Distributed control system for a locomotive
First Claim
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1. A distributed control system for a locomotive, comprising:
- a network disposed within the locomotive; and
a plurality of electronic modules spatially distributed within the locomotive, each of the electronic modules communicatively coupled to the network in a standardized scalable architecture,wherein each of the electronic modules comprises at least one configurable controller that is reconfigurable to implement distributed control of the locomotive,wherein the at least one configurable controller contains internal circuitry that is internally reconnectable to implement one or more control functions associated with the distributed control of the locomotive, andwherein each of the plurality of electronic modules includes;
a standardized main board on which the at least one configurable controller is formed, the standardized main board being common to the other electronic modules; and
at least one daughter board connected to the main board via a communication port, the daughter board including one or more I/O ports to be connected to one or more control elements spatially distributed within the locomotive,the at least one configurable controller being configured to communicate with the one or more control elements via the one or more I/O ports.
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Abstract
The present disclosure is directed to a distributed control system for a locomotive. The distributed system may include a network and a plurality of electronic modules distributed within a locomotive. Each of the electronic modules is communicatively coupled to the network in a standardized scalable architecture. Each of the electronic modules may include at least a configurable controller that is reconfigurable to implement at least one control function associated with distributed control of the locomotive.
72 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A distributed control system for a locomotive, comprising:
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a network disposed within the locomotive; and a plurality of electronic modules spatially distributed within the locomotive, each of the electronic modules communicatively coupled to the network in a standardized scalable architecture, wherein each of the electronic modules comprises at least one configurable controller that is reconfigurable to implement distributed control of the locomotive, wherein the at least one configurable controller contains internal circuitry that is internally reconnectable to implement one or more control functions associated with the distributed control of the locomotive, and wherein each of the plurality of electronic modules includes; a standardized main board on which the at least one configurable controller is formed, the standardized main board being common to the other electronic modules; and at least one daughter board connected to the main board via a communication port, the daughter board including one or more I/O ports to be connected to one or more control elements spatially distributed within the locomotive, the at least one configurable controller being configured to communicate with the one or more control elements via the one or more I/O ports. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for controlling a locomotive, the method comprising:
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receiving a message by a first of a plurality of electronic modules coupled to a network disposed within the locomotive, the electronic modules being spatially distributed within the locomotive and operatively coupled to the network in a standardized scalable architecture, and wherein each electronic module includes; a standardized main board on which a configurable controller is formed, the standardized main board being common to the other electronic modules; and at least one daughter board connected to the main board via a communication port, the daughter board including one or more I/O ports to be connected to one or more control elements spatially distributed within the locomotive, the configurable controller being configured to communicate with the one or more control elements via the one or more I/O ports; processing the message by a programmable controller or the configurable controller in the first of the electronic modules to identify a first control command; based upon the identified first control command, generating a control signal by the configurable controller, the control signal associated with at least one of a plurality of control functions as part of distributed control of the locomotive; applying the generated control signal to one or more control elements disposed within the locomotive; and reconfiguring the configurable controller to cause the configurable controller to implement an alternative one of the control functions, wherein the reconfiguring the configurable controller alters interconnections of a plurality of programmable logic gates to implement the alternative one of the control functions. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A consist, comprising:
a plurality of locomotives, each locomotive comprising; a locomotive engine disposed within the locomotive; a plurality of control elements that monitor and control the locomotive; a network disposed within the locomotive; and a plurality of electronic modules distributed within the locomotive, each of the electronic modules communicatively coupled to the network in a standardized scalable architecture, wherein each of the electronic modules comprises at least; a configurable controller that is reconfigurable and adapted to implement at least one of a plurality of control functions associated with distributed control of the locomotive, and a programmable controller adapted to provide computational support for the at least one control function, wherein the configurable controller of each of the electronic modules is operatively connected at least one of the control elements, wherein the at least one configurable controller contains internal circuitry that is internally reconnectable to implement one or more control functions associated with the distributed control of the locomotive, and wherein each of the plurality of electronic modules includes; a standardized main board on which the at least one configurable controller is formed, the standardized main board being common to the other electronic modules; and at least one daughter board connected to he main board via a communication port, the daughter board including one or more I/O ports to be connected to one or more control dements spatially distributed within the locomotive, the at least one configurable controller being configured to communicate with the one or more control dements via the one or more I/O ports.
Specification