Visual Data Collection System for a Train

• US 20110251742A1
• Filed: 04/09/2010
• Published: 10/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wabtec Corporation (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Wabtec Corporation (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Haas, Carl L., Halowell, John E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,083,861 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/19
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0054 Train integrity supervision, e.g. end-of-train [EOT] devices
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/009 On-board display devices
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 23/041 Obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

An end-of-train unit for a rear railroad car, including: a housing mountable to a portion of the rear railroad car; a visual data collection device in operative engagement or at least partially integral with the housing and having a field-of-view, wherein the visual data collection device is configured to obtain visual data representative of at least a portion of the area in the field-of-view; and a transmission device in operative engagement or at least partially integral with at least one of the housing and the visual data collection device and configured to transmit the visual data to a processing unit of a forward railroad car. A visual data collection system and method are also provided.

Claims

1. An end-of-train unit for a rear railroad car, comprising:

a housing mountable to a portion of the rear railroad car;

a visual data collection device in operative engagement or at least partially integral with the housing and having a field-of-view, wherein the visual data collection device is configured to obtain visual data representative of at least a portion of the area in the field-of-view; and

a transmission device in operative engagement or at least partially integral with at least one of the housing and the visual data collection device and configured to transmit the visual data directly or indirectly to a processing unit of a forward railroad car.

2. The end-of-train unit of claim 1, further comprising a coupler hook mount member attached to the housing and configured for attachment to a portion of the rear railroad car.

3. The end-of-train unit of claim 2, further comprising a coupler mount tightening handle configured to clamp the housing to the portion of the rear railroad car.

4. The end-of-train unit of claim 1, wherein the transmission device is a radio transceiver configured to transmit the visual data in the form of radio waves to a radio transceiver in the processing unit.

5. The end-of-train unit of claim 1, further comprising a microprocessor configured to control at least one of the following:

the visual data collection device, the transmission device, at least one electrically-controllable component of the end-of-train unit, or any combination thereof.

6. The end-of-train unit of claim 5, wherein the visual data collection device is in communication with the microprocessor via a video interface device.

7. The end-of-train unit of claim 1, wherein the visual data collection device is at least one of the following:

a video camera, a camera device, an intensified charge-couple device, a forward-looking infrared device, a thermal image device, a phase array radar-based device, or any combination thereof.

8. The end-of-train unit of claim 1, wherein the transmission device is at least one of the following:

a high data rate modulation device, a Bluetooth-based device, an IEEE 802.11-based device, an ultra-high band-based device, a wireless device, a hard-wired device, a rail-based device, or any combination thereof.

9. The end-of-train unit of claim 1, wherein the visual data collection device is moveable to thereby change the field-of-vision.

10. The end-of-train unit of claim 9, wherein the visual data collection device is at least one of the following:

automatically controlled, remotely controlled, electronically controlled, microprocessor controlled, manually-moveable, or any combination thereof.

11. A visual data collection system for a train, comprising:

a end-of-train unit having a housing configured to be coupled to a portion of a rear railroad car, the end-of-train unit comprising;

(i) a visual data collection device in operative engagement or at least partially integral with the housing and having a field-of-view, wherein the visual data collection device is configured to obtain visual data representative of at least a portion of the area in the field-of-view; and

(ii) a transmission device in operative engagement or at least partially integral with at least one of the housing and the visual data collection device and configured to transmit the visual data; and

a processing unit at a forward railroad car, comprising;

(i) a receiving device configured to directly or indirectly receive the visual data transmitted from the transmission device; and

(ii) a microprocessor configured to process the received visual data.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising at least one display device in the forward railroad car and in communication with the microprocessor of the processing unit, wherein the display device is configured to display an image based at least in part upon the processed visual data.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the visual data collection device is moveable to thereby change the field-of-vision, and wherein the microprocessor of the processing unit is further configured to control the movement of the visual data collection device.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the transmission device is a radio transceiver configured to transmit the visual data in the form of radio waves, and the receiving device is a radio transceiver configured to receive the radio waves.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising a microprocessor in the end-of-train unit configured to control at least one of the following:

the visual data collection device, the transmission device, at least one electrically-controllable component of the end-of-train unit, or any combination thereof.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the visual data collection device is in communication with the microprocessor via a video interface device.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the visual data collection device is at least one of the following:

a video camera, a camera device, an intensified charge-couple device, a forward-looking infrared device, a thermal image device, a phase array radar-based device, or any combination thereof.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the transmission device is at least one of the following:

a high data rate modulation device, a Bluetooth-based device, an IEEE 802.11-based device, an ultra-high band-based device, a wireless device, a hard-wired device, a rail-based device, or any combination thereof.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the visual data collection device is moveable to thereby change the field-of-vision.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the visual data collection device is at least one of the following:

automatically controlled, remotely controlled, electronically controlled, microprocessor controlled, manually-moveable, or any combination thereof.

21. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing unit is in the form of or integrated with a head-of-train unit in the forward railroad car.

22. A method for telemetry of visual data in a train having a processing unit at a forward railroad car and an end-of-train unit at rear railroad car, the method comprising:

obtaining visual data from a visual data collection device having a field-of-view, wherein the visual data is representative of at least a portion of the area in the field-of-view; and

directly or indirectly transmitting the visual data to the processing unit of the forward railroad car.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising displaying an image at least partially based upon the visual data on a display device located in the forward railroad car.