System and method for locomotive inter-consist equipment sparing and redundancy
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- receiving, at a second vehicle in a vehicle consist, first data related to a first vehicle in the vehicle consist, the first data being usable by a first electronic component on board the first vehicle to perform a designated function for control of one or more operations of the first vehicle, wherein the vehicle consist comprises at least the first vehicle and the second vehicle, with each vehicle in the consist being adjacent to and mechanically coupled with one or more other vehicles in the consist, and wherein the first vehicle and the second vehicle are linked by a communication channel;
prior to receiving, the first data at the second vehicle, transmitting the first data from the first vehicle to the second vehicle over the communication channel; and
in a second electronic component on board the second vehicle, processing the first data according to the designated function of the first electronic component when the designated function is unavailable to the first vehicle due to failure of the first electronic component, wherein the first data that is processed by the second electronic component is used to control the one or more operations of the first vehicle.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a system and method for communicating data in a locomotive consist or other vehicle consist (comprising at least first and second linked vehicles), a first electronic component in the first vehicle of the vehicle consist is monitored to determine if the component is in (or enters) a failure state. In the failure state, the first electronic component is unable to perform a designated function. Upon determining the failure state, data is transmitted from the first vehicle to a second electronic component on the second vehicle, over a communication channel linking the first vehicle and the second vehicle. The second electronic component is operated based on the transmitted data, with the second electronic component performing the designated function that the first electronic component is unable to perform.
23 Citations
31 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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receiving, at a second vehicle in a vehicle consist, first data related to a first vehicle in the vehicle consist, the first data being usable by a first electronic component on board the first vehicle to perform a designated function for control of one or more operations of the first vehicle, wherein the vehicle consist comprises at least the first vehicle and the second vehicle, with each vehicle in the consist being adjacent to and mechanically coupled with one or more other vehicles in the consist, and wherein the first vehicle and the second vehicle are linked by a communication channel; prior to receiving, the first data at the second vehicle, transmitting the first data from the first vehicle to the second vehicle over the communication channel; and in a second electronic component on board the second vehicle, processing the first data according to the designated function of the first electronic component when the designated function is unavailable to the first vehicle due to failure of the first electronic component, wherein the first data that is processed by the second electronic component is used to control the one or more operations of the first vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method comprising:
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communicating control information from a first vehicle to a second vehicle in a vehicle consist that includes the first vehicle, the second vehicle, and at least a third vehicle mechanically coupled with each other, the control information communicated as non-network control data over a conductive pathway extending between the first vehicle, second vehicle, and at least the third vehicle of the vehicle consist; controlling operations of the second vehicle using the control information that is communicated as the non-network control data; communicating the control information as at least one of network data or high bandwidth data over the conductive pathway from the first vehicle to the third vehicle in the vehicle consist; and controlling operations of the third vehicle using the control information that is communicated as the at least one of network data or high bandwidth data; wherein the second vehicle is at least one of incapable of receiving or incapable of using the control information when the control information is communicated as the at least one of network data or high bandwidth data. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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22. A method comprising:
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determining that a first electronic component in a first vehicle of the vehicle consist is in a failure state; transmitting first data from the first vehicle to a second electronic component on a second vehicle of the vehicle consist, the first data being designated for use by the first electronic component to perform a designated function for control of one or more operations of the first vehicle, and the first data being transmitted over a communication channel linking the first vehicle and the second vehicle; and operating the second electronic component using the first data to perform the designated function for control of the one or more operations of the first vehicle on behalf of the first electronic component, wherein the second electronic component is similar to the first electronic component. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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24. A method comprising, for each vehicle of plural vehicles in a vehicle consist:
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monitoring at least one electronic component in the vehicle to determine if the at least one electronic component has failed; and for each of the at least one electronic component determined to have failed; transmitting first data from the vehicle or a second vehicle in the consist to a similar electronic component in a third vehicle in the consist, the first data being designated for use by the at least one electronic component determined to have failed in order to perform a designated function for control of one or more operations of the vehicle, and the first data being transmitted over a communication channel linking vehicles in the vehicle consist; and transmitting return data from the similar electronic component to one of the vehicles in the consist, the return data being generated by the similar electronic component based on the first data. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27)
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28. A method comprising:
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determining that a first electronic component in a first vehicle of a vehicle consist is in a failure state, wherein the vehicle consist comprises at least the first vehicle and a second vehicle, with each vehicle in the consist being adjacent to and mechanically coupled with one or more other vehicles in the consist, the first electronic component configured to use first data to perform a designated function for control of one or more operations of the first vehicle, and wherein the first electronic component is unable to perform the designated function of the first electronic component with the first data when the first electronic component is in the failure state; upon determining that the first electronic component is in the failure state, transmitting the first data from the first vehicle to a second electronic component on the second vehicle, the first data being transmitted over a communication channel linking the first vehicle and the second vehicle; and operating the second electronic component using the first data in order to perform the designated function for the one or more operations of the first vehicle that the first electronic component is unable to perform.
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29. A system comprising:
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a fault determination module configured for deployment in a first vehicle in a vehicle consist and further configured to determine that a first electronic component in the first vehicle is in a failure state, wherein in the failure state the first electronic component is unable to perform a designated function for control of one or more operations of the first vehicle using first data; a first data transmitter module configured to transmit the first data from the first vehicle to a second vehicle in the vehicle consist in response to the fault determination module determining that the first electronic component is in the failure state; a data receiver module configured for deployment in the second vehicle in the vehicle consist and further configured to receive the first data related to the first vehicle in the vehicle consist that is linked with the second vehicle by a communication channel; and a data processor module configured to be operably connected to the data receiver module and to process the first data according to the designated function of the first electronic component of the first vehicle for control of the one or more operations of the first vehicle when the first electronic component is unable to perform the designated function using the first data. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31)
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Specification