SYSTEM, METHOD, AND COMPUTER SOFTWARE CODE FOR CONTROLLING SPEED REGULATION OF A REMOTELY CONTROLLED POWERED SYSTEM

• US 20130018531A1
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Published: 01/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: KUMAR, Ajith Kuttannair
• Granted Patent: US 8,989,917 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0027 Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0058 On-board optimisation of vehicle or vehicle train operation
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/009 On-board display devices
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 2205/04 Satellite based navigation systems, e.g. global positioning system [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/025 Absolute localisation, e.g. providing geodetic coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/20 Trackside control of safe travel of vehicle or train, e.g. braking curve calculation

Abstract

A system for operating a remotely controlled powered system, the system including a feedforward element configured to provide information to the remotely controlled powered system to establish a velocity, and a feedback element configured to provide information from the remotely controlled powered system to the feedforward element. A method and a computer software code are further disclosed for operating the remotely controlled powered system.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a feedforward element configured to be disposed onboard a remotely controlled vehicle, the feedforward element configured to receive an operator command for the vehicle from an operator control unit disposed off-board of the vehicle, the feedforward element also configured to predict movements of the vehicle over an upcoming segment of a route being traveled by the vehicle based on the operator command and terrain information of the upcoming segment of the route; and

a feedback element configured to be disposed onboard the vehicle, the feedback element configured to determine an actual movement of the vehicle,

wherein the feedforward element is configured to communicate the predicted movements of the vehicle to the operator control unit and the feedback element is configured to communicate the actual movement of the vehicle to the operator control unit such that an operator can examine the predicted movements and the actual movement in order to remotely control the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the terrain information represents of at least one of grade or curvature of the upcoming segment of the route.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operator command includes at least one of a designated speed of the vehicle, a location that the vehicle is to travel to within a designated time limit, or a distance within which the vehicle is to stop.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the feedforward element is configured to predict a throttle profile as the predicted movements of the vehicle, the throttle profile based on the terrain information and the operator command, the throttle profile representing throttle settings of the vehicle expressed as a function of at least one of distance along the route or time in order to cause the vehicle to maintain a designated speed provided by the operator command.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the feedforward element is configured to predict a speed profile as the predicted movements of the vehicle, the speed profile based on the terrain information and the operator command, the speed profile representing predicted speeds of the vehicle expressed as a function of at least one of distance along the route or time that the vehicle is predicted to travel if a throttle setting represented by the operator command is implemented by the vehicle and maintained as the vehicle travels over the upcoming segment of the route.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the feedforward element is configured to receive the operator command from an operator actuating the operator control unit.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the feedforward element is configured to obtain the terrain information from a database disposed onboard the powered vehicle.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the operator command is obtained from a trip plan of the powered vehicle, the trip plan designating operational settings of the powered vehicle as a function of at least one of time or distance along a trip of the powered vehicle.

9. A method comprising:

receiving an operator command for remotely controlling a vehicle from an operator control unit disposed off-board of the vehicle;

predicting movements of the vehicle over an upcoming segment of a route being traveled by the vehicle, the predicted movements based on the operator command and terrain information of the upcoming segment of the route;

monitoring actual movement of the vehicle as the vehicle travels along the route, the actual movement including at least one of an actual speed or actual acceleration at which the vehicle moves; and

communicating the predicted movements of the vehicle and the at least one of actual speed or actual acceleration of the vehicle to the operator control unit so that an operator can use the predicted movements and the at least one of actual speed or actual acceleration to determine how to remotely control the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising remotely implementing a change in a throttle setting of the vehicle using the operator control unit and after receiving the predicted movements and the at least one of actual speed or actual acceleration.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the terrain information represents of at least one of grade or curvature of the upcoming segment of the route.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the operator command includes at least one of a designated speed of the vehicle, a location that the vehicle is to travel to within a designated time limit, or a distance within which the vehicle is to stop.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein predicting movements of the vehicle includes generating a throttle profile of the vehicle based on the terrain information and the operator command, the throttle profile representing throttle settings of the vehicle expressed as a function of at least one of distance along the route or time in order to cause the vehicle to maintain a designated speed provided by the operator command.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein predicting movements of the vehicle includes generating a speed profile of the vehicle based on the terrain information and the operator command, the speed profile representing predicted speeds of the vehicle expressed as a function of at least one of distance along the route or time that the vehicle is predicted to travel if a throttle setting represented by the operator command is implemented by the vehicle and maintained as the vehicle travels over the upcoming segment of the route.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the operator command is received from an operator actuating the operator control unit.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising obtaining the terrain information from a database disposed onboard the powered vehicle.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the operator command is obtained from a trip plan of the powered vehicle, the trip plan designating operational settings of the powered vehicle as a function of at least one of time or distance along a trip of the powered vehicle.

18. An operator control unit comprising:

an input device configured to receive an operator command for a remotely controlled vehicle;

a communication device configured to transmit the operator command to a feedforward element remotely disposed onboard the vehicle, the communication device also configured to receive predicted movements of the vehicle over an upcoming segment of a route being traveled by the vehicle and at least one of actual speed or actual acceleration of the vehicle, the predicted movements determined by the feedforward element and based on the operator command and terrain information of the upcoming segment of the route; and

an output device configured to present the predicted movements and the at least one of actual speed or actual acceleration of the vehicle to an operator such that the operator can examine the predicted movements and the at least one of actual speed or actual acceleration of the vehicle in order to remotely control the vehicle using the input device.

19. The operator control unit of claim 18, wherein the operator command includes at least one of a designated speed of the vehicle, a location that the vehicle is to travel to within a designated time limit, or a distance within which the vehicle is to stop.

20. The operator control unit of claim 18, wherein the terrain information is indicative of at least one of curvature or grade of the upcoming segment of the route.

21. The operator control unit of claim 18, wherein the predicted movements of the vehicle include a throttle profile that represents throttle settings of the vehicle expressed as a function of at least one of distance along the route or time in order to cause the vehicle to maintain a designated speed provided by the operator command.

22. The operator control unit of claim 18, wherein the predicted movements of the vehicle include a speed profile that represents predicted speeds of the vehicle expressed as a function of at least one of distance along the route or time that the vehicle is predicted to travel if a throttle setting represented by the operator command is implemented by the vehicle and maintained as the vehicle travels over the upcoming segment of the route.