Remote control system for a locomotive

Abstract

A locomotive control system comprising a remote transmitter issuing RF binary coded commands and a slave controller mounted on the locomotive that decodes the transmission and operates in dependence thereof various actuators to carry into effect the commands of the ground based operator.

1. A remote control system in connection with a locomotive including a main tank with compressed air under pressure, a pneumatic brake line in which compressed air flows, and a member applying tractive power, said remote control system comprising:
 a) a transmitter for generating an RF signal; and    b) a slave controller mounted on-board the locomotive, said slave controller having a first sensor responsive to the pressure of the compressed air in the main tank of the locomotive and a second sensor responsive to the flow of compressed air in the pneumatic brake line, said slave controller being responsive to outputs of said sensors to enable application of tractive power to the locomotive only when the pressure in the main tank is above a predetermined level and the flow of air in the pneumatic brake line is below a predetermined level.    
     
     
       2. A remote speed control system in connection with a locomotive that includes a main tank with compressed air, a pneumatic brake line in which compressed air flows, a throttle having a plurality of settings allowing tractive power regulation, and a brake system having a plurality of settings allowing braking power regulation, said speed control system comprising:
 a transmitter generating an RF signal indicative of a desired speed of travel of the locomotive; and    a slave controller mounted on-board the locomotive, said slave controller having: 
 a) receiver means for sensing said RF signal and providing data relative to the desired speed of travel of the locomotive,  
 b) a first sensor responsive to the pressure of the compressed air in the main tank of the locomotive,  
 c) a second sensor responsive to the flow of compressed air in the pneumatic brake line of the locomotive, and  
 d) processor means for receiving said data relative to the desired speed of travel of the locomotive from said receiver means, said processor means responsive to said first sensor means, to said second sensor means, and to said data relative to the desired speed of travel for generating a throttle setting signal causing the throttle of the locomotive to acquire a selected setting when the pressure of the compressed air in the main tank is above a predetermined level and the flow of compressed air in the pneumatic brake line is below a predetermined level.  
   
     
     
       3. A remote speed control system in connection with a locomotive that includes a throttle having a plurality of settings allowing tractive power regulation and a brake system having a plurality of settings allowing braking power regulation, said speed control system comprising:
 a transmitter generating an RF signal indicative of a desired speed of travel of the locomotive; and    a slave controller mounted on-board the locomotive, said slave controller having: 
 a) receiver means for sensing said RF signal and providing data relative to the desired speed of travel of the locomotive,  
 b) velocity sensor means for generating data representative of an actual speed of travel of the locomotive, and  
 c) processor means for receiving data relative to the desired speed of travel of the locomotive from said receiver means and generating a throttle setting signal causing the throttle of the locomotive to acquire a selected setting and a brake setting signal causing the brake system of the locomotive to acquire a selected setting, said processor means being responsive to said velocity sensor means and to said data relative to the desired speed of travel and generating one of said throttle setting signal and said brake setting signal correlated to a difference between the desired speed of travel and the actual speed of travel of the locomotive to change the actual speed of travel of the locomotive and diminish that difference.  
   
     
     
       4. The invention as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein said processor means includes means for comparing said data relative to the desired speed of travel of the locomotive with said data representative of an actual speed of travel of the locomotive and generating an error signal correlated to the difference between the actual and desired speeds, said throttle setting signal being a linear combination of said error signal, its derivative, and its integral. 
     
     
       5. The invention as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein said processor means includes means for comparing said data relative to the desired speed of travel of the locomotive with said data representative of an actual speed of travel of the locomotive and generating an error signal correlated to the difference between the actual and desired speeds, said brake setting signal being a linear combination of said error signal, its derivative, and its integral. 
     
     
       6. The invention as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein said velocity sensor means includes a first velocity sensor generating a first signal representative of a speed of travel of the locomotive and a second velocity sensor generating a second signal representative of a speed of travel of the locomotive, said processor means being responsive to a discrepancy between said first and second speed of travel signals and issuing a brake setting signal causing the brake system of the locomotive to apply braking power. 
     
     
       7. The invention as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein said slave controller has means for generating data representative of a direction of travel of the locomotive. 
     
     
       8. A remote coast control system in connection with a locomotive that includes a throttle having a plurality of settings allowing tractive power regulation and a brake system having a plurality of settings allowing braking power regulation, said coast control system comprising:
 a transmitter generating an RF signal providing a coast command to the locomotive;  
 a slave controller mounted on-board the locomotive, said slave controller having: 
 a) receiver means for sensing said RF signal and providing said coast command,  
 b) means for generating data representative of a velocity variation of the locomotive with relation to time, and  
 c) processor means receiving said coast command from said receiver means and generating in response to said data representative of a velocity variation of the locomotive with relation to time one of (i) a brake setting signal causing the brake system of the locomotive to increase braking power when said velocity variation denotes a positive acceleration, and (ii) a brake setting signal causing the brake system of the locomotive to decrease braking power when said velocity variation denotes a negative acceleration, said processor means controlling the velocity of the locomotive without effecting any application of tractive power; and  
 
   wherein said brake setting signal generated when said velocity variation denotes a negative acceleration represents a non - nil brake system setting, whereby braking power is applied to the locomotive at all times when said velocity variation denotes one of a positive and a negative acceleration .  
 
