System and method for improved train handling and fuel consumption

• US 20060282199A1
• Filed: 06/08/2005
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Daum, Wolfgang, Ballesty, Daniel, Shaffer, Glenn R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,522,990 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/19
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/36 with automatic control superimposed, e.g. to prevent excessive motor current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/46 by self learning
• CPC Class Codes: B61C 17/12 Control gear; Arrangements for controlling locomotives from remote points in the train or when operating in multiple units control from points outside the train B61L3/00; fluid-actuated telemotors, servomotors F15B; control devices in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0058 On-board optimisation of vehicle or vehicle train operation
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 3/006 On-board optimisation of vehicle or vehicle train operation track-side optimisation of operation B61L27/16
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/021 in which a variable is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 30/00 Transportation of goods or passengers via railways, e.g. energy recovery or reducing air resistance

Abstract

A method of controlling the operation of a railroad train having a locomotive consist comprising one or more railroad locomotives to improve locomotive consist fuel efficiency, the method including calculating on-board the locomotive consist a load of the train being moved by the locomotive consist based on measuring the movement of the train in response to locomotive consist power settings, determining on-board the locomotive consist a current location of the train, identifying on-board the locomotive consist a change in condition of the track prior to the train reaching the change in track condition, and adjusting on-board the locomotive consist the locomotive consist power setting to optimize locomotive consist fuel consumption based on the calculated load of the train as the train is proximate to the change in track condition.

Claims

1. A method of controlling the operation of a railroad train having a locomotive consist comprising one or more Tailroad locomotives to improve locomotive consist fuel efficiency, said method comprising:

a) calculating on-board the locomotive consist a load of said train being moved by the locomotive consist based on measuring the movement of the train in response to locomotive consist power settings;

b) determining on-board the locomotive consist a current location of the train;

c) identifying on-board the locomotive consist a change in condition of said track prior to said train reaching said change in track condition; and

d) adjusting on-board the locomotive consist the locomotive consist power setting to optimize locomotive consist fuel consumption based on said calculated load of said train as said train is proximate said change in track condition.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said measuring of the movement of the train includes determining at least one of changes in locations of the train, a train velocity, and a train acceleration.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said identifying the condition of said track comprises identifying at least one of track inclination, track curvature or rail friction characteristics.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said calculating of the load of the train is further based on track conditions of the track over which the train travels during the load determination.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the locomotive power setting is a locomotive engine setting.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the locomotive comprises at least one of a diesel locomotive, an electric locomotive, a diesel-electric locomotive, a diesel-hydraulic locomotive, or a hydraulic-electric locomotive.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the locomotive power setting is established based on a type of drive used by the locomotive.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the type of drives comprises at least one of a mechanical drive or a hydraulic drive.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the locomotive has traction motors to drive wheels of the locomotive and the locomotive power setting is an electrical power setting of power transmitted to the traction motors.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein an initial train load is assumed for the train and the calculated train load is used to improve the accuracy of the measure of train load used in adjusting the consist power setting.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein calculating a load of said train comprises utilizing a global positioning device to determine at least one of said locations of the train, the train velocity and the train acceleration.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprises determining weather conditions and adjusting power settings of said locomotive consist to optimize fuel consumption based on said weather conditions.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said weather conditions comprise at least one of the following:

environmental weather conditions and affects of said environmental weather conditions upon said track.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprises determining an accuracy of said calculated load by calculating the load of the train a second time based on measuring the movement of the train in response to locomotive consist power settings.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein determining an accuracy of said calculated load further comprises calculating a second load of said train and comparing with said first calculated load.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said calculated load is adjusted based on said second load.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprises using a plurality of global positioning devices to determine a length of said train that is used in calculating said load of said train.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprises collecting train operating data for use in adjusting speed of said train.

19. A system for improving fuel efficiency of a railroad train located on a railroad train having a locomotive Consist comprising one or more railroad locomotives, said system comprising:

a) a position-determining device;

b) a track profile database comprising terrain and contour data about a railroad track;

c) a processor comprising an algorithm to calculate a load of said train and a feed forward algorithm to determine at least one of an acceleration rate or a deceleration rate of said train based on said calculated load and forth coming terrain and contour of a railroad track; and

d) wherein said change in condition of the track is determined on-board the locomotive consist and the locomotive consist power setting is adjusted to optimize locomotive consist fuel consumption based on the calculated load of the train as the train is proximate to the change in track condition.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein said algorithm to calculate the load of said train comprises at least one of a combination of utilizing a start time and start location of said train, a present location of said train, and a condition of said track or a combination of a train velocity at which said train is moving when at a specific power setting.

21. The system of claim 19 further comprises a weather collecting device to determine weather conditions.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein said feed forward algorithm further comprises factoring weather conditions to determine at least one of an acceleration rate or a deceleration rate.

23. The system of claim 19 further comprises a memory device connected to the processor.

24. The system of claim 22 further comprises a third algorithm for determining an accuracy of a calculated load value by calculating a second load of said train based on prior data stored in said memory device including a time and location when said train has traversed over a length or prior traveled track.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein said third algorithm further comprises determining an accuracy of a calculated load value by calculating a second load of said train and comparing with said first calculated load.

