Method of planning the movement of trains using route protection

• US 8,498,762 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2006
• Issued: 07/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Wills, Mitchell Scott, Maceo, Joanne, Markley, Randall, Kickbusch, Joel, Telatar, Erdem
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Application Number:
  US11/415,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20070260367A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,646 Days
• Field of Search: 701/69, 701/19, 701/117, 340/928
• US Class Current: 701/19
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/16 Trackside optimisation of vehicle or train operation

Abstract

A method of planning the movement of plural trains over a train network utilizing route protection for the route immediately ahead of a train to avoid undesirable changes to the planned route of the train.

Claims

1. A method of planning the movement of plural trains over a rail network comprising:

(a) providing a first movement plan for a train, said first movement plan including a plurality of portions;

(b) monitoring the actual movement of the train;

(c) evaluating the actual movement of the train in a computer system against the planned movement;

(d) providing a second movement plan for the train to account for deviations of the actual train movement from the first movement plan;

(e) evaluating the first movement plan against the second movement plan;

(f) preventing modification to a first portion of the first movement plan if the difference between the first and second movement plan is less than a predetermined threshold; and

(g) modifying a second portion of the first movement plan to account for the deviations.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first portion of the first movement plan represents a geographical area.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first portion of the first movement plan is a period of time.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the geographical area is chosen as a function of the track authorities issued for the train.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the second portion of the first movement plan represents a geographical area.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the second portion of the first movement plan is a period of time.

7. A method of planning the movement of plural trains over a rail network comprising:

(a) providing a first movement plan for a train;

(b) monitoring the actual movement of the train;

(c) evaluating the actual movement of the train in a computer system against the planned movement including the current location of the train at the current time;

(d) modifying the first movement plan to account for deviations of the actual train movement from the first movement plan; and

(e) preventing modification of the first movement plan for a predetermined distance from the location of the train.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the predetermined distance is a function of a block control of the train.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the predetermined distance is a function of a movement authority issued for the train.

10. A method of planning the movement of plural trains over a rail network comprising:

(a) providing a first movement plan for a train, said first movement plan including a plurality of portions;

(b) monitoring the actual movement of the train;

(c) evaluating the actual movement of the train in a computer system against the first movement plan;

(d) calculating deviations representing differences between the actual movement and the first movement plan;

(e) preventing modification to a first portion of the first movement plan immediately ahead of the train as function of the deviations; and

(f) modifying a second portion of the first movement plan to account for the deviations.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said first portion of the first movement plan represents a geographical area.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein said first portion of the first movement plan is a period of time.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the geographical area is chosen as a function of the track authorities issued for the train.