plurality of top running wheels and a plurality of side running wheels and said carriage including means for supporting said top running wheels to roll on the top surface of said one of said tracks and means for supporting said side running wheels to roll on the side surface, of said one of said tracks; an elongated cross-level bar having first and second ends, said first end being mounted on said carriage; roller means connected to said second end of said cross-level bar for supporting said bar and for permitting said instrument to ride on the other of said tracks, said roller means including support means for mounting a plurality of measuring wheels to roll on the top surface of said other of said tracks; a plurality of gage wheels slideably mounted on said cross-level bar and positioned for rolling on the inside surface of said other of said tracks including spring bias means coupled to said gage wheels and said cross-level bar for biasing said gage wheels against the inside surface of said other of said tracks and for biasing said side running wheels against the inside surface of said one of said tracks; sensor means mounted on said bar, comprising a first means for sensing the gage of said tracks, a second means for sensing the cross-level of said tracks, and a third means for measuring the linear distance that said instrument moves with respect to said tracks, said sensor means further including gage sensing means coupled to said gage wheels for sensing relative position of said gage wheels with respect to said cross-level bar, said gage sensing means including a linear resistor.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
The instrument of claim 1 wherein said linear resistor includes means for providing a digital output signal indicative of the gage of said track.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
331 words
An instrument for measuring the geometry of a pair of railroad tracks comprising: a cartridge having mobile means for permitting said carriage to ride on one of said tracks, said mobile means including a plurality of top running wheels and a plurality of side running wheels and said carriage including means for supporting said top running wheels to roll on the top surface of said one of said tracks and means for supporting said side running wheels to roll on the side surface of said one of said tracks; an elongated cross-level bar having first and second ends, said first end being mounted on said carriage; roller means connected to said second end of said cross-bar for supporting said bar and for permitting said instrument to ride on the other of said tracks, said roller means including support means for mounting a plurality of measuring wheels to roll on the top surface of said other of said tracks; a plurality of gage wheels slideably mounted on said cross-level bar and positioned for rolling on the inside surface of said other of said tracks including spring bias means coupled to said gage wheels and said cross-level bar for biasing said gage wheels against the inside surface of said other of said tracks and for biasing said side running wheels against the inside surface of said one of said tracks; sensor means mounted on said bar, comprising a first means for sensing the gage of said tracks, a second means for sensing the cross-level of said tracks, and a third means for measuring the linear distance that said instrument moves with respect to said tracks, said sensor means further including a cross-level sensing means for sensing the relative angle that the cross-level bar makes with the horizontal said cross-level sensing means including a plumb slideably mounted on said cross-level bar and a linear resistor means coupled to said plumb for sensing the relative position of said cross-level bar with respect to said plumb.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
331 words
An instrument for measuring the geometry of a pair of railroad tracks comprising: a cartridge having mobile means for permitting said carriage to ride on one of said tracks, said mobile means including a plurality of top running wheels and a plurality of side running wheels and said carriage including means for supporting said top running wheels to roll on the top surface of said one of said tracks and means for supporting said side running wheels to roll on the side surface of said one of said tracks; an elongated cross-level bar having first and second ends, said first end being mounted on said carriage; roller means connected to said second end of said cross-bar for supporting said bar and for permitting said instrument to ride on the other of said tracks, said roller means including support means for mounting a plurality of measuring wheels to roll on the top surface of said other of said tracks; a plurality of gage wheels slideably mounted on said cross-level bar and positioned for rolling on the inside surface of said other of said tracks including spring bias means coupled to said gage wheels and said cross-level bar for biasing said gage wheels against the inside surface of said other of said tracks and for biasing said side running wheels against the inside surface of said one of said tracks; sensor means mounted on said bar, comprising a first means for sensing the gage of said tracks, a second means for sensing the cross-level of said tracks, and a third means for measuring the linear distance that said instrument moves with respect to said tracks, said sensor means further including a cross-level sensing means for sensing the relative angle that the cross-level bar makes with the horizontal said cross-level sensing means including a plumb slideably mounted on said cross-level bar and a linear resistor means coupled to said plumb for sensing the relative position of said cross-level bar with respect to said plumb.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
The instrument of claim 3 further including a removable handle pivotally attached to said cross-level bar.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
46 words
The instrument of claim 4 further including a digital meter mounted on said handle and electrically connected to said sensor means, said meter having a display means for displaying the instantaneous gage and cross-level of said track, and the length of track traversed by said instrument.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
The instrument of claim 5 wherein said meter includes an alarm means for providing an alarm signal when the gage and cross-level exceed predetermined values.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1995-03-10 | 1995-09-09 | 1996-03-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1999-03-10 | 1999-09-09 | 2000-03-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2003-03-10 | 2003-09-09 | 2004-03-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |