US6459965B1 — Method for advanced communication-based vehicle c…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 132 words

A method for controlling movement of a plurality of vehicles traveling over a guideway that is partitioned into a plurality of guideway blocks spaced along the guideway, using a control system including an onboard computer (OBC) located on board each vehicle, at least one server for communicating with each OBC, and a vehicle location tracking system, said method comprising the steps of: determining a block occupied status for guideway blocks in advance of the direction of travel of at least one of the vehicles; broadcasting the block occupied status to the OBC on said one vehicle; and controlling movement of said one vehicle based on the block occupied status for at least the then current stopping distance of said one vehicle regardless of the number of blocks encompassed within the stopping distance.

Claim 2

Independent Claim 132 words

A method for controlling movement of a plurality of vehicles traveling over a guideway that is partitioned into a plurality of guideway blocks spaced along the guideway, using a control system including an onboard computer (OBC) located on board each vehicle, at least one server for communicating with each OBC, and a vehicle location tracking system, said method comprising the steps of: determining a block occupied status for guideway blocks in advance of the direction of travel of at least one of the vehicles; broadcasting the block occupied status to the OBC on said one vehicle; and controlling movement of said one vehicle based on the block occupied status for at least the then current stopping distance of said one vehicle regardless of the number of blocks encompassed within the stopping distance.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 69 words

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said step of determining a block occupied status comprises the steps of: providing a predetermined mapping data set to each OBC that represents a guideway layout, block boundaries, and related characteristics of the guideway; and utilizing a particular OBC to determine on board a block occupancy for the vehicle including that particular OBC, that particular OBC utilizing the mapping data set.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 55 words

A method in accordance with claim 2 wherein said step of determining a block occupied status comprises the steps of: utilizing the server to interpret the block occupancy of each vehicle; and determining a block occupied status for all blocks associated with the server based on the block occupancy of each vehicle utilizing the server.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 140 words

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the OBC includes an OBC processor for executing OBC functions, and an OBC data storage device, and the control system further includes an OBC display on board each vehicle for displaying data and information, said step of controlling movement of said one vehicle comprises the steps of: interpreting the block occupied status to derive at least one of at least one signal aspect, at least one speed target, and at least one movement limit for a specific vehicle using the OBC; displaying at least one of the signal aspects, speed targets, movement limits, and route on the OBC display of the specific vehicle; determining a subsequent vehicle movement based on at least one of the signal aspects, speed targets, and movement limits using the OBC; and enforcing the determined subsequent vehicle movement.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 51 words

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said step of broadcasting the block occupied status comprises the step of broadcasting the block occupied status over a radio channel from the server to the OBCs such that each OBC on board every vehicle in a particular area receives the same information.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 55 words

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said step of controlling movement of said one vehicle comprises the step of constraining the movement of each vehicle based on the most restrictive interpretation of the block occupied status in combination with at least one of temporary speed restrictions, permanent speed restrictions and vehicle-related speed restrictions.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 32 words

A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising the step of monitoring a position of a guideway switch and including the switch position information as part of the block occupied status.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 69 words

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the control system further includes at least one wayside switch and an OBC display on board each vehicle for displaying information and data, said method further comprising the steps of: monitoring the wayside switch position; communicating the wayside switch position to the server; transmitting the wayside switch position to the OBCs; and displaying the wayside switch position on the OBC display.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 56 words

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the control system further includes a server data input interface for inputting information and data to the server, said method further comprising the steps of: inputting at least one wayside switch position to the server using the input interface; and transmitting the wayside switch position to the OBCs.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 55 words

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the control system further includes an onboard audible alarm, said step of controlling movement of said one vehicle comprises the steps of using the onboard audible alarm to inform a vehicle crew member of information regarding at least one of signal aspects, speed targets, and movement limits.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 48 words

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said step of determining a block occupied status comprises the step of utilizing at least one of a vehicle length, a front of vehicle location, and an end of vehicle location to determine when a block is no longer occupied.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 87 words

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the control system further includes at least one of at least one wayside signaling device for producing a wayside signal and at least one wayside guideway circuit for monitoring block occupancy, said step of determining a block occupied status comprises the steps of: communicating at least one of the wayside signal and a wayside guideway circuit signal to the server; and determining the block occupied status utilizing at least one of the wayside signal and the guideway circuit signal.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 64 words

