A system that links alarm data from physically separated wireless sensors to moving trains

Abstract

A system is provided to link the alarm data of physically separated wireless sensors to a moving train. The sensors are fixed to the axle boxes of the rail cars of the train to detect over-temperature alarms to enable the driver to stop the train. If the alarm condition is confirmed to belong to the train, the monitor / relay immediately notices that there is a problem and warns the operator.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for linking alarm data from physically separated wireless sensors to a moving train. In particular, the present invention relates to a system for linking alarm data from physically separated wireless sensors to a moving train, wherein the wireless sensors are fixed to the axle boxes of the rail cars of the train to detect over-temperature alarms. Background Art

[0002] In the rail industry safety world, when any wheel bearing on a rail car begins to alarm with temperature, the train operator must be notified of the problem almost immediately. This is because an unexpected and significant increase in wheel bearing temperature is often a precursor to catastrophic failure of that bearing. Summary of the invention

[0003] The basic inventive concept provides a system to link alarm data from physically separated wireless sensors to a moving train, the wireless sensors being fixed to the axle boxes of the rail cars of the train to detect over-temperature alarms to enable the driver to slow down or stop the train. The system has an in-cab monitor, the monitor including a processor, the processor connected to a memory, a key, a display, a GPS, a cellular modem and a network, in which: the current location of the wireless sensor is determined using GPS, the current location of the wireless sensor determined by GPS and the relevant details of the over-temperature alarm are published to a "publish and subscribe" message broker through a cellular wireless transmitter, the relevant details of the over-temperature alarm message are pushed to a server, wherein the alarm is then verified at the server, the GPS location is transcribed into a new "location box topic" for the message broker, wherein the details of the alarm are then published to the topic, the geographic location of a monitor / relay installed in the driver's cab at the front end of the engine is determined using GPS, the determined geographic location of the monitor / relay is used to subscribe to the same location box topic to which the server has just published the details of the new alarm, the wheel alarm notification is pushed to the monitor / relay system using the message broker, a verification check is performed using the monitor / relay system to determine whether the received alarm is associated with one of the cars of the current train, and if it is confirmed that the alarm condition belongs to the current train, the monitor / relay immediately notices that there is a problem.

[0004] A first aspect of the invention provides that each country of the world is divided into "bins" based on a UTM cell grid, and each bin is assigned a unique fourteen-digit identifier consisting of a four-digit operator code, a four-digit incremental longitude number, and a four-digit incremental latitude number, with three dot separators between each group.

[0005] In a second aspect of the invention, the box identifiers are used as message broker topics, wherein each topic effectively identifies a specific geographic area of ​​approximately 10km by 10km in size, wherein when any sensor begins to alarm, the GPS location of the sensor is used to determine exactly which box is located that caused the alarm, and then the new alarm notification is published to the specific identifier topic of that box.

[0006] In a third aspect of the invention, each train's monitor / relay determines its own GPS location, which is used to continuously recalculate the boxes the monitor / relay is traveling through and the relevant message broker topics to which the monitor / relay should subscribe and unsubscribe.

[0007] In another aspect of the invention, three bins are allocated for low speed commuter service, and wherein up to six bins are allocated for high speed off-road service, these allocations being referred to as "rolling position binning."

[0008] In another aspect of the invention, whether any individual monitor / relay accepts or rejects an alarm notification it has received is determined, wherein each car follows the path of the cars ahead of it, so that for a particular ground location, for the direction vector of any car traveling over that location, all cars in the train have the same direction vector when traveling over that location, wherein each train's monitor / relay receives, processes and stores: a "determination" of its GPS location, as well as its speed over the ground and its direction per second, wherein when a monitor / relay receives an alarm notification, the monitor / relay compares its own speed at the time the alarm was initially reported with the speed of the sensor, and then compares the monitor / relay's direction at the exact geographic location where the alarm was initially reported, wherein the two checks cause the monitor / relay to accept or reject ownership of the received alarm, wherein the monitor / relay then publishes this decision to the same topic that originally published the alarm notification.

[0009] In another aspect of the invention, when at least two trains from a fleet of the same operator are traveling on parallel tracks, both enter the same station at the same time, and one of the wheel sensors on either of the at least two trains issues an alarm, both monitor / relay systems accept ownership of the alarm.

