Abstract: A system for managing locomotives in a railyard including a parking yard and a service yard, based on possible future states of the parking yard and the service yard. The system includes a computer and utilizes an algorithm that enumerates possible present locomotive placement options, enumerates possible future railyard states arising from each possible present locomotive placement option, examines each possible future railyard state, and determines a present option based on the examination of the possible future railyard states.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for disseminating weather products, based on raw weather data provided by various weather condition sensors, to a mobile vehicle. The weather products are formed as web pages and transmitted to the mobile vehicle during the vertical blanking interval of a broadcast television signal. The weather products are received and displayed within the vehicle under control of a web browser.

Abstract: A method for managing railcar movement in a railyard based on the flow of railyard tasks, using a system that includes a computer including a processor, a memory device, and a database. The railyard includes six subyards including a surge yard, a receiving yard, a receiving inspected (RI) yard, a classification yard, a departure yard and a departure inspected (DI) yard. The method uses initial parameters, input to the computer, to simulate railyard task flow utilizing a yard performance model. Based on the simulation, the method determines if a train schedule can be met.

Abstract: A process for scheduling the travel of trains on a rail corridor. The rail corridor includes a plurality of siding tracks onto which trains can be sided when a meet or pass occurs with another train on the corridor. A gradient search process is used with a cost function to determine the optimum schedule by moving each meet and pass to a siding. The individual train schedules are varied by changing train speed and/or the train departure time (i.e., the time at which the train enters the corridor).

Abstract: An imagery compression algorithm is disclosed for transmitting imagery data to an aircraft over a relatively narrow bandwidth channel. The imagery data is first trimmed to include only images required by the aircraft during flight. The image is also de-cluttered by removing geographical boundary lines and isolated pixels that likely do not represent relevant weather imagery data. The compression scheme provides a plurality of instructions for compressing the image data. The first instruction depicts the number of multiple image lines that contain no imagery data, i.e., they indicate only the background display color. Two instructions identify short background color segments and long background segments, wherein the division between short and long segments is a predetermined value. Each of the data or color pixels is individually encoded with a fourth instructions characterizing the number of successive data pixels followed by a bit sequence indicating the color of each individual data pixel.

Abstract: A process for scheduling the travel of trains on a rail corridor. The rail corridor includes a plurality of siding tracks onto which trains can be sided when a meet or pass occurs with another train on the corridor. A gradient search process is used with a cost function to determine the optimum schedule by moving each meet and pass to a siding. The individual train schedules are varied by changing train speed and/or the train departure time (i.e., the time at which the train enters the corridor).

Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing locomotives is provided. The apparatus includes an on-board tracking system including a locomotive interface, a computer, a GPS receiver, and a communicator, the computer programmed to determine a position of the locomotive and to transmit the position via the communicator, the computer further programmed to obtain locomotive discretes and to transmit the locomotive discretes via the communicator.

Abstract: In one aspect, the present invention relates to identifying locomotive consists within train consists, and determining the order of the locomotives within the identified locomotive consists. By identifying locomotive consists and the order of locomotives within such consists, a railroad can better manage it locomotive fleet. In one exemplary embodiment, an on-board tracking system for being mounted to each locomotive of a train includes locomotive interfaces for interfacing with other systems of the particular locomotive, and a computer coupled to receive inputs from the interface, and a GPS receiver and a satellite communicator (transceiver) coupled to the computer. Generally, the onboard tracking systems determine the absolute position of the locomotive on which it is mounted and additionally, obtain information regarding specific locomotive interfaces that relate to the operational state of the locomotive.

Abstract: A method for identifying locomotive consists within train consists determines an order and orientation of the locomotives within the identified locomotive consists. An on-board tracking system is mounted to each locomotive and includes locomotive interfaces for interfacing with other systems of the particular locomotive, a computer for receiving inputs from the interface, a GPS receiver, and a satellite communicator (transceiver). As locomotives provide location and discrete information from the field, a central data processing facility receives the raw locomotive data. The data center processes the locomotive data and determines locomotive consists.

Abstract: A method for managing railcar movement in a railyard based on the flow of railyard tasks, using a system that includes a computer including a processor, a memory device, and a database. The railyard includes six subyards including a surge yard, a receiving yard, a receiving inspected (RI) yard, a classification yard, a departure yard and a departure inspected (DI) yard. The method uses initial parameters, input to the computer, to simulate railyard task flow utilizing a yard performance model. Based on the simulation, the method determines if a train schedule can be met.

Abstract: A system for determining a locomotive within a railyard includes a base station, a base station receiver that receives location data pertaining to the base station location, a mobile receiver that receives location data pertaining to the location of locomotive, and a computer. The mobile receiver utilizes data from a group of satellites that are a subset of the satellite constellation used to obtain base station location data. The computer tracks base station location data and computes a position error for the base station. The computer applies the error to a locomotive estimated position resulting in an accurate locomotive location.

