System and method for predicting a vehicle route using a route network database
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A control system for a vehicle, the system comprising:
- an input mechanism configured to be disposed onboard a powered rail vehicle configured to travel over tracks of a route network and for receiving, from an off-board system disposed off of the rail vehicle, at least one of a designated location for the rail vehicle to travel toward in the route network or a designated route for the rail vehicle to travel along toward the designated location; and
a controller configured to be disposed onboard the rail vehicle and to receive the at least one of the designated location or the designated route from the input mechanism, the controller including a memory that is configured to store routing rules that restrict travel of the vehicle on one or more route segments of the route network,wherein the controller is configured to at least one of store or obtain at least one of track network data or the routing rules that are representative of restrictions of the one or more route segments of the tracks in the route network;
wherein the controller is configured to generate an alternate route for the rail vehicle to travel along toward the designated location when actual travel of the rail vehicle deviates from the designated route, the alternate route being based on the routing rules and generated by the controller as the rail vehicle moves in the route network,wherein the controller is configured to transmit the alternate route to the off-board system for acceptance or rejection of the alternate route as an authorized route for the rail vehicle to travel on in the route network, andwherein the route network includes track field equipment that is configured to be activated to control which of the route segments are able to be traversed by the rail vehicle, and the controller is configured to transmit the alternate route to the off-board system for coordination with the field equipment to allow the rail vehicle to travel along the alternate route.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for predicting a route to be authorized by a dispatcher for a vehicle to travel on a route network comprises a computer system that has a database having stored data relative to interconnecting route segments that make up the route network. Data relative to the origination location and the destination location is input into the computer system. The processor accesses the database and generates a predicted route with an origination location and destination location.
240 Citations
52 Claims
-
1. A control system for a vehicle, the system comprising:
-
an input mechanism configured to be disposed onboard a powered rail vehicle configured to travel over tracks of a route network and for receiving, from an off-board system disposed off of the rail vehicle, at least one of a designated location for the rail vehicle to travel toward in the route network or a designated route for the rail vehicle to travel along toward the designated location; and a controller configured to be disposed onboard the rail vehicle and to receive the at least one of the designated location or the designated route from the input mechanism, the controller including a memory that is configured to store routing rules that restrict travel of the vehicle on one or more route segments of the route network, wherein the controller is configured to at least one of store or obtain at least one of track network data or the routing rules that are representative of restrictions of the one or more route segments of the tracks in the route network; wherein the controller is configured to generate an alternate route for the rail vehicle to travel along toward the designated location when actual travel of the rail vehicle deviates from the designated route, the alternate route being based on the routing rules and generated by the controller as the rail vehicle moves in the route network, wherein the controller is configured to transmit the alternate route to the off-board system for acceptance or rejection of the alternate route as an authorized route for the rail vehicle to travel on in the route network, and wherein the route network includes track field equipment that is configured to be activated to control which of the route segments are able to be traversed by the rail vehicle, and the controller is configured to transmit the alternate route to the off-board system for coordination with the field equipment to allow the rail vehicle to travel along the alternate route. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
-
-
24. A vehicle control system comprising:
-
an input mechanism configured to be disposed onboard a powered rail vehicle configured to travel over tracks of a route network and for receiving, from an off-board system disposed off of the rail vehicle, at least one of a designated location for the rail vehicle to travel toward in the route network or a designated route for the rail vehicle to travel along toward the designated location; and a controller configured to be disposed onboard the rail vehicle and to receive the at least one of the designated location or the designated route from the input mechanism, the controller including a memory that is configured to store routing rules that restrict travel of the rail vehicle on one or more route segments of the route network, wherein the controller is configured to generate an alternate route for the rail vehicle to travel along toward the designated location when actual travel of the rail vehicle deviates from the designated route, the alternate route being based on the routing rules and generated by the controller as the vehicle moves in the route network, wherein the controller is configured to transmit the alternate route to the off-board system for acceptance or rejection of the alternate route as an authorized route for the vehicle to travel on in the route network, wherein the route network includes track field equipment that is configured to be activated to control which of the route segments are able to be traversed by the rail vehicle, and the controller is configured to transmit the alternate route to the off-board system for coordination with the field equipment to allow the rail vehicle to travel along the alternate route, wherein the controller is configured to provide one or more recommended speeds or throttle positions for the rail vehicle when following the alternate route in order to reduce at least one of fuel consumed, emissions generated, or travel time of the rail vehicle toward the designated location relative to traveling toward the designated location according to other recommended speeds or throttle positions. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
-
-
40. A method for controlling a vehicle, the method comprising:
-
at least one of storing or obtaining one or more of track network data or routing rules that are representative of restrictions of one or more route segments of tracks in a route network; obtaining a designated route for a powered rail vehicle to travel over tracks in the route network toward a designated location and the routing rules, the designated route being received from an off-board system or generated based on the designated location that is received from the off-board system; monitoring actual travel of the vehicle in the route network; generating an alternate route for the vehicle to travel along toward the designated location when the actual travel of the vehicle deviates from the designated route, the alternate route generated onboard the vehicle and based on the routing rules as the vehicle moves in the route network; and transmitting the alternate route to an off-board system for acceptance or rejection of the alternate route as an authorized route for the rail vehicle to travel on in the route network and for coordination with field equipment that is configured to be activated to control which of the route segments are able to be traversed by the rail vehicle to allow the rail vehicle to travel along the alternate route. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
-
-
51. A vehicle control system comprising:
-
a controller configured to be disposed onboard a powered rail vehicle configured to travel over tracks of a route network and to access routing rules that restrict travel of the rail vehicle on one or more route segments of the route network, the controller configured to obtain a designated route for the rail vehicle to travel along toward a designated location, wherein the controller is configured to at least one of store or obtain at least one of track network data or the routing rules that are representative of restrictions of the one or more route segments of the tracks in the route network; wherein the controller is configured to generate an alternate route for the rail vehicle to travel along toward the designated location when actual travel of the rail vehicle deviates from the designated route, the alternate route being based on the routing rules and generated by the controller as the rail vehicle moves in the route network, wherein the controller is configured to transmit the alternate route to the off-board system for acceptance or rejection of the alternate route as an authorized route for the rail vehicle to travel on in the route network, and wherein the controller is configured to communicate the alternate route to an off-board system that controls switches in the route network so that the off-board system can actuate the switches to direct travel of the rail vehicle in the route network along the alternate route. - View Dependent Claims (52)
-
Specification