Route warrant method

Abstract

A method for determining a route warranty for one or more vehicle systems includes determining plural different paths for a trip of a first vehicle system from an origin location to a destination location in a transportation network formed from paths interconnected with each other at nodes, determining whether travel by the first vehicle system along the different routes fails one or more tests that restrict how the first vehicle system travels in the transportation network, and determining a route warranty for the first vehicle system based on the one or more tests. The route warranty reserves one or more of the paths for travel by the first vehicle system from the origin location to the destination location such that other vehicle systems are prevented from traveling on the one or more of the paths reserved by the route warranty.

1 . A method comprising:
 determining plural different routes for a trip of a rail vehicle system from an origin location to a destination location in a transportation network formed from tracks interconnected with each other at switches;   determining whether travel by the rail vehicle system along the different routes fails one or more tests that restrict how the rail vehicle system travels in the transportation network; and   determining a track warranty for the rail vehicle system based on the one or more tests, the track warranty reserving one or more of the tracks and one or more of the switches for travel by the rail vehicle system from the origin location to the destination location such that other rail vehicle systems are prevented from traveling on the one or more of the tracks and the one or more of the switches reserved by the track warranty.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining whether the travel by the rail vehicle system along the different routes fails the one or more tests includes one or more of:
 determining whether the travel along the different routes causes the rail vehicle system to change direction by traveling over at least one of the switches in each of consecutive sets of the switches in the one or more of the paths;   determining whether the travel along the different routes causes the rail vehicle system to travel along a first track of the tracks, cross over a first switch of the switches to travel on a divergent track of the tracks, and cross over a subsequent second switch of the switches to leave the divergent track and travel on a second track of the tracks that forms a direct path between two locations with the first track;   determining whether travel along the different routes causes the rail vehicle system to travel on a track route of the tracks that has one or more restrictions prohibiting travel on the first track by the rail vehicle system;   determining whether travel along the different routes causes the rail vehicle system to double back and change direction multiple times during travel over a single switch of the switches;   determining whether travel along the different routes causes the rail vehicle system to travel over a first track of the tracks that extends between two consecutive switches of the switches that are connected only by the first track; or   determining whether travel along the different routes causes the rail vehicle system to one or more of enter into or exit out of a via region along a first track of the tracks that is the only track leading into or exiting out of the via region.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising automatically controlling positions of one or more of the switches in order to cause the rail vehicle system to travel along the one or more tracks and the one or more switches reserved by the track warranty.