Vehicle handling system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9963154-B2
Application number	US-201615159893-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2016
Priority date	May 20, 2016
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

A method and system include a vehicle system including a plurality of vehicles. The vehicle system is configured to travel along a route. A plurality of location determination devices are onboard the vehicle system. Each of the plurality of location determination devices is configured to output position data regarding a location of at least one of the plurality of vehicles. A handling unit is in communication with the plurality of location determination devices. The handling unit is configured to receive the position data from the plurality of location determination devices and control separation distances between the plurality of vehicles based on the position data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a communication interface configured to receive sensor information from plural sensors onboard a vehicle system that includes plural vehicles having traction systems, wherein the sensor information is indicative of one or more operational conditions of the vehicle system; and
a controller configured to receive the sensor information from the communication interface and to generate a control signal based at least in part on the sensor information,
wherein the communication interface is configured to communicate the control signal to the traction systems of the vehicles, wherein the control signal is configured to control the traction systems to increase a force exerted by the vehicles on an outside rail of a route being traveled by the vehicle system by increasing a force generated by at least one of the traction systems located closer to a trailing end of the vehicle system relative to at least one of the traction systems located closer to a leading end of the vehicle system to cause bunching of at least two of the vehicles as the vehicle system travels through a curved portion of the route.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising location determination devices configured to be disposed onboard the vehicle system, wherein the location determination devices are configured to output position data indicative of a location of at least one of the vehicles, wherein the controller is configured to receive the position data from the location determination devices and to increase the force exerted on the outside rail of the route by controlling separation distances between the vehicles based on the position data.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the location determination devices are configured to be disposed onboard different vehicles of the vehicles in the vehicle system.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein each of the location determination devices is configured to be disposed onboard a different vehicle of the vehicles in the vehicle system.

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the location determination devices comprises a global positioning system (GPS) device.

6. The system of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the location determination devices comprises a radio frequency identification (RFI) device.

7. The system of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the location determination devices is configured to be mounted to at least one of the vehicles.

8. The system of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the location determination devices is configured to be secured to a remote device that is onboard at least one of the vehicles.

9. The system of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to maintain the separation distances within a predetermined safe separation range.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to be onboard at least one of the vehicles.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to be remotely located from the vehicle system and to generate the control signal while off-board the vehicle system.

12. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a route guidance unit configured to determine one or more features of the route and to communicate the one or more features of the route to the controller, wherein the controller is configured to adjust at least one of the separation distances between the vehicles based on the one or more features of the route determined by the route guidance unit.

13. A method comprising:
determining that a vehicle system having plural vehicles is approaching or entering a curved portion of a route, the vehicles including traction systems that propel the vehicles and the vehicle system; and
increasing a force exerted by the vehicles on an outside rail of the route in the curved portion of the route by increasing a force generated by at least one of the traction systems located closer to a trailing end of the vehicle system relative to at least one of the traction systems located closer to a leading end of the vehicle system using a handling unit that generates a control signal to control the traction systems of the vehicles as the vehicle system travels through the curved portion of the route.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
receiving, by the handling unit, position data indicative of locations of the vehicles from location determination devices onboard the vehicle system; and
controlling, by the handling unit, the one or more separation distances between the vehicles based on the position data.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising maintaining the one or more separation distances within a predetermined safe separation range using the handling unit.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the control signal is generated by the handling unit that is onboard at least one of the vehicles.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the control signal is generated by the handling unit that is off-board the vehicle system.

18. The method of claim 13 , further comprising adjusting, with the handling unit, the one or more separation distances between the vehicles based on features of the route as determined by a route guidance unit that is in communication with the handling unit.

19. A system comprising:
one or more processors configured to determine a location of a vehicle system formed from two or more vehicles, the one or more processors also configured to determine whether the vehicle system is approaching or entering a curved portion of a route based on the location that is determined, the one or more processors also configured to automatically generate a control signal that increases a tractive force generated by one or more traction systems onboard the vehicles and located closer to a trailing end of the vehicle system relative to a tractive force generated by one or more other traction motors onboard the vehicles and located farther from the trailing end of the vehicle system.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate the control signal to increase a force exerted by the vehicle system on an outside rail of the route in the curved portion of the route.

21. The system of claim 19 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine a length of the vehicle system by directing at least one of the vehicles to move in a direction away from one or more other vehicles in the vehicle system and determining distances between the vehicles in the vehicle system.

22. The system of claim 19 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine a length of the vehicle system by directing at least one of the vehicles to move in a direction toward one or more other vehicles in the vehicle system and determining distances between the vehicles in the vehicle system.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Schoenly Scott Alan

Classifications

• B61L3/006

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B61L3/16

  Continuous control along the route · CPC title

• B61C17/12 Primary

  Control gear; Arrangements for controlling locomotives from remote points in the train or when operating in multiple units (control from points outside the train B61L3/00; fluid-actuated telemotors, servomotors F15B; control devices in general G05) · CPC title

• B61L2205/04

  Satellite based navigation systems, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] · CPC title

• B60L15/2045

  for optimising the use of energy · CPC title