Communication system and method of a vehicle consist

• US 9,862,392 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2015
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Schoenly, Scott Alan, Kellner, Steven Andrew, Foy, Robert James, Peltz, David Michael, Smith, Eugene, Corry, James Glen, Nazareth, Joseph Mario, Schroeck, Brian William
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Calvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHNEIDER, PAULA LYNN
• Application Number:
  US14/881,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20160229422A1
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 701 20
• 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 15/0018 Communication with or on the vehicle or train
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0058 On-board optimisation of vehicle or vehicle train operation
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0072 On-board train data handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management

Abstract

A communication system and method receive, at an energy management system disposed onboard a vehicle system formed from a lead vehicle and one or more remote vehicles, trip data that represents one or more characteristics of an upcoming trip of the vehicle system along a route. A selected portion of the trip data is communicated from the energy management system to a distributed power system also disposed onboard the vehicle system. The selected portion includes identifying information and one or more orientations of the one or more remote vehicles. Using the distributed power system, communication links between the lead vehicle and the one or more remote vehicles are established using the identifying information and the one or more orientations.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at an energy management system comprising one or more processors disposed onboard a vehicle system formed from a lead vehicle and one or more remote vehicles, trip data that represents one or more characteristics of an upcoming trip of the vehicle system along a route;

communicating a selected portion of the trip data from the energy management system to a control unit comprising one or more processors disposed onboard the lead vehicle of the vehicle system, the selected portion including vehicle identifiers associated with the one or more remote vehicles and one or more orientations of the one or more remote vehicles;

establishing, using the control unit, communication links between the lead vehicle and the one or more remote vehicles using the vehicle identifiers and the one or more orientations; and

remotely controlling movement of the one or more remote vehicles by the lead vehicle during the tin via the communication links.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating, by the energy management system, a trip plan for the upcoming trip of the vehicle system using the trip data, the trip plan designating operational settings of the lead and remote vehicles.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein remotely controlling the movement of the one or more remote vehicles during the trip includes controlling the one or more remote vehicles to move according to the operational settings designated by the trip plan by wirelessly communicating control signals from the lead vehicle to the one or more remote vehicles via the communication links.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the trip plan designates the operational settings of the lead and remote vehicles as a function of one or more of time or distance along the route in order to reduce one or more of fuel consumed or emissions generated by the lead and remote vehicles relative to the lead and remote vehicles completing the upcoming trip using different operational settings than the operational settings designated by the trip plan.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein establishing the communication links is completed prior to generating the trip plan.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the trip plan is generated without using the one or more orientations of the one or more remote vehicles.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication links are established by communicating, using a communication unit comprising a transceiver disposed onboard the lead vehicle, a wireless linking message to the one or more remote vehicles, the wireless linking message addressed to the vehicle identifiers associated with the one or more remote vehicles of the vehicle system, the communication links established responsive to receipt of the wireless linking message at the one or more remote vehicles.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the trip data includes an origin location of the trip, a destination location of the trip, the vehicle identifiers associated with the one or more remote vehicles, the one or more orientations of the one or more remote vehicles, order information of the one or more remote vehicles, and one or more speed restrictions of the route.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the selected portion of the trip data and establishing the communication links occurs automatically without operator intervention.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the trip data is wirelessly received at the energy management system from a location disposed off-board the vehicle system.

11. A system comprising:

an energy management system comprising one or more processors configured to be disposed onboard a vehicle system formed from a lead vehicle and one or more remote vehicles, the energy management system receives trip data that represents one or more characteristics of an upcoming trip of the vehicle system along a route; and

a control unit comprising one or more processors configured to be disposed onboard the lead vehicle of the vehicle system and to establish communication links between the lead vehicle and the one or more remote vehicles, wherein the energy management system communicates a selected portion of the trip data to the control unit, the selected portion including vehicle identifiers associated with the one or more remote vehicles and one or more orientations of the one or more remote vehicles, wherein the control unit establishes the communication links using the vehicle identifiers and the one or more orientations, wherein the control unit remotely controls movement of the one or more remote vehicles during the trip via the communication links.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the energy management system is configured to generate a trip plan for the upcoming trip of the vehicle system using the trip data, the trip plan designating operational settings of the lead and remote vehicles.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the control unit remotely controls the movement of the one or more remote vehicles during the trip such that the one or more remote vehicles move according to the operational settings designated by the trip plan by wirelessly communicating control signals from the lead vehicle to the one or more remote vehicles via the communication links.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the trip plan designates the operational settings of the lead and remote vehicles as a function of one or more of time or distance along the route in order to reduce one or more of fuel consumed or emissions generated by the lead and remote vehicles relative to the lead and remote vehicles completing the upcoming trip using different operational settings than the operational settings designated by the trip plan.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the energy management system is configured to communicate the selected portion of the trip data to the control unit and the control unit is configured to establish the communication links automatically without operator intervention.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the energy management system is configured to wirelessly receive the trip data from a location disposed off-board the vehicle system.

17. The system of claim 11, further comprising a communication unit comprising a transceiver disposed onboard the lead vehicle and operatively connected to the control unit, the control unit controlling the communication device to communicate a wireless linking message that is addressed to the vehicle identifiers associated with the one or more remote vehicles of the vehicle system, wherein the communication links are established responsive to receipt of the wireless linking message at the one or more remote vehicles.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the communication unit onboard the lead vehicle is configured to receive a linking confirmation message from the one or more remote vehicles of the vehicle system responsive to the wireless linking message being received at the one or more remote vehicles.

19. A system comprising:

a control unit comprising one or more processors disposed onboard a lead vehicle of a vehicle consist formed from the lead vehicle and at least a first remote vehicle, the control unit determines a vehicle identifier for the first remote vehicle; and

a communication unit comprising a transceiver disposed onboard the lead vehicle, the communication unit wirelessly communicates a linking message addressed to the vehicle identifier from the lead vehicle to the first remote vehicle, the communication unit establishes a communication link between the lead vehicle and the first remote vehicle responsive to receipt of the linking message at the first remote vehicle, wherein the control unit remotely controls movement of the first remote vehicle from the lead vehicle via the communication link, and wherein the communication link is established without an operator entering the first remote vehicle.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the communication unit is configured to receive a linking confirmation message from the first remote vehicle at the lead vehicle responsive to the linking message being received at the first remote vehicle.