Patent ID: 7925431

Claim:
A system for removing particulate matter from a particulate filter, said particulate filter comprising at least one particulate filter unit to filter said particulate matter from engine exhaust gas received from an internal combustion engine of a locomotive, said system comprising: at least one sensor configured to determine at least one of a current load and a loading rate of trapped particulate matter within said at least one particulate filter unit; an engine controller coupled to said at least one sensor and said engine; and a locomotive controller coupled to said engine controller, said locomotive controller including an algorithm to create a trip plan to optimize the performance of the locomotive along a route in accordance with a power setting of said engine at each location along the route; wherein said at least one sensor is configured to output a first alert signal to said engine controller, said first alert signal including said current load and said loading rate of said at least one particulate filter unit, said engine controller is configured to determine a projected load and projected loading rate of said at least one particulate filter unit along said route based upon said trip plan, said engine controller is configured to communicate with said locomotive controller to determine a time gap or distance gap based upon said trip plan along said route until said at least one particulate filter is loaded with a predefined amount of said particulate matter, said engine controller is configured to determine a time region or distance region within said respective time gap or distance gap to remove at least some of said predefined amount of particulate matter from said at least one particulate filter unit, said determination of said time region or distance region based upon at least one of said current load, said loading rate, said projected load, said projected loading rate, and said time gap or said distance gap, said engine controller being configured to increase a temperature of said exhaust gas entering said at least one particulate filter unit during said time region or distance region.