Progress Rail Locomotive Inc.

Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc.

David Matthew Roenspies

Alexander Shubs, Jr

James David Seaton

Isaac Suwa Traylor

Ola Tannous

Alex Shubs

A monitoring system for a train is provided. The monitoring system includes an image capturing device configured to capture a video feed of a designated area associated with the train. The monitoring system also includes a controller coupled to the image capturing device. The controller is configured to receive the video feed from the image capturing device. The controller is configured to analyze the video feed to determine if a predefined triggering event has occurred. The controller is configured to record and store a predefined length of the video feed based on the determination. The controller is configured to provide a notification of the recorded video feed to a user through a user interface. The controller is configured to allow the user to access at least a portion of the recorded video feed through the notification.

Monitoring system for train

A railcar hatch control system and method for operating railcar hatches of a multi-railcar train is disclosed. A multi-railcar train may have a locomotive and a plurality of railcars having railcar hatches that can be opened and closed. The system and method may include displaying railcar identification information for the railcars on an operator display device, and receiving selections of railcars from an operator that will have a railcar hatch operation performed thereon, such as opening or closing the hatches. The railcar hatch operation is input, and the system and method control the railcar hatch operation being performed only on the selected railcars, and not on the railcars that have not been selected by the operator. The system and method may have operator interfaces devices at an operator station of the train, or at a remote location or on a remote device that communicates wirelessly with the train.

Remotely operated railcar hatches

A control system for remotely configuring a locomotive includes a plurality of operational control devices located on-board the locomotive, the plurality of operational control devices being configured to implement a change to a designated configuration of the locomotive. A controller located on-board the locomotive is configured to activate the plurality of operational control devices to change the designated configuration of the locomotive upon receipt of a configuration command signal. An off-board remote user interface located remotely from the locomotive is configured to receive a single input from a user commanding a change in configuration of the locomotive, the single input being implemented by activation of a single input device on the remote user interface, and selectively send a configuration command signal to the on-board controller to activate the plurality of operational control devices to change the designated configuration of the locomotive.

Control system enabling remote locomotive configuration setting

A visual diagnostic system for a railroad network is disclosed. The visual diagnostic system may have a sensor associated with a train asset in the railroad network and configured to generate a signal indicative of an operational status of the train asset, and a user interface associated with the train asset. The visual diagnostic system may also have a controller in communication with the sensor and the user interface. The controller may be configured to display on the user interface a graphical representation of the train asset in response to the signal.

Visual diagnostic system for railroad network

A visual diagnostic system for a rail vehicle having multiple assets is disclosed. The visual diagnostic system may have a data interface configured to receive a data stream from a wayside unit. The data stream includes values of a plurality of parameters measured made by the wayside unit. The data interface may also be configured to receive geo-information and configuration-information. The system further includes a memory device configured to store the data stream and a controller configured to determine, from the geo-information and the configuration-information, a geographic location of each of the multiple assets. The controller is further configured to determine prognostic information associated with an operational status of each of the multiple assets. The controller may further render for display in a user interface a visual representation of the rail vehicle with the prognostic information for each asset of the rail vehicle.

Diagnostic system for a rail vehicle

A system for tracking train assets is disclosed. The tracking system may include an image capture device configured to collect an image data set of a train asset and an area surrounding the train asset. Furthermore, the image data set may be associated with a time stamp and in one non-limiting example, the time stamp provides a collection time of the image data set. In some embodiments, a controller may be configured to receive the image data set and to perform an analysis of the image data set and the analysis provides a track location of the train asset and an identification of the train asset.

Train asset tracking based on captured images

A detection system for a locomotive may include a plurality of sensors. An electronic control module may be in communication with, at least, the plurality of sensors and the locomotive. The control module may be configured to: monitor the plurality of sensors; receive an alert from one of the sensors of the plurality of sensors when one of the corresponding sensors is triggered; determine if the alert is a security concern; and operatively respond to the security concern by at least one of removing tractive effort to the locomotive, apply braking force to the locomotive, locking a door of the locomotive, locking a window of the locomotive, and transmitting a notification.

Remote locomotive access detection

A notification system is presented for use within a mobile machine. The notification system may have a route upon which the mobile machine may travel. This may be a train traveling on a track. A geo-fence may also be part of the notification system. The geo-fence may enclose at least a portion of the route through with the mobile machine may travel. The notification system may also include a status notification. The status notification may relate to the operational health of the mobile machine or a subsystem of the mobile machine. The status notification may be generated by the notification system when the mobile machine enters the geo-fence and received by a user.

