Rail car tracking system
First Claim
1. A rail car tracking system comprising:
- rail car location equipment mounted to a rail car, the equipment including a transmitter for transmitting rail car location data to a remote receiver and further including an electronically readable tag attached to the rail car for identifying the rail car to a wayside tag reader; and
locomotive communication equipment mounted in a locomotive and adapted for communication with the rail car location equipment when the rail car and locomotive are coupled into a common train, the locomotive communication equipment being operative to identify the coupled rail car and including a transmitter for transmitting data to the remote receiver, the data including rail car data so that the required data transmission from the rail car transmission equipment is reduced.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system for tracking a rail car having an on-board communication system including a location determining system and a transceiver for receiving and transmitting rail car data. The communication system including a processor responsive to an executable program for enabling operation of the transceiver to transmit rail car data during a reporting event and having a memory for storing data and instructions. The processor memory includes a remotely addressable software database accessible by the executable program for establishing a reporting event in response to at least one of a selected time, a change in geographical location, an extended time in a geographical location, an approach to a specified geographical location, a coupling/decoupling of the rail car with a particular locomotive and a command to report. The rail car includes an AEI reader attached to the rail car for reading AEI tags on other rail vehicles passing by the reader, the reader being in communication with the rail car message system for transmitting data indicating at least a location of the other rail vehicles.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A rail car tracking system comprising:
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rail car location equipment mounted to a rail car, the equipment including a transmitter for transmitting rail car location data to a remote receiver and further including an electronically readable tag attached to the rail car for identifying the rail car to a wayside tag reader; and
locomotive communication equipment mounted in a locomotive and adapted for communication with the rail car location equipment when the rail car and locomotive are coupled into a common train, the locomotive communication equipment being operative to identify the coupled rail car and including a transmitter for transmitting data to the remote receiver, the data including rail car data so that the required data transmission from the rail car transmission equipment is reduced. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An integrated rail car tracking system comprising;
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a plurality of fixed wayside automatic equipment identification (AEI) readers spaced at predetermined locations along a railway for reading identification data from a AEI tags on rail cars passing along the railway;
a locomotive tracking system including an on-board GPS system for providing data indicative of the location of the locomotive and a transmitter for transmitting the location data to a remote receiver;
a rail car wireless message system attached to a rail car for sending periodic messages indicative of the location of the rail car, the message system including a GPS system for generating data indicative of rail car location; and
a local area network (LAN) established between the rail car and an associated locomotive whereby the rail car location data is transmitted to the locomotive tracking system for transmission to the remote receiver. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18)
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15. The integrated rail car tracking system 7 and including a rail car battery saving function for reducing rail car transmissions when the rail car is coupled to the locomotive.
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17. A method for tracking a rail car having an on-board communication system including a location determining system and a transceiver for receiving and transmitting rail car data, the system including a processor responsive to an executable program for enabling operation of the transceiver to transmit rail car data during a reporting event, the method comprising providing a remotely addressable software database accessible by the executable program for establishing a reporting event in response to at least one of a selected time, a change in geographical location, an extended time in a geographical location, an approach to a specified geographical location, a coupling/decoupling of the rail car with a particular locomotive and a command to report.
Specification