Apparatus to enable controlling a throttle controlling from a remote host

• US 5,787,371 A
• Filed: 08/15/1997
• Issued: 07/28/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation
• Inventors: Wolf, Daniel J., Balukin, Gregory S.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US08/920,207
• Time in Patent Office: 347 Days
• Field of Search: 701/19, 701/20, 701/29, 701/33, 701/35, 246/187 A, 246/187 C, 246/182 B, 246/182 C, 246/191, 246/167 R, 105/26.05, 105/61, 340/825.29
• US Class Current: 701/19
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/32 Control or regulation of multiple-unit electrically-propelled vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

In a locomotive throttle controller having a digital central processor unit and an output driver mechanism for supplying signals to trainlines which control the locomotive engine throttle setting, reverser, and dynamic braking and for sending feedback signals indicative of actual voltages applied to said trainlines back to said central processor unit, of at least one locomotive, an improvement comprises a digital interface through which external digital equipment can communicate with the central processor unit and devices for communicating via the digital interface between the external digital equipment and the central processor unit such that the external digital equipment may be used to control the at least one locomotive.

Claims

1. In a locomotive throttle controller having a digital central processor and an output driver for supplying an analog voltage signal to a trainline which controls dynamic braking and a plurality of digital voltage signals to trainlines which control locomotive power setting and reverser, such trainlines being industry standard locomotive trainlines which, when used in a consist of coupled locomotives, may be joined by metal to metal connections between adjacent locomotives, the improvement comprising:

(a) a digital interface through which external digital equipment can communicate with said central processor;

(b) means for communicating via said digital interface between said external digital equipment and said central processor such that said external digital equipment may be used to control at least said throttle setting, said reverser and said dynamic braking; and

said external digital equipment including a digital computer connected to said throttle controller through said digital interface, so that at least said throttle setting, said reverser and said dynamic braking of said locomotive can be controlled by digital signals originating in said external computer, and so that diagnostic information from said central processor indicative of voltages measured on said trainlines can be accessed by said external computer.

2. The locomotive throttle controller, according to claim 1, wherein said digital interface is a communication link.

3. The locomotive throttle controller, according to claim 2, wherein said communication link is serial.

4. The locomotive throttle controller, according to claim 2, wherein said communication link is one of an RS-232 and an RS-422 digital interface.

5. The locomotive throttle controller, according to claim 4, wherein said communication link is an RS-232 digital interface.

6. The locomotive throttle controller, according to claim 1, wherein said external computer includes a joystick which can be used to control said locomotive.

7. A locomotive throttle controller according to claim 6 further including:

a radio interface unit having two-way digital communication with said central processor via said digital interface; and

a two-way radio, in communication with said radio interface unit, for two-way communication with said external host whereby said external host may be used to control at least said throttle setting, said reverser and said dynamic braking of said locomotive and whereby said diagnostic information in said central processor can be accessed by said external host.

8. The locomotive throttle controller system, according to claim 7, wherein said external host comprises a two-way radio, a radio interface unit and a digital computer which can be carried by a person.

9. The locomotive throttle controller system, according to claim 7 wherein said external host comprises a two-way radio, a radio interface unit and a digital computer which can be located anywhere in the vicinity of said locomotive.

10. The locomotive throttle controller system, according to claim 9, wherein said external host is located in another locomotive.

11. In a locomotive throttle controller system having a digital central processor and an output driver for supplying an analog voltage signal to a trainline which controls dynamic braking and a plurality of digital voltage signals to trainlines which control locomotive power setting and reverser, such trainlines being industry standard locomotive trainlines which, when used in a consist of coupled locomotives, may be joined by metal to metal connections between adjacent locomotives, the improvement comprising:

(a) a digital interface through which an external digital equipment host can communicate with said central processor;

(b) a first modulation/demodulation unit which processes digital signals received from said digital interface and produces therefrom a first modulated signal, and also accepts a second modulated signal, originating in Item (d) below, and therefrom produces digital signals for communication to said central processor;

(c) electric conduction lines which are connected from railway car to railway car which carry said first and second modulated signals; and

(d) a second modulation/demodulation unit in said external host which converts said first modulated signal into a digital signal for a digital computer in said external host, and converts digital signals from said digital computer in said external host into said second modulated signal such that said external host may be used to control at least said throttle setting, said reverser and said dynamic braking of said locomotive via said second modulated signal and such that diagnostic information from said central processor indicative of the voltages of said trainlines can be accessed by said external host via said first modulated signal.

12. The locomotive throttle controller system, according to claim 11, wherein said external host is located in another locomotive.

13. In a system for control of throttle, reverse, and dynamic braking in railway locomotives wherein there is a lead locomotive, and at some distance down the line of railway cars, at least one slave locomotive, the improvement comprising:

(a) means for generating a first group of control signals in said lead locomotive, said first group of control signals being for control of said slave locomotive;

(b) means for encoding said first group of control signals in a digital form to obtain a second group of control signals;

(c) means for transmitting said second group of control signals to said slave locomotive;

(d) means disposed in said slave locomotive to receive said second group of control signals and to generate a third group of control signals in digital format;

(e) a novel throttle controller in said slave locomotive, having a digital central processor computer and a digital interface which accepts said third group of control signals in digital format and generates a fourth group of control signals, having at least one analog signal for control of dynamic braking, and a plurality of digital voltage signals for locomotive throttle setting and reverser, said novel throttle controller having means to amplify said fourth group of control signals, and apply an analog signal to the trainline which controls the dynamic braking and the digital voltage signals to the trainlines which control the power setting and reverser of said slave locomotive;

(f) means disposed in said slave locomotive for generating a first set of diagnostic signals indicative of the measured voltages of said trainlines, said first set of diagnostic signals having at least one analog signal, and a plurality of digital signals;

(g) means disposed in said slave locomotive for encoding said first set of diagnostic signals to obtain a second set of diagnostic signals indicative of said measured voltages of said trainlines, said second set of diagnostic signals being in digital form; and

(h) means for transmitting said second set of diagnostic signals back to said lead locomotive.

14. The system, according to claim 13, wherein said means for transmitting of Item (c) and Item (h) comprises a two-way digital radio link.

15. The system, according to Claim 13, wherein said means for transmitting of Item (c) and Item (h) comprises electrical conduction paths which are connected between said railway cars.

16. A method for controlling a railway locomotive which comprises:

(a) generating, in digital form, a first set of engine-control signals in an external host computer, said engine-control signals signals including signals indicative of throttle setting, reverser and dynamic braking;

(b) passing said first set of engine-control signals through a digital interface to a digital CPU of a locomotive throttle-control system to obtain a second set of engine-control signals;

(c) converting said second set of engine-control signals into a third set of engine-control signals including an analog voltage signal for control of dynamic braking and a plurality of digital voltage signals for control of locomotive throttle setting and reverser, said third set of engine-control signals being formatted for the trainlines of said locomotive;

(d) passing said third set of engine-control signals to an output driver where they are amplified and applied to the trainlines of said railway locomotive for control of said railway locomotive;

(e) sampling by said digital CPU the trainlines of said locomotive to obtain a first set of diagnostic signals indicative of an analog voltage measured on a trainline carrying said analog voltage signal for control of dynamic braking and said plurality of digital voltage signals for control of locomotive throttle setting and reverser;

(f) processing said first set of diagnostic signals to obtain a second set of diagnostic signals indicative of said measured voltages of said trainlines, said second set of diagnostic signals being in a form convenient to be sent back to said external host computer; and

(g) passing said second set of diagnostic signals through said digital interface to said external host computer.