Vehicle system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11267496-B2
Application number	US-201916685485-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2019
Priority date	Nov 15, 2019
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

A system and a method may include one or more sensors disposed onboard a vehicle that may sense one or more characteristics of the vehicle. The system may include one or more processors configured to determining an identification of a switch on a route along which a vehicle moves using one or more sensors onboard the vehicle. A location of the switch is identified with the one or more sensors. A state of the switch is determined with the one or more sensors. The identification of the switch, location of the switch, and the state of the switch are communicated with an off-board database.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
determining an identification of a switch on a route along which a vehicle moves using one or more sensors onboard the vehicle;
identifying a location of the switch with the one or more sensors;
determining a position of the switch with the one or more sensors;
communicating the identification of the switch, the location of the switch, and the position of the switch with an off-board database;
comparing the location of the switch and the position of the switch with stored data associated with the switch, the stored data associated with the switch including stored location data and stored position data; and
communicating an alert based on one or more differences between one or both of the location of the switch or the position of the switch and the stored data.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising confirming receipt of the identification of the switch, the location of the switch, and the position of the switch with the off-board database.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the off-board database is a first off-board database, further comprising communicating the identification of the switch, the location of the switch, and the position of the switch with the first off-board database when the vehicle is in a first location, and communicating the identification of the switch, the location of the switch, and the position of the switch with a second off-board database when the vehicle is in a second location.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the position of the switch includes determining a direction of movement of the vehicle relative to one or more of a latitude or a longitude.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle has a first end and a second end, wherein determining the position of the switch includes one or more of determining a position of the first end of the vehicle relative to one or more of a latitude or a longitude, or determining a position of the second end of the vehicle relative to one or more of the latitude or the longitude.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising communicating the identification of the switch, the location of the switch, and the position of the switch with another vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is a first vehicle of one or more vehicles of a vehicle consist, further comprising confirming the position of the switch with one or more sensors of a second vehicle of the one or more vehicles of the vehicle consist.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is a first vehicle of one or more vehicles of a vehicle consist, further comprising communicating the identification of the switch, the location of the switch, and the position of the switch with a second vehicle of the one or more vehicles of the vehicle consist.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining that one or more of the location of the switch is incorrect or that the position of the switch is incorrect responsive to comparing of the location of the switch and the position of the switch with stored data associated with switch, and communicating an alert based on determining that one or more of the location of the switch is incorrect or the position of the switch is incorrect.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising changing one or more operational settings of the vehicle based on determining that one or more of the location of the switch is incorrect or the position of the switch is incorrect.

11. A vehicle system comprising:
one or more sensors disposed onboard a vehicle configured to sense one or more characteristics of the vehicle; and
one or more processors configured to one or more of:
determine an identification of a switch on a route along which the vehicle moves;
identify a location of the switch;
determine a position of the switch;
communicate the identification of the switch, the location of the switch, and the position of the switch with an off-board database,

wherein the one or more processors are configured to compare the location of the switch and the position of the switch with stored data associated with the switch, the stored data associated with the switch including stored location data and stored position data, and
wherein the one or more processors are configured to communicate an alert based on one or more differences between one or both of the location of the switch or the position of the switch and the stored data.

12. The vehicle system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to confirm receipt of the identification of the switch, the location of the switch, and the position of the switch with the off-board database.

13. The vehicle system of claim 11 , wherein the off-board database is a first off-board database, wherein the one or more processors are configured to communicate the identification of the switch, the location of the switch, and the position of the switch with the first off-board database when the vehicle is in a first position, and communicate the identification of the switch, the location of the switch, and the position of the switch with a second off-board database when the vehicle is in a second location.

14. The vehicle system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the position of the switch by determining a direction of movement of the vehicle relative to one or more of a latitude or a longitude.

15. The vehicle system of claim 11 , wherein the vehicle has a first end and a second end, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the position of the switch by one or more of determining a position of the first end of the vehicle relative to one or more of a latitude or a longitude, or determining a position of the second end of the vehicle relative to one or more of the latitude or the longitude.

16. The vehicle system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to communicate the identification of the switch, the location of the switch, and the position of the switch with an alternative vehicle.

17. The vehicle system of claim 11 , wherein the vehicle is a first vehicle of one or more vehicles of a vehicle consist, wherein the one or more processors are configured to confirm the position of the switch with one or more sensors of a second vehicle of the one or more vehicles of the vehicle consist.

18. The vehicle system of claim 11 , wherein the vehicle is a first vehicle of one or more vehicles of a vehicle consist, wherein one or more processors of a second vehicle of the one or more vehicles of the vehicle consist are configured to communicate the identification of the switch, the location of the switch, and the position of the switch with the off-board database.

19. The vehicle system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine that one or more of the location of the switch is incorrect or that the position of the switch is incorrect responsive to comparing the location of the switch and the position of the switch with the stored data, and communicate an alert based on one or more of the location of the switch being incorrect or the position of the switch being incorrect.

20. A method comprising:
determining an identification of a switch on a route along which a first vehicle of a vehicle consist moves using one or more sensors onboard the first vehicle;
identifying a location of the switch with the one or more sensors;
determining a position of the switch with the one or more sensors;
confirming the position of the

Assignees

• Transp Ip Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Kuchar Edward J
• Staats Andrew Ryan
• Oswald James Allen
• Struttmann Shannon K

Classifications

• B61L23/04

  for monitoring the mechanical state of the route · CPC title

• B61L15/0072 Primary

  On-board train data handling · CPC title

• B61L15/0018 Primary

  Communication with or on the vehicle or train · CPC title

• B61L27/40

  Handling position reports or trackside vehicle data · CPC title

• B61L23/22

  for controlling traffic in two directions over the same pair of rails · CPC title