Method and system for data collection and analysis

• US 20070173989A1
• Filed: 01/20/2006
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Walker, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,869,908 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/19
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0081 On-board diagnosis or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test

Abstract

A computer-implemented system and method of contemporaneously testing a respective system on-board each of a plurality of locomotives with a common user interface where the locomotives are in electrical communication with one another for transmitting electronic signals among the locomotives. An electronic signal may be transmitted to the plurality of locomotives instructing a respective on-board computer of each locomotive to synchronously engage a self-load sequence. An electronic signal may be transmitted to the plurality of locomotives instructing a respective engine of each locomotive to execute a testing sequence. Operating parameter data associated with the respective systems may be downloaded from each of the plurality of locomotives through the common user interface to a database engine to determine whether the downloaded operating parameter data is within acceptable operating limits.

Claims

1. ) A method of testing through a common user interface a respective system on-hoard each of a plurality of locomotives in electrical communication with one another for communicating electronic signals among the locomotives, the method comprising:

communicating an electronic signal from the common user interface to the plurality of locomotives instructing a respective on-board computer of each locomotive to engage a loading sequence;

communicating an electronic signal from the common user interface to the plurality of locomotives instructing a respective engine of each locomotive to execute a testing sequence; and

communicating through the common user interface operating parameter data associated with the respective systems from each of the plurality of locomotives to a database engine, wherein said common user interface enables a user to contemporaneously test the plurality of locomotives from a single location without the user having to separately access each of said locomotives.

2. ) The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing the operating parameter data in a database table;

setting an upper operating limit and a lower operating limit based on historical operating parameter data; and

determining whether the operating parameter data is within acceptable operating limits by comparing the operating parameter data to at least one of the upper operating limit and the lower operating limit.

3. ) The method of claim 1 further comprising executing the testing sequence so that the respective engines of each locomotive sequence through a plurality of notch speed settings.

4. ) The method of claim 3 further comprising:

selecting a first operating parameter list for testing the respective systems on-board each of the plurality of locomotives at a first one of the notch speed settings;

loading the first operating parameter list into an executable program stored on a microprocessor, the executable program configured for implementing the testing sequence; and

communicating through the common user interface respective first sets of operating parameter data associated with the first operating parameter list from each of the plurality of locomotives to the database engine when the respective engines of the plurality of locomotives are operating at the first one of the notch speed settings.

5. ) The method of claim 4 further comprising:

determining whether all operating parameters have been selected for completing testing of the respective systems on-board each of the plurality of locomotives at the first one of the notch speed settings;

selecting a second operating parameter list for testing the respective systems on-board each of the plurality of locomotives at the first one of the notch speed settings if testing of the respective systems has not been completed;

loading the second operating parameter list into the executable program stored on the microprocessor, and

communicating through the common user interface respective second sets of operating parameter data associated with the second operating parameter list from each of the plurality of locomotives to the database engine when the respective engines of the plurality of locomotives are operating at the first one of the notch speed settings.

6. ) The method of claim 1 further comprising:

communicating the electronic signal from the common user interface to the plurality of locomotives instructing the respective on-board computers of each locomotive to engage the loading sequence for a predetermined period of time;

communicating the electronic signal from the common user interface to the plurality of locomotives instructing the respective engines of each locomotive to execute the testing sequence so that the respective engines sequence through a plurality of notch speed settings after expiration of the predetermined period of time;

communicating through the common user interface operating parameter data associated with the respective systems from each of the plurality of locomotives at each of the plurality of notch speed settings to the database engine; and

determining whether the downloaded operating parameter data is within acceptable operating limits at each of the plurality of notch speed settings.

7. ) The method of claim 1, the common user interface comprising:

a microprocessor configured with an executable program for implementing the testing sequence and communicating a control instruction; and

a multiple-unit control driver configured for communicating an electronic signal to the plurality of locomotives instructing the respective on-board computers of each locomotive to synchronously engage the loading sequence in response to receipt of the control instruction by the multiple-unit control driver.

