A vehicle control system may determine a required tractive effort and/or a required braking effort to propel a vehicle system at a determined speed. The vehicle control system may determine a throttle setting or a brake setting to provide the required tractive effort and/or the required braking effort and communicate a control signal from a remote controller device to an onboard controller device. The vehicle control system may operate a propulsion system at the throttle setting and/or a brake system at the brake setting to move the vehicle system at the determined speed.

A method for operating a rail vehicle includes depicting a spatial area in front of the rail vehicle in at least one image by at least one image capturing device and detecting a presence of a tunnel entrance or a tunnel exit prior to an entry or exit of the rail vehicle into or from a tunnel by evaluating at least one image. The method further includes generating at least one control signal for at least one rail vehicle system when a presence of the tunnel entrance is detected prior to the entry of the rail vehicle into a tunnel or when the presence of the tunnel exit is detected prior to the exit of the rail vehicle from the tunnel. The rail vehicle system may be a pantograph control system of the rail vehicle, or a climate control system or a ventilation system of the rail vehicle.

The invention relates to an apparatus for configuring systems, the apparatus being positioned as intended in a rail vehicle and comprising—a data-processing unit—information-transmitting connections between the data-processing unit and the systems—a selection unit for selecting a saved profile—an input unit for inputting operating parameters—a receiving unit for receiving additional or altered profiles.

A system and method for automating railroad maintenance by a tie gang using electronic tie marking (ETM) configured to optimize railroad asset maintenance. The system enables collision avoidance between members of the tie gang performing maintenance on railway assets (e.g., Rails, Ties, Ballasts, Turnouts, Crossings, etc.). The system can generate production numbers for the railway assets and evaluate an asset queue for the tie gang to perform maintenance. The system can utilize real-time updates from the tie gang to optimize work output. The system can provide a customizable user interface to identify, track, and process information related to maintenance of the railroad asset. The system also provides for a heads-up-display (HUD) to notify an operator of relevant information, such as maintenance information, travel indicators, and updated asset queue. The system can identify a next location and calculate an optimum path based on sensor input incorporating machine-specific and environmental characteristics.

A car control device includes a driving force calculating unit that calculates driving force necessary for a train to travel; an operating number calculating unit that determines the number of M cars to be operated on the basis of the driving force; and a driving force command calculating unit that calculates driving force commands to be given to the M cars that operate depending on the number of M cars to be operated, wherein the driving force command calculating unit continuously changes the driving force commands when the number of M cars to be operated changes.

A vehicle control system includes a portable operator control unit (OCU). The OCU includes a housing, a power supply inside the housing, a controller inside the housing, and a wireless communication unit attached to the housing. The controller is configured to generate control signals for controlling a vehicle from an off-board location of the OCU. The wireless communication unit is configured to wirelessly communicate the control signals to the vehicle over an LTE network.

There is disclosed a driverless transport system, DTS, (10) comprising: a travelling course (12), formed of routes (14), preferably travelled unidirectionally, which are defined respectively by one track (28), and of markers (16); a fleet (18) of at least two driverless transport vehicles, DTV, (20) travelling along the tracks (28) in a forcibly guided manner; and at least one station (26) defined by: at least one of the tracks (28), at least one of the markers (16), and an individualizing assigned station identifier; wherein each of the stations (26) can comprise a terminal (70) for allocation of travelling destination and wherein each of the stations (26) represents an area of the travelling course (12), within which the DTVs (20) can get assigned a new travelling destination and/or can be loaded, unloaded, energetically charged, and/or stopped; wherein the markers (16) include information, which is station-specific by being associating the respective information with the respectively assigned station identifier; wherein each of the DTVs (20) comprises: a communication unit (52) for transmitting and receiving information; a marker-detection unit (54) for reading, preferably contactless, the information from the markers (16); and a controlling unit (58) for processing read and received information; and wherein communication between the DTV (20) and communication between the DTVs (20) and terminals (70) is respectively performed directly, and in particular in a DTV-unspecific manner. (FIG. 5)

The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods of increasing functional safety of locomotives. In exemplary embodiments, a locomotive functional safety system is configured to: receive one or more manual control commands from a locomotive control stand and/or a user interface onboard a locomotive; determine whether the one or more manual control commands pass or satisfy one or more predetermined criteria; if the one or more manual control commands pass or satisfy the one or more predetermined criteria, approve the one or more manual control commands and allow the one or more manual control commands to be relayed onward and/or acted upon; and if the one or more manual control commands do not pass or satisfy the one or more predetermined criteria, disapprove the one or more manual control commands and disallow the one or more manual control commands to be relayed onward and/or acted upon.

An intersection management system and method for reducing or avoiding potential collisions between vehicles are provided. The system may use a wireless signal, with or without a circuit, to traverse an intersection. The system may use, at least in part, a positive vehicle control system.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system for maintaining railway situational awareness, includes a ground station configured to be mounted to a train, a UAV including a sensor, a processor, and a memory. The sensor is configured to provide a signal indicative of condition and/or an event. The memory contains instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the system to: selectively deploy the UAV, from the ground station mounted to the train, receive the signal from the sensor; and determine a condition and/or an event, relative to the train, based on the sensed signal.