# US 10,479,379 B2 · Power control system for a vehicle system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,479,379 B2 - Document ID: US10479379B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/461,548 - Filed: 2017-03-17 - Published: 2017-09-28 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2016-03-24 - Assignees: Ge Global Sourcing LLC - Applicants: General Electric Company - Inventors: Lucas Vares Vargas; Harry Kirk Mathews, Jr.; Brian Nedward Meyer; Gabriel de Albuquerque Gleizer; Carlos Gonzaga - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10479379B2 ## CPC - B61L 15/0058: {On-board optimisation of vehicle or vehicle train operation} - B60T 7/128: {Self-acting brakes of different types for railway vehicles (B60T7/12 takes precedence; self-acting brakes in general F16D59/00)} - B60T 13/665: {the systems being specially adapted for transferring two or more command signals, e.g. railway systems (B60T13/662 takes precedence)} - B60T 17/228: {for railway vehicles} - B61H 13/20: Transmitting mechanisms - B61L 15/0062: {On-board target speed calculation or supervision} - B61L 15/0072: {On-board train data handling} - B61L 15/0081: {On-board diagnosis or maintenance} - B61L 27/12: Preparing schedules - B61L 27/16: Trackside optimisation of vehicle or train operation - G01C 21/20: Instruments for performing navigational calculations (G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence) - Y02T 10/72: Electric energy management in electromobility - B61L: GUIDING RAILWAY TRAFFIC; ENSURING THE SAFETY OF RAILWAY TRAFFIC (brakes or auxiliary equipment B61H, B61K; point or crossing construction E01B) - B60T: VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL (electrodynamic brake systems for vehicle, in general B60L; brakes per se, i.e. devices where braking effect occurs, including ultimate brake actuators, F16D); ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES - B61H: BRAKES OR OTHER RETARDING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR RAIL VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR DISPOSITION THEREOF IN RAIL VEHICLES (arrangements in rail vehicles for adjusting wheel-braking force to meet varying vehicular or permanent-way conditions B60T8/00; transmitting braking action from initiating means to ultimate brake actuator with power assistance or drive, brake systems incorporating such transmitting means, e.g. air-pressure brake systems, B60T13/00; construction, arrangement or operation of valves incorporated in power brake systems B60T15/00; component parts, details or accessories of brake systems B60T17/00) - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract 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. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A power control system for a vehicle system, the power control system comprising: one or more processors configured to identify coupler nodes in a vehicle system for travel of the vehicle system along a route, the coupler nodes representative of slack states of couplers between vehicles in the vehicle system, the one or more processors also configured to determine one or more combined driving parameters at one or more locations along the route where a state of one or more of the coupler nodes in the vehicle system will change within the vehicle system during the upcoming movement of the vehicle system, wherein the one or more processors also are configured to determine 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 one or more combined driving parameters among two or more of the vehicles by determining individual driving parameters for the two or more vehicles based on the restriction that is determined, the individual driving parameters including one or more throttle settings or brake settings of the vehicles. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The power control system of claim 1, wherein the driving parameters that are determined include one or more of a throttle setting of one or more of the vehicles, a brake setting of one or more of the vehicles, a moving speed of one or more of the vehicles, a tractive power generated by one or more of the vehicles, a tractive effort generated by one or more of the vehicles, a braking force generated by one or more of the vehicles, or an acceleration of one or more of the vehicles. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The power control system of claim 1, wherein the couplers include at least one end of car cushioning coupler and the one or more processors are configured to determine the one or more combined driving parameters by determining where the state of the at least one end of car cushioning coupler changes. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The power control system of claim 1, wherein the coupler nodes represent locations in the vehicle system where the vehicles move relative to each other within the vehicle system while the couplers between the vehicles remain in the slack states. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The power control system of claim 1, wherein the combined driving parameters represent synchronous power settings of the vehicles in a first set of the vehicles in the vehicle system and the vehicles in a different, second set of the vehicles in the vehicle system. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The power control system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the restriction on the operations of the vehicle system by determining one or more of a lower power limit or an upper power limit on at least one of the vehicles in the vehicle system. ### Claim 7 A method for dictating power settings for a vehicle system, the method comprising: identifying coupler nodes in a vehicle system for travel of the vehicle system along a route, the coupler nodes representative of slack states of couplers connected to one or more vehicles in the vehicle system; determining one or more combined driving parameters at one or more locations along the route where a state of one or more of the coupler nodes in the vehicle system will change within the vehicle system during the upcoming movement of the vehicle system; and determining an individual driving parameter for one or more vehicles based on a restriction that is determined, the individual driving parameter including a power setting of the one or more vehicles. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the driving parameters that are determined include one or more of a throttle setting of one or more of the vehicles, a brake setting of one or more of the vehicles, a moving speed of one or more of the vehicles, a tractive power generated by one or more of the vehicles, a tractive effort generated by one or more of the vehicles, a braking force generated by one or more of the vehicles, or an acceleration of one or more of the vehicles. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the coupler nodes represent locations in the vehicle system where the vehicles move relative to each other within the vehicle system while the couplers between the vehicles remain in the slack states. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the combined driving parameters represent synchronous power settings of the vehicles in a first set of the vehicles in the vehicle system and the vehicles in a different, second set of the vehicles in the vehicle system. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein determining the restriction on the operations of the vehicle system includes determining one or more of a lower power limit or an upper power limit on at least one of the vehicles in the vehicle system. ### Claim 12 A method for controlling a vehicle system, the method comprising: determining a location along a route during an upcoming trip of a vehicle system that coupler nodes in the vehicle system will collide with each other; distributing a power output among two or more propulsion-generating vehicles on opposite sides of at least one of the coupler nodes in the vehicle system, the power output preventing the coupler nodes from colliding with each other at the location along the route; determining a restriction on operations of the vehicle system to control the coupler nodes; and generating a trip plan for the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system based on the power output that is distributed and the restriction on operations determined to control the coupler nodes, the trip plan designating one or more moving speeds, throttle settings, or brake settings of the vehicle system as a function of distance along the route. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the coupler nodes represent locations in the vehicle system where segments of one or more vehicles connected by a coupler in the vehicle system move relative to each other within the vehicle system while the coupler remains in a slack state. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the power output represents a synchronous power setting for the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system to generate the power output. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein distributing the power output includes asynchronously distributing the power output among the propulsion-generating vehicles to cause the propulsion-generating vehicles to generate the total power output.