Described herein are techniques for determining motion characteristics (e.g., position, velocity, acceleration, etc.) of one or more trains traveling along a train track, such that train control systems may have the information needed to safely operate the trains at higher speeds and with shorter separation between trains. In accordance with various embodiments, systems and methods described herein may be configured to determine a position, velocity, and/or acceleration of a train traveling along a train track. In some embodiments, the motion characteristics may be determined one or more radio frequency antennas onboard the train, such as in communication with one or more anchor nodes positioned adjacent the train track. Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments motion characteristics may be determined using one or more one or more inertial measurement units (IMUs) onboard the train.

The present disclosure generally relates to work block encroachment warning systems for providing protection for rail workers working in a mobile or fixed work block. For example, a vehicle (V)-aware unit installed on a moving rail vehicle and a work block limit encroachment unit mounted on a railroad may wirelessly communicate with each other to determine a distance between them. When a vehicle is moving toward an occupied work block, the distance may be used to identify potential hazards.

Bulk goods are transported on a rail network to a terminal which includes a loading with a metering device for measuring an amount of the bulk goods loaded or unloaded. At the terminal there is a control hub connecting to a plurality of portable hand held field computers and a communication system for communication with the rail network to obtain a Car Location Message (CLM), a way bill and mechanical data for each of the railcars. An input to the hub is provided by a plurality of self-powered scanning stations each including an RFID reader having an antenna for reading the RFID tag of an adjacent rail car where each scanning station has two radar proximity transducers responsive to presence of a rail car where the RFID reader has a quiescent mode and the radar proximity detectors activate the reader from the quiescent mode on detection of a railcar.

The present invention provides an automatic train protection method, a vehicle on-board controller and a train based on vehicle-vehicle communication. The method includes: after a present train runs onto a main track, determining an OC with which the present train needs to establish communication; communicating, by the present train, with the OC to obtain train identifiers of all trains within the jurisdiction of the OC; respectively communicating, by the present train, with the train corresponding to each train identifier to obtain current running information of the train corresponding to each train identifier; identifying a front communication neighbor train of the present train; determining that no hidden train exists between the present train and the front communication neighbor train; and calculating current movement authority MA of the present train according to the current position information of the present train and of the front communication neighbor train.

A computer-implemented method comprises: receiving, at a first one of the first electronic devices, a first wireless signal transmitted by a second electronic device attached to a vehicle; transmitting, from the first electronic device, a second wireless signal, wherein the second electronic device determines a location of the vehicle along the transportation pathway according to the second wireless signal; receiving, at the first electronic device, a third wireless signal transmitted by a second electronic device, wherein the third wireless signal identifies the determined location of the vehicle; and transmitting, from the first electronic device, a fourth wireless signal, wherein the fourth wireless signal identifies the determined location of the vehicle, wherein other ones of the first electronic devices wirelessly relay fifth wireless signals along the transportation pathway, wherein the fifth wireless signals identify the determined location of the vehicle.

An automated speed control system for a locomotive having a tractive effort mechanism for moving the locomotive along a track and a braking mechanism for reducing the locomotive's speed along the track. The system including a locomotive controller that includes a memory to store computer-executable instructions, and a processor in communication with the memory to execute the instructions to retrieve one or more track grade maps each indicative of a grade of at least a portion of the track along which the locomotive is travelling, retrieve train makeup, obtain a maximum distance to a specified stopping point of the locomotive along the track, and dynamically calculate a speed limit for movement of the locomotive along the track, according to the retrieved track grade map, retrieved train makeup data, and obtained maximum distance to the specified stopping point.

A system for verifying the integrity of a convoy, particularly a railway convoy, comprising at least a first vehicle and a second vehicle, is described, in which the system for verifying the integrity of a convoy includes a first controller arranged to be coupled to the first vehicle, a second controller arranged to be coupled to the second vehicle, and at least one communication means arranged to allow communication between the first controller and the second controller. The first controller and/or the second controller is/are arranged to determine that the integrity of the convoy is compromised, when the first controller and the second controller are no longer able to communicate with each other via the at least one communication means.

A system includes one or more processors. The one or more processors are configured to receive image information from an vision sensor disposed on a vehicle, determine timing information indicating a time at which the image information was obtained, determine an orientation of the vehicle using the timing information, and control the vehicle based on the orientation that is determined.

A mobile unit control system includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire operation information on transportation located around the traveling area of a mobile unit that a user gets on and off while the mobile unit is traveling and a setting unit configured to set the traveling route or the traveling speed of the mobile unit based on the operation information on transportation.

When there is a train entering a building of a rail yard, a ground apparatus stores vehicle-formation-set IDs of respective vehicle-formation-sets of the train in the entering order by a FILO method. Additionally, when there is the train leaving the building, the vehicle-formation-set IDs are sequentially read by the FILO method, an inquiry addressed to the vehicle-formation-set IDs is transmitted in the order of the reading to obtain the train information from the on-board apparatus of each of the vehicle-formation-sets forming the train. When the on-board apparatus does not respond to the inquiry, and obtaining of the train information fails, the ground apparatus performs a predetermined alarm output control.