Vehicle control system and method for implementing safety procedure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018201285-A1
Application number	US-201715407363-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 17, 2017
Priority date	Jan 17, 2017
Publication date	Jul 19, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system includes a safety mode activation device disposed onboard a vehicle system and operatively connected to a controller of the vehicle system. The safety mode activation device is configured to receive a status signal indicating a presence of one or more of an operator or an active work marker in a location proximate to the vehicle system. The safety mode activation device is further configured to transmit a lockout signal to the controller to prevent movement of the vehicle system along a route responsive to receiving the status signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system comprising:
a safety mode activation device disposed onboard a vehicle system and operatively connected to a controller of the vehicle system, the safety mode activation device configured to receive a status signal indicating a presence of one or more of an operator or an active work marker in a location proximate to the vehicle system, the safety mode activation device further configured to transmit a lockout signal to the controller to prevent movement of the vehicle system along a route responsive to receiving the status signal.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the transmission of the lockout signal prevents the movement of the vehicle system by automatically engaging a brake of the vehicle system and preventing the brake from disengaging.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the transmission of the lockout signal is further configured to prevent one or more of energizing a power bus in the vehicle system, starting an engine of the vehicle system, or increasing a speed of the engine of the vehicle system.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the transmission of the lockout signal prevents the movement of the vehicle system by not implementing control signals that include operational settings for controlling one or more of tractive efforts and braking efforts of the vehicle system, the control signals received from one or more of an operator input device onboard the vehicle system or a remote control system disposed off-board the vehicle system.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the safety mode activation device receives the status signal from a mobile device carried by the operator.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the safety mode activation device receives the status signal from the mobile device responsive to the mobile device determining that the mobile device is located within a designated proximity distance of the vehicle system.

7 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the safety mode activation device is configured to determine a location of the operator based on the status signal received from the mobile device carried by the operator, the safety mode activation device transmitting the lockout signal to the controller responsive to determining that the location of the operator is within a designated proximity distance of the vehicle system.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the safety mode activation device receives the status signal from a detection sensor mounted on the vehicle system and transmits the lockout signal to the controller responsive to determining that the one or more of the operator or the active work marker is located within a detection proximity threshold of the detection sensor.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the detection sensor is an RFID reader that detects the presence of an RFID antenna located on the one or more of the operator or the active work marker responsive to the RFID antenna being within the detection proximity threshold of the RFID reader.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the status signal received by the safety mode activation device includes image data indicative of an area outside of the vehicle system captured by a camera disposed on the vehicle system, the safety mode activation device configured to transmit the lockout signal to the controller responsive to determining the presence of the one or more of the operator or the active work marker in the area outside of the vehicle system based on the image data.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the status signal received by the safety mode activation device is a long range wireless signal transmitted from a remote control system that is off-board the vehicle system for remotely controlling the movement of the vehicle system.

12 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the safety mode activation device is further configured to transmit a release signal subsequent to transmitting the lockout signal, the release signal transmitted to the controller to allow movement of the vehicle system responsive to receiving the release signal.

13 . The system of claim 1 , wherein, responsive to receiving the status signal, the safety mode activation device is further configured to one or more of control a light on the vehicle system to generate a designated lighting effect or control an audio emitter on the vehicle system to generate a designated sound effect.

14 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising an electrical switch electrically connected between the controller and a propulsion subsystem of the vehicle system along an electrically conductive circuit that is used by the controller to control operation of the propulsion subsystem, the propulsion subsystem providing tractive effort for moving the vehicle system, wherein, responsive to receiving the status signal, the safety mode activation device is further configured to activate the electrical switch to electrically disconnect the propulsion subsystem from the controller to prevent the controller from controlling the operation of the propulsion sub system.

15 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the safety mode activation device receives the status signal from an operator input device in response to an operator using the operator input device to selectively initiate transmission of the status signal by providing a personal identifier to the operator input device.

16 . A method comprising:
receiving, by a safety mode activation device onboard a vehicle system and operatively connected to a controller of the vehicle system, a status signal that indicates a presence of at least one of an operator or an active work marker in a location proximate to the vehicle system; and transmitting a lockout signal to the controller to automatically prevent movement of the vehicle system along a route responsive to receiving the status signal.

17 . The method of 16 , further comprising receiving control signals that include operational settings for controlling one or more of tractive efforts and braking efforts of the vehicle system, the control signals received from one or more of an operator input device onboard the vehicle system or a remote control system disposed off-board the vehicle system, wherein transmitting the lockout signal to the controller prevents movement of the vehicle system by not implementing the control signals that are received after transmitting the lockout signal.

18 . The method of 16 , wherein the status signal is received from a detection sensor mounted on the vehicle system, the lockout signal transmitted to the controller responsive to determining that the one or more of the operator or the active work marker is located within a detection proximity threshold of the detection sensor.

19 . The method of 16 , further comprising transmitting a release signal to the controller subsequent to transmitting the lockout signal, the release signal transmitted to permit controlled movement of the vehicle system along the route responsive to the safety mode activation device receiving an updated status signal indicating an absence of the at least one of the operator or the active work marker in the location proximate to the vehicle system.

20 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the vehicle system includes a light and an audio emitter, the method further comprising one or more of automatically controlling the light to generate a designated lighting effect or automatically controlling the audio emitter to generate a designated sound effect responsive to receiving the status signal.

21 . The method of

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Brooks James D

Classifications

• B61L25/025

  Absolute localisation, e.g. providing geodetic coordinates · CPC title

• B61L2205/04

  Satellite based navigation systems, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] · CPC title

• B61L3/125

  using short-range radio transmission · CPC title

• B61L23/06

  for warning men working on the route · CPC title

• B61C17/00

  Arrangement or disposition of parts; Details or accessories not otherwise provided for; Use of control gear and control systems · CPC title