System and method for vehicle communication, vehicle control, and/or route inspection

• US 9,983,593 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2017
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Cooper, Jared Klineman, Smith, Eugene, Nagrodsky, Nick David, Schoonmaker, William Cherrick, Goodermuth, Todd William
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lewandroski, Sara J
• Application Number:
  US15/443,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20170168506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0027 Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0036 Conductor-based, e.g. using CAN-Bus, train-line or optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0081 On-board diagnosis or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0295 by at least one leading vehicle of the fleet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/20 using active fault-masking, e.g. by switching out faulty elements or by switching in spare elements
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/02 Registering or indicating driving, working, idle, or waiting time only apparatus forming part of taximeters G07B13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks

Abstract

In a system and method for communicating data between first and second vehicles, a first electronic component in the first vehicle is monitored to determine if the component is in (or enters) a failure state. In the failure state, the first electronic component is unable to perform a designated function. Upon determining the failure state, data is transmitted from the first vehicle to a second electronic component on the second vehicle, over a communication channel linking the first vehicle and the second vehicle. The second electronic component is operated based on the transmitted data, with the second electronic component performing the designated function that the first electronic component is unable to perform.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a fault determination module configured for deployment in a first vehicle and further configured to determine that a first electronic component in the first vehicle is in a failure state of the first electronic component, wherein in the failure state the first electronic component is unable to perform a first designated function using first data;

a data transmitter module configured to transmit the first data from the first vehicle to a second vehicle in response to the fault determination module determining that the first electronic component is in the failure state, for a second electronic component in the second vehicle to perform the first designated function using the first data when the first electronic component is unable to perform the first designated function using the first data, the first vehicle linked with the second vehicle by a communication channel;

a data receiver module configured for deployment in the first vehicle and further configured to receive second data from at least one of the second vehicle or a third vehicle; and

a data processor module configured to be operably connected to the data receiver module and to perform a second designated function, using the second data, of a third electronic component of said at least one of the second vehicle or the third vehicle when the third electronic component is in a failure state of the third electronic component and unable to perform the second designated function using the second data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the data transmitter module or the data receiver module is configured to transmit the first data or receive the second data, respectively, as network data over the communication channel.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the data transmitter module or the data receiver module is configured to transmit the first data or receive the second data, respectively, as high bandwidth network data over the communication channel, the communication channel comprising at least one of an MU cable bus that interconnects the vehicles or an ECP line that interconnects the vehicles.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein for transmission of the first data from the first vehicle to the second vehicle in response to the fault determination module determining that the first electronic component is in the failure state, at least one of the fault determination module or the data transmitter module is configured to format the first data for including a network address of the second electronic component instead of a network address of the first electronic component.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the data processor module is configured to generate third data relating to the second designated function performed by the data processor module using the second data and that the third electronic component is unable to perform; and

the data transmitter module is further configured to transmit the third data to said at least one of the second vehicle or the third vehicle.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the data processor module is configured to generate third data relating to the second designated function performed by the data processor module using the second data and that the third electronic component is unable to perform; and

the data transmitter module is further configured to transmit the third data off-board the vehicles.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the data processor module comprises an electronic component that is similar to the third electronic component.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the fault determination module is configured, upon determining that the first electronic component in the first vehicle is in the failure state of the first electronic component, to determine at least one of a type or a function of the first electronic component, and to identify the second electronic component in the second vehicle as being similar to the first electronic component, for the data transmitter module to transmit the first data from the first vehicle to the second electronic component in the second vehicle, based at least in part on the at least one of the type or the function of the first electronic component that is determined.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the data receiver module is further configured to receive third data from the second vehicle, the third data relating to the first designated function performed by the second electronic component using the first data and that the first electronic component is unable to perform, and wherein at least one electronic component in the first vehicle is configured to process the third data that is received for at least one of a control function or a communication function of the first vehicle.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one electronic component in the first vehicle that is configured to perform the function using the third data is further configured to perform the function based at least in part on a determined physical relationship between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication channel comprises plural discrete electrical pathways, and wherein at least one of the data transmitter module or the data receiver module is configured to transmit the first data or receive the second data, respectively, as high bandwidth network data over only one of the plural discrete electrical pathways.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication channel comprises at least one of an MU cable bus or an ECP line, said at least one of the MU cable bus or the ECP line comprising the plural discrete electrical pathways, and wherein said only one of the plural discrete electrical pathways comprises one of the plural discrete electrical pathways of the MU cable bus or the ECP line that does not carry analog non-network data or ECP control data, respectively.

13. A system comprising:

a control coordination system configured for deployment in a first vehicle and configured to be directly or indirectly interfaced with at least one first electronic component in the first vehicle;

wherein the control coordination system is configured to monitor the at least one first electronic component for determining if the at least one first electronic component has entered a failure state, wherein in the failure state the at least one first electronic component is unable to perform a function using first data;

wherein the control coordination system is further configured, upon determining that the at least one first electronic component has entered the failure state, to identify a similar, second electronic component in a second vehicle that is linked with the first vehicle by a communication channel; and

wherein the control coordination system is further configured to control transmission of the first data from the first vehicle to the second electronic component in the second vehicle for the second electronic component to perform the function using the first data that the first electronic component is unable to perform due to being in the failure state.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the control coordination system is further configured, upon determining that the at least one first electronic component has entered the failure state, to determine at least one of a type or a function of the at least one first electronic component, and to identify the similar, second electronic component in the second vehicle based at least in part on the at least one of the type or the function of the at least one first electronic component that is determined.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the control coordination system is configured to control the transmission of the first data from the first vehicle to the second electronic component in the second vehicle as network data over the communication channel.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the control coordination system is configured to control the transmission of the first data as high bandwidth network data over the communication channel, the communication channel comprising at least one of an MU cable bus that interconnects the vehicles or an ECP line that interconnects the vehicles.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein for transmission of the first data from the first vehicle to the second electronic component in the second vehicle, the control coordination system is configured to control formatting of the first data for including a network address of the second electronic component instead of a network address of the at least one first electronic component.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the control coordination system is further configured to receive second data from the second vehicle, the second data relating to the function performed by the second electronic component using the first data and that the at least one first electronic component is unable to perform, and wherein at least one electronic component in the first vehicle is configured to process the second data that is received for at least one of a control function or a communication function of the first vehicle.

19. A system comprising:

a fault determination module configured for deployment in a first vehicle and further configured to determine that a first electronic component in the first vehicle is in a failure state, wherein in the failure state the first electronic component is unable to perform a function of the first electronic component using first data related to the first vehicle;

a first data transceiver module configured to transmit the first data from the first vehicle to a second vehicle in response to the fault determination module determining that the first electronic component is in the failure state, the first vehicle configured to be linked with the second vehicle by a communication channel;

a second data transceiver module configured for deployment in the second vehicle and further configured to receive the first data from the first vehicle over the communication channel; and

a second electronic component configured to be operably connected to the second data transceiver module and to process the first data according to the function of the first electronic component of the first vehicle when the first electronic component is unable to perform the function using the first data.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein:

the second electronic component is configured to generate second data relating to the first data as processed by the second electronic component according to the function the first electronic component is unable to perform; and

the second data transceiver module is further configured to transmit the second data to the first vehicle over the communication channel.