Methods and systems for universal input output for vehicle control
First Claim
1. A control system for vehicles, said system comprising:
- a controller configured to generate output signals using first input signals received from a plurality of different first input devices disposed onboard a first vehicle, the first input devices configured to sense operating parameters of the first vehicle and to generate the first input signals; and
a universal input module corresponding to the plurality of different first input devices and associated with threshold settings used for the first input signals received from the first input devices, said universal input module is configured to;
receive the first input signal from at least one of the plurality of different first input devices; and
based on the first input signal, determine a first operating range of the at least one of the plurality of different first input devices,wherein the controller is configured to scale the threshold settings of the universal input module that are associated with the first input devices based on the first operating range that is determined by the universal input module, andwherein the controller and the universal input module are configured to be removed from the first vehicle and installed on a second vehicle having a plurality of second input devices, the universal input module also configured to receive a second input signal from at least one of the second input devices and determine a second operating range of the at least one of the second input devices that differs from the first operating range based on the second input signal, the controller also configured to change the threshold settings of the universal input module to be used with the second input devices by scaling the threshold settings based on the second operating range.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and systems for controlling a vehicle are provided. The system includes a controller configured to generate output signals using input signals received from a plurality of different types of input devices wherein the controller is configured to operate at a predetermined logic level and a universal input module corresponding to each type of the plurality of different types of input devices. The universal input module is configured to receive an input signal from an associated input device of one of the different types, determine an operating range of the input device corresponding to one of the different types of input devices, and transmit an output to the controller at the predetermined logic level wherein the output corresponds to the received input scaled to the determined operating range.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A control system for vehicles, said system comprising:
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a controller configured to generate output signals using first input signals received from a plurality of different first input devices disposed onboard a first vehicle, the first input devices configured to sense operating parameters of the first vehicle and to generate the first input signals; and a universal input module corresponding to the plurality of different first input devices and associated with threshold settings used for the first input signals received from the first input devices, said universal input module is configured to; receive the first input signal from at least one of the plurality of different first input devices; and based on the first input signal, determine a first operating range of the at least one of the plurality of different first input devices, wherein the controller is configured to scale the threshold settings of the universal input module that are associated with the first input devices based on the first operating range that is determined by the universal input module, and wherein the controller and the universal input module are configured to be removed from the first vehicle and installed on a second vehicle having a plurality of second input devices, the universal input module also configured to receive a second input signal from at least one of the second input devices and determine a second operating range of the at least one of the second input devices that differs from the first operating range based on the second input signal, the controller also configured to change the threshold settings of the universal input module to be used with the second input devices by scaling the threshold settings based on the second operating range. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of controlling vehicles, said method comprising:
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receiving a first input signal from a first input device configured to sense an operating parameter of a first vehicle and to generate the first input signal; determining a first operating range of the first input device using a universal input module and based on the first input signal that is received, the universal input module associated with one or more threshold settings used for the first input signal received from the first input device; using a controller disposed onboard the first vehicle, scaling the one or more threshold settings of the universal input module that are associated with the first input devices based on the first operating range that is determined; removing the controller and the universal input module from the first vehicle and installing the controller and the universal input module on a second vehicle having a second input device; receiving a second input signal from the second input device of the second vehicle; determining a second operating range of the second input device using the universal input module; and scaling the one or more threshold settings of the universal input module to be used with the second input device based on the second operating range that is determined. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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14. A first locomotive comprising:
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an engine; a controller configured to control one or more operations of the first locomotive, said controller further configured to generate output signals using first input signals received from a plurality of different first input devices; and a universal input module corresponding to each of the plurality of different first input devices and associated with threshold settings used for the first input signals received from the first input devices, said universal input module is configured to; receive the first input signal from at least one of the plurality of different first input devices; based on the first input signal, determine a first operating range of the at least one of the plurality of different first input devices, wherein the controller is configured to scale the threshold settings of the universal input module that are associated with the first input devices based on the first operating range that is determined by the universal input module, and wherein the controller and the universal input module are configured to be removed from the first locomotive and installed on a second locomotive having a plurality of second input devices, the universal input module also configured to receive a second input signal from at least one of the second input devices and determine a second operating range of the at least one of the second input devices that differs from the first operating range based on the second input signal, the controller also configured to change the threshold settings of the universal input module to be used with the second input devices by scaling the threshold settings based on the second operating range. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification