System and method for communicating data in a locomotive consist or other vehicle consist

• US 8,798,821 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2011
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Kraeling, Mark Bradshaw, Cooper, Jared, Goodermuth, Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): FREJD, RUSSELL WARREN
• Application Number:
  US13/189,944
• Publication Number:
  US 20110282525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 701/19, 104/307, 105/26.05, 375/219, 375/220, 375/258, 246/167.R, 180/14.1
• US Class Current: 701/19
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/665 the systems being specially adapted for transferring two or more command signals, e.g. railway systems B60T13/662 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/228 for railway vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B61C 17/12 Control gear; Arrangements for controlling locomotives from remote points in the train or when operating in multiple units control from points outside the train B61L3/00; fluid-actuated telemotors, servomotors F15B; control devices in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0036 Conductor-based, e.g. using CAN-Bus, train-line or optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40169 Flexible bus arrangements arrangements for maintenance or administration involving management of faults; events, alarms H04L41/06; automatic restoration of network faults H04L41/0654
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40293 the transportation system being a train
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0663 Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/58 Association of routers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/60 Router architectures

Abstract

A communication system for a vehicle consist includes a control module that interfaces with at least one of a first router transceiver pair or a redundant router transceiver pair. Each of the router transceiver pairs can communicate network data between vehicles of the consist over a cable bus of the vehicle consist. The control module includes a monitor module and a switch module. The monitor module monitors operation of at least one of the first router transceiver pair or the redundant router transceiver pair. The switch module is operably coupled with the monitor module and controls the first router transceiver pair or the redundant router transceiver pair to communicate the network data over the cable bus if the other of the first router transceiver pair or the redundant router transceiver pair enters a failure condition for being unable to communicate the network data over the cable bus.

Claims

1. A communication system for a vehicle consist, comprising:

a control module configured to interface with at least one of a first router transceiver pair or a redundant router transceiver pair, each router transceiver pair configured to communicate network data between vehicles of the consist over a cable bus of the vehicle consist, wherein the control module includes;

a monitor module for monitoring operation of at least one of the first router transceiver pair or the redundant router transceiver pair; and

a switch module operably coupled with the monitor module, the switch module being configured to control the first router transceiver pair or the redundant router transceiver pair to communicate the network data over the cable bus if the other of the first router transceiver pair or the redundant router transceiver pair enters a failure condition for being unable to communicate the network data over the cable bus, as determined by the monitor module.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control module controls the first router transceiver pair to communicate the network data in a first network group and the redundant router transceiver pair to communicate the network data in a different, second network group.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the cable bus comprises a plurality of conductive pathways that are not conductively coupled with each other within the cable bus, and the control module directs the first router transceiver pair to communicate the network data over a first subset of the conductive pathways and the redundant router transceiver pair to communicate the network data over a distinct, second subset of the conductive pathways.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the cable bus comprises a plurality of conductive pathways that are not conductively coupled with each other within the cable bus, and the control module directs the first router transceiver pair and the redundant router transceiver pair to communicate the network data over a common portion of the conductive pathways.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the control module controls the first router transceiver pair to communicate the network data in a first network group and the redundant router transceiver pair to communicate the network data in the same first network group.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the cable bus comprises a plurality of conductive pathways that are not conductively coupled with each other within the cable bus, and the control module directs the first router transceiver pair to communicate the network data over a first subset of the conductive pathways and the redundant router transceiver pair to communicate the network data over a distinct, second subset of the conductive pathways.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the cable bus comprises a plurality of conductive pathways that are not conductively coupled with each other within the cable bus, and the control module directs the first router transceiver pair and the redundant router transceiver pair to communicate the network data over a common portion of the conductive pathways.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the control module directs the first router transceiver pair to communicate the network data using a first communication channel and the redundant router transceiver pair to communicate the network data using a second, different communication channel.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first router transceiver pair includes a first router transceiver unit in a first vehicle and a second router transceiver unit in a different, second vehicle, and the redundant router transceiver pair includes a third router transceiver unit in the first vehicle and a fourth router transceiver unit in the second vehicle, and further comprising a shared power supply conductive pathway delivering electrical energy from a power supply to the first router transceiver unit and the third router transceiver unit in the first vehicle.