A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising: providing a realizable movement plan for all vehicles over the guideway, the plan including ETAs and ETDs at specified stations based on at least one of guideway parameters, actual vehicle position and velocity data, and guideway condition data; and utilizing the plan to cause the vehicles to operate according to trajectories indicated by the plan.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 29 words

A method in accordance with claim 13 further comprising updating the movement plan in response to at least one of unplanned and deviant movements of vehicles over the guideway.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 32 words

A method in accordance with claim 14 further comprising displaying commands to a vehicle operator on board a vehicle to comply with the movement timeline profile derived from the updated movement plan.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 28 words

A method in accordance with claim 14 further comprising automatically executing at least one of throttle and brake settings for the vehicle in response to the movement plan.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 33 words

A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising controlling each vehicle's throttle and brakes in accordance with a trip plan sent from a movement planner and in conformance with the block statuses.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 17 words

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein guideway blocks are subdivisions of physical guideway circuit blocks.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 30 words

A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising controlling each vehicle's throttle and brakes in accordance with the block occupied status information received from the at least one server.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 111 words

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said step of determining a block occupied status comprises the steps of: providing incrementally a predetermined mapping data set to each OBC that represents a locally relevant portion of the guideway layout, block boundaries, and related characteristics of the guideway; temporarily storing the increment of mapping data on board; determining an block occupancy for each vehicle utilizing the mapping data set; determining an block occupied status for each block based on the block occupancy for each vehicle; transmitting the block occupied status for each block to each OBC; and controlling movement of each vehicle based on the block occupied status for each block.

Claim 22

Independent Claim 146 words

A method for controlling movement of a plurality of railway vehicles along a length of railway track that is partitioned into a plurality of blocks via the use of a control system that includes a data storage device located on board each vehicle, an onboard computer (OBC) located on board each vehicle, at least one server for communicating with the OBCs, and a vehicle location tracking system, said method comprising the steps of: storing predetermined track mapping data in the data storage device of at least one railway vehicle, said data being indicative of the track layout and locations of boundaries for each block along the track; locating the position of at least one railway vehicle along the track by use of its respective on-board tracking system; and determining the respective block occupied by at least one railway vehicle by use of its respective map data.

Claim 23

Independent Claim 146 words

A method for controlling movement of a plurality of railway vehicles along a length of railway track that is partitioned into a plurality of blocks via the use of a control system that includes a data storage device located on board each vehicle, an onboard computer (OBC) located on board each vehicle, at least one server for communicating with the OBCs, and a vehicle location tracking system, said method comprising the steps of: storing predetermined track mapping data in the data storage device of at least one railway vehicle, said data being indicative of the track layout and locations of boundaries for each block along the track; locating the position of at least one railway vehicle along the track by use of its respective on-board tracking system; and determining the respective block occupied by at least one railway vehicle by use of its respective map data.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 78 words

A method in accordance with claim 21 further comprising: determining a block occupied status for guideway blocks in advance of the direction of travel of at least one railway vehicle; transmitting the block occupied status to the OBC on said one vehicle; and controlling movement of said one vehicle based on the block occupied status for at least the then current stopping distance of said one vehicle regardless of the number of blocks encompassed within the stopping distance.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 50 words

A method in accordance with claim 21 wherein each OBC includes an OBC processor for executing OBC functions, said step of storing predetermined track mapping data comprises the steps of: communicating the mapping data from the server to each OBC; and storing the mapping data in the data storage device.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 39 words

A method in accordance with claim 21 wherein each OBC includes an OBC processor for executing OBC functions, said step of storing predetermined mapping data comprises the step of pre-installing the predetermined mapping data in the data storage device.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 96 words

A method in accordance with claim 21 wherein the vehicle location tracking system includes at least one of a global position system (GPS), an odometer, a gyroscope, and a set of railway location tags, said step of determining the respective block occupied by at least one railway vehicle comprises the steps of: determining a location of each vehicle using the OBC, and the location tracking system; comparing the location of each vehicle to the predetermined mapping data set utilizing the OBC; and determining the block occupancy for each vehicle based on the comparison utilizing the OBC.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 90 words

A method in accordance with claim 25 wherein the control system further includes at least one control element and the OBCs interface with the control element, said step of determining a location comprises the steps of: collecting location tracking data for each vehicle utilizing at least one of the GPS, the odometer, the gyroscope and the location tags; determining a front of vehicle location and an end of vehicle location; collecting location tracking data for each vehicle utilizing the control element; and communicating the location tracking data to the OBC.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 56 words

A method in accordance with claim 25 wherein the OBC utilizes at least one of train length and end of train location information received from at least one of a source at an end of the train and an external source, said method further comprising the step of determining when the train has cleared a block.

