Title of Invention

A DEVICE FOR MONITORING RAILWAY TRACKSIDE COLOR-LIGHT SIGNALS AND METHOD THEREOF

Abstract

A wireless device is disclosed which has a signaling unit capable of monitoring electrical status of the Railway track side color-light signals and then relaying these signals through radio frequency in a known direction by focusing the radio frequency with appropriate antenna device. The driver in the locomotive has appropriately tuned signal-receiving unit which uses radio frequency to detect these directional radio frequency signals coming from the Railway track side color-light signal mounted signaling unit. Thus, the signal-receiving units placed inside the Locomotive is able to detect and represent the signal status to the driver along with other required parameters without any obstruction and reliably even though the Locomotive driver has not come in the visible line of sight with the Railway track side color light signals. Figure 1 is the representative figure.

Full Text

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for monitoring railway trackside color-light signals and method thereof. Background It has been seen that there have been proposals in the past, such as cab signaling which uses coded pulses transmitted between signal placements and a locomotive drivers cab with the help of tracks/rails or from loops or coils buried under the tracks. The coded pulses are received from the rails or loop by the equipment, which is displayed on-board, the locomotive, and various signal aspects that the train is approaching, to the locomotive driver. These systems are operational in the past but they do have problems and disadvantages associated with them. There is a relatively high cost incurred in the installment of trackside and on-board equipment. The system which uses track transmission line, the varying resistance of the tracks and that in between the rails which is also known as ballast resistance, can hinder the coded pulses from being conducted from one end to other or at the required distance from the signal and the locomotive. These pulses also gets corrupted beyond the interpretation capability of the on-board equipment to properly decode the message, this may cause an unsafe condition. In the buried loop system the communication time between the locomotive and the signal is limited by the size and number of loops and the instant locomotive location, this delay in communication also restricts the locomotive speed. In this cab signaling system the locomotive is unable to transmit any data to the signal, also in such signaling there are instances where the driver is unable to fetch data from the signals. The present day cab signaling also requires heavy processing and complex electronic circuitry, which in-term requires heavy expenditure in terms of money and maintenance. The problem to be solved is to make Railway trackside color-light signals visible to the locomotive driver even beyond the visible spectrum range and the problem is solved by providing a wireless device having a signaling unit capable of monitoring electrical status of the Railway track side color-light signals and then relaying these signals through radio frequency in a known direction by focusing the radio frequency with appropriate antenna device. The driver in the locomotive has appropriately tuned signal-receiving unit which uses radio frequency to detect these directional radio frequency signals coming from the Railway track side color-light signal mounted signaling unit. Thus, the signal-receiving units placed inside the Locomotive is able to detect and represent the signal status to the driver along with other required parameters without any obstruction and reliably even though the Locomotive driver has not come in the visible line of sight with the Railway track side color light signals. Disclosure of.the Invention It is an object of the invention to provide a device that automatically detects primarily the vital signals, that is distant and home signals and transmits this status via wireless radio frequency spectrum in the defined direction through appropriate means. The signal-receiving unit is tuned to detect and decipher these signals and bring out accurately the status of the signal well in advance to the driver. The advance intimation of distant signal gives fairly good idea to the locomotive driver in respect of speeds required to be maintained while approaching the railway station. This would ensure speedy line traffic, without unnecessary braking or slowing down, and would give driver adequate confidence while driving or looking for approaching signals from long distances. It is another object of the invention to provide a device to accurately detect the Railway trackside color-light signal status even in harsh environmental conditions such as heavy rain, dense fogs, and heavy dust storms and also due to human activities such as burning of the leftover crops in the farms which generate unwanted smoke. All these conditions could hinder the visibility of the railway color-light signal and could lead to reduced visibility range, to a few meters, thus in turn reducing the railroad traffic speed and safety. It is yet another object of the invention to provide an automatic device having a signaling unit mounted on the color light signal itself and requires no regular maintenance or other calibrations. This device is also capable of warning the driver in case the signals are disobeyed or not acknowledged. With the above and other objectives in view, as will hereinafter appear, various embodiments of the present invention are described hereunder. According to an embodiment of the invention, a wireless device is provided for monitoring railway trackside color-light signals, which comprises an electronic signaling unit mounted on and interfaced with said color-light signal to receive, process and wirelessly transmit signals generated by said color-light signal; and an electronic signal-receiving unit placed in a locomotive facing the color-light signal to wirelessly receive, decode and display in audio-visual form the signals transmitted by the electronic signaling unit; whereby the audio-visual display presents signal status shown on the color-light to a locomotive driver. According to another embodiment of the invention, the signaling unit comprises an electrical interface unit configured to convert electrical signals generated by said color-light signal to electronic form; a first electronic unit configured to interpret and process the converted signals; and a first radio transceiver unit to code and transmit the processed signals through a radio frequency link using a first directional antenna. According to another embodiment of the invention, the signal-receiving unit comprises a second directional antenna to receive signals transmitted by the first radio transceiver unit; a second radio transceiver unit to interpret signals received by the second directional antenna and convert them to electrical and digital form; a second electronic unit configured to interpret and process the converted signals; and a display unit to decode and display the processed signals in audio-visual form. According to another embodiment of the invention, the signaling unit is configured to wirelessly transmit signals within a distance of two kilometers in a known direction. According to another embodiment of the invention, when the locomotive conies within a range of the signals transmitted by the signaling unit, the signal-receiving unit communicates automatically with the signaling unit to present audio-visual display of signal status to the locomotive driver. According to another embodiment of the invention, the signal-receiving unit is provided with an audio-visual alarm to automatically activate and alert the driver in case of disobeyance of signal status presented by the display by the driver. According to another embodiment of the invention, the signal-receiving unit is configured to monitor a speedometer of the locomotive and activate the audio-visual alarm in case of excessive speeding. According to another embodiment of the invention, the signal-receiving unit is configured to monitor a Global Positioning System (GPS) of the locomotive and activate the audio-visual alarm in case of diobeyance of GPS based data analysis. According to another embodiment of the invention, the signal-receiving unit is configured to activate brake actuator unit in case of disobeyance of signal status presented by the display, excessive speeding or disobeyance of Global Positioning System (GPS) based data analysis by the driver and ensure emergency stopping of the locomotive. According to yet another embodiment of the invention, a method of monitoring railway trackside color-light signals is provided, which comprises mounting an electronic signaling unit on and interfaced with said color-light signal; converting electrical signals generated by said color-light signal to electronic form; interpreting and processing the converted signals; coding and transmitting the processed signals through a radio frequency link using a first directional antenna; placing an electronic signal-receiving unit in a locomotive facing the color-light signal; receiving signals transmitted by the first directional antenna by using a second directional antenna; interpreting signals received by the second directional antenna and converting them to electrical and digital form; and decoding and displaying the electrical and digital signals in audio-visual form; whereby the display in audio-visual form presents signal status shown on the color-light to a locomotive driver. Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 shows the use of an embodiment of the present invention in existing Railway infrastructure. Figure 2 shows a detailed view of various components of wireless device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Reference Number Description of Elements 1 Signal-receiving unit 2 Signaling unit 3 Distant Signal 4 Home Signal 5 Railway Track 6 Locomotive 100 First Radio Transceiver Unit 101 Electricallnterface Unit 102 First Electronic Unit 103 First Directional Antenna 104 Second Directional Antenna 105 Second Radio Transceiver Unit 106 Second electronic unit 107 Display Unit 108 Brake actuator unit 109 Speedometer 110 Global Positioning System (GPS) 111 A wireless device for monitoring railway trackside color-light signals For a better understanding of the embodiments of the invention and to show how it may be performed, it will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Description of the Invention As can be seen in Figure 1, an electronic signaling unit (2) is mounted on and interfaced with a railway trackside color-light signals (3, 4). The signaling unit (2) is mounted on the railway trackside color-light signals (3, 4) using known means and mounting assembly to ensure a secure mounting which is protected against harsh environmental conditions such as heavy rain, dense fogs, and heavy dust storms. Further, an electronic signal-receiving unit (1) is shown to be placed inside a locomotive (6) facing the color-light signals (3, 4). The signaling unit (2) receives, processes and wirelessly transmits signals generated by the color-light signals (3, 4) and the signal-receiving unit (1) placed in a locomotive (6) wirelessly receives, decodes and displays in audio-visual form the signals transmitted by the electronic signaling unit (2) to present signal status shown on the color-light (3.4) to a locomotive driver. As can be seen in Figure 2, a wireless device (106) for monitoring railway trackside color-light signals (3,4) has two units. The first unit is a signaling unit (2) which has an electrical interface unit (101) configured to convert electrical signals generated by the color-light signal (3, 4) to electronic form. The signaling unit (2) further has a first electronic unit (102) configured to interpret and process the converted signals. A first radio transceiver