System and method for communicating data in a locomotive consist or other vehicle consist

A communication method comprising:

• monitoring a first router transceiver pair and a redundant router transceiver pair, the first router transceiver pair including a first router transceiver unit disposed on a first vehicle of a vehicle consist and a second router transceiver unit disposed on a different, second vehicle of the vehicle consist, the redundant router transceiver pair including a third router transceiver unit disposed on the first vehicle and a fourth router transceiver unit disposed on the second vehicle, the first router transceiver pair and the redundant router transceiver pair configured to communicate network data over a cable bus that extends through the vehicle consist;
• determining that one of the first router transceiver pair or the redundant router transceiver pair has entered a failure condition for being unable to communicate the network data over the cable bus;
• and
• subsequent said determination, controlling the other of the first router transceiver pair or the redundant router transceiver pair to communicate the network data over the cable bus.

A communication system comprising:

• a first router transceiver unit;
• and
• a redundant router transceiver unit;
• wherein each of the first router transceiver unit and the redundant router transceiver unit is configured to be coupled to a cable bus of a vehicle for communicating network data over the cable bus;
• and
• wherein each of the first router transceiver unit and the redundant router transceiver unit is configured for one of the first router transceiver unit or the redundant router transceiver unit to communicate the network data over the cable bus if the other of the first router transceiver unit or the redundant router transceiver unit enters a failure condition for being unable to communicate the network data over the cable bus.

A communication system for communicating data in a vehicle consist, the system comprising:

• a first router transceiver pair comprising a first router transceiver unit positioned in a first vehicle of the vehicle consist and a second router transceiver unit positioned in a second vehicle of the vehicle consist, wherein each vehicle within the vehicle consist is interconnected with one or more other vehicles in the vehicle consist;
• and
• a redundant router transceiver pair comprising a third router transceiver unit positioned in the first vehicle and a fourth router transceiver unit positioned in the second vehicle;
• wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth router transceiver units is coupled to a cable bus in the vehicle consist that interconnects the first and second vehicles;
• wherein each of the first, second, third, and fourth router transceiver units is configured to communicate network data between the first vehicle and the second vehicle over the cable bus;
• and
• wherein if either of the first router transceiver pair or the redundant router transceiver pair enters a failure condition for being unable to communicate the network data over the cable bus between the first vehicle and the second vehicle, then the other of the first router transceiver pair or the redundant router transceiver pair communicates the network data between the first vehicle and the second vehicle over the cable bus.