According to various aspects, exemplary embodiments are disclosed of apparatus and methods for monitoring and controlling distributed machines. In an exemplary embodiment, a network includes machines each having sensor(s) and/or actuator(s). Each machine has a node resident on the machine and/or in communication with the machine and that provides raw data from the sensor(s) and/or actuator(s). Each node has a network interface, and a processor and memory configured as a node agent to embed the raw data in message(s) without reformatting the raw data. An engine receives and reformats messages from the node agents without reformatting raw data embedded in the messages. The engine directs the reformatted messages including the raw data to user device(s) for use in managing machine activity and/or status. The engine also sends a message from a user device to a node of a given machine, for use in controlling activity and/or status of the given machine.

A vehicle system having processors configured to determine permissible regions of a trip where the vehicle system is permitted for automatic control. The permissible regions of the trip are determined based on one or more of parameters of a route, a trend of operating parameters of the vehicle system, or a trip plan that designates one or more operational settings of the vehicle system at different locations, different times, or different distances along a route. The processors also are configured to control transition of the vehicle system between manual control and the automatic control in the permissible regions by alerting an operator of the vehicle system, automatically switching between the manual control and the automatic control, or modifying conditions on which the transition occur.

A transmission system includes: a hub to receive a control command from two or more controllers that control operation of an in-vehicle machinery installed in a train, and to control an output of the control command on the basis of a priority assigned to the control command, and a system-controller to determine an operating state of a controller that is a source of the control command, the system-controller being capable of changing a priority assigned to a control command transmitted from a controller whose operating state has been determined, on the basis of a determination result.

A car monitoring system includes: a sub-system to execute a predetermined function by controlling at least one instrument mounted on a railcar; and a monitoring device to monitor an operating state of the sub-system. The sub-system includes: a sub-system controller to create status data containing pieces of event information based on a signal output from the instrument and periodically transmit the status data to the monitoring device, the information informing the monitoring device of a change in state of the instrument; and a first memory to store a first event parameter file defines a data structure of an event region of the status data, the event region being a region wherein the information are stored. When the first parameter file is changed, and the sub-system controller creates the status data, the controller reconstructs the data structure of the region and resets the information in accordance with the reconstructed data structure.

A system is provided that may include a first communication controller that may communicate with a vehicle system formed from two or more vehicles. The first communication controller may operate in different modes, including a first mode to control movement of the vehicle system without repeating any control signals communicated between the vehicles, and in a second mode to monitor different frequencies for receipt of the control signals, receive and repeat a first control signal of the control signals at a first frequency, and receive and repeats a second control signal of the control signals at a second frequency. The first communication controller may also operate in a third mode in which the first communication controller may monitor the first frequency but not the second frequency for the first control signal, receives the first control signal at the first frequency, and repeats the first control signal at the first frequency.

A cyber defense system for a computer managed transportation network having agents, each functionally coupled to an on-board controller of one of at least one transportation network vehicles. Each agent is adapted to monitor or regulate vehicle functional-change communications, sent to the on-board controller of its coupled vehicle from on-board controllers of other vehicles or from control units of the transportation network, in accordance with a respective transportation network vehicle policy file generated by an artificial intelligence node monitoring various vehicles of the transportation network.

According to various aspects, exemplary embodiments are disclosed of devices, systems, and methods related to tracking location of operator control units for locomotives. In an exemplary embodiment, an operator control unit includes a user interface configured to receive one or more commands from an operator for controlling a locomotive. The operator control unit also includes receiver configured to receive location information of the operator control unit, and a wireless communication device. The wireless communication device is configured to transmit command data corresponding to the one or more commands and location data corresponding to the location information to a machine control unit on the locomotive.

A system and method for managing operations of a train relative to a fouling mark is disclosed. The system comprises one or more sources, an End-of-Train device mounted at a rear-end of the train, and a Head-of-Train device mounted at a front-end of the train communicatively coupled to the End-of-train device and the one or more sources. The Head-of-Train device is configured to detect the fouling mark based on inputs from the one or more sources. The Head-of-Train device is further configured to dynamically determine whether the train clears the fouling mark, upon detecting the fouling mark. The Head-of-Train device is further configured to identify one or more actions to be performed using a predefined logic, before the train clears the fouling mark. The Head-of-Train device is further configured to execute one or more machine-readable instructions for performing the one or more actions identified.

The present disclosure relates to managing data transmission from a plurality of telemetry devices onboard one or more trains. The plurality of telemetry devices comprises a first telemetry device and one or more second telemetry devices in a vicinity of the first telemetry device at an instant of time. The first telemetry device is configured to detect presence of the one or more second telemetry devices, and to initiate a negotiation process for identifying a designated telemetry device from the one or more second telemetry devices. During the negotiation process, status data associated with the telemetry devices are aggregated. The aggregated status data is further processed to identify a designated telemetry device from among the telemetry devices. The designated telemetry device performs actions for managing data transmission from the telemetry devices based on the aggregated status data.

Provided is a computer-implemented method for determining a communication status in a train consist operating in a distributed power system, the train consist including a lead locomotive and a plurality of remote locomotives. The method includes, for each remote locomotive of the plurality of remote locomotives that receives the command message directly from the lead locomotive, setting the message source indicator of the remote locomotive to a first state representative of a direct receipt of the command message, incrementing the message source counter for each response message received by the remote locomotive from other remote locomotives in which the respective message source indicator is set to the first state, generating a response message including a value of the message source indicator and a value of the message source counter, and transmitting the response message. A system and computer program product are also disclosed.