Vehicle maintenance system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020122755-A1
Application number	US-201916718751-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 18, 2019
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Apr 23, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system may include a controller with one or more processors. The controller may determine the wheel size of a wheel of a vehicle during a trip. The one or more processors may communicate a message associated with the wheel size to an off-board device when the wheel size is below a threshold size.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system, comprising:
a controller including one or more processors configured to:
determine the wheel size of a wheel of a vehicle during a trip; and
communicate a message associated with the wheel size to an off-board device when the wheel size is below a threshold size.

2 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more sensors configured to sense or measure or monitor one or more operational parameters of the vehicle during the trip.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the wheel size based at least in part on the one or more operational parameters.

4 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the operational parameters include one or more of an initial wheel size, a wheel rotation count during the trip, a tachometer reading during the trip, a calculated distance traveled during the trip, and a terrain profile of a portion of a route already travelled by the vehicle during the trip.

5 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the one or more operational parameters include one or more of a top speed, an average speed, a braking rate, and a braking frequency during the trip.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the off-board device is configured to communicate the message associated with the wheel size to a dispatch system.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the off-board device is configured to communicate with a maintenance scheduling system and thereby to schedule a time, a location, or a time and location for maintenance of the wheel based at least in part on the determined wheel size.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to determine respective wheel sizes of plural wheels of the vehicle during operation of the vehicle.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the wheel size determined by the controller includes a thickness of the material forming the wheel based a predicted wear of the wheel during the trip.

10 . A method, comprising:
calculating a wheel size of a wheel of a vehicle during operation of the vehicle during a trip; determining if the wheel size is below a first threshold size; and communicating a first message associated with the wheel size to a first off-board device in response to the wheel size being calculated to be below the first threshold size.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
determining if the wheel size is below a second threshold size; and communicating a second message associated with the wheel size to a second off-board device when the wheel size is below the second threshold size, wherein the first off-board device communicates with a dispatch system and the second off-board device communicates with a maintenance scheduling system.

12 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising calculating, after the wheel size reaches the first threshold size, a distance to be traveled by the vehicle until the wheel size of the wheel will reach a smaller second threshold size.

13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising sending a signal to schedule maintenance for the vehicle based at least in part on the calculated distance to be traveled before the wheel size reaches the second threshold size.

14 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the calculating is based at least in part on one or more measured operational parameters.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the operational parameters comprise one or more of an initial wheel size, a wheel rotation count during the trip, a tachometer reading during the trip, a calculated distance traveled during the trip, and a terrain profile of a portion of a route already travelled by the vehicle during the trip.

16 . A system, comprising:
at least one sensor on-board a vehicle configured to sense at least one operational parameter of the vehicle; one or more processors on-board the vehicle and in communication with the at least one sensor being configured to: determine a wheel size of a wheel of the vehicle while the vehicle is operating based at least in part on the at least one operational parameter; and communicate a first message relating to the wheel size when the wheel size reaches a first threshold size.

17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the wheel size based at least in part on the at least one operational parameter during execution of a trip plan by the vehicle.

18 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
determine if the wheel size is below a second threshold size that is a smaller size than the first threshold size; and communicate a second message associated with the wheel size to an off-board device when the wheel size is below the second threshold size.

19 . The system of claim 18 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one of a global positioning system or a tachometer.

20 . The system of claim 18 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive a route for the vehicle that is selected by a dispatch system based at least in part on the first message, the second message, or both the first and second messages.

Assignees

• Transp Ip Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Claussen Christopher
• Kernwein Jeffrey D
• Gorman Joseph
• Pulliam David Bradley
• Kumar Ajith Kuttannair
• Worden Bret Dwayne
• Mcgarry Jeremy Thomas
• Ruybal Kevin Ray

Classifications

• B61K11/00 Primary

  Serving peculiar to locomotives, e.g. filling with, or emptying of, water, sand or the like at the depots · CPC title

• B60L2200/26

  Rail vehicles · CPC title

• B60L2240/465

  Slip · CPC title

• B60L2260/44

  by parameter estimation · 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