Method and apparatus of monitoring a railroad hump yard

• US 6,789,005 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2002
• Issued: 09/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: New York Air Brake Corporation (Knorr-Bremse GmbH)
• Original Assignee: New York Air Brake Corporation (Knorr-Bremse GmbH)
• Inventors: Hawthorne, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US10/301,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20040102878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 701/19, 701/2, 701/117, 340/989, 340/990, 340/992, 246/2.R, 246/187.A, 246/182.R
• US Class Current: 701/19
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 17/00 Switching systems for classification yards
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 2205/04 Satellite based navigation systems, e.g. global positioning system [GPS]

Abstract

A method of monitoring a railroad hump yard, including storing a profile of the hump yard. The commands sent to one or more of the retarding devices and track switches are determined. The telemetry of a car at at least one point after release over the hump is obtained. Finally, the telemetry of the car for the remainder of the path in the hump yard is calculated. The calculated telemetry of the car over the path in the hump yard may be displayed real time or may be stored and subsequently displayed. A remote control locomotive device includes operator input, a display, a data base of at least a track profile and a program to drive the display with the location of the train on the track profile.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring a railroad hump yard comprising:

storing a profile of the hump yard;

determining commands sent to one or more of retarding device and track switches;

obtaining telemetry of a car at at least one point after release over the hump; and

calculating the telemetry of the car for the remainder of a path in the hump yard.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the obtained telemetry includes one or more of image, speed, acceleration and location and the calculated telemetry includes one or more of speed, acceleration and location.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the telemetry is obtained from one or more of the car, a locomotive, remote control locomotive device and track side sensors.

4. The method according to claim 1, including displaying the calculated telemetry of the car over the path in the hump yard.

5. The method according to claim 1, including storing and subsequently displaying the calculated telemetry of the car over the path in the hump yard.

6. The method according to claim 1, including storing the commands and obtained telemetry;

and subsequently modifying one or more of the commands, and recalculating and displaying the recalculated telemetry of the car over the path in the hump yard.

7. The method according to claim 1, including storing the commands and the obtained telemetry;

and subsequently modifying the telemetry of the car, and recalculating and displaying the recalculated telemetry of the car over the path in the hump yard.

8. The method according to claim 7, including determining telemetry of a locomotive which pushes the car at the hump to produce the modified telemetry of the car.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is performed at a control station of the hump yard.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is performed on a remote control locomotive device.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is performed on a locomotive pushing the car at the hump.

12. The method according to claim 1, including obtaining location of a remote control locomotive device, and correlating and storing the location of a remote control locomotive device with the obtained and calculated telemetry of the car.

13. The method according to claim 12, including time-stamping the stored data.

14. The method according to claim 13, including correlating the time-stamped stored data with time-stamped video of the hump yard.

15. The method according to claim 1, including comparing the calculated telemetry against a predetermined telemetry and producing a variance report.