Abstract: Techniques for circuit board processing are provided. In one aspect, a method of processing a circuit board having one or more optical waveguides associated therewith is provided. The method comprises the following steps. One or more etch stop layers in proximity to the one or more waveguides are provided, at least one of the etch stop layers comprising one or more fiducials therein. From a surface of the circuit board, the one or more etch stop layers are used to selectively remove material to provide openings having a defined positioning and depth in the circuit board. A circuit board having one or more optical waveguides associated therewith is also provided.

Abstract: The present invention provides a remote control system for a locomotive. The remote control system comprises a remote control device, an identification interface and a locomotive controller module. The remote control device is operative for receiving a command signal indicative of an action to be executed by the locomotive. The identification interface is adapted for receiving user identification data from a user of the remote control device. The locomotive controller module is suitable for mounting at the locomotive and is adapted for generating local control signals. When the user identification data belongs to an authorized user, the locomotive controller module is operative to issue a local control signal for causing the locomotive to execute the action conveyed by the command signal received at the remote control device.

Abstract: The invention provides a remote control device for use in a locomotive remote control system that has a locomotive control device mounted on a locomotive. The remote control device comprises a first input, a second input, a processing unit and a transmission unit. The first input receives a signal conveying a command. The second input receives configuration information. The processing unit is in communication with the first input and the second input for acquiring a certain set of operational settings on the basis of the configuration information. The processing unit further generates digital command signals conveying command data to the locomotive control device on the basis of the signal received at the first input and the certain set of operational settings. The transmission unit is operative for generating an RF transmission for conveying the digital command signals to the locomotive control device.

Abstract: A method of inducing phase changes in a FIR filter is provided. The FIR filter consists of a concatenation of tunable couplers and tunable delay lines made of planar waveguides fabricated in SiON technology, forming a plurality of interferometers, at least one of which carries a heater on at least one of its waveguide arms. The method includes the step of exposing at least one of the arms of the interferometers to an irradiation at UV or a smaller wavelength, thereby inducing a change in the refractive index of the waveguide arms which induces the phase difference change. The method provides a procedure that will lead to temperature-stable changes of the refractive index of the waveguides. The resulting device is temperature-stable such that it can be afterwards be heated with chromium heaters to dynamically tune its spectral response without destroying the UV-induced changes.

Abstract: The present invention provides a portable remote control device adapted for transmitting command signals to a locomotive control device located onboard a locomotive. The command signals are indicative of a command to be executed by the locomotive. The portable remote control device is adapted for transmitting the command signals over either a remote communication link or a proximity communication link at least in part on the basis of a link selection signal received by the remote control device, wherein the link selection signal is indicative of the proximity of the portable remote control device to the locomotive. The remote communication link and the proximity communication link are distinguishable based on their range of communication. More specifically, the remote communication link permits the remote control device and the locomotive control device to communicate over a greater distance than the proximity communication link.

Abstract: The present invention provides a portable remote control device adapted for transmitting command signals to a locomotive control device located onboard a locomotive. The command signals are indicative of a command to be executed by the locomotive. The portable remote control device is adapted for transmitting the command signals over either a remote communication link or a proximity communication link at least in part on the basis of a link selection signal received by the remote control device, wherein the link selection signal is indicative of the proximity of the portable remote control device to the locomotive. The remote communication link and the proximity communication link are distinguishable based on their range of communication. More specifically, the remote communication link permits the remote control device and the locomotive control device to communicate over a greater distance than the proximity communication link.

Abstract: A system of controller modules allowing to remotely control a train having a first locomotive and a second locomotive separated from one another by at least one car is provided. The system of controller modules comprises a first controller module associated to the first locomotive and a second controller module associated to the second locomotive. One of said controller modules has a lead operational status and the other has a trail operational status. The controller module having the lead operational status receives a master control signal for signaling the train to move in a desired direction and releases in response to the master control signal a first local command signal. The first local command signal is operative to cause displacement of the locomotive associated with the controller module having the lead operational status.

Abstract: A remote control system for a locomotive. The remote control system includes a lead controller and follower controller connected to one another over a wireless communication link. The lead controller issues commands over the wireless communication link and those commands are implemented by the follower controller mounted on-board the locomotive. The lead controller is responsive to voice commands uttered by the operator.

Abstract: An electrically tunable coupler device is disposed on a substrate comprising a first and a second waveguide, for guiding optical signals. The coupler device comprises a heater element disposed adjacent the first waveguide for thermo-optically shifting the phase of the optical signal in the first waveguide in response to a control voltage applied to the heater element. The heater element is disposed in an interaction region of the optical signals, such that, within the interaction region, a temperature gradient across the first and the second waveguide is generated in dependence on the applied control voltage. A heat sink element can be disposed adjacent the second waveguide to absorb thermal energy from the heater element. This device can be fabricated at reduced cost and in increased packing density and is usable e.g. in directional couplers, Mach-Zehnder interferometers, optical ring resonators, IIR filters, or optical modulators.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for remotely controlling locomotives in a railway environment using radio frequency signals are provided. A remote operator programming unit (OPP) is used to set address information in the transmitter unit via a communication channel such as an infrared link. The use of the operator programming unit allows eliminating the need to open the casing of the transmitter during programming thereby reducing the probability of damaging the electrical components of the transmitter.

