Electronic control system for model railroads

• US 4,914,431 A
• Filed: 04/13/1987
• Issued: 04/03/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Frederick E Severson, Patrick A Quinn
• Original Assignee: Frederick E Severson, Patrick A Quinn
• Inventors: Severson, Frederick E., Quinn, Patrick A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yusko, Donald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Holloway, III, Edwin C.
• Application Number:
  US07/037,721
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.72, 340/825.69, 340/825.76, 340/825.22, 446/454, 446/455, 318/16, 318/34, 318/53, 318/54, 318/59, 246/187 B
• US Class Current: 340/13.29
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 19/24 Electric toy railways; Systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00009 using pulsed signals
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/0001 using modification of a parameter of the network power signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 using the power network as support for the transmission

Abstract

An electronic control system for model railroads incoporates a motor control unit, an electronic state generator that generates particular operating state signals and a remote control signal generator that multiplies the number of remote control effects that would be available from the remote control signals alone.

Claims

1. An electronic control system for selecting and controlling effects associated with a remote object on a model railroad layout comprising:

means for generating a plurality of predetermined state control signals;

a state generator in the remote object for generating a plurality, n, of operating state signals wherein one operating state signal at a time is generated in response to said state control signals to select one of a predetermined number of effects groups;

means in the remote object for generating a plurality, m, of effect control signals; and

means in the remote object responsive to predetermined combinations of said n operating state signals and said m effect control signals, where m and n are both greater than one, for selecting and controlling effects among the selected effects group.

2. An electronic control system in accordance with claim 1 where up to n X m (n times m) unique effects are controlled.

3. An electronic control system in accordance with claim 1 including AC power supply means for providing an AC voltage to power the remote object wherein said means for generating a plurality of predetermined state control signals comprise:

means for adding a dc component of either positive or negative polarity to the AC voltage.

4. An electronic control system in accordance with claim 1 including AC power supply means for providing an AC voltage to power the remote object wherein said means for generating a plurality, m, of effect control signals comprise:

means for adding a dc voltage component of either positive or negative polarity to the AC voltage.

5. An electronic control system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for generating predetermined state control signals comprise:

a motor control unit with a plurality of predetermined motor control unit signals.

6. An electronic control system in accordance with claim 5 wherein said motor control unit signals are those of reset, forward, neutral before forward, reverse and neutral before reverse.

7. An electronic control system in accordance with claim 5 wherein said predetermined state control signals are those of reset, forward, neutral before forward, reverse and neutral before reverse.

8. An electronic control system in accordance with claim 1 where said means for generating a plurality of predetermined state control signals comprise:

means for generating digital pulses comprising repeated applications of positive and/or negative DC superimposed on AC motor power supply voltage.

9. An electronic control system in accordance with claim 1 where said means for generating a plurality, m, of operating effect control signals comprises means for generating digital pulses comprising repeated applications of positive and/or negative DC superimposed on AC motor power supply voltage.

10. An electronic control system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for controlling effects are connected to control at least one of a bell effect, a headlight effect, a diesel motor start effect, an overhead blinking light effect, locomotive power disconnect effect, direction sense reversal effect, horn effect, diesel motor sound effect, master-slave effect, whistle effect, Mars light effect, page select and a coupler uncouple effect.

11. An electronic control system according to claim 10 in which the means for controlling effects is connected to control a coupler and includes a coupler arming latch.

12. An electronic control system for selecting and operating n×

m (n times m) unique effects for model railroads, comprising;

means for generating a plurality of predetermined state control signals;

a state generator for generating a plurality n of operating state signals wherein one operating state signal at a time is generated in response to said state control signals to select one of n effects groups;

means for generating a plurality, m, of effect control signals;

means for generating a plurality, q, of effect operating signals; and

means responsive to predetermined combinations of said n operating state signals and said m effect control signals such that up to m effects are selected for each of the effects groups and each of said selected effects are operable by a predetermined one of said q effect operating signals.

13. An electronic control system in accordance with claim 12 wherein said means for generating a plurality, m, of operating effect control signals comprise:

means for generating select signals; and

a select state generator responsive to said select signals for generating a plurality, m, of operating effect control signals.

14. An electronic control system in accordance with claim 13 where said means for generating select signals comprises:

means for generation of dc voltage of either polarity superimposed on AC motor supply voltage;

means responsive to said dc voltage such that said select signals are generated.

