METHOD OF CHECKING NON-OCCUPANCY OF TRACK SECTIONS

FIELD: railway signaling and communication; traffic control. ^ SUBSTANCE: according to proposed method, audio frequency ac signal is applied to rail line at one end, and current value of signal is taken at other end and is compared with threshold values corresponding to track occupied and track clear threshold voltages. If track occupied threshold voltage exceeds current value of signal, track section is considered occupied, and if current value of signal exceeds track clear threshold voltage, track section is considered clear. Occupied threshold voltage is obtained by multiplying coefficient of voltage reduction at application of shunt, which depends on value of insulation resistance, by product of fixed current value of signal at moment when train enters adjacent track section at clear other adjacent section by coefficient of ballast drying with due account of duration of occupation time on three adjacent sections. Track section clear voltage is found by multiplying occupied threshold voltage by safety factor at shunt duty. Drying, voltage reduction and safety factors are taken as functions of insulation resistance. ^ EFFECT: improved reliability of checking condition of track section. ^ 4 dwg