26. The system of claim 19 further comprises train operation collection devices operatively connected to the processor.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein data from said collection devices are used to determine at least one of an acceleration rate or a deceleration rare of said train based on said calculated load and forth coming terrain and contour of a railroad track.

28. The system of claim 19 wherein said position-determining device determines at least one of changes in location of the train, a train velocity, and a train acceleration.

29. The system of claim 19 wherein said position-determining device utilizes a global positioning device.

30. The system of claim 19 wherein terrain and contour data about a railroad track further comprises at least one of track inclination, track curvature or rail friction characteristics.

31. The system of claim 19 wherein an initial train load is assumed for the train and the calculated train load is used to improve the accuracy of the measure of the train load used in adjusting the consist power setting.

32. The system of claim 19 wherein at least one of the algorithm or the feed forward algorithm comprises at least one of a time dependent and time varying Taylor series expansion calculation or a Kalman filter.

33. A computer software code for improving fuel efficiency of a railroad train having a locomotive consist comprising one or more railroad locomotives to improve locomotive consist fuel efficiency and at least one computer on the locomotive consist, said software code comprising:

a) a software nodule for a computer for calculating a load of the train being moved by the locomotive consist based on measuring the movement of the train in response to locomotive consist power settings;

b) a software module for a computer for determining a forthcoming condition of a track prior to the train reaching the change in track condition; and

c) a software module for a computer for calculating at least one of an acceleration rate or a deceleration rate of said train to optimize fuel consumption based on the calculated load and the change in the forthcoming track condition.

34. The computer software code of claim 33 wherein at least one of the software module for a computer for calculating a load or the software module for determining a forthcoming condition of a track further comprises code for factoring weather conditions when performing the respective calculation.

35. The computer software code of claim 33 further comprises a software module for a computer for at least one of accelerating said train based on a calculated acceleration rate of said train to optimize fuel consumption as said train reaches said forthcoming change in track condition or decelerating said train based on a calculated deceleration rate of said train to optimize fuel consumption as said train reaches said forthcoming change in track condition.

36. The computer software code of claim 33 further comprises a software module for a computer for determining an accuracy of said calculated load by having a code to calculate a second load of said train, comparing said second load to said first load, and adjusting said first load based on said second load.

37. The computer software code of claim 33 wherein said software module for a computer for calculating at leas one of an acceleration rare or a deceleration rate further comprises code for utilizing operational conditions of said train in determining at least one of an acceleration rate or a deceleration rate.

38. The computer software code of claim 33 further comprises a software module for a computer for assuming an initial train load for the train and improving the accuracy of the measure of the train load using the calculated train load used in adjusting the consist power setting.

39. The computer software code of claim 33 further comprising at least one of a time dependent and time varying Taylor series expansion calculation or a Kalman filter.

40. A method of controlling the operation of a railroad train on a track having a locomotive consist for moving the train, the locomotive consist having one or more railroad locomotives to improve locomotive consist fuel efficiency, the method comprising:

a) determining on-board the locomotive consist a current location of the train;

b) identifying on-board the locomotive consist a change in condition of the track prior to the train reaching the change in track condition; and

c) adjusting on-board the locomotive consist the locomotive consist power setting to optimize locomotive consist fuel consumption based on a load condition of the train being as the train approaches the change in track condition.

41. The method according to claim 40, wherein the adjusting step comprises calculating the load condition of the train based on movement of the train in response to locomotive consist power settings.

42. The method according to claim 40, further comprising the step of using a processing device on-board the locomotive consist to calculate the load of the train.

43. A system for improving fuel efficiency of a railroad train located on a railroad train having a locomotive consist comprising one or more railroad locomotives, said system comprising:

a) a position-determining device;

b) a track profile database comprising terrain and contour data about a railroad track; and

c) a processor for determining on-board the locomotive consist a current location of the train, identifying on-board the locomotive consist a change in condition of the track prior to the train reaching the change in track condition, and adjusting on-board the locomotive consist the locomotive consist power setting to optimize locomotive consist fuel consumption based on a load condition of the train being as the train approaches the change in track condition.

44. The system according to claim 43, wherein the load condition of the train is based on movement of the train in response to locomotive consist power settings.

45. The system according to claim 43, wherein the load condition of the train is calculated on-board the locomotive consist.

46. A computer software code for improving fuel efficiency of a railroad train having a locomotive consist comprising one or more railroad locomotives to improve locomotive consist fuel efficiency and at least one computer on the locomotive consist, said software code comprising:

a) a software module for a computer for determining a forthcoming condition of a track prior to the train reaching the change in track condition; and

b) a software module for a computer for calculating at least one of an acceleration rate or a deceleration rate of said train to optimize fuel consumption based on the calculated load and the change in the forthcoming track condition.

47. The computer software code according to claim 46, further comprising a software module for a computer for calculating the load of the train based on measuring the movement of the train in response to locomotive consist power settings.