General Electric Company

Transportation IP Holdings, LLC

Ge Global Sourcing LLC

Brian Lee Staton

Mark Bradshaw Kraeling

David Michael Peltz

Derek Kevin Woo

Ajith Kuttannair Kumar

Joseph Forrest Noffsinger

Eugene Andrew Smith

Jeffrey Michael Fries

Frederick Wilson Wheeler

Robert James Foy

Yuri Alexeyevich Plotnikov

Steven Andrew Kellner

Brett Alexander Matthews

Samhitha Palanganda Poonacha

Gregory Boverman

Mark Wayne Wheeler

Majid Nayeri

Timothy Robert Brown

Tannous Frangieh

Timothy Warren Brown

Glen Paul Peltonen

Chris Schuchmann

Alexander Sotelo

Wolfgang Daum

Todd William Goodermuth

Brian Joseph McManus

Robert C Palanti

James Glen Corry

Frank Richard Wawrzyniak

Guillaume Mantelet

Robert Moffitt

David Carroll Teeter

Prem Kumar Patchaikani

Carlos Sabino Paulino

Tyler Listoe

Earle Edie

Sanketh Bhat

Andrew McKay

Stephen Craig Shelton

Jayeshkumar Jayanarayan Barve

Thomas Charles Leary

Travis Jarboe

Saurabh Shamkant Dhamne

Jeffery Michael Fries

A vehicle control system may determine a required tractive effort and/or a required braking effort to propel a vehicle system at a determined speed. The vehicle control system may determine a throttle setting or a brake setting to provide the required tractive effort and/or the required braking effort and communicate a control signal from a remote controller device to an onboard controller device. The vehicle control system may operate a propulsion system at the throttle setting and/or a brake system at the brake setting to move the vehicle system at the determined speed.

Vehicle control system and method

A vehicle control system includes a portable operator control unit (OCU). The OCU includes a housing, a power supply inside the housing, a controller inside the housing, and a wireless communication unit attached to the housing. The controller is configured to generate control signals for controlling a vehicle from an off-board location of the OCU. The wireless communication unit is configured to wirelessly communicate the control signals to the vehicle over an LTE network.

Vehicle control system

A system includes a route examining system and an off-board failsafe controller. The route examining system is configured to examine a route on which a first vehicle system is moving and to generate an inspection signal based on the route examination. The inspection signal indicates a status of a segment of the route as damaged or undamaged. The off-board failsafe controller is configured to receive the inspection signal from the route examining system. Responsive to a lack of receipt of the inspection signal within a designated time period which indicates communication loss with the route examining system, the failsafe controller is configured to generate a warning signal for communication to a second vehicle system. The warning signal is generated to direct the second vehicle system to (i) avoid traveling over the route segment or (ii) travel over the route segment or another route segment at a reduced speed.

Vehicle control based on communication with route examining system

Systems for examining a route inject one or more electrical examination signals into a conductive route from onboard a vehicle system traveling along the route, detect one or more electrical characteristics of the route based on the one or more electrical examination signals, and detect a break in conductivity of the route responsive to the one or more electrical characteristics decreasing by more than a designated drop threshold for a time period within a designated drop time period. Feature vectors may be determined for the electrical characteristics and compared to one or more patterns in order to distinguish between breaks in the conductivity of the route and other causes for changes in the electrical characteristics.

Route examining system

A system includes a route examining system on a non-propulsion-generating vehicle at a trailing end of a leading vehicle system. The route examining system examines a route on which the leading vehicle system is moving to determine whether the route is damaged. The system also includes an off-board failsafe controller that communicates with the route examining system. The off-board failsafe controller sends a warning signal to the trailing vehicle system responsive to receiving a notification signal from the route examining system indicating detection of damage to the route. The off-board failsafe controller also sends the warning signal to the trailing vehicle system responsive to losing communication with the route examining system. The warning signal directs the trailing vehicle system to automatically change movement of the trailing vehicle system responsive to the detection of damage to the route and/or the off-board failsafe controller losing communication with the route examining system.

