Systems and methods for remote monitoring and verifying railcar locations in accordance with embodiments of the invention are disclosed. In one embodiment, a computing device for verifying a rail car location includes a processor and a memory storing instructions that, when read by the processor cause the computing device to determine a car load state change for a rail car, identify an event corresponding to the car load state change, wherein the event includes an event location, determine a car location of the rail car, establish a geofence based on the car location, determine location information based on the geofence, and verify the car location based on the location information and the event location.

A method and system for identification of obstacles near railways and for providing alarm to an operator of a train if obstacles constitute threat to the train are disclosed. The system comprise IR sensor disposed at the front of the train facing the direction of travel. The IR sensor receives images of the rails in front of the train. The system comprises pre-stored vibration profile of the train's engine that is used to eliminate influence of the engine's vibrations on the accuracy of the received images. Presence of rails in the received frames is detected based on inherent differences of temperature between the rails and the substrate in the rails' background, such as the railway sleepers and the materials underneath it. The system may detect defects in an electric conductor system of a train.

A moving path memory stores a moving path of a train in advance. A signal receiver receives satellite positioning signals. A position calculator calculates measured positions and receiver clock errors, based on the satellite positioning signals and the moving path. A error area calculator sets vector pairs, each consisting of arbitrary two vectors perpendicular to each other on a plane spanned by a tangent vector and a radial vector of a tangent circle of the moving path at the measured positions, and calculates an error area for each vector pair, based on the measured positions, the receiver clock errors, and positions of positioning satellites. A position range extractor extracts a part of the moving path included in each error area, as a candidate position range corresponding to the error area. A position range restrictor determines a common area of the candidate position ranges, as a position range of the train.

The present disclosure relates generally to vegetation detection and, in particular, to a vegetation detection and alert system for a railway vehicle.

According to various aspects, exemplary embodiments are disclosed of devices, systems, and methods related to tracking location of operator control units for locomotives. In an exemplary embodiment, an operator control unit includes a user interface configured to receive one or more commands from an operator for controlling a locomotive. The operator control unit also includes receiver configured to receive location information of the operator control unit, and a wireless communication device. The wireless communication device is configured to transmit command data corresponding to the one or more commands and location data corresponding to the location information to a machine control unit on the locomotive.

A system for determining a location of a rail vehicle based on an radio frequency (RF) signal that includes at least one processor programmed or configured to determine that a first RF communication signal transmitted by a head of train (HOT) unit of a plurality of rail vehicles is received by an end of train (EOT) unit of the plurality of rail vehicles, determine whether a second RF communication signal transmitted by the HOT unit is received by the EOT unit during a time interval after a time at which the first RF communication signal was determined to be received by the EOT unit, and determine one or more locations of the plurality of rail vehicles based on determining that the second RF communication signal transmitted by the HOT unit is not received by the EOT unit during the time interval. A method and computer program product are also disclosed.

A vehicle control system and method includes identifying a segment of a route where one or more first vehicle systems were operated manually instead of operated by one or more processors according to one or more trip plans during prior traversals of the segment by the one or more first vehicle systems. A segment plan is generated for traversing the segment under control of the one or more processors. The segment plan is generated based on how the one or more first vehicle systems were manually operated during the prior traversals of the segment. One or more second vehicle systems are controlled with the one or more processors to traverse the segment according to the segment plan.

A system and method that includes determining a relationship between a moving resistance of a vehicle system and one or more characteristics of the vehicle system. A trip plan may be generated based at least in part on the relationship for movement of the vehicle system through one or more sections of one or more routes based at least in part on the relationship. One or more operational settings of the vehicle system are then designated for implementing the trip plan to drive movement of the vehicle system to achieve one or more objectives.

A method of linking alarm data from physically disassociated wireless sensors to a train in motion. The sensor secured to a wheel axle-box of a rail carriage of a train to detect an over temperature alarm to enable a driver to stop the train. If the alarm condition is confirmed as belonging to the train, a Monitor/Relay immediately notes that there is a problem and warns an operator.

System and methods are provided for warning a worker of a rail vehicle, or an operator of the rail vehicle of the worker. The system includes a worker device, a vehicle device, and a central server. The devices and server operate on one or a combination of actual or simulated satellite navigational signals, and beacon signals to determine the position of the devices, to generate a warning. The position determination may prioritize beacon signals over satellite navigation signals. The position determination may involve correcting a calculated position based on a measured power level of the beacon signal received from the beacon transmitter, an elapsed time since a previous beacon signal was last received by the device from the beacon transmitter, an elapsed time since a previous satellite navigation signal was received by the device, or an accuracy of the position of the device based on the satellite navigation signal.