10. A communication method comprising:

monitoring a first router transceiver pair and a redundant router transceiver pair, the first router transceiver pair including a first router transceiver unit disposed on a first vehicle of a vehicle consist and a second router transceiver unit disposed on a different, second vehicle of the vehicle consist, the redundant router transceiver pair including a third router transceiver unit disposed on the first vehicle and a fourth router transceiver unit disposed on the second vehicle, the first router transceiver pair and the redundant router transceiver pair configured to communicate network data over a cable bus that extends through the vehicle consist;

determining that one of the first router transceiver pair or the redundant router transceiver pair has entered a failure condition for being unable to communicate the network data over the cable bus; and

subsequent said determination, controlling the other of the first router transceiver pair or the redundant router transceiver pair to communicate the network data over the cable bus.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the monitoring step includes monitoring communication of the network data by at least one of the first router transceiver pair or the redundant router transceiver pair over a common portion of the cable bus.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the monitoring step includes monitoring communication of the network data by the first router transceiver pair over a first portion of the cable bus and monitoring communication of the network data by the redundant router transceiver pair over a distinct, second portion of the cable bus.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the monitoring step includes monitoring communication of the network data in a first network group of the first router transceiver pair and monitoring communication of the network data in a different, second network group of the redundant router transceiver pair.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the monitoring step includes monitoring communication of the network data in a network group of the first router transceiver pair and monitoring communication of the network data in the same network group of the redundant router transceiver pair.

15. A communication system comprising:

a first router transceiver unit; and

a redundant router transceiver unit;

wherein each of the first router transceiver unit and the redundant router transceiver unit is configured to be coupled to a cable bus of a vehicle for communicating network data over the cable bus; and

wherein each of the first router transceiver unit and the redundant router transceiver unit is configured for one of the first router transceiver unit or the redundant router transceiver unit to communicate the network data over the cable bus if the other of the first router transceiver unit or the redundant router transceiver unit enters a failure condition for being unable to communicate the network data over the cable bus.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein each of the first router transceiver unit and the redundant router transceiver unit is configured to be coupled to a cable bus of the same vehicle for communicating network data over the cable bus, and the first router transceiver unit is configured to switch over for the redundant router transceiver unit to communicate the network data over the cable bus if the first router transceiver unit enters a failure condition for being unable to communicate the network data over the cable bus.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the cable bus is an existing cable of a vehicle consist having a plurality of the vehicles, and the first router transceiver unit and the redundant router transceiver unit are configured to be coupled to the cable bus to communicate the network data between the vehicles of the vehicle consist.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the first router transceiver unit and the redundant router transceiver unit are configured to communicate the network data over the cable bus in different network groups.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the first router transceiver unit and the redundant router transceiver unit are configured to communicate the network data over the cable bus in a common network group.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the first router transceiver unit and the redundant router transceiver unit are configured to be coupled to a common portion of the cable bus to communicate the network data.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the first router transceiver unit and the redundant router transceiver unit are configured to be coupled to different, distinct portions of the cable bus to communicate the network data.

22. A communication system comprising:

a first router transceiver unit configured to be coupled to a cable bus of a first vehicle for communicating network data over the cable bus, wherein the cable bus is configured to interconnect the first vehicle with an adjacent second vehicle when the first vehicle and the second vehicle are assembled together in a vehicle consist;

wherein the first router transceiver unit is configured to switch to a redundant router transceiver unit on the first vehicle, for the redundant router transceiver unit to communicate the network data over the cable bus, when the first router transceiver unit enters a failure condition for being unable to communicate the network data over the cable bus.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the first router transceiver unit is configured to communicate the network data over the cable bus in a first network group that differs from a second network group of the redundant router transceiver unit.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the first router transceiver unit is configured to communicate the network data over the cable bus in a common network group with the redundant router transceiver unit.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the first router transceiver unit is configured to communicate the network data over a common portion of the cable bus as the redundant router transceiver unit.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the first router transceiver unit is configured to communicate the network data over a first portion of the cable bus that is distinct from a second portion of the cable bus used by the redundant router transceiver unit to communicate the network data.

27. A communication system for communicating data in a vehicle consist, the system comprising:

a first router transceiver pair comprising a first router transceiver unit positioned in a first vehicle of the vehicle consist and a second router transceiver unit positioned in a second vehicle of the vehicle consist, wherein each vehicle within the vehicle consist is interconnected with one or more other vehicles in the vehicle consist; and

a redundant router transceiver pair comprising a third router transceiver unit positioned in the first vehicle and a fourth router transceiver unit positioned in the second vehicle;

wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth router transceiver units is coupled to a cable bus in the vehicle consist that interconnects the first and second vehicles;

wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth router transceiver units is configured to communicate network data between the first vehicle and the second vehicle over the cable bus; and

wherein if either of the first router transceiver pair or the redundant router transceiver pair enters a failure condition for being unable to communicate the network data over the cable bus between the first vehicle and the second vehicle, then the other of the first router transceiver pair or the redundant router transceiver pair communicates the network data between the first vehicle and the second vehicle over the cable bus.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the cable bus is used in the vehicle consist for transferring non-network control information between the vehicles within the vehicle consist.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the cable bus is a multiple unit (MU) cable bus and the vehicle consist is a locomotive consist.