Control system and method for a transportation network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10822007-B2
Application number	US-201916695270-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 26, 2019
Priority date	Mar 27, 2014
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

A control system and method determine an energy demand associated with delivery of cargo in a trip. The energy demand represents how much electric energy is needed to move cargo vehicles that carry the cargo through the trip. Locations of energy tenders and states of charge of the energy tenders are determined. A schedule for the cargo vehicles to deliver the cargo to a delivery location within a delivery time slot is determined. This schedule is determined based on the energy demand, the locations of the energy tenders, and the states of charge of the energy tenders. The system and method direct which of the energy tenders that the cargo vehicles are to couple with, be powered by, and move with for powering the cargo along routes to the delivery location of the trip within the designated time slot.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control system comprising:
one or more processors configured to determine an energy demand associated with delivery of cargo in one or more trips, the energy demand associated with the one or more trips representative of an amount of electric energy needed to move one or more cargo vehicles that carry the cargo in the one or more trips,
the one or more processors configured to determine one or more locations of one or more energy tenders and one or more states of charge of the one or more energy tenders,
the one or more processors configured to determine a schedule for the one or more cargo vehicles to deliver the cargo via the one or more trips based on the energy demand, the one or more locations of the one or more energy tenders, and the one or more states of charge of the one or more energy tenders,
the one or more processors configured to direct which of the one or more energy tenders that the one or more cargo vehicles are to couple with, be powered by, and move with for powering transportation of the cargo along one or more routes for the one or more trips.

2. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the energy demand represents the amount of electric energy needed to self-propel the one or more cargo vehicles through the one or more trips while powered by at least one of the energy tenders.

3. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the schedule for a first trip of the one or more trips based on one or more of:
a charging rate at which an energy storage device onboard the one or more energy tenders is charged with electric energy,
a depletion rate at which the electric energy stored in the energy storage device is discharged from the one or more energy tenders to power the one or more cargo vehicles to self-propel, or
an amount of the electric energy that is supplied to the energy storage device onboard the one or more energy tenders from dynamic braking of at least one of the one or more energy tenders or the one or more cargo vehicles during the trip.

4. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more energy tenders include plural energy tenders, and the one or more processors are configured to determine the schedule to include which portions of the one or more trips that different energy tenders of the plural energy tenders are to couple with and power the same cargo vehicle during the one or more trips.

5. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the schedule to dictate a location where the one or more energy tenders that are coupled with the one or more cargo vehicles are to stop for recharging an energy storage device onboard at least one of the energy tenders.

6. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the schedule to direct an energy storage device onboard the one or more energy tenders to be recharged with just enough electric energy to power the one or more cargo vehicles to self-propel to complete the one or more trips.

7. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the schedule to direct an energy storage device onboard the one or more energy tenders to recharge while a state of charge of the energy storage device while the one or more energy tenders stop to recharge is enough to power the one or more cargo vehicles to self-propel to complete the one or more trips.

8. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the schedule to direct an energy storage device onboard the one or more energy tenders to recharge with just enough electric energy to power the one or more cargo vehicles to be powered to self-propel to reach a location of one or more additional energy tenders prior to completion of the one or more trips.

9. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the schedule to dictate a location where to replace at least one of the energy tenders coupled with the one or more cargo vehicles with one or more other energy tenders.

10. The control system of claim 9 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the schedule to replace the at least one energy tender with the one or more other energy tenders while the at least one energy tender has more than enough electric energy stored onboard the at least one energy tender to power the one or more cargo vehicles to complete the one or more trips.

11. A method comprising:
determining an energy demand associated with delivery of cargo in one or more trips, the energy demand for the one or more trips representative of an amount of electric energy needed to move one or more cargo vehicles that carry the cargo in the one or more trips;
determining one or more locations of one or more energy tenders and one or more states of charge the one or more energy tenders;
determining a schedule for the one or more cargo vehicles to deliver the cargo based on the energy demand, the one or more locations of the one or more energy tenders, and the one or more states of charge of the one or more energy tenders, the schedule directing which of the one or more energy tenders that the one or more cargo vehicles are to couple with, be powered by, and move with for powering transportation of the cargo during the one or more trips; and
directing movement of the one or more cargo vehicles according to the schedule.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the energy demand that is determined represents the amount of electric energy needed to self-propel the one or more cargo vehicles during the one or more trips while powered by the one or more energy tenders.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the schedule is determined for a first trip of the one or more trips based on one or more of:
a charging rate at which an energy storage device onboard the one or more energy tenders is charged with electric energy,
a depletion rate at which the electric energy stored in the energy storage device is discharged from the one or more energy tenders to power the one or more cargo vehicles to self-propel, or
an amount of the electric energy that is supplied to the energy storage device onboard the one or more energy tenders from dynamic braking of at least one of the one or more energy tenders or the one or more cargo vehicles during the one or more trips.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the one or more energy tenders include plural energy tenders, and wherein the schedule is determined to one or more of:
dictate which legs of the one or more trips that different energy tenders of the plural energy tenders are to couple with and power the one or more cargo vehicles during the trip,
dictate a location where the one or more energy tenders that are coupled with the one or more cargo vehicles are to stop for recharging an energy storage device onboard the one or more energy tenders, or
dictate a location where to replace at least one of the energy tenders coupled with the one or more cargo vehicles with one or more other energy tenders.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the schedule is determined to direct an energy storage device onboard the one or more energy tenders to be recharged with just enough electric energy to power the one or more cargo vehicles to self-propel to complete the one or more trips.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the schedule is determined to direct an energy storage device onboard the one or more energy tenders to recharge while a state of charge of the energy storage devi

Assignees

• Transp Ip Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Cooper Jared Klineman
• Golden Samuel William
• Foy Robert James
• Peltz David Michael
• North Nathan Thomas
• Karunaratne Milan

Classifications

• Y02T10/7072

  Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors · CPC title

• Y02T90/12

  Electric charging stations · CPC title

• Y02T10/70

  Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries · CPC title

• B61L17/00 Primary

  Switching systems for classification yards · CPC title

• B61L27/12 Primary

  Preparing schedules · CPC title