Railroad virtual track block system
AssigneeBNSF Railway Company
InventorsJerry Wade Specht, Ralph E. Young, Kent Robert Shue, Mitchell Wayne Beard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of railroad track control includes partitioning a physical track block into a plurality of virtual track blocks, the physical track block defined by first and second insulated joints disposed at corresponding first and second ends of a length of railroad track. The presence of an electrical circuit discontinuity in one of the plurality of virtual track blocks; is detected and in response a corresponding virtual track block position code indicating the presence of the discontinuity in the one of the plurality of virtual track blocks is generated.
Claims16
A railroad track control system for maintaining a braking distance onboard a locomotive comprising:
- a plurality of control systems each disposed at a corresponding end of a corresponding physical track block, each control system operable to:
- detect an electrical circuit discontinuity in the corresponding physical track block;
- detect a presence of a train within the corresponding physical track block;
- determine an occupancy of the train within at least one virtual track block of a plurality of virtual track blocks within the corresponding physical track block;
- and
- transmit a virtual track block position (VBP) message identifying the occupancy of at least one virtual track block within the corresponding physical track block to the locomotive.
A method of railroad track control for maintaining a braking distance onboard a locomotive, comprising:
- detecting an electrical circuit discontinuity in the corresponding physical track block;
- detecting a presence of a train within the corresponding physical track block;
- determining an occupancy of the train within at least one virtual track block of a plurality of virtual track blocks within the corresponding physical track block;
- and
- transmitting a virtual track block position (VBP) message identifying the occupancy of at least one virtual track block within the corresponding physical track block to the locomotive.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.