General Electric Company

Ge Global Sourcing LLC

Transportation IP Holdings, LLC

Global Patent Operation

Brian Douglas Lawry

Bret Dwayne Worden

Jared Klineman Cooper

Joseph Forrest Noffsinger

Matthew John Malone

Jeremy Thomas McGarry

Jennifer Lynn Coyne

Wolfgang Daum

Mark Bradshaw Kraeling

Ajith Kuttannair Kumar

Eugene Andrew Smith

Steven Andrew Kellner

Glen Paul Peltonen

Scott William Dulmage

Robert Thomas Oliveira

David Michael Peltz

Aaron Richard Mitti

Nick David Nagrodsky

Adrian Jerzy Gorski

Justin Winston

John Charles Hounschell, Ii

Carl S Iszkula

Robert A Armbruster

Scott M Branka

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.

Vehicle communication system, control system and method

Examples for a traction system are provided. In one example, the traction system includes a nozzle coupled to an air source and configured to be selectively aimed toward a determined portion of a rail surface of a rail, and a conduit configured to supply pressurized air from the air source to the nozzle, the nozzle flexibly coupled thereto. The nozzle is configured for the aim of the nozzle to be controlled to change its aiming direction in response to a change in curvature of the rail, whereby a stream of air from the nozzle impacts the determined portion during movement of the vehicle through the curvature of the rail.

Systems and method for a traction system

System including an effort-monitoring system is configured to control tractive efforts (TEs) individually produced by propulsion-generating vehicles in a vehicle system. The effort-monitoring system is configured to control each of the propulsion-generating vehicles to provide a respective prescribed TE. The vehicle system operates at a system TE when each of the propulsion-generating vehicles is providing the respective prescribed TE. The prescribed TEs are determined by at least one of an operating plan of the vehicle system or a regulation that limits TE or ground speed of the vehicle system. In response to determining that a first propulsion-generating vehicle is providing a reduced TE that is less than the prescribed TE of the first propulsion-generating vehicle, the effort-monitoring system is configured to control a second propulsion-generating vehicle to exceed the prescribed TE of the second propulsion-generating vehicle so that the vehicle system is operating at or below the system TE.

System and method for controlling at least one of tractive or braking efforts of a vehicle system

A control system receives signals representing a presence and position of a secondary movement system onboard a vehicle. The secondary movement system changes movement of the vehicle without generating thrust or propulsion to move the vehicle. The control system creates a schedule of use of the secondary movement system based on the presence and position of the secondary movement system and controls the secondary movement system based on the schedule that is created.

Vehicle control system and method

Vehicle communication systems and control systems

A system for controlling a consist of rail vehicles or other vehicles includes a control unit electrically coupled to a first rail vehicle in the consist, the control unit having a processor and being configured to receive signals representing a presence and position of one or more tractive effort systems on-board the first vehicle and other rail vehicles in the consist, and a set of instructions stored in a non-transient medium accessible by the processor, the instructions configured to control the processor to create a optimization schedule that manages the use of the one or more tractive effort systems based on the presence and position of the tractive effort systems within the consist.

Adhesion control system and method

A method and system for determining rail defects. The method and system receive route performance measurements from a vehicle system traveling along a route and normalize the route performance measurements based on one or more characteristics of the vehicle system. The method and a system also determine a defect for a segment of the route based at least in part on the normalized route performance measurements with respect to a threshold bandwidth corresponding to the segment. The method and system also examine velocity differences in a vehicle speed of a vehicle and the angular speed of the axles and/or wheels of the vehicle system traveling along a route to determine if the route is damaged and/or to identify the location of the potentially damaged section of the route. The differences may represent wheel creeps of the vehicle system.

System and method for identifying damaged sections of a route

A method and system for examining velocity differences in a vehicle speed of a vehicle and the angular speed of the axles and/or wheels of the vehicle system traveling along a route to determine if the route is damaged and/or to identify the location of the potentially damaged section of the route. The differences may represent wheel creeps of the vehicle system.

A method for detecting clogs in a tractive effort system of a rail vehicle or other vehicle includes the steps of determining a baseline air flow rate from an air compressor during steady state conditions, actuating the tractive effort system, determining a secondary air flow rate from the air compressor subsequent to actuation of the tractive effort system, and comparing the secondary air flow rate to the baseline air flow rate.

A method for communicating on a train that has at least two locomotives, the method including determining when a primary communication path ceases to be available for a specific subsystem of the train, identifying at least one auxiliary communication path to transmit information for the specific subsystem, configuring a message for the specific subsystem which complies with a message format of the at least one auxiliary communication path, and transmitting the message on the at least one auxiliary communication path. A system and a computer software code are further disclosed for providing a communication system for a powered system.

System, method, and computer software code for providing an auxiliary communication path when a primary communication path is unavailable

An integrated interface system is provided for a plurality of systems associated with locomotive operation. The integrated interface system includes a main controller with a main display and an interface between each system and the main controller. Each interface is configured to communicate a respective set of time-dependent diagnostic information for each system to the main controller.

System and method for an integrated interface for systems associated with locomotive operation

A method of controlling operation of a train (T) for passage of the train through a tunnel. The train has a plurality of locomotives (L-Ln) pulling the train. The position of the lead locomotive relative to the tunnel entrance is determined, as is the amount of time before the train enters the tunnel. Each locomotive is separately configured for passage through the tunnel as a function of performance characteristics of the locomotive and the locomotive's current operating status, as the train approaches the tunnel. Once the train enters the tunnel, the performance characteristics of each locomotive are continually monitored. The performance requirements for one or more of the locomotives are then dynamically changed as a function of conditions within the tunnel and the current performance characteristics of each locomotive. This is done to maintain a sufficient combined performance capability from the locomotives to move the train through the tunnel. Upon exiting the tunnel, the locomotives' full operating capabilities are quickly restored by enhancing their thermal recoveries.

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Brian Douglas Lawry