[0010] In another aspect of the present invention, the speed and direction of at least a first train are compared with the speed and direction of at least a second train, and considering that each monitor / relay publishes its ownership statement of the alarm to the same box topic to which the alarm was originally published, the two statements will then be pushed to two monitor / relay systems, wherein each monitor / relay compares its own alarm notification statement with the statement made by its fellow traveler, and one will generate a notification and publish this "generated" notification back to the box topic, causing the actual owner of the alarm notification to cause an internal alarm in the cab, alerting the driver of the detected alarm.

[0011] In another aspect of the present invention, the network is one of a LAN and a WLAN.

[0012] In another aspect of the invention, operation of the monitor / relay does not require any knowledge of the engine or cabin configuration.

[0013] In a final aspect of the invention, the relevant details of the over-temperature alarm include a temperature rise.

[0014] These and other advantages of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following written description and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0016] Figure 1 is a perspective view of system components according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention,

[0017] Figure 2 is a block diagram of components constituting an in-cab computer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention,

[0018] Figure 3 is a plan view showing the concept of geometric binning according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention,

[0019] Figure 4 is a plan view of the scroll position binning according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention,

[0020] Figure 5 is a top view of a train traveling on a track showing the directions of a single vehicle divided into its vector components according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention,

[0021] Figure 6 is a diagram showing a plan view when peer selection is to be performed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention,

[0022] Figure 7is a diagram showing a plan view of peer selection in progress according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and

[0023] Figure 8 is an illustration of a plan view showing the absolute and relative accuracy of GPS data according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same reference numerals are used in the drawings, and the following description refers to the same or similar parts. Although several exemplary embodiments and features of the present disclosure are described herein, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are feasible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description does not limit the present disclosure. The appropriate scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

[0025] Figure 1 A system 100 is shown for linking alarm data from a physically separate wireless sensor 1 to a moving train 9. The wireless sensor 1 is fixed to a wheel axle-box 10 of a rail carriage 8 of the train 9 to detect an over-temperature alarm to enable a driver (not shown) to slow down or stop the train. The relevant details of the over-temperature alarm include a temperature rise.

[0026] Figure 2 An in-cab computer or monitor / relay 6 is shown, providing a processor (e.g., MCU) 20 connected to a computer readable storage medium or memory 12, keys 16, display 15, GPS 11, cellular modem 14, and network 13. During operation, the current location of the wireless sensor 1 is determined by GPS 11. The term GPS is meant to include any satellite-based navigation system, including US GPS or EU Galileo. In addition, the monitor / relay 6 automatically associates itself with any wireless sensor that reports an alarm for any wheel in the current train. The operation of the monitor / relay does not require any knowledge of the engine or car configuration. The monitor / relay allows multiple faults to be stored in memory for viewing by trackside maintenance.

[0027] When a wireless sensor 1 fixed to the axle box 10 of a rail car 8 detects an over-temperature alarm, it determines its current location using GPS 2 and then publishes all relevant details of the alarm to a "Publish and Subscribe" message broker 4 using cellular wireless 3. The alarm message is then "pushed" to a server 5 where the alarm is verified, the GPS location is transcribed into a new "location bin topic" for the message broker 4 and the details of the alarm are then published to this topic.

[0028] When this happens, the "monitor / relay" 6 mounted in the driver's cab in front of the engine 7 also uses GPS 2 to determine its own geographical location, and then uses this location to subscribe to the same "location box topic" to which the server 5 has just published the details of the new alarm.

[0029] The message broker 4 then "pushes" the wheel alarm notification to the "monitor / relay" (system) 6, which then performs a number of validation checks to determine if the alarm (as received) is associated with one of the current train coaches 8. If the alarm condition is confirmed to belong to the current train, the monitor / relay 6 immediately notifies the driver that there is a problem. The driver can then act accordingly and (if necessary) slow down or even stop the train.

[0030] Figure 3 Geographic location binning is shown. Here, each country is divided into "bins" based on the UTM cell grid, where each bin 19 has a size of 0.1° longitude, 0.1° latitude and has a 5% overlap. Each bin 19 is then assigned a unique fourteen-digit identifier 30 consisting of a four-digit operator code, a four-digit incremental longitude number, and a four-digit incremental latitude number, with three dot separator characters between each group.

[0031] These bin identifiers 30 are then used as message broker 4 topics, where each topic effectively identifies a specific geographic area of ​​approximately 10km by 10km in size. When any sensor goes into alarm, the GPS location of the sensor is used to determine exactly which bin caused the alarm, and the new alarm notification is then published to that bin's specific identifier 30 topic.

