US 12,746,957 B2 · Train consist build optimization

Abstract

Combining a rail yard management system with an energy management system and health management system for optimizing a train consist build is provided. The rail yard management system determines railway cars and locomotives currently available at the rail yard. If there are not enough railway cars and/or locomotives available at the rail yard, the rail yard management system predicts or determines available railway cars and/or locomotives that are part of one or more inbound train consists. The rail yard management system queries the energy management system for energy management data associated with the locomotives to be assigned to the train consist. Planning of a desired train consist is a dynamic and iterative process where the planned train consist may be iteratively revised to include modifying the numbers and positions of locomotives to be included in the train consist for optimizing energy management and health management of the planned train consist.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of building a train consist, comprising:

receiving a request for a train consist;
determining a railway car makeup including one or more railway cars, and a locomotive makeup including one or more locomotives;
determining a total power availability for the one or more locomotives included in the locomotive makeup;
in response to a determination that the total power availability exceeds a total power availability required for moving the train consist along a route, revising the locomotive makeup to a revised locomotive makeup having a revised total power availability less than or equal to a prescribed energy profile range for the train consist;
and
causing, by a rail yard management system, assembly of the train consist according to the railway car makeup and the revised locomotive makeup.

3 more elements

A system for building a train consist, comprising:

a rail yard management system operative
to receive a request for a train consist including one or more railway cars and one or more locomotives;
to determine availability of one or more railway cars for inclusion in the train consist;
to determine availability of one or more locomotives for inclusion in the train consist;
to determine a railway car makeup and a locomotive makeup of the train consist based on availability of one or more railway cars and locomotives for inclusion in the train consist;
an energy management system operative
to determine a total power availability for the one or more locomotives included in the locomotive makeup;
to revise the locomotive makeup until a revised locomotive makeup has a total power availability less than or equal to a prescribed energy profile range for the train consist in response to a determination that the total power availability exceeds a total power availability required for moving the train consist along a route;
and
the rail yard management system being further operative
to assemble the train consist according to the railway car makeup and the revised locomotive makeup.

8 more elements

A system for building a train consist, comprising:

a rail yard management system operative
to determine one or more railway cars and one or more locomotives available in a rail yard that may be used in the train consist;
to predict one or more railway cars and locomotives inbound to the rail yard that will be available for use in the train consist after arrival at the rail yard;
to generate an initial train consist build based on one or more railway cars and one or more locomotives available for use in the train consist;
an energy management system operative
to determine a total power availability for the one or more locomotives available for use in the train consist;
to revise the initial train consist until a revised train consist has a total power availability less than or equal to a prescribed energy profile range required for moving the train consist along a route;
a locomotive health management system operative
to generate a locomotive health management profile for the initial train consist build based at least in part on inclusion of locomotive health management information associated with one or more locomotives included in the initial train consist build;
and
the rail yard management system being further operative
to determine whether the revised train consist is optimized for energy efficiency based at least in part on whether energy management information associated with one or more locomotives included in the initial train consist build indicates energy associated with the one or more locomotives exceeds energy required for moving a train consist built according to the initial train consist build along the route for the train consist;
to determine whether the revised train consist is optimized for locomotive health management based at least in part on whether locomotive health management information associated with one or more locomotives included in the initial train consist build indicates a locomotive health score for each of the one or more locomotives included in the initial train consist meets one or more acceptable locomotive health operating parameters for the route of the train consist;
and
to move one or more railway cars and one or more locomotives included in a revised train consist into a train consist build area and to assemble the revised train consist.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Train consist build optimization

Life of this patent

Train consist build optimization

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20