A vehicle control system includes a controller disposed onboard a first vehicle system and comprising one or more processors. The controller is operably connected to a propulsion and braking subsystem of the first vehicle system. The controller is configured to analyze a notification message received from an off-board source as the first vehicle system travels on a route. The notification message identifies an unplanned brake application made by a second vehicle system. In response to the notification message, the controller is configured to control the propulsion and braking subsystem to modify movement of the first vehicle system based at least in part on a location of the second vehicle system to avoid the second vehicle system.

A train control system enabling a train to smoothly travel while performing handover. The system includes an on-vehicle wireless station mounted on a train following a preceding train and connected to an on-vehicle control device of the train, ground wireless base stations capable of wirelessly communicating with the on-vehicle wireless station, and a base station control device to control the base stations. The ground wireless base station is located between the ground wireless base station with which the on-vehicle wireless station is communicating and the ground wireless base station forming a communication area including a travelling permission point determined by a position of the train. The base station control device reserves radio resources of the ground wireless base stations while communicating with the ground wireless base station.

The present invention provides a network system of a railcar, the network system being capable of efficiently performing maintenance work. One example of the network system of the railcar of the present invention includes: intra-car networks (N1 to N3) to which first and second apparatuses are connected; an inter-car network (NA) for transmission of information between the apparatuses mounted on different cars; routers (R1 to R3) each provided and connected between the corresponding intra-car network (N1 to N3) and the inter-car network (NA) and each including a network address translation portion configured to mutually convert a private address of the first apparatus and an IP address of the inter-car network (NA); and a maintenance transmission path forming unit configured to form a transmission path through which the transmission and reception of the information are performed between a maintenance terminal (5) and a maintenance target apparatus selected from the first and second apparatuses, the transmission path not passing through the network address translation portion of the car on which the maintenance target apparatus is mounted.

A system and method for enabling automatic arming between an End-of-Train device and a Head-of-Train device on a train is provided. The system includes at least one sensing unit configured to detect a physical connection status of the End-of-Train device. The End-of-Train device is configured to transmit an arming request to the Head-of-Train device based on the physical connection status, wherein the arming request includes at least one of an identifier and a geospatial location associated with the End-of-Train device. The Head-of-Train device is configured to receive the arming request from the End-of-Train device. The Head-of-Train device is further configured to arm the Head-of-Train device to the End-of-Train device upon verification of the arming request, wherein arming comprises establishing a communication channel between the Head-of-Train device and the End-of-Train device.

A plurality of cameras is secured to railroad ties to take high resolution images of the underside of a train car as it passes over this plurality of cameras. These images are important to insure the structural integrity of the parts of the rail car as well as the connection means—a coupler and pin—between two rail cars. The shutter speed of the cameras is determined by the speed of the train as it passes over the cameras. As the images are taken, the images can be downloaded and sent to a remote location for further analysis.

A method for wagon-to-wagon communication between wagons of a train is disclosed. The train includes a first train wagon and at least one further train wagon, the first train wagon having a first transmitter/receiver device, and the further train wagon having a further transmitter/receiver device. The first transmitter/receiver device sends a request message using short distance communication. The further transmitter/receiver device sends an acknowledgement to the first transmitter/receiver device using short distance communication. The first transmitter/receiver device sends a first identification code identifying the first train wagon to the further train wagon. A method for checking train integrity and a train wagon is also disclosed.

A vehicle communication system includes a central device and an on-vehicle device. A path determiner of the central device determines an information transmission path between a plurality of vehicles for consolidating information in a vehicle that performs a wireless communication with a terrestrial communication device out of the vehicles based on at least operating information on the vehicles. An on-vehicle communicator of the on-vehicle device acquires the information transmission path directly from the central device via the terrestrial communication device or indirectly from the central device via the terrestrial communication device and a second vehicle, and transmits and receives predetermined information to and from the terrestrial communication device or the second vehicle based on the acquired information transmission path.

A method may include detecting a first pressure and a second pressure of a fluid in a brake pipe of a vehicle system that includes a plurality of vehicles and extends from a lead vehicle to an end vehicle. The first pressure may be measured in the lead vehicle and the second pressure may be measured in the end vehicle. The method may further include determining a pressure differential signature between the first pressure and the second pressure and evaluating the pressure differential signature with a machine learning model to determine whether a blockage or a leak exists in the brake pipe. A system may include one or more processors configured to detect a first pressure and a second pressure of a fluid in a brake pipe. The one or more processors may be further configured to determine a pressure differential signature between the first pressure and the second pressure and evaluate the pressure differential signature with a machine learning model to determine whether a blockage exists in the brake pipe.

An improved End-of-Train device suitable for mounting on a train is disclosed. The End-of-Train device comprises an audio input unit configured to detect an audio input associated with at least one event, and to generate an audio signal based on the audio input. The event is one of an utterance of a voice command by a railway personnel or an incident that potentially impacts an operation of the train. The End-of-Train device further comprises a memory and a processing unit communicatively coupled to the memory. The processing unit is configured to execute one or more instructions in the memory to analyze an audio input to identify one or more actions to be performed by the End-of-Train device and to initiate execution of the one or more actions identified. Further, a notification may be generated based on execution of the one or more actions.

A system may be provided that includes a first power source configured to supply power to a communication system of a vehicle system to communicate a signal from a first vehicle of the vehicle system to a second vehicle of the vehicle system. The system may include a second power source configured to supply power to the communication system to communicate the signal from the first vehicle to the second vehicle, and a controller. The controller may obtain an operational parameter, and communicate the signal based on the operational parameter when the first power source supplies power to the communication system. The controller may be configured to communicate the signal utilizing the power from the second power source based on the operational parameter when the first power source does not supply power to the communication system.