Methods and systems for data communications

• US 9,513,630 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2015
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Vihol, Praful Babuji, Pati, Dibyajyoti, Rajendran, Santhanakrishnan, Cooper, Jared Klineman, Foy, Robert James, Peltz, David Michael, Smith, Eugene, Kellner, Steven Andrew, Schroeck, Brian William, Gilbertson, Keith, Noffsinger, Joseph Forrest, Daum, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US14/848,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20150375764A1
• Time in Patent Office: 454 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2, 701/36, 701/1, 701/19, 340/425.5, 370/331, 370/425.5, 370/312, 370/432, 370/431, 246/7, 246/1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0027 Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0081 On-board diagnosis or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/53 for trackside elements or systems, e.g. trackside supervision of trackside control system conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/70 Details of trackside communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/28 with meter at substation or with calculation of charges at terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A wireless communication device of a vehicle system includes one or more antennas configured to be disposed onboard a first vehicle of the vehicle system, a first modem configured to be disposed onboard the first vehicle and to communicate a first wireless signal to one or more of a second vehicle of the vehicle system or an off-board device using the one or more antennas, and a second modem configured to be disposed onboard the first vehicle and to communicate a second wireless signal to the one or more of the second vehicle or the off-board device using the one or more antennas. The first modem is configured to communicate the first wireless signal via a first type of wireless communication link and the second modem is configured to communicate the second wireless signal via a different, second type of wireless communication link.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

one or more antennas configured to be disposed onboard a first vehicle of a vehicle system formed from plural vehicles that include the first vehicle;

a first modem configured to be disposed onboard the first vehicle and to communicate a first wireless signal with one or more of a second vehicle of the vehicles in the vehicle system or with an off-board device using the one or more antennas; and

a second modem configured to be disposed onboard the first vehicle and to communicate a second wireless signal with the one or more of the second vehicle or with the off-board device using the one or more antennas, wherein the first modem is configured to communicate the first wireless signal via a first type of wireless communication link and the second modem is configured to communicate the second wireless signal via a different, second type of wireless communication link.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first modem includes a wireless modem configured to communicate the first wireless signal using an IEEE 802.11 standard.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the second modem includes a cellular modem configured to communicate the second wireless signal as a cellular signal.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the first modem includes a wireless modem configured to communicate the first wireless signal using an IEEE 802.11 standard and the second modem includes a cellular modem configured to communicate the second wireless signal as a cellular signal.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the first modem is configured to communicate the first wireless signal and the second modem is configured to communicate the second wireless signal between the first and second vehicles of the vehicle system in order to one or more of remotely control operation of the first vehicle from the second vehicle or remotely control operation of the second vehicle from the first vehicle.

6. The device of claim 5, further comprising transceiving control circuitry configured to control operation of the first modem and the second modem, wherein, responsive to the first modem being unable to communicate the first wireless signal in order to one or more of remotely control the operation of the first vehicle or remotely control the operation of the second vehicle, the control circuitry is configured to switch to the second modem communicating the second wireless signal in order to one or more of remotely control the operation of the first vehicle or remotely control the operation of the second vehicle.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the first modem is a cellular modem and the second modem is a wireless modem configured to communicate the first wireless signal using an IEEE 802.11 standard, and wherein the control circuitry is configured to switch from communicating the first wireless signal with the cellular modem to communicating the second wireless signal with the second modem to one or more of remotely control the operation of the first vehicle or remotely control the operation of the second vehicle responsive to the vehicle system entering an area where cellular communications are unavailable.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the first modem is a cellular modem and the second modem is a wireless modem configured to communicate the first wireless signal using an IEEE 802.11 standard, and wherein the control circuitry is configured to switch from communicating the first wireless signal with the cellular modem to communicating the second wireless signal with the second modem to one or more of remotely control the operation of the first vehicle or remotely control the operation of the second vehicle responsive to the vehicle system entering an area where a financial cost of cellular communications exceeds a designated threshold.

9. The device of claim 6, wherein the second modem is a wireless modem configured to communicate the first wireless signal using an IEEE 802.11 standard, and wherein the control circuitry is configured to switch from communicating the first wireless signal to communicating the second wireless signal with the second modem to one or more of remotely control the operation of the first vehicle or remotely control the operation of the second vehicle responsive to the vehicle system entering an area where a publicly available wireless network is available.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the first modem is configured to receive the first wireless signal from a source that is off-board the vehicle system for control of the vehicle system and the second modem is configured to communicate the second wireless signal from the first vehicle to one or more other vehicles in the vehicle system for remotely controlling movement of the one or more other vehicles.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the first modem is configured to receive a positive train control signal as the first wireless signal and the second modem is configured to communicate a distributed power signal as the second wireless signal.

