COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

• US 20180143623A1
• Filed: 11/23/2016
• Published: 05/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Rush, Daniel Joseph, Alexander, Michael Brandon, Woo, Derek Kevin, Palanti, Robert Carmen
• Granted Patent: US 10,640,095 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/662 characterised by specified functions of the control system components
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/02 for personal initiation
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/16 operated by remote control, i.e. initiating means not mounted on vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0027 Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0036 Conductor-based, e.g. using CAN-Bus, train-line or optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0072 On-board train data handling
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles

Abstract

A communication system includes wired communication devices onboard vehicles of a vehicle system, wireless communication devices disposed onboard other vehicles, and a controller. The controller remotely controls movement of some vehicles via communication with the wired communication devices and establishes a wireless communication link with other vehicles. The controller remotely controls movement of the other vehicles via wireless communication responsive to these vehicles being connected to the vehicle system for temporarily assisting in vehicle system movement along one or more routes. These vehicles are configured to be disconnected from wired communication with the other vehicles subsequent to being connected to the vehicle system. The wireless communication link is in addition to any wireless communication links established in the vehicle system prior to the one or more second vehicles being connected to the vehicle system.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

plural wired communication devices disposed onboard different first vehicles of a vehicle system formed from the first vehicles;

one or more wireless communication devices disposed onboard one or more second vehicles; and

a vehicle system controller configured to be disposed onboard the vehicle system, the vehicle system controller configured to remotely control movement of one or more of the first vehicles via communication with the wired communication devices disposed onboard the one or more first vehicles and to establish a wireless communication link with the one or more second vehicles, to remotely control movement of the one or more second vehicles via wireless communication with the one or more wireless communication devices, responsive to the one or more second vehicles being connected to the vehicle system for temporarily assisting in vehicle system movement along one or more routes,

wherein the one or more second vehicles are configured to be disconnected from wired communication with the first vehicles subsequent to being connected to the vehicle system, and

wherein the wireless communication link is in addition to any wireless communication links established in the vehicle system prior to the one or more second vehicles being connected to the vehicle system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to remotely control the movement of the one or more second vehicles subsequent to the one or more second vehicles being one or more of mechanically or logically coupled with the first vehicles of the vehicle system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the wired communication devices are communicatively coupled with each other by one or more conductive pathways extending along the vehicle system between the first vehicles of the vehicle system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to remotely control the movement of the one or more first vehicles via the wired communication devices without remotely controlling the movement of the one or more second vehicles via the one or more wireless communication devices during movement of the vehicle system along the one or more routes prior to the one or more second vehicles being one or more of mechanically or logically coupled with the first vehicles.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to remotely control the movement of the one or more first vehicles via the wired communication devices and to remotely control the movement of the one or more second vehicles via the one or more wireless communication devices during the movement of the vehicle system along the one or more routes subsequent to the one or more second vehicles being one or more of mechanically or logically coupled with the first vehicles.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to remotely control the movement of the one or more first vehicles via the wired communication devices only and not by wireless communications, and wherein the one or more first vehicles are all the propulsion generating vehicles in the vehicle system prior to the one or more second vehicles being connected to the vehicle system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first vehicles include brake systems that are fluidly coupled with each other in the vehicle system and the vehicle system controller is configured to remotely control operation of the brake systems of the first vehicles, and

wherein the one or more second vehicles include one or more brake systems that are fluidly separate from the brake systems of the first vehicles and the vehicle system controller is configured to remotely control operation of the one or more brake systems of the one or more second vehicles.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to remotely control the brake systems of the first vehicles that are fluidly coupled with each other and the one or more brake systems of the one or more second vehicles that are not fluidly coupled with the brake systems of the first vehicles subsequent to one or more of mechanically or logically coupling the first vehicles with the one or more second vehicles.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to remotely control the movement of the one or more first vehicles via communication with the wired communication devices onboard the one or more first vehicles and to remotely control the movement of the one or more second vehicles of the vehicle system without communicatively coupling the one or more second vehicles with the vehicle system controller via the wired communication devices.

