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.

The driving assistance device (10) for a railway vehicle comprises means (12) for determining a target speed (V.sub.c), means (20) for comparing an instantaneous speed (V.sub.i) of the railway vehicle with the target speed (V.sub.c) or an interval surrounding the target speed, and means (22) for indicating driving instructions intended for a driver of the railway vehicle, said driving instructions including instructions for modifying the instantaneous speed (V.sub.i) with view to bringing it closer to the target speed (V.sub.c).

A driving assistance device including means for determining a target speed, means for comparing an instantaneous speed of the railway vehicle with the target speed or with an interval around the target speed, and means for displaying driving instructions intended for a conductor of the railway vehicle, the driving instructions including instructions for modifying the instantaneous speed in order to bring it closer to the target speed, the display means being configured to: display a speed increase instruction icon when the instantaneous speed is below a first predetermined value, and to display a speed decrease instruction icon when the instantaneous speed is above a second predefined value.

A control system identifies vehicle systems for combining into a larger convoy. Each the vehicle systems is formed from at least one propulsion-generating vehicle and at least one non-propulsion-generating vehicle. The control system directs the identified vehicle systems to couple with each other for travel as the convoy from a first location toward a different, second location. The control system directs a first vehicle system in the convoy to separate from the convoy and/or a second vehicle system to join the convoy by coupling with at least one of the vehicle systems in the convoy in an intermediate location between the first and second locations. The vehicles in each of the vehicle systems in the convoy remain connected during separation of the first vehicle system from the convoy and/or during joining of the second vehicle system to the convoy.

The invention relates to systems and methods that provide a higher degree of precision and a greater coordination of vehicle movement than is possible in conventional systems. A control system is designed to enforce vehicle movement along a route to a position versus time trajectory. The control system includes control equipment on the vehicle that reports its location on the track periodically. The controlling computer receives the report, and knowing where the vehicle should be and how fast it should be traveling at that point in time via a run definition table prepared for the route, calculates a position and velocity error, then calculates and sends a tractive effort adjustment command to the vehicle that attempts to reduce the position and velocity error. The invention includes a method for providing an estimated force command for a given target velocity and acceleration that can be used in the overall control methodology.

A distributed power system includes a communication device and a control device. The communication device is configured to be disposed onboard a first vehicle of a vehicle system that also includes at least a second vehicle. The communication device is configured to communicate a discover message. The control device is configured to be operatively connected to the communication device, and, responsive to the communication device receiving a discover reply message from a second vehicle, to generate a configure message for the communication device to transmit to the second vehicle based on an identifier of the second vehicle included in the discover reply message. The configure message includes instructions for the second vehicle to transition to a remote mode of operation in which remote control of tractive and braking efforts of the second vehicle is enabled.

An energy management system and method for a vehicle system operate the vehicle system according to a current trip plan as the vehicle system travels along a route during a trip. The current trip plan designates operational settings of the vehicle system. The system and method also revise the current trip plan into a revised trip plan responsive to current, actual operation of the vehicle system differing from the current trip plan by at least a designated threshold amount. The revised trip plan designates operational settings of the vehicle system and includes an initial designated operational setting that matches the current, actual operation of the vehicle system.

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.

The limit information acquisition unit is configured to acquire limit information including speed limit information and the position information corresponding to the speed limit, from a vehicle speed limit unit that is configured to set the speed limits at a plurality of positions in order to achieve a predetermined deceleration completion speed at the speed limit start position. The current position acquisition unit is configured to acquire a current position of the vehicle. The current speed acquisition unit is configured to acquire a current speed of the vehicle. The travel curve generation unit is configured to generate a travel curve which satisfies the speed limit at each position obtained from the limit information according to the acquired limit information, the current position, and the current speed. The speed command unit is configured to generate a speed command according to the generated travel curve and the current position.

A train overspeed protection method includes: acquiring, when emergency braking is triggered for a train, an initial speed limit location point of each speed limit region among a preset number of speed limit regions, and a first speed limit value corresponding to each initial speed limit location point so as to obtain a plurality of first speed limit values; acquiring a current traveling location point of the train and a corresponding second speed limit value, and acquiring a current traveling speed of the train; determining a plurality of decelerations of the current traveling speed relative to each first speed limit value, selecting a deceleration satisfying a preset condition from the plurality of decelerations, and determining the initial speed limit location point corresponding to the deceleration satisfying the preset condition as a target speed limit location point; determining an emergency braking speed according to a relative deceleration of the second speed limit value relative to the first speed limit value corresponding to the target speed limit location point, and performing overspeed protection on the train according to the emergency braking speed.