In train systems, the detection of train movement and direction is used to manage traffic between trains. It is also used to determine location of train units of the train systems in storage locations.
In some existing train systems, the detection of train movement is typically performed by a communication-based train control (CBTC) system in which vehicle on-board controllers (VOBC) of each train unit when in operation communicate with the wayside Zone Controller to detect train movement and identify the location of each train in storage locations.
There are other existing methods used to detect train movement via a secondary detection system by use of axle counters and track circuits. The secondary detection system is used in train systems that include train units equipped with steel wheels and traveling on steel rails. Track circuits detect when train units shunt the steel rails, and axle counters detect and count steel axles when passing, via the detection head of the secondary detection system.
Some train systems have non-steel (e.g., rubber) tire systems such as monorails, and the secondary detection system is not suitable for detecting train movement in these train systems. In such cases, some existing methods require simulation of steel wheel-to-steel rail interface so that the secondary detection system may be used. In yet another existing method, a position of the train units in storage locations is identified manually by a physical connection (e.g., a plug) between the train and the storage location. In these existing methods, train movement is detected; however, the direction of the movement is undetectable.