Locomotive wireless video recorder and recording system

• US 7,965,312 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2005
• Issued: 06/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Ballesty, Daniel Malachi, Chung, Wing Yeung, Kisak, Jeffrey James, Shaffer, Glenn Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): RAO, ANAND SHASHIKANT
• Application Number:
  US11/146,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20050253926A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,206 Days
• Field of Search: 348113-120, 348143-160
• US Class Current: 348/116
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0027 Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0081 On-board diagnosis or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/009 On-board display devices
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 2205/04 Satellite based navigation systems, e.g. global positioning system [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/021 Measuring and recording of train speed
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/023 Determination of driving direction of vehicle or train
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/025 Absolute localisation, e.g. providing geodetic coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/026 Relative localisation, e.g. using odometer
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/53 for trackside elements or systems, e.g. trackside supervision of trackside control system conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/57 for vehicles or trains, e.g. trackside supervision of train conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

An imaging system (5) for generating landmark correlated images taken from a railroad locomotive includes a camera (142) mounted on the locomotive (22) for imaging an environment in a vicinity of the locomotive and transmitting imaging data indicative of images acquired. The system also includes a location sensor (20) on-board the locomotive generating signals indicative of a geographic location of the locomotive constituting location data. The system also includes a railroad landmark database (68) comprising a plurality of railroad landmarks (76) associated with respective geographic locations constituting landmark tags. The system also includes a processor (e.g., 10) receiving the imaging data and location data and communicating with the railroad landmark database to correlate the landmark tags with the imaging data and the location data for generating landmark correlated image data. The system may also include a computer system (86) for accessing the landmark correlated image data by landmark location.

Claims

1. An imaging system for generating landmark correlated images taken from a railroad locomotive comprising:

a camera mounted on a locomotive for imaging an environment in a vicinity of the locomotive, the camera transmitting imaging data indicative of images acquired;

a location sensor on-board the locomotive generating signals indicative of a geographic location of the locomotive constituting location data;

a railroad landmark database comprising a plurality of railroad landmarks associated with respective geographic locations constituting landmark tags; and

a processor receiving the imaging data and the location data and communicating with the railroad landmark database to compare the location data with the geographic locations constituting the landmark tags, such that said processor is configured to incorporate the landmark tag into the imaging data when the location data matches the geographic location constituting one of the landmark tags, such that the imaging data is searchable based on the landmark tags.

2. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the location sensor comprises a GPS receiver.

3. The imaging system of claim 1, further comprising a first data storage device on-board the locomotive in communication with the camera for storing the landmark correlated image data.

4. The imaging system of claim 3, further comprising a second data storage device storing the landmark correlated image data and being configured to be selectively removable from on-board the locomotive for installation in a data reader off-board the locomotive.

5. The imaging system of claim 1, further comprising a download player accessing the landmark correlated image data.

6. The imaging system of claim 1, further comprising an actual time source providing signals indicative of chronological date and time constituting time tag data for the imaging data.

7. The imaging system of claim 6, wherein the location sensor and the actual time source both comprise a GPS receiver.

8. The imaging system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of locomotive operating parameter sensors disposed on-board the locomotive for monitoring a plurality of operating parameters relative to the locomotive, generating data indicative of the operating parameters, and transmitting the operating parameter data, the processor further receiving time tag data to correlate the time tag data and the operating parameter data with the imaging data.

9. The imaging system of claim 1, further comprising a landmark sensor on board the locomotive for detecting actual landmarks proximate the locomotive and generating landmark detection data, the processor receiving the landmark detection data to correlate the actual landmarks with the imaging data.

10. The imaging system of claim 9, wherein the landmark sensor comprises a transponder reader detecting respective transponders positioned proximate the actual landmarks.

11. The imaging system of claim 9, wherein the transponder reader comprises an AEI tag reader and the transponders comprise AEI tags.

12. The imaging system of claim 9, wherein the landmarks comprise mile posts alongside a track on which the locomotive travels.

13. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the processor is located on-board the locomotive.

14. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the processor is located off board the locomotive.

15. The imaging system of claim 1, further comprising a computer system for accessing the landmark correlated image data by landmark location, the computer system comprising:

an input device for selecting landmark correlated image data by landmark location;

a storage device storing a computer code for accessing the landmark correlated image data to retrieve selected landmark correlated image data according to landmark location;

a central processing unit responsive to the input device and operative with the computer code stored in the storage device to retrieve selected landmark correlated image data; and

an output device for providing selected landmark correlated image data.

16. The imaging system of claim 15, wherein the landmark correlated image data comprises time tags, the storage device further comprising a computer program code for accessing the landmark correlated image data by the time tags.

17. The imaging system of claim 15, wherein the landmark correlated image data comprises geographic coordinates, the storage device further comprising a computer program code for accessing the landmark correlated image data by the geographic coordinates.

18. The imaging system of claim 15, wherein the landmarks comprise mile posts alongside a track on which the locomotive travels, the storage device further comprising a computer program code for accessing the landmark correlated image data by the mile posts.

19. Computer readable medium encoded with computer program instructions for generating landmark correlated images taken from a railroad locomotive, the locomotive having a camera imaging an environment in a vicinity of the locomotive, a location sensor generating signals indicative of a geographic location of the locomotive, and a railroad landmark database comprising a plurality of railroad landmarks associated with respective geographic locations, the computer readable medium comprising:

computer program instructions for processing received imaging data indicative of images acquired in a vicinity of a locomotive;

computer program instructions for processing received location data indicative of a geographic location of the locomotive when the images are being acquired; and

computer program instructions for accessing a railroad landmark database comprising a plurality of railroad landmarks associated with respective geographic locations constituting landmark tags to compare the location data with the geographic locations constituting the landmark tags, to incorporate the landmark tag into the imaging data when the location data matches the geographic location constituting one of the landmark tags, such that the imaging data is searchable based on the landmark tags.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, further comprising a computer program code for storing the landmark correlated image data in a memory device.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 19, further comprising a computer program code for accessing the landmark correlated image data stored in the memory device by landmark location.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the landmark correlated image data comprises time tags, the media further comprising a computer program code for accessing the landmark correlated image data in the memory device by the time tags.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the landmark correlated image data comprises geographic coordinates, the media further comprising a computer program code for accessing the landmark correlated image data in the memory device by the geographic coordinates.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the landmarks comprise mile posts alongside a track on which the locomotive travels, the media further comprising a computer program code for accessing the landmark correlated image data in the memory device by the mile posts.

25. A computer system for accessing landmark correlated image data by landmark location comprising:

an input device for selecting landmark correlated image data by landmark location;

a storage device storing a computer code for accessing the landmark correlated image data to retrieve selected landmark correlated image data according to landmark location;

a central processing unit responsive to the input device and operative with the computer code stored in the storage device to retrieve selected landmark correlated image data; and

an output device for providing selected landmark correlated image data.

26. A system of claim 25, wherein the landmark correlated image data comprises time tags, the storage device further comprising a computer program code for accessing the landmark correlated image data by the time tags.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the landmark correlated image data comprises geographic coordinates, the storage device further comprising a computer program code for accessing the landmark correlated image data by the geographic coordinates.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the landmarks comprise mile posts alongside a track on which a locomotive travels, the storage device further comprising a computer program code for accessing the landmark correlated image data by the mile posts.