The present disclosure discloses a preceding train identification method based on an object controller, a vehicle on board controller and a train. The method includes: carrying out communication interaction, by a vehicle on board controller of a train, with the OC to acquire the ID information of all running trains within the jurisdiction of the OC, before the train enters the jurisdiction of the object controller OC; communicating, by the vehicle on board controller, with the train corresponding to each piece of ID information according to the ID information of all running trains to acquire the position information of the train corresponding to each piece of ID information; and sorting, by the vehicle on board controller, the position information of the trains corresponding to all ID information in an axle counter sorting manner to identify the ID information of an adjacent preceding train of a present train.

A railcar hatch control system and method for operating railcar hatches of a multi-railcar train is disclosed. A multi-railcar train may have a locomotive and a plurality of railcars having railcar hatches that can be opened and closed. The system and method may include displaying railcar identification information for the railcars on an operator display device, and receiving selections of railcars from an operator that will have a railcar hatch operation performed thereon, such as opening or closing the hatches. The railcar hatch operation is input, and the system and method control the railcar hatch operation being performed only on the selected railcars, and not on the railcars that have not been selected by the operator. The system and method may have operator interfaces devices at an operator station of the train, or at a remote location or on a remote device that communicates wirelessly with the train.

The disclosure relates to a control method for supporting dynamic coupling and uncoupling of a train, including steps of: step A, acquiring stored coupling status information during an initialization phase; step B, loading an off-line configuration of a corresponding composition according to the stored coupling status; step C, collecting three sets of input signals related to the coupling; step D, determining whether a train coupling status is proper according to the collected signals, then turning to step E if yes and turning to step F if no; step E, determining whether a current coupling status is consistent with the off-line configuration used in the step B, then performing step H if yes and performing step G if no; step F, requesting emergency braking, and reporting an alarming error; step G, requesting emergency braking, re-writing coupling status information with codes after determining that the train is stationary, and then turning to the step A for re-initialization. Compared with the prior art, the disclosure has advantages of high security, high reliability, and high degree of automation etc.

A rail-guided permanent way machine is operated by means of a control device in such a way that at least one state variable (Z) of the permanent way machine is determined in dependence on an operating state, and the at least one state variable is compared to at least one pre-defined limit value (G.sub.W, G.sub.S) for monitoring a derailment safety of the permanent way machine. Thus, the derailment safety of the permanent way machine is determined in accordance with the current operating state and monitored. As a result, the permanent way machine has an expanded operating range and increased performance and thus increased efficiency.

Systems and methods of verifying train integrity may include generating EOT operation information based on sensor data from one or more sensors located at the end of a train, monitoring train integrity by periodically determining if the EOT operation information correlates to HOT operation information in a head of the train associated with a status of one or more sensors in the head of the train within a predetermined range, generating an integrity notification based at least partially on monitoring the predetermined range between EOT operation information and HOT operation information, and communicating a notification of an integrity event to at least one of the following: an on-board computer, an EOT device, a remote server associated with a specified entity, or any combination thereof.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus for locating a mobile railway asset is provided that includes a power source, GNSS circuitry configured to utilize electrical power from the power source to receive GNSS data, and a controller operatively coupled to the power source and the GNSS circuitry. The controller has a power saving mode wherein the controller inhibits the GNSS circuitry from receiving GNSS data and a standard accuracy mode wherein the controller permits the GNSS circuitry to receive GNSS data for a first time period. The controller has a higher accuracy mode wherein the controller permits the GNSS circuitry to receive GNSS data for a second time period longer than the first time period, and subsequently across multiple instances, in order to collect more GNSS data that can be qualified, filtered, sorted, and averaged to produce a more accurate result.

A data transmission system for a track-bound transport system has a plurality of vehicle-mounted optical transmitting/receiving devices, or transceivers, on at least one vehicle. The devices are oriented perpendicular to the direction of travel towards both sides of the vehicle. Trackside-mounted stationary optical transceivers are arranged along a route to be travelled by the vehicle on the side of the travel route. The vehicle-mounted optical transceivers is configured to communicate at least with the trackside-mounted stationary optical transceiver positioned the closest thereto and to independently maintain separate communication links at as full a bandwidth as possible with one of the trackside-mounted stationary optical transceivers. There is also described a track-bound transport system and a method for transmitting data between a vehicle and a stationary network.

The preset disclosure provides a control system for operating one or more locomotives in a train, the control system including a first communication unit located on-board a first locomotive of a first consist in the train; and an off-board remote controller interface located remotely from the train, the off-board remote controller interface being configured to receive or generate a locomotive control command, store the received or generated locomotive control command in a shared ledger, and relay the locomotive control command to the first communication unit. The first communication unit is configured to receive the locomotive control command from the off-board remote controller interface.

Exemplary embodiments are disclosed of apparatus and methods for monitoring and controlling distributed machines. In an exemplary embodiment, a network includes machines each having sensor(s) and/or actuator(s). Each machine has a node resident on the machine and/or in communication with the machine and that provides raw data from the sensor(s) and/or actuator(s). Each node has a network interface, and a processor and memory configured as a node agent to embed the raw data in message(s) without reformatting the raw data. An engine receives and reformats messages from the node agents without reformatting raw data embedded in the messages. The engine directs the reformatted messages including the raw data to user device(s) for use in managing machine activity and/or status. The engine also sends a message from a user device to a node of a given machine, for use in controlling activity and/or status of the given machine.

A method of monitoring a track using train cars includes collecting first sensor data corresponding to a track location by a first sensor network on a first train car. Based on the first sensor data, a potential track anomaly at the track location is identified by a diagnostics system on the first train car. A message describing the anomaly is transmitted to diagnostics systems located on other train cars. The message is received by a second diagnostics system on a second train car located behind the first train car. The second diagnostics system determines a time at which the second train car will be passing over track location and, at the determined time, collects second sensor data. If the track anomaly is present in both the first sensor data and the second sensor data at the track location, a train control system is notified of the track anomaly.