ADAPTIVE VEHICLE CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20180257682A1
• Filed: 04/07/2017
• Published: 09/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Brooks, James D., Mathews, JR., Harry
• Granted Patent: US 10,370,012 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0059 Estimation of the risk associated with autonomous or manual driving, e.g. situation too complex, sensor failure or driver incapacity
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0018 Communication with or on the vehicle or train
• 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 15/0072 On-board train data handling
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/04 Automatic systems, e.g. controlled by train; Change-over to manual control
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/14 Following schedules
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0005 with arrangements to save energy
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa

Abstract

A vehicle system having processors configured to determine permissible regions of a trip where the vehicle system is permitted for automatic control. The permissible regions of the trip are determined based on one or more of parameters of a route, a trend of operating parameters of the vehicle system, or a trip plan that designates one or more operational settings of the vehicle system at different locations, different times, or different distances along a route. The processors also are configured to control transition of the vehicle system between manual control and the automatic control in the permissible regions by alerting an operator of the vehicle system, automatically switching between the manual control and the automatic control, or modifying conditions on which the transition occur.

Claims

1. A vehicle system, comprising:

one or more processors configured to determine one or more permissible regions of a trip where the vehicle system is permitted for automatic control, the one or more permissible regions of the trip determined based on one or more of parameters of a route, a trend of operating parameters of the vehicle system, or a trip plan that designates one or more operational settings of the vehicle system at one or more different locations, one or more different times, or one or more different distances along a route; and

wherein the one or more processors also are configured to control transition of the vehicle system between manual control and the automatic control in the one or more permissible regions by one or more of alerting an operator of the vehicle system, automatically switching between the manual control and the automatic control, or modifying one or more conditions on which the transition occur.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine an expected manual control trip plan that designates the one or more operational setting of the vehicle system at one or more different locations, different times, or different distances along the route to cause the vehicle system to travel at an upper speed limit of the route to be traveled by the vehicle system;

wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine a reduced fuel consumption plan that designates an operational setting of the vehicle system at one or more different locations, different times, or different distances along the route to cause the vehicle system to consume less fuel than the expected manual control trip plan; and

wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine one or more permissible regions by identifying where a speed difference of the vehicle system between traveling according to the expected manual control trip plan and traveling according to a reduced fuel consumption plan is reduced relative to the one or more other permissible regions.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the parameters of the route include one or more of a speed limit, a grade, a curvature, wayside information, a cant, notch changes, terrain characteristics, historical alertness data, or transitions in speed limits.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the trend of operating parameters includes one or more of operational settings, operator alertness, fuel efficiency, weather conditions, terrain, or availability of independent distributed power.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine one or more permissible regions by determining an alertness of the operator of the vehicle system.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the one or more permissible regions by determining throttle settings of the vehicle system at one or more different locations, different times, or different distances along the trip and identifying one or more locations where changes in the throttle setting of the vehicle system are smaller than one or more other locations.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine a threshold of the one or more parameters of the route, operational parameters, or trip parameters;

and

wherein the one or more processors are configured to prohibit switching operation between manual control of the vehicle system and automatic control of the vehicle system if the threshold of the one or more parameters of the route, operational parameters, or trip parameters is exceeded.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine a threshold of the one or more parameters of the route, operational parameters, or trip parameters;

and

wherein the one or more processors are configured to switch operation between automatic control of the vehicle system and manual control of the vehicle system if the threshold of the one or more parameters of the route, operational parameters, or trip parameters is exceeded.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the one or more permissible regions by determining one or more terrain characteristics at one or more different locations, different times, or different distances along one or more routes, and identifying one or more locations where changes in one or more terrain characteristics of the route traveled by the vehicle system are reduced relative to one or more other locations.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the one or more permissible regions by determining throttle settings of different propulsion-generating vehicles of the vehicle system at one or more different locations, different times, or different distances along the route, and identifying one or more locations where changes in the throttle settings of the vehicles are small than one or more other locations.

11. A method of comprising:

determining a trip plan including an automatic control trip plan and an expected manual control trip plan based on one or more parameters;

determining a region of a trip based on one or more parameters; and

responsive to the one or more of the parameters or the region of the trip that are determined, switching control of the vehicle system from automatic control to manual control.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining the region of the trip where the difference between the fuel consumed by manual control and fuel consumed by automatic control of the vehicle system is reduced;

determining the region by determining an expected manual control trip plan that designates an operational setting of the vehicle system at one or more different locations, different times, or different distances along one or more routes to cause the vehicle system to travel at an upper speed limit of the one or more routes to be traveled by the vehicle system; and

determining the region by also determining a reduced fuel consumption plan that designates an operational setting of the vehicle system at one or more different locations, different times, or different distances along the one or more routes to cause the vehicle system to consume less fuel than the expected manual control trip plan.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining the region by identifying where a speed difference of the vehicle system between traveling according to the expected manual control trip plan and traveling according to the reduced fuel consumption plan is reduced relative to the one or more other permissible regions.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein a trip plan designates throttle settings of the vehicle system at one or more different locations, different times, or different distances along the one or more routes, wherein the vehicle system travels along one or more routes according to a trip plan, and further comprising determining the region where the difference in fuel is reduced by identifying one or more locations where changes in the throttle setting of the vehicle system are smaller than one or more other locations.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step determining the decrease in the alertness of the operator based at least in part on output provided by an alert detection system that monitors the alertness of the operator.

16. A vehicle control system comprising:

one or more processors configured for determination of operating parameters of the vehicle system;

wherein the one or more processors also are configured to designate one or more permissible regions for either automatic control or manual control; and

wherein the one or more processors also are configured to switch control of the vehicle system from automatic control to manual control responsive to the determination of the operating parameters.

17. The control system of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors also are configured for determination of track parameters;

and

wherein the one or more processors also are configured to switch control of the vehicle system from automatic control to manual control responsive to the determination of track parameters.

18. The control system of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors also are configured for determination of alertness of an operator of the vehicle system;

and

wherein the one or more processors also are configured to switch control of the vehicle system from automatic control to manual control responsive to the determination of the alertness of the operator of the vehicle system.

19. The control system of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors also are configured for determination of alertness of an operator of the vehicle system;

and

wherein the one or more processors also are configured to switch control of the vehicle system from automatic control to manual control responsive to the determination of trip parameters.

20. The control system of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine an expected manual control trip plan that designates an operational setting of the vehicle system at one or more different locations, different times, or different distances along one or more routes to cause the vehicle system to travel at an upper speed limit of the one or more routes to be traveled by the vehicle system;

wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine a reduced fuel consumption plan that designates an operational setting of the vehicle system at one or more different locations, different times, or different distances along the one or more routes to cause the vehicle system to consume less fuel than the expected manual control trip plan;

wherein the one or more processors are configured to identifying where a speed difference of the vehicle system between traveling according to the expected manual control trip plan and traveling according to a reduced fuel consumption plan is reduced relative to the one or more other permissible regions; and

wherein the one or more processors also are configured to switch control of the vehicle system from automatic control to manual control responsive to the identification of the speed difference.