Vehicle handling system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018201264-A1
Application number	US-201815918366-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 12, 2018
Priority date	May 20, 2016
Publication date	Jul 19, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method and system include a vehicle system including a plurality of vehicles. The system includes a handling unit comprising a communication device and a controller. The communication device receives first position data for a first vehicle of the vehicle system and second position data for a second vehicle of the vehicle system relative to a route on which the vehicle system is traveling. The controller determines that the first vehicle is entering into a curved portion of the route, and generates a control signal based on the first and second position data. The control signal changes an operating parameter of at least one of the first or second vehicles to control a separation distance between the vehicles or a deviation distance between respective travel paths taken by the first and second vehicles through the curved portion of the route.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system, comprising:
a handling unit comprising a communication device and a controller; wherein the communication device is configured to receive first position data at least for a first vehicle of a vehicle system and second position data for a second vehicle of the vehicle system relative to a route on which the vehicle system is traveling, and is further configured to send and receive data to and from at least one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle; and wherein the controller is configured to:
determine that at least the first vehicle is entering into a curved portion of the route through which the vehicle system is traveling; and
generate a control signal based at least in part on the first and second position data as the first vehicle approaches or travels through the curved portion of a route, and the first and second vehicles are spaced apart from each other by a separation distance,
the control signal configured to change an operating parameter of at least one of the first and second vehicles to control at least one of the separation distance and a deviation distance between a travel path taken by the first vehicle and a travel path taken by the second vehicle through the curved portion of the route.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller may determine that the first vehicle is approaching or entering the curved portion of the route by comparing the first position data to known locations of curved portions of routes stored in a route database.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller may determine that the vehicle system is approaching or entering the curved portion of the route by monitoring a steering position of the first vehicle, wherein the first vehicle is in front of the second vehicle based on a direction of travel of the vehicle system.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the route is a road having at least a first lane and a different second lane, wherein the travel path taken by the first vehicle corresponds to the first lane and the travel path taken by the second vehicle corresponds to the second lane, and the control signal may change the operating parameter of the second vehicle to control the deviation distance to maintain one or both of the first and second vehicles in its respective lane as the vehicle system travels through the curved portion.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the route is a road having a lane and the control signal may change the operating parameter of at least one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle to control the separation distance as the first and second vehicles travel in the lane through the curved portion.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the change to the operating parameter comprises controlling steering of at least one of the first and second vehicles through the curved portion of the route.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the control signal is configured to change the operating parameter of the second vehicle by increasing a force generated by a traction system of the second vehicle relative to a traction system of the first vehicle to reduce the separation distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle as the vehicle system travels through the curved portion of the route.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first vehicle is mechanically separate from the second vehicle and is communicatively connected to the second vehicle via the communication device that defines a communication link, and the first vehicle communicates with the second vehicle via the communication link to travel together along the route with a controlled spacing between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

9 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a first location sensor disposed onboard the first vehicle configured to generate the first position data, and a second location sensor configured to generate the second position data.

10 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a first location sensor disposed offboard the first vehicle and configured to generate the first position data, and a second location sensor configured to generate the second position data.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller determines and monitors the separation distance, the deviation distance, or both the separation distance and the deviation distance starting from when the first vehicle enters the curved portion of the route until the second vehicle exits the curved portion of the route, and the controller maintains the separation distance, the deviation distance, or both the separation distance and the deviation distance to be in a determined range by controlling one or more of the steering of the first vehicle, the steering of the second vehicle, the speed of the first vehicle, and the speed of the second vehicle.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the controller controls the speed, the steering, or both the speed and steering by increasing the torque or motor speed of one or more traction motors that propel at least the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the controller controls the speed, the steering, or both the speed and steering by increasing the torque of two or more traction motors that propel the first vehicle at different torque or motor speed levels relative to each other.

14 . A system, comprising:
a handling unit comprising a communication device and a controller; wherein the communication device is configured to receive first position data at least for a first vehicle of a vehicle system and second position data for a second vehicle of the vehicle system relative to a route on which the vehicle system is traveling, and is further configured to send and receive data to and from at least one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle; and wherein the controller is configured to:
determine that at least the first vehicle is entering into a curved portion of the route through which the vehicle system is traveling; and
generate a control signal based at least in part on route specific information and on the first and second position data as the first vehicle approaches or travels through the curved portion of a route, and the first and second vehicles are spaced apart from each other by a separation distance,
the control signal configured to change an operating parameter of at least one of the first and second vehicles to control at least one of the separation distance and a deviation distance between a travel path taken by the first vehicle and a travel path taken by the second vehicle through the curved portion of the route.

15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the route specific information is determined by the controller onboard first vehicle and communicated via the communication device to the second vehicle.

16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the controller onboard the first vehicle determines the route specific information by monitoring changes in one or more of wheel slippage, impact or vertical acceleration, lateral acceleration, ambient temperature, humidity level, and wind speed.

17 . A method, comprising:
receiving first position data at least for a first vehicle of a vehicle system and second position data for a second vehicle of the vehicle system relative to a route on which the vehicle system is traveling; determining that at least the first vehicle is entering into a curved portion of the route through which the vehicle system is traveling; generating a control signal based at least in part on the first and second position data as the first vehicle appro

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Schoenly Scott Alan

Classifications

• B60W2710/205

  Steering speed · CPC title

• B60W2556/65

  Data transmitted between vehicles · CPC title

• B61L25/025

  Absolute localisation, e.g. providing geodetic coordinates · CPC title

• B60W2556/50

  of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data · CPC title

• B60W2754/30

  Longitudinal distance · CPC title