Claim 30

Dependent Claim 23 words

A method in accordance with claim 21 further comprising the step of utilizing characteristics obtained from physical wayside signals to determine block status.

Claim 31

Dependent Claim 24 words

A method in accordance with claim 21 further comprising the step of utilizing occupancy status obtained from physical wayside sensors to determine block status.

Claim 32

Dependent Claim 71 words

A method in accordance with claim 25 wherein the server includes a processor for executing server functions and a server data storage device, said step of determining the respective block occupied by at least one railway vehicle further comprises the steps of: communicating the respective block occupied by each vehicle from each respective OBC to the server; and storing the block occupancy for each vehicle in the server data storage device.

Claim 33

Dependent Claim 120 words

A method in accordance with claim 21 wherein the control system further includes at least one of at least one guideway break detection unit on board each vehicle and at least one wayside guideway break detection unit, the onboard break detection unit communicates with the OBC, the wayside break detection unit communicates with the server, said step of determining the respective block occupied by at least one railway vehicle further comprises the steps of: detecting a break in the guideway utilizing at least one of the onboard break detection unit and the wayside break detection unit; communicating detection of a guideway break to the server; and utilizing detection of a guideway break to determine at least one block occupied status.

Claim 34

Dependent Claim 131 words

A method in accordance with claim 22 wherein the OBC includes an OBC processor for executing OBC functions, and the control system further includes an OBC display on board each vehicle for displaying data and information, said step of controlling movement of said one vehicle comprises the steps of: interpreting the block occupied status to derive at least one of at least one signal aspect, at least one speed target, and at least one movement limit for a specific vehicle using the OBC; displaying the at least one signal aspect, speed target, and movement limit on the OBC display of the specific vehicle; determining a subsequent vehicle movement based on at least one of signal aspect, speed target, and movement limit using the OBC; and enforcing the determined subsequent vehicle movement.

Claim 35

Dependent Claim 47 words

A method in accordance with claim 22 wherein said step of transmitting the block occupied status comprises the step of broadcasting the block occupied status from the server to each OBC such that each OBC on board every vehicle in a particular area receives the same information.

Claim 36

Dependent Claim 119 words

A method in accordance with claim 21 wherein the at least one server includes a plurality of servers, each server associated with specific guideway blocks and including a server data storage device, said step of determining the respective block occupied by at least one railway vehicle comprising the steps of: communicating the block occupancy of each vehicle to the server associated with the respective guideway block; storing the block occupancy in the server data storage device; determining an block status for each block based on the block occupancy of all vehicles utilizing the associated server; and utilizing each server to translate the block statuses of all blocks associated with each server into a plurality of unique composite block statuses.

Claim 37

Dependent Claim 15 words

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein at least one vehicle is a train.

Claim 38

Dependent Claim 26 words

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein determining a block occupies status comprises determining a block occupied status for all guideway blocks along the guideway.

Claim 39

Dependent Claim 30 words

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein controlling movement of said one vehicle comprises controlling movement of each vehicle based on a block occupied status for all guideway blocks.

Claim 40

Dependent Claim 39 words

A method in accordance with claim 21 wherein storing predetermined track mapping data in the data storage device of at least one railway vehicle comprises storing predetermined track mapping data in the data storage device of each railway vehicle.

Claim 41

Dependent Claim 43 words

A method in accordance with claim 21 wherein determining the respective block occupied by at least one railway vehicle by use of its respective map data comprises determining the respective block occupied by each railway vehicle by use of its respective map data.

Claim 42

Dependent Claim 51 words

A method in accordance with claim 21 wherein the control system further includes a wireless receiver on board each vehicle, said method further comprising receiving at each railway vehicle data regarding the blocks occupied by the other vehicles on the track by use of the wireless receiver on the respective vehicles.

Claim 43

Dependent Claim 21 words

A method in accordance with claim 40 further comprising: controlling travel of each vehicle based on its respective vehicle braking profile.

Claim 44

Dependent Claim 42 words

A method in accordance with claim 41 further comprising: calculating a vehicle braking profile for the safe travel of each vehicle along the track by use of the respective map data and the blocks occupied by the other vehicles on the track.

