System and Method for Monitoring Railcar Performance

• US 20130342362A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amsted Rail Company Incorporated (Amsted Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Amsted Rail Company Incorporated (Amsted Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Martin, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 9,365,223 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.16
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/665 the systems being specially adapted for transferring two or more command signals, e.g. railway systems B60T13/662 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/221 Procedure or apparatus for checking or keeping in a correct functioning condition of brake systems hydraulic pressure systems in general F15B19/00, F15B21/04; testing structures or apparatus G01M
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/228 for railway vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B61H 13/02 Hand or other personal actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B61K 9/04 Detectors for indicating the overheating of axle bearings and the like, e.g. associated with the brake system for applying the brakes in case of a fault
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0018 Communication with or on the vehicle or train
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0027 Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0081 On-board diagnosis or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 2205/04 Satellite based navigation systems, e.g. global positioning system [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/025 Absolute localisation, e.g. providing geodetic coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/40 Handling position reports or trackside vehicle data
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/57 for vehicles or trains, e.g. trackside supervision of train conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/023 provided with specially adapted connectors connectors per se H01R

Abstract

A system for monitoring operation of a railcar having one or more sensing units, mounted on the railcar, for monitoring operating parameters and or conditions of the railcar, and a communication management unit, in wireless communication with the sensing units, wherein the system can make a determination of an alarm condition based on data collected the sensing units. A temperature sensor device for use in such a system is also provided.

Claims

1. A device for monitoring temperature on a railcar, comprising:

a housing mountable on a railcar;

a temperature sensor;

electrical circuitry in communication with said temperature sensor for obtaining information regarding the temperature being sensed, said electrical circuitry positioned within said housing;

a power source electrically connected to said electrical circuitry for providing power thereto, said power source positioned within said housing; and

a communication device capable broadcasting information regarding the temperature sensed, said communication device positioned within said housing.

2. (canceled)

3. (canceled)

4. The monitoring device of claim 3 further comprising a probe external to said housing and which probe includes said temperature sensor and a magnet positioned to magnetically attract the part of the railcar against which the probe will be placed.

5-9. -9. (canceled)

10. A system for monitoring a railcar, comprising:

the railcar;

a plurality of sensor devices located on the railcar for monitoring parameters or conditions of the railcar;

said plurality of sensor devices including at least one temperature sensor device having;

a temperature sensor in thermal communication with the item being monitored;

a housing;

electrical circuitry in communication with said temperature sensor for obtaining information regarding the temperature being sensed, said electrical circuitry positioned within said housing;

a power source electrically connected to said electrical circuitry for providing power thereto, said power source positioned within said housing;

a communication device capable broadcasting information regarding the temperature sensed via wireless communication, said communication device positioned within said housing; and

a communication management unit (CMU), mounted on the railcar, capable of two way wireless communication with each of said plurality of sensor devices for receiving information therefrom, said CMU having a wireless communication device for broadcasting information about the parameter or condition being monitored.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein said system can make a determination of an alarm condition based on data collected by said one or more sensing units.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein said determination of an alarm condition can be made by at least one of said CMU or one of said plurality of sensor devices based on data collected by said one or more sensing devices.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein each of said plurality of sensing devices is capable of exchanging data with other of said plurality of sensing devices and with said CMU.

11. (canceled)

12. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

17. A system for monitoring the operation of a railcar comprising:

a. one or more sensing units, mounted on said railcar, each of said sensing units monitoring an operating parameter of said railcar; and

b. a communication management unit, in wireless communication with said one or more sensing units;

wherein said system can make a determination of an alarm condition based on data collected by said one or more sensing units.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said determination of an alarm condition can be made by one of said sensing units.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein said determination of an alarm condition can be made by said communication management unit based on data collected by said one or more sensing units.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein said communication management unit makes said determination of an alarm condition by applying a heuristic to data collected from said one or more sensing units.

21. The system of claim 17 wherein each of said sensing units comprises:

a. a sensor;

b. a power source;

c. a processor;

d. memory;

e. communications circuitry; and

f. software, stored in said memory and executed by said processor, said software performing the functions of collecting data from said sensor at periodic intervals.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein said software further performs the function of:

assessing the collected data to determine if an alarm condition exists; and

communicating said alarm condition to said communication management unit via said communications circuitry.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein each of said sensing units exchanges data with other sensing units and with said communication management unit via said communications circuitry.

24. The system of claim 17 wherein said one or more sensing units and said communication management unit are in wireless communication with each other and form a local area network.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein said local area network is a mesh network running the Time Synchronized Mesh Protocol to facilitate communications therebetween.

26. The system of claim 17 wherein said communication management unit is in wireless communications with communication management units on other railcars, forming a wide area network.

27. The system of claim 17 further comprising a base unit, said base unit being in wireless communication with said communication management unit, said based unit performing the functions of:

a. collecting data and alarms from said communication management unit;

b. displaying alarm conditions raised by said communication management unit; and

c. determining high level alarms based on data and alarms collected from said communication management unit.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein said base unit is in wireless communication with multiple communication management units.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein said base unit uses distributed event processing to perform trend analysis based on alarms and data collected from one or more communication management units to determine if a high level alarm should be raised.

30. The system of claim 28 wherein said base unit applies heuristics to data collected from said one or more communication units to determine if a high level alarm should be raised.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein said base unit and said one or more communication management units communicate with each other via a satellite communications capability or a cellular network capability.

32. The system of claim 17 wherein said sensor is selected from a group consisting essentially of temperature sensors, pressure sensors, strain sensors, load cell sensors, hand brake position sensors, magnetic sensors, vibration sensors, gyroscopes, acceleration sensors, hall effect sensors, piezio resistive microphones and switches.

33. The system of claim 17 wherein data and alarms may be relayed from said one or more communication management units to an on-train base unit via an off-train base unit.

34. The system of claim 17 wherein said alarm is determined using distributed event processing based on a comparison between current data and statistical models of behavior.

35. The system of claim 17 wherein said alarms are determined based on a comparison of currently collected data versus data collected over a pre-determined preceding time period.

36. The system of claim 17 wherein an alarm is raised based one or more of the following criteria:

a. a pre-determined percentage of current data readings exceeds allowable peak readings;

b. a pre-determined percentage of current data readings exceeds an determined value;

c. a pre-determined percentage of current data readings exceeds a standard deviation from readings from the same railcar;

d. a pre-determined percentage of current data readings exceeds a standard deviation from all railcars in the fleet;

or

e. the rate of change of current data readings exceeds a pre-determined threshold.

37-50. -50. (canceled)