Communication systems

• US 10,640,095 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2016
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Rush, Daniel Joseph, Alexander, Michael Brandon, Woo, Derek Kevin, Palanti, Robert Carmen
• Primary Examiner(s): Mustafa, Imran K
• Application Number:
  US15/360,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20180143623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,259 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/662 characterised by specified functions of the control system components
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/02 for personal initiation
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/16 operated by remote control, i.e. initiating means not mounted on vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0027 Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0036 Conductor-based, e.g. using CAN-Bus, train-line or optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0072 On-board train data handling
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles

Abstract

A communication system includes wired communication devices onboard vehicles of a vehicle system, wireless communication devices disposed onboard other vehicles, and a controller. The controller remotely controls movement of some vehicles via communication with the wired communication devices and establishes a wireless communication link with other vehicles. The controller remotely controls movement of the other vehicles via wireless communication responsive to these vehicles being connected to the vehicle system for temporarily assisting in vehicle system movement along one or more routes. These vehicles are configured to be disconnected from wired communication with the other vehicles subsequent to being connected to the vehicle system. The wireless communication link is in addition to any wireless communication links established in the vehicle system prior to the one or more second vehicles being connected to the vehicle system.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

plural wired communication devices disposed onboard different first vehicles of a vehicle system formed from the first vehicles;

one or more wireless communication devices disposed onboard one or more second vehicles; and

a vehicle system controller configured to be disposed onboard the vehicle system, the vehicle system controller configured to remotely control movement of one or more of the first vehicles via communication with the wired communication devices disposed onboard the one or more first vehicles prior to the one or more second vehicles being connected to the vehicle system, the vehicle system controller configured to receive a wireless instructional signal from the one or more second vehicles prior to the one or more second vehicles being connected to the vehicle system, wherein the wireless instructional signal notifies the vehicle system controller that the one or more second vehicles are to be added to the vehicle system, the vehicle system controller also configured to establish a wireless communication link with the one or more second vehicles responsive to the one or more second vehicles being connected to the vehicle system for temporarily assisting with movement of the vehicle system along one or more routes,

wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to control the movement of the one or more first vehicles by communicating with the one or more first vehicles via communication with the wired communication devices while concurrently controlling the movement of the one or more second vehicles by communicating with the one or more second vehicles via the wireless communication link,

wherein the one or more second vehicles are configured to be disconnected from wired communication with the first vehicles subsequent to being connected to the vehicle system, and

wherein the wireless communication link is in addition to any wireless communication links established in the vehicle system prior to the one or more second vehicles being connected to the vehicle system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to remotely control the movement of the one or more second vehicles subsequent to the one or more second vehicles being one or more of mechanically or logically coupled with the first vehicles of the vehicle system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the wired communication devices are communicatively coupled with each other by one or more conductive pathways extending along the vehicle system between the first vehicles of the vehicle system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to remotely control the movement of the one or more first vehicles via the wired communication devices without remotely controlling the movement of the one or more second vehicles via the one or more wireless communication devices during movement of the vehicle system along the one or more routes prior to the one or more second vehicles being one or more of mechanically or logically coupled with the first vehicles.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to remotely control the movement of the one or more first vehicles via the wired communication devices and to remotely control the movement of the one or more second vehicles via the one or more wireless communication devices during the movement of the vehicle system along the one or more routes subsequent to the one or more second vehicles being one or more of mechanically or logically coupled with the first vehicles.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to remotely control the movement of the one or more first vehicles via the wired communication devices only and not by wireless communications, and wherein the one or more first vehicles are all the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system prior to the one or more second vehicles being connected to the vehicle system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first vehicles include air brake systems that are fluidly coupled with each other in the vehicle system and the vehicle system controller is configured to remotely control operation of the air brake systems of the first vehicles, and

wherein the one or more second vehicles include one or more air brake systems that are fluidly separate from the air brake systems of the first vehicles and the vehicle system controller is configured to remotely control operation of the one or more air brake systems of the one or more second vehicles.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to remotely control the brake systems of the first vehicles that are fluidly coupled with each other and the one or more brake systems of the one or more second vehicles that are not fluidly coupled with the brake systems of the first vehicles subsequent to one or more of mechanically or logically coupling the first vehicles with the one or more second vehicles.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to remotely control the movement of the one or more first vehicles via communication with the wired communication devices onboard the one or more first vehicles and to remotely control the movement of the one or more second vehicles of the vehicle system without communicatively coupling the one or more second vehicles with the vehicle system controller via the wired communication devices.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the movement is controlled through throttle setting, brake setting, and speed, wherein the movement comprises tractive effort and braking effort.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to receive a wireless coupling signal from the one or more second vehicles in response to the one or more second vehicles being added to the vehicle system, and wherein, in response to receiving the coupling signal, the vehicle system determines that the one or more second vehicles are added to the vehicle system and communicatively couples to the wireless communication devices of the one or more second vehicles.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to receive a wireless coupling signal from the one or more additional propulsion-generating vehicles in response to the one or more additional propulsion-generating vehicles being added to the vehicle system, and wherein, in response to receiving the coupling signal, the vehicle system determines that the one or more additional propulsion-generating vehicles are added to the vehicle system and communicatively couples wireless communication devices of the one or more additional propulsion-generating vehicles.

