A rail yard management system that takes advantage of infrastructure installed in rail yards and on railcars to allow the management of the railcars within a rail yard. The invention is also applicable to yard management for vehicles other than railcars.

A switch reporting device including at least one display screen, a high resolution camera, a code reader, at least one memory and one or more processors, the switch reporting device configured to determine a position of an unmonitored switch in a railway by capturing an image of one or more portions associated with the unmonitored switch, generating switch position data based on the image of one or more portions associated with the unmonitored switch, and updating a switch position record for the unmonitored switch with the switch position data. The switch reporting device includes one or more mobile computers or an EOT device for monitoring and reporting switch position data for an unmonitored switch.

A train compartment brake control method comprises the following steps: acquiring the number of train compartments of a current train; acquiring the number and type of a current train compartment; and on the basis of a train brake instruction and the number of train compartments of the current train, calculating a braking force of the current train compartment, and performing brake control on the current train compartment. The technical solution described in the present application is applicable to a train having any number of train compartments. The above method acquires the number of train compartments of a train in real time, calculates the braking force required by each train compartment according to the number and type of a current train compartment, and performs brake control on the train. The method ensures normal operation of brake control for a train having any number of train compartments and ensures that the brake control is not effected by an adjustment to the order or the number of train compartments. In the above technical solution, brake control units (BCUs) of each train are no longer distinguished as a primary BCU or a secondary BCU. The BCUs of each train are at the same control level and are redundant to each other, so as to reduce the use of a BCU of a single train compartment, thereby reducing operating costs.

A method for determining a torsional moment of a wheel set shaft of a rail vehicle during the operation of the rail vehicle is used for a wheel set shaft having two wheels secured to ends of the shaft for rolling on two rails. A model is used to calculate a torsional moment which acts on the wheel set shaft, and the model is based on a torsional vibration of the wheel set shaft at a specified slip action point. The torsional moment acting on the wheel set shaft is ascertained based on the energy of the torsional vibration of the wheel set shaft at the slip action point and based on a damping energy which acts on the torsional vibration of the wheel set shaft.

Tracking railroad cars during transit using computer implemented methods. Location information for railroad cars is obtained from sensors through a computer network and input into a computer system. Locations of trains are represented by train symbols on a graphical representation of a geographical region. In different embodiments, the location information is used to determine how the railroad cars are grouped into trains; when an operator selects one of the train symbols, one railcar symbol is displayed for each of the railroad cars that make up the train; or a bad ordered car is depicted. In various embodiments, GPS coordinates are used, shapes of locomotives or railcars are used, train symbols are shown at a shifted location when two of the trains are close together, a particular train is displayed in an ocean when location information is unavailable, or railcar symbols are displayed in a spiral pattern.

An asset identification and tracking system includes one or more monitoring units configured to monitor at least one designated area. Each of the monitoring units includes an imaging device and one or more processors. The imaging device is configured to generate image data depicting one or more mobile assets that move through the at least one designated area. The one or more processors are operably coupled to the imaging device and configured to analyze the image data to detect and decipher one or more identifiers that are displayed on a particular mobile asset of the one or more mobile assets that move through the at least one designated area. The one or more processors are further configured to generate a detection message that includes the one or more identifiers for communication to an asset control system.

A system and method obtain first image data of a route at a location of interest from a first optical sensor disposed onboard a vehicle system moving along the route. The first image data depicts the route at the location of interest prior to passage of the vehicle system over the route at the location of interest. Second image data of the route at the location of interest is obtained from a second optical sensor disposed onboard the vehicle system. The second image data depicts the route at the location of interest after passage of the vehicle system over the route at the location of interest. A determination is made as to whether a change in the route has occurred at the location of interest by comparing the first image data with the second image data.

A system includes at least one train having one or more sensors and a device remote from the at least one train. The device is configured to communicate with the at least one train via one or more networks, collect data from the one or more sensors of the at least one train at a plurality of different locations in a defined area, and generate a map of the one or more tracks based on the data collected from the one or more sensors of the at least one train at the plurality of different locations in the defined area. Other example systems and computer-implemented methods of mapping one or more railroad tracks in a defined area are also disclosed.

A system is provided having a vehicle. The vehicle includes a chassis, and a first network bus extending from internally in the chassis to a first network port attached externally to the chassis at a first side of the vehicle. The vehicle includes a second network bus extending from internally in the chassis to a second network port attached externally to the first chassis at a second side of the vehicle. The first network bus has a first electrical configuration and the second network bus has a second electrical configuration that is different than the first electrical configuration.

A vehicle control system includes a controller that communicates between a first vehicle and a second vehicle and/or a monitoring device in a vehicle system. The controller determines a communication loss and, responsive to determining the communication loss, switches to communicating via a different communication path. The controller also determines an operational restriction on movement of the vehicle system based on the communication loss that is determined, obtains a transitional plan that designates operational settings of the vehicle system at one or more different locations along a route being traveled by the vehicle system, different distances along the route being traveled by the vehicle system, and/or different times. The controller automatically changes the movement of the vehicle system according to the operational settings designated by the transitional plan to reduce the movement of the vehicle system to or below the operational restriction.