REMOTE CONTROL SYSTEM HAVING A TOUCHSCREEN FOR CONTROLLING A RAILWAY VEHICLE

• US 20090248220A1
• Filed: 03/27/2008
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hetronic International, Inc. (Methode Electronics Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Hetronic International, Inc. (Methode Electronics Incorporated)
• Inventors: Heoki, Max, Ecton, Mark, Rempe, Torsten
• Granted Patent: US 8,295,992 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 3/127 for remote control of locomotives remote control of locomotives within a train consist B61C17/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a remote control system for controlling a railway vehicle The remote control system including a remote control device for transmitting signals to a first controller module. The first controller is mounted to the railway vehicle and controls and monitors the functions of the railway vehicle. The first controller module also relays information to the remote control device. The remote control system can also include a portable safety switch allowing any individual in proximity to the railway vehicle to send a stop signal to the first controller module to stop the railway vehicle if any unsafe conditions exist.

Claims

1. A remote control system for controlling a railway vehicle, the railway vehicle having a throttle for providing tractive power to the railway vehicle to propel the railway vehicle and a brake system for providing braking power to the railway vehicle, the remote control system comprising:

a remote control device for transmitting signals, the remote control device having a large video display to display real time information of the railway vehicle; and

a first controller module connected to the railway vehicle and in communication with the remote control device, the first controller module monitoring a set of predetermined functions of the railway vehicle and receiving commands from the remote control device to control the set of predetermined functions of the railway vehicle, the first controller module providing the real time information to the remote control device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the large video display is a type of video display selected from the group consisting of a cathode ray tube, a bistable display, an electronic paper, an electrophoretic display, a nixie tube display, an electroluminescent display, a plasma display panel, a light-emitting diode, a liquid crystal display, a vacuum fluorescent display, a high performance addressing display, a thin-film transistor display, an organic light-emitting diode display, a surface-conduction electron-emitter display, and a laser tv display.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the large video display has a diagonal length that is greater than about 2.5″

.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the large video display has a diagonal length that is greater than about 3.5″

.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the large video display has a diagonal length that is greater than about 5″

.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the large video display has a diagonal length that is greater than about 7″

.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the large video display has a touchscreen;

the touchscreen providing executable command options for the railway vehicle.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the touchscreen is selected from the group consisting of a resistive touchscreen, an infrared touchscreen, a surface acoustic wave touchscreen, a capacitive touchscreen, a strain gauge touchscreen, an optical imaging touchscreen, a dispersive signal touchscreen, an acoustic pulse recognition touchscreen, and a frustrated total internal reflection touchscreen.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the large video display is provided with backlighting to improve visibility of the displayed information.

10. The system of claim 5 wherein the information displayed on the large video display can be changed by an operator of the remote control device so as to provide a different set of information and command options actionable via the touchscreen.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote control system further comprises at least one portable safety switch in communication with the controller module to provide a stop signal to the controller module, the controller module relaying the stop signal to the brake system to provide braking power to the railway vehicle and stop the railway vehicle.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller module of the remote control system is in communication with a GPS device, the GPS device mounted to the railway vehicle within a predetermined distance from the controller module.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote control device is further provided with a GPS device whereby the location of the remote control device can by monitored.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the at least one portable safety switch is further provided with a GPS device to provide the location of the at least one portable safety switch to the large video display of the remote control device via the first controller module.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the controller module, the remote control device, and the at least one safety switch are monitored by a command center.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the command center is provided with a GPS device to provide a reference point for the remote control system.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote control system is provided with a plurality of frequencies at which the remote control system is operable.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the remote control system operates at two different frequencies selected from the plurality of frequencies at which the remote control system is operable, the two different frequencies are manually selected by the user of the remote control system based upon permitted frequencies in a preselected area.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the remote control system operates at two different frequencies selected from the plurality of frequencies at which the remote control system is operable, the two different frequencies are automatically selected by the remote control system based upon permitted frequencies in a preselected area.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote control system is further provided with a tilt recognition device to provide a warning signal to the remote control device when the remote control device is tilted a predetermined amount from a substantially level position;

the tilt recognition device provides the warning signal for a predetermined amount of time before the remote control system enters into a fault condition;

the fault condition avoidable by a cancellation of the warning signal by a user of the remote control device or repositioning the remote control device in the substantially level position.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the warning signal provided to the remote control device comprises an audio warning or a visual warning.

22. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote control system is further provided with a vibration detection device to provide a warning signal to the remote control device when the remote control device is vibrated a predetermined amount from a substantially stable position;

the vibration detection device provides the warning signal for a predetermined amount of time before the remote control system enters into a fault condition;

the fault condition avoidable by a cancellation of the warning signal by a user of the remote control device or repositioning the remote control device in the substantially stable position.

23. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote control system is further provided with an impact detection device to prove a warning signal to the remote control device when the remote control device is impacted above a predetermined impact level.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the impact detection device further provides a second warning signal to the remote control device when the remote control device is impacted above a second predetermined impact level;

the impact detection device providing the second warning signal to the remote control device for a predetermined amount of time before the remote control system enters into a default condition, the fault condition avoidable by a cancellation of the warning signal by a user of the remote control device.

25. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote control system further comprises a second controller module connected to the railway vehicle,

the second controller module monitoring a second set of predetermined functions and receiving commands from the remote control device to control the second set of predetermined functions of the railway vehicle.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the predetermined functions of the set of predetermined functions and the second set of predetermined functions are selected from the group consisting of pressure of the fluid in a main reservoir, pressure of a fluid in an independent brake, pressure of a fluid in a train brake, the throttle, the braking system, and combinations thereof.

