Patent ID: 9623884
Date: 2017-04-18
CPC Classifications: B61L

Claim:
1. A method of controlling movement of a train consist including a plurality of locomotives along a route, comprising: receiving input from one or more sensors of the train consist; generating, at one or more of an off-board or an on-board controller, a fully independent plan profile for the train consist including fully independent settings for each of the plurality of locomotives of the given train consist over the route, the fully independent settings generated according to one or more cost functions and constraints based on the received input; and operating the train consist according to the generated fully independent plan profile, wherein the one or more cost functions and constraints are based on train operating parameters including a rate of change in node position, wherein generating the fully independent plan profile includes generating fully independent settings based on undulation parameters relative to one or more thresholds, wherein the one or more cost functions and constraints are further based on undulation parameters relative to one or more thresholds, the undulation parameters including one or more of a number of uphill regions of the train consist, a length of each uphill region, a grade of each uphill region, a number of downhill regions of the train consist, a length of each downhill region, and a grade of each downhill region, wherein generating fully independent settings includes generating fully independent settings based on one or more of the number of uphill regions of the train consist being greater than a threshold, the length of each uphill region being higher than a threshold percentage of a length of the train consist, the grade of each uphill region being greater than a threshold grade, the number of downhill regions of the train consist being greater than the threshold, the length of each downhill region being higher than the threshold percentage of the length of the train consist, and the grade of each downhill region being greater than the threshold grade.