SYSTEMS AND METHOD FOR COMMUNICATING DATA IN A RAILROAD SYSTEM

• US 20100171609A1
• Filed: 01/07/2009
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Mollet, Samuel R., Yeldell, Berry B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,264,330 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.100
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0027 Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/53 for trackside elements or systems, e.g. trackside supervision of trackside control system conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 3/221 using track circuits

Abstract

A communications system for use in transmitting data in a railroad system is provided. The communications system includes a track circuit having a plurality of rails configured to transmit an electrical signal thereon, a first processor communicatively coupled to the track circuit via a first locomotive on said track circuit, and a trackside communications station operable to output cab signaling data, wherein the trackside communications station includes a second processor communicatively coupled to the track circuit. The first processor is programmed to compare a received data signal to a pre-stored database, and generate a response based on the comparison. The second processor is programmed to generate a corrected signal using the generated response.

Claims

1. A method of communicating data in a railroad system, said method comprising:

correlating a data signal to a trackside communications station;

transmitting the data signal from the trackside communications station along a track circuit;

receiving the transmitted signal by a first train;

comparing the received signal to a pre-stored database;

generating a response based on the comparison;

transmitting the response via the track circuit to at least one of;

the trackside communications station; and

at least one second train; and

updating a maintenance database based on the response generated after the comparison.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising transmitting the response wirelessly to an external receiver.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising identifying a faulty trackside communications station based on the transmitted response.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein identifying a faulty trackside communications station further comprises locating the faulty trackside communications station using triangulation.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising identifying a faulty processor onboard the first train based on the comparison.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising identifying a faulty onboard processor when at least one train rejects the transmitted response generated by the faulty onboard processor.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising updating an output parameter of the trackside communications station, wherein the output parameter includes at least one of a signal amplitude, a signal period, a carrier frequency and a duty cycle.

8. A communications system for use in transmitting data in a railroad system, said communications system comprising:

a track circuit comprising a plurality of rails configured to transmit an electrical signal thereon;

a first processor communicatively coupled to said track circuit via a first locomotive on said track circuit, said first processor configured to monitor a quality of a signal transmitted over the track circuit, wherein said first processor, when monitoring a quality of a signal, is programmed to;

compare a received data signal to a pre-stored database; and

generate a response based on the comparison;

a trackside communications station operable to output cab signaling data, said trackside communications station comprises a second processor communicatively coupled to said track circuit and programmed to generate a corrected signal using the generated maintenance response.

9. A system in accordance with claim 8, wherein said second processor is further programmed to transmit the corrected signal along said track circuit to at least one locomotive.

10. A system in accordance with claim 9, wherein said first processor is further programmed to transmit the response along said track circuit to at least one of said trackside communications station and at least one second locomotive.

11. A system in accordance with claim 8, wherein said first processor is configured to compare a received data signal to a pre-stored database comprising at least one of a signal amplitude, a signal period, a carrier frequency and a duty cycle.

12. A system in accordance with claim 8, further comprising a remote system coupled in electronic data communication with said communications system.

13. A system in accordance with claim 12, wherein said locomotive further comprises a wireless transmitter configured to transmit the response to said remote system.

14. A system in accordance with claim 8, wherein said second processor is further programmed to generate the corrected signal based on the generated response.

15. A trackside communications station operable to output cab signaling data, said trackside communications station comprises a processor communicatively coupled to a track circuit programmed to generate a corrected signal using a generated response.

16. A trackside communications station in accordance with claim 15, wherein said processor is programmed to transmit the corrected signal along the track circuit.

17. A trackside communications station in accordance with claim 16, wherein said processor is further programmed to autonomously update the communicated signal using the generated response.

18. A locomotive positioned on a track circuit and comprising a first processor communicatively coupled to said track circuit, said processor configured to execute a process that facilitates monitoring a quality of a signal transmitted over a track circuit, wherein said processor, when executing said process, is programmed to:

compare the received data signal to a pre-stored database; and

generate a response based on the comparison.

19. A locomotive in accordance with claim 18, wherein said processor is further programmed to transmit the maintenance response along the track circuit to at least one of a trackside communications station and at least one second train.

20. A locomotive in accordance with claim 19, wherein the pre-stored database comprises at least one of a signal amplitude, a signal period, a carrier frequency and a duty cycle.