Rail control system and/or method
The system 100 can include: a fleet management system, a motion planner, a vehicle controller, and a track data system. The system can optionally include a user interface. However, the system 100 can additionally or alternatively include any other suitable set of components. The system functions to facilitate waypoint-based command, navigation, and/or control of rail vehicles within a rail network. Additionally or alternatively, the system can function to facilitate execution of the method S 100 and/or sub-elements thereof.
1. A method for waypoint-based rail navigation comprising:
determining a waypoint-based command comprising a set of instructions associated with traversal to a destination, the destination comprising a GPS location of a predetermined feature of a rail network selected, at a user interface, from an aerial image overlay of the rail network;
determining an updated track geometry version comprising a version identifier and a set of nodes and edges, each node indexed in association with a GPS location, each edge extending between a pair of nodes;
storing the updated track geometry version at a memory onboard the rail vehicle;
at a centralized motion planner, commanding the rail vehicle in track-geometry-referenced coordinates, comprising:
transforming the destination into a track-geometry-referenced position comprising a linearized distance along an indexed track edge of the track geometry; and
autonomously controlling the rail vehicle based on the track-geometry-referenced coordinates, comprising:
at the rail vehicle, validating that the track-geometry-referenced coordinates are associated with the version identifier of the updated track geometry version; and
controlling the vehicle on based on the track-geometry-referenced position.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein transforming the destination into a set of track-geometry-referenced coordinates uses a heuristic search algorithm.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the waypoint-based commands and the predetermined feature are independent of the map version.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the waypoint-based command is determined before the track geometry version update.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the GPS location of the predetermined feature is determined prior to determining the updated track geometry version.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rail vehicle is commanded according to a timeseries of track-geometry-referenced coordinates.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein validating the association with the version identifier comprises a checksum validation or a hash validation.
8. A method for waypoint-based rail navigation comprising:
determining a track geometry for a region of a rail network;
determining a set of waypoint-based commands in an Earth coordinate frame,
wherein the set of waypoint-based commands are independent of the track geometry, wherein the set of waypoint-based commands are associated with navigation to a destination; and
controlling the rail vehicle according to the set of waypoint-based commands, comprising:
transforming the destination into a track-geometry-referenced position comprising a linearized distance along an indexed track edge of the track geometry.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein transforming the destination into a track-geometry-referenced position comprises performing a search, within a predetermined radius, for a nearest track segment.
10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising: based on the search, requesting user intervention, via a user interface (UI), in response to a lack of track segments within the predetermined radius.
11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the set of waypoint-based commands are associated with locations of a set of predetermined track features in the Earth coordinate frame.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the set of predetermined track features comprises: a switch, a crossing, and a signal.
13. The method of claim 8 , wherein controlling the rail vehicle comprises: with an autonomous controller onboard the vehicle, controlling the rail vehicle based on a timeseries of track-geometry-referenced positions.
14. A method for waypoint-based rail navigation comprising:
determining a track geometry comprising a set of indexed track nodes and indexed track edges, the track geometry associated with a version identifier, each indexed track node and track edge defined in an Earth coordinate frame;
determining a waypoint in the Earth coordinate frame;
transforming the waypoint into a track coordinate comprising a linearized distance along an indexed track edge of the track geometry; and
autonomously controlling a rail vehicle based on the track coordinate and the version identifier.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the waypoint is determined independently of the track geometry.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the rail vehicle is autonomously controlled according to a timeseries of track coordinates.
17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the waypoint is determined by a manual selection from an image overlay of the track geometry.
18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the waypoint is selected from a predetermined array of indexed track features in an Earth coordinate frame.
19. The method of claim 14 , further comprising, at a centralized planner: granting proceed authorization to the rail vehicle based on the track geometry; and maintaining a motion plan for the rail vehicle based on the waypoint in the Earth coordinate frame.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the proceed authorization is based on the version identifier.