Method and apparatus for optimizing a train trip using signal information

• US 8,370,006 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2006
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• 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: Kumar, Ajith Kuttannair, Daum, Wolfgang, Otsubo, Tom, Hershey, John Erik, Hess, Gerald James
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): PECHE, JORGE O
• Application Number:
  US11/608,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20070219681A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,252 Days
• Field of Search: 701/19, 701/20, 701/200, 701/400, 246/182.C, 246/187.R, 246/182.A, 246/182.R, 246/186
• US Class Current: 701/19
• 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 15/0058 On-board optimisation of vehicle or vehicle train operation
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 2205/04 Satellite based navigation systems, e.g. global positioning system [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/021 Measuring and recording of train speed
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/025 Absolute localisation, e.g. providing geodetic coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/026 Relative localisation, e.g. using odometer
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/16 Trackside optimisation of vehicle or train operation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/021 in which a variable is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance

Abstract

One embodiment of the invention includes a system for operating a railway network comprising a first railway vehicle (400) during a trip along track segments (401/412/420). The system comprises a first element (65) for determining travel parameters of the first railway vehicle (400), a second element (65) for determining travel parameters of a second railway vehicle (418) relative to the track segments to be traversed by the first vehicle during the trip, a processor (62) for receiving information from the first (65) and the second (65) elements and for determining a relationship between occupation of a track segment (401/412/420) by the second vehicle (418) and later occupation of the same track segment by the first vehicle (400) and an algorithm embodied within the processor (62) having access to the information to create a trip plan that determines a speed trajectory for the first vehicle (400), wherein the speed trajectory is responsive to the relationship and further in accordance with one or more operational criteria for the first vehicle (400).

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a sensor configured to obtain speed information representative of actual speeds that a first railway vehicle is traveling along a railway; and

a first processor configured to be disposed onboard the first railway vehicle and communicatively coupled with the sensor for receiving the speed information as the first railway vehicle is traveling along the railway, the processor being further configured to obtain a trip plan including designated speeds that the first railway vehicle is to travel along the railway for a trip, the designated speeds of the first railway vehicle expressed as a function of at least one of distance or time along the trip to reduce at least one of emissions generated or fuel consumed by the first railway vehicle during the trip relative to traveling according to one or more other speeds during the trip,

wherein the first processor is configured to receive the speed information during the trip and determine differences between the actual speeds of the first railway vehicle and the designated speeds of the trip plan, and

wherein the first processor is further configured to modify one or more of the designated speeds of the trip plan based on the differences between the actual speeds and the designated speeds as the first railway vehicle travels along the railway.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the trip plan is one of a plurality of trip plans obtained by the first processor, and the first processor is configured to present the plurality of trip plans to an operator of the first railway vehicle so the operator can select the trip plan from the plurality of trip plans for use in controlling movement of the first railway vehicle.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the first processor is configured to modify the trip plan for the first railway vehicle based on a speed trajectory of the second railway vehicle.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the first processor is configured to modify the trip plan based on the speed trajectory of the second railway vehicle on a second track segment that is rearward of a first track segment that is occupied by the first railway vehicle relative to a direction of travel of the first railway vehicle.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein the first processor is configured to modify the trip plan to avoid the first railway vehicle and the second railway vehicle concurrently occupying a common track segment of the railway.

6. The system of claim 2 wherein the first processor is configured to modify the trip plan based on at least one of track conditions of the railway or an operating condition of at least one of the first railway vehicle or the second railway vehicle.

7. The system of claim 2 wherein the first processor is configured to modify the trip plan based on a relative priority between the first railway vehicle and the second railway vehicle.

8. The system of claim 2 wherein the first processor is configured to receive a location of the second railway vehicle based on location information received from at least one of a remote site or wayside equipment.

