COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM FOR RAIL LINE VEHICLES

• US 20140229096A1
• Filed: 04/15/2014
• Published: 08/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Metrom Rail, LLC
• Original Assignee: Metrom Rail, LLC
• Inventors: Gunther, Kurt A., Cygnus, Marc W., Carlson, Richard C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,043,131 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0027 Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 2205/04 Satellite based navigation systems, e.g. global positioning system [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 23/06 for warning men working on the route
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 23/34 for indicating the distance between vehicles or trains by the transmission of signals therebetween
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/025 Absolute localisation, e.g. providing geodetic coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A collision avoidance system (CAS) is described that includes one or more sensor technologies, including, for example, an Ultra Wideband (UWB) sensing technology. The collision avoidance system is designed to reliably track the location and speed of vehicles and the distance between vehicles over a wide variety of track and terrain. The collision avoidance system may utilize information from a variety of sensor technologies to determine whether one or more vehicles violate speed and/or separation criteria, and may generate a warning.

Claims

1. A collision avoidance system comprising:

a first vehicle mounted module mounted on a first rail vehicle, the first vehicle mounted module comprising;

a first transponder sensor module adapted to send and receive data wirelessly, the first transponder sensor module comprising a first radio communication unit and a first antenna;

a first control electronics module comprising a first processor in communication with at least the first transponder sensor module;

a first user interface module including a first user interface, the first user interface adapted to provide rail vehicle information to a vehicle operator and to receive input from the vehicle operator;

a second vehicle mounted module mounted on a second rail vehicle, the second vehicle mounted module comprising;

a second transponder sensor module adapted to send and receive data wirelessly, the second transponder sensor module comprising a second radio communication unit and a second antenna;

a second control electronics module comprising a second processor in communication with at least the second transponder sensor module;

a second user interface module including a second user interface, the second user interface adapted to provide rail vehicle information to the vehicle operator and to receive input from the vehicle operator;

wherein the first vehicle mounted module is adapted to communicate with the second vehicle mounted module mounted on the second rail vehicle; and

wherein the first vehicle mounted module and the second vehicle mounted module are adapted to apply a time of flight technique to determine a separation distance between the first rail vehicle and the second rail vehicle.

2. The collision avoidance system of claim 1, further comprising:

a central tracking unit in communication with the first vehicle mounted module and the second vehicle mounted module, wherein the central tracking unit is adapted to track the location of the first vehicle mounted module and the location of the second vehicle mounted module.

3. The collision avoidance system of claim 2,

wherein the central tracking unit is distributed among at least the first rail vehicle and the second rail vehicle, wherein the first vehicle mounted module comprises a first central tracking unit component.

4. The collision avoidance system of claim 2,

wherein the central tracking unit is located in a discreet housing.

5. The collision avoidance system of claim 1,

wherein the first vehicle mounted module further comprises a first auxiliary transponder sensor module, the first auxiliary transponder sensor module mounted on the first rail vehicle with a first offset with respect to the first transponder sensor module.

6. The collision avoidance system of claim 5,

wherein the first auxiliary transponder sensor module comprises a first auxiliary antenna, the first auxiliary antenna being connected to at least one of the first radio communication unit or the first auxiliary radio communication unit, and

wherein the first auxiliary antenna is mounted on the first rail vehicle with a first offset with respect to the first antenna.

7. The collision avoidance system of claim 1,

wherein the first vehicle mounted module further comprises a first global positioning system unit, the global positioning system unit operable to receive information from one or more satellites to determine an absolute position of the first rail vehicle, and

Wherein the first global positioning system unit is in communication with the first control electronics module.

8. The collision avoidance system of claim 7,

wherein the first vehicle mounted module receives information generated by the first global positioning system unit and the first radio communication unit to determine whether one or more vehicle separation criteria are violated, and

wherein the first vehicle mounted module generates a warning signal when one or more vehicle separation criteria are violated.

