Vehicle control system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11890965-B2
Application number	US-202016888638-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2020
Priority date	Aug 20, 2013
Publication date	Feb 6, 2024
Grant date	Feb 6, 2024

Abstract

System and method configured to determine a direction of movement of a vehicle in response to a brake being released or in response to initiating movement of the vehicle from a stopped position along a route. The direction of movement is determined based on a selected travel direction of the vehicle, a grade of the route, and at least one of applied tractive efforts or applied braking efforts.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A vehicle control system comprising:
a controller configured to determine a speed of a vehicle, a route grade, a payload weight, and an accelerator pedal position, wherein the controller is configured to identify a maximum deceleration rate of the vehicle based on the route grade, the payload weight, and the accelerator pedal position; and
wherein the controller also is configured to automatically slow or stop movement of the vehicle by automatically actuating a brake of the vehicle responsive to the maximum deceleration rate of the vehicle being identified and an operational speed of a traction motor provided on the vehicle exceeding a designated, non-zero speed threshold.

2. The vehicle control system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to automatically control an applied torque to maintain vehicle deceleration to less than the maximum deceleration rate.

3. The vehicle control system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the route grade using at least one of a slope-determining device that detects the route grade or an on-board database having the route grade stored therein.

4. The vehicle control system of claim 1 , further comprising a tachometer that detects movement of a wheel of the vehicle and communicates the movement to the controller.

Assignees

• Westinghouse Air Brake Tech Corp

Inventors

• Trainor Jr James Edward
• Oswald James A
• Wolff Jeffrey John
• Brown Timothy
• Young Henry
• Short Lindsay
• Petrak Edward Thomas
• Fischer Ronald
• Wagner Michael
• Chadwell Justin
• Vallejo Carlos
• Cillessen Sean
• Bench Larry
• Nedley Kenneth Paul
• Kumar Ajith Kuttannair

Classifications

• B60L7/12 Primary

  for vehicles propelled by DC motors · CPC title

• B60L7/26

  Controlling the braking effect · CPC title

• B60L7/28

  Eddy-current braking · CPC title

• B60L9/22

  polyphase motors · CPC title

• B60L15/20

  for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed · CPC title