System and method for scheduling and train control

• US 20050234757A1
• Filed: 08/18/2004
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/1994
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Douglas A. Thomae, Michael S. Crone, Paul M. Julich, Thu V. Vu, William L. Matheson, Wills M. Scott
• Original Assignee: Douglas A. Thomae, Michael S. Crone, Paul M. Julich, Thu V. Vu, William L. Matheson, Wills M. Scott
• Inventors: Julich, Paul M., Vu, Thu V., Crone, Michael S., Wills, M. Scott, Thomae, Douglas A., Matheson, William L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,558,740 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 2205/04 Satellite based navigation systems, e.g. global positioning system [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/12 Preparing schedules
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/14 Following schedules
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/16 Trackside optimisation of vehicle or train operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06314 Calendaring for a resource
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 706/932 Mathematics, science, or engineering

Abstract

A scheduling system and method for moving plural objects through a multipath system described as a freight railway scheduling system. The scheduling system utilizes a cost reactive resource scheduler to minimize resource exception while at the same time minimizing the global costs associated with the solution. The achievable movement plan can be used to assist in the control of, or to automatically control, the movement of trains through the system.

Claims

1-19. -19. (canceled)

20. A method of operating a railway having a plurality of trains for movement along predetermined track layout, the method comprising:

(a) determining a movement plan by which the trains move along the layout, said determining comprising an evaluation of the effects of track parameters on the movement of the trains; and

(b) controlling said trains to move along the layout in accordance with said determined movement plan.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said determining further comprises evaluating the effects of one or more of train size, train load, train components, weather conditions, locomotive conditions, crew availability, track conditions, locomotive power, tractive effort, braking capability and costs on the movement of the trains.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein said controlling uses moving block control.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein said determining includes the scheduling of terminal equipment.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein said determining includes the scheduling of maintenance-of-way requirements.

25. The method of claim 20 wherein said determining a movement plan comprises:

(c) determining a schedule using statistical data relating to train movement; and

(d) refining the schedule using simulation of actual trains.

26. The method of claim 20 wherein said determining a movement plan comprises:

(c) determining the time intervals associated with the activities necessary to train movement;

(d) grouping the time intervals into relatively large groups for optimizing train movement; and

(e) regrouping the time intervals into relatively smaller groups for optimizing train movement, if optimizing is unattainable using said large groups of time intervals.

27. The method of claim 20 wherein said movement plan is determined by an inference engine receiving constraints relating to the railway and determining the movement plan based at least in part on the constraints.

28. The method of claim 20 wherein said movement plan optimizes costs.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the costs include operating costs and delivery costs.

30. The method of claim 20 wherein said movement plan is determined by the use of different levels of abstraction of a physical model.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising performing coarse optimization by annealing techniques.

32. The method of claim 30 further comprising performing fine optimization by branch and bound techniques.

33. A system for controlling the movement of plural trains along a network of track according to a predetermined movement plan comprising:

a processor for determining the position of each train along the track;

a processor for evaluating the adherence of each train to the predetermined movement plan;

a processor for determining the adjustments needed by any train not adhering to the predetermined movement plan based at least in part on track parameters; and

a communications channel for communicating said adjustments to each train.

34. The system of claim 33 wherein said adjustments comprise train control signals.

35. The system of claim 33 wherein said processor for evaluating adherence comprises moving block control.

36. The system of claim 33 wherein said adjustments comprise a planned trajectory for train movement.

37. A method of simulating implementation of a movement plan for the movement of a plurality of trains along a track layout based on a schedule of orders, the method comprising:

(a) providing a schedule of the orders to be implemented,

(b) identifying the location of resources necessary to implement each order,

(c) providing a detailed model of the system over which the schedule is to be implemented; and

(d) simulating the schedule on the model to either resolve any conflicts in the schedule or indicate the conflicts.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising selecting the resource necessary from a plurality of available resources based, at least in part by parameters related to cost.

39. The method of claim 37 including the further steps of:

(e) identifying the cost of each of the resources; and

(f) optimizing conflict resolution as a function of costs.

40. A system for operating a railway having a plurality of trains and a predetermined track layout over which said trains travel, comprising:

(a) a processor for determining a movement plan by which the trains move along the layout,

(b) a processor for evaluating the effects of track parameters on the movement of the trains along the track layout; and

,

(c) a processor for controlling said trains to move along the layout in accordance with said determined movement plan.

41. The system of claim 40 further comprising a processor for evaluating the effects of train handling constraints on the movement of the trains.

42. A computer program product for use with a railway computer assisted dispatch system, said computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code modules embodied in said medium to operate a railway having a plurality of trains for movement along a predetermined track layout;

computer readable first program code module for causing a computer to determine a movement plan by which the trains move along the layout and evaluate the effects of track parameters on the movement of the trains;

computer readable second program code module for causing said computer to control the trains'"'"' movements along the predetermined track layout in accordance with the determined movement plan.

43. A computer program product for use with a railway computer assisted dispatch system, said computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code modules embodied in said medium to simulate implementation of a movement plan for the movement of a plurality of trains along a track layout based on a schedule of orders;

computer readable first program code module for causing a computer to identify the location of resources necessary to implement each order in the schedule of orders;

computer readable second program code module for causing said computer to obtain a detailed model of the system over which the schedule of orders is to be implemented;

computer readable third program code module for causing said computer to simulate the schedule on the model, and either resolve any conflicts in the schedule or report the conflicts.