VEHICLE CONSUMPTION MONITORING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20160114808A1
• Filed: 09/22/2015
• Published: 04/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Transportation IP Holdings, LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Young, Henry Todd, Kuttenkuler, Jason Daniel, Short, Lindsay, Mellinger, Aaron Craig, Wolff, Jeffrey John
• Granted Patent: US 11,318,951 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/10 Weight
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/16 Driving resistance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/18 Distance travelled
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/20 Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/00 Estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters for road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub unit, e.g. by using mathematical models
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/12 related to parameters of the vehicle itself , e.g. tyre models
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

A monitoring system and method determine a consumption metric representative of one or more of an amount of fuel consumed or an amount of energy consumed by a vehicle during travel over a route. The consumption metric is independent of one or more of vehicle load or elevation change over the route. The system and method optionally can determine a route condition metric representative of a condition of a route traveled upon by a vehicle. The route condition metric is based on a comparison between an actual grade of the route at one or more locations along the route and an estimated grade of the route at the one or more locations.

Claims

1. A monitoring system comprising:

a control system configured to determine a consumption metric representative of one or more of an amount of fuel consumed or an amount of energy consumed by a vehicle during travel over a route, the control system configured to determine the consumption metric independent of one or more of a vehicle load or an elevation change over the route.

2. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to determine an amount of energy needed for travel of the vehicle over the route, wherein the consumption metric represents the one or more of the amount of fuel consumed or the amount of energy consumed per unit of the energy needed for the vehicle to travel over the route.

3. The monitoring system of claim 2, wherein the control system is configured to determine the energy needed for the vehicle to travel over the route based on one or more of an unloaded weight of the vehicle, a weight of a vehicle load carried by the vehicle, one or more grades of the route, a moving resistance of the vehicle, or a distance along the route that the vehicle is to travel.

4. The monitoring system of claim 3, wherein the unloaded weight of the vehicle is a designated weight of the vehicle without cargo or materials being carried by the vehicle.

5. The monitoring system of claim 3, wherein the control system is configured to determine the energy needed for the vehicle to travel over the route based on the moving resistance of the vehicle, wherein the moving resistance of the vehicle represents one or more forces that resist movement of the vehicle along the route.

6. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to calculate the one or more of the amount of fuel consumed or the amount of energy consumed by the vehicle based on power generated by a powertrain of the vehicle and one or more efficiency estimates of the vehicle.

7. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the consumption metric represents how efficiently an operator controls the vehicle.

8. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to determine one or more comparison metrics based on the consumption metric, the one or more comparison metrics including one or more of:

an operator-specific consumption metric representative of several consumption metrics associated with operation of the vehicle by the same operator;

a vehicle-specific consumption metric representative of several consumption metrics associated with operation of the vehicle during multiple different trips of the vehicle and/or by multiple different operators;

a location-specific consumption metric representative of several consumption metrics associated with operation of the vehicle and one or more other vehicles at a common location;

a fleet-wide consumption metric representative of several consumption metrics associated with the vehicle and one or more other vehicles in the same fleet of vehicles;

an operational mode-specific consumption metric representative of several consumption metrics associated with different operational modes or settings of the vehicle;

a grade-specific consumption metric representative of several consumption metrics associated with different grades of the route;

or

a vehicle loading-specific consumption metric representative of several consumption metrics associated with one or more of different cargos, different weights of the cargos, or an absence of the cargos in the vehicle.

9. The monitoring system of claim 8, wherein the control system is configured to determine the one or more comparison metrics as including the operational mode-specific consumption metric representative of the several consumption metrics associated with the different operational modes or settings of the vehicle, wherein the different operational modes of the vehicle include one or more different throttle settings of the vehicle, different speeds of the vehicle, or different powers generated by a powertrain of the vehicle.

10. The monitoring system of claim 8, wherein the control system is configured to generate a warning signal based on the one or more comparison metrics, the warning signal directing one or more of an inspection, repair, or maintenance of the vehicle.

11. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to determine a route condition metric representative of a condition of the route traveled upon by the vehicle, the route condition metric based on a comparison between an actual grade of the route at one or more locations along the route and an estimated grade of the route at the one or more locations.

12. A monitoring system comprising:

a control system configured to determine a route condition metric representative of a condition of a route traveled upon by a vehicle based on a comparison between an actual grade of the route at one or more locations along the route and an estimated grade of the route at the one or more locations, wherein the control system is configured to determine the estimated grade of the route based on one or more of a vehicle load, an unloaded vehicle weight, power generated by a powertrain of the vehicle, or a speed of the vehicle.

13. The monitoring system of claim 12, wherein the control system is configured to filter changes in the power generated by the powertrain from the route condition metric that is determined by removing the changes in the power that occur during less than a designated time period.

14. The monitoring system of claim 12, wherein the control system is configured to generate a warning signal based on the route condition metric, the warning signal directing one or more of:

one or more other vehicles to reduce power outputs during travel over the route;

an off-board location to change one or more of a schedule or a route being traveled by one or more other vehicles;

the off-board location to change a signals that directs where the one or more other vehicles travel;

or

an inspection, maintenance, and/or repair of the route.

15. A method comprising:

determining a route condition metric representative of a condition of a route traveled upon by a vehicle, the route condition metric based on a comparison between an actual grade of the route at one or more locations along the route and an estimated grade of the route at the one or more locations.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the estimated grade of the route is determined based on one or more of a vehicle load, an unloaded vehicle weight, power generated by a powertrain of the vehicle, or a speed of the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the actual grade of the route is determined from one or more of data generated by a grade sensor of the vehicle or from grades recorded in a memory device and associated with the one or more locations along the route.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising applying a low pass filter to one or more of the route condition metric, the estimated grade of the route, or the actual grade of the route.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising presenting the route condition metric to an operator onboard the vehicle.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising generating a warning signal based on the route condition metric, the warning signal directing one or more of:

one or more other vehicles to reduce power outputs during travel over the route;

an off-board location to change one or more of a schedule or a route being traveled by one or more other vehicles;

the off-board location to change a signals that directs where the one or more other vehicles travel;

or

an inspection, maintenance, and/or repair of the route.