System and method for communicating in a vehicle consist

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9925992-B2
Application number	US-201414514633-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2014
Priority date	Oct 15, 2014
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

Systems and methods for communicating in a vehicle consist wirelessly communicate (using communication assemblies disposed onboard a vehicle consist) a movement control data message via a first wireless communication path between a lead vehicle and a remote vehicle of the vehicle consist. The vehicle consist includes the lead vehicle and the remote vehicle operably coupled with each other to travel along a route. A non-movement control data message also is wirelessly communicated, but via a different, second wireless communication path between the lead vehicle and the remote vehicle. The movement control data message is communicated to remotely control operation of the remote vehicle from the lead vehicle. The non-movement control data message is communicated to remotely report a status of a component onboard the remote vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
wirelessly communicating, using communication assemblies disposed onboard a group of vehicles, a movement control data message via a first wireless communication path between a lead vehicle and a remote vehicle of the group of vehicles, the group of vehicles including the lead vehicle and the remote vehicle operably coupled with each other to travel along a route;
wirelessly communicating a non-movement control data message via a different, second wireless communication path between the lead vehicle and the remote vehicle,
wherein the movement control data message is communicated to remotely control operation of the remote vehicle from the lead vehicle,
wherein wirelessly communicating the movement control data message is time dependent such that the movement control data message is communicated within a designated time period so that the operation of the remote vehicle that is remotely controlled is changed in time-based coordination with a change in operation of the lead vehicle,
wherein the non-movement control data message is communicated to remotely report a status of a component onboard the remote vehicle,
wherein wirelessly communicating the non-movement control data message is not time dependent such that the non-movement control data message is not required to be communicated within the designated time period,
wherein the movement control data message is communicated from the lead vehicle to the remote vehicle at the same time that the non-movement control data message is communicated from the remote vehicle to the lead vehicle,
wherein a bandwidth of the first wireless communication path used to communicate the movement control data message is smaller than a bandwidth of the second wireless communication path used to communicate the non-movement control data message;
responsive to a communication fault of the first wireless communication path that prevents communication of one or more additional movement control data messages over the first wireless communication path, stopping communication of one or more additional non-movement control data messages over the second wireless communication path; and
communicating the one or more additional movement control data messages over the second wireless communication path.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first wireless communication path is a radio communication pathway and the second wireless communication path is a non-radio communication pathway.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second wireless communication path is a cellular communication pathway and the first wireless communication path is a non-cellular communication pathway.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising presenting the non-movement control data message to an operator onboard the lead vehicle via an output device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein wirelessly communicating the non-movement control data message includes communicating at least the non-movement control data message in one or more data bursts that are separated in time by one or more time delays and preventing communication of the non-movement control data message during the one or more time delays.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the movement control data message is formed from less data than the non-movement control data message.

7. A system comprising:
a remote communication assembly configured to be disposed onboard a remote vehicle of a group of vehicles that also includes a lead vehicle operably coupled with the remote vehicle to travel with each other along a route, the remote communication assembly configured to wirelessly receive a movement control data message that remotely controls operation of the remote vehicle via a first wireless communication path between the lead vehicle and the remote vehicle of the group of vehicles, the movement control data message communicated in a time dependent manner such that the movement control data message is received within a designated time period so that the operation of the remote vehicle that is remotely controlled is changed in time-based coordination with a change in operation of the lead vehicle,
wherein the remote communication assembly also is configured to wirelessly communicate a non-movement control data message with the lead vehicle to report a status of the remote vehicle via a different, second wireless communication path between the lead vehicle and the remote vehicle, the non-movement control data message not being time dependent in that the non-movement control data message is not required to be communicated within the designated time period,
wherein the movement control data message is communicated from the lead vehicle to the remote vehicle at the same time that the non-movement control data message is communicated from the remote vehicle to the lead vehicle,
wherein a bandwidth of the first wireless communication path used to communicate the movement control data message is smaller than a bandwidth of the second wireless communication path used to communicate the non-movement control data message, and
wherein, responsive to a communication fault of the first wireless communication path that prevents receipt of one or more additional movement control data messages over the first wireless communication path, the remote communication assembly stops communication of additional non-movement control data messages over the second wireless communication path and receives one or more additional movement control data messages over the second wireless communication path.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the first wireless communication path is a radio communication pathway and the second wireless communication path is a non-radio communication pathway.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the second wireless communication path is a cellular communication pathway and the first wireless communication path is a non-cellular communication pathway.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the remote communication assembly is configured to wirelessly communicate at least the non-movement control data message in one or more data bursts that are separated in time by one or more time delays, and the remote communication assembly also is configured to prevent communication of the non-movement control data message during the one or more time delays.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein the movement control data message is formed from less data than the non-movement control data message.

12. A system comprising:
a radio communication unit configured to be disposed onboard a remote vehicle of a group of vehicles that also includes a lead vehicle mechanically separate from the remote vehicle, the radio communication unit configured to wirelessly receive a radio control message configured to remotely control movement of the remote vehicle from the lead vehicle; and
a non-radio communication unit configured to be disposed onboard the remote vehicle and to wirelessly communicate a status message to the lead vehicle, the status message representative of a status of one or more components of the remote vehicle,
wherein the radio communication unit is configured to wirelessly receive the radio control message within a designated time period such that the radio control message temporally coordinates a change in the movement of the remote vehicle with a change in movement of the lead vehicle, while the non-radio communication unit is configured to wirelessly communicate the status message without temporally coordinating the status message with the change in movement of the remote vehicle or the change in movement of the lead vehicle,
wherein the radio communication unit is configured to recei

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Cooper Jared Klineman
• Smith Eugene

Classifications

• B61L15/0018

  Communication with or on the vehicle or train · CPC title

• B61L15/0027

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

• B61L15/0072 Primary

  On-board train data handling · CPC title