System and method for determining effectiveness of a friction modifier along a route segment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10814856-B2
Application number	US-201715671100-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2017
Priority date	Jun 12, 2013
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

A method includes obtaining creep measurements and tractive/braking measurements from at least one vehicle system at different locations along a route segment while the at least one vehicle system moves through the route segment. The method also includes calculating tribology characteristics of the route segment at the different locations. The tribology characteristics are based on the creep measurements and the tractive/braking measurements from the at least one vehicle system. The tribology characteristics are indicative of a friction coefficient of the route segment at the different locations. The method also includes determining an effectiveness of a friction modifier applied to the route segment based on the tribology characteristics.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a vehicle system having a propulsion system and one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to control the vehicle system for movement along a route according to an operating plan that includes plural throttle and braking settings for different locations along the route; and
plural sensors on board the vehicle system configured to communicate data of one or more operating conditions of the propulsion system to the one or more processors;
wherein, based on the data from the sensors, the one or more processors are configured to determine, while the vehicle system moves along the route:
at least one first tractive measurement or first braking measurement of the vehicle system at a designated leading border location along the route;
at least one second tractive measurement or second braking measurement of the vehicle system at a designated location of interest along the route after the designated leading border location relative to a direction of movement of the vehicle system; and
at least one third tractive measurement or third braking measurement of the vehicle system at a designated trailing border location along the route after the designated location of interest relative to the direction of movement of the vehicle system, each of the designated leading border location, the designated location of interest, and the designated trailing border location designated in the operating plan; and

wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine tribology characteristics of the designated location of interest based on: (a) the at least one first tractive measurement or first braking measurement, (b) the at least one second tractive measurement or second braking measurement, and (c) the at least one third tractive measurement or third braking measurement.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the designated location of interest is a location of a friction modifier that is applied to a route surface at the designated location of interest.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the friction modifier is applied by a stationary wayside lubrication device that is configured to apply the friction modifier to the route surface at the designated location of interest.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to compare the at least one first tractive measurement or first braking measurement, the at least one second tractive measurement or second braking measurement, and the at least one third tractive measurement or third braking measurement to a suitable range of the tribology characteristics to determine an effectiveness of the friction modifier.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to control the vehicle system based on the tribology characteristics that are determined.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein for the at least one first tractive measurement or first braking measurement, the at least one second tractive measurement or second braking measurement, and the at least one third tractive measurement or third braking measurement, the one or more processors are configured to control the propulsion system to apply a designated amount of tractive effort or braking effort outside of normal operation of the vehicle system.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to modify or generate a friction modification plan based on the at least one first tractive measurement or first braking measurement, the at least one second tractive measurement or second braking measurement, and the at least one third tractive measurement or third braking measurement.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein, based on the data from the sensors, the one or more processors are configured to determine, while the vehicle system moves along the route, a first creep measurement of the vehicle system at the designated leading border location, a second creep measurement of the vehicle system at the designated location of interest, and a third creep measurement of the vehicle system at the designated trailing border location, and
wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the tribology characteristics of the designated location of interest based also on the first, second, and third creep measurements.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the sensors on board the vehicle system include a rotation-speed sensor configured to measure rotational speed of a wheel of the vehicle system and a vehicle-speed sensor configured to measure ground speed of the vehicle system, and
wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the first, second, and third creep measurements based on differences between the measured rotational speed of the wheel and the measured ground speed of the vehicle system at the designated leading border location, the designated location of interest, and the designated trailing border location, respectively.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine:
a first coefficient of friction on the route at the designated leading border location based on the first creep measurement and the at least one first tractive measurement or first braking measurement;
a second coefficient of friction on the route at the designated location of interest based on the second creep measurement and the at least one second tractive measurement or second braking measurement; and
a third coefficient of friction on the route at the designated trailing border location based on the third creep measurement and the at least one third tractive measurement or third braking measurement, and
the one or more processors are configured to compare the first, second, and third coefficients of friction to determine an extent of spreading of a lubricant that is applied to the route at the designated location of interest.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein, in response to determining that the first, second, and third coefficients of friction are within a designated range of each other, the one or more processors are configured to determine that a wayside lubricator device that is configured to apply the lubricant to the route is either non-functional or is outputting an excessive amount of lubricant.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to compare the first, second, and third coefficients of friction to a fourth coefficient of friction that represents a baseline measurement of the route lacking the lubricant.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to control the propulsion system, according to the operating plan, to apply a designated maximum tractive effort or braking effort at each of the designated leading border location, the designated location of interest, and the designated trailing border location, for determining the at least one first tractive measurement or first braking measurement, the at least one second tractive measurement or second braking measurement, and the at least one third tractive measurement or third braking measurement, respectively.

14. A method comprising:
with one or more processors, controlling a vehicle system having a propulsion system for movement along a route according to an operating plan that includes plural throttle and braking settings for different locations along the route; and
with plural sensors on board the vehicle system, communicating data of one or more operating conditions of the propulsion system to the one or more processors;
determining, with the one or more processors and based on the data from the sensors, while t

Assignees

• Gen Electric
• Ge Global Sourcing Llc

Inventors

• Kumar Ajith Kuttannair
• Noffsinger Joseph Forrest

Classifications

• B60T8/1763

  responsive to the coefficient of friction between the wheels and the ground surface (B60T8/1764 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60T2210/12

  Friction · CPC title

• B60T8/172

  Determining control parameters used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters {(B60T8/17551 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B61C15/14

  controlling distribution of tractive effort between driving wheels · CPC title

• Y02T30/00

  Transportation of goods or passengers via railways, e.g. energy recovery or reducing air resistance · CPC title