RAILWAY TANK CAR SECURITY DEVICE
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A railcar sensing system comprising:
- a railcar including a hatch,an accelerometer for sensing the orientation of the hatch with relation to the direction of gravity,a processing unit with an event engine,a position sensing device for detecting the global position of the railcar,and sending a position sensing signal to the processing unitthe accelerometer sending a first signal to the processing unit when the orientation of the hatch changes more than a pre-determined amount,against a known closed positionas determined by the event engine,a transmitting unit,the processing unit sending a second signal to the transmitting unit upon receipt of the first signal from the accelerometer,a receiver,the transmitting unit sending a third signal to the receiver or server indicating that the orientation of the hatch has changed.
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Abstract
A railcar sensing system is provided that in particular provides a system for sensing the orientation of a hatch of a railway tank car. The railcar sensing system includes an accelerometer for sensing the orientation of the hatch, a position sensing device for detecting the global position of the railcar, and a processing unit. The accelerometer sends a first signal to the processing unit when the orientation of the hatch changes more than a predetermined angle. The processing unit also senses whether the railway tank car is outside one of the preselected safe zones. If the railway tank car is located outside one of the preselected safe zones, and the accelerometer senses that the hatch orientation has been changed more than a predetermined angle, an alert signal is sent to a receiver indicative of such event.
15 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A railcar sensing system comprising:
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a railcar including a hatch, an accelerometer for sensing the orientation of the hatch with relation to the direction of gravity, a processing unit with an event engine, a position sensing device for detecting the global position of the railcar, and sending a position sensing signal to the processing unit the accelerometer sending a first signal to the processing unit when the orientation of the hatch changes more than a pre-determined amount, against a known closed position as determined by the event engine, a transmitting unit, the processing unit sending a second signal to the transmitting unit upon receipt of the first signal from the accelerometer, a receiver, the transmitting unit sending a third signal to the receiver or server indicating that the orientation of the hatch has changed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A railcar sensing system comprising
a railcar including a hatch, an orientation sensing device for sensing the orientation of the hatch, a central processing unit, a position sensing device for sensing the global positions of the railcar and for sending a first signal to the central processing unit representative of the global position of the railcar, the orientation sensing device sending a second signal to the central processing unit when the orientation of the hatch changes, a transmitting unit, the central processing unit analyzing the second signal from the orientation sensing device to determine if the orientation of the hatch changed more than a preselected limit determined by the event engine, the central processing unit sending a third signal to the transmitting unit if the orientation of the hatch changed more than the preselected limit.
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11. A railcar sensing system comprising
a railcar including a hatch, a position sensor for determining the global position of the railcar, a location processor, the position sensor sending a first signal to the location processor, the location processor determining whether the railcar is located outside of one of certain predetermined safe zones, a central processor, an accelerometer for sensing the orientation of the hatch, the accelerometer sending a second signal to the central processor when the orientation of the hatch changes more than a predetermined amount determined by the event engine, a transmitter, the central processor sending a third signal to the transmitter upon receipt of the first signal from the central processor if the railcar is located outside of one of the preselected safe zones.
Specification
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Current AssigneeAmsted Rail Company Incorporated (Amsted Industries Incorporated)
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Original AssigneeAmsted Rail Company Incorporated (Amsted Industries Incorporated)
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InventorsLeFebvre, William, Martin, Andrew, Bonnes, Matt
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Application NumberUS13/659,436Publication NumberTime in Patent OfficeDaysField of SearchUS Class Current340/988CPC Class CodesB61L 15/0081 On-board diagnosis or maint...B61L 25/025 Absolute localisation, e.g....B61L 27/40 Handling position reports o...B61L 27/57 for vehicles or trains, e.g...G08B 13/08 by opening, e.g. of door, o...G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indi...