Geo-fence control of a notification system

A locomotive is disclosed. The locomotive includes a car body, including an operator cabin, a power source, and an operator health monitor within the operator cabin, the operator health monitor configured to monitor at least one health condition associated with the operator and configured to generate an operator health signal associated with the at least one condition. The locomotive includes an operator warning system within the operator cabin, configured to present the operator with an operator warning in response to an operator warning signal, and an electronic controller. The electronic controller may be configured to determine an operator fatigue score based on, at least, the operator health signal, determine if the operator fatigue score exceeds a warning threshold, and transmit the operator warning signal to the operator warning system if the operator fatigue score exceeds the warning threshold.

Locomotive including operator fatigue monitoring system

A method for managing train assets increases the time between required maintenance of the train assets, improves the future availability of the train assets, or increases the likelihood that the train assets will successfully complete future missions. A controller may receive from a sensor on a train asset a real-time signal indicative of at least one of a measured operational characteristic or a maintenance activity associated with the train asset, receive from a memory prognostic data providing information on a likelihood the train asset will complete a mission, and simulate a hypothetical operational scenario (HOS) based at least in part on the prognostic data and involving one or more train assets. Predictive data associated with the HOS may provide information on a likely benefit to a train asset from a change in at least one of an operational parameter, designated operational configuration for the train assets, or maintenance-related activity.

Train asset availability and reliability management system

A control system for remotely facilitating a lead change among a plurality of locomotives in a train is disclosed. The control system may include a user input device, a display device, a communicating device configured to exchange information with the plurality of locomotives, and a controller in electronic communication with the user input device, the display device, and the communicating device. The controller may be configured to generate on the display device a graphical user interface configured to receive a plurality of user inputs in conjunction with the user input device, wherein the plurality of user inputs includes an isolation switch selection, a distributed power selection, and a lead/trail selection. The controller may also be configured to generate configuration commands communicable to the plurality of locomotives via the communicating device based on the user inputs.

Train control system having remote configuration interface

A ride-through control system for operating locomotives in a train includes a geographic position sensor configured to generate a signal indicative of a geographic position of a locomotive of a train, and a controller configured to receive the signal indicative of the geographic position of a locomotive and compare the geographic position of the locomotive with one or more pre-determined geographical locations or regions previously identified as geo-fences. The controller may also be configured to receive one or more locomotive operational signals indicative of at least one of an operational parameter, a fault, and a maintenance request associated with the locomotive, determine whether the geographic position of the locomotive coincides with a geo-fence characterized by conditions that may affect the ability of the locomotive to meet a trip objective if the locomotive were to slow below a threshold speed within the geo-fence, and generate a ride-through control command signal to prevent the locomotive from slowing below the threshold speed within the geo-fence based on at least one of the one or more locomotive operational signals and a user permission level.

Locomotive ride-through control system and method

A system for analyzing health of assets in train is provided. The system includes a sensing unit configured to generate health data of sub-assets. The system also includes a controller in communication with the sensing unit to receive the health data. The controller is configured to display, in a graphical user interface (GUI), a list of assets configurable to allow selection of one asset therefrom. The controller is configured to receive an input command, in the GUI, to select a desired asset from the list of assets for requesting information about health of the desired asset. The controller is configured to display, in the GUI, a visual representation of the desired asset, along with the sub-assets, in response to the input command. The controller is configured to flag, in the GUI, the sub-assets in the visual representation of the desired asset based on the health data of the sub-assets.

System for analyzing health of train

An asset management system for a machine is disclosed. The asset management system may include a sensor associated with an asset of the machine and configured to generate a signal indicative of an operational status of a system associated with the asset. The asset management system may further include a user interface associated with the machine and a controller in communication with the sensor and the user interface. The controller may be configured to display on the user interface a graphical representation of the asset, receive via the user interface a user selection of the system from a plurality of systems associated with the asset, and display on the graphical representation of the asset a visual indicator of the system in response to the user selection. The visual indicator of the system may indicative of the operational status of the system.

Machine asset management system having user interface

A railroad management system is disclosed. The railroad management system may include a display device configured to display information to an operator and a controller in electronic communication with the display device. The controller may include a train control module configured to receive input data from one or more train control systems and a business systems module configured to receive input data from one or more railroad data management systems. The controller may also include an integration module configured to identify discrepancies among the input data from the one or more train control systems and the railroad data management systems and generate corrected input data based on the input data from the one or more train control systems and the railroad data management systems. The controller may be configured to display one or more graphical user interfaces on the display device based at least in part on the corrected input data.

Growing community of inventors

Elburn, IL, United States of America

David Matthew Roenspies