Patent Application
20100032529
An embodiment of the invention relates to systems and methods that detect movement of vehicles on designated pathways. More specifically, the invention pertains to such systems and methods that are used to detect movement of vehicles within a staging yard (e.g., railcars on tracks within a rail yard).
Rail yards are staging locations for railcars that typically have a multitude of tracks. Some rail yards include classification yards/tracks that serve as a potential destination location for railcars. Accordingly, the railcars are moved and arranged on the tracks according to a predetermined destination of the railcars. In most cases, a trip plan is created that provides for a starting location and destination location for each railcar in a train. In other cases railroad personnel on site determine placement of cars using real time-based judgment. The trip plan may include one or more intermediate destinations or stops at classification yards to classify the railcars according to the railcars' next stops or destinations.
Railcar movement into and out of rail yards is routinely tracked by management information systems. Each of the railcars in a train, and the locomotive of a train, is identified with specific codes or a serial number. The management information systems can utilize Automated Equipment Identification (AEI) tags and readers to locate railcars on a track or can be manually updated based on inspection reports. Additionally, railcars and locomotives may include an AEI tag that includes stored data relative to an identification of the railcar or locomotive. An AEI reader may be positioned on the wayside of the railroad track at an exit or entrance of the rail yard to read the AEI tags on the railcars and locomotives in a train. The AEI readers transmit information signals that provide the identification and location for each locomotive and railcar in the train. Alternatively, a railroad agent or system may visually inspect each car or locomotive and record the identity of each railcar and the railcar sequence in the train. The information concerning the train profile includes the identification of the individual railcars making up the train. This information may be verified with a train manifest, which includes a list of the railcars associated with a locomotive ID, and the destinations for each railcar in a train.
Once the train enters the rail yard, one or more operators that are supervising or controlling the movement of the locomotive in the rail yard manually track movement and location of the individual railcars making up the railcar inventory. The operator moves the locomotive through the rail yard dropping and adding railcars as required for meeting local rail yard plans and objectives. Where necessary, the operator may deviate from a prescribed plan, resulting in placement of a railcar in a location other than originally planned. As a result of these ad-hoc moves, a single operator may be the only person who knows the location of a railcar in the rail yard. If the operators forget the location of railcars in the rail yard, or otherwise make an error in building a train, railcars may be lost or directed to the wrong destinations
Sensors or wheel detectors are used in classification yards; however, not for the purpose of tracking a rail yard inventory. The sensors or wheel detectors are used to generally detect movement of a railcar onto or off of a track. Other applications may include determining direction of movement of a train or measuring the speed of a railcar. However, sensors or wheel detectors in classification yards are not used to track a rail yard inventory.
Embodiments of the invention for a system for tracking a vehicle inventory may be incorporated in a staging yard wherein a plurality of the vehicles are connected in a series and are moved and arranged on a plurality of designated pathways in the staging yard by a powered vehicle. The system comprises a plurality of sensors each of which is associated with a designated pathway in the staging yard for detecting a vehicle entering or exiting the pathway. (For example, each sensor may be positioned in the staging yard relative to a pathway.) Each sensor transmits one or more signals indicating the vehicle has entered or exited the pathway and an identification of the associated pathway.
One or more controllers have data relative to the connected series of vehicles in the staging yard. This data, collectively referred to in some embodiments as a profile of the connected series of vehicles, may include a total number of vehicles in the series, and a sequence in which the vehicles are linked together and are identified relative to reference vehicle. The one or more controllers, responsive to movement of the vehicles in the staging yard and to the signals received from the sensors, store in a memory the number of vehicles in the connected series having entered or exited each pathway in the staging yard, and the sequence in which the railcars are linked together on each track in the rail yard. In addition, as vehicles are dropped and added to the series of vehicles, the controller is configured to update the sequence of the vehicles, according to the vehicle's identifiers, that make up the series. The controller may also update a database that includes data relative to the identification of each vehicle remaining on each pathway and the sequence in which these remaining vehicles are linked on a respective pathway.
Embodiments of the invention may also be described as and include a method for tracking a staging yard inventory. The method comprises providing data relative to a train or other series of linked vehicles in the staging yard. The data may include a total number of vehicles in the series of vehicles, an identifier for each vehicle in the series of vehicles, and a sequence in which the vehicles are linked together (with respect to a reference vehicle or otherwise). The method also includes steps of counting the number of vehicles that enter and exit a pathway in the staging yard; identifying each vehicle that enters and exits the pathway in the staging yard; and storing in a memory, for each pathway in the staging yard, data relative to the number of vehicles in the series having entered and exited the pathway, the identifier for each vehicle having entered and exited the pathway, and the sequence in which the vehicles are linked together or otherwise arranged on the pathway.
The present invention can be more easily understood and the further advantages and uses thereof more readily apparent, when considered in view of the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the following figures, wherein:
A more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof that are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained. While the invention is described below in reference to tracking the movement of railcars in a rail yard, the invention is not so limited. The invention may be used with other vehicles including marine vessels, off-highway vehicles, on-road vehicles, etc. The term “powered vehicle” as used herein shall comprise the vehicles that have an onboard power source sufficient to propel the vehicle and others in a series of vehicles. In the case of trains traveling on railroad tracks, the locomotive is the powered vehicle.
