Railroad virtual track block system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11230308-B2
Application number	US-202117302575-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2021
Priority date	Dec 7, 2002
Publication date	Jan 25, 2022
Grant date	Jan 25, 2022

Abstract

A method of railroad track control includes partitioning a physical track block into a plurality of virtual track blocks, the physical track block defined by first and second insulated joints disposed at corresponding first and second ends of a length of railroad track. The presence of an electrical circuit discontinuity in one of the plurality of virtual track blocks; is detected and in response a corresponding virtual track block position code indicating the presence of the discontinuity in the one of the plurality of virtual track blocks is generated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A railroad track control system for maintaining a braking distance onboard a locomotive comprising:
a plurality of control systems each disposed at a corresponding end of a corresponding physical track block, each control system operable to:
detect an electrical circuit discontinuity in the corresponding physical track block;
detect a presence of a train within the corresponding physical track block;
determine an occupancy of the train within at least one virtual track block of a plurality of virtual track blocks within the corresponding physical track block;
combining multiple wayside occupancy data into one common view of train occupancy; and
transmit a virtual track block position (VBP) message identifying the occupancy of at least one virtual track block within the corresponding physical track block to the locomotive.

2. The railroad track control system of claim 1 , wherein the train occupancy can be determined to the nearest occupied virtual track block by applying a logical OR operation to wayside occupancy data.

3. The railroad track control system of claim 1 , wherein the virtual track block position (VBP) message represents the occupancy data determined from the TC-A and TC-B signals.

4. The railroad track control system of claim 1 , wherein each control system is operable to detect the presence of the train within the corresponding physical track block by detecting an interruption of a track signal transmitted by another one of the control systems disposed at an opposing end of the corresponding physical track block.

5. The railroad track control system of claim 4 , wherein the track signal comprises a track code.

6. The railroad track control system of claim 1 , wherein each control system is operable to determine the occupancy of the train within the at least one virtual track block within the corresponding physical track block by transmitting a track signal along the corresponding physical track block and receiving the track signal returned from wheels of the train.

7. The railroad track control system of claim 1 , wherein each control system is operable to wirelessly transmit the VBP message identifying the occupancy of the train within the at least one virtual track block.

8. The railroad track control system of claim 1 , wherein each control system is operable to transmit a code identifying the occupancy of the train having a least one bit corresponding to one of a plurality of virtual track blocks within the corresponding physical track block.

9. The railroad track control system of claim 1 , wherein transmission of TC-B signals determines the extent of occupancy within physical track block.

10. The railroad track control system of claim 1 , wherein TC-B signals are implemented as a reflection of transmitted energy using a transceiver pair with separate components.

11. A method of railroad track control for maintaining a braking distance onboard a locomotive, comprising:
detecting an electrical circuit discontinuity in the corresponding physical track block;
detecting a presence of a train within the corresponding physical track block by a control system disposed at a corresponding end of the corresponding physical track block;
determining an occupancy of the train within at least one virtual track block of a plurality of virtual track blocks within the corresponding physical track block by the control system;
combining multiple wayside occupancy data into one common view of train occupancy; and
transmitting from the control system a virtual track block position (VBP) message identifying the occupancy of at least one virtual track block within the corresponding physical track block to the locomotive.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the train occupancy can be determined to the nearest occupied virtual track block by applying a logical OR operation to wayside occupancy data.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the virtual track block position (VBP) message represents the occupancy data determined from the TC-A and TC-B signals.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein each control system is operable to detect the presence of the train within the corresponding physical track block by detecting an interruption of a track signal transmitted by another one of the control systems disposed at an opposing end of the corresponding physical track block.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the track signal comprises a track code.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein each control system is operable to determine the occupancy of the train within the at least one virtual track block within the corresponding physical track block by transmitting a track signal along the corresponding physical track block and receiving the track signal returned from wheels of the train.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein each control system is operable to wirelessly transmit the VBP message identifying the occupancy of the train within the at least one virtual track block.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein each control system is operable to transmit a code identifying the occupancy of the train having a least one bit corresponding to one of a plurality of virtual track blocks within the corresponding physical track block.

19. The railroad track control system of claim 1 , wherein transmission of TC-B signals determines the extent of occupancy within physical track block.

20. The railroad track control system of claim 1 , wherein TC-B signals are implemented as a reflection of transmitted energy using a transceiver pair with separate components.

Assignees

• Bnsf Railway Co

Inventors

• Specht Jerry Wade
• Young Ralph E
• Shue Kent Robert
• Beard Mitchell Wayne

Classifications

• B61L23/168 Primary

  using coded current · CPC title

• B61L1/188 Primary

  Use of coded current · CPC title

• B61L23/044

  Broken rails · CPC title

• B61L2011/086

  German radio based operations, called "Funkfahrbetrieb" [FFB] · CPC title

• B61L11/08 Primary

  using electrical or magnetic interaction between vehicle and track · CPC title