12. A system comprising:

a first wireless communication device comprising one or more first antennas, a first modem, and a second modem, the first wireless communication device configured to be disposed onboard a first vehicle of a vehicle system formed from plural vehicles that include the first vehicle;

a second wireless communication device comprising one or more second antennas, a third modem, and a fourth modem, the second wireless communication device configured to be disposed onboard a second vehicle of the vehicle system, wherein the first modem and the third modem are configured to communicate a first wireless signal between the first and second vehicles via a first type of wireless communication link and the second modem and the fourth modem are configured to communicate a second wireless signal between the first and second vehicles via a different, second type of wireless communication link.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first modem and the third modem include wireless modems configured to communicate the first wireless signal using an IEEE 802.11 standard.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the second modem and the fourth modem include cellular modems configured to communicate the second wireless signal as a cellular signal.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the first modem and the third modem include wireless modems configured to communicate the first wireless signal using an IEEE 802.11 standard and the second modem and the fourth modem include cellular modems configured to communicate the second wireless signal as a cellular signal.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the wireless modems are configured to communicate a distributed power (DP) signal as the first wireless signal and the cellular modems are configured to communicate the DP signal as the second wireless signal, and further comprising a first radio configured to be disposed onboard the first vehicle and a second radio configured to be disposed onboard the second vehicle, the first and second radios configured to establish a radio link between the first and second vehicles in order to communicate radio signals between the first radio and the second radio,

wherein, responsive to a cellular network being unavailable for the cellular modems to communicate and a wireless network being unavailable for the wireless modems to communicate, the first radio and the second radio are configured to communicate the DP signal via the radio link.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein one or more of the first wireless communication device or the second wireless communication device is configured to switch from communicating the first wireless signal with the cellular modems to communicating the second wireless signal with the second modem and the fourth modem to one or more of remotely control the operation of the first vehicle or remotely control the operation of the second vehicle responsive to the vehicle system entering an area where cellular communications are unavailable.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein one or more of the first wireless communication device or the second wireless communication device is configured to switch from communicating the first wireless signal with the cellular modems to communicating the second wireless signal with the second modem and the fourth modem to one or more of remotely control the operation of the first vehicle or remotely control the operation of the second vehicle responsive to the vehicle system entering an area where a financial cost of cellular communications exceeds a designated threshold.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein one or more of the first wireless communication device or the second wireless communication device is configured to switch from communicating the first wireless signal to communicating the second wireless signal with the second modem and the fourth modem to one or more of remotely control the operation of the first vehicle or remotely control the operation of the second vehicle responsive to the vehicle system entering an area where a publicly available wireless network is available.

20. A system comprising:

a first wireless communication device comprising one or more first antennas, a first modem, and a second modem, the first wireless communication device configured to be disposed onboard a first vehicle of a vehicle system formed from plural vehicles that include the first vehicle;

a second wireless communication device comprising one or more second antennas, a third modem, and a fourth modem, the second wireless communication device configured to be disposed onboard a second vehicle of the vehicle system, wherein the first modem and the third modem are configured to communicate a first wireless signal between the first and second vehicles via a first type of wireless communication link and the second modem and the fourth modem are configured to communicate a second wireless signal between the first and second vehicles via a different, second type of wireless communication link,

wherein the first modem and the third modem include cellular modems configured to communicate the first wireless signal as a cellular signal and the second modem and the fourth modem include non-cellular modems configured to communicate the second wireless signal as a non-cellular signal.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein one or more of the first wireless communication device or the second wireless communication device is configured to switch from communicating the first wireless signal with the cellular modems to communicating the second wireless signal with the second modem and the fourth modem to one or more of remotely control the operation of the first vehicle or remotely control the operation of the second vehicle responsive to the vehicle system entering an area where cellular communications are unavailable.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein one or more of the first wireless communication device or the second wireless communication device is configured to switch from communicating the first wireless signal with the cellular modems to communicating the second wireless signal with the second modem and the fourth modem to one or more of remotely control the operation of the first vehicle or remotely control the operation of the second vehicle responsive to the vehicle system entering an area where a financial cost of cellular communications exceeds a designated threshold.