Vehicle communication systems and control systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10486720-B2
Application number	US-201615237070-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 15, 2016
Priority date	Aug 4, 2008
Publication date	Nov 26, 2019
Grant date	Nov 26, 2019

Abstract

A vehicle control system includes a controller that communicates between a first vehicle and a second vehicle and/or a monitoring device in a vehicle system. The controller determines a communication loss and, responsive to determining the communication loss, switches to communicating via a different communication path. The controller also determines an operational restriction on movement of the vehicle system based on the communication loss that is determined, obtains a transitional plan that designates operational settings of the vehicle system at one or more different locations along a route being traveled by the vehicle system, different distances along the route being traveled by the vehicle system, and/or different times. The controller automatically changes the movement of the vehicle system according to the operational settings designated by the transitional plan to reduce the movement of the vehicle system to or below the operational restriction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle control system comprising:
a controller configured to communicate via a first communication path between a first vehicle and one or more of a second vehicle or a monitoring device in a vehicle system that also includes the first vehicle, the controller also configured to determine a communication loss via the first communication path and, responsive to determining the communication loss, the controller is configured to switch to communicating via a different, second communication path between the first vehicle and the one or more of the second vehicle or the monitoring device,
wherein the controller also is configured to determine an operational restriction on movement of the vehicle system based on the communication loss that is determined,
wherein the controller also is configured to obtain a transitional plan that designates operational settings of the vehicle system to transition current movement of the vehicle system according to a current operational setting of the vehicle system to restricted movement according to the operational restriction, and
wherein the controller is configured to automatically control the vehicle system to transition from the current movement of the vehicle system according to the current operational setting to the restricted movement according to the operational restriction responsive to the communication loss being detected.

2. The vehicle control system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to change a format of a message previously communicated via the first communication path for communication via the second communication path.

3. The vehicle control system of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to change the format of the message by one or more of restricting the message to be compliant with a smaller bandwidth capacity of the second communication path relative to the first communication path or removing information from the message.

4. The vehicle control system of claim 1 , wherein the first communication path is a radio frequency wireless communication path and the second communication path is one or more of a wired communication path extending from the first vehicle to the second vehicle, an audio communication path, an infrared optical communication path, an ultraviolet optical communication path, a visible light optical communication path, a communication path that communicates using vibrations, or a thermal communication path.

5. The vehicle control system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine a first protocol used to communicate one or more messages via the first communication path and a different, second protocol used to communicate one or more messages via the second communication path, the controller also configured to switch from communicating messages in the first protocol to communicating messages in the second protocol responsive to determining the communication loss.

6. The vehicle control system of claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the first protocol by comparing data content of the one or more messages communicated via the first communication path with designated data contents associated with different message protocols.

7. The vehicle control system of claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the first protocol by examining protocol identifying datum or data added to the one or more messages communicated via the first communication path to identify the first protocol.

8. The vehicle control system of claim 1 , wherein the operational restriction is a reduced speed limit that is slower than a previously designated speed limit of a route.

9. The vehicle control system of claim 1 , wherein the transitional plan designates one or more of different throttle settings, different brake settings, or different moving speeds of the vehicle system at one or more of: different locations along a route, different distances along the route, or different times.

10. The vehicle control system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to automatically implement the operational settings designated by the transitional plan such that the vehicle system gradually changes the operational settings of the vehicle system from the current operational setting to the operational restriction over a first time period such that the vehicle system one or more of consumes less fuel or generates fewer emissions compared to the controller directly changing the movement of the vehicle system from the current operational setting to the operational restriction over a shorter, second time period.

11. The vehicle control system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine that communication between the first vehicle and the one or more of the second vehicle or the monitoring device is re-established, and
wherein the controller is configured to determine a return plan that designates different operational settings of the vehicle system to increase the movement of the vehicle system above the operational restriction.

12. A vehicle control system comprising:
a controller configured to communicate a message in a first protocol from a first vehicle in a vehicle system that also includes one or more of a second vehicle or a monitoring device in the vehicle system, the one or more of the second vehicle or the monitoring device configured to communicate a message in a different, second protocol,
wherein the controller is configured to switch from communicating the message in the first protocol with the one or more of the second vehicle or the monitoring device to communicating the message in the second protocol with the one or more of the second vehicle or the monitoring device,
wherein the controller also is configured to determine an operational restriction on movement of the vehicle system based on a communication loss that is determined,
wherein the controller also is configured to obtain a transitional plan that designates operational settings of the vehicle system to transition current movement of the vehicle system according to a current operational setting of the vehicle system to restricted movement according to the operational restriction, and
wherein the controller is configured to automatically control the vehicle system to transition from the current movement of the vehicle system according to the current operational setting to the restricted movement according to the operational restriction responsive to the communication loss being detected.

13. The vehicle control system of claim 12 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the second protocol used by the one or more of the second vehicle or the monitoring device by comparing data content of one or more messages received by the controller from the one or more of the second vehicle or the monitoring device with designated data contents associated with different message protocols.

14. The vehicle control system of claim 12 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the second protocol used by the one or more of the second vehicle or the monitoring device by comparing data content of one or more messages that are received and examining protocol identifying datum or data added to the one or more messages received from the one or more of the second vehicle or the monitoring device to identify the first protocol.

15. The vehicle control system of claim 12 , wherein the controller is configured to communicate with the one or more of the second vehicle or the monitoring device via a first communication path and, responsive to a communication loss in the first communication path, the controller

Assignees

• Gen Electric
• Ge Global Sourcing Llc

Inventors

• Dulmage Scott William
• Oliveira Robert Thomas
• Cooper Jared Klineman
• Daum Wolfgang
• Kraeling Mark Bradshaw
• Lawry Brian
• Noffsinger Joseph Forrest
• Kellner Steven Andrew
• Smith Eugene
• Peltonen Glen Paul

Classifications

• B60T17/228

  for railway vehicles · CPC title

• B61L2205/02

  Global system for mobile communication - railways [GSM-R] · CPC title

• H04L12/40189

  by using a plurality of bus systems · CPC title

• H04L69/18

  Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols · CPC title

• B61L15/0072

  On-board train data handling · CPC title