     
     
       9. The invention as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein said brake setting signal is a linear combination of an error signal representing a difference between an actual velocity of the locomotive and a velocity of the locomotive measured at a previous moment, its derivative, and its integral. 
     
     
       10. The invention as claimed in  claim 9 , further comprising a velocity sensor measuring an actual speed of travel of the locomotive, said velocity sensor communicating actual speed of travel data to said processor means. 
     
     
       11. The invention as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein said brake setting signal generated when said velocity variation denotes a negative acceleration represents a non-nil brake system setting, whereby braking power is applied to the locomotive at all times when said velocity variation denotes one of a positive and a negative acceleration. 
     
     
       12. A remote control system in connection with locomotive that includes a throttle allowing tractive power regulation and a brake system allowing braking power regulation, said remote control system comprising:
 a transmitter generating an RF signal providing a drive command that signals the locomotive to move in a first direction of travel;  
 a slave controller mounted on-board the locomotive, said slave controller having: 
 a) receiver means for sensing said RF signal and providing data indicative of said drive command,  
 b) sensor means for sensing a second direction of travel of the locomotive and generating data representative of a  the second direction of travel of the locomotive, and  
 c) processor means receiving said data indicative of said drive command from said receiver means and generating a throttle signal causing application of tractive power to the locomotive, said processor means also receiving said data representative of a  the second direction of travel of the locomotive from said sensor means and generating a brake signal causing application of the brakes to stop the locomotive when the locomotive moves in said second direction of travel, said second direction of travel being a direction other than said first direction of travel.  
 
 
     
     
       13. The invention as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein said processor means generates said brake signal causing application of the brakes to stop the locomotive when the locomotive moves in the second direction of travel, said second direction of travel being a direction other than said first direction of travel, after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed from the application of tractive power to the locomotive. 
     
     
       14. The invention as claimed in claim  12    13 , wherein said predetermined amount of time is about 20 seconds. 
     
     
       15. A remote drive control system in connection with a locomotive with rollback protection, the locomotive including a throttle allowing tractive power regulation and a brake system allowing braking power regulation, said remote drive control system comprising:
 a transmitter generating an RF signal providing a drive command that signals the locomotive to start moving in a first direction of travel;  
 a slave controller mounted on-board the locomotive, said slave controller comprising: 
 a) receiver means for sensing said RF signal and providing data indicative of said drive command,  
 b) sensor means for sensing an actual direction of travel of the locomotive and for generating data representative of an  the actual direction of travel of the locomotive, and  
 c) processor means receiving said data indicative of said drive command from said receiver means and issuing a throttle signal causing application of tractive power to the locomotive, said processor means also receiving said data representative of an  the actual direction of travel of the locomotive from said sensor means and generating a brake signal causing application of the brakes to stop the locomotive when the locomotive moves in the actual direction of travel and the actual direction of travel is a direction other than said first direction of travel, and a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the application of tractive power to the locomotive.  
 
 
     
     
       16. The invention as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein said predetermined period of time is about 20 seconds. 
     
     
       17. A remote coast control system in connection with a locomotive that includes a throttle having a plurality of settings allowing tractive power regulation and a brake system having a plurality of settings allowing braking power regulation, said coast control system comprising:
   a transmitter generating an RF signal providing a coast command to the locomotive;        a slave controller mounted on - board the locomotive, said slave controller having:      a )  receiver means for sensing said RF signal and providing said coast command,        b )  means for generating data representative of a velocity variation of the locomotive with relation to time, and        c )  processor means receiving said coast command from said receiver means and generating in response to said data representative of a velocity variation of the locomotive with relation to time, while coasting in response to the coast command, one of  ( i )  a brake setting signal causing the brake system of the locomotive to increase braking power when said velocity variation denotes a positive acceleration, and  ( ii )  a brake setting signal causing the brake system of the locomotive to decrease braking power when said velocity variation denotes a negative acceleration, said processor means controlling the velocity of the locomotive without effecting any application of tractive power.       
     
     
       18. The remote coast control system as recited in  claim 17  wherein, while said locomotive is coasting in response to the coast command, said processor means is operative to generate, in response to velocity data indicating a velocity below a predetermined speed, a brake setting signal causing the brake system of the locomotive to increase braking power to stop the locomotive. 
     
     
       19. The remote coast control system as recited in  claim 18  wherein said predetermined speed is  0 . 5  miles per hour. 
     
     
       20. The remote coast control system as recited in  claim 17 , wherein said transmitter is further operative to convey a coast with brake command to said receiver means, said processing means being responsive to said coast with brake command to preclude application of tractive power to the locomotive and cause said brake system to be continuously applied during movement of the locomotive.