B61L15/0058

MONITORING SYSTEM FOR DETECTING DEGRADATION OF A PROPULSION SUBSYSTEM

A system detects a parameter and generates a first trip plan to automatically control the vehicle according to a first trip plan. A controller is connected to a sensor and configured to receive the parameter. The controller is configured to generate a new trip plan or modify the first trip plan into a modified trip plan based on at least one of a cumulative damage or an end of life. A new trip plan or the modified trip plan is configured, during operation of the vehicle according to the new trip plan or the modified trip plan, for at least one of an adjustment in velocity or avoiding one or more operating conditions of the vehicle, relative to the first trip plan.

Wireless Train Management System
20190225246 · 2019-07-25 · ·

A train system is provided that includes a train set including at least one railway car, at least one first set of two trackside points located along a path of the train set, at least one second set of two trackside points, at least one RFID tag located at each of the trackside points configured to store dynamic and static characteristics of the train set as it passes the at least one first set of two trackside points, at least one RFID tag located at each of the at least one first set of two trackside points and the at least one second set of two trackside points, the at least one RFID tag being configured to store characteristics of the train set as it passes the at least one second set of the at least two track points, and at least one RFID tag reader connected to a network.

Wireless Train Management System
20190225247 · 2019-07-25 · ·

A train system is provided that includes a train set including at least one railway car, at least one first set of two trackside points located along a path of the train set, at least one second set of two trackside points, at least one RFID tag located at each of the trackside points configured to store dynamic and static characteristics of the train set as it passes the at least one first set of two trackside points, at least one RFID tag located at each of the at least one first set of two trackside points and the at least one second set of two trackside points, the at least one RFID tag being configured to store characteristics of the train set as it passes the at least one second set of the at least two track points, and at least one RFID tag reader connected to a network.

Methods and Systems for Implementing Drive Systems and Braking Systems on Railway Vehicles

Example embodiments relate to implementing electromechanical drive systems and auxiliary braking systems on freight cars and other railway vehicles. Such motive systems can include electric motors and power sources that can be installed on new or existing non-locomotive railway vehicles to supplement and/or replace energy typically generated by one or more locomotives in the trainset. Some motive systems further include regenerative braking systems that can supplement existing braking systems and enable energy to be captured and stored locally at batteries onboard the railway vehicle for subsequent use by the drivetrain. A computing system may use sensor data from onboard sensors, route data, weather data, and/or other sources of information to determine and execute control strategies that leverage the drive system and auxiliary braking in ways that reduces the power required by locomotives and/or the stress impacting couplers between railway vehicles within the train.

Vehicle control system

A vehicle control system includes a controller that determines a communication loss between a first vehicle and a second vehicle and/or a monitoring device in a vehicle system. The controller determines an operational restriction on movement of the vehicle system based on the communication loss that is determined, and obtains a transitional plan that designates operational settings of the vehicle system at different locations along a route being traveled by the vehicle system, different distances along the route, and/or different times. The controller also automatically changes the movement of the vehicle system according to the operational settings designated by the transitional plan to reduce the movement of the vehicle system to or below the operational restriction determined by the controller responsive to the communication loss being detected.

LOCOMOTIVE CONTROL SYSTEM

A locomotive control system includes a locomotive having a traction motor and sensors. The traction motor provides tractive effort for propelling the locomotive and the sensors measure performance conditions of the locomotive. The system also includes a controller having one or more processors communicatively coupled with the traction motor. The controller selects one or more baseline conditions that designate operational conditions under which the locomotive is to operate, and monitors the performance conditions that are generated by the locomotive during operation of the locomotive according to the operational conditions designated by the one or more baseline conditions. The controller identifies a flashover condition or a plugging condition of the locomotive by comparing the performance conditions that are generated by the locomotive during operation of the locomotive with the one or more baseline conditions. The flashover condition or the plugging condition causing degradation of one or more components of the locomotive.

LOCOMOTIVE CONTROL SYSTEM

A locomotive control system measures actuating parameters of a locomotive propulsion system and monitors the actuating parameters according to a forcing function of operation of the propulsion system. A degraded component of the locomotive is identified by comparing actuating parameters generated according to the forcing function with actuating parameters expressed as a function of speed of another locomotive propulsion system, examining changes in the generated actuating parameters over time, examining oscillations in movement of the locomotive during gear shifting, comparing wheel speed decreases during another forcing function, and/or comparing a magnitude of a spectrum of the actuating parameters of with one or more designated magnitudes.

ONBOARD SYSTEM AND TRANSPORT VEHICLE MAINTENANCE METHOD

An onboard system includes two control parts. Each of the two control parts has the function of performing a first process for controlling the travel of the transport vehicle. In a period during which a first control part being one control part out of the two control parts is performing the first process, a second control part being other control part out of the two control parts does not perform the first process. In the period during which the first control part is performing the first process, the second control part performs a maintenance process for performing maintenance of the transport vehicle.

System for controlling speed of railway vehicles by considering braking characteristic
10308264 · 2019-06-04 · ·

The present disclosure relates to a speed control system of a railway vehicle in consideration of a braking characteristic, and more particularly, to a speed control system of a railway vehicle in consideration of a braking characteristic, which calculates in real time a time-to-target-speed-crossing (TTTSC) that is a time required for a speed of a train to exceed a speed of an automatic train operation (ATO) profile through a future speed estimation of the train, and controls the speed of the train to be interlocked with the TTTSC.

LOCOMOTIVE CONTROL SYSTEM

A control system dictates operational settings of a rail vehicle system based a transitory second speed limit that is no faster than a current first speed limit and which is issued for a determined segment of the track for a determined time period. The control system obtains a current time, determines whether the transitory second speed limit has started, is in effect, or has expired based on the current time relative to the determined time period, and, in response to such determination, performs one or more of (a) generate a prompt to indicate that the determined time period has expired, (b) operate the rail vehicle system at the first speed limit, and/or (c) modify the operational settings of the rail vehicle system to exceed the second speed limit in the determined segment but not exceed the first speed limit for the determined segment.