System and method for vitally determining position and position uncertainty of a railroad vehicle employing diverse sensors including a global positioning system sensor
First Claim
1. A system for vitally determining position of a railroad vehicle, said system comprising:
- a plurality of diverse sensors structured to repetitively sense at least change in position and acceleration of said railroad vehicle;
a global positioning system sensor, which is diverse from each of said diverse sensors, structured to repetitively sense position of said railroad vehicle;
a track map including a plurality of track segments which may be occupied by said railroad vehicle; and
a processor cooperating with said diverse sensors, said global positioning system sensor and said track map, said processor comprising a routine structured to provide measurement uncertainty for each of said diverse sensors and said global positioning system sensor, to cross-check measurements for each of said diverse sensors, to cross-check said global positioning system sensor against said track map, and to provide the vitally determined position of said railroad vehicle and the uncertainty of said vitally determined position,wherein said cross-check for each of said diverse sensors includes a cross-check against an independent measurement of another one of said diverse sensors or a cross-check against an independent calculation based upon another one of said diverse sensors or said global positioning system sensor,wherein said routine is structured to determine a position, the measurement uncertainty and a quality corresponding to each of said diverse sensors,wherein said quality is one of a good quality value and a bad quality value,wherein said routine is further structured to vitally determine said position as a function of the average of the positions corresponding to the good quality value of said diverse sensors,wherein said vitally determined position includes a track segment and a position along said track segment, andwherein said routine is further structured to determine a good quality value corresponding to said vitally determined position when said track segment is not null and when a plurality of said diverse sensors have said good quality value.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system vitally determines a position of a train. The system includes a plurality of diverse sensors, such as tachometers and accelerometers, structured to repetitively sense at least change in position and acceleration of the train, a global positioning system sensor, which is diverse from each of the diverse sensors, structured to repetitively sense position of the train, and a track map including a plurality of track segments which may be occupied by the train. A processor cooperates with the diverse sensors, the global positioning system sensor and the track map. The processor includes a routine structured to provide measurement uncertainty for each of the diverse sensors and the global positioning system sensor. The routine cross-checks measurements for the diverse sensors, and cross-checks the global positioning system sensor against the track map. The routine provides the vitally determined position of the train and the uncertainty of the vitally determined position.
105 Citations
22 Claims
-
1. A system for vitally determining position of a railroad vehicle, said system comprising:
-
a plurality of diverse sensors structured to repetitively sense at least change in position and acceleration of said railroad vehicle; a global positioning system sensor, which is diverse from each of said diverse sensors, structured to repetitively sense position of said railroad vehicle; a track map including a plurality of track segments which may be occupied by said railroad vehicle; and a processor cooperating with said diverse sensors, said global positioning system sensor and said track map, said processor comprising a routine structured to provide measurement uncertainty for each of said diverse sensors and said global positioning system sensor, to cross-check measurements for each of said diverse sensors, to cross-check said global positioning system sensor against said track map, and to provide the vitally determined position of said railroad vehicle and the uncertainty of said vitally determined position, wherein said cross-check for each of said diverse sensors includes a cross-check against an independent measurement of another one of said diverse sensors or a cross-check against an independent calculation based upon another one of said diverse sensors or said global positioning system sensor, wherein said routine is structured to determine a position, the measurement uncertainty and a quality corresponding to each of said diverse sensors, wherein said quality is one of a good quality value and a bad quality value, wherein said routine is further structured to vitally determine said position as a function of the average of the positions corresponding to the good quality value of said diverse sensors, wherein said vitally determined position includes a track segment and a position along said track segment, and wherein said routine is further structured to determine a good quality value corresponding to said vitally determined position when said track segment is not null and when a plurality of said diverse sensors have said good quality value. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21)
-
-
16. A system for vitally determining position of a railroad vehicle, said system comprising:
-
a plurality of diverse sensors structured to repetitively sense at least change in position and acceleration of said railroad vehicle; a global positioning system sensor, which is diverse from each of said diverse sensors, structured to repetitively sense position of said railroad vehicle; a track map including a plurality of track segments which may be occupied by said railroad vehicle; and a processor cooperating with said diverse sensors, said global positioning system sensor and said track map, said processor comprising a routine structured to provide measurement uncertainty for each of said diverse sensors and said global positioning system sensor, to cross-check measurements for each of said diverse sensors, to cross-check said global positioning system sensor against said track map, and to provide the vitally determined position of said railroad vehicle and the uncertainty of said vitally determined position; wherein said cross-check for each of said diverse sensors includes a cross-check against an independent measurement of another one of said diverse sensors or a cross-check against an independent calculation based upon another one of said diverse sensors or said global positioning system sensor; wherein said diverse sensors include a plurality of tachometers and an inertial sensor;
wherein said routine is structured to determine a position, the measurement uncertainty and a quality corresponding to each of said tachometers, said inertial sensor and said global positioning system sensor;
wherein said quality is one of a good quality value and a bad quality value; and
wherein said routine is further structured to vitally determine said position as a function of the average of the positions corresponding to the good quality value of said tachometers, said inertial sensor and said global positioning system sensor;wherein said vitally determined position includes a track segment and a position along said track segment; and
wherein said routine is further structured to determine a good quality value corresponding to said vitally determined position when said track segment is not null and when a plurality of said tachometers, said inertial sensor and said global positioning system sensor have said good quality value.
