RAIL HEATER AND METHOD OF USE

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure is directed to railroad rail heaters.

BACKGROUND ART

Rails for a railroad/railway should be installed (e.g., laid down on the railroad ties) at a neutral temperature. The neutral temperature is established by railroads based on the regional ambient temperature extremes that the rail will encounter annually. It is important that the rail be installed at the neutral temperature so that expansion and contraction of the welded rail can be controlled by rail anchors or resilient fasteners to prevent “pull-aparts” (rail breaking at welds because of extreme tension due to cold temperatures) or sun kinks where the track structure is unable to be contained by the ballast and the track kinks (e.g., alters into an S shape) to relieve the excessive compressive forces built up by heat.

Due to the requirement to install rails at the neutral temperature, in cold environments (i.e., when the ambient temperature is less than the neutral temperature), rail heaters are used when rails for a railroad/railway are to be installed. The rail heater raises the temperature of the rail to the neutral temperature so the rail can be installed in a manner that will reduce the likelihood of pull-aparts and/or sun kinks.

Most of the rail heaters currently in use are propane fueled, which has several disadvantages. Because these rail heater machines are used in large mechanized production gangs and propane is only required for these particular machines and none of the other machines in the rail gang, it is often difficult to coordinate the delivery and dispensing of the propane to the rail heater onboard tanks. Additionally, because mobile propane tanks must be periodically hydro-tested, they must be programmed into a maintenance shop to accomplish said hydro-testing. Propane tanks are also required to be placarded when transported over the highway.

One exemplary rail heater is produced by Teleweld, Inc as a Series 1 propane fired rail heater. This particular rail heater uses propane as it heating fuel source and diesel fuel as its fuel to drive the locomotion along the rail via a diesel engine and operatively coupled drive system.

Using diesel fuel as the fuel (i.e., heat/combustion source) for a rail heater is attractive because many or all of the other machines in the production gang use diesel fuel for powering their engines, and most gangs have their own fuel truck. Diesel fuel is also easily stored and handled by the gang's own personnel without requiring a vendor's truck to come onto railroad property.

Drapeau Corporation provides its FD-Heater 48T3/T4, which uses diesel as the fuel source that is combusted to heat the rail. This rail heater has flame outlet nozzles above both sides of the web of the rail that heats the rail from the top down. This rail heater may have a powered blower to provide combustion air to create a blown flame.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

While previous diesel rail heating machines have been more advantageous than propane rail heaters, there is still room for improvement. For example, while diesel rail heaters use diesel fuel and an ignition system, it is difficult to detect the presence of the flame, the strength of the flame, the burning temperature of the flame, or the combustion efficiency of the flame.

To address some of these needs, amongst other advantages, various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a rail heating machine, or simply a rail heater, which has multiple diesel fuel combustion chambers that allow the flame to develop properly within the chambers, then discharge the flame in a torch-like or jet-like out the bottom side of each combustion chamber directed to the web of the rail. In one embodiment, a burner assembly on or adjacent each rail includes multiple combustion chambers on both sides of the rail that is being heated. The number of combustion chambers is determined by the heat output required. In one particular example, each burner outputs 175,000 btu/hr., however other values are clearly possible depending on the application specific needs and requirements of the heating operation.

One example of the present disclosure provides a rail heater that has two burner assemblies, wherein a first burner assembly is on or adjacent a first rail and a second burner assembly is on or adjacent a second rail. The diesel fuel is controlled by electronic controls that utilize flame sensors to assure proper starts/ignition and operation. In one particular embodiment, there is a single ignitor on or in the first combustion chamber in a series of combustion chambers on each side of the rail. This configuration may have connector tubes which fluidly link the interior volumes of each combustion chamber and allow the flame to spread from the single ignitor. It is believed that the use of combustion chambers that are in fluid communication with each other, as opposed a plurality of separate, distinct, or segregate combustion chambers, provides more adequate assurance of diesel fuel ignition, especially in windy conditions. This configuration may also result in less smoke. Proper air flow to the burners is provided by a plenum which provides even flow or substantially even flow to all burners in a series of burners.

In one aspect, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a rail heater comprising: a frame having rail-engaging wheels; a fuel source; and a burner assembly coupled, directly or indirectly, to the frame, wherein burner assembly is positioned closely adjacent a first rail of a railroad, wherein the burner assembly includes at least one combustion chamber that ignites fuel supplied from the fuel source and directs a flame from the at least one combustion chamber at a neutral axis of the first rail. This exemplary embodiment or another exemplary embodiment may further include an air intake in fluid communication with the at least one combustion chamber, wherein the air intake supplies air to the combustion chamber for combustion with the fuel. This exemplary embodiment or another exemplary embodiment may further include a plenum having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the inlet is in fluid communication with the air intake and the outlet is in fluid communication with the at least one combustion chamber. This exemplary embodiment or another exemplary embodiment may further include a burner unit coupled to the at least one combustion chamber; and tubing that connects the outlet of the plenum to the burner unit.

This exemplary embodiment or another exemplary embodiment may further include a first plurality of combustion chambers aligned in a first row on a field side of the first rail; and tubing that fluidly connects each combustion chamber from the first plurality of combustion chambers. This exemplary embodiment or another exemplary embodiment may further include at least one flame outlet on each combustion chamber from the first plurality of combustion chambers; wherein the flame output from each of the at least one flame outlet is a torch-like flame pointed at the neutral axis on the field side of the first rail. This exemplary embodiment or another exemplary embodiment may further include a single ignitor connected to a burner unit that is connected to one combustion chamber in the first plurality of combustion chambers, wherein the single ignitor ignites fuel in the one combustion chamber and ignition thereof causes the remaining combustion chambers to ignite via the tubing that connects each combustion chamber from the first plurality of combustion chambers.

This exemplary embodiment or another exemplary embodiment may further include a second plurality of combustion chambers aligned in a second row on a gauge side of the first rail; and tubing that fluidly connects each combustion chamber from the second plurality of combustion chambers. This exemplary embodiment or another exemplary embodiment may further include at least one flame outlet on each combustion chamber from the second plurality of combustion chambers; wherein the flame output from each of the at least one flame outlet is a torch-like flame pointed at the neutral axis on the gauge side of the first rail. This exemplary embodiment or another exemplary embodiment may further include a single ignitor connected to a burner unit that is connected to one combustion chamber in the second plurality of combustion chambers, wherein the single ignitor ignites fuel in the one combustion chamber and ignition thereof causes the remaining combustion chambers to ignite via the tubing that connects each combustion chamber from the second plurality of combustion chambers.

This exemplary embodiment or another exemplary embodiment may further include an exhaust pipe located between the first plurality of combustion chambers and the second plurality of combustion chambers.

This exemplary embodiment or another exemplary embodiment may further include a cabin for an operator of the rail heater, wherein the cabin is located forward of the burner assembly relative to a drive direction of the rail heater.

In another aspect, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a rail heater comprising: a frame having rail-engaging wheels, the frame having a forward end and a rear end, wherein the rail heater is configured to move in a forward direction of travel along a railroad; a fuel source, which may be diesel; a burner assembly coupled, directly or indirectly, to the frame, wherein burner assembly is positioned closely adjacent a first rail of the railroad, wherein the burner assembly directs a flame toward the first rail; and a cabin on the frame, wherein the cabin is position forwardly from the burner assembly.

In yet another aspect, an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a rail heater comprising: a frame having rail-engaging wheels; a fuel source, which may be diesel or possible another fuel; and a burner assembly coupled, directly or indirectly, to the frame, wherein burner assembly, wherein the burner assembly includes a plurality of combustion chambers that are in fluid communication with each other via tubing, wherein the plurality of combustion chambers ignite fuel supplied from the fuel source and direct a flames toward the first rail.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more exemplary embodiment(s) of the present disclosure is set forth in the following description, is shown in the drawings and is particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate various example configurations and methods, and other example embodiments of various aspects of the invention. It will be appreciated that the illustrated element boundaries (e.g., boxes, groups of boxes, or other shapes) in the figures represent one example of the boundaries. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that in some examples one element may be designed as multiple elements or that multiple elements may be designed as one element. In some examples, an element shown as an internal component of another element may be implemented as an external component and vice versa. Furthermore, elements may not be drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of an exemplary rail heater according to one aspect of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1A is an enlarged operational side elevation view of the forward end of the rail heater.

