METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OPTIMIZING RAILROAD TRAIN OPERATION FOR A TRAIN INCLUDING MULTIPLE DISTRIBUTED-POWER LOCOMOTIVES
First Claim
1. A system for operating a railway vehicle comprising a lead powered unit and a non-lead powered unit during a trip along a track, the system comprising:
- a first element for determining a location of the vehicle or a time from the beginning of a current trip;
a processor operable to receive information from the first element; and
an algorithm embodied within the processor having access to the information to create a trip plan that optimizes performance of one or both of the lead unit and the non-lead unit in accordance with one or more operational criteria for one or more of the vehicle, the lead unit and the non-lead unit.
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Accused Products
Abstract
One embodiment of the invention comprises a system for operating a railway vehicle (8) comprising a lead powered unit (14/15) and a non-lead powered unit (16/17/18) during a trip along a track The system comprises a first element (65) for determining a location of the vehicle or a time from the beginning of a current trip, aa processor (62) operable to receive information from the first element (65) and an algorithm embodied within the processor (62) having access to the information to create a trip plan that optimizes performance of one or both of the lead unit (14/15) and the non-lead unit (16/17/18) in accordance with one or more operational criteria for one or more of the vehicle (8), the lead unit (14/15) and the non-lead unit (16/17/18).
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Citations
44 Claims
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1. A system for operating a railway vehicle comprising a lead powered unit and a non-lead powered unit during a trip along a track, the system comprising:
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a first element for determining a location of the vehicle or a time from the beginning of a current trip; a processor operable to receive information from the first element; and an algorithm embodied within the processor having access to the information to create a trip plan that optimizes performance of one or both of the lead unit and the non-lead unit in accordance with one or more operational criteria for one or more of the vehicle, the lead unit and the non-lead unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method for operating a railway vehicle comprising a lead unit and a non-lead unit during a trip along a track, the method comprising:
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determining vehicle operating parameters and operating constraints; and executing an algorithm according to the operating parameters and operating constraints to create a trip plan for the vehicle that separately optimizes performance of the lead unit and the non-lead unit, wherein execution of the trip plan permits independent control of the lead unit and the non-lead unit. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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33. The method of claim 33 wherein the vehicle further comprises a communications link between the lead unit and the non-lead unit, and wherein the step of executing is performed at the lead unit and the tractive effort applications and braking effort applications are communicated from the lead unit to the non-lead unit over the communications link.
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38. A computer software code for operating a railway vehicle comprising a computer processor, a lead unit and a non-lead unit during a trip along a track, the computer software code comprising:
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a software module for determining vehicle operating parameters and operating constraints; and a software module for executing an algorithm according to the operating parameters and operating constraints to create a trip plan for the vehicle that independently optimizes performance of the lead unit and the non-lead unit, wherein execution of the trip plan permits independent control of the lead unit and the non-lead unit. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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Specification