Abstract: A system for controlling a locomotive, including a plurality of portable communications units, each unit adapted to generate signals conveying commands indicative of functions to be performed by the locomotive. Each unit is also associated with an operational status; the signals generated by each unit have a characteristic dependent on the operational status associated with that unit. Also, the system includes a controller adapted to receive the signals generated by the plurality of portable communications units, to determine the commands conveyed by the received signals and to control the locomotive on the basis of the decoded commands. By making each portable transmitter unit aware of its operational status, battery power can be conserved and airwave congestion reduced by precluding the transmission of commands that are guaranteed to be rejected because of the lack of command authority of an originating unit.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a transmitter for remotely controlling and testing a train. The train has a slave controller mounted in the locomotive that is in communication with the transmitter. The transmitter comprises a control entity for issuing a plurality of commands to the slave controller and for causing corresponding actions to be performed at the train. The plurality of commands includes a brake testing command for causing a brake pipe test to be initiated at the train. In addition, the transmitter includes a communication entity that is in communication with the control entity for receiving commands issued by the control entity and for transmitting a signal over a communication link to the slave controller for conveying the commands issued by the control entity.

Abstract: A system for remotely controlling one or more locomotives. The system includes a remote control unit on which a human operator enters commands, and a locomotive controller mounted in the locomotive to implement the commands. The remote control unit communicates with the locomotive controller over a radio frequency (RF) communication link. The communication link is a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) link. A TDMA arrangement allows several locomotives to be controlled by respective master controllers while constraining all the communication links to a common frequency band. To avoid conflicts, each communication link is assigned a different time interval. The length of the time interval can be varied according to selected parameters of the system, one such parameter being the number of locomotives currently controlled. When few locomotives are being currently controlled, the time interval assigned to each communication link can be expanded to provide increased bandwidth.

Abstract: A method and system for remotely controlling a locomotive. The system includes a remote control unit, a repeater module and a trail controller positioned onboard the locomotive. The components of the system are assigned time intervals during which they are permitted to transmit a signal over a communication channel. A first time interval is assigned to the remote control unit for transmission of remote control signals over a first communication channel. A second time interval is assigned to the repeater module for transmission of remote control signals over the first communication channel, the first time interval and the second time interval being non-overlapping. A third time interval is assigned to the trail controller mounted onboard the locomotive for transmission of trail controller signals over a second communication channel distinct from the first communication channel.

Abstract: A network entity for remotely controlling a plurality of locomotive entities. The network entity has two main components, namely a communications layer for communicating simultaneously via a set of radio frequency (RF) communication links with respective remote transmitters and respective locomotive entities, and an intelligence layer for processing data derived from signals received by the communications layer from the RF communication links.

Abstract: A remote control unit for controlling a locomotive by transmitting signals to a remote receiver mounted onboard the locomotive is provided. The remote control unit includes an input for receiving a signal indicative of a command selected from a set of available commands. A signal transmitting unit transmits a signal indicative of the selected command repetitively to create a succession of signal transmission events. In a first example, each signal transmission event is spaced in time from a previous signal transmission event by a certain time interval having a duration conditioned at least in part on the basis of the selected command. In a second example, each signal transmission event includes a message portion and a header portion and the message portion of the signal has a length conditioned at least in part on the basis of the selected command. In a third example, each signal transmission event is characterized by a signal level conditioned at least in part on the basis of the selected command.

Abstract: A method of inducing phase changes in a FIR filter is provided. The FIR filter consists of a concatenation of tunable couplers and tunable delay lines made of planar waveguides fabricated in SiON technology, forming a plurality of interferometers, at least one of which carries a heater on at least one of its waveguide arms. The method includes the step of exposing at least one of the arms of the interferometers to an irradiation at UV or a smaller wavelength, thereby inducing a change in the refractive index of the waveguide arms which induces the phase difference change. The method provides a procedure that will lead to temperature-stable changes of the refractive index of the waveguides. The resulting device is temperature-stable such that it can be afterwards be heated with chromium heaters to dynamically tune its spectral response without destroying the UV-induced changes.

Abstract: An optical switch comprises input channels with input optical free-space elements, an intermediate optical free-space element, and input tunable optical lenses with adjustable projection characteristic for projecting lightwaves received from the input optical free-space elements into the intermediate optical free-space element. The switch further comprises output channels with output optical free-space elements, and output tunable optical lenses with adjustable reception characteristic for capturing the lightwave from the intermediate optical free-space element and for feeding the lightwave to the output optical free-space elements. The optical switch can be integrated into a substrate. The tunable lens can be implemented with an individually tunable heater. By adjusting the heaters one can control the projection characteristic of the light beam emitted into a free-space element. Also an asymmetrical switch arrangement is possible.

Abstract: A remote control unit for controlling a locomotive is provided. The remote control unit includes a manually operable control device, a brake setting display and a display controller. The control device allows an operator to select a level of brake application. The brake setting display includes an array of discrete display elements. The display controller actuates a first display element when a first level of brake application is selected on the control device. The display controller actuates a second display element adjacent to the first display element when a third level of brake application is selected on the control device. The display controller actuates the first and that second display elements of the array when a second level of brake application that is intermediate to the first and third levels of brake application is selected on the control device.

Abstract: A remote control system for a locomotive. The remote control system includes a lead controller and follower controller connected to one another over a wireless communication link. The lead controller issues commands over the wireless communication link and those commands are implemented by the follower controller mounted on-board the locomotive. The lead controller is responsive to voice commands uttered by the operator.