SYSTEM, METHOD AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIA FOR OPERATING A DISTRIBUTED POWER TRAIN

• US 20100049384A1
• Filed: 08/20/2008
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Foy, Robert James III, Brand, John William, Kraeling, Mark Bradshaw
• Granted Patent: US 8,190,315 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/20
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/32 Control or regulation of multiple-unit electrically-propelled vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B61C 17/12 Control gear; Arrangements for controlling locomotives from remote points in the train or when operating in multiple units control from points outside the train B61L3/00; fluid-actuated telemotors, servomotors F15B; control devices in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0027 Radio-based, e.g. using GSM-R
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

An embodiment of the invention for conducting a distributed power train operation, comprises a controller at the remote unit for issuing commands to control the operation of the remote unit on a track, and responsive to a communication loss between the lead unit and the remote unit. A memory, accessible by the controller, comprises data relative to a track profile including a plurality of geographical coordinates of the track and data relative to one or more throttle positions or braking operations for the remote unit that are associated with the geographical coordinates. The controller receives data relative to geographical coordinates of the remote unit and upon a detection of the communication loss, the controller compares the geographical coordinates of the remote unit to the track profile geographical coordinates and issues one more commands associated with the operation of the remote unit.

Claims

1. A system for operating a distributed power train wherein the distributed power train comprises a lead unit and a remote unit, and the lead unit is controlled by operation of lead unit controls, and the remote unit is controlled by commands issued from the lead unit to the remote unit over a communication system, the system comprising:

a controller at the remote unit for issuing commands to control the operation of the remote unit on a track and responsive to a communications loss between the lead unit and the remote unit; and

a memory, accessible by the controller, comprising data relative to a track profile including a plurality of geographical coordinates of the track and data relative to one or more throttle positions or braking operations for the remote unit associated with the geographical coordinates;

wherein the controller receives data relative to geographical coordinates of the remote unit and upon a detection of the communication loss between the remote unit and lead unit compares the geographical coordinates of the remote unit to the track profile geographical coordinates and issues one more throttle position or braking operation commands associated with the remote unit and track profile geographical coordinate data to control the movement of the remote unit on the track during the communication loss.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a transceiver on the remote unit for receiving the remote unit geographical coordinate data from a global positioning system and transmitting the remote unit geographical coordinate data to the controller.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data stored in the memory includes track grade data associated with one or more of the geographical coordinates of the track profile.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein data relative to a direction of movement of the remote unit is provided and the controller identifies a track profile geographical coordinate in the direction of movement of the remote unit and the throttle position or brake operation associated with the identified track profile geographical coordinate.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein data relative to the direction of movement of the remote unit is provided and the controller identifies a track profile geographical coordinate that is closest in proximity to the remote unit and the throttle position or brake operation associated with the identified track profile geographical coordinate.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the track profile geographic coordinate data includes a plurality of spaced apart geographic coordinates of the track defining a plurality of track segments wherein each track segment is disposed between consecutive geographic coordinates.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the data stored in memory comprises data relative to a throttle position or braking operation associated with each track segment.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein data relative to a direction of movement of the remote unit is provided and the controller identifies a geographic coordinate of the track in the direction of movement of the remote unit, the track segment on which the remote unit is moving, and the throttle position or braking operation associated with the identified track segment.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein data relative to the direction of movement of the remote unit is provided and the data stored in the memory includes data relative to one or more throttle positions or brake operations associated with the track profile geographical coordinate data in one direction of movement on the track, and data relative to one or more throttle positions or brake operations associated with track profile geographical coordinate data in an opposite direction of movement on the track.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the throttle position and brake operation data for the remote unit moving in one direction is different than the throttle position or brake operation data for the remote unit moving in the opposite direction.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the throttle position and brake operation data for the remote unit moving in one direction is the same as the throttle position and brake operation data for the remote unit moving in the opposite direction.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the data in the memory further comprises data relative to a distance the lead unit is spaced from the remote unit.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the data in the memory further comprises data relative to one or more speed restrictions associated with the track profile.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the distributed power train comprises a fluid carrying brake pipe connecting the lead unit to the remote unit and to a plurality of railcars interconnected with the lead and remote units, and the remote unit having a brake control system in communication with the brake pipe and comprising one or more sensors for detecting a brake pipe fluid pressure and the sensor transmits signals to the controller indicative of the brake pipe fluid pressure, and the controller is programmed to issue a brake command to the remote unit and responsive to a change in the break pipe pressure indicative of a brake command issued by the lead unit.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller issues the one or more throttle position commands responsive to which a throttle position of the remote unit is changed or responsive to which the throttle position is maintained in a current operating position.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller issues the one or more braking operation commands responsive to which a braking operation of the remote unit is changed, discontinued or maintained.