Abstract: A system for determining the status of a railyard includes a locomotive itinerary, a computer configured with a comparator algorithm used to compare a locomotive location to the locomotive itinerary, and at least one manager console configured to communicate with the computer. Railcar information is input to the manager console and communicated to the computer, which generates a locomotive task list from the railcar information. The computer then generates a locomotive itinerary, tracks the location of the locomotive and uses the comparator algorithm to determine the schedule status of the railcar.

Abstract: In one aspect, the present invention relates to identifying locomotive consists within train consists, and determining the order of the locomotives within the identified locomotive consists. By identifying locomotive consists and the order of locomotives within such consists, a railroad can better manage it locomotive fleet. In one exemplary embodiment, an on-board tracking system for being mounted to each locomotive of a train includes locomotive interfaces for interfacing with other systems of the particular locomotive, and a computer coupled to receive inputs from the interface, and a GPS receiver and a satellite communicator (transceiver) coupled to the computer. Generally, the onboard tracking systems determine the absolute position of the locomotive on which it is mounted and additionally, obtain information regarding specific locomotive interfaces that relate to the operational state of the locomotive.

Abstract: A method for identifying locomotive consists within train consists determines an order and orientation of the locomotives within the identified locomotive consists. An on-board tracking system is mounted to each locomotive and includes locomotive interfaces for interfacing with other systems of the particular locomotive, a computer for receiving inputs from the interface, a GPS receiver, and a satellite communicator (transceiver). As locomotives provide location and discrete information from the field, a central data processing facility receives the raw locomotive data. The data center processes the locomotive data and determines locomotive consists.

Abstract: A system for managing locomotives in a railyard including a parking yard and a service yard, based on possible future states of the parking yard and the service yard. The system includes a computer and utilizes an algorithm that enumerates possible present locomotive placement options, enumerates possible future railyard states arising from each possible present locomotive placement option, examines each possible future railyard state, and determines a present option based on the examination of the possible future railyard states.

Abstract: A process for scheduling the travel of trains on a rail corridor. The rail corridor includes a plurality of siding tracks onto which trains can be sided when a meet or pass occurs with another train on the corridor. A gradient search process is used with a cost function to determine the optimum schedule by moving each meet and pass to a siding. The individual train schedules are varied by changing train speed and/or the train departure time (i.e., the time at which the train enters the corridor).

Abstract: A wireless system architecture whereby high efficiency broadband transceiver systems can be deployed at an initial build out stage of the system in a cost-efficient manner. A home base station location is identified within each cluster of cells and rather than deploy a complete suite of base station equipment at each of the cells in the cluster, inexpensive translator units are located in the outlying cells serviced by the home base station in which low traffic density is expected. The translators are connected to directional antennas arranged to point back to the home base station site. The translators are deployed in such a way which meshes with the eventually intended frequency reuse for the entire cluster of cells. The translator to base station radio links operate in-band that is, within the frequencies assigned to the service provider. The available frequency bands are divided into at least two sub-bands, with frequency translations ocurring entirely within a given sub-band.

Abstract: A frequency allocation plan for a wireless communication system that accommodates growth in demand from a low density reuse pattern of twelve cells to a high efficiency reuse pattern of three cells. The available radio spectrum is first divided into three ranges and each range is further divided into four groups. The frequencies in each range are sequentially assigned to the four groups, and the groups are further identified as even and/or odd index groups. The twelve cell groups are laid out in rectangular shapes of four cells across by three cells high, with a first set of three cells in the upper left portion being assigned to use a first even index frequency group. A second group of three cells in a lower left portion are assigned to use a second even index frequency group. A third and fourth group of three cells associated with upper right and lower right positions are assigned the first and second odd index frequency group.

Abstract: In a cellular-communications base station (10), an attenuation circuit 22 sets different power levels for different ones of the forward communications channels by which the base station transmits to the mobile units (12) that it services. From the reverse-channel transmit power that a reverse-channel-power circuit 52 derives from the associated reverse-channel power that the base station receives, a forward power circuit (58) infers the level of forward-channel transmit power that will result in the mobile unit's receipt of the requisite forward-channel power. In this way, the base station (10) avoids the need to transmit full power into all of the forward channels even if it is operating in accordance with a protocol that does not explicitly inform it of the forward-channel power that the mobile unit (12) is receiving.

Abstract: A frequency allocation technique for a wireless system which employs remote subscriber Field Access Units (FAUs) that use omni-directional antennas in an inner region of a cell, and directional antennas in an outer region of the cell. Different frequency subsets are used for the inner and outer cell regions and FAUs located in the inner regions of homologous cells maintain separation from one another by limiting their operating power to a level needed to complete the radio link from the base station. A receiver portion of the base station has the capability to determine received signal power for each channel within the bandwidth being served. This provides the basic input for a channel selection algorithm which determines the quietest channel from among those channels not in use. A further constraint on the frequency allocation process is that a minimum number of channels always remain unused.