Control and method for optimizing the operation of two or more locomotives of a consist
First Claim
1. A system responsive to an operator for controlling a consist of at least first and second locomotives having a plurality of discrete operating modes, said operating modes including at least one power operating mode and at least one braking capacity optimization mode, said system comprising:
- an operator control for use by the operator to indicate a desired operating mode from the plurality of discrete operating modes, said desired operating mode being the braking capacity optimization mode;
a first controller responsive to the desired operating mode as indicated by the operator control for controlling a power operating mode of the first locomotive;
a second controller responsive to the desired operating mode as indicated by the operator control for controlling a power operating mode of the second locomotive wherein, in at least one mode of the plurality of discrete operating modes of the system, the power operating mode of the second locomotive is different as compared to the power operating mode of the first locomotive; and
a communication link interconnecting the first and second controllers and providing information corresponding to the desired operating mode to the first and second controllers, said braking capacity optimization mode specifying the power operating mode of each of the first and second locomotives as a function of a braking capacity of the first and second locomotives.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for controlling, a response to an operator, a consist of at least first and second locomotives having discrete operating modes. The system and method comprises an operator control, a first controller, a second controller, and a communication link. Alternatively, the system and method includes control modules which may be retrofitted to an existing consist control. The power operating modes of the locomotives within a consist are selected to optimize the operation of the consist. The operation of the consist may be optimized for any number of factors including optimizing for braking capacity, as a function of the location, base on a performance parameter which is a function of a performance profile or the location of a crew member.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1. A system responsive to an operator for controlling a consist of at least first and second locomotives having a plurality of discrete operating modes, said operating modes including at least one power operating mode and at least one braking capacity optimization mode, said system comprising:
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an operator control for use by the operator to indicate a desired operating mode from the plurality of discrete operating modes, said desired operating mode being the braking capacity optimization mode;
a first controller responsive to the desired operating mode as indicated by the operator control for controlling a power operating mode of the first locomotive;
a second controller responsive to the desired operating mode as indicated by the operator control for controlling a power operating mode of the second locomotive wherein, in at least one mode of the plurality of discrete operating modes of the system, the power operating mode of the second locomotive is different as compared to the power operating mode of the first locomotive; and
a communication link interconnecting the first and second controllers and providing information corresponding to the desired operating mode to the first and second controllers, said braking capacity optimization mode specifying the power operating mode of each of the first and second locomotives as a function of a braking capacity of the first and second locomotives. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A system responsive to an operator for controlling a consist of at least first and second locomotives having a plurality of discrete operating modes, said operating modes including at least one power operating mode and at least position optimization mode, said system comprising:
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an operator control for use by the operator to indicate a desired operating mode from the plurality of discrete operating modes, said desired operating mode being the position optimization mode;
a first controller responsive to the desired operating mode as indicated by the operator control for controlling a power operating mode of the first locomotive;
a second controller responsive to the desired operating mode as indicated by the operator control for controlling a power operating mode of the second locomotive wherein, in at least one mode of the plurality of discrete operating modes of the system, the power operating mode of the second locomotive is different as compared to the power operating mode of the first locomotive;
a communication link interconnecting the first and second controllers and providing information corresponding to the desired operating mode to the first and second controllers; and
a link to a GPS indicating a position of the consist, said position optimization mode specifying the power operating mode of each of the first and second locomotives as a function of the position of the consist as indicated by the GPS. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 44)
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19. A system responsive to an operator for controlling a consist of at least first and second locomotives having a plurality of discrete operating modes, said operating modes including at least one power operating mode and at least one performance profile optimization mode, said system comprising:
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an operator control for use by the operator to indicate a desired operating mode from the plurality of discrete operating modes, said desired operating mode being the performance profile optimization mode;
a first controller responsive to the desired operating mode as indicated by the operator control for controlling a power operating mode of the first locomotive;
a second controller responsive to the desired operating mode as indicated by the operator control for controlling a power operating mode of the second locomotive wherein, in at least one mode of the plurality of discrete operating modes of the system, the power operating mode of the second locomotive is different as compared to the power operating mode of the first locomotive; and
a communication link interconnecting the first and second controllers and providing information corresponding to the desired operating mode to the first and second controllers, said power operating mode of each of the first and second locomotives is a performance parameter, said performance profile optimization mode specifying the power operating mode of each of the first and second locomotives as a function of known performance profiles for the first and second locomotives to optimize the performance parameter. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A system responsive to an operator for controlling a consist of at least first and second locomotives having a plurality of discrete operating modes, said operating modes including at least one power operating mode and at least one crew member location optimization mode, said system comprising:
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an operator control for use by the operator to indicate a desired operating mode from the plurality of discrete operating modes, said desired operating mode being the crew member location optimization mode;
a first controller responsive to the desired operating mode as indicated by the operator control for controlling a power operating mode of the first locomotive;
a second controller responsive to the desired operating mode as indicated by the operator control for controlling a power operating mode of the second locomotive wherein, in at least one mode of the plurality of discrete operating modes of the system, the power operating mode of the second locomotive is different as compared to the power operating mode of the first locomotive; and
a communication link interconnecting the first and second controllers and providing information corresponding to the desired operating mode to the first and second controllers, said crew member location optimization mode specifying the power operating mode of each of the first and second locomotives as a function of a location of the crew member such that a power operating mode of a locomotive in which a crew member is riding is reduced as compared to a power operating mode of a locomotive in which a crew member is not riding. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A system responsive to an operator for controlling a consist of at least first and second locomotives having a plurality of discrete operating modes, said operating modes including at least one power operating mode and at least one emission optimization mode, said system comprising:
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an operator control for use by the operator to indicate a desired operating mode from the plurality of discrete operating modes, said desired operating mode being the emission optimization mode;
a first controller responsive to the desired operating mode as indicated by the operator control for controlling a power operating mode of the first locomotive;
a second controller responsive to the desired operating mode as indicated by the operator control for controlling a power operating mode of the second locomotive wherein, at least one of the plurality of operating modes of the system, the power operating mode of the second locomotive is different as compared to the power operating mode of the first locomotive; and
a communication link interconnecting the first and second controllers and providing information corresponding to the desired operating mode to the first and second controllers, said emission optimization mode specifying the power operating mode of each of the first and second locomotives as a function of an emission output generated by the first and second locomotives. - View Dependent Claims (41)
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42. A system responsive to an operator for controlling a consist of at least first and second locomotives having a plurality of discrete operating modes, said operating modes including at least one power operating mode and at least one position optimization mode, said system comprising:
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an operator control for use by the operator to indicate a desired operating mode from the plurality of discrete operating modes, said desired operating mode being the position optimization mode;
a first controller responsive to the desired operating mode as indicated by the operator control for controlling a power operating mode of the first locomotive;
a second controller responsive to the desired operating mode as indicated by the operator control for controlling a power operating mode of the second locomotive wherein, in at least one of the plurality of discrete operating modes of the system, the power operating mode of the second locomotive is different as compared to the power operating mode of the first locomotive; and
a communication link interconnecting the first and second controllers and providing information corresponding to the desired operating mode to the first and second controllers;
a first link to a GPS indicating a position of the first locomotive; and
a second link to the GPS indicating a position of the second locomotive, said position optimization mode specifying the power operating mode of the first locomotive as a function of the position of the first locomotive and specifying the power operating mode of the second locomotive as a function of the position of the second locomotive. - View Dependent Claims (43)
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Specification