# US 2014/0197281 A1 · System and method for determining order of vehicles

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- Number: US 2014/0197281 A1
- Document ID: US20140197281A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/741,649
- Filed: 2013-01-15
- Published: 2014-07-17
- Earliest claimed: 2013-01-15
- Assignees: General Electric Company
- Applicants: General Electric Company
- Inventors: Mark Bradshaw Kraeling; Todd William Goodermuth
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140197281A1

## CPC

- B61L 25/028: {Determination of vehicle position and orientation within a train consist, e.g. serialisation}
- B61L 23/34: for indicating the distance between vehicles or trains by the transmission of signals therebetween
- H04L 43/0888: Throughput
- H04L 67/10: in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46)
- H04L 67/125: involving control of end-device applications over a network
- B61L: GUIDING RAILWAY TRAFFIC; ENSURING THE SAFETY OF RAILWAY TRAFFIC (brakes or auxiliary equipment B61H, B61K; point or crossing construction E01B)
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

A system includes a first communication module and a first ordering determination module. The first communication module is configured to be disposed onboard a first vehicle of a vehicle consist and to communicate individual messages that are targeted for communication with respective individual second vehicles of the vehicle consist. The first ordering determination module is configured to be disposed onboard the first vehicle of the vehicle consist, and to determine an order of the first vehicle and one or more of the second vehicles in the consist using message characteristic information. The message characteristic information corresponds to a transmission characteristic of the individual messages.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system comprising:
a first communication module configured to be disposed onboard a first vehicle of a vehicle consist, the first communication module configured to communicate individual messages that are targeted for communication with respective individual second vehicles of the vehicle consist; and
a first ordering determination module configured to be disposed onboard the first vehicle of the vehicle consist, the first ordering determination module configured to determine an order of the first vehicle and one or more of the second vehicles in the consist using message characteristic information, the message characteristic information corresponding to one or more transmission characteristics of the individual messages.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the second vehicles comprise a second vehicle and a third vehicle, and the system further comprises:
second and third communication modules configured to be respectively disposed onboard the second and third vehicles, the second and third communication modules configured to communicate with one another via an individual path configured to communicatively couple the second and third communication modules; and
second and third ordering determination modules configured to be respectively associated with the second and third communication modules and respectively disposed onboard the second and third vehicles, wherein the second and third ordering determination modules are configured to determine respective distance information for the second and third vehicles on which the second and third ordering determination modules are configured to be disposed, respectively, using information corresponding to a characteristic of communication between the second and third communication modules over the individual path.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the message characteristic information includes communication rate information corresponding to rates of communication of the individual messages.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The system of claim 3, wherein the communication rate information includes averaged communication rate information.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The system of claim 3, wherein the individual messages comprise messages configured specifically for measuring rates of communication.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The system of claim 3, wherein the first ordering determination module is configured to determine distance information corresponding to the relative distance of a given vehicle from the first vehicle based on the relative rates of plural of the individual messages, wherein a vehicle with which the first communication module communicates with at a faster rate is determined to be relatively nearer to the first vehicle than a vehicle with which the first communication module communicates with at a slower rate.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication module is communicatively coupled to plural of the second vehicles via a multiple unit (MU) line.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, wherein the first communication module is configured to communicate with the plural of the second vehicles via Ethernet over multiple unit (eMU) using modulated signals overlayed on the MU line.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the individual messages are sent substantially simultaneously.

### Claim 10

A method comprising:
sending, from a first communication module disposed onboard a first vehicle of a vehicle consist, plural first individual messages to corresponding plural second vehicles of the vehicle consist;
determining first message characteristic information corresponding to the second vehicles receiving the first individual messages; and
determining, at an ordering determination module disposed onboard the first vehicle, a vehicle order of the consist using the first message characteristic information.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, further comprising:
sending, from a second communication module disposed onboard one of the second vehicles of the vehicle consist, plural second individual messages to at least some of the other second vehicles or the first vehicle; determining second message characteristic information corresponding to said at least some of the other second vehicles or the first vehicle receiving the second individual messages from the second communication module; and
determining, at said one of the second vehicles, using the second message characteristic information, distance information corresponding to distances of said at least some of the other second vehicles or the first vehicle receiving the second individual messages from the second communication module;
wherein the vehicle order of the consist is determined at the first vehicle using the distance information.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the first message characteristic information includes communication rate information corresponding to rates of communication of the first individual messages.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the communication rate information includes averaged communication rate information.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, further comprising configuring the individual messages specifically for measuring rates of communication.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, further comprising sending the individual messages to the plural second vehicles via Ethernet over multiple unit (eMU) using modulated signals overlayed on a multiple unit (MU) line.

### Claim 16 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein at least some of the plural first individual messages are sent substantially simultaneously.

### Claim 17

A tangible and non-transitory computer readable medium comprising one or more computer software modules configured to direct a processor to:
send, from a first communication module disposed onboard a first vehicle of a vehicle consist, plural first individual messages to corresponding plural second vehicles of the vehicle consist;
determine first message characteristic information corresponding to the second vehicles receiving the first individual messages; and
determine, at the first vehicle, a vehicle order of the consist using the first message characteristic information.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the computer readable medium is further configured to direct the processor to:
send, from a second communication module disposed onboard one of the second vehicles of the vehicle consist, plural second individual messages to at least some of the other second vehicles or the first vehicle;
determine second message characteristic information corresponding to said at least some of the other second vehicles or the first vehicle receiving the second individual messages from the second communication module; and
determine, at said one of the second vehicles, using the second message characteristic information, distance information corresponding to distances of said at least some of the other second vehicles or the first vehicle receiving the second individual messages from the second communication module;
wherein the processor is directed to determine, at the first vehicle, the vehicle order of the consist using the distance information.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the first message characteristic information includes communication rate information corresponding to rates of communication of the first individual messages.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the communication rate information includes averaged communication rate information.

### Claim 21 (depends on 17)

The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the first individual messages comprise messages configured specifically for measuring rates of communication.

### Claim 22 (depends on 17)

The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein at least some of the plural first individual messages are sent substantially simultaneously.