[0032] At the same time, each train's monitor / relay 6 is also determining its own GPS position, and then using this position to continuously recalculate the boxes 19 that the monitor / relay 6 is traveling through 21 and the relevant message broker 4 topics that the monitor / relay 6 should subscribe and unsubscribe to. The actual number of boxes that a train's monitor / relay 6 will subscribe to is determined by its speed. For example, three boxes for low-speed commuter service and (potentially) up to six boxes for high-speed cross-country service. This will be called "Rolling Location Binning".

[0033] However, the use of rolling position bins means that any alarm posted to a particular bin will be received and analyzed by all train monitors / relays 6 that are still subscribed to that bin. Since the number of trains this may affect is unknown, the present invention must now determine whether any individual monitor / relay 6 should accept or reject the alarm notification it has received. How this is done will be covered in the next section of this disclosure.

[0034] Although rolling position binning limits alarm notifications to only trains that have subscribed to the affected bins, it cannot (by itself) be used to determine which alarms are directly associated with which trains. Figure 4 As shown in Figure 1, we see two trains passing each other inside the same box. Considering that these two trains will subscribe to the same location topic (SCOT.0023.0464), we need to understand how the monitor / relay in each cab will determine which of the two trains should take ownership of the sensor alarm.

[0035] Regardless of how many cars make up the train, each car will follow the path of the car in front of it (see Figure 5 ). This means that for a particular ground position 41, for any car's direction vector 42 passing that position 41, all cars in the train have the same direction vector 42 when passing that position 41. There are no exceptions to this rule (see Figure 7 ).

[0036] While this "speed at time" and "course at location" technology will ensure that monitors / relays only respond to and take ownership of those alarms they should, there are instances where more than one monitor / relay may take ownership of the same alarm notification. Figure 6 One such example is shown.

[0037] See also Figure 6 , we see two trains from the same operator's fleet running on parallel tracks, and both trains pull into the same station at the same time. While both trains are doing this, one of the wheel sensors issues a temperature alarm. Such a scenario is now extremely unlikely, but it still needs to be considered, so the question remains: which train should take ownership of the alarm?

[0038] The speed and direction of the alarm notification 34 are compared to each train 35, 36 respectively, and (initially) both monitor / relay systems accept ownership of the alarm. However, comparing the speed (and direction) of train #1 and train #2, we can see that the alarm belongs to train #1. Consider that each monitor / relay publishes its ownership statement of the alarm to the same box topic that the alarm was originally published to, and then both statements will be pushed to both monitor / relay systems.

[0039] Each monitor / relay can now compare its own alarm notification assertion with the assertion made by its peers. One will generate a notification and publish this "generated" notification back to the box topic, allowing the actual owner of the alarm notification to raise an internal alarm in the cab, alerting the driver of the detected alarm. This concept is as follows Figure 7 as shown in .

[0040] Reference now Figure 8 , the key point to consider here is about the "absolute" accuracy of the GPS data. By default, GPS positioning is accurate to about four meters. This is not because of a flaw in the technology, but because of a random offset that is intentionally applied to the data to ensure that (although accurate) it is not pinpointed exactly! However, while the "absolute" accuracy is not that great, the "relative" accuracy (such as can be achieved with differential GPS) is very high (typically up to 10cm), and therefore more than accurate enough to determine which wheel on which side of which bogie on which car caused the sensor to go off alarm.

[0041] Again, this relative accuracy is due to the orbital motion and can be traced back to Figure 5 (Understand the vectors of a moving car at a fixed track position). The train and cars follow a series of fixed position vectors as they move. Figure 8 In FIG. 4 , these fixed positions are shown as a series of white marks (entries 37 and 38), while the GPS measurement paths of the monitor / relay 39 and sensor 40 are shown in grey. As can be seen - due to GPS offsets, they do not correspond exactly to the white marks.

[0042] However, looking at the five fixes (in black) after the "reference time" shown (entries 41 and 42), we can see that both the monitor / relay and the sensor show the same offset relative to the reference marker. Considering that the position of the monitor / relay's GPS antenna is fixed to a known measurement location (ideally on top of the engine), this means that (knowing the alignment and geometry of each carriage) we can calculate the position of the affected sensor relative to the monitor / relay's GPS antenna location (to within 10 cm).

[0043] There are two main advantages in the present invention, namely: the ability to automatically associate sensors with trains without having to manage a complex (and difficult to maintain) asset hierarchy structure; and the ability to have rail car wheel bearing temperature alarms that attract the timely attention of the train operator or the train's computerized safety management system.

