| 摘要 |
A positive train control may comprise a plurality of different sensors coupled to a processor that determines whether there is an object on a track way and/or an anomaly of a track way, and if there is, provides an alert and/or a train control action. The plural sensors may include a visual imager, an infrared imager, a radar, a doppler radar, a laser sensor, a laser ranging device, an acoustic sensor, and/or an acoustic ranging device. Data from the plural sensors is geo-tagged and time tagged. Some embodiments of the train control employ track monitors, switch monitors and/or wayside monitors, and some employ locating devices such as GPS and inertial devices. |
| 主权项 |
1. A positive train control unit mountable on a train movable on a track way comprising:
a plurality of different sensors selected from the group including a visual imager, an infrared imager, a radar, a doppler radar, a laser sensor, a laser ranging device, an acoustic sensor, and an acoustic ranging device, said plurality of different sensors having respective fields of view sensing in a predetermined forward looking direction along the track way from the train; a locating device including a global positioning device, an inertial navigation device, or both a global positioning device and an inertial navigation device, that independently determines the location of said positive train control unit and represents the location as location data; a processor to which said plurality of different sensors and said locating device are coupled for receiving the data sensed thereby, wherein said processor associates the data sensed by said plurality of different sensors with location data and with time data corresponding to a location and a time at which such data is acquired, whereby such data is geo-tagged and time-tagged to the location and time at which it is acquired; a data receiver configured to receive data from a track monitor, or from a switch monitor, or from a wayside monitor, or from a combination thereof, and to couple that data to said processor; said processor determining from the data sensed by said plurality of different sensors, from the location data, and from data received by said data receiver, the location, speed and direction of said positive train control unit relative to predetermined track way configuration data and a train routing order; said processor determining from the data sensed by said plurality of different sensors whether there is an object on the track way forward in the direction of travel of said positive train control unit; said processor determining from data received by said data receiver whether there is an anomaly the track way proximate forward in the direction of travel of said positive train control unit; and
(1) if said processor determines that the location, speed and/or direction of said positive train control unit differs from the location, speed and/or direction defined in the train routing order, or(2) if said processor determines that an object is in the track way forward of said positive train control unit, or(3) if said processor determines that there is an anomaly in the track way forward of said positive train control unit, or(4) if said processor determines any combination of (1), (2) and (3), then said processor communicates an alert to an alerting device or communicates a control signal to a train control to at least adjust the speed of the train on which said positive train control unit is mounted or both. |
