Rail vehicle event detection and recording system

• US 10,358,154 B1
• Filed: 04/13/2017
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SmartDrive Systems, Inc. (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: SmartDrive Systems, Inc. (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Palmer, Jason, Sljivar, Slaven, Freitas, Mark, Deninger, Daniel A., Ravari, Shahriar
• Primary Examiner(s): Antonucci, Anne M
• Application Number:
  US15/486,951
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 701 19
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0027 Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0072 On-board train data handling
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/02 Indicating or recording positions or identities of vehicles or trains
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/40 Handling position reports or trackside vehicle data
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0866 the electronic data carrier being a digital video recorder in combination with video camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a system and method for detecting and recording rail vehicle events. The system comprises one or more cameras, one or more sensors, non-transient electronic storage, one or more physical computer processors, and/or other components. The one or more cameras may be configured to acquire visual information representing a rail vehicle environment. The one or more sensors may be configured to generate output signals conveying operation information related to operation of the rail vehicle. The non-transient electronic storage may be configured to store electronic information. The one or more physical computer processors may be configured to detect rail vehicle events based on the output signals and facilitate electronic storage of the visual information and the operation information for a period of time that includes the rail vehicle event in the non-transient electronic storage.

Claims

1. A rail vehicle event detection system configured to be used with a rail vehicle having a driver compartment, wherein the rail vehicle event detection system is configured to be protected from different types of failures, the system comprising:

a backup power system configured to provide electrical power to the rail vehicle event detection system, wherein the backup power system is independent from a main power system configured to provide electrical power to the rail vehicle, and wherein the backup power system is configured to provide electrical power to the rail vehicle event detection system responsive to a failure by the main power system to provide electrical power to the rail vehicle event detection system;

an isolation circuit including an opto-isolator, wherein the isolation circuit is configured to transfer signals between isolated circuits across one or more dielectric channels;

one or more cameras configured to acquire visual information representing a rail vehicle environment, the rail vehicle environment including spaces in and around an interior and an exterior of the rail vehicle, wherein the one or more cameras include an interior camera configured to acquire interior visual information of the driver compartment of the rail vehicle;

one or more sensors configured to generate output signals conveying operation information related to operation of the rail vehicle, wherein at least one of the one or more sensors is associated with a rail vehicle safety system and configured to generate an output signal conveying information related to the rail vehicle safety system;

wherein the opto-isolator of the isolation circuit is configured such that one or more inputs of the opto-isolator are electrically coupled to the rail vehicle safety system via an expansion port cable, and further such that one or more outputs of the opto-isolator that correspond to the one or more inputs of the opto-isolator are coupled to the rail vehicle event detection system;

wireless communication components configured to transmit and receive electronic information; and

one or more physical computer processors configured by computer readable instructions to;

detect a rail vehicle event based on the output signals; and

facilitate wireless communication of rail vehicle event information to a remote computing device via the wireless communication components, wherein the rail vehicle event information includes, for a period of time that includes the rail vehicle event,

(i) the visual information from the one or more cameras,

(ii) the operation information from the one or more sensors, and

(iii) the interior visual information of the driver compartment of the rail vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising non-transient electronic storage configured to store electronic information, wherein the one or more physical computer processors are further configured to facilitate storage of the rail vehicle event information in the non-transient electronic storage.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the wireless communication components are further configured to transmit the rail vehicle event information from the non-transient electronic storage to the remote computing device.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising an operator identity system configured to receive operator identity information that identifies periods of time individual operators operate the rail vehicle, wherein the one or more physical computer processors are configured such that operator identity information for the period of time that includes the rail vehicle event is included in the rail vehicle event information.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the operator identity system is coupled with the rail vehicle and is configured to receive entry and/or selection of the operator identity information from operators of the rail vehicle at the rail vehicle.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the operator identity system is configured to receive operator identity information from a biometric sensor configured to generate biometric output signals that convey biometric information that identifies an individual operator of the rail vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more cameras are configured such that the visual information includes views of exterior sides of the rail vehicle to capture visual images of collisions that occur at the sides of the rail vehicle.

8. A method for detecting and recording rail vehicle events with a rail vehicle event detection system configured to be used with a rail vehicle having a driver compartment, the rail vehicle event detection system being protected from different types of failures, the method comprising:

providing, by a backup power system, electrical power to the rail vehicle event detection system, wherein the backup power system is independent from a main power system that provides electrical power to the rail vehicle, and wherein the backup power system provides electrical power to the rail vehicle event detection system responsive to a failure by the main power system to provide electrical power to the rail vehicle event detection system;

transferring signals, by an isolation circuit that includes an opto-isolator, between isolated circuits across one or more dielectric channels;

acquiring, by one or more cameras, visual information representing a rail vehicle environment, the rail vehicle environment including spaces in and around an interior and an exterior of the rail vehicle, wherein acquiring visual information includes acquiring, by an interior camera, interior visual information of the driver compartment of the rail vehicle;

generating, by one or more sensors, output signals conveying operation information related to operation of the rail vehicle, wherein at least one of the one or more sensors is associated with a rail vehicle safety system and generates an output signal conveying information related to the rail vehicle safety system, wherein the opto-isolator of the isolation circuit electrically couples one or more inputs of the opto-isolator to the rail vehicle safety system via an expansion port cable, and wherein the opto-isolator of the isolation circuit further couples one or more outputs of the opto-isolator that correspond to the one or more inputs of the opto-isolator to the rail vehicle event detection system;

detecting a rail vehicle event based on the output signals; and

facilitating wireless communication of rail vehicle event information to a remote computing device via wireless communication components, wherein the rail vehicle event information includes, for a period of time that includes the rail vehicle event,

(i) the visual information from the one or more cameras,

(ii) the operation information from the one or more sensors, and

(iii) the interior visual information of the driver compartment of the rail vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

facilitating storage of the rail vehicle event information in non-transient electronic storage.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting the rail vehicle event information from the non-transient electronic storage to the remote computing device.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving operator identity information that identifies periods of time individual operators operate the rail vehicle, wherein the operator identity information for the period of time that includes the rail vehicle event is included in the rail vehicle event information.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving entry and/or selection of the operator identity information from operators of the rail vehicle at the rail vehicle.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving operator identity information from a biometric sensor that generates biometric output signals that convey biometric information that identifies an individual operator of the rail vehicle.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the visual information includes views of exterior sides of the rail vehicle to capture visual images of collisions that occur at the sides of the rail vehicle.