unit (100) is further provided within the signaling unit (2) to code and transmit the processed signals through a radio frequency link using a first directional antenna (103). The second unit is a signal-receiving unit (1) which is placed in the locomotive and which has a second directional antenna (104) to receive signals transmitted by the first radio transceiver unit (100). The signal-receiving unit (1) is further provided with a second radio transceiver unit (105) to interpret signals received by the second directional antenna (104) and convert them to electrical and digital form. A second electronic unit (106) is provided in the signal-receiving unit (1) and is configured to interpret and process the converted signals. The signal-receiving unit (1) is further equipped with a display unit (107) to decode and display the processed signals in audio-visual form. A speedometer (109) of the locomotive (6) is also shown in Figure 2 and the speedometer (109) is monitored by the second electronic unit (106) which activates the audio-visual alarm in case of excessive speeding. Similarly, a Global Positioning System (110) of the locomotive (6) is also shown and the GPS (110) is monitored by the second electronic unit (106) which activates the audio-visual alarm in case of diobeyance of the instructions based on data provided by GPS. A brake actuator unit (108) is also shown which is activated by the second electronic unit (106) in case of disobeyance of signal status presented by the display, excessive speeding or disobeyanee of Global Positioning System (GPS) based data analysis by the driver and such activation ensures emergency stopping of the locomotive (6). In a working mode of the invention, when the locomotive approaches the outer periphery of the Railway station, the Railway traffic signals are present at various distances to guide the Locomotive driver about what to do. These signals are coded with three color-lights to inform the driver about the station traffic condition. The first encountered signal when the Train is approaching the railway station is the Railway Signal Distant (3) that tells the driver whether to restrict the speed, or to pass with full speed or whether it is going to encounter next signal as red. After approximately one kilometer distance, next signal is encountered by the driver which is known as Railway Signal home (4). This signal has three color lights which tells the driver whether to stop or to pass the station and has directional lights on top of it which also indicates the route to the driver. The data is also encoded along with status of distant signal to give the driver the critical locations, for example approach of signals, un-manned level crossings or locations at which he has to observe necessary speed restrictions. Some of the advantages of the present invention are as follows: 1) Avoiding Human Error On Part Of the Driver At present track side color light signals are employed, which are to be seen by the driver vigilantly and take appropriate actions after the signal is sighted. A considerable amount of driver energy is wasted in anticipation as to when the signal will be approached, without taking care of other important issues. There could be instances when signals are left ignored by the driver due to various reasons on part of human error, which could result in serious consequences such as collisions from back. The proposed system wirelessly fetched Traffic signal in advance and also requires drivers acknowledgement, if appropriate action isn't taken the train is brought to an emergency stop. 2) Early Signal Detection The signal status is presented on the drivers desk at least 2 kilometers in advance of the approach of the desired signal , thus driver can get relief from anxiously awaiting the signal and its status and also adjust driving speed accordingly. 3) Clear Signal Status in Adverse Weather Since the system employs radio frequency for communication with the approaching traffic signals, visual means for signal identification are not required. In weather conditions such as dust storms, dense fog, heavy rain and thunderstorm, Smoke generated by humans in their farms etc., the driver is unable to see the signal in these conditions and this could lead to a signal miss, a human error on part of driver, which could lead to consequential damage to the rolling stock and accidents. These conditions could also drastically reduce the speed of the transit. 4) Enhancing Line Capacity In conditions such as dust storms, dense fog, heavy rain and thunderstorm, smoke generated by humans in their farms etc, the driver is unable to see the signal in these conditions and this could lead to a signal miss, a human error on part of driver which could lead to consequential damage to the rolling stock and accidents. These conditions could also drastically reduce the speed of the transit. Employing the present technology suggested under present invention could enhance the line capacity and more traffic could pass with advance information on signal citation. 5) Low Cost. The device employs simple low cost consumer electronics, thus keeping the cost to a low level as compared to other known complicated and costly means. 6) Low Maintenance. Since the equipment is small and less complicated, it requires low maintenance as compared to other solutions. 7) Distress zone. The wireless device could be used for sending a distress or SOS signal in case the train has met with some emergency breakdown in the block section. The approaching trains from either side could be alerted in case of any emergency and thus could avoid any unwanted collision. I claim: 1. A wireless device for monitoring railway trackside color-light signals (111), characterized by: an electronic signaling unit (2), mounted on and interfaced with said colorlight signal to receive, process and wirelessly transmit signals generated by said colorlight signal; and an electronic signal-receiving (1), unit placed in a locomotive (6), facing the color-light signal to wirelessly receive, decode and display in audio¬visual form the signals transmitted by the electronic signaling unit (2); whereby the audio-visual display presents signal status shown on the colorlight to a locomotive driver (6). 