9. The collision avoidance system of claim 1,

wherein the first vehicle mounted module is adapted to execute a progressive warning signal if one or more vehicle separation criteria are violated, and

wherein the progressive warning signal increases in at least one of signal rate, signal frequency, single prominence, signal volume, or signal severity as the violation of the vehicle separation criteria approaches or extends beyond a vehicle separation threshold.

10. The collision avoidance system of claim 1,

wherein the first vehicle mounted module executes an adaptive threshold feature that modifies one or more vehicle separation thresholds based on the speed of the first rail vehicle and the speed of the second rail vehicle.

11. The collision avoidance system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least a first ground speed detection module operable to determine the speed of the rail vehicle, wherein the first vehicle mounted module communicates with at least the first ground speed detection module.

12. The collision avoidance system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first intertial measurement unit in communication with at least the first control electronics module, the first intertial measurement unit being adapted to detect changes in the speed of the first rail vehicle.

13. The collision avoidance system of claim 12, wherein the first intertial measurement unit comprises at least one of an accelerometer or a gyroscope.

14. The collision avoidance system of claim 1, wherein the first radio communication unit is adapted to transmit and receive signals with varying center frequencies.

15. The collision avoidance system of claim 1,

wherein the first vehicle mounted module is adapted to execute a stopping distance calibration feature to determine a measured stopping distance under existing conditions, and

wherein the measured stopping distance is the distance between a first location of the first rail vehicle when brakes are engaged and a second location where the first rail vehicle comes to a stop under the existing conditions.

16. The collision avoidance system of claim 15,

wherein the first vehicle mounted module executes a progressive warning signal if one or more vehicle separation criteria are violated;

wherein the progressive warning signal increases in at least one of signal rate, signal frequency, single prominence, signal volume, or signal severity as the violation of the vehicle separation criteria approaches or extends beyond a vehicle separation threshold; and

wherein the first vehicle mounted module executes an adaptive threshold feature that modifies one or more vehicle separation thresholds based on the measured stopping distance.

17. A rail vehicle module mountable on a first rail vehicle, the module comprising:

a transponder sensor module comprising;

a radio communication unit adapted to employ time of flight techniques to detect a separation distance between the first rail vehicle and a second vehicle;

a wireless communications antenna adapted to send and receive data representing the separation distance over the air;

a global positioning system unit operable to receive information from one or more satellites to determine an absolute position of the first rail vehicle;

a control electronics module comprising a processor in communication with the transponder sensor module;

a user interface module including a user interface adapted to provide rail vehicle information to a vehicle operator and to receive input from the vehicle operator;

wherein the rail vehicle module communicates with a second rail vehicle module mountable on the second vehicle to detect a separation distance between the first rail vehicle and the second vehicle.

18. The rail vehicle module mountable on a first rail vehicle of claim 17, further comprising:

a second wireless communications antenna mounted on the first rail vehicle,

wherein said second wireless communications antenna is mounted on the first rail vehicle at an offset from the wireless communications antenna; and

wherein the rail vehicle module is adapted to receive calibration information related to the length of the rail vehicle, the mounting location of the first wireless communications antenna, and the mounting location of the second wireless communications antenna.

19. The rail vehicle module mountable on a first rail vehicle of claim 17,

wherein the rail vehicle module is adapted to utilize information generated by the radio communications unit and the global positioning system unit to determine whether one or more vehicle separation criteria are violated, and

wherein the rail vehicle module is further adapted to generate a progressive warning signal if one or more vehicle separation criteria are violated, and

wherein the progressive warning signal increases in at least one of signal rate, signal frequency, signal prominence, signal volume, or signal severity as the violation of the vehicle separation criteria approaches or extends beyond a vehicle separation threshold.

20. The rail vehicle module mountable on a first rail vehicle of claim 18, further comprising a first central tracking unit component, wherein the first central tracking unit component is in communication with a second central tracking unit component mounted on the second rail vehicle.