Locomotive-To-Wayside Device Communication System and Method and Wayside Device Therefor

• US 20150344048A1
• Filed: 06/03/2014
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation
• Inventors: Kernwein, Jeffrey D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,469,317 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0018 Communication with or on the vehicle or train
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0027 Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/025 Absolute localisation, e.g. providing geodetic coordinates
• 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 27/70 Details of trackside communication
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 3/125 using short-range radio transmission

Abstract

A locomotive-to-wayside device communication system for a train having a locomotive travelling in a track network having wayside devices associated therewith. The system includes: an on-board communication device associated with the locomotive for transmitting and receiving data; and a wayside communication device associated with a wayside device, wherein the wayside communication device is programmed or configured to transmit data at or over (a) at least one power level, (b) at least one reporting interval, (c) at least one frequency, (d) at least one communication protocol, or any combination thereof. A wayside communication device and a locomotive-to-wayside device communication method are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A locomotive-to-wayside device communication system for at least one train having at least one locomotive travelling in a track network having a plurality of wayside devices associated therewith, the system comprising:

at least one on-board communication device associated with the at least one locomotive and configured to transmit and receive data; and

at least one wayside communication device associated with at least one of the plurality of wayside devices, wherein the at least one wayside communication device is configured to transmit data at or over (a) at least one power level, (b) at least one reporting interval, (c) at least one frequency, (d) at least one communication protocol, or any combination thereof.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the following:

the at least one power level, the at least one reporting interval, the at least one frequency, the at least one communication protocol, or any combination thereof, is determined at least partially based upon at least one of the following;

available power level, track position, track location, track usage, time, environment, or any combination thereof.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one power level is determined at least partially based upon available power source.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the available power source is at least one of the following:

a commercial power source, an industrial power source, a permanent power source, a temporary power source, a battery power source, or any combination thereof.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one power level comprises at least one high power level and at least one low power level.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one high power level is from about 1 watt to about 10 watts, and the low power level is from about 1 milliwatt to about 500 milliwatts.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one reporting interval comprises at least one high frequency reporting interval and at least one low frequency reporting interval.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one high frequency reporting interval is from about 1 second to about 6 seconds, and the at least one low frequency reporting interval is from about 7 seconds to about 2 minutes.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the following:

the at least one power level;

the at least one reporting interval;

the at least one frequency;

the at least one communication protocol, or any combination thereof, is at least one of the following;

variable, adjustable, configurable, incremental, continuous, or any combination thereof.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one on-board communication device is at least partially controlled by an on-board computer of the at least one locomotive, the system further comprising at least one track database comprising track data.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the track data comprises at least one of the following:

track location data, track position data, geographic data, map data, track usage data, wayside device data, wayside location data, wayside position data, wayside communication device data, or any combination thereof.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the on-board computer is configured to:

determine locomotive position in the track network based at least partially on at least a portion of the track data;

determine upcoming wayside communication device location in the track network based at least partially on the locomotive position and at least a portion of the track data;

based upon transmissions received at the at least one on-board communication device from at least one upcoming wayside communication device;

(i) if data is received from the at least one upcoming wayside communication device, implement at least one action; and

(ii) if data is not received from the at least one wayside communication device, transmit an instruction to modify at least one of the following;

the at least one power level, the at least one reporting interval, at least one frequency, at least one communication protocol, or any combination thereof.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the instruction comprises at least one of the following:

(i) an instruction to modify a current power level to high power level;

(ii) an instruction to modify the current power level to an increased power level;

(iii) an instruction to modify the current power level to a specified power level;

(iv) an instruction to incrementally modify the current power level to a higher power level;

(v) an instruction to modify a current reporting interval to high frequency reporting interval;

(vi) an instruction to modify the current reporting interval to an increased reporting interval;

(vii) an instruction to modify the current reporting interval to a specified reporting interval;

(viii) an instruction to incrementally modify the current reporting interval to a more frequent reporting interval;

(ix) an instruction to modify a current frequency to a different frequency;

(x) an instruction to modify the current frequency to a specified frequency;

(xi) an instruction to incrementally modify the current frequency to a different frequency;

(xii) an instruction to modify a current communication protocol to a different communication protocol;

(xiii) an instruction to modify the current communication protocol to a specified communication protocol,

or any combination thereof.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one action comprises at least one of the following:

(i) facilitate a train control action;

(ii) implement a train control action;

(iii) initiate a train control action;

(iv) facilitate a communication action;

(v) implement a communication action;

(vi) initiate a communication action;

(vii) facilitate a data management action;

(viii) implement a data management action;

(ix) initiate a data management action, or any combination thereof.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the track data comprises at least one of the following:

wayside device data, wayside communication device data, power level data, interval frequency data, frequency data, communication protocol data, or any combination thereof.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the on-board computer is configured to:

determine locomotive position in the track network based at least partially on at least a portion of the track data;

determine upcoming wayside communication device location in the track network based at least partially on the locomotive position and at least a portion of the wayside communication device data;

determine at least one of the following;

a preferred power level, a preferred reporting interval, a preferred frequency, a preferred communication protocol, or any combination thereof, based at least partially on at least a portion of the wayside communication device data associated with the upcoming wayside communication device in the track database;

transmit, from the on-board communication device to the upcoming wayside communication device, the preferred power level, the preferred reporting interval, the preferred frequency, and/or the preferred communication protocol; and

transmit data, from the upcoming wayside communication device to the on-board communication device, at or over at least one of the following;

the preferred power level, the preferred reporting interval, the preferred frequency, the preferred communication protocol, or any combination thereof.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the data transmissions between the on-board communication device and the at least one wayside communication device is at least one of the following:

in wireless form, over rails of the track, or any combination thereof.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of wayside devices is at least one of the following:

a switch, a signal, a crossing device, a wayside interface unit, a gate, a safety device, a data collection device, a track control device, a configurable device, or any combination thereof.

19. A wayside communication device associated with a track network, the device comprising at least one wayside communication device configured to transmit data at or over at least one of the following:

(a) at least one power level, (b) at least one reporting interval, (c) at least one frequency, (d) at least one communication protocol, or any combination thereof, directly or indirectly to at least one on-board communication device associated with at least one locomotive of a train.

20. A computer-implemented communication method for at least one train having at least one locomotive travelling in a track network having a plurality of wayside devices associated therewith, the method comprising:

transmitting data, by at least one wayside communication device associated with at least one of the plurality of wayside devices, at or over at least one of the following;

(a) at least one power level, (b) at least one reporting interval, (c) at least one frequency, (d) at least one communication protocol, or any combination thereof; and

directly or indirectly receiving, by at least one on-board communication device associated with the at least one locomotive of the train, at least a portion of the transmitted data.