Communication management system and method for a rail vehicle
First Claim
1. A system comprising:
- a control module configured to be disposed on-board a vehicle that includes a lead powered unit and at least one remote powered unit that are capable of self-propulsion, the control module also configured to operate in an automatic mode where the control module automatically controls operational settings of the at least one remote powered unit and in a manual mode where an operator onboard the vehicle manually controls the operational settings of the at least one remote powered unit;
a communication module configured to be disposed on-board the vehicle and to monitor communication of control instructions from the control module to the at least one remote powered unit when the control module operates in the automatic mode, the communication module configured to identify when the communication of the control instructions is interrupted; and
a management module configured to be disposed on-board the vehicle and to determine one or more operational setting differences between operational settings of the lead powered unit and the operational settings of the at least one remote powered unit when the interruption in communication is identified by the communication module, wherein the management module is further configured to prevent the control module from switching from the automatic mode to the manual mode when the one or more operational setting differences meet one or more designated criteria.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A communication management system for a vehicle includes a control module, a communication module, and a management module. The control module is disposed on-board a lead powered unit of the vehicle. The control module is configured to automatically change propulsion energy settings of a remote powered unit of the vehicle. The communication module transmits instructions to the remote powered unit to automatically change the propulsion energy settings of the remote powered unit. The communication module identifies communication gaps that represent interruption in one or more communication connections between the lead powered unit and the remote powered unit. The management module compares the propulsion energy settings of the lead powered unit and of the remote powered unit during the communication gaps and, based on the propulsion energy settings, prevents the control module from switching from automatic control of the propulsion energy settings of the remote powered unit to manual control.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
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a control module configured to be disposed on-board a vehicle that includes a lead powered unit and at least one remote powered unit that are capable of self-propulsion, the control module also configured to operate in an automatic mode where the control module automatically controls operational settings of the at least one remote powered unit and in a manual mode where an operator onboard the vehicle manually controls the operational settings of the at least one remote powered unit; a communication module configured to be disposed on-board the vehicle and to monitor communication of control instructions from the control module to the at least one remote powered unit when the control module operates in the automatic mode, the communication module configured to identify when the communication of the control instructions is interrupted; and a management module configured to be disposed on-board the vehicle and to determine one or more operational setting differences between operational settings of the lead powered unit and the operational settings of the at least one remote powered unit when the interruption in communication is identified by the communication module, wherein the management module is further configured to prevent the control module from switching from the automatic mode to the manual mode when the one or more operational setting differences meet one or more designated criteria. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method comprising:
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automatically controlling operational settings of at least one remote powered unit in a vehicle by communicating control instructions with the at least one remote powered unit from a lead powered unit of the vehicle; identifying an interruption in communication of the control instructions with the at least one remote powered unit; determining one or more operational setting differences between operational settings of the lead powered unit and the operational settings of the at least one remote powered unit when the interruption in communication is identified; and preventing a switch from automatic control of the operational settings of the at least one remote powered unit to manual control of the operational settings of the at least one remote powered unit when the one or more operational setting differences meet one or more designated criteria. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification