Communication system and method for a vehicle system

Abstract

A communication system for a train having a lead locomotive power group and at least one remote locomotive power group, the system including: a lead locomotive computer in communication with a first and second lead communication device and programmed to: generate a command message; transmit or cause the transmission of the command message from the first lead communication device in a predetermined time slot; and transmit or cause the transmission of the command message from the second lead communication device in a different predetermined time slot; and at least one remote locomotive computer in communication with at least one remote communication device and programmed to directly or indirectly receive the command message from the first lead communication device and/or the second lead communication device. A communication method for a train is also disclosed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A communication system comprising:
 a lead computer onboard a lead vehicle of a vehicle system, the lead computer in communication with a first lead communication device and a second lead communication device; and   a remote computer onboard a remote vehicle of the vehicle system, the remote computer configured to be in communication with a first remote communication device and a second remote communication device,   wherein the lead computer is configured to communicate repeated command messages from the first and second lead communication devices to the first and second remote communication devices in an interleaving process within a message exchange cycle, and   wherein the remote computer is configured to communicate repeated response messages from the first and second remote communication devices to at least one of the first lead communication device or the second lead communication device in the interleaving process within the message exchange cycle.   
     
     
         2 . The communication system of  claim 1 , wherein the lead computer is configured to receive the response message from at least one of the first remote communication device or the second remote communication device via at least one of the first lead communication device or the second lead communication device. 
     
     
         3 . The communication system of  claim 1 , wherein the command messages comprise one or more of control data or identification data of one or more of the first lead communication device or the second lead communication device. 
     
     
         4 . The communication system of  claim 1 , wherein the response messages identify the first lead communication device or the second lead communication device from which the command message was received. 
     
     
         5 . The communication system of  claim 1 , wherein the response messages identify the first remote communication device or the second remote communication device from which the response message is communicated. 
     
     
         6 . The communication system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the lead computer or the remote computer is configured to determine a status of at least one of the first lead communication device or the second lead communication device based on the response messages. 
     
     
         7 . The communication system of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of the lead computer or the remote computer is configured to determine a status of one or more of the first remote communication device or the second remote communication device based on the response messages. 
     
     
         8 . The communication system of  claim 7 , wherein one or more of the first lead communication device, the second lead communication device, the first remote communication device, or the second remote communication device is configured to communicate the status message to a remote server disposed off-board the vehicle system. 
     
     
         9 . The communication system of  claim 1 , wherein the remote computer is configured to communicate an alarm message to the lead computer from one or more of the first remote communication device or the second remote communication device in the interleaving process within the message exchange cycle. 
     
     
         10 . The communication system of  claim 9 , wherein the lead computer is configured to communicate an acknowledgement message from one or more of the first lead communication device or the second lead communication device in the interleaving process within the message exchange cycle responsive to receiving the alarm message. 
     
     
         11 . The communication system of  claim 1 , wherein the remote vehicle is one of plural remote vehicle in the vehicle system. 
     
     
         12 . A method comprising:
 communicating repeated command messages from first and second lead communication devices of a lead computer onboard a lead vehicle of a vehicle system to first and second remote communication devices onboard a remote vehicle of the vehicle system in an interleaving process within a message exchange cycle; and   communicating repeated response messages from one of the first or second remote communication devices to at least one of the first lead communication device or the second lead communication device in the interleaving process within the message exchange cycle.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising receiving the response messages by at least one of the first lead communication device or the second lead communication device from at least one of the first remote communication device or the second remote communication device. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the command messages comprise one or more of control data or identification data of the first lead communication device or the second lead communication device. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the response messages identify the first lead communication device or the second lead communication device from which the command message was received. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the response messages identify the first remote communication device or the second remote communication device from which the response messages are communicated. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising determining a status of at least one of the first lead communication device or the second lead communication device based on the response message. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising communicating a status message including the status of the at least one of the first lead communication device or the second lead communication device with a remote server disposed off-board the vehicle system. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising determining a status of at least one of the first remote communication device or the second remote communication device based on the response messages. 
     
     
         20 . A communication system comprising:
 first and second lead communication devices disposed onboard a lead vehicle of a vehicle system; and   first and second remote communication devices disposed onboard a remote vehicle of the vehicle system,   wherein the first and second lead communication devices are configured to communicate repeated command messages to the first and second remote communication devices in an interleaving process within a first portion of plural time slots of a message exchange cycle, and   wherein the first and second remote communication devices are configured to communicate repeated response messages to the first and second lead communication devices in the interleaving process within a second portion of plural time slots of the message exchange cycle.