FIG. 1B is an enlarged operational side elevation view of the burner assembly on the rail heater.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the rail heater.

FIG. 2A is an enlarged top plan view of the cabin near the forward end of the rail heater.

FIG. 2B is an enlarged top plan view of the burner assembly on the first side of the rail heater and a second burner assembly on the second side of the rail heater.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the first burner assembly composed of two rows of combustion chambers taken along line 3-3 in FIG. 1B.

FIG. 4 is a cross section view depicting the operation of the burner assembly being locked to the frame subassembly taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 2B.

FIG. 5 is an operational longitudinal cross section view of air moving through the plenum.

FIG. 6 is an operational transverse cross section view of air moving through the plenum and into the combustion chambers taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 1B.

FIG. 6A is an enlarged transverse cross section view of the burner unit from the region labeled “see FIG. 6A” in FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 is an operational side elevation view of the vibrator and the debris blower assembly.

FIG. 8 is an operational side elevation view of the burner assembly being lowered into its operating position.

FIG. 9 is a transverse cross section view taken along line 9-9 in FIG. 8 depicting the single ignitor igniting fuel to generate a torch-like flame.

FIG. 10A is an operational longitudinal cross section view depicting the ignition of the flame in the first combustion chamber.

FIG. 10B is an operational longitudinal cross section view depicting the flame migrating to the second combustion chamber via tubing that connects the combustion chambers together.

FIG. 10C is an operational longitudinal cross section view depicting the flame having propagated through the interior space of each of the shown combustion chambers.

Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With respect to continuous welded rail (CWR) among other rails, railroads face the challenge of dealing with thermal expansion. Rails contract in low temperatures and experience tensile stress. In high temperatures, rails expand and compress under stress. If not managed properly, this can lead to issues like heat kinks, which can force the rail out of gauge and even cause derailments. In the 19th century, railroads used jointed rail held together by fishplates or joint bars. These joints required meticulous maintenance to prevent wear on rail ends. However, the jointed rail had an advantage: it could handle thermal expansion by allowing a tiny, lubricated gap between the rails at the joint. CWR replaced jointed rail, offering smoother rides and reduced maintenance. But without joint bars, CWR had little-to-no leeway for expansion. When the rail expanded due to heat, it would buckle under pressure. Prior to installing a section of CWR, railroads ensure the rail meets its stress-free temperature (known as the rail neutral temperature or RNT). If the rail is below the desired temperature, it is gradually heated to expand. The rail is heated with a rail heater. However, as previously mentioned, a need exists to improve conventional rail heater technology.

Unlike conventional rail heaters, some embodiments of the present disclosure does not use a simple flame like the previous rail heaters. Some embodiments of the present disclosure provides an improvement in the form of a jet-like or torch-like flame that is a result of blowing air, which contains oxygen, into a combustion chamber to create the jet-like or torch-like flame that is directed toward a neutral axis of the rail. A torch flame results in more intense heat and more controllable heat. Further, the combustion chamber provides a more complete combustion of the fuel compared to the previous simple flames, resulting in less smoke and soot.

While it is primarily envisioned and shown that the fuel source used in conjunction with the embodiments of the rail heater is diesel supplied from a diesel fuel source, or simply diesel fuel, it is entirely possible to utilize other fuel types in the combustion chambers detailed herein. For example, instead of diesel fuel propane or gasoline could be utilized.

The Figures depict various embodiments and features of an exemplary rail heater 10. The rail heater 10 may include a frame 12 having wheels 14 that engage a rail 16 having a neutral axis 18. The neutral axis 18 of the rail 16, or any beam, is an imaginary line passing through the cross-section of the rail that does not experience any longitudinal stress (compressive or tensile). This means that in the vicinity of this axis 18, the rail 16 neither contracts nor expands at the rail neutral temperature, remaining essentially “neutral” to the effects of bending.

There is at least one fuel source 20 carried by the frame 12. The at least one fuel source is in fluid communication with at least one burner assembly 22. In the exemplary embodiment of rail heater 10 there are two burner assemblies, with each burner assembly being on opposite sides of the rail heater 10 such that the burner assembly 22 on the right side of the rail heater 10 would heat the right rail 16 and the burner assembly on the left side of the rail heater 10 would heat the left rail. In one particular embodiment, each burner assembly is configured and mirrored opposite to the other relative to longitudinal axis 23.

The burner assembly 22 is coupled, directly or indirectly, to the frame 12. The burner assembly 22 is positioned closely adjacent to the first rail 16 of a railroad. The burner assembly 22 includes at least one combustion chamber 24 that ignites fuel supplied from the fuel source 20 and directs a torch-like flame or jet-like flame from the at least one combustion chamber 24 to the rail 16 the neutral axis 18.

Rail heater 10 may have an air intake assembly 26 in fluid communication with the at least one combustion chamber 24. The air intake assembly 26 supplies air to the combustion chamber 24 for combustion with the fuel from fuel source 20. There is at least one plenum 28 having an inlet and an outlet. The inlet of the plenum 28 is in fluid communication with and receives air from the air intake assembly 26. The plenum 28 is in fluid communication with and causes air to move to the at least one combustion chamber 24. There is a burner unit 30 coupled to the at least one combustion chamber 24. A pipe, tubing or tube 32 connects the outlet of the plenum 28 to the burner unit 30.

The shown embodiment of burner assembly 22 located on the first side of the rail heater 10 has a first plurality of combustion chambers 24 aligned in a first row on a field side of the first rail 16. There is a tube 34 tubing that fluidly connects each combustion chamber 24 from the first plurality of combustion chambers together. There is also a second plurality of combustion chambers aligned in a second row on a gauge side of the first rail 16. There are more tubes 34 or tubing that fluidly connects each combustion chamber from the second plurality of combustion chambers. There is at least one flame outlet 36 on each combustion chamber 24. The flame that is output from each outlet 36 is a torch-like flame pointed at the neutral axis 18 of the first rail 16. The outlets 36 from the first plurality of combustion chambers 24 are pointed at the field side of the rail 16 at the neutral axis and the outlets from the second plurality of combustion chambers 24 are pointed at the gauge side of the rail 16 at the neutral axis.

In one particular embodiment, there is a single ignitor 38 connected to a burner unit 30 that is connected to one combustion chamber in the first plurality of combustion chambers 24. The single ignitor 38 ignites fuel in the one combustion chamber 24 and ignition thereof causes the remaining combustion chambers 24 to ignite via the tubing 34 that connects each combustion chamber 24 from the first plurality of combustion chambers. On the gauge side of the rail 16, there is a single ignitor 38 connected to a burner unit 30 that is connected to one combustion chamber 24 in the second plurality of combustion chambers, wherein this single ignitor 38 ignites fuel in the one combustion chamber and ignition thereof causes the remaining combustion chambers to ignite via the tubing 34 that connects each combustion chamber 24 from the second plurality of combustion chambers.

The torch-like flame that is output from each outlet 36 on each combustion chamber 24 is significantly different than a simple fuel flame. A torch-like flame (similar to as a blow torch flame) is exceptionally hot and concentrated, and produces a strong, directed flame. Visually, the torch-like flame is a sharp, pointed flame that results in the flame being focused and powerful. In contrast, a simple fuel flame (like a candle or matchstick), provides a flame that is relatively cooler compared to a torch-like flame. A simple fuel flame spreads out and lacks the intense concentration of a torch flame. Visually, a simple fuel flames has gentle appearance representing a dancing flame that wavers due to air currents.

