Vehicle communication system, control system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10597052-B2
Application number	US-201916417326-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2019
Priority date	Aug 4, 2008
Publication date	Mar 24, 2020
Grant date	Mar 24, 2020

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 control system comprising:
a controller configured to communicate between a first vehicle and a second vehicle in a vehicle system that also includes the first vehicle, at least one of the first vehicle or the second vehicle including an automobile, a marine vessel, or a mining vehicle, the controller configured to detect a change in communication quality between the first vehicle and the second vehicle and, responsive to detecting a communication quality reduction, the controller is configured to switch to communicating between the first vehicle and the second vehicle via a different communication path and to restrict operation of the vehicle system based at least in part on the communication quality reduction that is detected while the vehicle system continues to move.

2. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the first vehicle and the second vehicle are logically coupled with each other but not mechanically coupled with each other in the vehicle system.

3. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the operation of the vehicle system is restricted by the controller changing which route the vehicle system is traveling.

4. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the operation of the vehicle system is restricted by the controller reducing a number of vehicles in the vehicle system.

5. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the operation of the vehicle system is restricted by the controller increasing a number of vehicles in the vehicle system.

6. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the operation of the vehicle system is restricted by the controller communicating with one or more off-board sensors to obtain information about a portion of a route that the vehicle system is heading toward.

7. The control system of claim 6 , wherein the one or more off-board sensors include a first sensor onboard an aircraft, a wayside device, or a second sensor onboard another vehicle system.

8. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the operation of the vehicle system is restricted by the controller communicating with the first vehicle and the second vehicle via one or more off-board communication devices.

9. The control system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more off-board communication devices include an off-board repeater or another vehicle system.

10. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the first vehicle or the second vehicle includes the automobile.

11. A method comprising:
communicating signals between a first vehicle and a second vehicle in a vehicle system that also includes the first vehicle;
detecting a change in communication quality between the first vehicle and the second vehicle;
responsive to detecting a decrease in the communication quality, switching to communicating between the first vehicle and the second vehicle via a different communication path; and
restricting operation of the vehicle system based on the decrease in communication quality that is detected while the vehicle system continues to move, the operation of the vehicle system restricted by one or more of:
changing which route the vehicle system is traveling,
reducing a number of vehicles in the vehicle system
increasing the number of the vehicles in the vehicle system, or
communicating with one or more off-board sensors to obtain information about a portion of a route that the vehicle system is heading toward.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the operation of the vehicle system is restricted by changing which route the vehicle system is traveling.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the operation of the vehicle system is restricted by reducing the number of the vehicles in the vehicle system.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the operation of the vehicle system is restricted by increasing the number of the vehicles in the vehicle system.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the operation of the vehicle system is restricted by communicating with the one or more off-board sensors to obtain the information about the portion of the route that the vehicle system is heading toward.

16. A 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 implement an operational restriction on the vehicle system based on a change in communication quality, the operational restriction including one or more of:
changing which route the vehicle system is traveling,
reducing a number of vehicles in the vehicle system,
increasing the number of the vehicles in the vehicle system, or
communicating with one or more off-board sensors to obtain information about a portion of a route that the vehicle system is heading toward.

17. The control system of claim 16 , wherein the operational restriction includes changing which route the vehicle system is traveling.

18. The control system of claim 16 , wherein the operational restriction includes reducing the number of the vehicles in the vehicle system.

19. The control system of claim 16 , wherein the operational restriction includes increasing the number of the vehicles in the vehicle system.

20. The control system of claim 16 , wherein the operational restriction includes communicating with the one or more off-board sensors to obtain the information about the portion of the route that the vehicle system is heading toward.

Assignees

• Ge Global Sourcing Llc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• B61L15/0027 Primary

  Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R · CPC title

• B61L15/0054 Primary

  Train integrity supervision, e.g. end-of-train [EOT] devices · CPC title

• B61L25/028

  Determination of vehicle position and orientation within a train consist, e.g. serialisation · CPC title

• G05D1/0291

  Fleet control (monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127) · CPC title

• B61L25/023

  Determination of driving direction of vehicle or train · CPC title