Initial terminal tester
First Claim
1. An automated initial terminal test system for checking the air pressure and leakage of brake pipes and the operation of brakes of railroad trains in a terminal yard before the trains are allowed to go on a railroad comprising:
- an end of train device for each train in the yard under test, said end of train device being connected to the brake pipe at the end of the train for monitoring and transmitting air pressure data;
a head of train device for each train in the yard under test, said head of train device being connected to a source of air and to the brake pipe at the head of the train for charging and venting the brake pipe and for monitoring and transmitting air pressure data; and
a central control console located in the train yard, said central control console receiving transmissions from each of said end of train and head of train devices and transmitting commands to said head of train devices for controlling said charging and venting operations, said central control console monitoring the pressures of the brake pipes of the trains under test, computing leakages of the brake pipes, and providing an output indicating whether the trains under test passed or failed the tests.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An automated initial terminal testing system tests the air pressure and leakage of the brake pipes and the operation of brakes of railroad trains (10) in a terminal yard before trains are allowed to go on a railroad. The system includes end of train devices (16) attached to the trailing coupler of the last car of each train, head of train devices (14) connected to a source of yard air (26) and the air hose connection to the brake pipe of the first car of each train, and a central control console (18). The end of train devices, normally used to transit brake pipe pressure data to the engineer in locomotive when a train is on a railroad, monitors the air pressure in the brake pipe during the charging operation and transmits this data to the central control console. The head of train devices control the charging and venting of air pressure at the front of the train. These devices monitor air pressure and transmits this data to the central control console. In addition, the head of train devices respond to commands transmitted from the central console to perform the charging and venting operations. The central control console monitors the data sent by all end of train and head of train devices in the yard, sends commands to the head of the train devices, and provides either a pass of fail output for the trains under test.
48 Citations
19 Claims
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1. An automated initial terminal test system for checking the air pressure and leakage of brake pipes and the operation of brakes of railroad trains in a terminal yard before the trains are allowed to go on a railroad comprising:
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an end of train device for each train in the yard under test, said end of train device being connected to the brake pipe at the end of the train for monitoring and transmitting air pressure data; a head of train device for each train in the yard under test, said head of train device being connected to a source of air and to the brake pipe at the head of the train for charging and venting the brake pipe and for monitoring and transmitting air pressure data; and a central control console located in the train yard, said central control console receiving transmissions from each of said end of train and head of train devices and transmitting commands to said head of train devices for controlling said charging and venting operations, said central control console monitoring the pressures of the brake pipes of the trains under test, computing leakages of the brake pipes, and providing an output indicating whether the trains under test passed or failed the tests. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A computer process for use in an automated initial terminal test system for checking the air pressure and leakage of brake pipes and the operation of brakes of railroad trains in a termainal yard before trains are allowed to go on a railroad, said system including an end of train device for each train in the yard under test, a head of train device for each train and a central control console receiving transmissions from each of the end of train and head of train devices and transmitting commands to the head of train devices, said central control console comprising a computer for running said process, a display screen for displaying fields to be filled in by a user and messages, said process comprising the steps of:
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monitoring for transmissions of messages from end of train and head of train devices; decoding any messagaes received to obtain an identification of the device transmitting the message; if the device is an end of train device, decoding a pressure message and updating the screen; and if the device is a head of train device, decoding a pressure message and a valve position message and updating the screen. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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15. A head of train device for use in an automated initial terminal test system for checking the air pressure and leakage of brake pipes and operation of brakes of railroad trains in a terminal yard before the trains are allowed to go on a railroad, said head of train device adapted to be connected to a source of air and to the brake pipe at the head of the train for charging and venting the brake pipe comprising:
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transceiver means for receiving transmissions from a central control console and transmitting messages to said central control console; microprocessor means connected to said transceiver means for interpreting transmissions received from said central control console and formatting messages for transmission to said central control console; and motor driven valve means connected to and responsive to commands from said microprocessor means for controlling the flow of air to the brake pipe, venting air from the brake pipe to atmosphere or blocking the flow of air to or from the brake pipe. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification