Railroad distributed power communication system and method
First Claim
1. A railroad distributed power communication method for use with a plurality of wireless transceiver units at spaced locations along a train for determining which transceiver units from among the plurality of transceiver units are in receipt of a command message, the train having a lead transceiver unit for transmitting command messages and receiving status reply messages, where at least same of the plurality of transceiver units are remote transceiver units spaced from and outside of direct communication with the lead transceiver unit, and the train having at least one intermediate transceiver unit in direct communication with the lead transceiver unit and at least some of the remote transceiver units, the method comprising:
- transmitting a command message including a command instruction and a unique sequence number from the lead transceiver unit;
receiving the command message at an intermediate transceiver unit and at least one of the remote transceiver units;
storing data indicative of the command instruction and the unique sequence number of the command message received at the intermediate transceiver unit in a database associated with the intermediate transceiver unit;
transmitting a respective status reply message from each of the at least one remote transceiver units for which the lead transceiver unit needs to verify receipt of the command message, each of the respective status reply messages including data indicative of the unique sequence number of the command message and a command function status of the respective at least one remote transceiver unit that transmitted the respective status reply message;
receiving at least one of the respective status reply messages at the intermediate transceiver unit;
storing data indicative of the command function status and the unique sequence number of the command message included in the received respective status reply messages received at the intermediate transceiver unit in the database associated with the intermediate transceiver unit;
comparing the stored unique sequence number of the command message included in the respective status reply messages received at the intermediate transceiver unit to the stored unique sequence number included in the transmitted command message to determine if there is a match;
if the compared unique sequence numbers match, comparing the command function status of the stored respective status reply messages to the command instruction of tile stored command message to determine which of the respective remote transceiver units is in receipt of the command message;
preparing a second status reply message at the intermediate transceiver unit;
setting a respective command received status bit in the second status reply message for each of the respective remote transceiver units that is in receipt of the command message; and
transmitting the second status reply message from the intermediate transceiver unit to the lead transceiver unit.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A railroad distributed power communication method and system for wireless transceiver units at spaced locations along a train having remote units that may be out of direct communication with the lead unit for indicating that at least one of a plurality of such remote units is in receipt of a command message from the lead unit. The method and system including transmitting a status reply message from each of the plurality of remote units in response to that unit'"'"'s receipt of the command message. Each of the status reply messages may include at least status information of the respective remote that corresponds to command instructions of the command message. At least one of the status reply messages of one of the other respective remote units may be received at an intermediate unit. The received status reply messages may be compared to the command message to determine whether the respective remote unit has received the command message and/or is following the set of command instructions. A command received status bit may be set in a second status reply message for each respective remote unit having received the command message and/or that is following the set of command instructions. The second status reply message may be decoded by a lead unit to determine whether the command received status bit has been set for a respective remote unit.
50 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A railroad distributed power communication method for use with a plurality of wireless transceiver units at spaced locations along a train for determining which transceiver units from among the plurality of transceiver units are in receipt of a command message, the train having a lead transceiver unit for transmitting command messages and receiving status reply messages, where at least same of the plurality of transceiver units are remote transceiver units spaced from and outside of direct communication with the lead transceiver unit, and the train having at least one intermediate transceiver unit in direct communication with the lead transceiver unit and at least some of the remote transceiver units, the method comprising:
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transmitting a command message including a command instruction and a unique sequence number from the lead transceiver unit; receiving the command message at an intermediate transceiver unit and at least one of the remote transceiver units; storing data indicative of the command instruction and the unique sequence number of the command message received at the intermediate transceiver unit in a database associated with the intermediate transceiver unit; transmitting a respective status reply message from each of the at least one remote transceiver units for which the lead transceiver unit needs to verify receipt of the command message, each of the respective status reply messages including data indicative of the unique sequence number of the command message and a command function status of the respective at least one remote transceiver unit that transmitted the respective status reply message; receiving at least one of the respective status reply messages at the intermediate transceiver unit; storing data indicative of the command function status and the unique sequence number of the command message included in the received respective status reply messages received at the intermediate transceiver unit in the database associated with the intermediate transceiver unit; comparing the stored unique sequence number of the command message included in the respective status reply messages received at the intermediate transceiver unit to the stored unique sequence number included in the transmitted command message to determine if there is a match; if the compared unique sequence numbers match, comparing the command function status of the stored respective status reply messages to the command instruction of tile stored command message to determine which of the respective remote transceiver units is in receipt of the command message; preparing a second status reply message at the intermediate transceiver unit; setting a respective command received status bit in the second status reply message for each of the respective remote transceiver units that is in receipt of the command message; and transmitting the second status reply message from the intermediate transceiver unit to the lead transceiver unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for verifying to a lead locomotive in a train consist that a remote locomotive of the train consist has received a command message including a command instruction and a unique sequence number, the method comprising;
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transmitting the command message to a control system configured for repeating messages; storing data indicative of the command instruction and the unique sequence number of the command message received at the control system in a database associated with the control system; transmitting a first status reply message from the remote locomotive in response to the remote locomotive'"'"'s receipt of the command message, the first status reply message including data indicative of a command functions status of the remote locomotive and the unique sequence number of the command message; receiving the first status reply message at the control system configured for repeating messages; setting a command received status bit in a second status reply message if the command function status of the remote locomotive and the unique sequence number of the command message transmitted in the first status reply message received by the control system match the command instruction and the unique sequence number of the command message stored in the database associated with the control system; transmitting the second status reply message from the control system to the lead locomotive; and decoding the second status reply message at the lead locomotive to determine whether the command received status bit has been set to verify to the lead locomotive that the remote locomotive has received the command message. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A distributed power communication system configured to allow a lead locomotive of a train consist to verify which remote locomotives of the train consist are in receipt of a command message, the system comprising:
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a lead control system configured to broadcast the command message; a remote control system configured to receive the command message and transmit a command received message that includes at least one command received status bit set to indicate whether a remote locomotive is in receipt of the command message; a transceiver for transmitting the command received message to the lead locomotive so that the lead locomotive may verify which of the remote locomotives are in receipt of the command message; a database for storing data indicative of a set of command functions included in the command message; a transceiver for transmitting a respective status reply message from each remote locomotive for which the lead locomotive needs to verify is in receipt of the command message, each respective status reply message including data indicative of a command function status of the respective remote locomotive that transmitted the respective status reply message; a processing module in the remote control system configured for receiving at least one of the respective status reply messages at a receiving remote locomotive; a database on-board the receiving remote locomotive for storing data indicative of the command functions status of the received respective status reply messages; a processing module in the remote control system configured for comparing the stored command functions status and the stored set of command functions to determine which of the respective remote locomotives is in receipt of the command message; and a processing module in the remote control module configured for setting a respective command received status bit in the command received message for at least one of the respective remote locomotives that is in receipt of the command message. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification