Remote control system having a touchscreen for controlling a railway vehicle

• US 8,295,992 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2008
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hetronic International, Inc. (Methode Electronics Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Hetronic International, Inc. (Methode Electronics Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ecton, Mark, Rempe, Torsten, Heckl, Max
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Malhotra, Sanjeev
• Application Number:
  US12/056,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20090248220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,671 Days
• Field of Search: 105/35, 246/28.R, 246/121, 340/825.69, 342/70, 345/60, 345/626, 381/333
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 3/127 for remote control of locomotives remote control of locomotives within a train consist B61C17/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a remote control system for controlling a railway vehicle. The remote control system including a remote control device for transmitting signals to a first controller module. The first controller is mounted to the railway vehicle and controls and monitors the functions of the railway vehicle. The first controller module also relays information to the remote control device. The remote control system can also include a portable safety switch allowing any individual in proximity to the railway vehicle to send a stop signal to the first controller module to stop the railway vehicle if any unsafe conditions exist.

Claims

1. A remote control system for controlling a railway vehicle, the railway vehicle having a throttle for providing tractive power to the railway vehicle to propel the railway vehicle and a brake system for providing braking power to the railway vehicle, the remote control system comprising:

a remote control device for transmitting signals, the remote control device having a large video display to display real time information of the railway vehicle, the large video display having a touchscreen;

the touchscreen providing executable command options for the railway vehicle, the real time information displayed on the large video display can be changed by an operator of the remote control device so as to provide a different set of information and command options actionable via the touchscreen;

a first controller module connected to the railway vehicle and in communication with the remote control device, the first controller module monitoring a set of predetermined functions of the railway vehicle and receiving commands from the remote control device to control the set of predetermined functions of the railway vehicle, the first controller module providing the real time information to the remote control device;

at least one portable safety switch in communication with the controller module to provide a stop signal to the controller module, the controller module relaying the stop signal to the brake system to provide braking power to the railway vehicle and stop the railway vehicle;

a plurality of frequencies at which the remote control system is operable;

a second controller module connected to the railway vehicle and in communication with the remote control device, the second controller module having a sensor for monitoring the pressure of the fluid contained in the independent brake and providing an output from the sensor of the second controller module to the remote control device indicative of the pressure of the fluid contained in the independent brake, the first and second controller modules initiating the throttle to provide tractive power to the railway vehicle when the pressure of the fluid contained in the main tank reservoir is above a predetermined main tank reservoir level and the pressure of the fluid contained in the independent brake is below a predetermined independent brake level;

a railway vehicle global positioning system (GPS) device in communication with the first controller module to determine the position and velocity of the railway vehicle, the position and velocity of the railway vehicle transmitted to the remote control device via the first controller module, the remote control device transmitting a signal to the first controller module to maintain the velocity of the railway vehicle at a specific velocity once the specific velocity is reached by the railway vehicle as determined by the railway vehicle GPS device;

a vibration detection device to provide the warning signal to the remote control device when the remote control device is vibrated a predetermined amount from a substantially stable position; and

a tilt recognition device to provide a warning signal to the remote control device when the remote control device is tilted a predetermined amount from a substantially level position.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the large video display is a type of video display selected from the group consisting of a cathode ray tube, a bistable display, an electronic paper, an electrophoretic display, a nixie tube display, an electroluminescent display, a plasma display panel, a light-emitting diode, a liquid crystal display, a vacuum fluorescent display, a high performance addressing display, a thin-film transistor display, an organic light-emitting diode display, a surface-conduction electron-emitter display, and a laser tv display.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the large video display has a diagonal length that is greater than about 2.5 inches.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the large video display has a diagonal length that is greater than about 3.5 inches.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the large video display has a diagonal length that is greater than about 5 inches.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the large video display has a diagonal length that is greater than about 7 inches.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the large video display has a touchscreen;

the touchscreen providing executable command options for the railway vehicle.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein the touchscreen is selected from the group consisting of a resistive touchscreen, an infrared touchscreen, a surface acoustic wave touchscreen, a capacitive touchscreen, a strain gauge touchscreen, an optical imaging touchscreen, a dispersive signal touchscreen, an acoustic pulse recognition touchscreen, and a frustrated total internal reflection touchscreen.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the large video display is provided with backlighting to improve visibility of the displayed information.

10. The system of claim 5 wherein the information displayed on the large video display can be changed by an operator of the remote control device so as to provide a different set of information and command options actionable via the touchscreen.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote control system further comprises at least one portable safety switch in communication with the controller module to provide a stop signal to the controller module, the controller module relaying the stop signal to the brake system to provide braking power to the railway vehicle and stop the railway vehicle.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller module of the remote control system is in communication with a GPS device, the GPS device mounted to the railway vehicle within a predetermined distance from the controller module.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote control device is further provided with a GPS device whereby the location of the remote control device can by monitored.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the at least one portable safety switch is further provided with a GPS device to provide the location of the at least one portable safety switch to the large video display of the remote control device via the first controller module.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the controller module, the remote control device, and the at least one safety switch are monitored by a command center.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the command center is provided with a GPS device to provide a reference point for the remote control system.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote control system is provided with a plurality of frequencies at which the remote control system is operable.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the remote control system operates at two different frequencies selected from the plurality of frequencies at which the remote control system is operable, the two different frequencies are manually selected by the user of the remote control system based upon permitted frequencies in a preselected area.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the remote control system operates at two different frequencies selected from the plurality of frequencies at which the remote control system is operable, the two different frequencies are automatically selected by the remote control system based upon permitted frequencies in a preselected area.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote control system is further provided with a tilt recognition device to provide a warning signal to the remote control device when the remote control device is tilted a predetermined amount from a substantially level position;

the tilt recognition device provides the warning signal for a predetermined amount of time before the remote control system enters into a fault condition;

the fault condition avoidable by a cancellation of the warning signal by a user of the remote control device or repositioning the remote control device in the substantially level position.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the warning signal provided to the remote control device comprises an audio warning or a visual warning.

22. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote control system is further provided with a vibration detection device to provide a warning signal to the remote control device when the remote control device is vibrated a predetermined amount from a substantially stable position;

the vibration detection device provides the warning signal for a predetermined amount of time before the remote control system enters into a fault condition;

the fault condition avoidable by a cancellation of the warning signal by a user of the remote control device or repositioning the remote control device in the substantially stable position.

23. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote control system is further provided with an impact detection device to prove a warning signal to the remote control device when the remote control device is impacted above a predetermined impact level.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the impact detection device further provides a second warning signal to the remote control device when the remote control device is impacted above a second predetermined impact level;

the impact detection device providing the second warning signal to the remote control device for a predetermined amount of time before the remote control system enters into a default condition, the fault condition avoidable by a cancellation of the warning signal by a user of the remote control device.

25. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote control system further comprises a second controller module connected to the railway vehicle, the second controller module monitoring a second set of predetermined functions and receiving commands from the remote control device to control the second set of predetermined functions of the railway vehicle.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the predetermined functions of the set of predetermined functions and the second set of predetermined functions are selected from the group consisting of pressure of the fluid in a main reservoir, pressure of a fluid in an independent brake, pressure of a fluid in a train brake, the throttle, the braking system, and combinations thereof.