15. An electronic control system in accordance with claim 13 where said means for generating select signals comprises:

means responsive to application of AC motor power supply voltage in excess of a predetermined voltage value.

16. An electronic control system in accordance with claim 13 where said select signals is a single select signal;

and

said select state generator comprises;

a resettable counter wherein said resettable counter advances one state in response to each application of said single select signal.

17. An electronic control system in accordance with claim 12 where said means for generating a plurality, q, of effect operating signals comprises means for generating digital pulses comprising repeated applications of positive and/or negative DC superimposed on AC motor power supply voltage.

18. An electronically controlled model train system comprising at least one of a remotely-controllable address and command storage feature, a remotely-controllable paging feature, a remotely controllable direction sense reversal effect and a remotely-controllable master-slave effect.

19. An electronic control system for controlling operating effects associated with a remote object comprising:

an electrical conductor for transmitting an electrical signal to the remote object;

means in the remote object responsive to the electrical signal for generating a plurality of state control signals;

means in the remote object responsive to the electrical signal for generating effect control signals;

state generator means in the remote object responsive to the state control signals for maintaining one of a predetermined number of states and changing states in a predetermined sequence in response to the state control signals;

means in the remote object, responsive to the current state of the state generator means, for selecting one of a plurality of predetermined effect groups; and

control means in the remote object, responsive to the effect control signals and the selecting means, for controlling the selected group of effects.

20. An electronic control system for remotely selecting and controlling effects associated with a remote object powered by a power supply, the control system comprising:

remote control means for generating at least one remote control signal;

means in the remote object responsive to the remote control signal for generating a plurality of effect control signals;

means in the remote object for generating a predetermined series of operating state signals; and

logic means in the remote object for combining the effect control signals and the operating state signals to select among a number of effects greater than the number of remote control signals and control the selected effects.

21. A control system according to claim 20 wherein the power supply is an AC power supply and the remote control means includes means for adding a positive DC component and a negative DC component, one at a time, to the AC power supply voltage.

22. A control system according to claim 21 wherein the means for generating effect control signals includes signal detector means connected to receive the AC power supply voltage for detecting the added DC component.

23. A control system according to claim 20, the remote object having a motor control unit, wherein the means for generating operating state signals is a state generator circuit that changes state responsive to changes in the state of the motor control unit.

24. A control system according to claim 23 wherein the state generator is responsive to additional inputs representing predetermined aspects of the remote object'"'"'s state.

25. A control system according to claim 20, the remote object having a motor control unit, wherein the means for generating operating state signals is the motor control unit.

26. A control system according to claim 20 including a select state generator for modifying the manner in which the means for generating effect control signals responds to the remote control signals.

27. A control system according to claim 20 wherein

the means for generating a remote control signal includes means for controlling the AC power supply to provide to the remote object an AC power supply voltage in excess of a predetermined value;

and

the means for generating the effect control signals includes peak detector means for detecting applied AC power supply voltage in excess of the predetermined value.

28. A control system according to claim 20, the remote object having a coil-actuated coupler, including:

energy storage means for storing energy provided by the AC power supply voltage; and

switch means, responsive to a predetermined one of the effect control signals, for providing energy stored in the energy storage means to the coupler coil for actuating the coupler.

29. A control system according to claim 20, further comprising at least one of a remotely-controllable address and command storage feature, a remotely-controllable paging feature, a remotely-controllable direction sense reversal effect and a remotely-controllable master-slave effect.

30. A method of selecting and actuating one of a set of effects associated with a remote object, the remote object having a predetermined set of operating states and having apparatus responsive to a first remote control signal for changing the operating state and having apparatus responsive to a second remote control signal and to the operating state of the remote object for selecting and actuating one of the effects, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a state generator in the remote object for maintaining one of the predetermined set of operating states of the remote object and for changing states in a predetermined sequence, one state at a time, responsive to the first remote control signal;

defining a set of effects, each effect corresponding to one of the operating states of the remote object;

selecting a desired one of the set of effects by;

first, determining the present operating state of the remote object;

second, transmitting a first remote control signal to the state generator if necessary to change the operating state to a next state in the sequence; and

third, repeating said transmitting step as necessary to step the state generator through subsequent states in the sequence until the state of the remote object is the state that corresponds to the desired effect; and

transmitting a second remote control signal to the remote object to actuate the desired effect.