FIG. 1 depicts that the rail heater 10 includes a forward end 40 and a rear end 42 defining a longitudinal direction therebetween. The forward end 40 faces the direction of travel of the rail heater 10. Rail heater 10 also includes a first side 44 and a second side 46 (see FIG. 2B) defining a transverse direction therebetween. The transverse direction is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. The longitudinal axis 23 extends longitudinally and is centered transversely between the first side 44 and the second side 46. A vertical direction is orthogonal to the transverse direction and the longitudinal direction.

Rail heater 10 includes a cabin 48 that is supported from below by the frame 12. Within the cabin 48 may be one or more electronic control units (ECUs) that have a non-transitory computer readable storage medium with instructions encoded thereon, that when executed by one or more processors, implement a process to perform a rail heating operation as substantially described herein. One or more switches 50 may be within the cabin 48 to control the operation of the burner assembly 22. One relevant feature of the cabin 48 is that it is positioned forwardly (i.e., closer to the forward end 40) from the burner assembly 22. The purposeful positioning of the cabin 48 forward of the burner assembly 22 is that it allows the rail heater to move in a forward direction of travel (to the left in FIG. 1) in a manner which will prevent heat and smoke or other exhaust in the combustion chamber from affecting the operator within the cabin. Stated otherwise, the forwardly positioned cabin is advantageous and enables the operator to drive the rail heater 10 forward without driving or traversing through heat, smoke or exhaust from the heating operation, which is be described in greater detail herein. This purposeful placement of the cabin 48 is a novel improvement over previous devices which had their operator cabins located rearward of their burner assemblies.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, a vibrator 52 may be connected to the frame 12 at its forward end. The vibrator 52 is configured to vibrate the rail 16 to loosen debris and other materials in preparation for the heating operation, which will be described in greater detail herein.

Rail heater 10 additionally includes a diesel engine 54 that powers the rail heater 10 for locomotion. The diesel engine 54 may be located rearward (closer to the rear end 42) from the burner assembly 22. The diesel engine may also be located rearward from the at least one fuel source 20. In the shown embodiment the fuel source 20 is a diesel fuel tank. Remarkably, the at least one fuel source 20 is a diesel fuel tank that is used to supply fuel to the burner assembly 22. However, the fuel source 20 does not supply diesel fuel to the diesel engine 54. Rather, there is a secondary fuel source 56 that supplies the diesel fuel to the diesel engine 54. Purposefully separating the two diesel fuel sources, namely, fuel source 20 and secondary fuel source 56, is advantageous because both the burner assembly 22 and the diesel engine 54 utilize diesel fuel. If both of these devices were supplied from a single diesel fuel source, then there would be a chance that the burner assembly 22 could use all the diesel fuel in the single supply tank during the heating operation and not leave the engine 54 with the necessary fuel needed to return from its working location. As such, rail heater 10 purposefully separates the diesel fuel utilized for the burner assembly 22 from the diesel fuel in the secondary fuel source 56 that is utilized for the engine. This enables the rail heater 10 to ensure there is enough diesel fuel in the secondary fuel source 56 to enable the rail heater 10 to return from its working location regardless of whether the burner assembly 22 depletes the diesel from its fuel source 20.

Rail heater 10 may further include a hydraulic assembly 58 that is in operative communication with the diesel engine 54. Hydraulic assembly 58 may power or move various components on the rail heater 10 as one having ordinary skill in the art would understand. For example, there may be a hydraulically powered motor with a gear sprocket and chain operatively coupled to a corresponding gear on a drive axle extending between the wheels 14.

The rail heater 10 may also carry a water tank 60 that is configured to store water therein that can be used to either pre-wet the rail ties prior to heating with the burner assembly 22 or be used to extinguish a fire inadvertently created by the burner assembly 22. The water tank 60 can be filled with either a primary fill port located at the top of the tank 60 or it may be filled with a secondary fill tube that extends upward from the tank.

FIG. 1A depicts that the rail heater 10 may also include a debris blower assembly 62. Debris blower assembly 62 is located partially rearward from the cabin 48 and forward of the water tank 60. The debris blower assembly 62 is transversely located between the burner assembly 22 on the first side of the rail heater 10 (see FIG. 2—first burner assembly 22-1) and the second burner assembly on the second side of the rail heater 10 (see FIG. 2—second burner assembly 22-2). Debris blower assembly 62 includes a primary blower unit that intakes air and directs the air through tubing 64. The end of the tubing may pivot up and down as indicated by arrow 66 such that the outlets of tubing 64 can be directed to blow air onto the rail 64 to remove debris prior to heating with the burner assembly 22.

Adjacent to the debris blower assembly 62 is a fluid nozzle 68 that is part of a wetting assembly in fluid communication and supplied with water from the water tank 60. In addition to the debris blower assembly 62 blowing debris from the rail ties near the rail, the wetting assembly may expel water from the fluid nozzle 68 to pre-wet the rail ties. Wetting the rail ties is advantageous to prevent them from significantly burning when the rail 16 is heated with the burner assembly 22. As such, the fluid nozzle 68 and the outlet to the tubing 64 of the debris blower assembly 62 are located forward of the rear end of the burner assembly 22.

FIG. 1B depicts enlarged side elevation view of the burner assembly 22 that is on the first side of the rail heater 10. A duplicate burner assembly (i.e., second burner assembly 22-2) is on the second side of the rail heater and the details of which are not repeated for brevity as it is understood that it is mirrored opposite the longitudinal axis 23. Each burner assembly 22 has a first plurality of combustion chambers 24 positioned on the field side of the rail 16. A second plurality of combustion chambers are aligned in a row and positioned on the gauge side of the rail 16. The first gas combustion chamber 24-1 is the forwardmost combustion chamber in the row of combustion chambers defining the first plurality of combustion chambers 24. In the shown embodiment there are ten combustion chambers aligned in a row extending longitudinally from the forwardmost first combustion chamber 24-1 to the rearmost combustion chamber 24-10. The other combustion chambers 24-2 through 24-9 correspond to the other combustion chambers that make up the plurality of first combustion chambers. Each combustion chamber 24 is connected with its own burner unit 30 at the top thereof. Each combustion chamber 24 may be a box defining an internal volume 110 that combusts the fuel supplied by the fuel source 20. The combustion chamber defining the interior volume may have any external configuration to meet the application specific needs of the rail heater 10. In the shown embodiment, each of the combustion chambers 24 have a plurality of sidewalls defining an octagonal box that is vertically elongated extending between an upper end and a lower end. The upper end of the octagonal box of each combustion chamber 24 is connected with one burner unit 30. The outlet 36 on each box or combustion chamber 24 is adjacent to the lower end and opened in a direction that will propagate a torch-like flame toward the neutral axis 18 of the rail 16. Flame outlet 36 is depicted as a hole or opening that directs the torch-like flame outward from the combustion chamber, however other embodiments can include an adjustable nozzle that allows a user control of the flame to move the flame more precisely onto a desired location of the rail 16.

Air intake assembly 26 includes an intake blower coupled with a Y-fitting 70 that receives air from the blower of the air intake assembly 26 and can divert it outwardly between two outlets on the Y-fitting 70. A baffle or plate can be electronically controlled to divert air towards one of the two plenums 28. Namely, a switch inside the cabin 48 may control the operation of the baffle or diverter plate inside the Y-fitting 70 to move air towards the plenum 28 operatively connected to the first burner assembly 22-1 on the first side of the rail heater 10 or the plenum 28 operatively connected to the second burner assembly 22-2 on the second side of the rail heater 10. The Y-fitting 70 is in operative communication with a pipe or tube 72 that extends from the Y-fitting 70 to an inlet of the plenum 28. In FIG. 1B the tube 72 is shown cut away for display purposes, however it is to be understood that this tube established a continuous fluid communication between the air intake assembly 26 and the inlet of plenum 28. Tube 72 may be a flexible tube that bends or flexes in response to vertical movement of the burner assembly 22. The air intake assembly 26 is located approximately halfway between the forward end of the burner assembly 22 and the rear end of the burner assembly 22. However, other locations of the air intake assembly 26 are entirely possible. In the shown embodiment, the air intake assembly 26 is located forward of the water tank 60.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the burner assembly 22 is connected to a frame subassembly 74. Frame subassembly 74 is configured to move or permit the vertical movement of the burner assembly 22 to raise and lower the burner outlets 36 relative to the rail 16. The frame subassembly 74 may include vertically elongated frame members that are connected with actuators 76 that receive electrical control signals from the ECU in the cabin 48 to raise or lower the burner assembly 22. Frame subassembly 74 may additionally be connected to a lock mechanism 78 that can operatively lock the burner assembly 22 in either the raised position or the lowered position.

With continued reference to FIG. 1B, a burner unit 30 is operatively connected to the top of each combustion chamber 24. Each burner unit 30 is supplied with fuel via fuel line 80 that is in fluid communication with the primary diesel fuel source 20. The burner unit 30 is also in open communication with the tube 32 that receives air from the plenum 28. The air is pumped into the plenum 28 through the air intake assembly 26 via tube 72.

FIG. 2 depicts that there are two burner assemblies 22 located on each respective side of the rail heater 10. These burner assemblies 22 are configured to be moved up and down in the vertical direction or raised and lowered in the vertical direction via the frame subassembly 74. The first burner assembly 22-1 is associated with or positioned on the first side 44 of the rail heater 10 and the second burner assembly 22-2 is located on the second side 46 of the rail heater 10. Each burner assembly 22 includes a first plurality of combustion chambers 24 aligned on the field side of the rail and a second plurality of combustion chambers aligned in the longitudinal direction on the gauge side of the rail.

FIG. 4 is a cross section view depicting the plenum 28 as having an upper chamber 82 and lower chamber 84 that are in communion with each other via an aperture 86. The plenum 82 is connected with a plate 88 that is rigidly secured with a lower end of a vertical beam 90 on the frame subassembly 74. The beam 90 has an upper end that is in communication with the lock assembly 78. Lock assembly 78 may be actuated as indicated by arrow 92 to disengage the beam from the lock assembly 78. The actuator 76 may be extended as indicated by arrow 94 to raise and lower the burner assembly 22.

With continued reference to FIG. 4, in addition to being able to raise and lower the burner assembly 22 as indicated by arrows 94, a user may also utilize adjustment rods 95 to couple with spacers to set the bottom limit of travel of the burner assembly 22. Spacers may be connected to the adjustment rods 95 that correspond to placing the outlets 36 at a location that directs the flame 130 (see FIG. 9) at the neutral axis 18 of rail 16.

The plenum 28 is supported from below by a beam 96 through which the flame outlets 36 extend from each respective combustion chamber 24. The space between the two respective beams 96 that straddle each side of the rail 16 has an upper portion that is in open communication with an exhaust pipe 98 that permits heat and other residual smoke to be exhausted out after the flame is output from the flame outlet 36. The movement of exhaust is represented by arrows 100.

FIG. 5 depicts air movement into the plenum 28. The air intake assembly 26 intakes air and moves air through the tube 72 that is in fluid communication with the inlet to the plenum 28. Movement of the air into the plenum 28 through tube 72 is represented by arrows 102. The air moving in the direction of arrows 102 is input into the lower chamber 84 of the plenum. Then air may move upwardly to the upper chamber 82 through the apertures 86 as indicated by arrows 104. After the air moves into the upper chamber 82, the air flows through upwardly as indicated by arrows 106 through each respective tube 32 into each respective burner unit 30 where it can be mixed with fuel from fuel line 80 and combusted within the combustion chamber 24.

FIG. 6 is a transverse cross section depicting one combustion chamber 24 from the first plurality of combustion chambers and a second combustion chamber 24 from a second plurality of combustion chambers all on the first burner assembly 22-1. It is to be understood that this same configuration is mirrored on the second burner assembly 22-2 on the other side of the rail heater 10. The beam 96 defines a space 108 between the respective sides of beam 96 where the rail 16 will be located. Both flame outlets 36 face inwardly towards the space 108. Each combustion chamber 24 includes an interior volume 110 where combustion of fuel and air will occur to cause a complete or near-complete combustion. The side wall of each combustion chamber 24 may be in open communication or define an aperture that receives tube 34 to fluidly connect the interior volume 110 of one combustion chamber with an adjacent combustion chamber in that same row. As such, the first plurality of combustion chambers aligned in a row are in fluid communication with each other and the combustion chambers in the second plurality of combustion chambers are fluidly connected to each other via tubing 34. This allows flames to move through the tubes 34 such that only a single ignitor 38 is needed at the forward most combustion chamber 24-1 that will ignite the entire plurality of combustion chambers aligned in that row.

In one exemplary embodiment, the aperture that receives tube 34 is located approximately halfway between the bottom end and the top end of the combustion chamber 24-1. However, other embodiments may provide the location of the aperture that receives tube 34 at a different location. In this example, the aperture that receives tube 34 is located at a height that is greater than the flame outlet 36, yet it may be possible to place the tube 34 at a location that is lower than the flame outlet 36. In the shown example, the aperture that receives tube 34 is a circular aperture, however other shapes are entirely possible. Thus, while a circular tube 34 is shown, a different internal diameter profile and/or external diameter profile is possible. The length of the tube 34 located between adjacent combustion chambers is aligned in the longitudinal direction and may have a length dimension that is in a range from about three inches to about twenty-four inches. Further, although only a single tube 34 is shown as linking the adjacent combustion chambers, it is possible to have more than one tube 34 that links adjacent combustion chambers.

With continued reference to FIG. 6, and as shown in FIG. 6A, the burner unit 30 that is connected to the upper end of each combustion chamber 24 may also include a cad cell flame sensor 112. The cad cell flame sensor 112 is in electric communication with the ECU inside the cabin 48 that is utilized to confirm that combustion is occurring within the interior volume 110 of the combustion chambers 24. Thus, the cad cell flame sensor 112 is a visual sensor to detect the presence of a flame. The burner unit 30 additionally includes other standard components that feed fuel from the fuel line 80 having a nozzle at an end thereof.

FIG. 7 depicts the operation of rail heater 10 in which the rail heater 10 is moving in the forward direction along rail 16 as indicated by arrow 114. The vibrator 52 located at the forward end of the rail heater 10 has been lowered to engage the rail as indicated by arrow 116. The vibrator vibrates the rail and thereby imparts vibrations to the rail ties and rail plates. This assists to loosen debris 118. The debris blower assembly 62 may lower its tubing 64 as indicated by arrow 120. The blower portion of the debris blower assembly 62 moves air through the tubing 64 to discharge the air from the outlet of the tubing 64 to blow air, as indicated by arrow 122, to move the debris 118. The fluid nozzle 68 may expel water 124 that was stored within tank 60. The water 124 expelled or discharged from the fluid nozzle 68 pre-wets the rail ties and the surrounding ground surface near the rail 16 such that it reduces the likelihood of the rail ties or other errant debris from catching fire during the rail heating operation which is described herein.

FIG. 8 depicts the lowering of one of the burner assemblies 22 from its raised and stored position to its lowered and operating position. As the rail heater moves forwardly along the track, as indicated by arrow 114, the lock assembly 78 may be unlocked. The disengagement of the lock assembly 78 from the beam 90 occurs by moving a hook out of its engagement from a corresponding aperture in beam 90. When the lock assembly 78 is unlocked, the actuators 76 may be extended as indicated by arrow 126, which imparts a lowering movement to the burner assembly 22, as indicated by arrow 128. When the burner assembly 22 is lowered toward the rail 16, the beam 96 straddles each side of the rail 16. Stated otherwise, the lowering of the burner assembly 22 will position the first plurality of combustion chambers aligned in a row on the field side of the rail 16 and the second plurality of combustion chambers aligned in a row on the gauge side of the rail 16. The rail occupies the space between the respective sides of the beam 96.