27. A method for controlling a railway vehicle, the railway vehicle having a throttle for providing tractive power to the railway vehicle to propel the railway vehicle and a brake system for providing braking power to the railway vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a remote control device, the remote control device having a large video display to display real time information of the railway vehicle;

providing a first controller module connected to the railway vehicle and in communication with the remote control device;

transmitting a command signal from the remote control device to the first controller module;

receiving commands from the remote control device to control a set of predetermined functions of the railway vehicle;

monitoring the set of predetermined functions of the railway vehicle via the first controller module;

providing the real time information to the remote control device from the first controller module; and

displaying the real time information on the large video display of the remote control device.

28. A remote control system for controlling a railway vehicle, the railway vehicle having a throttle for providing tractive power to the railway vehicle to propel the railway vehicle and a brake system for providing braking power to the railway vehicle, the remote control system comprising:

a remote control device for transmitting signals;

a first controller module connected to the railway vehicle and in communication with the remote control device, the first controller module receiving commands from the remote control device to control predetermined functions of the railway vehicle, the first controller module providing the real time information to the remote control device; and

at least one portable safety switch in communication with the first controller module to provide a stop signal to the first controller module to stop the railway vehicle.

29. A method for controlling a railway vehicle, the railway vehicle having a throttle for providing tractive power to the railway vehicle to propel the railway vehicle and a brake system for providing braking power to the railway vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a remote control device for transmitting signals to control the railway vehicle;

providing a first controller module connected to the railway vehicle and in communication with the remote control device;

providing at least one portable safety switch in communication with the first controller module to provide a stop signal to the first controller module to stop the railway vehicle;

transmitting a command signal from the remote control device to the first controller module to control a set of predetermined functions of the railway vehicle; and

monitoring the set of predetermined functions of the railway vehicle via the first controller module.

30. A remote control system for maintaining a specific velocity of a railway vehicle, the remote control system comprising:

a remote control device for transmitting signals;

a first controller module connected to the railway vehicle and in communication with the remote control device, the first controller module transmitting a signal to a throttle to propel the railway vehicle in a predetermined direction; and

a GPS device in communication with the first controller module to determine the position and velocity of the railway vehicle, the position and velocity of the railway vehicle transmitted to the remote control device via the first controller module, the remote control device transmitting a signal to the first controller module to maintain the velocity of the railway vehicle at a specific velocity once the specific velocity is reached by the railway vehicle as determined by the GPS device.

31. A method for maintaining a specific velocity of a railway vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a remote control device for transmitting signals to control the railway vehicle;

providing a first controller module connected to the railway vehicle and in communication with the remote control device;

providing a GPS device attached to the railway vehicle and in communication with the first controller module to determine the position and velocity of the railway vehicle;

transmitting a signal from the remote control device to a throttle via the first controller module to propel the railway vehicle in a predetermined direction

transmitting the position and velocity of the railway vehicle determined by the GPS device to the remote control device via the first controller module; and

transmitting a signal from the remote control device to the first controller module to maintain the velocity of the railway vehicle at a specific velocity once the specific velocity is reached by the railway vehicle as determined by the GPS device.

32. A remote control system for a railway vehicle, the railway vehicle having a throttle for providing tractive power to the railway vehicle to propel the railway vehicle and a brake system for providing braking power to the railway vehicle, the remote control system comprising:

a remote control device for transmitting a drive command signal to the railway vehicle to move the railway vehicle in a first direction of travel, the remote control device operated by a user;

a first controller module connected to the railway vehicle and in communication with the remote control device, the first controller module receiving the drive command signal and relaying the drive command signal to the throttle to provide the tractive power to the railway vehicle; and

a GPS unit in communication with the first controller module to provide an initial velocity and an initial direction of travel of the railway vehicle to the first controller module, the first controller module transmitting the initial velocity and an initial direction of travel of the railway vehicle to the remote control device thereby initiating a warning signal that the railway vehicle is in motion, the warning signal functioning for a predetermined amount of time before initiating a fault condition, the fault condition causing an application of the brake system to stop the railway vehicle.

33. A remote control system for controlling a railway vehicle, the railway vehicle having a throttle for providing tractive power to the railway vehicle to propel the railway vehicle, a main reservoir tank containing pressurized fluid, and an independent brake containing pressurized fluid, the remote control system comprising:

a remote control device for transmitting signals;

a first controller module connected to the railway vehicle and in communication with the remote control device, the first controller module having a sensor for monitoring the pressure of the fluid contained in the main tank reservoir and providing an output from the sensor of the first controller module to the remote control device indicative of the pressure of the fluid contained in the main tank reservoir; and

a second controller module connected to the railway vehicle and in communication with the remote control device, the second controller module having a sensor for monitoring the pressure of the fluid contained in the independent brake and providing an output from the sensor of the second controller module to the remote control device indicative of the pressure of the fluid contained in the independent brake, the first and second controller modules initiating the throttle to provide tractive power to the railway vehicle when the pressure of the fluid contained in the main tank reservoir is above a predetermined main tank reservoir level and the pressure of the fluid contained in the independent brake is below a predetermined independent brake level.

34. A method for coordinating a transfer of remote control of a railway vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting a first remote control device having remote control of a railway vehicle, the first remote control device having a touch screen providing a list of available remote control devices to which the transfer of remote control of the railway vehicle can be made;

selecting a second remote control device from the list of available remote control devices to which the transfer of remote control of the railway vehicle is desired;

transmitting a transfer request from the first remote control device to a controller module of the railway vehicle, the first remote control device initially having a command authority;

transmitting an acceptance of the transfer request from the second remote control device via the controller module to the first remote control device; and

transmitting a confirmation of transfer from the first remote control device to the second remote control device wherein the second remote control device assumes the command authority from the first remote control device after the transmission of the confirmation of transfer from the first remote control device to the second remote control device and the controller module of the railway vehicle receives a second command authority signal generated by the second remote control device.