Patent ID: 6681160
Filing Date: 2004-01-20
Classification: B61K,B61L

Abstract:
A track/vehicle analyzer included on a vehicle traveling on a track, the track/vehicle analyzer comprising:a track detector for determining track parameters comprising at least one parameter of a group including a grade of the track, a superelevation of the track, a gauge of the track, and a curvature of the track; a vehicle detector for determining vehicle parameters comprising at least one parameter of a group including a speed of the vehicle relative to the track, a distance the vehicle has traveled on the track, forces on a drawbar of the vehicle, a set of global positioning system coordinates for the vehicle, and a set of orthogonal accelerations experienced by the vehicle; a computing device, communicating with the track detector and vehicle detector, for a) determining a plurality of calculated parameters as a function of the track parameters and the vehicle parameters, b) determining in real-time if the track parameters, the vehicle parameters, and the calculated parameters are within acceptable tolerances, and c) if any one of the track parameters, the vehicle parameters, or the calculated parameters are not within acceptable tolerances, generating corrective measures; and a communications device in communication with the computing device for communicating the corrective measures to a first locomotive control computer in a lead unit associated with the vehicle.