FIG. 9 depicts the operation of heating the rail 16 at the neutral axis 18 with a torch-like flame output from the flame outlets 36. As mentioned previously, air is input into the plenum as indicated by arrows 102 from the air intake assembly 26. The air moves through the plenum and through the tubes 32 as indicated by arrow 106. The air enters the burner unit 30 positioned atop one of the combustion chambers 24. FIG. 9 depicts the forwardmost combustion chamber 24-1 on the first plurality and the other first combustion chamber on the second plurality of combustion chambers located on an opposite side of the rail 16. Within this burner unit 30 is the single ignitor 38. The single ignitor 38 is utilized to ignite an air and fuel mixture to generate a torch-like flame 130 that completely or near-completely combusts in the internal volume 110 of the combustion chamber 24. The complete or near-complete combustion of the flame 130 causes a torch-like flame or jet flame to move outward through the flame outlet 36 and be directed towards the neutral axis 18 of the rail 16. When the flame 130 contacts the rail 16 it will raise the temperature of the rail. The rail heater 10 continues to move forwardly along the rail track while the flame 130 is contacting the rail in order to heat the same. This allows the rail 16 to be warmed or its temperature to be raised to its neutral temperature (i.e., the RNT) so that it may later be welded to an adjacent rail aligned end-to-end to create an overall railway or railroad. Heat and other exhaust from the flame 130 moves upward through the space 108 as indicated by arrow 100. The exhaust 100 moves through the exhaust pipe 98 and out upwardly into the atmosphere.

FIG. 10A-FIG. 10C depict the operation of the ignition of the combustion chambers 24 that are aligned in the first plurality of combustion chambers. Particularly, there is a single ignitor 38 located in the burner unit 30 of the forward most combustion chamber 24-1. The remaining combustion chambers that are aligned in the row extend longitudinally rearward from the forwardmost first combustion chamber 24-1 and do not have any ignitors. The single ignitor 38 within the burner unit 30 on the forward combustion chamber 24-1 ignites the fuel fed into the combustion chamber 24-1 through fuel source line 80. The flame 130 combusts within the interior space 110 of the first combustion chamber 24-1. The tube 34 being in open communication with the interior space 110 of the first combustion chamber enables flame 130 to travel through the first tube 34-1 that is in open communication with the second combustion chamber 24-2. After the flame 130 has been ignited a control switch in the cabin 48 may be actuated by the operator to cause fuel to be dispensed from the fuel lines 80 to the subsequent three combustion chambers 24-2 through 24-4. The dispensing of fuel in the subsequent three combustion chambers 24-2 through 24-4 is represented by arrows 81 (see FIG. 10B). The flame propagates through the tubes 34 in order to ignite the fuel within the second combustion chamber 24-2. As indicated in FIG. 10C, the flame 130 continues to propagate through the tubes 34-2 and 34-3 to ignite the fuel within the subsequent combustion chambers 24-2 through 24-4. This process may selectively continue depending on the number of combustion chambers that the user determines or decides to provide with fuel. It is to be understood that the fuel lines 80 may be coupled with various solenoid valves or other valves to selectively cause fuel to be fed to those selected combustion chambers that the operator wants to ignite. With the flame 130 burning in each of the respective combustion chambers, the torch-like flame is output through the respective outlets 36 and directed towards the neutral axis 18 of the rail 16.

In one particular operation, the combustion chambers 24 that are aligned in a row in the first plurality of combustion chambers may be grouped together in different groups for operative control by the operator to ignite the commonly linked combustion chambers that are in fluid communication via the various tubes 34. In one embodiment the forward combustion chamber 24-1 is grouped with a forward combustion chamber on the second plurality of combustion chambers on the gauge side of the rail. The forwardmost combustion chambers 24-1 each have the single ignitor 38 in the burner unit coupled thereto. This enables the user to selectively provide fuel to those first combustion chambers 24-1 and the cad cell sensors can confirm those combustion chambers are properly ignited.

Once the cad cell flame sensor(s) 112 confirms the ignition of the forwardmost combustion chambers 24-1, a user may activate or actuate a switch to provide fuel to a second group of combustion chambers from each respective plurality of combustion chambers. In one particular embodiment the second group of combustion chambers is the second, third, and fourth combustion chambers 24-2 through 24-4. These combustion chambers would be controlled by a second switch in the cabin 48. After ignition has been confirmed at the first group, the operator may activate the second group and send fuel via fuel lines 80 to the second group. The second group of combustion chambers composed of the second, third, and fourth combustion chambers 24-2 will ignite by the flame propagating through tubes 34.

After the second group has been properly ignited, a third switch may be activated to send fuel to a third group of the plurality of combustion chambers, wherein the third group is composed of the fifth combustion chamber 24-5, the sixth combustion chamber 24-6, and the seventh combustion chamber 24-7. After the third group has been ignited, a fourth switch may be activated to send or transmit fuel via fuel lines 80 to the fourth group of combustion chambers which is composed of the eighth, ninth and tenth combustion chambers 24-8 through 24-10.

One advantage of linking the chambers 24 via tubing 34 is that it allows for a complete combustion of the fuel source, which is preferably diesel fuel, to occur within the interior volume 110 of each combustion chamber 24. This also ensures that the flame 130 is not susceptible to wind or other external or environmental factors. This also assists the flame 130 to be output from the outlets 36 in a torch-like manner directly at the neutral axis 18 of the rail 16 as opposed to simply utilizing a free flame that heats the rail from above. By heating directly at the neutral axis 18 a more consistent and uniform heating can occur which provides more optimal control for the user of the rail heater 10.

Having thus detailed an exemplary configuration of the rail heater 10 and its general operation, reference is now made to an exemplary process or method of use. In one exemplary embodiment, the rail heater 10 may perform a method of heating the rail 16 with the torch-like flame 130 being directed to the neutral axis 18.

This method provides for inputting air into the burner unit 30 on the burner assembly 22 carried by the frame of the rail heater 10 having rail-engaging wheels 14 that move along a first rail 16 of a railway. This method provides for the mixing of air and diesel fuel in the burner unit 30 or within the interior volume 110 of the combustion chamber 24. Then, combusting the air and diesel fuel mixture in the first combustion chamber 24-1. Then, generating a torch-like flame 130 at the outlet 36 of the first combustion chamber 24-1. Then, directing the torch-like flame toward the neutral axis 18 of the first rail 16. Then, thereby heating the first rail to a neutral temperature or RNT.

This method may also provide for combusting a mixture of air and diesel fuel in another combustion chamber (e.g., chamber 24-2) that is in fluid communication with the first combustion chamber via tubing 34, wherein combustion in the chamber 24-2 occurs in response to a single ignitor 38 coupled to the first combustion chamber 24-1 and a combustion reaction that moves through the tubing 34 between combustion chambers.

This method may also provide for driving the rail heater 10 forwardly along the first rail, wherein the cabin 48 that houses an operator is position forwardly of the burner assembly 22 that is adapted to reduce the likelihood of the cabin moving through exhaust from the burner assembly 22 as the rail heater 10 moves forward.

This method may also provide for inputting air into the burner unit from the air plenum 28 that is in fluid communication with a plurality of combustion chambers, wherein the first combustion chamber is one of the combustion chambers from the plurality of combustion chambers. Then, exhausting heat through an exhaust stack 98 that extends through the air plenum 28.

This method also provides for a similar operation for the combustion chambers on the burner assembly 22 that are located on the gauge side of the first rail 16. Thus, inputting air into a second burner unit on a second burner assembly carried by the frame of the rail heater, wherein the second burner assembly is positioned on an opposite side of the first rail; mixing air and diesel fuel in the second burner unit; combusting the air and diesel fuel mixture in a second combustion chamber; generating a torch-like flame at an outlet of the second combustion chamber; directing the torch-like flame toward the neutral axis of the first rail on an opposite side of the first rail from the first combustion chamber; and heating the first rail to the neutral temperature.

