Vehicle control system

Claim 1

A vehicle control system for operating vehicles over a rightof-way divided into a plurality of zones and having control means for governing safe operation of vehicles in accordance with traffic conditions wherein the improvement comprises: a. selection means for selecting both a desired speed limit control and a speed command control for communication to a vehicle occupying any of the zones in accordance with the conditions of traffic in advance of such zone, said selecting means being effective to select a relatively low command speed control for each zone in accordance with the selection of the relatively low limit speed control for at least one zone in advance of the vehicle, in accordance with a safe stopping distance; b. means for communicating the selected limit and command speeds for each zone from the wayside to a vehicle occupying the associated zone; c. control means for controlling operation of each vehicle in accordance with the speed limit speed command controls communicated to the vehicle from the wayside; d. generating means including in said selection means for generating selected code rate frequencies, combinations of which represent a speed limit and speed command control from a minimum to a maximum, e. occupancy means included in said selection means for producing outputs indicative of occupancy status of each of a selected number of zones in advance of the vehicle; and f. switching means included in said selection means for each zone coupling appropriate speed limit and speed command combinations for the zone occupied by the vehicle and for a block in advance, said speed limit being no greater than the speed command for the occupied block.