Patent ID: 7729819

Claim:
A track identification system for a plurality of locomotives moving on a defined plurality of tracks, said tracks having uniquely identifiable switching locations wherein said locomotives can switch movement from one track to movement on to one or more other tracks, said tracks passing through a railway network comprising locomotives, stationary structures, and crossing yards, said system comprising on board computers fitted to each of the locomotives, said on board computers having storage means to eraseably storing digitally encoded information of at least a portion of the route and track data relating to said plurality of tracks, each of said uniquely identifiable switching locations, and the parameters of movement of the locomotives along said tracks, said on board computers having processors programmed to receive reference location signals of the locomotive from a global positioning system and thereby determine the precise geographical locations of the locomotives, said on board computers being further programmed to digitally map at least a portion of the determined geographical locations of the locomotives on the stored route and track data, and to continuously monitor the movement of the locomotives with reference to parameters at their switching locations, coordinates, velocity and angular change profile at said switching location, the system further comprising: programming means that determine the angular change of the locomotive including during a time when the locomotive is switching from one track to another track at said switching locations based on said reference location signals and compare the determined angular changes on a continuous basis to derive an angular change profile in order to determine switching actions at the said switching locations and programmed signal generator means operable by said programming means to generate signals relative to the derived angular change profile relating to switching actions at the switching locations thereby determining the tracks on which the movement of each of the locomotives is occurring and the velocity of such movement.