General Electric Company

Transportation IP Holdings, LLC

Ge Global Sourcing LLC

Derek Kevin Woo

Timothy Warren Brown

Robert C Palanti

Chris Schuchmann

Brian Lee Staton

Daniel Joseph Rush

Carlos Sabino Paulino

Ralph Caswell Haddock, Iii

Adam Charles Hausmann

Robert Peipert

Peter Henry Tu

James D Brooks

Brian E Kurz

Adam Franco

Tania Lindsley

Guangliang Zhao

Weina Ge

Alexander Sotelo

Mark Bradshaw Kraeling

Eugene Andrew Smith

Jeffrey Donald Kernwein

Brian Joseph McManus

James Allen Oswald

Keith E Smith

Ann K Grimm

Andrew Ryan Staats

Guillaume Mantelet

Gary William Mason

Stuart John Barr

Robert Francis Bryant

Matthew Vrba

Joseph W Gorman

Kendrick W Gawne

Rebecca W Dreasher

Phillip A Burgart

Francois P Pretorius

Janmejay Tripathy

Prem Kumar Patchaikani

Stephen Don Smith

Craig Karl Green

Sanketh Bhat

Tyler Listoe

Jerrid D Chapman

Earle Edie

Mark E Smith

Pritamkumar Gangwal

Andrew McKay

Narendrasingh Puransingh Patnurkar

Shannon K Struttmann

Jayeshkumar Jayanarayan Barve

Scott Sollars

Edward J Kuchar

Michael Brandon Alexander

Mikhail Melster

Carlos Cesar Sabino Paulino

Stephen Craven

James Lucas

Irwin Morris

Travis Jarboe

Peter Idema

Saurabh Shamkant Dhamne

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 system and method obtain first image data of a route at a location of interest from a first optical sensor disposed onboard a vehicle system moving along the route. The first image data depicts the route at the location of interest prior to passage of the vehicle system over the route at the location of interest. Second image data of the route at the location of interest is obtained from a second optical sensor disposed onboard the vehicle system. The second image data depicts the route at the location of interest after passage of the vehicle system over the route at the location of interest. A determination is made as to whether a change in the route has occurred at the location of interest by comparing the first image data with the second image data.

Route inspection system

An asset identification and tracking system includes one or more monitoring units configured to monitor at least one designated area. Each of the monitoring units includes an imaging device and one or more processors. The imaging device is configured to generate image data depicting one or more mobile assets that move through the at least one designated area. The one or more processors are operably coupled to the imaging device and configured to analyze the image data to detect and decipher one or more identifiers that are displayed on a particular mobile asset of the one or more mobile assets that move through the at least one designated area. The one or more processors are further configured to generate a detection message that includes the one or more identifiers for communication to an asset control system.

Asset identification and tracking system

A computer-implemented method is provided that includes obtaining a first secret and a first public key, and obtaining a second secret a second public key. The method may also include authenticating the first public key of the first vehicle based on a first private key associated with the first vehicle, and authenticating the second public key of the second vehicle based on a second private key associated with the second vehicle. The method may also include preventing a man-in-the-middle attack, by securing at least one of a first vehicle-to-central office communication, a central office-to-first vehicle communication, or a first vehicle-to-second vehicle, wherein the first vehicle-to-central office communication and the central office-to-first vehicle communication are authenticated based on a determined private key associated with a respective first vehicle on-board computer, and sending a message, with the central office server, to a vehicle associated with a conditional movement authority.

Secure vehicle to vehicle PTC communication

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

A system that includes a lead locomotive in communication with one or more remote vehicles, and the lead locomotive including one or more processors configured to execute program instructions to perform functions based on the program instructions. These functions include determining a first characteristic related to the lead locomotive or the one or more remote locomotives, receiving historical data related to the first characteristic, comparing the first characteristic to the historical data to determine a change in first characteristic value, and determining a second characteristic related to the lead locomotive or the one or more remote locomotives. In response to the change in first characteristic value exceeding a threshold percentage, the one or more processors ignore the change in first characteristic value exceeding the threshold percentage based on the second characteristic.

Vehicle communication system and method

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.

Route examining system

A communication system includes wired communication devices onboard vehicles of a vehicle system, wireless communication devices disposed onboard other vehicles, and a controller. The controller remotely controls movement of some vehicles via communication with the wired communication devices and establishes a wireless communication link with other vehicles. The controller remotely controls movement of the other vehicles via wireless communication responsive to these vehicles being connected to the vehicle system for temporarily assisting in vehicle system movement along one or more routes. These vehicles are configured to be disconnected from wired communication with the other vehicles subsequent to being connected to the vehicle system. The wireless communication link is in addition to any wireless communication links established in the vehicle system prior to the one or more second vehicles being connected to the vehicle system.

Communication systems

A route inspection system includes one or more processors configured to identify a reference location in sensor data provided by one or more sensors onboard a vehicle system. The reference location is identified along a route being traveled by the vehicle system. The one or more processors also are configured to identify a location of interest in subsequent sensor data provided by the one or more sensors. The location of interest identified along the route being traveled by the vehicle system. The one or more processors also are configured to determine a degree of curvature in the route based on a difference between the reference location and the location of interest.

A control system having a controller is configured to operate a vehicle indexing system that moves one or more vehicles in a vehicle system into a position to one or more of unload cargo off of the one or more vehicles or load the cargo onto the one or more vehicles. The controller is configured to determine a power setting of the vehicle indexing system that is used by the vehicle indexing system to move the one or more vehicles in the vehicle system into the position. The controller also is configured to determine a vehicle power setting for the vehicle system based on the power setting of the vehicle indexing system for controlling the vehicle system to provide additional tractive effort to the vehicle indexing system to move the one or more vehicles into the position.

System and method for indexing vehicles of a vehicle system

A method for remotely controlling a vehicle system includes selectively identifying, among two or more consists in the vehicle system, a selected consist to remotely control. Each of the two or more consists including a propulsion-generating vehicle. The method also includes initiating remote control of the propulsion-generating vehicle in the selected consist and remotely controlling at least one of tractive effort or braking effort provided by the propulsion-generating vehicle in the selected consist using a remote control device. The at least one of tractive effort or braking effort provided by the propulsion-generating vehicle in the selected consist is controlled without remotely controlling tractive effort or braking effort provided by the propulsion-generating vehicle in at least one other consist in the vehicle system.

System and method for remotely controlling a vehicle consist

A method for remotely controlling a plurality of vehicles includes receiving at an external control system, under an indexing mode of operation, a first signal from off-board vehicle indexing equipment. The method further includes establishing in the external control system a positioning mode of operation in response to the first signal. Further, under the positioning mode of operation, and in response to actuation of an interface of the external control system, the method includes sending from the external control system a second signal to a first vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, the second signal comprising a first command to adjust a throttle setting of first vehicle and a second command to idle a throttle of at least one second vehicle of the plurality of vehicles.

Method and apparatus for positioning a vehicle

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Melbourne, FL, United States of America

Derek Kevin Woo