Computing car locations in a train

Claim 7

Apparatus for detecting the passage of a train of cars moving past a given point wherein each car comprises a plurality of trucks with each truck comprising a plurality of axle bearing wheels, said apparatus comprising: means for measuring the distance between successive wheels of the car in said train in response to the passage of the wheels past a given point; means for subtracting each measured distance from the preceding measured distance and generating a first signal representative of the value of each subtraction, means only responsive to each first signal having a given, one polarity for providing a first output signal representative of the passage of the first axle of a truck; means for subtracting each said first signal from the preceding first signal and generating an additional signal representative of the value of said subtraction, means only responsive to each such second signal having a polarity opposite to said given one polarity for providing a second output signal representative of the passage of the first axle of a car.

Claim 8

Apparatus for detecting the passage of a train of cars moving past a given point wherein each car comprises a plurality of trucks with each truck comprising a plurality of axle bearing wheels, said apparatus comprising: means for measuring the distance between successive wheels of the car in said train in response to the passage of the wheels past a given point; means for subtracting each measured distance from the preceding measured distance and generating a first signal representative of the value of each subtraction, means only responsive to each first signal having a given, one polarity for providing a first output signal representative of the passage of the first axle of a truck; means for subtracting each said first signal from the preceding first signal and generating an additional signal representative of the value of said subtraction, means only responsive to each such second signal having a polarity opposite to said given one polarity for providing a second output signal representative of the passage of the first axle of a car.

Claim 9

Apparatus for detecting the passage of a plurality of cars moving past a given point wherein each car comprises a plurality of trucks with each truck comprising a plurality of axle bearing wheels, said apparatus comprising: means for measuring distance between successive wheels of the cars in response to the passage of the wheels past said given point; means for comparing each measured distance with the preceding measured distance and generating a first signal representative of the value of each comparison, means only responsive to each first signal having a value which exceeds a given value in a first direction for providing a first output signal representative of the passage of the first axle of a truck; means for comparing each said first signal with the preceding first signal and generating an additional signal representative of the value of each comparison, means responsive only to each such second signal having a value which exceeds a given value in the opposite direction for providing a second output signal representative of the passage of the first axle of a car.

Claim 10

Apparatus for detecting the passage of a plurality of cars moving past a given point wherein each car comprises a plurality of trucks with each truck comprising a plurality of axle bearing wheels, said apparatus comprising: means for measuring distance between successive wheels of the cars in response to the passage of the wheels past said given point; means for comparing each measured distance with the preceding measured distance and generating a first signal representative of the value of each comparison, means only responsive to each first signal having a value which exceeds a given value in a first direction for providing a first output signal representative of the passage of the first axle of a truck; means for comparing each said first signal with the preceding first signal and generating an additional signal representative of the value of each comparison, means responsive only to each such second signal having a value which exceeds a given value in the opposite direction for providing a second output signal representative of the passage of the first axle of a car.

Claim 11

Apparatus for detecting the passage of railroad cars each comprising a plurality of trucks wherein each truck comprises a plurality of axle bearing wheels, comprising: means for automatically measuring the distance between successive wheels of the cars of a train in response to the passage of the wheels past a given point; means for electronically comparing each measured distance with the preceding measured distance and generating a signal representative of the value of each comparison which has a given polarity; means for electronically comparing each said signal with the preceding signal and generating an additional signal representative of said comparison; and means for generating an output signal corresponding to each of said additional signals which has the same polarity representing the first wheel of the first truck of each car.

Claim 12

Apparatus for detecting the passage of railroad cars each comprising a plurality of trucks wherein each truck comprises a plurality of axle bearing wheels, comprising: means for automatically measuring the distance between successive wheels of the cars of a train in response to the passage of the wheels past a given point; means for electronically comparing each measured distance with the preceding measured distance and generating a signal representative of the value of each comparison which has a given polarity; means for electronically comparing each said signal with the preceding signal and generating an additional signal representative of said comparison; and means for generating an output signal corresponding to each of said additional signals which has the same polarity representing the first wheel of the first truck of each car.

Claim 13

Apparatus for detecting the passage of a train of cars moving past a given point wherein each caR comprises a plurality of trucks with each truck comprising a plurality of axle bearing wheels comprising: first, second and third counters, a source of recurrent timing pulses, means for detecting the passage of wheels past said given point, means for enabling said first counter to count the timing pulses occurring between detection of the passage of a first detected wheel and a preceding wheel to provide a first count value, means for transferring said first count value as a negative first count value to said second counter, means for enabling said first and second counters to count the timing pulses occurring between detection of the passage of a second wheel and said first wheel to obtain a second count value and the difference between said second and first count values in said first and second counters respectively, means responsive to said difference having a positive value for transferring said difference as a negative difference count to said third counter, means for operating said first and second counters to count the timing pulses occurring between detection of the passage of a third wheel and said second wheel to obtain a third count and the difference between said second and first counts in said first and second counters respectively, means operative when the difference between said third and second counts in said second counter becomes positive to operate said third counter to also count the remainder of the count being counted into said first and second counters into said third counter, and means responsive to the count in said third counter being negative at the end of said third count for utilizing said information.

Claim 14

Apparatus for detecting the passage of a train of cars moving past a given point wherein each caR comprises a plurality of trucks with each truck comprising a plurality of axle bearing wheels comprising: first, second and third counters, a source of recurrent timing pulses, means for detecting the passage of wheels past said given point, means for enabling said first counter to count the timing pulses occurring between detection of the passage of a first detected wheel and a preceding wheel to provide a first count value, means for transferring said first count value as a negative first count value to said second counter, means for enabling said first and second counters to count the timing pulses occurring between detection of the passage of a second wheel and said first wheel to obtain a second count value and the difference between said second and first count values in said first and second counters respectively, means responsive to said difference having a positive value for transferring said difference as a negative difference count to said third counter, means for operating said first and second counters to count the timing pulses occurring between detection of the passage of a third wheel and said second wheel to obtain a third count and the difference between said second and first counts in said first and second counters respectively, means operative when the difference between said third and second counts in said second counter becomes positive to operate said third counter to also count the remainder of the count being counted into said first and second counters into said third counter, and means responsive to the count in said third counter being negative at the end of said third count for utilizing said information.

Claim 15

An arrangement according to claim 7 further comprising means operative when the difference between said second and first counts is negative for resetting said second counter to zero and transferring the negative of said second count from the first counter into said second counter, and means responsive to the total count in said third counter being positive at the end of the third wheel count for resetting said third counter to zero and transferring the difference between said third and second counts as a negative difference count into said third counter.