System for monitoring railroad cars
View Patent ↗A system for monitoring railroad cars comprising a hatch cover assembly including a cover body, a sensor, a wireless transmitter for transmitting data received from the sensor, a wireless receiver for receiving the data from the wireless transmitter, and a satellite transmitter for transmitting the data to a satellite. The wireless receiver and the satellite transmitter are attached to the hatch cover assembly. In one embodiment, the sensor is a pressure sensor having a sensing unit situated in the plenum of a vented hatch cover. In another embodiment, the sensor is an air flow sensor having a sensing unit situated in the plenum of a vented hatch cover. In another embodiment, the sensor is a chain tension sensor attached to a handbrake chain. In another embodiment, the sensor is a hatch cover position attached to the hatch cover assembly.
1. A hatch cover for a railroad car comprising;
a hatch cover assembly including a cover body;
a wireless receiver for receiving data from a wireless transmitter;
a satellite transmitter for transmitting said data to a satellite; and
wherein said wireless receiver and said satellite transmitter are attached to said hatch cover assembly.
2. The hatch cover for a railroad car as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cover body has a plurality of walls defining an air intake passage and an air discharge passage, said hatch cover assembly further includes a discharge filter element disposed over said air discharge passage, said discharge filter element defines a pocket, said wireless receiver and said satellite transmitter are situated in said pocket.
3. The hatch cover for a railroad car as claimed in claim 2 wherein said discharge filter element defines an opening to said pocket, said opening is directed towards said cover body.
4. The hatch cover for a railroad car as claimed in claim 2 wherein said discharge filter element has a frame; said frame includes an outer annular disk portion, a narrow beam portion and a broad beam portion connected to the disk portion; said broad beam portion includes a container defining said pocket.
5. The hatch cover for a railroad car as claimed in claim 2 further comprising a battery situated in said pocket defined in said discharge filter element.
6. The hatch cover for a railroad car as claimed in claim 5 wherein said battery is a rechargeable battery.
7. The hatch cover for a railroad car as claimed in claim 6 further comprising a solar panel attached to said cover body of said hatch cover assembly for charging said rechargeable battery.
8. The hatch cover for a railroad car as claimed in claim 7 further comprising a wire electrically connecting said solar panel to said rechargeable battery, said cover body defines a hole at a bottom surface of the cover body, said wire routed through said hole.
9. The hatch cover for a railroad car as claimed in claim 1 wherein said wireless receiver and said satellite transmitter are overmolded by said cover body.
10. The hatch cover for a railroad car as claimed in claim 9 wherein said wireless receiver and said satellite transmitter are encased by a heat insulating material.
11. The hatch cover for a railroad car as claimed in claim 10 wherein said heat insulating material is a foamed material.
12. The hatch cover for a railroad car as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cover includes a wireless transmitter and cover body has a plurality of walls defining an air intake passage, an air discharge passage and a plenum extending from said intake passage to said air discharge passage; said system further comprising a pressure sensor having a sensing unit situated in said plenum, said wireless transmitter for transmitting data from said pressure sensor to said wireless receiver.
13. The hatch cover for a railroad car as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cover includes a wireless transmitter and cover body has a plurality of walls defining an air intake passage, an air discharge passage and a plenum extending from said intake passage to said air discharge passage; said system further comprising an air flow sensor having a sensing unit situated in said plenum, said wireless transmitter configured to transmit data from said air flow sensor to said wireless receiver.
14. The hatch cover for a railroad car as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a sensor attached to said hatch cover, and a wireless transmitter configured to transmit information from said sensor to said wireless receiver.
15. The hatch cover for a railroad car as claimed in claim 14 wherein said sensor is a pressure sensor having a sensing unit situated in a plenum of a vented hatch cover.
16. The hatch cover for a railroad car as claimed in claim 15 wherein said pressure sensor is a diaphragm pressure sensor.
17. The hatch cover for a railroad car as claimed in claim 14 wherein said sensor is an air velocity sensor having a sensing unit situated in a plenum of a vented hatch cover.
18. The hatch cover for a railroad car as claimed in claim 17 wherein said air velocity sensor is a rotating vane anemometer.
19. The hatch cover for a railroad car as claimed in claim 14 wherein said sensor is hatch cover position sensor attached to a hatch cover.
20. The hatch cover for a railroad car as claimed in claim 19 further comprising a magnet mounted on the railroad car and wherein said hatch cover position sensor is a proximity switch.