Railroad virtual track block system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11767041-B2
Application number	US-202117542263-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2021
Priority date	May 5, 2017
Publication date	Sep 26, 2023
Grant date	Sep 26, 2023

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:
partition 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;
detect a position of an electrical circuit discontinuity in one of the plurality of virtual track blocks, wherein the electrical circuit discontinuity is an open circuit indicating a broken rail within the one of the virtual track blocks; and
in response to detecting a presence of the broken rail in one of the plurality of virtual track blocks, generate a corresponding virtual track block position code; and
generating an alert to an operator indicating the broken rail within the one of the virtual track blocks.

2. The railroad track control system of claim 1 , further comprising recording the virtual track block position code indicating the position of the broken rail.

3. The railroad track control system of claim 1 , wherein each control system is operable to detect the presence of the broken rail 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.

4. The railroad track control system of claim 1 , wherein the electrical discontinuity indicates the position of the broken rail in one of the plurality of virtual track blocks.

5. The railroad track control system of claim 1 , wherein each control system is operable to determine the electrical discontinuity 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.

6. The railroad track control system of claim 1 , wherein each control system is operable to wirelessly transmit a VBP message identifying the broken rail within the at least one virtual track block.

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

8. The railroad track control system of claim 1 , wherein the railroad track control system records, sets alarms, and indicates a location of the broken rail.

9. The railroad track control system of claim 1 , wherein a location of the broken rail is indicated as the nearest virtual track block.

10. The railroad track control system of claim 1 , wherein the nearest virtual track block is a 25% increment of the physical track block.

11. A method of railroad track control, comprising:
partitioning a physical track block into a plurality of virtual track blocks, via a plurality of control systems each disposed at a corresponding end of a corresponding physical track block, the physical track block defined by first and second insulated joints disposed at corresponding first and second ends of a length of railroad track;
detecting a position of an electrical circuit discontinuity in one of the plurality of virtual track blocks, wherein the electrical circuit discontinuity is an open circuit indicating a broken track within the one of the virtual track blocks; and
in response to detecting a presence of the broken track in the one of the plurality of virtual track blocks, generating a corresponding virtual track block position code indicating the position of the broken track in the one of the plurality of virtual track blocks; and
generating an alert to an operator indicating the broken track within the one of the virtual track blocks.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising recording the virtual track block position code indicating the position of the broken rail.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein each control system is operable to detect the presence of the broken rail 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.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the electrical discontinuity indicates the position of the broken rail in one of the plurality of virtual track blocks.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein each control system is operable to determine the electrical discontinuity 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.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein each control system is operable to wirelessly transmit a VBP message identifying the broken rail within the at least one virtual track block.

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

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the railroad track control system records, sets alarms, and indicates a location of the broken rail.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein a location of the broken rail is indicated as the nearest virtual track block.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the nearest virtual track block is a 25% increment of the physical track block.

Assignees

• Bnsf Railway Co

Inventors

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

Classifications

• B61L23/044

  Broken rails · CPC title

• B61L11/08 Primary

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

• B61L1/188 Primary

  Use of coded current · CPC title

• B61L7/088

  Common line wire control using series of coded pulses · CPC title

• B61L21/10

  Arrangements for trains which are closely following one another · CPC title