Transportation IP Holdings, LLC

Ge Global Sourcing LLC

Nathan Thomas North

Milan Palinda Karunaratne

Anthony D Paul

Jared Klineman Cooper

David Michael Peltz

Robert James Foy

Samuel William Golden

Ankit Mathur

James D Brooks

Gregory Wright

Nanette Efird

William Carnegie

Daniel McNair

Thomas Lewis

Various methods and systems are provided for a railyard system. In one example, a method for managing a railyard comprises, within the railyard, positioning a cargo unit on a multi-directional pad and moving the pad multi-directionally based on a requested order for the cargo unit relative to other cargo units, where the requested order corresponds to an order of cargo units on railcars of an outbound train. The multi-directional pad may operate within an arena, where the arena includes a concrete surface depressed into the ground such that a surface of the pad is level with a surface of the ground surrounding the arena, thereby allowing railcars to be pushed onto the pad by a locomotive of a train.

Method and systems for an automated railyard

A system (e.g., a maintenance system) includes a maintenance task input unit and one or more processors. The maintenance task input unit is configured to generate plural input data groups corresponding to a maintenance task. Each of the input data groups is in a corresponding one of plural formats. The one or more processors are coupled to the maintenance task input unit and configured to obtain the plural input data groups from the maintenance task input unit. The one or more processors are configured to identify a particular format of the formats for each input data group, and to prepare an intermediate representation of the input representation based on the particular format that is identified. Also the one or more processors are configured to modify the intermediate representation to provide a model input having a common format. The one or more processors are configured to modify intermediate representations corresponding to each of the input data groups to the common format, and to provide the model input to a maintenance system artificial intelligence modeler that is configured to use the model input to at least one of develop or use a model using the model input for vehicle maintenance.

Data extraction for machine learning systems and methods

A method includes receiving image data representative of an appearance of an equipment part prior to an inspection process and evaluating the image data with a machine learning model that defines baseline image data to determine whether the image data indicates the equipment part has been prepared for the inspection. The inspection process may be prevented when the evaluation indicates that the equipment part has not been prepared. A system includes a controller that receives image data representative of an appearance of an equipment part obtained prior to an inspection process. The controller uses a machine learning model to evaluate the image data with respect to baseline image data to determine whether the equipment part has been prepared for the inspection process. The controller prevents the performance of the inspection process based on the evaluation indicating that the equipment part has not been prepared for the inspection process.

Systems and methods for equipment inspection

A vehicle according to a vehicle system and method includes a chassis, a coupler, and a platform on the chassis. The coupler is mounted to the chassis at a first end of the chassis and is configured to releasably connect the vehicle to a second vehicle. The platform is for supporting a cargo container and includes a base portion and a bridge member. The bridge member is located at an end of the platform and is extendable relative to the base portion from a retracted position to an extended position to lengthen the platform. The bridge member in the extended position projects beyond the first end of the chassis, above the coupler, towards the second vehicle for establishing a bridge to transload the cargo container from the platform to the second vehicle.

Vehicle system and method for cargo transloading

A controller obtains plural images generated by an imaging device disposed onboard a vehicle, and analyzes at least first and second images of the plural images to identify a feature of interest that is offboard the vehicle and at least partially depicted in the first and second images. The controller determines a first unit vector for the feature of interest based on a first location of the feature of interest in the first image, and determines a second unit vector for the feature of interest based on a second location of the feature of interest in the second image. The controller calculates a third location of the feature of interest, relative to a physical environment, based on the first unit vector, the second unit vector, and at least one of a first reference location of the vehicle or a second reference location of the vehicle.

System and method for vehicle-based localizing of offboard features

A control system including one or more processors that may determine vehicle locations of one or more vehicles and states of charge of vehicle energy storage devices onboard the one or more vehicles. The control system may include an energy chassis having a fuel source holding a supply of fuel, an energy converter to convert at least a portion of the supply of the fuel from the fuel source into electric energy, and a communication device to communicate with the processors. The processors may direct which of the one or more vehicles are to couple with and be powered by the electric energy of the energy chassis based on one or more of: the vehicle locations, the states of charge of the vehicle energy storage devices, an amount of the supply of the fuel of the energy chassis, and a chassis location of the energy chassis.

Control system and method for a transportation network

A vehicle system and method includes determining that a state of charge of an energy storage assembly of a receiving vehicle is insufficient to power the receiving vehicle to an upcoming location based on a difference between the state of charge and a needed amount of energy from the energy storage assembly to power the receiving vehicle to the upcoming location. The receiving vehicle may be controlled to move to an intermediate location that includes an increased traffic area or to a first donating vehicle location of plural different donating vehicle locations. The first donating vehicle location includes a predicted upcoming location of a first donating vehicle. The receiving vehicle receives energy from the first donating vehicle to charge the energy storage assembly of the receiving vehicle while both the first donating vehicle and the receiving vehicle area moving at the intermediate location.

Vehicle system and method

A control system is provided that may include a controller for a vehicle system. The controller may include one or more processors configured to obtain at least one first operating parameter related to an operating system of the vehicle system, and determine an operating condition of the operating system based at least in part on the first operating parameter. The one or more processors may also be configured to communicate with an off-board sensor to obtain at least one auxiliary operating parameter related to the operating condition, and verify the operating condition based at least in part on the auxiliary operating parameter.

Control system

A control system and method determine an energy demand associated with delivery of cargo in a trip. The energy demand represents how much electric energy is needed to move cargo vehicles that carry the cargo through the trip. Locations of energy tenders and states of charge of the energy tenders are determined. A schedule for the cargo vehicles to deliver the cargo to a delivery location within a delivery time slot is determined. This schedule is determined based on the energy demand, the locations of the energy tenders, and the states of charge of the energy tenders. The system and method direct which of the energy tenders that the cargo vehicles are to couple with, be powered by, and move with for powering the cargo along routes to the delivery location of the trip within the designated time slot.

A control system includes one or more processors that are configured to obtain event data associated with a vehicle. The one or more processors are also configured to receive a statement including a designated chargeable usage of the vehicle, with the statement issued by an entity, and the one or more processors further configured to access one or more rules dictating rule-based chargeable usage of the vehicle. The one or more processors are configured to compare the event data with the one or more rules to determine the rule-based chargeable usage of the vehicle based on the event data and to compare the rule-based chargeable usage with the designated chargeable usage to identify one or more discrepancies between the rule-based chargeable usage and the designated chargeable usage. Further, the one or more processors are configured to, responsive to identifying the one or more discrepancies, generate a reconciliation request for correcting the one or more discrepancies and communicate the reconciliation request to the entity that issued the statement.

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Nathan Thomas North