Before describing in detail the particular method and apparatus for controlling of movement of a train in accordance with the present invention, it should be observed that the present invention resides primarily in a novel combination of hardware and software elements related to said method and apparatus. Accordingly, the hardware and software elements have been represented by conventional elements in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to the present invention, so as not to obscure the disclosure with structural details that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the description herein.
With respect to
The train 12 includes at least one locomotive 18 and a plurality of railcars 14 that are linked together and to the locomotive 18. An operator 17 located on-board or off-board the locomotive 18 controls movement of the locomotive 18 and train 12 in the rail yard 10 to position railcars 14 on the tracks 13 according to a predetermined destination. In the example shown in
As the train 12 moves through the yard 10, the switches 15 are activated to move the train 12 from the main track 11 to the tracks 13 or from one track 13 to another. Wheel detectors or sensors 19 are positioned along the tracks 11, 13 and 30 adjacent to the switches 15 to provide information concerning progress of a railcar 14 such as the speed the railcar 14 is traveling, the direction of movement of the railcars 14, and the location of the railcars 14 and train 12 in the rail yard 10. Sensors 19 are those typically used to detect occupancy of a track 13 such as axle counters, track circuits, loop detectors, and/or optical sensors.
In the below described rail yard 10, there are those railcars 14 that make up the train 12, and those railcars 14B that are present in the rail yard 10 when a train 12 arrives or leaves the rail yard 10. An embodiment of the system for tracking rail yard inventory including the railcars 14 of the train 12 and railcars 14B in the yard 10 comprises the sensors 19 and one or more wayside controllers 20, which are programmed or otherwise configured to count the railcars 14 as they are entering or exiting the main track 11 or destination tracks 13. With respect to
In reference to
When the train 12 enters the rail yard 10 the controller 20 is activated to initiate the algorithms or programs for tracking the rail yard 10 inventory. The controller 20 may be configured so it is manually activated, or it may include a radio frequency module for remote engagement by the operator 17 using the remote control unit 27. In addition, or alternatively, the controller 20 may be remotely engaged by a locomotive onboard operating system (not shown). Initially, an identification of the train 12 including the identifier for the locomotive 18 and each railcar 14, and the sequence in which the railcars 14 are connected together and to the locomotive 18, is provided and entered into the controller/database. The sequence of railcars may be determined from a reference vehicle such as a lead railcar 14A to the locomotive 18. Alternatively, the reference vehicle may include the locomotive 18, or a railcar adjacent the locomotive 18, and the sequence of the railcars 14 is determined from the reference vehicle to the lead railcar 14A.
The identifier data or information is an alphanumeric symbol posted on the side of, and unique to each railcar 12. This data may be entered into the controller 20 manually from a train manifest in the possession of the operator 17, or the data entry may be automated. For example, rail yards 10 often have AEI readers 23 positioned at an entrance or exit of the rail yard 10. An AEI tag 22 is mounted on each of the railcars 14 and locomotive 18 and contains data relative to the respective railcar 14 and locomotive 18, including the identifier unique to a railcar 14 or locomotive 18. As the train 12 enters the rail yard 10, the AEI reader 23 reads the data on the AEI tags 22 mounted on each railcar 14 and locomotive 18 and transmits signals to the controller 20 that include data relative to the railcars 14 identifiers. Accordingly, the controller 20 may be equipped with a radio frequency module 28 for a communication link with the AEI readers and other components (including the remote control unit 27 or locomotive onboard operating system) of the classification rail yard 10. The use and operation of AEI tags and readers in the locomotive industry are well known to those skilled in the art.
The controller 20 may be programmed to count the railcars 14 as the train manifest data is entered manually or automatically, thereby creating a railcar sequence as provided in Table II below and referenced in
Only six railcars are illustrated in this example; however, a train may include many more railcars, because trains may be as long as a mile or even longer.
In addition, the controller 20 may be configured to count the railcars 14 as they pass the wheel detectors or sensors 19. By way of example, and with respect to
As each railcar 14 enters the track T4, the sensor 19 and controller 20 count the wheels or axles 26 on the railcar 14, and when a sufficient number of wheels or axles 26 have been counted for a railcar 14 to be on track T4 a railcar 14 is counted and determined to be on the track 13. Railcars 14 typically have four axles, so when the fourth or last axle is counted a railcar 14 is counted. Algorithms known to those skilled in the art may also be used to assign a number when fewer than four axles have been counted. In addition, the controller 20 may be programmed to determine the direction in which the railcars 14 are rolling or moving responsive to the signals 25 received from the sensors 19, so that the controller 20 may determine if the railcars 14 are entering or exiting a track 13. For example, and with respect to
With respect to
With respect to
The controller 20 may be programmed to update the inventory database 21 to reflect that the three railcars MNP004, MNP005 and MNP006 were left on track T4 as reflected in the below Table V:
With respect to
As shown in
The controller 20 may be programmed to update the inventory database 21 to reflect that the two railcars 14B identified as ABC001 and ABC002 have been removed from the track T1 as reflected in the below Table VII:
Thus, according to the above described embodiments of the invention, the identification of a train, including the identity of each railcar and the sequence in which the railcars are linked together from the lead railcar to the locomotive is initially provided to the controller 20. In addition, a database 21 is provided that includes data relative to the identity, track location, and the sequence of the railcars 14B on each track 13 in the classification yard 10. Sensors 19 positioned at points or locations where railcars 14 may enter or exit a track 13 detect when a railcar 14 has entered or exited a track 13. The controller 20 is programmed to count the number of railcars 14 entering or exiting a track 13 and the sequence in which the railcars enter or exit a track. In this manner the controller 20 is able to update the sequence of the railcars in the train 12 when railcars are added or dropped; and, update the inventory data relative to the identity railcars 14B, the track location for each railcar 14B and the sequence of the railcars 14B on each track 13.