17. A method for operating a distributed power train wherein the distributed power train comprises a lead unit and a remote unit, and the lead unit is controlled by operation of lead unit controls, and the remote unit is controlled by commands issued from the lead unit to the remote unit over a communication system, the method comprising:

storing in a memory, at the remote unit, track profile data comprising a plurality of geographical coordinates of a track on which the remote unit travels and data relative to one or more throttle positions or braking operations for the remote unit associated with the geographical coordinates;

storing in a memory, at the remote unit, data relative to geographical coordinates of the remote unit as the remote unit is moving on the track;

determining at the remote unit that there exists a communications loss between the lead unit and the remote unit;

identifying, at the remote unit, the track profile geographic coordinate data and the associated throttle position or braking operation data that are associated with the geographic coordinates of the remote unit; and

,

responsive to identifying the associated throttle position or braking operation data, issuing, at the remote unit, one or more commands to control movement of the remote unit during the communication loss.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving geographical coordinate data for the remote unit from a global positioning system and transmitting the data to the controller.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising providing data relative to a direction of movement of the remote unit on the track and the controller identifying a track profile geographical coordinate in the direction of movement of the remote unit and the throttle position or brake operation associated with the identified track profile geographical coordinate.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising providing data relative to the direction of movement of the remote unit on the track and identifying a track profile geographical coordinate that is closest in proximity to the remote unit and the throttle position or brake operation associated with the identified track profile geographical coordinate.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising providing track profile geographic coordinate data that includes a plurality of geographic coordinates of the track spaced apart and defining a plurality of track segments wherein each track segment is disposed between consecutive geographic coordinates.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the data stored in memory comprises data relative to a throttle position or braking operation associated with each track segment.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising providing data relative to a direction of movement of the remote unit and identifying a geographic coordinate of the track in the direction of movement of the remote unit, the track segment on which the remote unit is moving, and the throttle position or braking operation associated with the identified geographic coordinate.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising providing data relative to the direction of movement of the remote unit on the track and data relative to one or more throttle positions or brake operations associated with track profile geographical coordinate data in one direction of movement on the track, and data relative to one or more throttle positions or brake operations associated with track profile geographical coordinate data in an opposite direction of movement on the track.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the throttle position and brake operation data for the remote unit moving in one direction is different than the throttle position or brake operation data for the remote unit moving in the opposite direction.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the throttle position and brake operation data for the remote unit moving in one direction is the same as the throttle position and brake operation data for the remote unit moving in the opposite direction.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein the distributed power train comprises a fluid carrying brake pipe connecting the lead unit to the remote unit and to a plurality of railcars interconnected with the lead and remote units, and the remote unit having a brake control system in communication with the brake pipe, the method further comprising detecting a brake pipe fluid pressure, transmitting one or more signals indicative of the brake pipe fluid pressure, and issuing a brake command to the remote unit and responsive to a change in the break pipe pressure indicative of a brake command issued by the lead unit.

28. A method for operating a distributed power vehicle system having a lead unit and a remote unit, wherein the remote unit is controlled by commands transmitted from the lead unit to the remote unit over a communication system, the method comprising:

determining, at the remote unit, a disruption in the communication system;

identifying, at the remote unit, remote unit operational data that is associated with a vector of the remote unit along a designated route of the distributed power vehicle system, wherein the remote unit operational data is stored in a memory in association with a profile of the route and is identified by comparing the vector of the remote unit to the profile of the route in the memory; and

based on the identified remote unit operational data, issuing one or more commands to control movement of the remote unit during the communication system disruption.

29. A computer readable memory medium for conducting a distributed power train operation wherein the distributed power train comprises a lead unit, a remote unit, a plurality of railcars and a communications system that transmits information signals between the lead unit and remote unit, and the lead unit is controlled by operation of lead unit controls, and the remote unit is controlled by commands issued from the lead unit to the remote unit over the communication system, the computer readable media comprising:

a computer module for storing in a memory, at the remote unit, track profile data comprising a plurality of geographical coordinates of a track on which the remote unit travels and data relative to one or more throttle positions or braking operations for the remote unit associated with the geographical coordinates;

a computer module for storing in a memory, at the remote unit, data relative to geographical coordinates of the remote unit as the remote unit is moving on the track;

a computer module for determining at the remote unit that there exists a communications loss between the lead unit and the remote unit while moving on a track;

a computer module for identifying, at the remote unit, the track profile geographic coordinate data and the associated throttle position or braking operation data that are associated with the geographic coordinates of the remote unit; and

,

responsive to identifying the associated throttle position or braking operation data, a computer module for issuing, at the remote unit, one or more commands to control movement of the remote unit during the communication loss.