8. ) The method of claim 7 further comprising:

executing the testing sequence so that the respective engines of each locomotive sequence through a plurality of notch speed settings;

communicating through the common user interface operating parameter data associated with the respective systems from each of the plurality of locomotives at predetermined ones of the plurality of notch speed settings to the database engine; and

determining whether the downloaded operating parameter data is within acceptable operating limits.

9. ) The method of claim 1 further comprising:

executing the testing sequence so that the respective engines of each locomotive sequence through a plurality of notch speed settings; and

communicating an electronic signal from the common user interface to the plurality of locomotives to execute an on-board self-test program at a predetermined notch speed setting.

10. ) The method of claim 1 further comprising comparing the operating parameter data to historical operating parameter data to determine whether the downloaded operating parameter data is within acceptable operating limits.

11. ) The method for testing a plurality of locomotives, the method comprising:

communicating a control instruction from a microprocessor to a multiple-unit control driver, the control instruction configured to initiate a testing sequence associated with the plurality of locomotives;

communicating an electronic signal from the multiple-unit control driver to a first one of the plurality of locomotives, the electronic signal indicative of the control instruction;

communicating the electronic signal from the first one of the plurality of locomotives to the remaining ones of the plurality of locomotives;

acquiring operating parameter data from each of the plurality of locomotives in response to the testing sequence, the operating parameter data indicative of run-time operating characteristics of at least one respective system on-board each of the plurality of locomotives; and

storing the acquired operating parameter data in a database engine loaded on a microprocessor.

12. ) The method of claim 11 further comprising executing the testing sequence so that respective engines on-board each of the plurality of locomotives sequences through a plurality of respective notch speed settings;

and

analyzing the acquired operating parameter data to determine whether one or more of the respective systems on board at least one of the plurality of locomotives is operating outside of a set of operating limits.

13. ) The method of claim 12 further comprising acquiring operating parameter data from each of the plurality of locomotives, the operating parameter data indicative of run-time operating characteristics of at least one respective system on-board each of the plurality of locomotives at each of the plurality of notch speed settings.

14. ) The method of claim 13 further comprising communicating the control instruction configured to execute an on-board self-test program at a predetermined notch speed setting.

15. ) The method of claim 14 further comprising:

acquiring self-test operating parameter data from each of the plurality of locomotives in response to execution of the on-board self-test program;

storing the acquired self-test operating parameter data in the database engine; and

comparing the acquired self-test operating parameter data to historical operating parameter data to determine whether the acquired self-test operating parameter data is within acceptable operating limits.

16. ) A system for testing respective on-board systems of a plurality of locomotives, the system comprising:

a microprocessor comprising a control processing module programmed with executable code for communicating electronic signals indicative of control instructions for implementing a locomotive testing sequence associated with the respective on-board systems of the plurality of locomotives;

a multiple-unit control driver for communicating control signals to the plurality of locomotives in response to receipt of the control instructions from the microprocessor; and

a database engine for storing a plurality of respective operating parameter data associated with the on-board systems undergoing the testing sequence communicated from respective ones of the plurality of locomotives to the microprocessor.

17. ) The system of claim 16, the microprocessor further comprising:

a plurality of serial connections interfacing with respective ones of the plurality of locomotives;

an analog-to-digital converter for receiving an electronic signal from at least one of the respective on-board systems to determine a state of the at least one respective on-board system; and

a direct current-to-direct current converter for receiving an electronic signal from at least one of the respective on-board systems to determine a state of the at least one respective on-board system.

18. ) The system of claim 16 further comprising a processing module configured with executable code for running a query against the database table and setting upper and lower operating limits with respect to at least one of the plurality of operating parameter data.

19. ) The system of claim 18 further comprising a processing module configured with executable code for comparing the plurality of respective operating parameter data to historical operating parameter data and determine whether the plurality of respective operating parameter data is within acceptable limits.