System and method for configuring and updating wayside devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9522685-B2
Application number	US-201414514809-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2014
Priority date	Oct 15, 2014
Publication date	Dec 20, 2016
Grant date	Dec 20, 2016

Abstract

Methods and systems relate to establishing a communication link with a wayside device, determining whether or not to at least one of update or configure the wayside device in dependence upon at least one update parameter, and when it is determined to update or configure the wayside device, updating or configuring the wayside device from a remote location.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising the steps of:
establishing a first communication link with a wayside device;
establishing a second communication link with a vehicle;
determining whether or not to at least one of update or configure the wayside device in dependence upon at least one update parameter, the at least one update parameter including a location of the vehicle in relation to the wayside device; and
if it is determined to update or configure the wayside device, updating or configuring the wayside device from a remote location over the first communication link;
wherein the steps of establishing the first and second communication links and determining whether or not to update or configure the wayside device are carried out by a movement planner of a vehicle network, the movement planner being configured to determine the location of the vehicle within the network and to at least one of schedule or control movement of the vehicle within the network.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
determining whether or not to update or configure the wayside device includes determining if the vehicle is outside of a predetermined distance from the wayside device.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one update parameter includes a status of the wayside device including whether a control unit of the wayside device is operational.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the wayside device is a track switch.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the wayside device is one of a crossing-gate, a crossing-gate light, a right-of-way device, a track circuit monitoring device, or a track switch.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
terminating a scheduled update if it is determined that the at least one update parameter does not meet a threshold condition or value.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
updating and/or configuring the wayside device includes uploading software to the wayside device.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein:
the wayside device includes a wayside device transceiver and the movement planning system includes a movement planning transceiver;
the first communication link is established between the wayside device and the movement planning system; and
the software is uploaded to the wayside device via the first communication link.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one update parameter includes an update window defining an amount of time required to update or configure the wayside device; and
wherein the wayside device is updated or configured if it is determined that the location of the vehicle will be greater than a predetermined distance from the wayside device for the duration of the update window.

10. A method, comprising the steps of:
with a movement planner of a vehicle network, assessing whether to update a wayside device within the vehicle network in dependence upon at least one parameter, the movement planner being configured to determine a location of a vehicle within the network and to at least one of schedule or control movement of the vehicle within the network; and
remotely uploading software to the wayside device if it is determined by the movement planner to update the wayside device;
wherein the at least one parameter includes the location of the vehicle in relation to the wayside device.

11. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising the step of:
establishing a wireless communication link with the wayside device prior to assessing whether to update and prior to remotely uploading the software to the wayside device.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein:
assessing whether to update the wayside device in dependence upon the location of the vehicle in relation to the wayside device includes determining if the vehicle is outside of a predetermined distance from the wayside device.

13. The method according to claim 10 , wherein:
the at least one parameter includes a status of the wayside device, the status including whether a control unit of the wayside device is operational.

14. The method according to claim 10 , wherein:
the wayside device is one of a crossing-gate, a crossing-gate light, a right-of-way device, a track circuit monitoring device, or a track switch.

15. The method according to claim 10 , wherein:
the at least one parameter includes an update window defining an amount of time required to update or configure the wayside device; and
wherein the software is remotely uploaded to the wayside device if it is determined that the location of the vehicle will be greater than a predetermined distance from the wayside device for the duration of the update window.

16. A system, comprising:
a movement planning system including a control unit and a first transceiver electrically connected to the control unit, the movement planning system being configured to determine a location of a vehicle within a vehicle network and to at least one of control or schedule movement of the vehicle within the network;
wherein the control unit of the movement planning system is configured to establish a communication link with a second transceiver of a wayside device within the vehicle network;
wherein the control unit of the movement planning system is configured to determine whether to at least one of update or configure the wayside device in dependence upon at least one parameter of the vehicle network including the location of the vehicle in relation to the wayside device; and
wherein the control unit of the movement planning system is configured to at least one of update or configure the wayside device remotely.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein:
the update comprises a software update of the wayside device, the control unit being configured to push the software update to the wayside device remotely;
the control unit of the movement planning system is configured to determine if the vehicle is outside of a predetermined distance from the wayside device; and
the control unit of the movement planning system is configured to push the software to the wayside device only if it is determined that the vehicle is outside of the predetermined distance from the wayside device.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein:
the at least one parameter includes a status of the wayside device, the status including whether or not a control unit of the wayside device is operational.

19. The system of claim 16 , wherein:
the wayside device is one of a crossing-gate, a crossing-gate light, a right-of-way device, a track circuit monitoring device, or a track switch.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Cooper Jared Klineman
• Weingartner Aric Albert

Classifications

• B61L27/0088

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B61L25/02 Primary

  Indicating or recording positions or identities of vehicles or trains · CPC title

• B61L27/53

  for trackside elements or systems, e.g. trackside supervision of trackside control system conditions · CPC title