Selective Train Location Report Disabling for Automated Planning Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for scheduling train movements over railroads face disruptions when trains perform local activities, leading to unnecessary suspension of automated planning tools and manual intervention, which affects the overall efficiency and profitability of the transportation system.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method to selectively disable train location reports for trains engaged in local movements, allowing the movement planner to continue updating the system with information from non-local trains, thereby avoiding disruptions and maintaining automated planning for non-local trains.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If train location reports are automatically issued and processed by the movement planner, then the dispatcher has continuous access to automated planning tools, but the planning process is disrupted when trains perform local activities like pickups or crew changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments train movements into two categories: local movements (pickups, setouts, crew changes) and through movements. The movement planner is selectively applied only to through movements, while local movements are excluded from automated processing. This segmentation allows the system to maintain automated planning for applicable trains while avoiding disruptions from local activities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different processing qualities to different trains based on their movement type. Trains engaged in local activities have their location reports disabled in the automated planning system, while trains on through movements continue to receive automated planning services. This local quality approach ensures that automation is applied where beneficial without causing system-wide disruptions.
2Reliability
If the movement planner is suspended in congested areas where local movements occur, then disruptions from local activities are avoided, but the dispatcher loses access to automated planning tools for all trains in the area
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of suspending the movement planner for an entire geographic area, the patent segments the planning process by train ID. Each train is individually evaluated to determine if it is engaged in a local movement. This allows the system to maintain automated planning for through movements while excluding only the specific trains performing local activities, preserving automation access for the dispatcher.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies automated planning selectively to individual trains based on their current activity status rather than applying a blanket suspension to all trains in a geographic area. This local quality approach ensures that automation is maintained where appropriate while avoiding disruptions only where necessary.
3Reliability
If manual intervention is used to control trains performing local movements, then disruptions to the planning process are avoided, but dispatcher attention is diverted and system efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service mechanism where the movement planner automatically detects when a train is engaged in a local movement and excludes itself from processing that train's location reports. This eliminates the need for dispatcher intervention to prevent planning disruptions, as the system autonomously manages the selective application of automated planning.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from train location reports and movement data to automatically determine when to apply or exclude automated planning. When the planner detects a train performing a local activity, it automatically adjusts its processing behavior, eliminating the need for manual intervention and maintaining system efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A scheduling system and method for moving plural objects through a system described as a freight railway scheduling system. The scheduling system utilizes a cost reactive resource scheduler to minimize resource exception while at the same time minimizing the global costs associated with the solution. The achievable movement plan can be used to assist in the control of, or to automatically control, the movement of trains through the system. Train location reports used in the automatic updating of the movement plans are selectively disabled for individual trains as a function of the activity scheduled for that train.