[0044] The present invention utilizes three different methods to link the data from those sensors to the specific moving assets to which they are fixed. In effect, it solves the problem of knowing which cars make up which trains by "dynamically" associating the motion sensors with the correct engine and the monitor / relay mounted in the cab of that engine. Basically, the present invention does not require knowing which cars make up the entire train. In addition: almost no configuration is required (other than assigning each sensor to a specific track operator), which makes commissioning very fast while ensuring that only those alarms related to a specific train are sent to the management console of that train.

[0045] Not only does the present invention reduce the overall data bandwidth requirements of the system, but it also significantly reduces the processing overhead required for the management console in each cab to properly identify and take ownership of those alarms associated with each train.

[0046] Thus, implementation of the system described herein necessarily relies on a computer processor having the software of the present invention to perform proactive operations to overcome problems that arise particularly in the rail industry.

[0047] Specifically, it allows independent wireless sensors fixed to the wheels of a moving rail car to be dynamically associated with the entire train, allowing alarm and status data to be transmitted from those sensors to a single sensor computer (monitor / relay console) located in the train driver's cab, which could otherwise result in huge expenses or worse, catastrophic failure.

[0048] A computer readable storage medium may be a tangible device that can retain and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. For example, a computer readable storage medium may be, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of computer readable storage media includes the following: a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanical encoding device (such as a punch-card or raised structure in a groove on which instructions are recorded), and any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0049] Computer readable program instructions for performing operations of the present invention may be assembly instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, configuration data for an integrated circuit, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk, C++, etc., and procedural programming languages ​​such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages.

[0050] Computer readable program instructions can be executed completely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as an independent software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or completely on a remote computer or server. In the latter case, the remote computer can be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or can be connected to an external computer (for example, by using the Internet of an Internet service provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuits including, for example, programmable logic circuits, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or programmable logic arrays (PLAs) can be executed by using the state information of computer readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuit and execute computer readable program instructions to perform various aspects of the present invention.

[0051] Various aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference to the flow diagrams and / or block diagrams of the methods, equipment (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the present invention. It will be understood that each block in the flow diagram and / or block diagram and the combination of the blocks in the flow diagram and / or block diagram can be implemented by computer-readable program instructions.

[0052] These computer-readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device for producing a machine, such that the instructions executed via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device create a device for implementing the functions / actions specified in the flowchart and / or one or more block diagram blocks. These computer-readable program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which may instruct a computer, a programmable data processing device, and / or other device to operate in a particular manner, such that the computer-readable storage medium having the instructions stored therein includes a manufactured product having instructions for implementing various aspects of the functions / actions specified in the flowchart and / or one or more block diagram blocks.

[0053] Computer-readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing device, or other apparatus, so that a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable device, or other apparatus produce a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer, other programmable device, or other apparatus implement the functions / actions specified in the flowchart and / or one or more block diagram blocks.

[0054] The flow charts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible architecture, functions and operations of the systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flow chart or block diagram can represent a module, segment or part of an instruction, which includes one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. In some optional embodiments, the functions mentioned in the block may not occur in the order mentioned in the figure. For example, depending on the functions involved, the two blocks shown in succession can actually be executed substantially simultaneously, or these blocks can sometimes be executed in reverse order. It should also be noted that each block of the block diagram and / or the flow chart and the combination of the blocks in the block diagram and / or the flow chart can be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system that performs a specified function or action or implements a combination of dedicated hardware instructions and computer instructions.

[0055] The terms used herein are only used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to be limiting. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, as used herein, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. It will be further understood that when used in the specification, the terms "comprise" and / or "comprising" specify the presence of the described features, wholes, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups thereof.

[0056] Descriptions of various embodiments have been presented herein for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terms used herein are selected to best explain the principles of the embodiments, practical applications, or technical improvements over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A system for linking alarm data from a physically separated wireless sensor to a moving train, the wireless sensor being fixed to the axle box of a rail car of the train to detect an over-temperature alarm to enable the driver to slow down or stop the train, the system comprising: In-cab monitor, including processor connected to memory, keys, display, GPS, cellular modem and network, The current location of the wireless sensor is determined using the GPS, The current location of the wireless sensor as determined by GPS and the details of the over-temperature alarm are published to the "publish and subscribe" message broker via the cellular wireless transmitter. The relevant details of the over-temperature alarm message are pushed to the server, where the alarm is then verified. The GPS location is transcribed into a new "location box topic" for the message broker (4), to which the details of the alarm are then published. The geographical location of the monitor / relay mounted in the driver's cab at the front end of the engine is determined using said GPS, The determined geographic location of the monitor / relay is used to subscribe to the same location box topic to which the server has just published the details of the new alarm, Wheel alarm notifications are pushed to the monitor / relay system using the message broker, A verification check is performed using the monitor / relay system to determine whether the received alarm is associated with one of the cars of the current train, wherein: If the alarm condition is confirmed to belong to the current train, the monitor / relay is immediately aware that there is a problem.

