Patent ID: 11891030
Assignee: WESTINGHOUSE AIR BRAKE TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 13:
14. A vehicle system comprising:
vehicles in a first segment and a second segment, the vehicles in the first segment having electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) control devices conductively coupled with each other by a cable, the vehicles in the first segment also having air brakes fluidly coupled with a brake pipe, the vehicles in the first segment including a lead vehicle and a remote vehicle, the ECP control devices configured to receive electronic signals to control actuation of the air brakes in the vehicles in the first segment;
the vehicles in the second segment not having the ECP control devices but having the air brakes that are fluidly coupled with the brake pipe, the air brakes of the vehicles in the second segment not directly controlled with the electronic signals; and
a controller onboard the lead vehicle and configured to send the electronic signals to the ECP control devices in the first vehicles in the first segment, to actuate the air brakes in the vehicles in the first segment using the ECP control devices,
the controller configured to actuate the air brakes in the vehicles in the second segment by sending at least one of the electronic signals to the ECP control device onboard the remote vehicle in the first segment to reduce an air pressure in the brake pipe in the remote vehicle and create a reduction in the air pressure in the brake pipe in a first vehicle in the second segment that is adjacent to the remote vehicle in the first segment, the reduction in the air pressure pneumatically communicated to the air brakes of the vehicles in the second segment and actuating the air brakes in the vehicles of the second segment.