The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 27, 2001
Filed:
Sep. 22, 1998
Paul J. Kettle, Jr., Ijamsville, MD (US);
Westinghouse Air Brake Company, Wilmerding, PA (US);
Abstract
The function of a two-way end-of-train (EOT) system is coordinated with the operation of the brake equipment on a locomotive of a train according to the steps of a novel method. This method enables the brakes to be applied during an emergency in a way which minimizes the buff and draft forces produced within the train. The method includes the steps of: (1) monitoring the train for signs of an emergency by using the brake equipment of the locomotive; (2) determining, if an emergency has occurred, whether the emergency is due to disjoining of the train; (3) waiting a preset time period, if the emergency was caused by disjoining of the train, before causing the brake equipment of the locomotive, to command the two-way EOT system to initiate an emergency application of the brakes from a rear part of the train; and (4) waiting an alternative time period, if the emergency was caused other than by disjoining of the train, before causing the brake equipment of the locomotive to command the two-way EOT system to initiate the emergency application of the brakes from the rear part of the train.