Method of planning train movement using a three step optimization engine

• US 7,680,750 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2006
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Davenport, David, Julich, Paul, Markley, Randall, Wills, Mitchell Scott, Daum, Wolfgang, Hershey, John
• Primary Examiner(s): STARKS, WILBERT L
• Application Number:
  US11/476,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20080005050A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,356 Days
• Field of Search: 706/45, 706/46, 706/47, 706/19, 701/19
• US Class Current: 706/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202

Abstract

A method of scheduling network resources in a first domain by transforming the problem to a second domain, solving the problem and transforming back to the first domain.

Claims

1. A method of scheduling the use of a plurality of resources in a rail network in a first-time space domain having predetermined constraints, comprising:

(a) transforming the network resources scheduling problem to a second domain by relaxing some of the predetermined constraints;

(b) measuring the historical performance of the scheduled network resources;

(c) performing a sensitivity analysis of the measured historical performance to identify the relative importance of a variable affecting the performance; and

(d) solving the scheduling problem as a function of the identified relative importance; and

(e) transforming the solved transformed network resources scheduling problem back to the first time-space domain.

2. The method of scheduling of claim 1, wherein the second domain is one of a cost domain and a time domain.

3. A method of scheduling the use of a plurality of resources in a rail network in a first domain having a set of predetermined constraints, comprising:

(a) transforming the network resources scheduling problem to a plurality of domains by relaxing the set of predetermined constraints;

(b) for each of the plurality of domains;

(i) measuring the historical performance of the scheduled network resources;

(ii) performing a sensitivity analysis of the measured historical performance to determine the relative importance of a variable affecting the performance;

(iii) identifying the most important variables using a predetermined criteria;

(c) selecting the domain having the fewest number of identified important variables;

(d) solving the transformed network resources problem in the selected domain; and

(e) transforming the solved transformed network resources scheduling problem back to the first domain.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of measuring the historical performance of network resources includes resources located within a rail yard.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of measuring the historical performance of network resources include resources located on industry lead tracks extending form a rail yard to an industry customer premise.

6. A system for scheduling the use of a plurality of resources in a rail network in a first time-space domain having a predetermined set of constraints, comprising:

a database containing measurements of a historical performance of scheduled network resources;

a processor programmed to;

(i) transform the network resources scheduling problem to a second domain by relaxing the predetermined set of constraints;

(ii) access the database to perform a sensitivity analysis of the measured historical performance to identify the relative importance of a variable affecting the performance;

(iii) solve the scheduling problem as a function of the identified relative importance;

(iv) transform the solved transformed network resources scheduling problem back to the first time-space domain.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the second domain is one of a cost domain and a time domain.