System And Method For Controlling De-Rating Of Propulsion-Generating Vehicles In A Vehicle System

Abstract

A method for de-rating propulsion-generating vehicles in a vehicle system includes identifying a feature of interest in a route and identifying one or more propulsion-generating vehicles as de-rating vehicles that are subject to a handling rule associated with the feature of interest. The handling rule dictates that throttle settings be limited to a reduced range when traveling over the feature of interest. The method further includes, when the de-rating vehicles are traveling along the route and outside of the feature of interest, operating the de-rating vehicles using a larger range of throttle settings and, responsive to approaching and/or traveling over the feature of interest, automatically de-rating at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system by operating the at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles using the smaller range of throttle settings during travel over the feature of interest.

1 . A method comprising:
 identifying a feature of interest in a route to be traveled or being traveled by a vehicle system having plural propulsion-generating vehicles;   identifying one or more of the propulsion-generating vehicles as de-rating vehicles that are subject to a handling rule associated with the feature of interest, the handling rule dictating that throttle settings of the de-rating vehicles be limited to a reduced range of throttle settings when the de-rating vehicles travel over or through the feature of interest in the route, the reduced range of throttle settings being a smaller range of throttle settings that the de-rating vehicles are permitted to use relative to a larger range of throttle settings that the de-rating vehicles are permitted to use when traveling on the route outside of the feature of interest;   when the de-rating vehicles are traveling along the route and outside of the feature of interest, operating the de-rating vehicles using the larger range of throttle settings; and   responsive to at least one of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system at least one of approaching or traveling over the feature of interest, automatically de-rating at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system by operating the at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles using the smaller range of throttle settings during travel over the feature of interest.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein automatically de-rating the at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles terminates upon completion of travel over the feature of interest in the route. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the feature of interest includes at least one of a crossing between the route and at least an additional route or a bridge along the route. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the propulsion-generating vehicles are arranged in two or more consists in the vehicle system, the consists each including at least one of the propulsion-generating vehicles, the consists separated from each other by one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein automatically de-rating the at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system includes operating all of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system using the smaller range of throttle settings during an entire time period that begins with a first consist along a direction of travel of the vehicle system reaching the feature of interest and that ends with a last consist along the direction of travel passing the feature of interest. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein, for each of the consists, all of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the consist are de-rated during an entire time period that the consist is traveling over the feature of interest even if the consist is without any of the de-rating vehicles that are subject to the handling rule associated with the feature of interest, and wherein none of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are de-rated during times when the one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are traveling over the feature of interest. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein, for each of the consists, all of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the consist are de-rated during an entire time period that the consist is traveling over the feature of interest only if the consist includes at least one of the de-rating vehicles that is subject to the handling rule associated with the feature of interest. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein none of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are de-rated during times when the one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are traveling over the feature of interest. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each of the de-rating vehicles that is subject to the handling rule is de-rated during an entire time period that the de-rating vehicle travels over the feature of interest without de-rating the propulsion-generating vehicles that are not subject to the handling rule. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the propulsion-generating vehicles that are not subject to the handling rule are operated using the larger range of throttle settings during travel over the feature of interest. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the vehicle system comprises one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles, and wherein none of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are de-rated during times when the one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are traveling over the feature of interest. 
     
