Wireless crossing activation system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10457307-B2
Application number	US-201615176537-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2016
Priority date	Jun 8, 2016
Publication date	Oct 29, 2019
Grant date	Oct 29, 2019

Abstract

A wireless target activation system for a train, the system including at least one computer programmed or configured to: receive at least one first target location and at least one second target location associated with a forward route of the train, wherein the at least one first target location is located before the at least one second target location on the forward route of the train; determine a gap time between when the leading edge of the train leaves the at least one first target location and is estimated to arrive at the at least one second target location based at least partially on a distance between the at least one first target location and the at least one second target location and a design speed; and based at least partially on the gap time, an allowable acceleration of the train, and a required warning time, generate an activation message configured to activate or cause the activation of at least one function associated with the at least one second target location.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wireless target activation system for a train comprising at least one locomotive or control car, the system comprising at least one computer programmed or configured to:
receive at least one first target location associated with a forward route of the train;
receive at least one second target location associated with the forward route of the train, wherein the at least one first target location is located before the at least one second target location on the forward route of the train;
determine a gap time between when the leading edge of the train leaves the at least one first target location and is estimated to arrive at the at least one second target location based at least partially on a distance between the at least one first target location and the at least one second target location and a design speed; and
based at least partially on the gap time, an allowable acceleration of the train, and a required warning time, generate an activation message configured to activate or cause the activation of at least one function associated with the at least one second target location, wherein if the distance between the at least one first target location and the at least one second target location is too short to reach the design speed based on the allowable acceleration, the at least one computer is programmed or configured to set the design speed of the train to be the following:
√{square root over (2* a*gd )}

wherein a is the allowable acceleration and gd is the distance between the at least one first target location and the at least one second target location.

2. The wireless target activation system of claim 1 , wherein the activation message is generated after the leading edge of the train leaves the at least one first target location.

3. The wireless target activation system of claim 1 , wherein the activation message is generated before the leading edge of the train leaves the at least one first target location.

4. The wireless target activation system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one computer is programmed or configured to automatically generate the activation message if the leading edge of the train leaves the at least one first target location at a time when a summation of the gap time and the allowable acceleration is less than the required warning time.

5. The wireless target activation system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one computer is programmed or configured to:
determine an estimated time of arrival of the leading edge of the train at the at least one first target location based at least partially on the current location of the leading edge of the train and the current speed of the train; and
based at least partially on the estimated time of arrival of the leading edge of the train at the at least one first target location, a dwell time of the train at the at least one first target location, the gap time, the allowable acceleration of the train, and the required warning time, generate the activation message configured to activate or cause the activation of the function associated with the at least one second target location.

6. The wireless target activation system of claim 5 , wherein the activation message is generated before the leading edge of the train leaves at the at least one first target location.

7. The wireless target activation system of claim 5 , wherein the at least one computer is programmed or configured to automatically generate the activation message if the leading edge of the train leaves the at least one first target location at a time when a summation of the gap time and the allowable acceleration is less than the required warning time.

8. The wireless target activation system of claim 5 , wherein the activation message is generated after the leading edge of the train leaves the at least one first target location.

9. The wireless target activation system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one computer is programmed or configured to generate at least one inhibit message configured to inhibit or prevent, or cause the inhibition or prevention of, activation of the function of the at least one second target.

10. The wireless target activation system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one computer is programmed or configured to generate the inhibit message before the leading edge of the train arrives at at least one third target location, the at least one third target location before the at least first target location and the at least one second target location on the forward route of the train.

11. The wireless target activation system of claim 1 , wherein the design speed is a design speed associated with the at least one second target.

12. The wireless target activation system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one computer is programmed or configured to:
determine required time of arrival of the leading edge of the train at the at least one second target location based at least partially on the required warning time;
determine the estimated time of arrival of the leading edge of the train at the at least one second target location based at least partially on a location of the leading edge of the train and a speed of the train after the leading edge of the train leaves the at least one first target location; and
based at least partially on the difference between the determined required time of arrival and the determined estimated time of arrival, generate a target speed of the train.

13. The wireless target activation system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first target location comprises a station stop signal and the at least one second target location comprises a near side of an island crossing.

14. The wireless target activation system of claim 1 , wherein the activation message comprises a timestamp that indicates a time at which to activate the at least one function associated with the at least one second target location.

15. A wireless target activation system for a train comprising at least one locomotive or control car, the system comprising an at least one computer programmed or configured to:
receive at least one first target location associated with a forward route of the train;
receive at least one second target location associated with the forward route of the train, wherein the at least one first target location is located before the at least one second target location on the forward route of the train;
determine an estimated time of arrival of the leading edge of the train at the at least one first target location based at least partially on the current location of the leading edge of the train and the current speed of the train;
determine a gap time between when the leading edge of the train leaves the at least one first target location and is estimated to arrive at the at least one second target location based at least partially on a distance between the at least one first target location and the at least one second target location and a design speed of the train; and
based at least partially on the estimated time of arrival of the leading edge of the train at the at least one first target location, a dwell time of the leading edge of the train at the at least one first target location, the gap time, an allowable acceleration of the train, and a required warning time, generate an activation message configured to activate or cause the activation of a function associated with the at least one second target location.

16. A computer-implemented wireless target activation method for a train comprising at least one locomotive or control car, the method comprising:
receiving at least one first target location a

Assignees

• Westinghouse Air Brake Tech Corp

Inventors

• Schultz Timothy Allen
• Kernwein Jeffrey D
• Sollars Scott A

Classifications

• B61L29/32 Primary

  Timing, e.g. advance warning of approaching train · CPC title

• B61L7/06

  using electrical transmission · CPC title

• B61L29/04

  Gates for level crossings · CPC title

• B61L25/025

  Absolute localisation, e.g. providing geodetic coordinates · CPC title

• B61L25/021

  Measuring and recording of train speed · CPC title