Systems and methods for examining a route inject one or more electrical examination signals into a conductive route from onboard a vehicle system traveling along the route, detect one or more electrical characteristics of the route based on the one or more electrical examination signals, apply a filter to the one or more electrical characteristics, and detect a break in conductivity of the route responsive to the one or more electrical characteristics decreasing by more than a designated drop threshold for a time period within a designated drop time period. Feature vectors may be determined for the electrical characteristics and compared to one or more patterns in order to distinguish between breaks in the conductivity of the route and other causes for changes in the electrical characteristics.

Route examining system and method

A system includes a first communication module and a second communication module. The first communication module is configured to be disposed onboard a first vehicle of a vehicle consist, and the second communication module is configured to be disposed onboard a second vehicle of the vehicle consist. The first and second communication modules are communicatively coupled by first and second communication paths. The first and second communication modules are configured to communicate first information over the first communication path and second information over the second communication path. At least a portion of the first information includes a first command corresponding to a first operation of at least one of the first or second vehicles. At least a portion of the second information includes a second command corresponding to the first operation.

System and method for communicating data in a vehicle system

A method for automatically controlling braking of a powered system or consist includes automatically applying a first degree of braking to a consist during a first time period when a powered unit of the consist is being locally or remotely controlled via an onboard control system in an absence of control inputs from an onboard operator. The first degree of braking is based on a first deceleration force selected so that the consist is slowed in a manner effective to limit a peak deceleration rate experienced by the consist sufficient for reducing unintended movement of at least one of one or more riders or cargo onboard the consist. The method also includes automatically applying a second degree of braking to the consist during a second time period following the first time period.

Graduated vehicle braking

A railway communication system () includes a transmitter () receiving an input and producing a communication signal (). The communication signal () includes at least two different portions () for separately encoding respective indications () of the input. The system also includes a receiver () coupled to a controlled device, the receiver () extracting at least one of the respective indications () from the communication signal (). The receiver controls the device responsive to the at least one extracted indications ().

Method and system for providing redundancy in railroad communication equipment

A system () and method for automatically controlling braking of a train (). The method includes applying a first degree of braking to the train during a first period of time, and then applying a second degree of braking to the train during a second time period following the first time period so that the train is slowed in a manner effective to limit a peak deceleration rate experienced by the train. The system includes a sensor () providing a signal indicative of an operating condition of a locomotive of the train requiring braking of the train, a memory () storing a braking schedule, and a processor () comprising logic executable for accessing the braking schedule stored in the memory responsive to the signal to automatically control braking of the locomotive according to the schedule.

Graduated train braking

A system is provided for establishing a wireless-based communication link between a lead locomotive and a remote locomotive. A user on the lead locomotive is prompted to input a railroad and number identifier of the remote locomotive. A link command signal is transmitted from the lead locomotive, based on a predetermined number identifier of the lead locomotive, and the inputted railroad and number identifier. A second processor on the remote locomotive respectively compares the predetermined number identifier of the lead locomotive, the inputted railroad and number identifier of the lead locomotive, with an inputted number identifier of the lead locomotive, a predetermined railroad and a predetermined number identifier of the remote locomotive. A link reply signal, is transmitted from the remote locomotive, based on the comparison performed by the second processor, to establish the communication link. Additionally, a method is provided for establishing the wireless-based communication link.

System and method for establishing a wireless-based communication link between a pair of locomotives

A remote control system and method for the remote control operation of a locomotive in the performance of a car-kicking sequence comprises a portable control unit operable from a location off-board of the locomotive. The portable control unit includes an operator interface allowing an operator to initiate, with a single step, a predetermined sequence of locomotive operations for automatically performing a car-kicking procedure and generating a signal responsive to the single step for transmission to the locomotive. The system also includes a memory for storing a set of instructions corresponding to the predetermined sequence. An onboard slave control unit, interfaced with an operating system on the locomotive, receives the signal and automatically controls movement of the locomotive according to the set of instructions.

Remotely controlled locomotive car-kicking control

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Brian Lee Staton