Vehicle control system
AssigneeTransportation IP Holdings, LLC
InventorsChristopher Claussen, Jeffrey D. Kernwein, Joseph Gorman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle control system receives a proximity signal at a sensor assembly from a vehicle system. The proximity signal indicates that the vehicle system is approaching a location of the sensor assembly. A sensor of the sensor assembly is activated responsive to receiving the proximity signal. One or more characteristics of the vehicle system are sensed as the vehicle system moves by the sensor assembly. A sensor signal that represents the one or more characteristics of the vehicle system is communicated to an onboard controller of the vehicle system and/or an off-board system to control operation of the vehicle system based on the one or more characteristics of the vehicle system.
Claims30
A method comprising:
- receiving a proximity signal at an off-board sensor assembly from an onboard communication device of a vehicle system, the proximity signal indicating that the vehicle system is approaching a location of the sensor assembly;
- activating a sensor of the sensor assembly responsive to receiving the proximity signal;
- sensing one or more characteristics of the vehicle system as the vehicle system moves by the sensor assembly;
- and
- directing, using an off-board controller, an off-board communication device to communicate a sensor signal that represents the one or more characteristics of the vehicle system that are sensed, the sensor signal communicated to one or more of an onboard controller of the vehicle system or an off-board system to control operation of the vehicle system based on the one or more characteristics of the vehicle system.
A system comprising:
- an onboard controller configured to be disposed onboard a vehicle system, to direct an onboard communication device of the vehicle system to communicate a proximity signal to an off-board sensor assembly, and to receive a sensor signal indicating one or more characteristics of the vehicle system from the sensor assembly responsive to an off-board communication device of the sensor assembly receiving the proximity signal from the vehicle system, the sensor assembly having an off-board controller configured to activate a sensor of the sensor assembly to sense the one or more characteristics of the vehicle system responsive to the sensor assembly receiving the proximity signal and as the vehicle system approaches a location of the sensor assembly, the onboard controller configured to control operation of the vehicle system based on one or more characteristics of the vehicle system.
A sensor assembly comprising:
- a communication device configured to receive a proximity signal from a vehicle system, the proximity signal indicating that the vehicle system is approaching a location of the communication device;
- a sensor configured to be activated responsive to receiving the proximity signal and to sense one or more characteristics of the vehicle system as the vehicle system moves by the sensor assembly;
- and
- an off-board controller configured to direct the communication device to communicate a sensor signal that represents the one or more characteristics of the vehicle system, the off-board controller configured to direct the communication device to communicate the sensor signal to one or more of an onboard controller of the vehicle system or an off-board system to automatically change operation of the vehicle system based on the one or more characteristics of the vehicle system.
A system comprising:
- an onboard communication device configured to communicate a proximity signal from a vehicle system to an off-board sensor assembly responsive to determining that the vehicle system is approaching a location of the sensor assembly, the proximity signal activating the sensor assembly, the onboard communication device configured to receive a sensor signal from the sensor assembly, the sensor signal representing one or more characteristics of the vehicle system sensed by the sensor assembly as the vehicle system moved by the sensor assembly;
- and
- an onboard controller configured to automatically change operation of the vehicle system based on the one or more characteristics of the vehicle system responsive to receiving the sensor signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.