A power control system for a vehicle system identifies coupler nodes in the vehicle system for travel of the vehicle system along a route. The coupler nodes represent slack states of couplers between vehicles in the vehicle system. The system also determines combined driving parameters at locations along the route where a state of the coupler nodes in the vehicle system will change within the vehicle system during the upcoming movement of the vehicle system. The system determines a restriction on operations of the vehicle system to control the coupler nodes during the upcoming movement of the vehicle system and to distribute the combined driving parameters among two or more of the vehicles.

A system (e.g., a target activation system for a transportation network) includes one or more processors configured to be operably coupled onboard a vehicle system having one or more vehicles. The processor(s) are further configured to determine an estimated time of arrival of the vehicle system at a first target location associated with a forward route of the vehicle system, determine a gap time between when the vehicle system leaves the first target location and is estimated to arrive at a second target location, and, based at least in part on the estimated time of arrival, a dwell time of the vehicle system at the first target location, the gap time, an allowable speed or acceleration of the vehicle system, and a designated warning time, generate an activation message configured to control at least one device associated with the second target location.

A method of controlling a vehicle to soft-land at a target destination includes: determining a terminal set, which is a set of system states of the vehicle under which the vehicle will converge to a target set under constant zero control input; determining a sequence of polytopes, each polytope being an approximation of a backward reachable set of system states of the vehicle; and controlling the vehicle to reach the destination based on the determined polytopes. The method may be performed by one or more controllers.

A system includes a safety mode activation device disposed onboard a vehicle system and operatively connected to a controller of the vehicle system. The safety mode activation device is configured to receive a status signal indicating a presence of one or more of an operator or an active work marker in a location proximate to the vehicle system. The safety mode activation device is further configured to transmit a lockout signal to the controller to prevent movement of the vehicle system along a route responsive to receiving the status signal.

System includes a control system used to control operation of a vehicle system as the vehicle system moves along a route. The vehicle system includes a plurality of system vehicles in which adjacent system vehicles are operatively coupled such that the adjacent system vehicles are permitted to move relative to one another. The control system includes one or more processors that are configured to (a) receive operational settings of the vehicle system and (b) input the operational settings into a system model of the vehicle system to determine an observed metric of the vehicle system. The one or more processors are also configured to (c) compare the observed metric to a reference metric and (d) modify the operational settings of the vehicle system based on differences between the observed and the reference metrics.

A model formula representing the relationship between an error between a predetermined stopping position and an actually-stopped position of a vehicle indicating the result of an automatic stop control, which controls the vehicle to stop at the predetermined stopping position using running-condition parameters, and the running-condition parameters used for the automatic stop control is calculated via machine learning. A stopping error is estimated with respect to the next stopping position, at which the vehicle currently running is going to stop, according to the model formula which is calculated in the past. The changing parameter to be changed is specified among the running-condition parameters, and then the changing parameter used for the automatic stop control is updated with a correction value configured to correct the stopping error of the vehicle.

A computer-implemented method for determining at a lead locomotive in a train consist a communications status of at least one remote locomotive of a plurality of remote locomotives of the train consist, and a system for determining, at a lead locomotive in a train consist, a communications status of at least one remote locomotive of the train consist.

A system is provided that include at least one positioning system that can detect a location or position of a vehicle or a portion of a vehicle group that includes the vehicle, at least one sensor positioned on or associated with the vehicle that can generate sensor data of a determined parameter or condition, and a controller in communication with the sensor and the positioning system. The controller can determine that a hazard event has occurred based at least partially on sensor data, and can communicate a hazard event notification based at least in part on the location data and the sensor data to a remote server.

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.

A positioning guidance system and method based on guide rails, comprising: a host computer; a guide rail band; a plurality of beacons arranged along the guide rail band; and a receiver array fixedly mounted on a target to be positioned and guided, wherein: the host computer is connected to the guide rail band and the beacons; the beacons are connected to the receiver array; the host computer transmits movement requirements and a list and sequence of beacons to be passed to the receiver array through the beacons; the guide rail band transmits a positioning guidance signal to the receiver array; and the receiver array determines a relative position of the target to be positioned and guided by taking the guide rail band as reference, according to a projection of the guide rail band on the receiver array.