13. A system comprising:

a vehicle system having a lead propulsion-generating vehicle, at least one remote propulsion-generating vehicle, and plural non-propulsion generating vehicles, wherein the lead propulsion-generating vehicle and the at least one remote propulsion-generating vehicle are separated by the plural non-propulsion generating vehicles;

one or more conductive pathways extending between the lead propulsion-generating vehicle and the at least one remote propulsion-generating vehicle;

plural wired communication devices respectively disposed onboard the lead propulsion-generating vehicle and the at least one remote propulsion-generating vehicle and electrically connected to the one or more conductive pathways, wherein the lead propulsion-generating vehicle and the at least one remote propulsion-generating vehicle are configured for the lead propulsion-generating vehicle to control movement of each of the at least one remote propulsion-generating vehicle only through the wired communication devices and the one or more conductive pathways;

a vehicle system controller disposed onboard the lead propulsion-generating vehicle, the vehicle system controller configured to automatically establish a wireless communication link with one or more additional propulsion-generating vehicles, for the lead propulsion-generating vehicle to remotely control movement of the one or more additional propulsion-generating vehicles via wireless communication while also controlling the movement of the at least one remote propulsion-generating vehicle through the wired communication devices and the one or more conductive pathways, responsive to the one or more additional propulsion-generating vehicles being connected to the vehicle system for temporarily assisting in vehicle system movement along one or more routes, the vehicle system controller configured to receive a wireless instructional signal from the one or more additional propulsion-generating vehicles prior to the one or more additional propulsion-generating vehicles being connected to the vehicle system, wherein the wireless instructional signal notifies the vehicle system controller that the one or more additional propulsion generating vehicles are to be added to the vehicle system,

wherein the additional propulsion-generating vehicles are not connected with any of the lead propulsion-generating vehicle and the at least one remote propulsion-generating vehicle by any wired communication link, and

wherein the wireless communication link is in addition to any wireless communication links established in the vehicle system prior to the one or more additional propulsion-generating vehicles being connected to the vehicle system for temporarily assisting in the vehicle system movement along the one or more routes.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the movement comprises tractive effort and braking effort wherein the movement is controlled through throttle setting, brake setting, and speed.

15. A system comprising:

plural wired communication devices disposed onboard different first vehicles of a vehicle system formed from the first vehicles, wherein the wired communication devices are communicatively coupled with each other by one or more conductive pathways extending along the vehicle system between the first vehicles of the vehicle system;

one or more wireless communication devices disposed onboard one or more second vehicles; and

a vehicle system controller configured to be disposed onboard the vehicle system, the vehicle system controller configured to remotely control movement of one or more of the first vehicles via communication with the wired communication devices disposed onboard the one or more first vehicles and to establish a wireless communication link with the one or more second vehicles, to remotely control movement of the one or more second vehicles via wireless communication with the one or more wireless communication devices, responsive to the one or more second vehicles being connected to the vehicle system for temporarily assisting in vehicle system movement along one or more routes, the vehicle system controller configured to receive a wireless instructional signal from the one or more second vehicles prior to the one or more second vehicles being connected to the vehicle system, wherein the wireless instructional signal notifies the vehicle system controller that the one or more second vehicles are to be added to the vehicle system,

wherein the one or more second vehicles are configured to be disconnected from wired communication with the first vehicles subsequent to being connected to the vehicle system,

wherein the wireless communication link is in addition to any wireless communication links established in the vehicle system prior to the one or more second vehicles being connected to the vehicle system,

wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to remotely control the movement of the one or more second vehicles subsequent to the one or more second vehicles being one or more of mechanically or logically coupled with the first vehicles of the vehicle system,

wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to remotely control the movement of the one or more first vehicles via the wired communication devices without remotely controlling the movement of the one or more second vehicles via the one or more wireless communication devices during movement of the vehicle system along the one or more routes prior to the one or more second vehicles being one or more of mechanically or logically coupled with the first vehicles,

wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to remotely control the movement of the one or more first vehicles via the wired communication devices and to concurrently remotely control the movement of the one or more second vehicles via the one or more wireless communication devices during the movement of the vehicle system along the one or more routes subsequent to the one or more second vehicles being one or more of mechanically or logically coupled with the first vehicles, and

wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to remotely control the movement of the one or more first vehicles via the wired communication devices only and not by wireless communications, and wherein the one or more first vehicles are all the propulsion generating vehicles in the vehicle system prior to the one or more second vehicles being connected to the vehicle system.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the movement comprises tractive effort and braking effort, wherein the movement is controlled through throttle setting, brake setting, and speed.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to receive a wireless coupling signal from the one or more second vehicles in response to the one or more second vehicles being added to the vehicle system, and wherein, in response to receiving the coupling signal, the vehicle system determines that the one or more second vehicles are added to the vehicle system and communicatively couples to the wireless communication devices of the one or more second vehicles.