SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR BRAKING SYSTEM CONTROL IN DISTRIBUTED POWER VEHICLES

• US 20100030409A1
• Filed: 07/30/2009
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Corry, James Glen, Wheeler, Mark Wayne, Ratnesar, Rabi, Palanti, Robert, Smith, Eugene A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,415,756 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/19
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/18 Safety devices; Monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/12 for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/18 operated by wayside apparatus

Abstract

A brake control system for a distributed power vehicle system includes a brake system and a distributed power control system in a first vehicle, and first and second separate communication links between the brake system and the distributed power control system. In operation, upon the initiation of a penalty brake application, the brake system transmits information about the brake level of the penalty brake application to the distributed power control system, over at least the first communication link. However, if the first communication link fails, the brake system redundantly transmits the information about the level of the penalty brake application to the distributed power control system over the second communication link. The information is transmitted from the distributed power control system in the first vehicle to remote vehicles for carrying out the penalty brake application.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a braking function of a distributed power vehicle system having a first vehicle and at least one remote vehicle linked to the first vehicle, the method comprising:

subsequent to failure of a primary communication link between a braking system of the first vehicle and a distributed power control system of the first vehicle, transmitting information from the braking system to the distributed power control system over a secondary communication link, wherein the information relates to a penalty brake application in the vehicle system and includes a designated brake level of the penalty brake application.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting the information of the designated brake level to the at least one remote vehicle; and

initiating respective braking applications at the first vehicle and at the at least one remote vehicle based on the designated brake level of the penalty brake application.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the information transmitted from the braking system to the distributed power control system over the secondary communication link is conveyed in a binary signal having a first signal condition and a second, different signal condition, wherein the first signal condition represents a full brake level for the penalty brake application and the second signal condition represents a limited brake level for the penalty brake application.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising automatically establishing the first signal condition on the secondary communication link if the braking system fails.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the first signal condition is a first voltage level of zero volts and the second signal condition is a second voltage level that is higher than the first voltage level, and wherein if the braking system fails due to a lack of electrical power the first voltage level is automatically established due to the lack of electrical power.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the distributed power vehicle system is a train and the first and at least one remote vehicles are locomotives.

7. A method for controlling a braking function of a distributed power vehicle system having a first vehicle and at least one remote vehicle linked to the first vehicle, the method comprising:

subsequent to failure of a first communication link between a brake system of the first vehicle and a distributed power control system of the first vehicle, transmitting information from the distributed power control system to the at least one remote vehicle, wherein the information relates to a penalty brake application in the vehicle system and includes a designated brake level of the penalty brake application, and wherein the information is received by the distributed power control system from the brake system over a second communication link between the distributed power control system and the brake system.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising initiating respective braking applications at the first vehicle and the at least one remote vehicle based on the designated level of the penalty brake application.

9. A method for controlling a braking function of a distributed power train having a first locomotive and at least one remote locomotive linked to the first locomotive, the method comprising:

subsequent to failure of a first communication link between a brake system of the first locomotive and a distributed power control system of the first locomotive, transmitting information from the distributed power control system to the at least one remote locomotive, wherein the information relates to a penalty brake application in the train and includes a designated brake level of the penalty brake application, and wherein the information is received by the distributed power control system from the brake system over a second communication link between the distributed power control system and the brake system.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising initiating respective braking applications at the first locomotive and the at least one remote locomotive based on the designated level of the penalty brake application.

11. A brake control system for a distributed power vehicle system, the brake control system comprising:

a brake system in a first vehicle of the distributed power vehicle system;

a distributed power control system in the first vehicle; and

first and second separate communication links between the brake system and the distributed power control system;

wherein the brake system is configured to transmit information about a brake level of a penalty brake application to the distributed power control system over at least the first communication link except when the first communication link fails, in which case the brake system transmits the information about the brake level of the penalty brake application to the distributed power control system over the second communication link; and

wherein the distributed power control system is configured to transmit the information about the brake level of the penalty brake application to at least one remote vehicle in the distributed power vehicle system.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the brake system is configured to selectively transmit the information over the second communication link as a first signal indicating a full brake level for the penalty brake application and as a second signal indicating a limited brake level for the penalty brake application.

13. A brake control system for a distributed power vehicle system having a first vehicle and at least one remote vehicle linked to the first vehicle, the brake control system comprising:

a brake system in the first vehicle;

a distributed power control system in the first vehicle; and

first and second separate communication links between the brake system and the distributed power control system;

wherein the distributed power control system is configured to transmit information to the at least one remote vehicle subsequent to failure of the first communication link, the information relating to a penalty brake application in the vehicle system and including a designated brake level of the penalty brake application, and wherein the information is received by the distributed power control system from the brake system over the second communication link.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the first vehicle and at least one remote vehicle are configured to initiate respective braking applications based on the designated level of the penalty brake application.