RAIL APPLIANCE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMMUNICATING WITH A RAIL APPLIANCE

• US 20120078453A1
• Filed: 09/28/2010
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Daum, Wolfgang, Noffsinger, Joseph, Brand, John, Cooper, Jared Klineman, Goodermuth, Todd, Kraeling, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,457,815 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/19
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 17/00 Switching systems for classification yards
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/40 Handling position reports or trackside vehicle data
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/53 for trackside elements or systems, e.g. trackside supervision of trackside control system conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/57 for vehicles or trains, e.g. trackside supervision of train conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 3/20 employing different frequencies or coded pulse groups , e.g. using currents carried by traction current

Abstract

A rail appliance communication system includes: an equipment management device capable of being coupled with a conductive pathway extending along a track that a rail vehicle travels along; and an appliance communication device capable of being coupled with a rail appliance disposed proximate to the track, the appliance communication device and the equipment management device configured to communicate a data signal with each other through the conductive pathway. A method for communicating with a rail appliance includes: coupling an equipment management device with a conductive pathway that extends along a track that a rail vehicle travels along; and coupling an appliance communication device with the rail appliance disposed proximate to the track; wherein the equipment management device and the appliance communication device communicate a data signal through the conductive pathway.

Claims

1. A rail appliance communication system comprising:

an equipment management device capable of being coupled with a conductive pathway extending along a track that a rail vehicle travels along; and

an appliance communication device capable of being coupled with a wayside equipment assembly disposed proximate to the track, the appliance communication device and the equipment management device configured to communicate a data signal with each other through the conductive pathway.

2. The rail appliance communication system of claim 1, wherein the conductive pathway includes at least one of a rail of the track that the rail vehicle travels along, a powered rail that supplies electric current to the rail vehicle, or a catenary that supplies electric current to the rail vehicle.

3. The rail appliance communication system of claim 1, wherein the appliance communication device is coupled with at least one of a track switch, a track signal, or a rail vehicle monitoring apparatus.

4. The rail appliance communication system of claim 1, wherein the appliance communication device is coupled with a track switch and the data signal is communicated between the equipment management device and the appliance communication device to at least one of change or report a position of the track switch.

5. The rail appliance communication system of claim 1, wherein the appliance communication device is coupled with a track signal and the data signal is communicated between the equipment management device and the appliance communication device to at least one of change or report a status of the track signal.

6. The rail appliance communication system of claim 1, wherein the appliance communication device is coupled with a rail vehicle monitoring apparatus and the data signal is communicated between the equipment management device and the appliance communication device to at least one of measure or report a status of the rail vehicle that is measured by the rail vehicle monitoring apparatus.

7. The rail appliance communication system of claim 1, wherein the appliance communication device is configured to communicate diagnostic information related to a status of the wayside equipment assembly to the equipment management device as the data signal.

8. The rail appliance communication system of claim 1, wherein the appliance communication device is one of a plurality of appliance communication devices coupled with a plurality of the wayside equipment apparatuses, the equipment management device configured to communicate a plurality of the data signals with the plurality of appliance communication devices through the conductive pathway.

9. The rail appliance communication system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the equipment management device or the appliance communication device is configured to communicate the data signal as a differential signal through the conductive pathway.

10. The rail appliance communication system of claim 1, wherein the appliance communication device is associated with a unique address and the equipment management device is configured to transmit the data signal to the appliance communication device based on the unique addresses.

11. The rail appliance communication system of claim 1, wherein the equipment management device and the appliance communication device are configured to communicate the data signal as one or more acoustic waves that propagate through the conductive pathway.

12. A method for communicating with a rail appliance, the method comprising:

coupling an equipment management device with a conductive pathway that extends along a track that a rail vehicle travels along; and

coupling an appliance communication device with the rail appliance, wherein the rail appliance is disposed proximate to the track;

wherein the equipment management device and the appliance communication device are configured to communicate a data signal with each other through the conductive pathway.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of coupling the equipment management device with the conductive pathway includes coupling the equipment management device with at least one of a rail of the track, a powered rail that supplies electric current to the rail vehicle, or a catenary that supplies electric power to the rail vehicle.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of coupling the appliance communication device includes communicatively coupling the appliance communication device with at least one of a track switch, a track signal, or a rail vehicle monitoring apparatus.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of coupling the appliance communication device includes communicatively coupling the appliance communication device with a track switch and the equipment management device and the appliance communication device communicate the data signal to at least one of change or report a position of the track switch.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of coupling the appliance communication device includes communicatively coupling the appliance communication device with a track signal and the equipment management device and the appliance communication device communicate the data signal to at least one of change or report a status of the track signal.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of coupling the appliance communication device includes communicatively coupling the appliance communication device with a rail vehicle monitoring apparatus and the equipment management device and the appliance communication device communicate the data signal to at least one of measure or report a status of the rail vehicle that is measured by the rail vehicle monitoring apparatus.

18. A rail appliance communication system comprising:

an equipment management device capable of being coupled with a rail that a rail vehicle travels along; and

a plurality of appliance communication devices capable of being electrically coupled with the equipment management device by the rail and capable of being coupled with a plurality of wayside equipment assemblies including one or more of a track switch, a track signal, or a rail vehicle monitoring apparatus disposed proximate to the rail, the appliance communication devices and the equipment management device configured to communicate a data signal among each other through the rail.

19. The rail appliance communication system of claim 18, wherein the data signal is communicated between the equipment management device and the appliance communication devices to at least one of change or report a position of the track switch, change or report a status of the track signal, or measure or report a status of the rail vehicle that is measured by the rail vehicle monitoring apparatus.

20. The rail appliance communication system of claim 18, wherein the equipment management device includes an operator interface configured to permit an operator to at least one of transmit input as the data signal or visually perceive output that is based on the data signal.

21. A rail appliance communication system comprising:

a first device configured to be coupled with a conductive pathway, the conductive pathway comprising one of a rail that a rail vehicle travels along, a rail that supplies electricity to the rail vehicle, or a catenary line that supplies electricity to the rail vehicle,

wherein the first device comprises a network interface assembly for communicating data packets with a second device over the conductive pathway.