Adaptive energy transfer system and method

• US 9,419,398 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2013
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Noffsinger, Joseph Forrest, Mitti, Aaron Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): KUHFUSS, ZACHARY L
• Application Number:
  US13/939,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20140041980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60M 3/00 Feeding power to supply lines in contact with collector on vehicles; Arrangements for consuming regenerative power controlling rail vehicles by varying voltage of power fed to vehicle B60L; power distribution in general H02J
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 1/181 Details
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 1/20 Safety arrangements for preventing or indicating malfunction of the device, e.g. by leakage current, by lightning
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 13/047 controlling inductively or magnetically
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/20 Trackside control of safe travel of vehicle or train, e.g. braking curve calculation
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 3/125 using short-range radio transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 41/00 Non-rotary current collectors for maintaining contact between moving and stationary parts of an electric circuit end pieces terminating in a hook or the like H01R11/12; current collectors for power supply lines of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L5/00

Abstract

Systems and methods of the invention relate to transferring energy from a vehicle to a device via a track circuit. Embodiments of the present invention include a power source of a vehicle that can be utilized to transfer energy through a track circuit to a device coupled thereto. The track circuit can include a section of track having a first pair of insulated joints located on a first rail and a second pair of insulated joints on a second rail, each pair separated by a distance. Moreover, a signal can be communicated to the vehicle based on receipt of the transferred energy.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

generating a portion of power with a vehicle;

transferring the portion of power to a track circuit with a part of the vehicle to power a device coupled to the track circuit;

identifying a first insulated member associated with the track circuit and a second insulated member associated with the track circuit; and

at least one of the following;

responding to the first insulated member identification by initiating the transferring of the portion of power;

or

responding to the second insulated member identification by initiating a start of the step of transferring of the portion of power.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying a geographic location of the device and initiating a start of the step of transferring of the portion of power based on the geographic location.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transferring the portion of power based on a power input for the device in which the power input corresponds to a type of the device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting an amount of the portion of power transferred based on a geographic location of at least one of the vehicle or the device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a signal at the vehicle from the device, wherein the signal is generated by the device responsive to receiving the portion of power.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising identifying the device based on a geographic location of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting a frequency of a transmission of the portion of power, wherein the portion of power is transmitted with a pulsed delivery.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transferring the portion of power to the device for a duration of time based on a power input of the device and an amount of the portion of power.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a rail vehicle traveling on a rail track, the track circuit comprises at least part of the rail track, the device is a wayside device located off-board the rail vehicle, and the portion of power is transferred as electricity.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the portion of power at the device coupled to the track circuit; and

powering the device with the portion of power received by the device from the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the track circuit;

wherein the step of transferring the portion of power to the track circuit is initiated responsive to the identifying the track circuit.

9. A method, comprising:

generating a portion of power with a vehicle;

transferring the portion of power to a track circuit with a part of the vehicle to power a device coupled to the track circuit;

transmitting a request communication from the vehicle to the device;

receiving a response communication at the vehicle from the device; and

triggering the transmission of the portion of power based on the response communication.

13. A method, comprising:

receiving a portion of power at a device coupled to a track circuit;

powering the device with the portion of power, wherein the portion of power is received over the track circuit from a vehicle;

receiving a request communication at the device from the vehicle; and

transmitting a response communication from the device to the vehicle to trigger transmission of the portion of power from the vehicle to the device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the vehicle is a rail vehicle traveling on a rail track, the track circuit comprises at least part of the rail track, the device is a wayside device located off-board the rail vehicle, and the portion of power is transferred as electricity.