In addition, the system may also include a sensor 40 shown in
Embodiments of the invention may also be described as a method for tracking rail yard inventory. With respect to
In step 30 data relative to the train identification including the identifier data for each railcar and the sequence in which the railcars 14 linked together and to the locomotive 18 is entered in the controller 20. In step 31, the railcars 14 in a train 12 are counted as they enter a destination track 13; and, in step 32 the railcars 14 are counted as they exit the track. In an embodiment, the step of counting may include detecting movement of the railcars on the tracks at an area of a track where a railcar enters or exits a track; and, the movement is detected using a plurality of sensors wherein each sensor is positioned adjacent to a switch in the rail yard.
In step 33, the number of railcars 14 having entered the track 13 is compared to the number of railcars 14 having exited the track 13. Depending whether railcars 14 have been added or dropped, in step 34 the railcars 14 that have been added to the train 12 are identified, or the railcars 14 that were left remaining on the track 13 are identified. In steps 35 and 36, the railcar sequence in the train 12 is updated, and a rail yard inventory database is updated including the identity of each railcar, the track location of each railcar and the sequence in which the railcars 14 are arranged on a given track 13. In this manner, the rail yard inventory is tracked and updated as railcars are added or removed from the rail yard.
Embodiments of the invention may also include a computer readable memory medium that stores a program for tracking a rail yard inventory that includes a plurality of railcars moved and arranged on a plurality of tracks within rail yard and each track is associated with a destination of the railcars on the track. The computer program comprises a computer module for providing data relative to a train in the rail yard, the data comprising a total number of railcars in the train, an identifier for each railcar in the train, and a sequence in which the railcars are linked together. In addition a computer module may count the number of railcars that enter and exit each track in the rail yard; a computer module also identifies each railcar that enters and exits each track in the rail yard; and, a computer module for stores in a memory: (i) for each track in the rail yard, data relative to the number of railcars in the train having entered and exited a track in the rail yard, the identifier for each railcar having entered and exited the track, and the sequence in which railcars are arranged remaining on the track after the railcars have exited the track; and (ii) the sequence in which railcars are linked in the train. The module for providing identification data relative to the railcars may comprise a module for reading the data from a data storage device on each railcar and transmitting the data to a computer module for storing in the memory in the format of a railcar sequence of the train.
The module for counting comprises program instructions for controlling a plurality of sensors to detect movement of the railcars on the tracks at an area of a track where a railcar enters or exits a track, and each sensor is positioned adjacent to a switch in the rail yard. In addition, the computer readable memory medium may further comprise a computer module for updating the memory and data in the memory relative to the number of railcars in the train having entered and exited a track in the rail yard, the identifier for each railcar having entered and exited the track, the sequence in which the railcars are linked together in the train, and the sequence in which the railcars are linked remaining on the track each time a train adds railcars to the train or drops railcars from the train.
The module for storing comprises a computer module with a database having data relative to an identification of a track on which each railcar in the rail yard is positioned, the identifier for each railcar, and the sequence in which the railcars are linked on each track in the rail yard. In addition, the module for counting comprises a computer module for counting the number of railcars entering a track, counting the number of railcars exiting the same track, and comparing the number of railcars having entered the track to the number of railcars exiting the track to determine the number of railcars in the train and the number of railcars remaining on the track.
The computer readable memory medium may also include a computer module for updating the memory to include data relative to the sequence of railcars in the train; and, a computer module for updating the data in the database to include data relative the sequence of the railcars remaining on the track.
Embodiments described above may be implemented on a suitable computer system, controller, memory, or generally a computer readable medium. For example, the steps of the methods described above may correspond to computer instructions, logic, software code, or other computer modules disposed on the computer readable medium, e.g., floppy disc, hard drive, ASIC, remote storage, optical disc, or the like. The computer-implemented methods and/or computer code may be programmed into an electronic control unit of an engine, a main control system of the locomotive, a remote control station that communicates with the locomotive unit, or the like, as described above.
While various embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious that such embodiments are provided by way of example only and not of limitation. Numerous variations, changes and substitutions will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the teaching of the present invention. Moreover, unless specifically stated, any use of the terms first, second, selected, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, selected, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention be interpreted within the full spirit and scope of the appended claims.