2. A system for linking alarm data from physically separated wireless sensors to a moving train according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: Each country of the world is divided into "bins" based on the UTM cell grid, and each bin is assigned a unique fourteen-digit identifier consisting of a four-digit carrier code, a four-digit delta longitude number, and a four-digit delta latitude number, with three dot separators between each group.

3. A system for linking alarm data from physically separated wireless sensors to a moving train according to claim 2, characterized in that Also includes: The box identifiers are used as message broker topics, where each topic effectively identifies a specific geographic area of ​​size 10km by 10km, where when any sensor goes into alarm, the GPS location of the sensor is used to determine exactly which box caused the alarm, and then the new alarm notification is published to the specific identifier topic of that box.

4. A system for linking alarm data from physically separated wireless sensors to a moving train according to claim 3, characterized in that Each train's monitor / relay determines its own GPS position, which is used to continuously recalculate the box the monitor / relay is traveling through, and the relevant message broker topics to which the monitor / relay must subscribe and unsubscribe.

5. A system for linking alarm data from physically separated wireless sensors to a moving train according to claim 4, characterized in that The actual number of boxes to be subscribed is determined by the train's monitor / relay (6) through its speed.

6. A system for linking alarm data from physically separated wireless sensors to a moving train according to claim 5, characterized in that Three boxes are allocated for low-speed commuter service, Up to six bins are allocated for high-speed off-road service assignments, these assignments are called "rolling position bins".

7. A system for linking alarm data from physically separated wireless sensors to a moving train according to claim 6, characterized in that Also includes: Determines whether any individual monitor / relay accepts or rejects an alarm notification it has received, where Each car follows the path of the car in front of it, so that for a particular ground position, for the direction vector of any car passing that position, all cars in the train have the same direction vector as they pass that position, where Each train monitor / relay receives, processes and stores: the "determination" of its GPS location, and its speed over the ground and its direction per second, when the monitor / relay receives notification of an alarm, the monitor / relay compares its own speed at the time the alarm was initially reported with the speed of the sensor, and then compares the monitor / relay's direction at the exact geographic location where the alarm was initially reported, where Two checks enable the monitor / relay to accept or reject ownership of a received alarm, where The monitor / relay then publishes this decision to the same topic where the alarm notification was originally published.

8. A system for linking alarm data from physically separated wireless sensors to a moving train according to claim 7, characterized in that Also includes: When at least two trains from a fleet of the same operator are running on parallel tracks, both enter the same station at the same time, and one of the wheel sensors on either of the at least two trains issues an alarm, both monitor / relay systems will take ownership of the alarm.

9. A system for linking alarm data from physically separated wireless sensors to a moving train according to claim 8, characterized in that Also includes: The speed and direction of at least the first train are compared with the speed and direction of at least the second train, and considering that each monitor / relay publishes its ownership statement of the alarm to the same box topic to which the alarm was originally published, the two statements will then be pushed to both monitor / relay systems, wherein, Each monitor / relay compares its own alarm notification assertion with the assertions made by its fellow monitors, and one will generate a notification and publish this "generated" notification back to the box topic, causing the actual owner of the alarm notification to set off an internal alarm in the cab, alerting the driver of the detected alarm.

10. A system for linking alarm data from physically separated wireless sensors to a moving train as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that The network is one of a LAN and a WLAN.

11. A system for linking alarm data from physically separated wireless sensors to a moving train as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that The monitor / relay automatically associates itself with any wireless sensor reporting an alarm for any wheel currently in the train.

12. A system for linking alarm data from physically separated wireless sensors to a moving train as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that Operation of the monitor / relay does not require any knowledge of the engine or cabin configuration.

13. A system for linking alarm data from physically separated wireless sensors to a moving train as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that The relevant details of the over-temperature alarm include temperature rise.

14. A system for linking alarm data from physically separated wireless sensors to a moving train as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that The monitor / relay allows multiple faults to be stored in memory for track side maintenance review.

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