System and method for communicating in a vehicle consist

摘要

A system and method communicate a command message from a lead vehicle in a vehicle consist having remote vehicles and the lead vehicle. The command message includes a directive for controlling operations of the remote vehicles. The command message is received at the remote vehicles and reply messages are communicated in response thereto. The reply messages include statuses of the remote vehicles. Responsive to determining that the lead vehicle does not receive the reply message from one or more of the remote vehicles, the statuses of the one or more remote vehicles from which the reply messages are not received at the lead vehicle are sent and/or combined into an individual or concatenated relayed message. The individual or concatenated relayed messages are communicated to the lead vehicle such that the lead vehicle receives the statuses of the one or more remote vehicles.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
onboard a first remote vehicle in a vehicle consist having at least a lead vehicle and two or more remote vehicles that include, the first remote vehicle, and a second remote vehicle, receiving a reply message from the second remote vehicle using transceiver circuitry in response to communication of a command message from the lead vehicle to the first remote vehicle and the second remote vehicle, the command message including a directive for controlling one or more operations of the first remote vehicle and the second remote vehicle, the reply message including a status of the second remote vehicle; receiving a retry message from the lead vehicle that identifies a subset of the two or more remote vehicles from which a reply message was not received by the lead vehicle, the subset identifying at least the second remote vehicle; combining the status of the second remote vehicle as received in the reply message communicated from the second remote vehicle with a status of one or more of the first remote vehicle or another remote vehicle in the vehicle consist at the first remote vehicle into a concatenated relayed message using one or more processors; and communicating the concatenated relayed message from the first remote vehicle to the lead vehicle using the transceiver circuitry such that the lead vehicle receives the status of the second remote vehicle.