Integrated rail efficiency and safety support system

• US 8,979,363 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2012
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Concaten Inc.
• Original Assignee: Concaten Inc.
• Inventors: Groeneweg, Kevin K., Rennie, Christopher J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Richard A
• Application Number:
  US13/560,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20120290251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 374/16, 374/109, 374/120, 374/121, 374/124, 374/129, 374/141, 374/142, 374/143, 701/19, 701/20, 702/130, 702/184, 340/905
• US Class Current: 374/141
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 23/042 Track changes detection
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/53 for trackside elements or systems, e.g. trackside supervision of trackside control system conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/00 Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes
• 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

Abstract

Embodiments of an integrated rail efficiency and safety support system and method are shown comprising a server operable to receive a plurality of sets of collected information, each of the sets of collected information comprising a consist physical location and weather conditions and rail temperatures in an area of the respective consist and to process a predictive rail temperature algorithm for predicting a rail temperature and/or a trend in rail temperature for a selected section of track; and wherein the predictive rail temperature algorithm factors the information provided to it and provides a predicted rail temperature and/or trend in rail temperature for the selected section of track.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a server configured for two-way communication with a plurality of moving consists, each consist comprising at least one rail vehicle, wherein the server;

(a) receives over a network, from the plurality of consists, a plurality of sets of collected information, each of the sets of collected information comprising a consist physical location and observed real-time weather conditions and rail temperatures in an area of the respective consist;

(b) wherein the server is operable to process a predictive rail temperature algorithm for predicting a rail temperature and/or a trend in rail temperature for a selected section of track;

(c) wherein the predictive rail temperature algorithm factors the information provided to it, provides a predicted rail temperature and/or trend in rail temperature for the selected section of track and determines an instruction for each consist in the plurality of consists, wherein said instruction is calculated to influence the predicted rail temperature and/or trend in rail temperature for the selected section of track; and

(d) wherein the server sends, over the network, the respective instruction to each respective consist in the plurality of consists.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the network is a cellular network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the network is a radio network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a user of the system is at least one of an operator of one of the plurality of consists and a supervisor.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the supervisor is not located in any one of the plurality of consists.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the predicted rail temperature and/or trend in rail temperature for a selected section of track are communicated to the supervisor.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sets of collected information are sent to the server over a first network, and the predicted rail temperature and/or trend in rail temperature for a selected section of ack are sent to the consist over a second network.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the predicted rail temperature and/or trend in rail temperature for a selected section of track are communicated to an operator of one of the plurality of consists orally via a radio signal.

9. A method, comprising:

(a) receiving over a network, from a plurality of moving consists, each consist comprising at least one rail vehicle, and by a server, a plurality of sets of collected information, each of the sets of collected information comprising a consist physical location and observed real-time weather conditions and rail temperatures in an area of the respective consist;

(b) processing, by the server a predictive rail temperature algorithm for predicting a rail temperature and/or a trend in rail temperature for a selected section of track;

(c) wherein the predictive rail temperature algorithm factors the information provided to it, provides a predicted rail temperature and/or trend in rail temperature for the selected section of track and determines an instruction for each consist in the plurality of consists, wherein said instruction is calculated to influence the predicted rail temperature and/or trend in rail temperature for the selected section of track; and

(d) sending, by the server and over the network, the respective instruction to each respective consist in the plurality of consists.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the network is a cellular network.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the network is a radio network.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein a user of the method is at least one of an operator of one of the plurality of consists and a supervisor.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the supervisor is not located in any one of the plurality of consists.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the predicted rail temperature and/or trend in rail temperature for a selected section of track are communicated to the supervisor.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of sets of collected information are sent to the server over a first network, and the predicted rail temperature and/or trend in rail temperature for a selected section of track are sent to the consist over a second network.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the predicted rail temperature and/or trend in rail temperature for a selected section of track are communicated to an operator of one of the plurality of consists orally via a radio signal.