Patent ID: 8483894

Claim:
A method of operating an Electrically Controlled Pneumatic (ECP) brake system that includes a system controller and a plurality of ECP devices on a train, the method providing a semi-active mode between an active mode and an inactive mode, the method comprising: setting the system controller to the semi-active mode in response to an ECP brake release command; setting, by the system controller, released ECP devices to an inactive state when the system controller enters the semi-active mode; setting the plurality of ECP devices to an active state to apply the brake by the system controller in response to an ECP brake apply command; and resetting the plurality of ECP devices to a release state and then to the inactive state by the system controller in response to an ECP brake release command, wherein, in the semi-active mode, full operational control of the ECP devices is disabled, and a transition back to an original state is performed without re-initializing the system, and wherein, during the semi-active mode, the system controller maintains power on a train-line to the plurality of ECP devices and monitors train-line integrity.