US 12,296,874 B2Granted

Automated tie marking

AssigneeBNSF Railway Company

InventorsMichael James Brick, Lisa Marie Kelly, Samuel Minton, Richard William Keller

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A system and method for automating railroad maintenance by a tie gang using electronic tie marking (ETM) configured to optimize railroad asset maintenance. The system enables collision avoidance between members of the tie gang performing maintenance on railway assets (e.g., Rails, Ties, Ballasts, Turnouts, Crossings, etc.). The system can generate production numbers for the railway assets and evaluate an asset queue for the tie gang to perform maintenance. The system can utilize real-time updates from the tie gang to optimize work output. The system can provide a customizable user interface to identify, track, and process information related to maintenance of the railroad asset. The system also provides for a heads-up-display (HUD) to notify an operator of relevant information, such as maintenance information, travel indicators, and updated asset queue. The system can identify a next location and calculate an optimum path based on sensor input incorporating machine-specific and environmental characteristics.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A heads-up display (HUD) system for indicating railway transportation directions and railway assets on which to perform maintenance, comprising:

a real-time sensor array for identifying a location of a machine from a plurality of acquired sensor inputs;
a display configured to display railway transportation directions and identify railway assets on which to perform maintenance;
a memory for storing the acquired sensor inputs and location data relating to the acquired sensor inputs, and information of a surrounding environment of the machine;
and
a processor that is configured to identify the surrounding environment and update the display according to the location of the machine by performing the steps of:
displaying railway information onto the display;
displaying transportation information from a maintenance file based on the location of the machine on the display, wherein the transportation information includes a plurality of notices related to a path ahead of the machine;
receiving maintenance information from the maintenance file to display workhead information on the display, wherein the maintenance information includes a first symbol to indicate a location of one or more of the railway assets, a second symbol to indicate that the railway assets are to receive maintenance based on a queue of railway assets, and a third symbol to indicate that the railway assets are not to receive maintenance based on the queue of railway assets;
and
displaying an updated icon based on a completion of maintenance according to the maintenance information and an updated location of the machine.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/194,016Filed 31 Mar 2023 · division
Priority: 4 Mar 2022
Published: US 2023/0278602 A17 Sep 2023
Granted: 13 May 2025
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification23 codes

B61L 27/12
Operations, e.g. scheduling or time tables: preparing schedules
B60T 7/22
For automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger: initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an…
B61H 13/34
Actuating rail-vehicle brakes: details
B61L 15/0062
Indicators provided on the vehicle or train for signalling purposes: on-board target speed calculation or supervision

Family

Application17/687,210Parent of this division · filed 4 Mar 2022
Application17/687,025Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 4 Mar 2022
US 11,565,730 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 31 Jan 2023
US 2023/0278602 A1Pre-grant publication · published 7 Sep 2023
US 11,628,869 B1Parent of this division
Application17/687,210Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 12,296,874 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.