Patent ID: 8224237

Claim:
A communications method for a vehicle consist comprising a lead powered vehicle and a remote powered vehicle, wherein the lead powered vehicle comprises first and second spaced apart antennas, each antenna associated with a radio, and the remote powered vehicle comprises third and fourth spaced-apart antennas, each antenna associated with a radio, the method comprising: transmitting an outbound message from the lead powered vehicle; at the remote powered vehicle, receiving the outbound message at the third antenna and supplying a signal representative thereof to the associated radio for producing a first received signal, and receiving the outbound message at the fourth antenna and supplying a signal representative thereof to the associated radio for producing a second received signal; determining a first signal quality metric of the first received signal; determining a second signal quality metric of the second received signal; selecting the first or the second received signal for processing by the remote powered vehicle in response to the first and the second signal quality metrics; transmitting an inbound message from the remote powered vehicle; at the lead powered vehicle, receiving the inbound message at the first antenna and supplying a signal representative thereof to the associated radio for producing a third received signal, and receiving the outbound message at the second antenna and supplying a signal representative thereof to the associated radio for producing a fourth received signal; determining a third signal quality metric of the third received signal; determining a fourth signal quality metric of the fourth received signal; and selecting the third or the fourth received signal for processing by the lead powered vehicle in response to the third and the fourth signal quality metrics.