Patent ID: 6834219
Filing Date: 2004-12-21
Classification: B61L,G08C

Abstract:
A portable master controller for a locomotive remote control system, the locomotive remote control system having a slave controller mounted on-board a locomotive, said portable master controller comprising:a) a user interface for receiving commands to control a movement of the locomotive from a human operator, said user interface being responsive to a command from the human operator to generate a control signal; b) a tilt sensor for generating inclination information about said portable master controller; c) a processing unit in communication with said user interface and with said tilt sensor, said processing unit being adapted to generate a digital command signal for directing the movement of the locomotive, the digital command signal including: i) a first component derived from the control signal received from said user interface for directing the movement of the locomotive; ii) a second component derived from the inclination information received from said tilt sensor; d) a transmission unit in communication with said processing unit for receiving the digital command signal and for generating an RF transmission conveying the digital command signal to the slave controller, the second component of the digital command signal allowing a slave controller to determine whether the portable master controller is in an unsafe operational condition.