Broken rail detector

Claim 2

A broken rail detector useful in detecting broken rails in a pair of rails including: a transmitter coupled to said pair of rails and being adapted to apply an A.C. signal to said rails with each rail receiving signals of different phase relationships, said transmitter including an oscillator, a relay being coupled to said oscillator and being enabled by signals from said oscillator, a source of electrical energy, and switching means being responsive to said relay and being coupled between said source and the rails; a receiver coupled to said pair of rails at a location remote from said transmitter and being adapted to receive signals transmitted from said transmitter through said rails and being adapted to have an output signal when the received signals maintain the different phase relationship; and signal means coupled to said receiver and responsive to the output signal therefrom for providing an indication upon a loss of output signal from said receiver.

Claim 3

A broken rail detector useful in detecting broken rails in a pair of rails including: a transmitter coupled to said pair of rails and being adapted to apply an A.C. signal to said rails with each rail receiving signals of different phase relationships; a receiver coupled to said pair of rails at a location remote from said transmitter and being adapted to receive signals transmitted from said transmitter through said rails and being adapted to have an output signal when the received signals maintain the different phase relationship; and signal means coupled to said receiver and responsive to the output signal therefrom for providing an indication upon a loss of output signal from said receiver; said receiver including: a first circuit coupled to one of said rails including a first phase sensitive detector being responsive to a gate signal; a second circuit coupled to the other one of said rails including a second phase sensitive detector being responsive to the gate signal; a gate generator coupled to said first and second circuits and responsive to the phase of the signals applied thereto for generating gate signals for the first and second phase sensitive detectors; and logic means coupled to said first and second circuits for providing an output on the loss of an input from either one of said first and second circuits.

Claim 4

A broken rail detector useful in detecting broken rails in a pair of rails including: a transmitter coupled to said pair of rails and being adapted to apply an A.C. signal to said rails with each rail receiving signals of different phase relationships; a receiver coupled to said pair of rails at a location remote from said transmitter and being adapted to receive signals transmitted from said transmitter through said rails and being adapted to have an output signal when the received signals maintain the different phase relationship; and signal means coupled to said receiver and responsive to the output signal therefrom for providing an indication upon a loss of output signal from said receiver; said receiver including: a first circuit coupled to one of said rails including a first phase sensitive detector being responsive to a gate signal; a second circuit coupled to the other one of said rails including a second phase sensitive detector being responsive to the gate signal; a gate generator coupled to said first and second circuits and responsive to the phase of the signals applied thereto for generating gate signals for the first and second phase sensitive detectors; and logic means coupled to said first and second circuits for providing an output on the loss of an input from either one of said first and second circuits.

Claim 5

The broken rail detector as defined in claim 2 and further including an amplitude level detector coupled between each phase sensitive detector and said logic means.

Claim 6

The broken rail detector as defined in claim 2 and including a demodulator coupled between said logic means and said utilization means.

Claim 7

The broken rail detector as defined in claim 2 wherein said transmitter including: an oscillator; a relay being coupled to said oscillator and being enabled by signals from said oscillator; a source of electrical energy; and switching means responsive to said relay and being coupled between said source and the rails.

Claim 8

The broken rail detector as defined in claim 5 wherein said source of electrical energy being a battery.

Claim 9

The broken rail detector as defined in claim 5 wherein said source being another oscillator.

Claim 10

A broken rail detector useful in detecting broken rails in a pair of rails including: an oscillator adapted to provide A.C. electrical signals; a source of electrical energy; means coupled to said oscillator for applying said source of electrical energy to the rails; a first circuit coupled to one of said rails at a point remote from the point where the source is applied; a first phase sensitive detector coupled to said first circuit and being responsive to the gate signals; a second circuit coupled to the other rail at said remote point; a second phase sensitive coupled to said second circuit and being responsive to the gate signals; a gate generator coupled to said first and second circuits and being responsive to the phase of the signals applied thereto for generating gate signals for said first and second phase sensitive detectors; logic means coupled to said first and second phase sensitive detectors for providing an output on the loss of an input from either one of said first and second circuits; and utilization means coupled to said logic means and being responsive to output therefrom.

Claim 11

A broken rail detector useful in detecting broken rails in a pair of rails including: an oscillator adapted to provide A.C. electrical signals; a source of electrical energy; means coupled to said oscillator for applying said source of electrical energy to the rails; a first circuit coupled to one of said rails at a point remote from the point where the source is applied; a first phase sensitive detector coupled to said first circuit and being responsive to the gate signals; a second circuit coupled to the other rail at said remote point; a second phase sensitive coupled to said second circuit and being responsive to the gate signals; a gate generator coupled to said first and second circuits and being responsive to the phase of the signals applied thereto for generating gate signals for said first and second phase sensitive detectors; logic means coupled to said first and second phase sensitive detectors for providing an output on the loss of an input from either one of said first and second circuits; and utilization means coupled to said logic means and being responsive to output therefrom.

Claim 12

The broken rail detector as defined in claim 8 wherein said source of electrical energy being a battery.

Claim 13

The broken rail detector as defined in claim 8 wherein said source of electrical energy being another oscillator.

Claim 14

The broken rail detector as defined in claim 10 and further including a demodulator being coupled between said logic means and said utilization means.

Claim 15

The broken rail detector as defined in claim 8 and further including amplitude detectors coupled between each said phase sensitive detectors and said logic means.