9. The system of claim 2 wherein the first railway vehicle and the second railway vehicle each comprise a train having at least one locomotive and one or more railcars.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the first processor is configured to create the trip plan based on one or more travel parameters that include one or more of a scheduled destination location of the first railway vehicle, a current speed of the first railway vehicle, a type of the first railway vehicle, a scheduled time of arrival of the first railway vehicle at the scheduled destination location, a direction of travel of the first railway vehicle toward the scheduled destination location, or a priority of the first railway vehicle relative to one or more other railway vehicles.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the first processor is configured to modify the trip plan based on a previous operation of the first railway vehicle.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the first processor is configured to modify the trip plan based on signal data received from a wayside device.

13. The system of claim 1 further comprising a controller element configured to be communicatively coupled with the first processor, the first processor configured to generate an output signal based on the trip plan, the controller element configured to autonomously control the first railway vehicle to follow the trip plan based on the output signal.

14. The system of claim 1 further comprising a display configured to be communicatively coupled with the first processor, the first processor configured to generate an output signal based on the trip plan, the display configured to display one or more indicia to an operator of the first railway vehicle to direct the operator to control the first railway vehicle in accordance with the trip plan.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the first processor is configured to change one or more of the designated speeds of the trip plan when the actual speeds of the first railway vehicle deviate from the designated speeds of the trip plan by more than a designated difference.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the first processor is configured to estimate a fuel efficiency of the first railway vehicle as the first railway vehicle travels during the trip, the first processor further configured to change the one or more of the designated speeds of the trip plan when the fuel efficiency that is estimated would be improved by changing the one or more of the designated speeds relative to the trip plan prior to changing one or more of the designated speeds.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the trip plan is associated with a planned time of arrival that the first railway vehicle is scheduled to arrive at a destination location if the first railway vehicle travels according to the designated speeds of the trip plan, and the first processor is configured to determine a different estimated time of arrival that the first railway vehicle is estimated to arrive at the destination location, the first processor further configured to change the one or more of the designated speeds of the trip plan when the estimated time of arrival deviates from the planned time of arrival by more than a threshold time difference.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the first processor is configured to communicate with a second processor on a second railway vehicle that concurrently travels with the first railway vehicle, the first processor configured to receive an advisement of a delay in travel by the second railway vehicle from the second processor and to change the one or more of the designated speeds of the trip plan for the first railway vehicle based on the delay in travel.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the first processor is configured to monitor at least one of an increase or a decrease in tractive effort provided by the first railway vehicle during a previous trip of the first railway vehicle and at least one of create or modify the trip plan based on the at least one of the increase or the decrease in the tractive effort.

20. The system of claim 1, further comprising a locator element configured to determine locations of the first railway vehicle and to provide the locations to the first processor, wherein the first processor is configured to change the one or more of the designated speeds of the trip plan based on at least one of the locations received from the locator element as the first railway vehicle travels during the trip.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the first railway vehicle includes at least a first locomotive and a second locomotive coupled with each other by at least one railcar disposed between the first locomotive and the second locomotive, the first processor configured to direct the first locomotive to provide a different tractive effort than the second locomotive to cause the first railway vehicle to travel at the designated speeds of the trip plan.

22. A method comprising:

obtaining a trip plan for a first railway vehicle, the trip plan including designated speeds that the first railway vehicle is to travel along a railway for a trip, the designated speeds of the first railway vehicle expressed as a function of at least one of distance or time along the trip to reduce at least one of emissions generated or fuel consumed by the first railway vehicle during the trip relative to traveling according to one or more other speeds during the trip;

receiving speed information representative of actual speeds that the first railway vehicle is traveling along the railway during the trip;

determining differences between the actual speeds of the first railway vehicle and the designated speeds of the trip plan with one or more processors onboard the first railway vehicle; and

