METHOD AND COMPUTER SOFTWARE CODE FOR OPTIMIZED FUEL EFFICIENCY EMISSION OUTPUT AND MISSION PERFORMANCE OF A POWERED SYSTEM

• US 20080201019A1
• Filed: 03/20/2008
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Kumar, Ajith Kuttannair, Daum, Wolfgang
• Application Number:
  US12/052,000
• Publication Number:
  US 20080201019A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/286
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0058 On-board optimisation of vehicle or vehicle train operation

Abstract

A method for operating at least one powered system having at least one power generating unit that may be a part of at least one of a fleet and a network of powered systems, the method including evaluating an operating characteristic of the at least one power generating unit, comparing the operating characteristic to a desired value related to a mission objective, and autonomously adjusting the operating characteristic in order to satisfy a mission objective. A computer software code is also disclosed for operating at least one powered system having at least one power generating unit that may be a part of at least one of a fleet and a network of powered systems.

Claims

1. A method for operating a system having at least one primary power generating unit, the method comprising:

evaluating an operating characteristic of the primary power generating unit;

comparing the operating characteristic to a desired value related to a mission objective; and

adjusting the operating characteristic in order to satisfy the mission objective.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein adjusting the operating characteristic further comprises implementing a closed-loop control technique to autonomously adjust the operating characteristic.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the powered system comprises a power generating unit and an energy storage device.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the powered system comprises a railway transportation system having the primary power generating unit that comprises at least one locomotive.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the powered system comprises a marine vessel having the primary power generating unit.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the powered system comprises an off-highway vehicle having the primary power generating unit.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the powered system comprises a stationary power generating station having the primary power generating unit.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the powered system comprises at least one of transportation vehicle and an agricultural vehicle having the primary power generating unit.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the powered system is fueled with at least one of diesel fuel, heavy marine fuels, palm oil, bio-diesel fuel, electricity, and natural gas.

10. A computer software code operable with a processor and storable on a computer readable media for operating a system having at least one primary power generating unit, the computer software code comprising:

a computer software module for evaluating an operating characteristic of the primary power generating unit;

a computer software module for comparing the operating characteristic to a desired value related to a mission objective; and

a computer software module for adjusting the operating characteristic in order to satisfy the mission objective.

11. The computer software code according to claim 10, wherein the computer software module for adjusting the operating characteristic further comprises a computer software module for implementing a closed-loop control technique to autonomously adjust the operating characteristic.

12. A method for operating at least one rail vehicle having at least one primary power generating unit, the method comprising:

providing an optimized mission plan to be manually applied;

replanning the optimized mission plan in response to a manual mission plan being implemented; and

adjusting the manual mission plan when the manual mission plan deviates from the optimized mission plan by more than a predetermined amount.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein re-planning the optimized mission plan further comprises implementing a closed-loop control technique to re-plan the optimized mission plan.

14. A method for operating at least one system having at least one primary power generating unit, the method comprising:

autonomously performing a mission with an optimized mission plan; and

providing an input device configured to allow for manually trimming at least one characteristic of the mission within a predetermined range while the mission is in progress.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprises re-optimizing a mission plan after the optimized mission plan is trimmed.

16. The method according to claim 14, further comprises adjusting the mission to correspond to the optimized mission plan after at least one of a specific time period and when a specific criteria is achieved when trimming at least one characteristic of the mission.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein autonomously performing the mission further comprises implementing a closed-loop control technique to autonomously perform the mission.

18. A method for operating at least one system having at least one primary power generating unit, the method comprising:

performing a mission with a manually implemented mission plan; and

trimming the mission in progress with information contained in an optimized mission plan.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein trimming the mission further comprises implementing a closed-loop control technique to trim the mission.

20. The method according to claim 18, further comprises re-optimizing a mission plan after the optimized mission plan is trimmed.

21. The method according to claim 18, further comprises adjusting the mission to correspond to the manually implemented mission plan after at least one of a specific time period and when a specific criteria is achieved when trimming at least one characteristic of the mission.

22. A method for operating at least one system having at least one primary power generating unit, the method comprising:

providing an optimized mission plan;

controlling at least a first characteristic of the mission plan manually; and

controlling at least a second characteristic of the mission plan autonomously.

23. The method according to claim 22, further comprises autonomously adjusting the optimized mission plan in accordance with the at least first characteristic manually controlled.

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein autonomously adjusting the optimized mission plan further comprises implementing a closed-loop control technique to autonomously adjust the optimized mission plan.

25. A method for improving fuel efficiency of a powered system through optimized power makeup, the method comprising:

determining a load requirement;

identifying a first characteristic associated with the powered system;

identifying a second characteristic having a specific range based on the load requirement; and

selecting a power generating unit to satisfy the specific range of the second characteristic while yielding at least one of improved fuel efficiency and minimized emission output.