Devices, systems, and methods related to tracking location of operator control units for locomotives
First Claim
1. An operator control unit comprising:
- a user interface configured to receive one or more commands from an operator for controlling a locomotive;
a receiver configured to receive location information of the operator control unit; and
a wireless communication device, the wireless communication device configured to transmit, via a same radio frequency (RF) channel, command data corresponding to the one or more commands and location data corresponding to the location information of the operator control unit to a machine control unit positioned on the locomotive to allow the machine control unit positioned on the locomotive to determine a location of the operator control unit and to use the received location information of the operator control unit to perform at least one of;
determining a location of an operator when the operator control unit enters a tilt timeout state, troubleshooting RF communication with the operator control unit, assisting with movement of the locomotive or training of the operator, and recording a location of the operator control unit for an incident investigation;
wherein the wireless communication device is configured to continue transmitting the command data to the machine control unit until an acknowledgement is received from the machine control unit indicating the last command data message was received, and to transition to transmitting the location data to the machine control unit only after the acknowledgement is received from the machine control unit indicating the last command data message was received.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
According to various aspects, exemplary embodiments are disclosed of devices, systems, and methods related to tracking location of operator control units for locomotives. In an exemplary embodiment, an operator control unit includes a user interface configured to receive one or more commands from an operator for controlling a locomotive. The operator control unit also includes a global positioning system (GPS) receiver configured to receive location information of the operator control unit, and a wireless communication device. The wireless communication device is configured to transmit command data corresponding to the one or more commands and location data corresponding to the location information to a machine control unit on the locomotive.
17 Citations
15 Claims
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1. An operator control unit comprising:
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a user interface configured to receive one or more commands from an operator for controlling a locomotive; a receiver configured to receive location information of the operator control unit; and a wireless communication device, the wireless communication device configured to transmit, via a same radio frequency (RF) channel, command data corresponding to the one or more commands and location data corresponding to the location information of the operator control unit to a machine control unit positioned on the locomotive to allow the machine control unit positioned on the locomotive to determine a location of the operator control unit and to use the received location information of the operator control unit to perform at least one of;
determining a location of an operator when the operator control unit enters a tilt timeout state, troubleshooting RF communication with the operator control unit, assisting with movement of the locomotive or training of the operator, and recording a location of the operator control unit for an incident investigation;wherein the wireless communication device is configured to continue transmitting the command data to the machine control unit until an acknowledgement is received from the machine control unit indicating the last command data message was received, and to transition to transmitting the location data to the machine control unit only after the acknowledgement is received from the machine control unit indicating the last command data message was received. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of monitoring location of an operator control unit corresponding to a locomotive, the method comprising:
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receiving a command at an operator control unit associated with an operator, the command related to controlling a locomotive; retrieving a location of the operator control unit; transmitting a command data message corresponding to the command to a machine control unit on the locomotive via a radio frequency (RF) channel; and only after determining the same command data message corresponding to the command has been transmitted to the machine control unit on the locomotive for a specified time period threshold, transmitting a location data message corresponding to the location of the operator control unit to the machine control unit on the locomotive via the same RF channel, thereby allowing the machine control unit to determine a location of the operator control unit. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A location system comprising:
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a locomotive including a machine control unit; a remote control unit configured to receive one or more commands for controlling the locomotive; an antenna coupled to the remote control unit and configured to receive location information related to the location of the remote control unit; and a wireless network antenna coupled to the remote control unit, the wireless network antenna configured to send, via a same RF channel, command data associated with the one or more commands and location data associated with the received location information to the machine control unit of the locomotive, the location data separated into multiple RF packets that are transmitted separately between existing command data messages, the machine control unit configured to receive the multiple RF packets between the existing command data messages and reassemble the multiple RF packets to determine a location of the operator control unit; wherein the wireless network antenna is configured to continue transmitting the command data to the machine control unit until an acknowledgement is received from the machine control unit indicating the last command data message was received, and to transition to transmitting the location data to the machine control unit only after the acknowledgement is received from the machine control unit indicating the last command data message was received.
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Specification