Command control for model railroading using AC track power signals for encoding pseudo-digital signals

Claim 1

A method of remotely controlling a selected effect in a model railroad layout having a track, the method comprising the steps of: providing a receiver coupled to the track in the model railroad layout; encoding a desired command so as to form a digital command word for transmission to the receiver over the track, the digital command word consisting of a series of bits; providing an AC track power signal; for each bit in the series of bits that has a first binary state, positively full-wave rectifying the AC track power signal over one-half cycle beginning at a zero-crossing of the AC track power signal, so as to form a positive AC lobe; for each bit in the series of bits having a second binary state opposite the first binary state, negatively full-wave rectifying the AC track power signal over one-half cycle beginning at a zero-crossing of the AC track power signal so as form a negative AC lobe; sequentially applying the positive and negative AC lobes to the track until the series of bits is completed, thereby applying a selectively rectified AC track power signal to the track; receiving the AC track power signal in the receiver coupled to the track; recovering the digital command word from the received AC track power signal; and controlling the selected effect in the model railroad layout in response to the recovered digital command word, whereby the AC track power signal itself carries the digital command information over the track to the receiver.

Claim 2

A method of remotely controlling a selected effect in a model railroad layout having a track, the method comprising the steps of: providing a receiver coupled to the track in the model railroad layout; encoding a desired command so as to form a digital command word for transmission to the receiver over the track, the digital command word consisting of a series of bits; providing an AC track power signal; for each bit in the series of bits that has a first binary state, positively full-wave rectifying the AC track power signal over one-half cycle beginning at a zero-crossing of the AC track power signal, so as to form a positive AC lobe; for each bit in the series of bits having a second binary state opposite the first binary state, negatively full-wave rectifying the AC track power signal over one-half cycle beginning at a zero-crossing of the AC track power signal so as form a negative AC lobe; sequentially applying the positive and negative AC lobes to the track until the series of bits is completed, thereby applying a selectively rectified AC track power signal to the track; receiving the AC track power signal in the receiver coupled to the track; recovering the digital command word from the received AC track power signal; and controlling the selected effect in the model railroad layout in response to the recovered digital command word, whereby the AC track power signal itself carries the digital command information over the track to the receiver.

Claim 11

A method of remotely controlling a selected effect in a model railroad layout having a track, the method comprising the steps of: providing a receiver coupled to the track in the model railroad layout; encoding a command for controlling the selected effect in the form of a trinary command word, the trinary command word consisting of a series of data elements), each data element having a state that is one of exactly three predetermined trinary states; providing an AC track power signal; for each data element in the series that has a first one of said trinary states, positively full-wave rectifying the AC track power signal over one-half cycle beginning at a zero-crossing of the AC track power signal, so as to form a positive AC lobe; for each data element in the series that has a second one of said trinary states, forming a zero lobe over one-half cycle beginning at a zero-crossing of the AC track power signal; for each data element in the series that has a third one of said trinary states, negatively full-wave rectifying the AC track power signal over one-half cycle beginning at a zero-crossing of the AC track power signal, so as to form a negative AC lobe; concatenating the positive AC lobes, negative AC lobes and zero lobes in the same sequence as the series of data elements so as to form a modified AC track power signal; applying the modified AC track power signal to the track; receiving the modified AC track power signal in the receiver coupled to the track; recovering the trinary command word from the received AC track power signal; and controlling the selected effect in the model railroad layout in response to the recovered trinary command word, whereby the AC track power signal itself carries the command information to the receiver.

Claim 12

A method of remotely controlling a selected effect in a model railroad layout having a track, the method comprising the steps of: providing a receiver coupled to the track in the model railroad layout; encoding a command for controlling the selected effect in the form of a trinary command word, the trinary command word consisting of a series of data elements), each data element having a state that is one of exactly three predetermined trinary states; providing an AC track power signal; for each data element in the series that has a first one of said trinary states, positively full-wave rectifying the AC track power signal over one-half cycle beginning at a zero-crossing of the AC track power signal, so as to form a positive AC lobe; for each data element in the series that has a second one of said trinary states, forming a zero lobe over one-half cycle beginning at a zero-crossing of the AC track power signal; for each data element in the series that has a third one of said trinary states, negatively full-wave rectifying the AC track power signal over one-half cycle beginning at a zero-crossing of the AC track power signal, so as to form a negative AC lobe; concatenating the positive AC lobes, negative AC lobes and zero lobes in the same sequence as the series of data elements so as to form a modified AC track power signal; applying the modified AC track power signal to the track; receiving the modified AC track power signal in the receiver coupled to the track; recovering the trinary command word from the received AC track power signal; and controlling the selected effect in the model railroad layout in response to the recovered trinary command word, whereby the AC track power signal itself carries the command information to the receiver.