     
         12 . A system comprising:
 an identification apparatus configured to determine which propulsion-generating vehicles in a vehicle system having plural interconnected propulsion-generating vehicles are de-rating vehicles that are subject to a handling rule associated with a feature of interest in a route to be traveled or being traveled by the vehicle system, the handling rule dictating that throttle settings of the de-rating vehicles be limited to a reduced range of throttle settings when the de-rating vehicles travel over or through the feature of interest in the route, the reduced range of throttle settings being a smaller range of throttle settings that the de-rating vehicles are permitted to use relative to a larger range of throttle settings that the de-rating vehicles are permitted to use when traveling on the route outside of the feature of interest;   a location determination apparatus configured to determine when one or more of the propulsion-generating vehicles are at least one of approaching or at the feature of interest; and   a control apparatus configured to operate the de-rating vehicles using the larger range of throttle settings when the de-rating vehicles are traveling along the route and outside of the feature of interest, the control apparatus also configured to automatically de-rate at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system by operating the propulsion-generating vehicles in the at least a subset using the smaller range of throttle settings during travel over the feature of interest.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the control apparatus is configured to automatically terminate de-rating of the at least a subset of the propulsion-generating vehicles upon completion of travel over the feature of interest in the route. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the feature of interest includes at least one of a crossing between the route and at least an additional route or a bridge along the route. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the propulsion-generating vehicles are arranged in two or more consists in the vehicle system, the consists each including at least one of the propulsion-generating vehicles, the consists separated from each other by one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the control apparatus is configured to control all of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system using the smaller range of throttle settings during an entire time period that begins with a first consist along a direction of travel of the vehicle system reaching the feature of interest and that ends with a last consist along the direction of travel passing the feature of interest. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein, for each of the consists, the control apparatus is configured to de-rate all of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the consist during an entire time period that the consist is traveling over the feature of interest even if the consist is without any of the de-rating vehicles that are subject to the handling rule associated with the feature of interest, and none of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are de-rated during times when the one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are traveling over the feature of interest. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein, for each of the consists, the control apparatus is configured to de-rate all of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the consist during an entire time period that the consist is traveling over the feature of interest only if the consist includes at least one of the de-rating vehicles that is subject to the handling rule associated with the feature of interest. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the control apparatus is configured to de-rate none of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system during times when the one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are traveling over the feature of interest. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the control apparatus is configured to de-rate each of the de-rating vehicles that is subject to the handling rule during an entire time period that the de-rating vehicle travels over the feature of interest without de-rating the propulsion-generating vehicles that are not subject to the handling rule. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the control apparatus is configured to control the propulsion-generating vehicles that are not subject to the handling rule using the larger range of throttle settings during travel over the feature of interest. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the vehicle system comprises one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles, and wherein the control apparatus is configured to de-rate none of the propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system during times when the one or more non-propulsion-generating vehicles in the vehicle system are traveling over the feature of interest. 
     
     
         23 . A method comprising:
 automatically controlling throttle settings of a rail vehicle consist as the rail vehicle consist travels along a track, the rail vehicle consist having a lead vehicle consist and at least one remote vehicle consist that each include one or more propulsion-generating rail vehicles and that are connected with each other by one or more non-propulsion-generating rail vehicles disposed between the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist;   de-rating the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist while the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist are traveling over a designated track feature, the propulsion-generating rail vehicles de-rated by limiting the throttle settings of the propulsion-generating rail vehicles to a designated first maximum throttle level that is less than a second maximum throttle level that the propulsion-generating rail vehicles are controlled to when not traveling over the designated track feature; and   de-rating the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist while the one or more non-propulsion-generating rail vehicles are traveling over the designated track feature but not de-rating the propulsion-generating vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist after a last of the at least one remote vehicle consist, in a direction of travel of the rail vehicle consist, has passed over the designated track feature.   
     
     
         24 . A method comprising:
 automatically controlling throttle settings of a rail vehicle consist as the rail vehicle consist travels along a track, the rail vehicle consist having a lead vehicle consist and at least one remote vehicle consist that each include one or more propulsion-generating rail vehicles and that are connected with each other by one or more non-propulsion-generating rail vehicles disposed between the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist;   wherein automatically controlling the throttle settings of the rail vehicle consist comprises automatic operation of the rail vehicle consist in at least one of the following modes:   a first mode of operation wherein the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist are automatically de-rated while the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist are traveling over a designated track feature, the propulsion-generating rail vehicles de-rated by limiting the throttle settings of the propulsion-generating rail vehicles to a designated first maximum throttle level that is less than a second maximum throttle level that the propulsion-generating rail vehicles are controlled to when not traveling over the designated track feature, and the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist being automatically de-rated while the one or more non-propulsion-generating rail vehicles are traveling over the designated track feature;   a second mode of operation wherein all the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist are automatically de-rated only while the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist are traveling over the designated track feature but not while the one or more non-propulsion-generating rail vehicles are traveling over the designated track feature;   a third mode of operation wherein for each of the lead vehicle consist and the at least one remote vehicle consist, all the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in the consist are automatically de-rated but only if at least one of the propulsion-generating rail vehicles in the consist is designated for operation at no more than the designated first maximum throttle level when traveling over the designated track feature; or   a fourth mode of operation wherein while the vehicle consist is traveling over the designated track feature, only those propulsion-generating rail vehicles in the consist that are designated for operation at no more than the designated first maximum throttle level when traveling over the designated track feature are automatically de-rated.