SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMMUNICATING DATA IN A TRAIN HAVING ONE OR MORE LOCOMOTIVE CONSISTS

• US 20110093144A1
• Filed: 12/29/2010
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: GOODERMUTH, Todd, PELTZ, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,583,299 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/20
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/665 the systems being specially adapted for transferring two or more command signals, e.g. railway systems B60T13/662 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/228 for railway vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0036 Conductor-based, e.g. using CAN-Bus, train-line or optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40169 Flexible bus arrangements arrangements for maintenance or administration involving management of faults; events, alarms H04L41/06; automatic restoration of network faults H04L41/0654
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40293 the transportation system being a train

Abstract

A system for communicating data in a train is provided. The system includes at least one respective router transceiver unit positioned in each of at least two rail vehicles of the train. Each router transceiver unit is coupled to a trainline that extends between the rail vehicles. The trainline is an existing cable bus used in the train for transferring propulsion control data between the rail vehicles that controls at least one of tractive effort or braking effort of the rail vehicles. The router transceiver units are configured to communicate network data over the trainline. In one embodiment, the trainline is an Electrically Controlled Pneumatic (ECP) trainline and the propulsion control data is ECP brake data used to control operations of brakes in the train.

Claims

1. A system for communicating data in a train, the system comprising:

at least one respective router transceiver unit positioned in each of at least two rail vehicles of the train, each router transceiver unit being coupled to a trainline that extends between the rail vehicles, the trainline being an existing cable bus used in the train for transferring propulsion control data between the rail vehicles that controls at least one of tractive effort or braking effort of the rail vehicles, wherein the router transceiver units are configured to communicate network data over the trainline.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the router transceiver units are configured to communicate the network data over the trainline such that the network data is orthogonal to the propulsion control data on the trainline.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the trainline is an Electrically Controlled Pneumatic (ECP) trainline and the propulsion control data is ECP brake data.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the router transceiver units are configured to communicate the network data as high bandwidth network data.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a control unit disposed on a data hub vehicle that differs from the at least two rail vehicles having the router transceiver units, the control unit communicatively coupled with the trainline to receive the network data from the router transceiver units.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising a plurality of sensors disposed along the train and communicatively coupled with the router transceiver units, the sensors configured to obtain sensor data and the router transceiver units configured to transmit the sensor data to the control unit via the trainline.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the router transceiver units are disposed on different locomotives in a common consist of the rail vehicle and the router transceiver units communicate the network data between the locomotives over the trainline.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the router transceiver units are disposed on different locomotives in two different consists of the train, the router transceiver units communicating the network data between the different consists over the trainline, and wherein the two different consists are spaced apart from one another by at least one non-powered rail vehicle.

9. A method for communicating data in a train, the method comprising:

transferring non-network control information over a trainline that extends along the train in order to control at least one of tractive effort or braking effort of the train; and

transmitting network data between different rail vehicles of the train that are coupled with the trainline, the network data being transmitted over the trainline.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the transmitting step includes transmitting the network data orthogonal to the non-network control information.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the transmitting step includes transmitting the network data over the trainline as high bandwidth network data.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the trainline is an Electrically Controlled Pneumatic (ECP) trainline, and the transferring step includes transferring ECP brake data over the ECP trainline and the transmitting step includes transmitting the network data over the ECP trainline.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the transmitting step includes transmitting the network data to a control unit of a data hub vehicle over the trainline.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising obtaining sensor data as the network data and communicating the sensor data to the control unit over the trainline.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the transmitting step includes transmitting the network data as intra-consist data that is transmitted between the rail vehicles of a common consist of the train.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the transmitting step includes transmitting the network data as inter-consist data that is transmitted between the rail vehicles in different consists of the train, and wherein the different consists each comprise a respective plurality of locomotives, and the consists are spaced apart from one another by at least one non-powered rail vehicle.

17. A system for communicating within a train, the system including:

a first router transceiver unit disposed on a first rail vehicle of the train; and

a second router transceiver unit disposed on a different, second rail vehicle of the train, the first and second router transceiver units configured to be coupled with a trainline extending along the train between the first and second rail vehicles and configured to transmit non-network control information related to operation of the train, wherein the first and second router transceiver units are configured to communicate network data over the trainline that is orthogonal to the non-network control information.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the first and second router transceiver units are configured to be coupled with an Electrically Controlled Pneumatic (ECP) trainline of the train and to transmit the non-network control information and the network data over the ECP trainline with the non-network control information used to control activation of brakes of the train.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the first and second router transceiver units are disposed in different locomotives of a common consist and are configured to transmit intra-consist network data between each other on the trainline.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the first and second router transceiver units are disposed in different locomotives of different consists of the train, the first and second router transceiver units configured to transmit inter-consist network data between the different consists, and wherein the different consists are spaced apart from one another by at least one non-powered rail vehicle.