The rail heater 10 may additionally include one or more sensors to sense or gather data pertaining to the surrounding environment or operation of any of the aforementioned components on rail heater 10. Some exemplary sensors capable of being electronically coupled with the rail heater 10 (either directly connected to the rail heater 10 or remotely connected thereto) may include but are not limited to: accelerometers sensing accelerations experienced during rotation, translation, velocity/speed, location traveled, elevation gained; gyroscopes sensing movements during angular orientation and/or rotation, and rotation; altimeters sensing barometric pressure, altitude change, terrain climbed, local pressure changes, submersion in liquid; impellers measuring the amount of fluid passing thereby; global positioning sensors sensing location, elevation, distance traveled, velocity/speed; audio sensors sensing local environmental sound levels, or voice detection; photo/light sensors sensing ambient light intensity, ambient, day/night, UV exposure; TV/IR sensors sensing light wavelength; temperature sensors sensing machine temperature, burner assembly temperature, combustion chamber temperature or motor temperature, ambient air temperature, and environmental temperature; radar sensors; lidar sensors; ultrasonic sensors; magnetic sensors, image sensors; and moisture sensors sensing surrounding moisture levels.

If sensors are utilized to gather data relating to the operation of the rail heater 10 or any of its aforementioned components, then sensed data may be evaluated and processed with artificial intelligence (AI). Analyzing data gathered from sensors using artificial intelligence involves the process of extracting meaningful insights and patterns from raw sensor data to produce refined and actionable results. Raw data is gathered from various sensors, for example those which have been identified above or herein, or other sensor, capturing relevant information based on the intended analysis. This data is then preprocessed to clean, organize, and structure it for effective analysis. Features that represent key characteristics or attributes of the data are extracted. These features serve as inputs for AI algorithms, encapsulating relevant information essential for the analysis. A suitable AI model, such as machine learning or deep learning (regardless of whether it is supervised or unsupervised), is chosen based on the nature of the data and the desired analysis outcome. The model is then trained using labeled or unlabeled data to learn the underlying patterns and relationships. The model is fine-tuned and optimized to enhance its performance and accuracy. This process involves adjusting parameters, architectures, and algorithms to achieve better results. The trained model is used to make predictions or inferences on new, unseen data. The model processes the extracted features and generates refined output based on the patterns it has learned during training. The results produced by the AI model are refined through post-processing techniques to ensure accuracy and relevance. These refined results are then interpreted to extract meaningful insights and derive actionable conclusions. Feedback from the refined results is used to improve the AI model iteratively. The process involves incorporating new data, adjusting the model, and enhancing the analysis based on real-world feedback and evolving requirements. Further, AI results can be used to alter the operation of the rail heater 10, or any of its assemblies, subsystems or components (e.g., for example the operation of the burner assembly 22) of the present disclosure based on feedback. For example, AI feedback can be used to improve the efficiency of the he rail heater 10, or any of its assemblies, subsystems or components of the present disclosure by responding to predicted changes in the environment or predicted changes to the rail heater 10, or any of its assemblies, subsystems or components more quickly than if only sensed by one or more of the sensors.

A sensor model may be employed, once trained, in the rail heater 10, or any of its assemblies, subsystems or components. In one embodiment, the he rail heater 10, or any of its assemblies, subsystems or components can be used to teach a sensor model to predict sensor data for a specific scenario. Alternatively, sensor models can be utilized to generate the data to train the AI. The sensor model can be trained for any type of sensor, such as those types of sensors described above, and/or other sensor types. The elements described herein may be implemented as discrete or distributed components in any suitable combination and location. The various functions described herein may be conducted by hardware, firmware, and/or software. For example, a processor may perform various functions by executing instructions stored in memory.

The AI model and/or sensor model can include a deep neural network (DNN), convolutional neural network (CNN), another neural network (NN) or the like and can support generative learning. For example, the sensor model can include a generative adversarial network (GAN), a variational autoencoder (VAE), and/or another type of DNN, CNN, NN or machine learning model (e.g., natural language processing (NLP)). Generally, the sensor model can accept some encoded representation of a scene as input using any number of data structures and/or channels (e.g., concatenated vectors, matrices, tensors, images, etc.).

In a particular embodiment, the he rail heater 10, or any of its assemblies, subsystems or components can use the sensors to acquire a representation of the real-world environment (e.g., a physical environment on the railroad either before, during, or after the heating operation) at a given point in time. Data from these sensors may be used to generate a representation of a scene or scenario, which may then be used to teach a sensor model. For example, a representation of a scene can be derived from sensor data, properties of objects in the scene or surrounding environment such as positions or dimensions (e.g., depth maps), classification data identifying objects in the scene or surrounding environment, properties or classification data of components of the rail heater 10, or any of its assemblies, subsystems or components, or some combination thereof. In another example, a representation of a scenario can be derived from sensor data, properties of objects in the scenario such as operating modalities, parameters, or variables (e.g., burner efficiency based on varying factors or rail expansion characteristics), classification data identifying objects in the scene or surrounding environment, properties or classification data of components of the rail heater 10, or any of its assemblies, subsystems or components, or some combination thereof. Generally, the sensor model learns to predict sensor data from a representation of the scene or scenario, environment or operation of the rail heater 10, or any of its assemblies, subsystems or components.

The sensor model architecture can be selected to fit the shape of the desired input and output data. Examples of architectures (e.g., DNNs) include, but are not limited to, perceptron, feed-forward, radial basis, deep feed-forward, recurrent, long/short term memory, gated recurrent unit, autoencoder, variational autoencoder, convolutional, deconvolutional, and generative adversarial. Some DNN architectures, such as a GAN, can include a convolutional neural network (CNN) that accepts and evaluates an input image and may include multiple input channels, which may be used to accept and evaluate multiple input images and/or input vectors.

In one embodiment, training data for the sensor model may be generated using real-world (e.g., physical environment) data. To collect real-world training data, the rail heater 10, or any of its assemblies, subsystems or components may collect sensor data by fusing sensors as the rail heater 10 traverses a real-world environment. The sensors of the rail heater 10, or any of its assemblies, subsystems or components may include, for example, one or more global navigation satellite systems sensors (e.g., Global Positioning System sensors (GPS)), RADAR sensors, ultrasonic sensors, LIDAR sensors, inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors (e.g., accelerometer(s), gyroscope(s), magnetic compass(es), magnetometer(s), etc.), ego-motion sensors, microphones, stereo cameras, wide-view cameras (e.g., fisheye cameras), infrared cameras, surround cameras (e.g., 360 degree cameras), long-range and/or mid-range cameras, speed sensors (e.g., for measuring the speed of the vehicle), vibration sensors, steering sensors, brake sensors (e.g., as part of the brake sensor system), and/or other sensor types.

In another embodiment, training data for the sensor model is generated based on simulated or virtual environments. The training data may then be used to train the sensor model for use in real-world autonomous applications, e.g., to control the operation of the rail heater 10, or any of its assemblies, subsystems or components. The training data may be derived to fit the shape of the input and output data for the sensor model, which may depend on the architecture of the sensor model. For example, sensor data may be used to encode an input scene, input parameters, and/or ground truth sensor data using different data structures and/or channels (e.g., concatenated vectors, matrices, tensors, images, etc.).

The rail heater 10, or any of its assemblies, subsystems or components may include hardware, software and/or firmware responsible for managing the sensor data generated by the sensors. The autonomous rail heating hardware, software, and/or firmware being executed may manage different environments using one or more maps (e.g., 3D maps), positioning component(s), and the like. The autonomous rail heating hardware, software, and/or firmware may also include components to plan, control, and generally manage the rail heater 10, or any of its assemblies, subsystems or components. In one example, the autonomous rail heating hardware, software, and/or firmware can be installed in and used to control the rail heater 10, or any of its assemblies, subsystems or components through the environment based on the sensor data, one or more machine learning models (e.g., neural networks), and the like. A training system may use the training data to train the sensor model to predict virtual sensor data for a given scene, environment, or operation of a component.

The training system can include one or more servers (e.g., a graphics processing unit server) and data stores and may use a cloud-based deep learning infrastructure with artificial intelligence to analyze the sensor data received from the rail heater 10, or any of its assemblies, subsystems or components and/or stored in the data store. The training system can also incorporate or train up-to-date, real-time neural networks (and/or other machine learning models) for one or more sensor models.

