SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR VEHICLE OPERATION

• US 20160047656A1
• Filed: 08/12/2014
• Published: 02/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Meyer, Brian Nedward, Napolitano, James Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 9,689,681 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/662 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/44 by parameter estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/12 for vehicles propelled by dc motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/24 with additional mechanical or electromagnetic braking
• 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: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A system includes an energy management processing unit that includes a trip planning module, a plurality of estimator modules, and an arbiter module. The trip planning module plans a trip profile specifying power settings based on trip data including a plurality of parameters having expected values. Each of the estimator modules generates an estimation re-plan request when the difference between an expected and experienced respective trip planning parameter value exceeds a threshold. The arbiter module receives at least one estimation re-plan request from the plurality of estimator modules, determines whether a re-plan is to be performed based on at least one of a state of the vehicle system or additional estimation re-plan requests, and provides an arbitrated re-plan request to the trip planning module for re-planning the trip profile when it is determined that a re-plan is to be performed.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an energy management processing unit configured to be disposed onboard a vehicle system, the energy management processing unit comprising;

a trip planning module configured to plan a trip profile specifying power settings for performing a mission based on trip data, the trip data including a plurality of parameters having expected values;

a plurality of estimator modules configured to estimate respective experienced values of the plurality of parameters used by the trip planning module to plan the trip profile, determine respective differences between the experienced values and the expected values, and generate respective estimation re-plan requests of the trip profile when any of the differences exceed respective thresholds; and

an arbiter module configured to receive the estimation re-plan requests from the plurality of estimator modules, determine whether a re-plan is to be performed pursuant to a first one of the estimation re-plan requests based on at least one of a state of the vehicle system or an additional one or more of the estimation re-plan requests, and provide an arbitrated re-plan request to the trip planning module for re-planning the trip profile when a determination is made by the arbiter module that the re-plan is to be performed.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the arbiter module is configured to select among the estimation re-plan requests based on a predetermined priority ranking.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the arbiter module is configured to select the first estimation re-plan request over a second one of the estimation re-plan requests when one or more of the parameters corresponding to the second estimation re-plan request depend on one or more of the parameters specified by the first estimation re-plan request.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the arbiter module is configured to select the first estimation re-plan request over a second one of the estimation re-plan requests when the first estimation re-plan request is determined to be more reliable than the second estimation re-plan request.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the arbiter module is configured to adjust a value of the first estimation re-plan request to provide a corresponding modified value for the arbitrated re-plan request.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the arbiter module is configured to adjust the value of the first estimation re-plan request based on the state of the vehicle system.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a supervisor module, wherein the supervisor module is configured to receive the arbitrated re-plan request from the arbiter module and determine whether to forward the arbitrated re-plan request to the trip planning module based on a planning state of the vehicle system.

8. A method comprising:

obtaining, with one or more processors, a first estimation re-plan request, the first estimation re-plan request based on a difference between an expected value and an experienced value of a parameter used to generate a trip profile for a vehicle system;

determining, with the one or more processors, whether a re-plan is to be performed pursuant to the first estimation re-plan request based on at least one of a state of the vehicle system or one or more additional estimation re-plan requests; and

generating an arbitrated re-plan request for re-planning the trip profile when it is determined to perform the re-plan.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining whether a re-plan is to be performed comprises selecting among a plurality of estimation re-plan requests, the plurality of estimation re-plan requests including the first estimation re-plan requests and the one or more additional estimation re-plan requests, based on a predetermined priority ranking.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising selecting the first estimation re-plan request over a second estimation re-plan request of the one or more additional estimation re-plan requests when one or more parameters corresponding to the second estimation re-plan request depend on one or more parameters specified by the first estimation re-plan request.

11. The method of claim 9, comprising selecting the first estimation re-plan request over a second estimation re-plan request of the one or more additional estimation re-plan requests when the first estimation re-plan request is determined to be more reliable than the second estimation re-plan request.

12. The method of claim 8, comprising adjusting a value of the first estimation re-plan request to provide a corresponding modified value for the arbitrated re-plan request.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the adjusting the value is performed based on the state of the vehicle system.

14. The method of claim 8, comprising determining, with the one or more processors, whether the arbitrated re-plan request is implemented based on a planning state of the vehicle system.

15. A tangible and non-transitory computer readable medium comprising one or more computer software modules configured to direct one or more processors to:

obtain a first estimation re-plan request, the first estimation re-plan request based on a difference between an expected value and an experienced value of a parameter used to generate a trip profile for a vehicle system;

determine whether a re-plan is to be performed pursuant to the first estimation re-plan request based on at least one of a state of the vehicle system or one or more additional estimation re-plan requests; and

generate an arbitrated re-plan request for re-planning the trip profile when it is determined to perform the re-plan.

16. The tangible and non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more computer software modules are configured to direct the one or more processors to select among a plurality of estimation re-plan requests, the plurality of estimation re-plan requests including the first estimation re-plan requests and the one or more additional estimation re-plan requests, based on a predetermined priority ranking.

17. The tangible and non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the one or more computer software modules are configured to direct the one or more processors to select the first estimation re-plan request over a second estimation re-plan request of the one or more additional estimation re-plan requests when one or more parameters corresponding to the second estimation re-plan request depend on one or more parameters specified by the first estimation re-plan request.

18. The tangible and non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the one or more computer software modules are configured to direct the one or more processors to select the first estimation re-plan request over a second estimation re-plan request of the one or more additional estimation re-plan requests when the first estimation re-plan request is determined to be more reliable than the second estimation re-plan request.

19. The tangible and non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more computer software modules are configured to adjust a value of the first estimation re-plan request to provide a corresponding modified value for the arbitrated re-plan request.

20. The tangible and non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the one or more computer software modules are configured to adjust the value based on a state of the vehicle system.