System and Method for Monitoring Mobile Vehicles

Abstract

A system for monitoring railcars includes a memory operable to store data associated with monitoring a location of a train. The system also includes a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and operable to receive location signals from a plurality of location devices. Each location device is associated with a respective railcar of a plurality of railcars. The plurality of railcars form the train. The processor is further operable to monitor the location of the train based on received location signals from one or more of the plurality of location devices.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 receiving location signals from a plurality of location devices, each location device associated with a respective railcar of a plurality of railcars;   wherein the plurality of railcars form a train; and   monitoring, based on received location signals from one or more of the plurality of location devices, a location of the train.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein monitoring a location of the train based on the received location signals from the one or more of the plurality of location devices comprises monitoring a location of the train based on the received location signals from one of the plurality of location devices at a time. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein monitoring a location of the train based on the received location signals from one of the plurality of location devices at a time comprises:
 monitoring a location of the train based on the received location signals from a first location device of the plurality of location devices at a first time; and   monitoring a location of the train based on the received location signals from a second location device of the plurality of location devices at a second time.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein monitoring a location of the train based on the received location signals from one of the plurality of location devices at a time further comprises monitoring a location of the train based on the received location signals from additional location devices of the plurality of location devices by cycling through the additional location devices one at a time. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 detecting, based on the received location signals from one or more of the plurality of locations devices, an event; and   monitoring, based on the detection of the event, individual locations of the plurality of railcars of the train.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein detecting the event comprises detecting that the train has crossed a velocity threshold. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein detecting the event comprises detecting that the train crossed a geographic boundary. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 determining, based on the monitoring of the individual locations of the plurality of railcars, that a first railcar of the plurality of railcars is no longer part of the train; and   communicating, based on determining that the first railcar of the plurality of railcars is no longer part of the train, an alert indicating that the first railcar of the plurality of railcars is no longer part of the train.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising detecting that the train has entered a geographical area by detecting that a percentage of the plurality of railcars of the train have crossed a boundary of a geographical area to enter the geographical area. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising monitoring, based upon detecting the train has entered a geographical area by detecting that a percentage of the plurality of railcars of the train have crossed a boundary of a geographical area to enter the geographical area, individual locations of the plurality of railcars of the train. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising detecting that the train has exited a geographical area by detecting that a percentage of the plurality of railcars of the train have crossed a boundary of a geographical area to exit the geographical area. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising monitoring, based upon detecting the train has exited a geographical area by detecting that a percentage of the plurality of railcars of the train have crossed a boundary of a geographical area to exit the geographical area, a location of the train. 
     
     
         13 . A system comprising:
 a memory operable to store data associated with monitoring a location of a train; and   a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and operable to:
 receive location signals from a plurality of location devices, each location device associated with a respective railcar of a plurality of railcars, wherein the plurality of railcars form the train; and 
 monitor, based on received location signals from one or more of the plurality of location devices, the location of the train. 
   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein monitoring a location of the train based on the received location signals from the one or more of the plurality of location devices comprises monitoring a location of the train based on the received location signals from one of the plurality of location devices at a time. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein monitoring a location of the train based on the received location signals from one of the plurality of location devices at a time comprises:
 monitoring a location of the train based on the received location signals from a first location device of the plurality of location devices at a first time; and   monitoring a location of the train based on the received location signals from a second location device of the plurality of location devices at a second time.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein monitoring a location of the train based on the received location signals from one of the plurality of location devices at a time further comprises monitoring a location of the train based on the received location signals from additional location devices of the plurality of location devices by cycling through the additional location devices one at a time. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 13 , the processor further operable to:
 detect, based on the received location signals from the one or more of the plurality of location devices, an event; and   monitor, based on the detection of the event, individual locations of the plurality of railcars of the train.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein detecting the event comprises detecting that the train has crossed a velocity threshold. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein detecting the event comprises detecting that the train crossed a geographic boundary. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , the processor further operable to:
 determine, based on the monitoring of the individual locations of the plurality of railcars, that a first railcar of the plurality of railcars is no longer part of the train; and   communicate, based on determining that the first railcar of the plurality of railcars is no longer part of the train, an alert indicating that the first railcar of the plurality of railcars is no longer part of the train.   
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 13 , further comprising detecting that the train has entered a geographical area by detecting that a percentage of the plurality of railcars of the train have crossed a boundary of a geographical area to enter the geographical area. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21 , further comprising monitoring, based upon detecting the train has entered a geographical area by detecting that a percentage of the plurality of railcars of the collective mobile unit have crossed a boundary of a geographical area to enter the geographical area, individual locations of the plurality of railcars of the train. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 13 , further comprising detecting that the train has exited a geographical area by detecting that a percentage of the plurality of railcars of the train have crossed a boundary of a geographical area to exit the geographical area. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23 , further comprising monitoring, based upon detecting the train has exited a geographical area by detecting that a percentage of the plurality of railcars of the train have crossed a boundary of a geographical area to exit the geographical area, a location of the train.