ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR VEHICLE SYSTEMS

• US 20150232097A1
• Filed: 04/24/2015
• Published: 08/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Twichel, Jeffrey, Meyer, Brian Nedward, Brand, John William, Brooks, James, Eldredge, David Allen, Foy, Robert James, Kapp, Kevin, Kumar, Ajith Kuttannair, Thiyagarajan, Saravanan, Vorndran, Eric, Luther, Juli-Ann, Wakeman, Joseph Daniel, Gaikwad, Swapna Rameshbabu, Martin, William, Napolitano, James Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 9,376,971 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/188 Controlling power parameters of the driveline, e.g. determining the required power
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0058 On-board optimisation of vehicle or vehicle train operation
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0062 On-board target speed calculation or supervision
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/16 Trackside optimisation of vehicle or train operation
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 3/16 Continuous control along the route
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/02 peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents

Abstract

An energy management system and method for a vehicle system operate the vehicle system according to a current trip plan as the vehicle system travels along a route during a trip. The current trip plan designates operational settings of the vehicle system. The system and method also revise the current trip plan into a revised trip plan responsive to current, actual operation of the vehicle system differing from the current trip plan by at least a designated threshold amount. The revised trip plan designates operational settings of the vehicle system and includes an initial designated operational setting that matches the current, actual operation of the vehicle system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

controlling a vehicle to travel along a route according to a trip plan that designates first operational settings of the vehicle as a function of one or more of time or distance along the route as the vehicle moves along the route;

receiving plural requests to revise the trip plan as the vehicle moves along the route;

classifying individual requests based on a determined necessity of the requests;

determining a hierarchical order of the requests based on the determined necessity of the requests; and

revising the trip plan according to one or more of the requests based on the hierarchical order.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plural requests are not mutually exclusive, and wherein the trip plan is revised using the at least two of the plural requests that are not mutually exclusive.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plural requests are not mutually exclusive, whereby the revising the mission plan may be performed according to the at least some of the plural requests that are not mutually exclusive.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing parameters of the requests that are received to identify a first optional request that corresponds to a first mandatory request; and

combining the first optional request and the first mandatory request into a combined request; and

revising the first operational settings of the trip plan according to the combined request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein revising the trip plan includes changing the operational settings designated by the trip plan such that an initial designated operational setting of the trip plan that is revised matches a current, actual operation of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the current, actual operation of the vehicle differs from the trip plan during a time period that the initial designated operational setting of the revised trip plan is scheduled to be implemented by the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising operating the vehicle according to the operational settings designated by the trip plan that is revised, wherein operating the vehicle according to the trip plan that is revised causes the vehicle system to one or more of consume more fuel or generate increased emissions relative to the vehicle operating according to the operational settings designated by the trip plan prior to revising the trip plan, but also causes the vehicle to one or more of consume less fuel or generate fewer emissions relative to the vehicle returning to operating according to the operational settings designated by the trip plan prior to revising the trip plan.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the plural requests includes receiving plural different estimation re-plan requests, the estimation re-plan requests based on one or more differences between one or more expected values and one or more experienced values of a parameter used to previously generate the trip plan;

and

arbitrating between the estimation re-plan requests based on a state of the vehicle; and

generating an arbitrated re-plan request based on arbitrating between the estimation re-plan requests, wherein the trip plan is revised according to the arbitrated re-plan request.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein revising the trip plan includes:

generating a transition plan that designates one or more second operational settings of the vehicle that differ from the first operational settings prior to an approaching location along the route, wherein the transition plan designates the second operational settings of the vehicle for a limited distance that is shorter than a remainder of a distance for which the trip plan was generated; and

generating a prospective plan that designates one or more third operational settings of the vehicle that differ from the first and second operational settings as a function of one or more of time or distance along the route as the vehicle system at least one of moves past the approaching location or completes the transition plan, wherein the prospective plan designates the one or more third operational settings at least until an end point of the distance for which the operating plan was generated.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the prospective plan occurs and is completed while the vehicle is being controlled according to the transition plan.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the prospective plan includes basing the prospective plan on fuel usage while the transition plan is not based on fuel usage.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising receiving an input request as the deviation, the input request including an instruction to change the route being traveled by the vehicle in contradiction to the trip plan.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein revising the trip plan includes designating second operational settings of the vehicle as a function of one or more of time or distance along the route, the second operational settings differing from the first operational settings, wherein the second operational settings include an initial designated operational setting that matches a current, actual operation of the vehicle at a time when the trip plan that is revised is implemented.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the current, actual operation of the vehicle differs from the trip plan during a time period that the initial designated operational setting of the revised trip plan is scheduled to be implemented by the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining the current, actual operation of the vehicle system based on one or more models of the vehicle system.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising operating the vehicle according to the second operational settings designated by the trip plan that is revised, wherein operating the vehicle according to the trip plan that is revised causes the vehicle to one or more of consume more fuel or generate increased emissions relative to the vehicle operating according to the first operational settings designated by the trip plan prior to revising the trip plan, but also causes the vehicle to one or more of consume less fuel or generate fewer emissions relative to the vehicle returning to operating according to the first operational settings designated by the trip plan prior to revising the trip plan.

17. A system comprising one or more processors configured to:

determine signals for controlling a vehicle to travel along a route according to a trip plan that designates first operational settings of the vehicle as a function of one or more of time or distance along the route as the vehicle moves along the route, receive plural requests to revise the trip plan as the vehicle moves along the route, classify individual requests based on a determined necessity of the requests, determine a hierarchical order of the requests based on the determined necessity of the requests, and revise the trip plan according to one or more of the requests based on the hierarchical order.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein at least two of the plural requests are not mutually exclusive, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to revise the trip plan using the at least two of the plural requests that are not mutually exclusive.

19. A method comprising:

controlling a vehicle according to a trip plan, the trip plan designating first operational settings of the vehicle along a route as a function of distance along the route;

generating a transition plan in response to a deviation of the vehicle from the operational settings, the transition plan designating second operational settings of the vehicle that differ from the first operational settings, wherein the transition plan designates the second operational settings as a function of distance along the route, wherein the transition plan is generated prior to the vehicle reaching an approaching location along the route, wherein the transition plan designates the second operational settings for a limited distance that is shorter than a remainder of a distance over which the first operational settings were designated; and

generating a prospective plan in response to the deviation from the trip plan, the prospective plan designating third operational settings of the vehicle system as a function of distance along the route, the third operational settings differing from the first and second operational settings, wherein the prospective plan designates the third operational settings of the vehicle at least until an end point of the distance over which the first operational settings were designated.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein generating the prospective plan includes basing the prospective plan on fuel usage while the transition plan is not based on fuel usage.