Vehicle Trip Planning for Engine Deration-Prone Areas
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle systems face discrepancies between planned and actual performance due to environmental and internal changes, leading to engine deration, which can result in reduced power output and potential engine damage, especially in areas with varying oxygen levels, temperatures, and fuel quality.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle control system that identifies geographic areas prone to engine deration through predictive methods, creating or modifying trip plans to adjust operational settings such as throttle settings, brake effort, and power sources to maintain consistent power output, potentially using onboard or off-board energy sources to supplement reduced engine power.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the vehicle system operates at maximum horsepower rating throughout the trip, then productivity and speed are improved, but engine reliability deteriorates due to deration in areas with poor oxygen supply or high temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary identification of geographic areas prone to engine deration using environmental data and historical information before the vehicle reaches these areas. The control system proactively adjusts operational settings in advance, modifying throttle settings, brake effort, and power source selection before the vehicle enters problematic zones, thereby preventing engine deration rather than reacting to it after occurrence
Solution Approach 2:
The control system introduces an intermediary layer between the engine and the environment by using multiple power sources (including onboard energy storage devices and off-board power sources) and auxiliary systems (such as cooling systems and air intake systems) to mediate the relationship between engine operation and adverse environmental conditions, allowing the engine to maintain optimal performance without direct exposure to harmful environmental factors
2Reliability
If the vehicle system adjusts operational settings to prevent engine deration, then engine reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to multiple power sources and control systems
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is designed with multi-functionality, serving multiple purposes: it identifies geographic areas prone to deration, determines optimal operational settings, coordinates multiple power sources, manages cooling systems, and monitors engine performance. This universal control architecture reduces overall system complexity by consolidating multiple functions into a single integrated system rather than requiring separate dedicated systems for each function
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs self-service mechanisms by using onboard energy storage devices and off-board power sources that can autonomously supplement engine power when needed, and by implementing self-regulating control algorithms that automatically adjust operational settings based on real-time environmental conditions and vehicle state, reducing the need for complex manual intervention and external control infrastructure
3Reliability
If the vehicle system uses predictive methods to identify deration-prone areas, then engine reliability is improved, but loss of time increases due to modified trip plans and operational adjustments
Solution Approach 1:
The trip plan is designed to be dynamic rather than static, allowing real-time modifications based on the vehicle's actual position, environmental conditions, and engine performance. The control system continuously updates operational settings and power source selection as the vehicle moves through different geographic areas, enabling flexible adaptation that minimizes trip duration while maintaining engine reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters (throttle settings, brake effort, power source selection, cooling system activation) in response to environmental conditions rather than fundamentally altering the trip route or schedule. These parameter adjustments allow the vehicle to maintain its planned trajectory and timing while adapting engine operation to prevent deration, thereby minimizing time loss
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle control system as described herein can include one or more processors that can identify one or more geographic areas through which a vehicle group is scheduled to travel for an upcoming trip. This area or these areas may be identified as area(s) where there is an increased likelihood of a need for derating one or more engines of the vehicle group. The processor(s) can create or modify a trip plan that dictates one or more operational settings of the vehicle group for one or more of different locations, distances, or times of the upcoming trip. The processor(s) may create or modify the trip plan to avoid a decrease in total power output from the vehicle group within the geographic area(s).