Integrated rail efficiency and safety support system

• US 10,352,779 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2018
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Concaten Inc.
• Original Assignee: Concaten Inc.
• Inventors: Groeneweg, Kevin K., Rennie, Christopher J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Verbitsky, Gail Kaplan
• Application Number:
  US15/991,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20180274989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 413 Days
• Field of Search: 340905, 374 16, 374109, 374120, 374121, 374124, 374129, 374141, 374142, 374143, 374 1, 701 19, 701 20, 702130, 702184, 702 99, 702 3
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 23/042 Track changes detection
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/53 for trackside elements or systems, e.g. trackside supervision of trackside control system conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/00 Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

Embodiments of an integrated rail efficiency and safety support system and method are shown comprising a server operable to receive a plurality of sets of collected information, each of the sets of collected information comprising a consist physical location and weather conditions and rail temperatures in an area of the respective consist and to process a predictive rail temperature algorithm for predicting a rail temperature and/or a trend in rail temperature for a selected section of track; and wherein the predictive rail temperature algorithm factors the information provided to it and provides a predicted rail temperature and/or trend in rail temperature for the selected section of track.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a server configured for communication with a plurality of moving consists, each consist comprising at least one rail vehicle, wherein the server;

(a) receives over a network, from the plurality of consists, a plurality of sets of collected information, each of the sets of collected information comprising a consist physical location and observed weather conditions and rail temperatures in an area of the respective consist;

(b) receives over a network, from a plurality of stationary inputs, a plurality of sets of stationary information, each of the sets of stationary information comprising at least one of observed weather conditions or rail temperatures in an area of the respective stationary input;

(c) wherein the server is operable to process a predictive rail temperature algorithm for predicting a rail temperature and/or a trend in rail temperature for a selected section of track;

(d) wherein the predictive rail temperature algorithm factors the information provided to it and determines an instruction calculated to influence the rail temperature for the selected section of track; and

(e) wherein the server sends, over the network, the instruction to a user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the stationary input is selected from the group comprising rail-side units, weather pucks, weather pods, rail-side de-icing sprayers, rail-side signs and rail-side friction enhancers.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein additional data, in addition to the observed weather conditions and rail temperatures in an area of the respective consist, is provided to the server.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the additional data is collected from the user by means of manual inputs using a user interface.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the additional data is collected from sensors mounted on the consist.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the additional data is selected from the group comprising ambient temperature, selected video images, ambient humidity, ambient pressure, visibility, rail bed temperatures, current train velocity, current train acceleration, cloud conditions, wind bearing, wind velocity, train bearing, operational state or status of the train, engine oil pressure, engine temperature, fuel level, number of cars in the consist and weight of the cars.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the user interface is selected from the group comprising a keyboard and a touchscreen monitor.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein the user interface includes options to control operations or configurations of the train, provide commands and recommendations from central control, provides data input regarding the train state, provides environmental conditions, transmits text messages to the remote server, receive text messages from the remote server, and provides the user with views of the data transmitted and/or received.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the user interface provides audible or visual alerts to the user.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sets of collected information are sent to the server by at least one connection manager and at least one connection monitor, and when the Quality of Service of the connection is unacceptable or the link used by the connection is down, the connection monitor causes the connection manager to reestablish the communication session by setting up another connection.

11. A method, comprising:

(a) receiving over a network, from a plurality of moving consists, each consist comprising at least one rail vehicle, and by a server, a plurality of sets of collected information, each of the sets of collected information comprising a consist physical location and observed weather conditions and rail temperatures in an area of the respective consist;

(b) receiving over the network, from a plurality of stationary inputs, a plurality of sets of stationary information, each of the sets of stationary information comprising at least one of observed weather conditions or rail temperatures in an area of the respective stationary input;

(c) processing, by the server, a predictive rail temperature algorithm for predicting a rail temperature and/or a trend in rail temperature for a selected section of track;

(d) wherein the predictive rail temperature algorithm factors the information provided to it and determines an instruction calculated to influence the rail temperature for the selected section of track; and

(e) sending by the server, over the network, the instruction to a user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the stationary input is selected from the group comprising rail-side units, weather pucks, weather pods, rail-side de-icing sprayers, rail-side signs and rail-side friction enhancers.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein additional data, in addition to the observed weather conditions and rail temperatures in an area of the respective consist, is provided to the server.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the additional data is collected from the user by means of manual inputs using a user interface.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the additional data is collected from sensors mounted on the consist.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the additional data is selected from the group comprising ambient temperature, selected video images, ambient humidity, ambient pressure, visibility, rail bed temperatures, current train velocity, current train acceleration, cloud conditions, wind bearing, wind velocity, train bearing, operational state or status of the train, engine oil pressure, engine temperature, fuel level, number of cars in the consist and weight of the cars.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the user interface is selected from the group comprising a keyboard and a touchscreen monitor.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the user interface includes options to control operations or configurations of the train, provide commands and recommendations from central control, provides data input regarding the train state, provides environmental conditions, transmits text messages to the remote server, receive text messages from the remote server, and provides the user with views of the data transmitted and/or received.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the user interface provides audible or visual alerts to the user.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of sets of collected information are sent to the server by at least one connection manager and at least one connection monitor, and when the Quality of Service of the connection is unacceptable or the link used by the connection is down, the connection monitor causes the connection manager to reestablish the communication session by setting up another connection.