SPREAD SPECTRUM SIGNALS IN VEHICLE NETWORK SYSTEMS

• US 20130336367A1
• Filed: 01/23/2013
• Published: 12/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alstom Transport Technologies
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: SODERI, Simone, PAPINI, Mario L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,425,854 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/144
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0027 Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 2003/123 French standard for inductive train protection, called "Contrôle de vitesse par balises" [KVB]
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 2205/00 Communication or navigation systems for railway traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/025 Absolute localisation, e.g. providing geodetic coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 3/121 using magnetic induction
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/707 using direct sequence modulation

Abstract

Systems and methods for creating an alternative parallel wireless link communication in addition to wireless signals for a vehicle network. Embodiments of the present invention provide a spread spectrum transmission module that transmits a spread spectrum signal to a wayside equipment module in which such spread spectrum signal is reflected and communicated to a transmission module through an uplink communication. The uplink communication includes a first signal received from the wayside equipment module and the spread spectrum signal.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

establishing a link communication between a spread spectrum transmitter and an uplink transmitter; and

transmitting a spread spectrum signal with a first signal in an uplink communication between the uplink transmitter and an uplink receiver.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the spread spectrum signal is a direct-sequence spread spectrum (DS-SS) signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the uplink communication is from a balise to a vehicle balise transmission module.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the spread spectrum signal reduces an amount of interference with an existing radio signal associated with at least one of the balise or the vehicle balise transmission module relative to a link communication that does not establish the spread spectrum signal.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising employing cross-talk rejection between the first signal and the spread spectrum signal from the uplink communication and a signal from a disparate communication.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the spread spectrum signal.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the spread spectrum signal and the first signal.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising separating the spread spectrum signal from the first signal.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring attenuation of the spread spectrum signal for the link communication.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting a geographic location calculation based upon a received reflection of the transmitted spread spectrum signal.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating a geographic location for a vehicle based upon the first signal; and

adjusting the calculated geographic location based upon the spread spectrum signal.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating geographic data within the first signal; and

adjusting a geographic location based upon a receipt of the spread spectrum signal.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a geographic location for the uplink transmitter based upon receipt of the spread spectrum signal at the uplink receiver.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing a center frequency for the spread spectrum transmitter that is within a spectrum of the uplink communication.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising triggering an adjustment to a route a vehicle travels based upon the spread spectrum signal.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising triggering an adjustment to a trajectory of a vehicle based upon the spread spectrum signal.

17. A system, comprising,

a balise that includes an uplink wireless transmitter and a downlink wireless receiver;

and

a balise transmission module that includes a downlink wireless transmitter and an uplink wireless receiver;

wherein the balise and the balise transmission module are configured to establish an uplink channel to communicate a first signal and a downlink channel to communicate a second signal;

wherein the balise transmission module includes a spread spectrum transmitter that is configured to communicate a third signal to the balise for establishing an additional link channel; and

wherein the balise is configured to communicate the third signal with the first signal to the balise transmission module with the uplink channel.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a first component configured to calculate a geographic location for a vehicle based upon the first signal; and

a second component configured to modify the calculated geographic location based upon the third signal.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising a third component configured to adjust a trajectory of a vehicle based upon the third signal and the first signal received at the balise transmission module.

20. A system, comprising:

a transmission module that includes at least one first transmitter and at least one first receiver; and

a wayside equipment module that includes at least one second transmitter and at least one second receiver;

wherein the transmission module is configured for communication with the wayside equipment module, and wherein the communication includes the following;

a downlink that includes a first wireless transmission from the transmission module to the wayside equipment module;

an uplink that includes a second wireless transmission from the wayside equipment module to the transmission module; and

a parallel link that includes a third wireless transmission from the transmission module to the wayside equipment module and from the wayside equipment module to the transmission module, a signal associated with the parallel link that is received by the wayside equipment module is transmitted to the transmission module in the uplink in the second wireless transmission.