System and method for coordinating terminal operations with line of road movements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9896115-B2
Application number	US-201615192202-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 24, 2016
Priority date	Jun 27, 2015
Publication date	Feb 20, 2018
Grant date	Feb 20, 2018

Abstract

A terminal operating system includes one or more processors configured to obtain one or more parameters of non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles and to determine which of the non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles are to be included in a vehicle system assembled in a terminal or yard based on the one or more parameters. The one or more parameters include one or more of an earliest time of availability at which cargo equipment will be available in the terminal or yard, a safety operational characteristic, an efficiency operational characteristic of the one or more non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles, and/or a priority parameter of the one or more non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles. The one or more processors are configured to automatically direct equipment within the terminal or yard to assemble the vehicle system based on the one or more parameters.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A terminal operating system comprising:
one or more processors configured to obtain one or more parameters of non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles and to determine which of the non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles are to be included in a vehicle system assembled in a terminal or yard based on the one or more parameters, wherein the one or more parameters include one or more of an earliest time of availability at which cargo equipment will be available in the terminal or yard or an efficiency operational characteristic of the one or more non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles, wherein the one or more processors are configured to automatically direct equipment within the terminal or yard to assemble the vehicle system based on the one or more parameters.

2. The terminal operating system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive, from a road dispatch system, one or more of route grades or curvatures, and the one or more processors are configured to determine an amount of propulsive force needed for the vehicle system to complete travel of a trip along a route that includes the one or more route grades or curvatures.

3. The terminal operating system of claim 2 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine which propulsion-generating vehicles to include in the vehicle system based on the amount of propulsive force that is determined.

4. The terminal operating system of claim 3 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine which of the propulsion-generating vehicles to include in the vehicle system based on which of the propulsion-generating vehicles are available or will be available for inclusion in the vehicle system prior to a scheduled departure of the vehicle system.

5. The terminal operating system of claim 1 , wherein the earliest time of availability at which cargo equipment will be available in the terminal or yard indicates when the cargo equipment will be available for one or more of loading cargo onto or unloading cargo from the one or more non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles.

6. The terminal operating system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors also are configured to determine which of the non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles are to be included in the vehicle system based on a restriction on how closely a lighter non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicle can be located to a heavier non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicle within the vehicle system.

7. The terminal operating system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors also are configured to determine which of the non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles are to be included in the vehicle system based on a restriction on how closely one or more of the non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles can be located to a propulsion-generating vehicle within the vehicle system.

8. The terminal operating system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors also are configured to determine which of the non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles are to be included in the vehicle system based on a requirement that the propulsion-generating vehicles be distributed throughout a length of the vehicle system.

9. The terminal operating system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors also are configured to determine which of the non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles are to be included in the vehicle system based on a requirement that two or more of the non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles having double stacked containers be disposed next to each other in the vehicle system.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more parameters include the earliest time of availability at which cargo equipment will be available in the terminal or yard, a safety operational characteristic, the efficiency operational characteristic of the one or more non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles, and a priority parameter of the one or more non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles.

11. A method comprising:
obtaining, at a terminal operating system of a terminal or yard, one or more parameters of non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles;
selecting the non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles that are to be included in a vehicle system assembled in the terminal or yard based on the one or more parameters, wherein the one or more parameters include one or more of an earliest time of availability at which cargo equipment will be available in the terminal or yard or an efficiency operational characteristic of the one or more non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles; and
assembling the vehicle system with the non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles that are selected for inclusion in the vehicle system.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
receiving, at the terminal operating system from a road dispatch system, one or more of route grades or curvatures; and
determining an amount of propulsive force needed for the vehicle system to complete travel of a trip along a route that includes the one or more route grades or curvatures.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein determining which propulsion-generating vehicles to include in the vehicle system is based on the amount of propulsive force that is determined.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein determining which of the propulsion-generating vehicles to include in the vehicle system is based on which of the propulsion-generating vehicles are available or will be available for inclusion in the vehicle system prior to a scheduled departure of the vehicle system.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the earliest time of availability at which cargo equipment will be available in the terminal or yard indicates when the cargo equipment will be available for one or more of loading cargo onto or unloading cargo from the one or more non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein selecting the non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles that are to be included in the vehicle system also is based on a restriction on how closely a lighter non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicle can be located to a heavier non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicle within the vehicle system.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein selecting the non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles that are to be included in the vehicle system also is based on a restriction on how closely one or more of the non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles can be located to a propulsion-generating vehicle within the vehicle system.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein selecting the non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles that are to be included in the vehicle system also is based on a requirement that the propulsion-generating vehicles be distributed throughout a length of the vehicle system.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein selecting the non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles that are to be included in the vehicle system also is based on a requirement that two or more of the non-propulsion-generating cargo vehicles having double stacked containers be disposed next to each other in the vehicle system.

20. A system comprising:
one or more first processors configured to obtain, at a road dispatch system that schedules movements of vehicle systems on routes that are outside of vehicle yards and terminals in a transportation network, travel parameters related to the movements of vehicle systems on the routes that are outside of the vehicle yards and terminals in the transportation network;
one or more second processors configured to obtain, a

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Wills Mitchell Scott
• Telatar Mahir Erdem
• Li Jian
• Fletcher Trevor
• Peltz David

Classifications

• B61L27/0077

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B61L17/02 Primary

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

• B61L27/0005

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B61L27/0016 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B61L27/70

  Details of trackside communication · CPC title