2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said signaling unit (2), comprises: an electrical interface unit (101), configured to convert electrical signals generated by said color-light signal to electronic form; a first electronic unit (102), configured to interpret and process the converted signals; and a first radio transceiver unit (100) to code and transmit the processed signals through a radio frequency link using a first directional antenna. 3. The device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein said signal- receiving unit (1), comprises: a second directional antenna (104), to receive signals transmitted by the first radio transceiver unit (100); a second radio transceiver unit (105), to interpret signals received by the second directional antenna (104), and convert them to electrical and digital form; a second electronic unit (106), configured to interpret and process the converted signals; and a display unit (107), to decode and display the processed signals in audiovisual form. 4. The device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein said signaling Unit (2), is configured to wirelessly transmit signals within a distance of two kilometers in a known direction. 5. The device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein when the Locomotive (6), comes within a range of the signals transmitted by the signaling unit (2), the signal-receiving unit (1). communicates automatically with the signaling unit (2), to present audio-visual display of signal status to the locomotive driver (6). 6. The device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the signal- receiving unit (1), is provided with an audio-visual alarm to automatically activate and alert the driver in case of disobeyance of signal status presented by the display by the driver. 7. The device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the signal-receiving unit (1), is configured to monitor a speedometer (109), of the locomotive (6), and activate the audio-visual alarm in case of excessive speeding. 8. The device as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein the signal-receiving unit (1), is configured to monitor a Global Positioning System (GPS) (110), of the locomotive 6, and activate the audio-visual alarm in case of diobeyance of GPS based data analysis. 9. The device as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the signal- receiving unit (1), is configured to activate brake actuator unit (108), in case of disobeyance of signal status presented by the display, excessive speeding or disobeyance of Global Positioning System (GPS) (110), based data analysis by the driver and ensure emergency stopping of the locomotive (6). 10. A method of monitoring railway trackside color-light signals, characterized by: mounting an electronic signaling unit (2), on and interfaced with said colorlight signal; converting' electrical signals generated by said color-light signal to electronic form; interpreting and processing the converted signals; coding and transmitting the processed signals through a radio frequency link using a first directional antenna (103); placing an electronic signal-receiving unit (1), in a locomotive (6), facing the color-light signal; receiving signals transmitted by the first directional antenna by using a second directional antenna (104); interpreting signals received by the second directional antenna and converting them to electrical and digital form; and decoding and displaying the electrical and digital signals in audio-visual form; whereby the display in audio-visual form presents signal status shown on the color-light to a locomotive driver. 11. The device as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein, the signaling unit (2) after its interface with the Railway signal, transmits its data encoded with locations of approach of signal , based on GPS coordinates at which the driver has to observe the signal, in advance, through the onboard GPS (110) of the signal-receiving unit (1) onboard locomotive. 12. The device as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein, the signaling unit (2) after its interface with the Railway signal, transmits its data encoded with locations of approach, based on GPS coordinates at which the driver has to observe necessary speed restrictions, in advance, through the onboard GPS (110) of the signal-receiving unit (1) onboard locomotive. 13. The device as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein, the locations of the approach, as transmitted by the signaling unit (2), comprise of the GPS coordinates of the said locations on the basis of which the signal status and its disobeyance is identified, through GPS based data analysis performed by the signal-receiving unit (1) onboard locomotive through its GPS(110). 14. The device as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein, the signal aspects and its relevant data is transmitted by signaling unit(2), which is pre-fed into the signal therefore the device doesn't need database to be uploaded or refresh in ail the mobile signal-receiving unit (1) onboard locomotive.

Documents:

1604-del-2006-abstract.pdf

1604-DEL-2006-Claims-(01-07-2011).pdf

1604-DEL-2006-Claims-(29-03-2012).pdf

1604-del-2006-claims.pdf

1604-del-2006-Correspondence Others-(01-07-2011).pdf

1604-del-2006-Correspondence Others-(04-04-2012).pdf

1604-DEL-2006-Correspondence Others-(29-03-2012).pdf

1604-del-2006-correspondence-others.pdf

1604-del-2006-description (complete).pdf

1604-del-2006-drawings.pdf

1604-del-2006-form-1.pdf

1604-del-2006-form-18.pdf

1604-del-2006-form-2.pdf

1604-del-2006-form-26.pdf

1604-del-2006-form-3.pdf

1604-del-2006-form-5.pdf

1604-del-2006-form-9.pdf

1604-del-2006-GPA-(04-04-2012).pdf