Complete tracking system to track trains, wagons, vehicles and personnel

Based on standard technologies (GSM, SMS and GPS) combined in an intelligent way, PivoTrack offers to a railway company a complet solution to track all its’assets and even personnel, if needed. Of course the tracking is possible on an international level, while it is based on standard GSM-technology. Wherever there is GSM-coverage, the system is able to track the objects. With improved asset management, train operating companies will be able to reduce the capital tied up in rolling stock and improve their profitability.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE SYSTEM

In the heart of the system is location server and its’ database situated normally at the railway company’s office premises. This location server is directly linked to mobilephone operators’ text-message (SMS) center. When one of the users of the tracking system makes a position request, a text message is sent from the location server to mobilephone operators’ text-message center and from there via GSM-network to the waggon. The GSM-GPS unit in the wagon (called Trackbox) receives the position request and answers with a short text message informing units’ position, speed and direction. The precise position, approximatively 10 meters, the unit has retrieved from GPS-satellites. The user sees the position of the unit on his computer screen on a detailed map.

The PivoTrack system is able to track normal GSM-phones as well, where the tracking precision is approximatively from 100 meters to several kilometres, depending on the mobilephone operators’ network.

There can be hundreds of users of the tracking system, each connected via Internet, Intranet or Extranet to the location server. There is no limit to objects being tracked, but to simplify the tracking, the objects (waggons) can be classified into groups.

The GSM-GPS unit in the waggon is inside a weather- and chockproof box together with a standard battery and satellite antenna. Its is also possible to mount the box inside the waggon for more safety and use an external satellite antenna.

The standard batteries lasts for two years, because while the Trackbox in the waggon is not active, it is always on a power-off-mode. The Trackbox mounted in the wagon needs no additional maintenance or service whatsoever other than this yearly charging of the battery.

POSITION AND MILEAGE HISTORY FOR IMPROVED MAINTENANCE

The heart of the system, the location database, contains position and mileage history for each individual wagon. This information is highly useful to determine the right maintenance periode for each wagon. As the PivoTrack system is provided with API-interface, this information can be retrived and used in special maintenance softwares.

ALARMS PROVIDED BY THE SYSTEM – TRAIN TRANSPORT MADE SAFER

The user of the system is able to define a geographical area in advance, and everytime a waggon crosses the borders of this area, the user gets an alarm on his computer screen.
If the waggon is equipped with sensors (schock, temperature, pressure etc.) connected to the Trackbox, the operator will have an alarm on his computer screen each time when a waggon has suffered from a serious chock perhaps resulting in damage to the transported goods inside the wagon. Or if gaswaggons’ pressure has gone down too much, the operator will have an alarm "gasleak" and can give the authorities the exact location of the wagon leaking gas.

Likewise the system can be used to give an alarm everytime the wagon door is opened, very useful feature against theft.

FOLLOW-UP OF THE WAGGONS BY THE CUSTOMERS - BETTER SERVICE TO THE CUSTOMERS

Each customer is able to follow up his shipment(s). This is made possible by giving an access code and a password for each customer enabling them to track their shipments via Internet. The customer sees the real-time location of his shipments on his computer screen.

TRACKING ON THE MOVE

Another unique feature of the PivoTrack-system is the possibility to track waggons (or other vehicles or personnel) when on the move either with a normal GSM-phone or with a MMS(Multimedia-phone). When using normal GSM-phone, the position of the unit comes as a text-message indicating the distance to known cities in kilometres. When using MMS-phone, the position of the unit is shown on a map on the screen.