SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ROUTE MAPPING

• US 20180045517A1
• Filed: 08/10/2016
• Published: 02/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Ahuja, Munishwar, Kumar, Ajith Kuttannair, Worden, Bret Dwayne, Chandrasekaran, Shankar, Rao, Dattaraj Jagdish
• Granted Patent: US 10,730,536 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B43L 9/002 with perforated or marked discs
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0058 On-board optimisation of vehicle or vehicle train operation
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0062 On-board target speed calculation or supervision
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0072 On-board train data handling
• 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: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching

Abstract

A system includes a location determining circuit configured to acquire position information of a vehicle system moving along a route. The system also includes a controller circuit having one or more processors. The controller circuit is configured to calculate curvatures of the route, based at least in part on the position information, to form a curvature waveform. The controller circuit is further configured to generate a route map based on the curvature waveform.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a location determining circuit configured to acquire position information of a vehicle system moving along a route; and

a controller circuit having one or more processors, wherein the controller circuit is configured to;

calculate curvatures of the route, based at least in part on the position information, to form a curvature waveform; and

generate a route map based on the curvature waveform.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller circuit is further configured to generate duty cycle information of the vehicle system relative to the route based on the route map.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the duty cycle information includes at least one of a time interval of a circular curve, a length of the circular curve, grade of the circular curve, or speed of the vehicle system when traversing the circular curve.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising a communication circuit, wherein the controller circuit is further configured to transmit the duty cycle information along a bi-directional communication link to a remote system or a remote vehicle within the vehicle system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller circuit is further configured to calculate the curvatures of the route based on a conversion of the position information into two dimensional coordinates.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller circuit is further configured to identify a circular curve based on the curvature waveform and determine a size of the circular curve by fitting a circle to the circular curve.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the controller circuit is further configured to identify the circular curve by identifying a peak of the curvature waveform.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the controller circuit is further configured to identify a time interval of the circular curve based on a curvature of the peak within a threshold.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller circuit is further configured to compare the route map with a map database, and adjust portions of the map database based on the route map.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller circuit is further configured to identify straight throughs of the route based on the curvature waveform with respect to a filter bandwidth.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller circuit is further configured to calculate the curvatures of the route by incrementing a measurement window along the route.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller circuit is further configured to identify a circular curve of the route based on a morphology of the curvature waveform and determine a size of the circular curve.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising an energy management system configured to control the vehicle system according to a trip plan, wherein the trip plan is based at least in part on the route map.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a sensor array configured to generate measurements corresponding to an environment of the vehicle system, wherein the controller circuit is further configured to detect abnormalities of the route based on the measurements.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the sensor array includes an imaging sensor, the measurements corresponding to images of the environment of the vehicle system.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the curvature waveform includes a plurality of curvature values, the controller circuit is configured to calculate each curvature value based on a plurality of data points of the position information, and the controller circuit is further configured to generate the route map based on a morphology of the curvature waveform.

17. A method comprising:

acquiring position information of a vehicle system moving along a route;

calculating curvatures of the route, based on the position information, to form a curvature waveform; and

generating a route map based on the curvature waveform.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising generating duty cycle information of the vehicle system relative to the route, based on the route map.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising identifying a circular curve based on the curvature waveform, wherein the duty cycle information includes at least one of a time interval of the circular curve, a length of the circular curve, grade of the circular curve, or speed of the vehicle system when traversing the circular curve.

20. A method comprising:

acquiring position information of a vehicle system moving along a route;

calculating curvatures of the route, based on the position information, to form a curvature waveform;

identifying a circular curve of the route based on a morphology of the curvature waveform;

determining a size of the identified circular curve by fitting a circle to the circular curve;

defining a route map based on the circular curve; and

generating duty cycle information based on the route map, wherein the duty cycle information includes at least one of a time interval of the circular curve, a length of the circular curve, a grade of the circular curve, or a speed of the vehicle system when traversing along the circular curve.