BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20200130658A1
• Filed: 12/23/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation
• Inventors: Wolf, Charles L., Jordaan, Wynand Jacobus Coetzee
• Granted Patent: US 11,702,050 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/66 Electrical control in fluid-pressure brake systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/665 the systems being specially adapted for transferring two or more command signals, e.g. railway systems B60T13/662 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/22 Devices for monitoring or checking brake systems; Signal devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/228 for railway vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1705 for rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/172 Determining control parameters used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters B60T8/17551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1893 especially adapted for railway vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B61H 13/34 Details
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0027 Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0036 Conductor-based, e.g. using CAN-Bus, train-line or optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0058 On-board optimisation of vehicle or vehicle train operation
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0081 On-board diagnosis or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 67/24 Unloading land vehicles

Abstract

Disclosed is a method, system, and computer readable medium including program instructions for controlling the braking of one or more vehicles in a vehicle system positioned for unloading/loading of cargo. The vehicle system includes a designated head-end and a tail-end and each of the one or more vehicles is equipped with an electronic braking system in communication with a central control via a communication network spanning across the vehicle system. A dynamic unloading/loading braking profile can be set on at least one electronic braking system on at least one vehicle. During unloading/loading of the cargo from one or more vehicles in the vehicle system, the braking on at least one of the vehicles in the vehicle system is controlled via the dynamic unloading/loading braking profile.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a first dynamic braking profile for at least one electronic braking system of at least one non-propulsion-generating vehicle in a vehicle system; and

performing one or more of unloading cargo from or loading the cargo onto the at least one non-propulsion-generating in the vehicle system while controlling braking on at least one other non-propulsion-generating in the vehicle system via the first dynamic braking profile.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating information about the vehicle system between a first propulsion-generating vehicle and a second propulsion-generating vehicle that will be coupled to the vehicle system in lieu of the first propulsion-generating vehicle; and

connecting the second propulsion-generating vehicle to the vehicle system, wherein the second propulsion-generating vehicle is configured to control the at least one electronic braking system in the one or more non-propulsion-generating in the vehicle system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising remotely controlling the at least one electronic braking system on at least one of the non-propulsion-generating vehicles of the vehicle system in coordination with operation of an automated movement system situated in proximity to the vehicle system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising continuing to operate the at least one electronic braking system in at least one of the non-propulsion-generating vehicles to continue to operate in the first dynamic braking profile upon detecting a disruption in a communication network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising switching the at least one electronic braking system in the at least one non-propulsion-generating vehicle in the vehicle system to a full release condition upon detecting a disruption in a communication network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising altering configuration of the at least one electronic braking system in the at least one non-propulsion-generating vehicle in the vehicle system to the first dynamic braking profile.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle system includes two or more of the non-propulsion-generating vehicles, and further comprising:

selecting groups of the non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system; and

determining the first dynamic braking profile for a first group of the groups of non-propulsion-generating vehicles and a different, second dynamic braking profile for a different, second group of the groups of non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising selecting a discrete set of the non-propulsion-generating vehicles for the first group.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising dynamically altering which of the non-propulsion-generating vehicles are in the first group or the second group during movement of the vehicle system.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising dynamically altering the first dynamic braking profile or the second dynamic braking profile during movement of the vehicle system.

11. A system comprising:

a control unit configured to determine a first dynamic braking profile for at least one electronic braking system of at least one non-propulsion-generating vehicle in a vehicle system, the control unit configured to remotely control at least one brake controller of the at least one non-propulsion-generating vehicle in the vehicle system during one or more of unloading cargo from or loading the cargo onto the at least one non-propulsion-generating in the vehicle system while controlling braking on at least one other non-propulsion-generating in the vehicle system via the first dynamic braking profile.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the vehicle system includes two or more of the non-propulsion-generating vehicles, and the control unit also is configured to select groups of the non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system and determine the first dynamic braking profile for a first group of the groups of non-propulsion-generating vehicles and a different, second dynamic braking profile for a different, second group of the groups of non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to select a discrete set of the non-propulsion-generating vehicles for the first group.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to dynamically alter which of the non-propulsion-generating vehicles are in the first group or the second group during movement of the vehicle system.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to dynamically alter the first dynamic braking profile or the second dynamic braking profile during movement of the vehicle system.

16. A system comprising:

a control unit configured to communicate with brake controllers disposed onboard different vehicles of a vehicle system formed from the vehicles, each of the brake controllers configured to control an amount of braking imparted by a different vehicle of the vehicles in the vehicle system,

the controller unit configured to select different groups of the vehicles and to determine a different braking profile for each of the different groups, the braking profile for each of the groups indicating the amount of braking to be imparted by the vehicle or the vehicles for the corresponding group.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the control unit is configured to change which of the vehicles are included in at least one of the groups during braking by at least one of the vehicles.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the control unit is configured to determine which of the vehicles are included in at least one of the groups based on which of the vehicles are located in a zone.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the control unit is configured to select two or more of the vehicles that are adjacent to each other in the vehicle system for inclusion in at least one of the groups.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the control unit is configured to select at least first and second vehicles of the vehicles for inclusion in a first group of the groups, the first and second vehicles separated from each other by a third vehicle that is not included in the first group.