System and method for computing car switching solutions in a switchyard using car ETA as a factor
First Claim
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1. A method for switching railcars in a railway switchyard, wherein the railway switchyard includes, a switching queue containing a plurality of railcars awaiting to be switched, a plurality of classification tracks and a switch for switching railcars in the switching queue to the classification tracks, the method including:
- i. determining space available for receiving railcars from a train block in individual ones of the classification tracks, the determining being performed by using a computer programmed to perform the determining wherein;
1. the train block includes a plurality of railcars and at least one of the railcars is enroute to the railway switch yard at a time the determining is performed;
2. the at least one of the railcars being characterized by an expected time of arrival (ETA), the ETA providing an estimate of the time at which the at least one railcar is expected to be present in the railway switchyard;
3. the determining includes inputting in the computer first data indicative of the ETA and processing the first data with the computer to generate second data, the second data indicative of the space available for receiving railcars from the first train block;
ii. selecting a classification track amongst the plurality of classification tracks at least in part on the basis of the second data;
iii. switching railcars from the train block in the selected classification track.
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Abstract
A system for computing car switching solutions in a railway switch yard. The system is computer based and has an input for receiving data conveying information about one or more arrival trains arriving at the switch yard and data conveying information about departure trains to depart the switch yard. A processing entity processes the data and computes car switching solutions for the railcars.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method for switching railcars in a railway switchyard, wherein the railway switchyard includes, a switching queue containing a plurality of railcars awaiting to be switched, a plurality of classification tracks and a switch for switching railcars in the switching queue to the classification tracks, the method including:
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i. determining space available for receiving railcars from a train block in individual ones of the classification tracks, the determining being performed by using a computer programmed to perform the determining wherein; 1. the train block includes a plurality of railcars and at least one of the railcars is enroute to the railway switch yard at a time the determining is performed; 2. the at least one of the railcars being characterized by an expected time of arrival (ETA), the ETA providing an estimate of the time at which the at least one railcar is expected to be present in the railway switchyard; 3. the determining includes inputting in the computer first data indicative of the ETA and processing the first data with the computer to generate second data, the second data indicative of the space available for receiving railcars from the first train block; ii. selecting a classification track amongst the plurality of classification tracks at least in part on the basis of the second data; iii. switching railcars from the train block in the selected classification track. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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- 7. A method as defined in 6, including using the computer to determine an expected switch time in relation to one of the railcars of the train block, the expected switch time being indicative of an approximate time at which the one of he railcars of the rain block is expected to be switched by the switch.
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13. A method for switching railcars in a railway switchyard, wherein the railway switchyard includes, a switching queue containing a plurality of railcars awaiting to be switched, a set of classification tracks and a switch for switching railcars in the switching queue to the classification tracks, the method comprising:
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i. determining by using a computer programmed to perform the determining if any one of the classification tracks would have enough space for receiving a train block in its entirety, the train block including a plurality of railcars and at least one of the railcars being enroute to the railway switch yard at the time the determining is performed, the determining including; 1. inputting in the computer time data, the time data providing an estimate of the time at which the at least one railcar is expected to be present at the railway switchyard; 2. processing with the computer the time data to determine if any one of the classification tracks would have enough space to receive the train block in its entirety when all railcars of the train block have been switched by the switch, the processing being performed while the at least one railcar is enroute; ii. switching railcars from the train block in a classification track identified by the determining to have enough space to receive the train block in its entirety. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for switching railcars in a railway switchyard, wherein the railway switchyard includes, a switching queue containing a plurality of railcars awaiting to be switched, a set of classification tracks and a switch for switching railcars in the switching queue to the classification tracks, the method comprising:
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i. determining by using a computer programmed to perform the determining if any one of the classification tracks would have enough space for receiving a train block in its entirety, the train block including a plurality of railcars and at least one of the railcars being enroute to the railway switch yard at the time the determining is performed, the determining including; 1. inputting in the computer time data, the time data providing an estimate of the time at which at least one railcar of the train block is expected to be present at the railway switchyard; 2. processing with the computer the time data to; 1. determine if any one of the classification tracks of the set of classification tracks would have enough space to receive the train block in its entirety when all railcars of the train block have been switched by the switch; 2. selecting a classification track from the set of classification tracks to receive the train block at least in part on the basis of the determining; ii. outputting from the computer data conveying the selected classification track; iii. switching railcars of the train block from the switching queue into the selected classification track. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification