General Electric Company

Transportation IP Holdings, LLC

Ge Global Sourcing LLC

Dan Dai

James D Brooks

Harry Kirk Mathews, Jr

Brian Nedward Meyer

Anup Menon

Joseph Daniel Wakeman

Ramu Sharat Chandra

Gabriel De Albuquerque Gleizer

Carlos Gonzaga

Harry Kirk Matthews, Jr

Ajith Kuttannair Kumar

Lucas Vargas

Bruno Paes Leao

A system includes one or more processors that are configured to obtain a constraint on movement for a first vehicle system along a route. The constraint is based on movement of a separate second vehicle system that is concurrently traveling along the same route. The processor(s) are configured to determine a speed profile that designates speeds for the first vehicle system according to at least one of distance, location, or time based on the constraint such that the first vehicle system maintains a designated spacing from the second vehicle system along the route.

Vehicle travel planning constrained by probe vehicle data

Multiple vehicle control system

A system includes an energy management system disposed onboard a vehicle system configured to travel on a route during a trip. The energy management system is configured to receive trip information from a second vehicle system that includes one or more constraints including at least one of speed, distance, or time restrictions for the vehicle system along the route. The energy management system is further configured to generate a trip plan for controlling movement of the vehicle system along the route during the trip. The trip plan is generated based on the one or more constraints. The trip plan has a plan speed profile that designates speeds for the vehicle system according to at least one of distance or time during the trip. The energy management system is further configured to control movement of the vehicle system during the trip according to the plan speed profile of the trip plan.

System having one or more processors that are configured to (a) generate, as a vehicle system moves along a route, a plurality of different trial plans for an upcoming segment of the route. The trial plans include potential operational settings of the vehicle system along the route. The one or more processors that are configured to (b) select one of the trial plans as a selected plan or generate the selected plan based on one or more of the trial plans. The selected plan is configured to improve one or more system-handling metrics as the vehicle system moves along the upcoming segment of the route. The one or more processors are configured to (c) communicate instructions to change or not change at least one of the operational settings of the vehicle system based on the selected plan.

System for controlling or monitoring a vehicle system along a route

A vehicle control system includes one or more processors configured to assign plural vehicles to different groups in one or more vehicle systems for travel along one or more routes. The one or more processors also are configured to determine trip plans for the different groups. The trip plans designate different operational settings of the vehicles in the different groups at different locations along one or more routes during movement of the one or more vehicle systems along the one or more routes. The one or more processors also are configured to modify one or more of the groups to which the vehicles are assigned or the operational settings for the vehicles in one or more of the vehicle systems based on a movement parameter of one or more of the vehicle systems. The trip plans for the different groups of the vehicles are interdependent upon each other.

System and method for determining operational group assignments of vehicles in a vehicle system

A vehicle control system and method determine one or more designated speeds of a trip plan for a trip of a vehicle system along a route. The trip plan can designate the one or more designated speeds as a function of one or more of time or distance along the route for the trip. Geometry of the route that the vehicle system will travel along during the trip is determined, as well as one or more prospective forces that will be exerted on the vehicle system during movement of the vehicle system along the route for the trip based at least in part on the geometry of the route. The trip plan is revised to reduce at least one of the prospective forces by reducing at least one of the designated speeds of the trip plan based on the one or more prospective forces that are determined.

System and method for determining operational restrictions for vehicle control

A system and method for determining dynamically changing distributions of vehicles in a vehicle system are disclosed. The system and method determine handling parameters of the vehicle system. The handling parameters are determined for different distributions of the vehicles among different groups at different potential change points along a route. The system and method also determine whether to change the distributions at potential change points based on the handling parameters. Based on determining that the distributions are to change, a selected sequence of changes to the distributions is determined at one or more of the potential change points along the route. Change indices are generated based on the selected sequence. The change indices designate times and/or the one or more potential change points at which the distributions changes. The vehicles included in a common group have common designated operational settings while the vehicles are in the common group.

System and method for determining dynamically changing distributions of vehicles in a vehicle system

A method includes identifying power outputs to be provided by propulsion-generating vehicles of a vehicle system for different locations along a route and calculating handling parameters of the vehicle system at the locations along the route. The handling parameters are representative of at least one of coupler forces, coupler energies, relative vehicle velocities, or natural forces exerted on the vehicle system. The method also includes determining asynchronous operational settings for the propulsion-generating vehicles at the locations. The asynchronous operational settings represent different operational settings that cause the propulsion-generating vehicles to provide at least the power outputs at the locations while changing the handling parameters of the vehicle system to designated values at the locations. The method further includes communicating the asynchronous operational settings to the propulsion-generating vehicles in order to cause the propulsion-generating vehicles to implement the asynchronous operational settings at the different locations.

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Dan Dai