A new over lay technology for the Positive Train Control and Energy Management systems used by the railroad industry today which allows for automated train handling responses to potential on-track hazards. Various sensors, including image-capture devices, radar, and drones, are placed on or proximate to a train. These sensors are used to interface with or override the Positive Train Control and Energy Management systems where those systems activate specific actions such as slowing or stopping a train but hazardous conditions on the track may dictate an alternative response.

Systems, methods, and non-transitory machine-readable media for configuring a device remote monitoring and for detecting railcar events are disclosed. In one or more example embodiments, a device for detecting railcar events includes a controller having one or more processors, a data array, an accelerometer, and memory storing executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the controller receive, from a server, a cryptographic authentication key, determine an electronic mailbox associated with a device configuration for the device, obtain, based on periodically checking the electronic mailbox, the device configuration, authenticate; using the cryptographic authentication key, the device configuration; and perform, based on the device configuration, an update to the device.

The wireless relay device according to the present disclosure includes: a reception unit to receive train control information; an information classification unit to classify the train control information into first control information requiring immediacy and second control information not requiring immediacy; a message generation unit to generate one message from the first control information contained in a piece of the train control information and to generate one message from a plurality of pieces of the second control information contained in a plurality of pieces of the train control information; and a transmission unit to transmit the messages generated by the message generation unit. With this configuration, it is possible to reduce the number of the data transfer messages which does not require immediacy while the instantaneous communication for the control information which requires immediacy is maintained.

A train control system enables rapid, reliable, and verifiable association of a mobile component carried by an operator with at least one of a device, feature, or short range transceiver located on one or more locomotives of one or more consists in a train. The train control system may include a mobile component configured to be carried by an operator from one of the locomotives to another in the one or more consists. The at least one of a device, feature, or short range transceiver and the mobile component may be configured to communicate with each other wirelessly when brought within a threshold distance or less from each other. The mobile component may be configured to exchange a unique identifier with each locomotive automatically or upon an action of the operator when the operator brings the mobile component to within the threshold distance or less of each of the one or more locomotives. The train control system may be configured to limit communication of wireless control commands or diagnostic information from a lead locomotive such that the commands or diagnostic information are communicated only to others of the one or more locomotives that have been verifiably identified as being associated with the lead locomotive by exchange of the unique identifier with the mobile component carried by the operator.

A data transmitting device includes: a transmitter; a processor; and a memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations. The operations include: performing beam forming processing with a terminal provided in at least one moving object; detecting a beam angle based on a result of the beam forming processing; estimating a position of the at least one moving object based on the beam angle and installation position information of the data transmitting device; determining whether the estimated position of the at least one moving object is within a communication area of the data transmitting device; and transmitting desired data to the at least one moving object through the transmitter if it is determined to be within the communication area.

A communication system and method receive, at an energy management system disposed onboard a vehicle system formed from a lead vehicle and one or more remote vehicles, trip data that represents one or more characteristics of an upcoming trip of the vehicle system along a route. A selected portion of the trip data is communicated from the energy management system to a distributed power system also disposed onboard the vehicle system. The selected portion includes identifying information and one or more orientations of the one or more remote vehicles. Using the distributed power system, communication links between the lead vehicle and the one or more remote vehicles are established using the identifying information and the one or more orientations.

A method, system and device for controlling a door of a railway vehicle are provided. The method comprises: a door control instruction sent by a transponder is received when a railway vehicle draws into the station, wherein the door control instruction is used for determining a door of the railway vehicle at a platform side; and the railway vehicle is controlled to open the door of the railway vehicle at the platform side according to the door control instruction, thereby solving the technical problem that the door of a railway vehicle at the non-platform side may be opened by mistake by a driver due to human factors because the door of the railway vehicle at the platform side is manually opened when the railway vehicle stops.

Provided is a computer-implemented method for determining a communication status in a train consist operating in a distributed power system, the train consist including a lead locomotive and a plurality of remote locomotives. The method includes, for each remote locomotive of the plurality of remote locomotives that receives the command message directly from the lead locomotive, setting the message source indicator of the remote locomotive to a first state representative of a direct receipt of the command message, incrementing the message source counter for each response message received by the remote locomotive from other remote locomotives in which the respective message source indicator is set to the first state, generating a response message including a value of the message source indicator and a value of the message source counter, and transmitting the response message. A system and computer program product are also disclosed.

A system for the supraregional operation of a vehicle includes at least one control device. A first vehicle bus can be connected to the control device, wherein a defined number of first control apparatuses can be connected to the first vehicle bus; and a second vehicle bus can be connected to the control device, wherein a defined number of second control apparatuses can be connected to the second vehicle bus. The control device provides for a defined minimum functionality during a moving transition of the vehicle from a defined first region into a defined second region. The control device changes a functionality for the second control apparatuses during the moving transition from the first region into the second region, and the control device is configured to control the coordination of the changing of the functionality of the second control apparatuses.

A control system includes a communication device onboard a vehicle system approaching or entering an airflow restricted area along a route and one or more processors. The communication device configured to receive status messages that contain data parameters representative of ambient conditions within the airflow restricted area. The processors are configured to monitor the ambient conditions and determine different power output upper limits that a trail propulsion vehicle of the vehicle system can generate within the airflow restricted area based on the ambient conditions and different power outputs generated by a lead propulsion vehicle of the vehicle system. The processors further configured to communicate instructions to control the lead propulsion vehicle within the airflow restricted area to generate the power output of the different power outputs that results in the greatest total available power output of the vehicle system as the vehicle system travels within the airflow restricted area.