Locomotive signaling and control system

Claim 2

A locomotive control system for controlling the operation of one or more slave locomotive units in unison from a master locomotive control unit, said locomotive units having mechanical couplings, said system comprising: a master control stage in said master locomotive unit for generating and transmitting digital electrical signals in accordance with predetermined control functions; remote slave apparatus in said slave locomotive units for receiving electrical signals from the master control stage and converting said signals into actuator signals corresponding to the predetermined control functions; and signal transmission means for providing communication between the master control stage and the slave apparatus comprising a plurality of inductive couplers each including a transducer mounted on the mechanical couplings of said master and slave locomotive units in a position such that inductive coupling between the transducers thereof is established when a pair of master and slave locomotive units are coupled together.

Claim 3

A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said slave apparatus further includes means for generating predetermined warning signals for transmission to the master control stage via said signal transmission means.

Claim 4

A system in accordance with claim 2 wherein the master control stage further includes a plurality of display devices responsive to said warning signals.

Claim 5

A system in accordance with claim 2 wherein the master control stage further includes means responsive to certain of said warning signals for developing actuating signals in response thereto.

Claim 6

A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein the master control stage further includes means for repetitively transmitting preselected ones of said digital electrical signals to ensure desired control of the slave locomotive unit.

Claim 7

A system in accordance with claim 5 wherein the slave apparatus includes means for comparing said repetitive signals for the same function from the master control stage and means for responding to a majority vote of the compared signals.

Claim 8

A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein the inductive couplers comprise means for affixing said couplers to the mechanical couplings of the locomotive units in symmetrical juxtaposition to face each other with a separation of approximately one inch when a pair of locomotive units are mechanically coupled together.

Claim 9

A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein each inductive coupler comprises a rigid housing, an inductive transducer fastened to said housing; and a protective covering enclosing the inductive transducer and affixed to the housing in sealing relationship.

Claim 10

A system in accordance with claim 8 wherein the inductive transducer comprises a pair of separate coils positioned on a common core, one of said coils being utilized for signal transmission and the other of said coils being utilized for signal reception.

Claim 11

A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said master control stage includes means for developing an address corresponding to a given command signal and transmitting said address and command signal together to the slave apparatus.

Claim 12

A system in accordance with claim 10 wherein the slave apparatus inCludes means for decoding said address signal and for responding only to signals bearing addresses within the corresponding slave unit.

Claim 13

A system in accordance with claim 11 wherein said slave apparatus includes means for directing a particular command signal to a control actuator in accordance with the address associated with the signal.

Claim 14

A system in accordance with claim 10 wherein the slave apparatus further includes means for retransmitting signals associated with addresses corresponding to other slave locomotive units.

Claim 15

A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein the master locomotive control unit includes means for shutting down the power of a given slave locomotive unit upon the reception of signals indicating a garbled transmission.

Claim 16

A system in accordance with claim 14 wherein the master locomotive control unit further includes means for shutting down a slave locomotive unit upon the existence of a condition indicating a breakdown in signal transmission.

Claim 17

A system in accordance with claim 10 wherein the master control stage further includes means for affixing a parity digit to the address and command signals to be transmitted.

Claim 18

A system in accordance with claim 16 wherein the slave apparatus includes parity checking circuitry and means for rejecting a command signal for which a parity error is detected.

Claim 19

A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein the master control stage and the slave apparatus each include identical computer controllers and particular interface units for adapting the identical computer controllers to the particular type of power unit in which the controller is to be mounted.

Claim 20

A control system in accordance with claim 1 wherein timing means is provided by self-clocking time synchronization of said digital signals in both said master control unit and said slave units.

Claim 21

A locomotive signaling and control system for controlling a plurality of diesel/electric power traction units in unison from a master unit comprising: a computer controller in each of said units for processing digital electrical signals in self-clocking relationship; a control console coupled to the computer controller of the master unit for generating control signals and for providing a display of operating conditions throughout the locomotive; function controllers in each unit coupled to the output of the computer controller therein and responsive to actuating signals from the associated computer controller; warning sensors in each of said computer controllers for generating signals for application to the control console; means in each computer controller for developing a digital signal word comprising an address portion, a command portion, and a parity bit in accordance with each of said control and warning signals, said digital signal word being time-synchronized with an accompanying clock signal; and means for transmitting said digital electrical signals between units including pairs of inductive couplers electrically connected to respective computer controllers and mounted on said units in positions such as to establish inductive signal coupling between the couplers without electrical contact when the units are physically coupled together.

Claim 22

A locomotive signaling and control system for controlling a plurality of diesel/electric power traction units in unison from a master unit comprising: a computer controller in each of said units for processing digital electrical signals in self-clocking relationship; a control console coupled to the computer controller of the master unit for generating control signals and for providing a display of operating conditions throughout the locomotive; function controllers in each unit coupled to the output of the computer controller therein and responsive to actuating signals from the associated computer controller; warning sensors in each of said computer controllers for generating signals for application to the control console; means in each computer controller for developing a digital signal word comprising an address portion, a command portion, and a parity bit in accordance with each of said control and warning signals, said digital signal word being time-synchronized with an accompanying clock signal; and means for transmitting said digital electrical signals between units including pairs of inductive couplers electrically connected to respective computer controllers and mounted on said units in positions such as to establish inductive signal coupling between the couplers without electrical contact when the units are physically coupled together.

Claim 23

A control system for controlling the operation of a multi-unit locomotive, including: a master locomotive unit; at least one slave locomotive unit, said master and slave units being joined by mechanical couplers; and a control signal transmission system linking said units and including an inductive coupling mounted on each of said mechanical couplers, the inductive couplings of joined, adjacent mechanical couplers being juxtaposed for inductive interconnection without physical contact therebetween.

Claim 24

A control system for controlling the operation of a multi-unit locomotive, including: a master locomotive unit; at least one slave locomotive unit, said master and slave units being joined by mechanical couplers; and a control signal transmission system linking said units and including an inductive coupling mounted on each of said mechanical couplers, the inductive couplings of joined, adjacent mechanical couplers being juxtaposed for inductive interconnection without physical contact therebetween.