changing one or more of the designated speeds of the trip plan with one or more processors onboard the first railway vehicle based on the differences between the actual speeds and the designated speeds as the first railway vehicle travels along the railway.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising receiving an advisement of a delay in travel by a second railway vehicle that concurrently travels with the first railway vehicle, wherein changing the one or more of the designated speeds of the trip plan for the first railway vehicle occurs based on the delay in travel.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the one or more of the designated speeds are changed based on a speed trajectory of the second railway vehicle.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the one or more of the designated speeds are changed based on the speed trajectory of the second railway vehicle on a second track segment that is rearward of a first track segment that is occupied by the first railway vehicle relative to a direction of travel of the first railway vehicle.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein changing the one or more of the designated speeds includes modifying the trip plan to avoid the first railway vehicle and the second railway vehicle concurrently occupying a common track segment of the railway.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the one or more of the designated speeds are changed based on at least one of track conditions of the railway or an operating condition of at least one of the first railway vehicle or the second railway vehicle.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein the one or more of the designated speeds are changed based on a relative priority between the first railway vehicle and the second railway vehicle.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein receiving the advisement of the delay includes receiving a location of the second railway vehicle based on location information received from at least one of a remote site or wayside equipment.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein the first railway vehicle and the second railway vehicle each comprise a train having at least one locomotive and one or more railcars.

31. The method of claim 22, wherein obtaining the trip plan includes receiving the trip plan from a location remote to the first railway vehicle.

32. The method of claim 22, wherein obtaining the trip plan includes creating the trip plan based on one or more travel parameters that include one or more of a scheduled destination location of the first railway vehicle, a current speed of the first railway vehicle, a type of the first railway vehicle, a scheduled time of arrival of the first railway vehicle at the scheduled destination location, a direction of travel of the first railway vehicle toward the scheduled destination location, or a priority of the first railway vehicle relative to one or more other railway vehicles.

33. The method of claim 22, wherein changing the one or more of the designated speeds is performed based on a previous operation of the first railway vehicle.

34. The method of claim 22, wherein changing the one or more of the designated speeds is performed based on signal data received from a wayside device.

35. The method of claim 22, further comprising autonomously controlling the first railway vehicle to follow the trip plan based on the designated speeds of the trip plan.

36. The method of claim 22, further comprising displaying one or more indicia to an operator of the first railway vehicle to direct the operator to control the first railway vehicle in accordance with the trip plan.

37. The method of claim 22, wherein changing the one or more of the designated speeds is performed when the actual speeds of the first railway vehicle deviate from the designated speeds of the trip plan by more than a designated difference.

38. The method of claim 22, further comprising estimating a fuel efficiency of the first railway vehicle as the first railway vehicle travels during the trip, wherein changing the one or more of the designated speeds of the trip plan is performed when the fuel efficiency that is estimated would be improved by changing the one or more of the designated speeds relative to the trip plan prior to changing one or more of the designated speeds.

39. The method of claim 22, wherein the trip plan is associated with a planned time of arrival that the first railway vehicle is scheduled to arrive at a destination location if the first railway vehicle travels according to the designated speeds of the trip plan, and further comprising determining a different estimated time of arrival that the first railway vehicle is estimated to arrive at the destination location, wherein changing the one or more of the designated speeds of the trip plan is performed when the estimated time of arrival deviates from the planned time of arrival by more than a threshold time difference.

40. The method of claim 22, further comprising presenting a plurality of potential trip plans to an operator of the first railway vehicle so the operator can select the trip plan from the plurality of potential trip plans for use in controlling movement of the first railway vehicle.

41. The method of claim 22, further comprising monitoring at least one of an increase or a decrease in tractive effort provided by the first railway vehicle during a previous trip of the first railway vehicle, wherein changing the one or more of the designated speeds is performed based on the at least one of the increase or the decrease in the tractive effort.

42. The method of claim 22, further comprising determining locations of the first railway vehicle, wherein changing the one or more of the designated speeds of the trip plan is performed based on at least one of the locations received from the locator element as the first railway vehicle travels during the trip.

43. The method of claim 22, wherein the first railway vehicle includes at least a first locomotive and a second locomotive coupled with each other by at least one railcar disposed between the first locomotive and the second locomotive, and further comprising directing the first locomotive to provide a different tractive effort than the second locomotive to cause the first railway vehicle to travel at the designated speeds of the trip plan.