10. A system comprising:

a vehicle system controller configured to be disposed onboard a lead vehicle in a vehicle system formed from the lead vehicle and one or more remote vehicles, the vehicle system controller configured to communicate one or more control signals to the one or more remote vehicles via wired communication devices conductively coupled with each other, the one or more control signals remotely controlling movement of the one or more remote vehicles,

wherein, responsive to adding one or more additional vehicles to the vehicle system subsequent to the vehicle system traveling over at least a portion of one or more routes with the lead vehicle and the one or more remote vehicles and without the one or more additional vehicles, the vehicle system controller also is configured to establish one or more wireless communication connections with the one or more additional vehicles and to wirelessly communicate the one or more control signals with one or more additional vehicles via wireless communication devices to remotely control movement of the one or more additional vehicles.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to communicate the one or more control signals with the one or more remote vehicles concurrently or simultaneously with wireless communication of the one or more control signals with the one or more additional vehicles.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to communicate the one or more control signals with the one or more remote vehicles by conducting the one or more control signals through one or more conductive pathways extending along the vehicle system.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to remotely control the movement of the one or more remote vehicles via the wired communication devices without remotely controlling the movement of the one or more additional vehicles via the one or more wireless communication devices during movement of the vehicle system along the one or more routes prior to the one or more additional vehicles being added to the vehicle system.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to remotely control the movement of the one or more remote vehicles via the wired communication devices and to remotely control the movement of the one or more additional vehicles via the wireless communication devices during the movement of the vehicle system along the one or more routes subsequent to the one or more additional vehicles being added to the vehicle system.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to remotely control the movement of the one or more remote vehicles via communication with the wired communication devices onboard the one or more remote vehicles and to remotely control the movement of the one or more additional vehicles of the vehicle system without communicatively coupling the one or more additional vehicles with the vehicle system controller via one or more conductive pathways.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the lead vehicle and the one or more remote vehicles are all the propulsion generating vehicles in the vehicle system prior to addition of the one or more additional vehicles, wherein the lead vehicle and at least one of the one or more remote vehicles are separated by at least one non-propulsion generating vehicle of the vehicle system, and wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to communicate the one or more control signals to the one or more remote vehicles via the wired communication devices only and not using wireless communications.

17. A system comprising:

a vehicle system controller configured to be disposed onboard a vehicle system having plural first propulsion generating vehicles, wherein at least some of the propulsion generating vehicles are separated from one another by non-propulsion generating vehicles, and wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to control all the plural propulsion generating vehicles of the vehicle system using a wired connection only; and

a wireless communication unit configured to be disposed onboard the vehicle system, wherein the vehicle system controller is configured to control the wireless communication unit to automatically establish at least one wireless communication link with one or more second propulsion generating vehicles, for remote control of the one or more second propulsion generating vehicles using wireless communications only, responsive to the one or more second propulsion generating vehicles being temporarily coupled to the vehicle system for assisting in movement of the vehicle system.

18. A method comprising:

remotely controlling movement of one or more remote vehicles in a vehicle system that also includes a lead vehicle by communicating one or more control signals to the one or more remote vehicles via wired communication devices conductively coupled with each other; and

subsequent to controlling the movement of the one or more remote vehicles via the wired communication devices and responsive to one or more additional vehicles being added to the vehicle system, remotely controlling movement of the one or more additional vehicles by wirelessly communicating the one or more control signals to the one or more additional vehicles concurrently or simultaneously with communication of the one or more control signals to the one or more remote vehicles via the wired communication devices.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein remotely controlling the movement of the one or more remote vehicles includes conducting the one or more control signals through one or more conductive pathways extending along the vehicle system.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein remotely controlling the movement of the one or more additional vehicles begins responsive to the one or more additional vehicles being combined with the vehicle system.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising remotely controlling the movement of the one or more remote vehicles via the wired communication devices without remotely controlling the movement of the one or more additional vehicles via the one or more wireless communication devices during movement of the vehicle system along one or more routes prior to the one or more additional vehicles being added to the vehicle system.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein wirelessly communicating the one or more control signals to the one or more additional vehicles terminates responsive to the one or more additional vehicles being separated from the vehicle system.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the movement of the one or more additional vehicles is remotely controlled without fluidly coupling a brake system of the one or more additional vehicles with a brake system of the vehicle system.