-
-
18. A system for vitally determining position of a railroad vehicle, said system comprising:
-
a plurality of diverse sensors structured to repetitively sense at least change in position and acceleration of said railroad vehicle; a global positioning system sensor, which is diverse from each of said diverse sensors, structured to repetitively sense position of said railroad vehicle; a track map including a plurality of track segments which may be occupied by said railroad vehicle; and a processor cooperating with said diverse sensors, said global positioning system sensor and said track map, said processor comprising a routine structured to provide measurement uncertainty for each of said diverse sensors and said global positioning system sensor, to cross-check measurements for each of said diverse sensors, to cross-check said global positioning system sensor against said track map, and to provide the vitally determined position of said railroad vehicle and the uncertainty of said vitally determined position; wherein said cross-check for each of said diverse sensors includes a cross-check against an independent measurement of another one of said diverse sensors or a cross-check against an independent calculation based upon another one of said diverse sensors or said global positioning system sensor; wherein said diverse sensors include a plurality of tachometers and an inertial sensor;
wherein said routine is structured to determine a position, the measurement uncertainty and a quality corresponding to each of said tachometers, said inertial sensor and said global positioning system sensor;
wherein said quality is one of a good quality value and a bad quality value; and
wherein said routine is further structured to vitally determine said position as a function of the average of the positions corresponding to the good quality value of said tachometers, said inertial sensor and said global positioning system sensor;wherein said routine is structured to determine a position, the measurement uncertainty and a sensor quality corresponding to each of said diverse sensors and said global positioning system sensor;
wherein the vitally determined position of said railroad vehicle corresponds to a position quality;
wherein each of said sensor quality and said position quality is one of a good quality value and a bad quality value; and
wherein said routine is further structured to reset the uncertainty of said vitally determined position to the measurement uncertainty corresponding to said global positioning system sensor if both of said position quality and the quality of said global positioning system sensor have the good quality value, and, otherwise, to increase the uncertainty of said vitally determined position with movement of said railroad vehicle.
-
-
22. A method of vitally determining a position of a railroad vehicle, said method comprising:
-
employing a plurality of diverse sensors to repetitively sense at least change in position and acceleration of said railroad vehicle; employing a global positioning system sensor, which is diverse from each of said diverse sensors, to repetitively sense position of said railroad vehicle; employing a track map including a plurality of track segments which may be occupied by said railroad vehicle; providing measurement uncertainty for each of said diverse sensors and said global positioning system sensor; cross-checking measurements for each of said diverse sensors; cross-checking said global positioning system sensor against said track map; providing the vitally determined position of said railroad vehicle and the uncertainty of said vitally determined position from the sensed at least change in position and acceleration of said railroad vehicle from said diverse sensors and from the sensed position of said railroad vehicle from said global positioning system sensor; employing said cross-check for each of said diverse sensors including a cross-check against an independent measurement of another one of said diverse sensors or a cross-check against an independent calculation based upon another one of said diverse sensors or said global positioning system sensor; determining a position, the measurement uncertainty and a quality corresponding to each of said diverse sensors; employing said quality as one of a good quality value and a bad quality value; vitally determining said position as a function of the average of the positions corresponding to the good quality value of said diverse sensors; employing said vitally determined position including a track segment and a position along said track segment; and determining a good quality value corresponding to said vitally determined position when said track segment is not null and when a plurality of said diverse sensors have said good quality value.
-
Specification