Distributed Energy Management for Vehicle Trip Planning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle systems face inefficiencies in fuel consumption and emission control when deviating from planned routes, as centralized energy management systems struggle to quickly generate revised trip plans, leading to prolonged travel without optimal operational settings.
Innovation Solution
A distributed energy management system is implemented, where multiple processors across vehicles determine and communicate trip plans before reaching intersections, allowing for pre-planned alternate routes and efficient switching between operational settings to optimize fuel consumption and emission reduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a centralized energy management system is used to generate revised trip plans, then the system can maintain simplicity in architecture, but the trip plan revision process becomes computationally complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized energy management system is divided into multiple distributed energy management systems, with each vehicle in the consist having its own processor. This segmentation allows parallel processing of trip plan revisions, significantly reducing the time required to generate alternate routes and operational settings when deviation from the planned route is detected.
Solution Approach 2:
The distributed energy management systems pre-compute and store multiple alternate trip plans in advance, before the vehicle system actually needs to deviate from the original route. When a deviation occurs, the system can quickly retrieve and implement a pre-computed alternate trip plan, avoiding time-consuming real-time calculations during critical moments.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the vehicle system deviates from the planned route, then alternate routes may be necessary, but the computational complexity of creating a new trip plan prevents quick adaptation
Solution Approach 1:
The trip plan computation is segmented across multiple distributed processors in different vehicles, allowing the complex task of generating alternate trip plans to be divided into smaller sub-tasks that can be processed in parallel, reducing overall computational burden and time.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple alternate trip plans are pre-computed and stored in memory before route deviation occurs. When deviation is necessary, the system quickly selects and implements an appropriate pre-computed plan, avoiding the need for complex real-time calculations during the deviation event.
3Reliability
If trip plan revision is performed in real-time after route deviation, then the system responds to actual conditions, but the vehicle system travels for a significant period without optimal operational settings
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple alternate trip plans with different operational settings are pre-computed and stored in advance, covering various possible deviation scenarios. When route deviation occurs, the system can immediately implement a suitable pre-computed plan, eliminating the period of suboptimal operation that would occur with real-time computation.
Solution Approach 2:
The distributed energy management systems continuously monitor the actual route and conditions, and based on this feedback, select the most appropriate pre-computed alternate trip plan to implement, ensuring optimal operational settings match the actual conditions even after route deviation.
4Loss of time
If multiple distributed processors are used to determine trip plans, then alternate trip plans can be generated more quickly, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The energy management system is segmented into multiple distributed processors located in different vehicles of the consist. Each processor independently determines trip plans or portions of trip plans, enabling parallel processing that dramatically reduces the time required to generate alternate trip plans when route deviation occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
Each distributed processor in the vehicles is equipped with full trip plan determination capabilities, making them universal units that can independently handle the complete task of generating alternate trip plans. This multi-functionality allows any processor to take over the full computational burden if needed, while normally working in parallel to share the load.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for generating a trip plan for a vehicle system determine a first trip plan for a trip of a vehicle system from a first location to a second location over a first route that includes a first intersection with a second route. The first trip plan designates operational settings of the vehicle system. An alternate trip plan that extends along the second route from the first intersection to the second location of the trip of the vehicle system also is determined. The first and alternate trip plans are determined prior to the vehicle system reaching the first intersection. Movement of the vehicle system is controlled according to the first trip plan prior to the vehicle system reaching the first intersection and then controlled according to the alternate trip plan responsive to the vehicle system deviating from the first trip plan.