The rail heater 10, or any of its assemblies, subsystems or components may include wireless communication logic coupled to sensors on the rail heater 10, or any of its assemblies, subsystems or components. The sensors gather data and provide the data to the wireless communication logic. Then, the wireless communication logic may transmit the data gathered from the sensors to a remote device. Thus, the wireless communication logic may be part of a broader communication system, in which one or several devices, assemblies, or systems of the present disclosure may be networked together to report alerts and, more generally, to be accessed and controlled remotely. Depending on the types of transceivers installed in the device, assembly, or system of the present disclosure, the system may use a variety of protocols (e.g., Wi-Fi®, ZigBee®, MIWI, BLUETOOTH®) for communication. In one example, each of the devices, assemblies, or systems of the present disclosure may have its own IP address and may communicate directly with a router or gateway. This would typically be the case if the communication protocol is Wi-Fi®. (Wi-Fi® is a registered trademark of Wi-Fi Alliance of Austin, TX, USA; ZigBee® is a registered trademark of ZigBee Alliance of Davis, CA, USA; and BLUETOOTH® is a registered trademark of Bluetooth Sig, Inc. of Kirkland, WA, USA).

In another example, a point-to-point communication protocol like MiWi or ZigBee® is used. One or more of the rail heaters 10, or any of its assemblies, subsystems or components may serve as a repeater, or the rail heater 10, or any of its assemblies, subsystems or components may be connected together in a mesh network to relay signals from one device, assembly, or system to the next. However, the individual device, assembly, or system in this scheme typically would not have IP addresses of their own. Instead, one or more of the devices, assemblies, or system of the present disclosure communicates with a repeater that does have an IP address, or another type of address, identifier, or credential needed to communicate with an outside network. The repeater communicates with the router or gateway.

In either communication scheme, the router or gateway communicates with a communication network, such as the Internet, although in some embodiments, the communication network may be a private network that uses transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) and other common Internet protocols but does not interface with the broader Internet, or does so only selectively through a firewall.

The system that receives and processes signals from the device, assembly, or system of the present disclosure may differ from embodiment to embodiment. In one embodiment, alerts and signals from the device, assembly, or system of the present disclosure are sent through an e-mail or simple message service (SMS; text message) gateway so that they can be sent as e-mails or SMS text messages to a remote device, such as a smartphone, laptop, or tablet computer, monitored by a responsible individual, group of individuals, or department, such as a maintenance department. Thus, if a particular device, assembly, or system of the present disclosure creates an alert because of a data point gathered by one or more sensors, that alert can be sent, in e-mail or SMS form, directly to the individual responsible for fixing it. Of course, e-mail and SMS are only two examples of communication methods that may be used; in other embodiments, different forms of communication may be used.

In other embodiments, alerts and other data from the sensors on the device, assembly, or system of the present disclosure may also be sent to a work tracking system that allows the individual, or the organization for which he or she works, to track the status of the various alerts that are received, to schedule particular workers to repair a particular device, assembly, or system of the present disclosure, and to track the status of those repair jobs. A work tracking system would typically be a server, such as a Web server, which provides an interface individuals and organizations can use, typically through the communication network. In addition to its work tracking functions, the work tracker may allow broader data logging and analysis functions. For example, operational data may be calculated from the data collected by the sensors on the device, assembly, or system of the present disclosure, and the system may be able to provide aggregate machine operational data for a device, assembly, or system of the present disclosure or group of devices, assemblies, or systems of the present disclosure.

The system also allows individuals to access the rail heater 10, or any of its assemblies, subsystems or components for configuration and diagnostic purposes. In that case, the individual processors or microcontrollers of the rail heater 10, or any of its assemblies, subsystems or components may be configured to act as Web servers that use a protocol like hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) to provide an online interface that can be used to configure the device, assembly, or system. In some embodiments, the systems may be used to configure several devices, assemblies, or systems of the present disclosure at once. For example, if several devices, assemblies, or systems are of the same model and are in similar locations in the same location, it may not be necessary to configure the devices, assemblies, or systems individually. Instead, an individual may provide configuration information, including baseline operational parameters, for several devices, assemblies, or systems at once.

As described herein, aspects of the present disclosure may include one or more electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, or other similar secondary components and/or systems therein. The present disclosure is therefore contemplated and will be understood to include any necessary operational components thereof. For example, electrical components will be understood to include any suitable and necessary wiring, fuses, or the like for normal operation thereof. Similarly, any pneumatic systems provided may include any secondary or peripheral components such as air hoses, compressors, valves, meters, or the like. It will be further understood that any connections between various components not explicitly described herein may be made through any suitable means including mechanical fasteners, or more permanent attachment means, such as welding or the like. Alternatively, where feasible and/or desirable, various components of the present disclosure may be integrally formed as a single unit.

Unless explicitly stated that a particular shape or configuration of a component is mandatory, any of the elements, components, or structures discussed herein may take the form of any shape. Thus, although the figures depict the various elements, components, or structures of the present disclosure according to one or more exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that any other geometric configuration of that element, component, or structure is entirely possible. For example, instead of the combustion chambers being octagonal, those linked chambers and the flame outlets 36 thereon can be semi-circular, triangular, rectangular or square, pentagonal, hexagonal, heptagonal, octagonal, decagonal, dodecagonal, diamond shaped or another parallelogram, trapezoidal, star-shaped, oval, ovoid, lines or lined, teardrop-shaped, cross-shaped, donut-shaped, heart-shaped, arrow-shaped, crescent-shaped, any letter shape (i.e., A-shaped, B-shaped, C-shaped, D-shaped, E-shaped, F-shaped, G-shaped, H-shaped, I-shaped, J-shaped, K-shaped, L-shaped, M-shaped, N-shaped, O-shaped, P-shaped, Q-shaped, R-shaped, S-shaped, T-shaped, U-shaped, V-shaped, W-shaped, X-shaped, Y-shaped, or Z-shaped), or any other type of regular or irregular, symmetrical or asymmetrical configuration.

Various inventive concepts may be embodied as one or more methods, of which an example has been provided. The acts performed as part of the method may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.

While various inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the inventive teachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific inventive embodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventive embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure.

The above-described embodiments can be implemented in any of numerous ways. For example, embodiments of technology disclosed herein may be implemented using hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof. When implemented in software, the software code or instructions can be executed on any suitable processor or collection of processors, whether provided in a single computer or distributed among multiple computers or in firmware. Furthermore, the instructions or software code can be stored in at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium.

Also, a computer or smartphone may be utilized to execute the software code or instructions via its processors may have one or more input and output devices. These devices can be used, among other things, to present a user interface. Examples of output devices that can be used to provide a user interface include printers or display screens for visual presentation of output and speakers or other sound generating devices for audible presentation of output. Examples of input devices that can be used for a user interface include keyboards, and pointing devices, such as mice, touch pads, and digitizing tablets. As another example, a computer may receive input information through speech recognition or in other audible format.

Such computers or smartphones may be interconnected by one or more networks in any suitable form, including a local area network or a wide area network, such as an enterprise network, and intelligent network (IN) or the Internet. Such networks may be based on any suitable technology and may operate according to any suitable protocol and may include wireless networks, wired networks or fiber optic networks.

The various methods or processes outlined herein may be coded as software/instructions that is executable on one or more processors that employ any one of a variety of operating systems or platforms. Additionally, such software may be written using any of a number of suitable programming languages and/or programming or scripting tools, and also may be compiled as executable machine language code or intermediate code that is executed on a framework or virtual machine.

In this respect, various inventive concepts may be embodied as a computer readable storage medium (or multiple computer readable storage media) (e.g., a computer memory, one or more floppy discs, compact discs, optical discs, magnetic tapes, flash memories, USB flash drives, SD cards, circuit configurations in Field Programmable Gate Arrays or other semiconductor devices, or other non-transitory medium or tangible computer storage medium) encoded with one or more programs or instructions that, when executed on one or more computers or other processors, perform methods that implement the various embodiments of the disclosure discussed above. The computer readable medium or media can be transportable, such that the program or programs stored thereon can be loaded onto one or more different computers or other processors to implement various aspects of the present disclosure as discussed above.

