Method and systems for an automated railyard

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12415551-B2
Application number	US-202117644533-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2021
Priority date	Dec 15, 2021
Publication date	Sep 16, 2025
Grant date	Sep 16, 2025

Abstract

Various methods and systems are provided for a railyard system. In one example, a method for managing a railyard comprises, within the railyard, positioning a cargo unit on a multi-directional pad and moving the pad multi-directionally based on a requested order for the cargo unit relative to other cargo units, where the requested order corresponds to an order of cargo units on railcars of an outbound train. The multi-directional pad may operate within an arena, where the arena includes a concrete surface depressed into the ground such that a surface of the pad is level with a surface of the ground surrounding the arena, thereby allowing railcars to be pushed onto the pad by a locomotive of a train.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for managing a railyard, comprising:
within the railyard, positioning a cargo unit on a pad and moving the pad multi-directionally based on a requested order for the cargo unit relative to other cargo units,
wherein the pad is an autonomous and self-powered platform that is freely rotatable and moveable on an omni-directional surface of the railyard, and
wherein moving the pad multi-directionally comprises:
moving the pad in a forward direction, a reverse direction, a sideways direction, or a combination of the forward direction, the reverse direction, and the sideways direction; and
rotating the pad in at least one of a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction, including rotating the pad without simultaneously moving the pad in the forward direction, the reverse direction, the sideways direction, or the combination of the forward direction, the reverse direction, and the sideways direction.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein moving the pad multi-directionally based on the requested order comprises moving the pad multi-directionally based on an order of cargo units on railcars of an outbound train.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pad is an electric vehicle, and moving the pad multi-directionally includes allowing the pad to interact with and/or connect to other pads and/or elements of the railyard and react to the environment using on-board processing, communication, and sensing capabilities.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein positioning the cargo unit on the pad and moving the pad multi-directionally further comprises:
moving the cargo unit from a first railcar of a first train to the pad;
moving the pad to a second railcar of a second train; and
moving the cargo unit from the pad to the second railcar.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein positioning the cargo unit on the pad and moving the pad multi-directionally further comprises:
moving the cargo unit from a truck chassis to the pad;
moving the pad to a railcar of a train; and
moving the cargo unit from the pad to the railcar.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein positioning the cargo unit on the pad and moving the pad multi-directionally further comprises:
moving the cargo unit from a railcar of a train to the pad;
moving the pad to a location of a truck chassis; and
moving the cargo unit from the pad to the truck chassis.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pad operates within an arena, the arena having one of a liquid surface and a ground surface, where the pad moves along the liquid surface or the ground surface of the arena.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the ground surface of the arena is a concrete surface depressed into the ground such that a surface of the pad is level with a surface of the ground.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pad is circular, and a diameter of the pad is greater than a longest railcar received at the railyard.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pad communicates with other pads of the railyard and at least one supervisory controller of the railyard.

11. A method for a controller of a railyard system, comprising:
receiving cargo units from a first mode of transport at one of a plurality of inbound docking stations located on an edge of an omni-directional surface of the railyard system, the omni-directional surface including a flat surface for maneuvering the cargo units;
unloading the received cargo units from the first mode of transport and loading the received cargo units on a respective plurality of pads of the flat surface, each pad of the respective plurality of pads an autonomously operable and self-powered platform freely rotatable and movable on the flat surface, wherein freely rotatable and movable comprises:
movable in a forward direction, a reverse direction, a sideways direction, or a combination of the forward direction, the reverse direction, and the sideways direction; and
rotatable the pad in at least one of a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction, including rotating the pad without simultaneously moving the pad in the forward direction, the reverse direction, the sideways direction, or the combination of the forward direction, the reverse direction, and the sideways direction;

transporting the received cargo units from the one of the plurality of inbound docking stations to one or more of a plurality of outbound docking stations located on the edge of the omni-directional surface; and
unloading the transported cargo units from the respective plurality of pads and loading the transported cargo units on a second mode of transport at the one or more of the plurality of outbound docking stations.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first mode of transport is the same as the second mode of transport.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first mode of transport is different from the second mode of transport.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising commanding one or more loaded and/or unloaded pads to navigate to a pad storage/holding area of the flat surface.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein transporting the received cargo units further comprises:
in response to a pad of the respective plurality of pads receiving one or more instructions from the controller, the one or more instructions based on a requested order of cargo units on a train leaving the railyard system, navigating the pad along the flat surface to a location of the train based on the one or more instructions, pre-established traffic protocols, and signals received at sensors of the pad; and
in response to the pad not receiving one or more instructions from the controller, navigating the pad along the flat surface based on one or more pre-established staging protocols, pre-established traffic protocols, and signals received at sensors of the pad.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the one or more instructions include instructions to queue up on the flat surface at an outbound docking station of the train based on the requested order of cargo units on the train.

17. A system, comprising:
an autonomous vehicle configured to transport cargo from an inbound docking station of a first mode of transport of a railyard to an outbound docking station of a second mode of transport of the railyard, the inbound docking station and the outbound docking station positioned on a flat, omni-directional surface of the railyard, the autonomous vehicle being freely rotatable on the flat, omni-directional surface,
wherein the autonomous vehicle is configured to:
move in a forward direction, a reverse direction, a sideways direction, or a combination of the forward direction, the reverse direction, and the sideways direction; and
rotate in at least one of a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction, including rotating without simultaneously moving in the forward direction, the reverse direction, the sideways direction, or the combination of the forward direction, the reverse direction, and the sideways direction.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the autonomous vehicle is further configured to receive instructions wirelessly transmitted from a controller of the railyard, the instructions including a designated location for the autonomous vehicle to proceed to.

19. The system of claim 17 , wherein:
the first mode of transport and the second mode of transport are one of a railcar, a truck, and a ship; and
the cargo is one of a container, an empty trailer or truck chassis, and a loaded trailer or truck chassis.

Assignees

• Transp Ip Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Lewis Thomas
• Paul Anthony D
• Mathur Ankit
• North Nathan
• Brooks James

Classifications

• B65G63/004

  for containers · CPC title

• B61J1/02

  Turntables; Integral stops · CPC title

• B61L17/02 Primary

  Details, e.g. indicating degree of track filling · CPC title

• B61L27/37

  Migration, e.g. parallel installations running simultaneously · CPC title

• B61L27/16

  Trackside optimisation of vehicle or train operation · CPC title