The terms “program” or “software” or “instructions” are used herein in a generic sense to refer to any type of computer code or set of computer-executable instructions that can be employed to program a computer or other processor to implement various aspects of embodiments as discussed above. Additionally, it should be appreciated that according to one aspect, one or more computer programs that when executed perform methods of the present disclosure need not reside on a single computer or processor but may be distributed in a modular fashion amongst a number of different computers or processors to implement various aspects of the present disclosure.

Computer-executable instructions may be in many forms, such as program modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Typically, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments. As such, one aspect or embodiment of the present disclosure may be a computer program product including least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium in operative communication with a processor, the storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, implement a method or process described herein, wherein the instructions comprise the steps to perform the method(s) or process(es) detailed herein.

Also, data structures may be stored in computer-readable media in any suitable form. For simplicity of illustration, data structures may be shown to have fields that are related through location in the data structure. Such relationships may likewise be achieved by assigning storage for the fields with locations in a computer-readable medium that convey relationship between the fields. However, any suitable mechanism may be used to establish a relationship between information in fields of a data structure, including through the use of pointers, tags or other mechanisms that establish relationship between data elements.

All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.

“Logic”, as used herein, includes but is not limited to hardware, firmware, software, and/or combinations of each to perform a function(s) or an action(s), and/or to cause a function or action from another logic, method, and/or system. For example, based on a desired application or needs, logic may include a software controlled microprocessor, discrete logic like a processor (e.g., microprocessor), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmed logic device, a memory device containing instructions, an electric device having a memory, or the like. Logic may include one or more gates, combinations of gates, or other circuit components. Logic may also be fully embodied as software. Where multiple logics are described, it may be possible to incorporate the multiple logics into one physical logic. Similarly, where a single logic is described, it may be possible to distribute that single logic between multiple physical logics.

Furthermore, the logic(s) presented herein for accomplishing various methods of this system may be directed towards improvements in existing computer-centric or internet-centric technology that may not have previous analog versions. The logic(s) may provide specific functionality directly related to structure that addresses and resolves some problems identified herein. The logic(s) may also provide significantly more advantages to solve these problems by providing an exemplary inventive concept as specific logic structure and concordant functionality of the method and system. Furthermore, the logic(s) may also provide specific computer implemented rules that improve existing technological processes. The logic(s) provided herein extends beyond merely gathering data, analyzing the information, and displaying the results. Further, portions or all of the present disclosure may rely on underlying equations that are derived from the specific arrangement of the equipment or components as recited herein. Thus, portions of the present disclosure as it relates to the specific arrangement of the components are not directed to abstract ideas. Furthermore, the present disclosure and the appended claims present teachings that involve more than performance of well-understood, routine, and conventional activities previously known to the industry. In some of the method or process of the present disclosure, which may incorporate some aspects of natural phenomenon, the process or method steps are additional features that are new and useful.

The articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.” The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims (if at all), should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with “and/or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the “and/or” clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and/or B”, when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer, in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); etc. As used herein in the specification and in the claims, “or” should be understood to have the same meaning as “and/or” as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and/or” shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one of a number or list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as “only one of” or “exactly one of,” or, when used in the claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or” as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e. “one or the other but not both”) when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only one of,” or “exactly one of.” “Consisting essentially of,” when used in the claims, shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “at least one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “at least one of A or B,” or, equivalently “at least one of A and/or B”) can refer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including more than one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.

While components of the present disclosure are described herein in relation to each other, it is possible for one of the components disclosed herein to include inventive subject matter, if claimed alone or used alone. In keeping with the above example, if the disclosed embodiments teach the features of A and B, then there may be inventive subject matter in the combination of A and B, A alone, or B alone, unless otherwise stated herein.

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the term “effecting” or a phrase or claim element beginning with the term “effecting” should be understood to mean to cause something to happen or to bring something about. For example, effecting an event to occur may be caused by actions of a first party even though a second party actually performed the event or had the event occur to the second party. Stated otherwise, effecting refers to one party giving another party the tools, objects, or resources to cause an event to occur. Thus, in this example a claim element of “effecting an event to occur” would mean that a first party is giving a second party the tools or resources needed for the second party to perform the event, however the affirmative single action is the responsibility of the first party to provide the tools or resources to cause said event to occur.

When a feature or element is herein referred to as being “on” another feature or element, it can be directly on the other feature or element or intervening features and/or elements may also be present. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directly on” another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements present. It will also be understood that, when a feature or element is referred to as being “connected”, “attached” or “coupled” to another feature or element, it can be directly connected, attached or coupled to the other feature or element or intervening features or elements may be present. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directly connected”, “directly attached” or “directly coupled” to another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements present. Although described or shown with respect to one embodiment, the features and elements so described or shown can apply to other embodiments. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.

Spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”, “lower”, “over”, “upper”, “above”, “behind”, “in front of”, and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if a device in the figures is inverted, elements described as “under”, or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “over” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “under” can encompass both an orientation of over and under. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. Similarly, the terms “upwardly”, “downwardly”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “lateral”, “transverse”, “longitudinal”, and the like are used herein for the purpose of explanation only unless specifically indicated otherwise.

Although the terms “first” and “second” may be used herein to describe various features/elements, these features/elements should not be limited by these terms, unless the context indicates otherwise. These terms may be used to distinguish one feature/element from another feature/element. Thus, a first feature/element discussed herein could be termed a second feature/element, and similarly, a second feature/element discussed herein could be termed a first feature/element without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

An embodiment is an implementation or example of the present disclosure. Reference in the specification to “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “one particular embodiment,” “an exemplary embodiment,” or “other embodiments,” or the like, means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least some embodiments, but not necessarily all embodiments, of the invention. The various appearances “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “one particular embodiment,” “an exemplary embodiment,” or “other embodiments,” or the like, are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiments. Furthermore, the use of any and all examples or exemplary language (“e.g.,” “such as,” or the like) is intended merely to better illustrate or illuminate the embodiments and does not pose a limitation on the scope of that or those embodiments. No language in this specification should be construed as indicating any unclaimed element as essential to the practice of the disclosed embodiment.

If this specification states a component, feature, structure, or characteristic “may”, “might”, or “could” be included, that particular component, feature, structure, or characteristic is not required to be included. If the specification or claim refers to “a” or “an” element, that does not mean there is only one of the element. If the specification or claims refer to “an additional” element or “another” element, that does not preclude there being more than one of the additional element or the another element.

As used herein in the specification and claims, including as used in the examples and unless otherwise expressly specified, all numbers may be read as if prefaced by the word “about” or “approximately,” even if the term does not expressly appear. The phrase “about” or “approximately” may be used when describing magnitude and/or position to indicate that the value and/or position described is within a reasonable expected range of values and/or positions. For example, a numeric value may have a value that is +/−0.1% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−1% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−2% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−5% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−10% of the stated value (or range of values), etc. Any numerical range recited herein is intended to include all sub-ranges subsumed therein. Further, recitation of ranges of values herein are not intended to be limiting, referring instead individually to any and all values falling within that range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value within such range is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein.

Additionally, the method of performing the present disclosure may occur in a sequence different than those described herein. Accordingly, no sequence of the method should be read as a limitation unless explicitly stated. It is recognizable that performing some of the steps of the method in a different order could achieve a similar result.

In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively.

To the extent that the present disclosure has utilized the term “invention” in various titles or sections of this specification, or in the context of those sections, this term has been included as required by the formatting requirements of word document submissions (i.e., docx submissions) pursuant the guidelines/requirements of the United States Patent and Trademark Office and shall not, in any manner, be considered a disavowal of any subject matter.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed.

Moreover, the description and illustration of various embodiments of the disclosure are examples and the disclosure is not limited to the exact details shown or described.