Claim 45

Dependent Claim 113 words

The method of claim 21 wherein the control system further comprises at least one piece of wayside equipment along the track that affects the status of blocks along the track for the travel of vehicles in the blocks, and the method further comprising: receiving at each railway vehicle data regarding the status of all of the blocks affected by wayside equipment along the track; and calculating a vehicle braking profile for each vehicle for safe travel of said vehicle by use of the map data on the respective vehicle, the data regarding the blocks occupied by the other vehicles, and the data regarding the status of the blocks affected by the wayside equipment.

Claim 46

Dependent Claim 26 words

The method of claim 21 further comprising controlling the operation of at least one of said vehicles by activating alarms for directing operators on the vehicles.

Claim 47

Dependent Claim 45 words

The method of claim 21 wherein each of said vehicles has a throttle system and a braking system and said method further comprises controlling the operation of at least one of said vehicles by automated control of the throttle and braking systems of said vehicle.

Claim 48

Dependent Claim 72 words

The method of claim 43 wherein the wayside equipment includes a point switch mechanism at the intersection of two diverging tracks with the status of the block affected by the switch being indicative of the track with which the switch is aligned, and said receiving of data regarding the status of all of the blocks affected by wayside equipment includes receiving data indicative of the track with which the switch is aligned.

Claim 49

Dependent Claim 51 words

The method of claim 21 further comprising providing data relating to local travel restrictions for at least one railway vehicle for the track located within the then current stopping distance of said vehicle, and controlling the operation of said vehicle based at least in part on the local travel restriction data.

Claim 50

Dependent Claim 53 words

The method of claim 21 further comprising providing a movement plan for said plurality of vehicles, with the plan including estimated times of arrival and estimated times of departure for the vehicles at points along the track, and controlling the operation of the vehicles based at least in part on the movement plan.

Claim 51

Independent Claim 139 words

A method of controlling movement of a plurality of railway vehicles along a length of railway track that is partitioned into a plurality of blocks via the use of a control system that includes a computer, a tracking system and a wireless receiver on board each vehicle, the method comprising: locating the position of each railway vehicle along the track by use of its respective on-board tracking system; determining the respective block occupied by each railway vehicle by use of its respective on-board computer; receiving at each railway vehicle data regarding the blocks occupied by all of the other railway vehicles on the track by use of the wireless receiver on the respective vehicle; and controlling the operation of each vehicle by use of the on-board computer and the data regarding the blocks occupied by the other railway vehicles.

Claim 52

Independent Claim 139 words

A method of controlling movement of a plurality of railway vehicles along a length of railway track that is partitioned into a plurality of blocks via the use of a control system that includes a computer, a tracking system and a wireless receiver on board each vehicle, the method comprising: locating the position of each railway vehicle along the track by use of its respective on-board tracking system; determining the respective block occupied by each railway vehicle by use of its respective on-board computer; receiving at each railway vehicle data regarding the blocks occupied by all of the other railway vehicles on the track by use of the wireless receiver on the respective vehicle; and controlling the operation of each vehicle by use of the on-board computer and the data regarding the blocks occupied by the other railway vehicles.

Claim 53

Dependent Claim 79 words

A method in accordance with claim 49 further comprising: calculating a vehicle braking profile for each vehicle for the safe travel of said vehicle, at least for its then current stopping distance regardless of the number of blocks encompassed within the stopping distance, by use of the on-board computer of the respective vehicle and the data regarding the blocks occupied by the other railway vehicles; and controlling the operation of each vehicle based on its respective vehicle braking profile.

Claim 54

Dependent Claim 131 words

The method of claim 49 wherein the control system further comprises at least one piece of wayside equipment along the track that affects the status of blocks along the track for the travel of vehicles in the blocks, and the method further comprising: receiving at each railway vehicle data regarding the status of all of the blocks affected by wayside equipment along the track; and calculating a vehicle braking profile for each vehicle for safe travel of said vehicle, at least for its then current stopping distance regardless of the number of blocks encompassed within the stopping distance, by use of the on-board computer of the respective vehicle, the data regarding the blocks occupied by the other vehicles and the data regarding the status of the blocks affected the wayside equipment.

Claim 55

Dependent Claim 61 words

The method of claim 51 wherein said calculating a vehicle braking profile comprises calculating the braking profile for each vehicle for safe travel of said vehicle from its then present location on the track to the adjacent boundary of the closet block occupied by the other rail vehicles or having a status making the block unavailable for travel by the vehicle.

Claim 56

Dependent Claim 45 words

The method of claim 49 further comprising calculating signal aspects for at least one of said vehicles for the safe travel of said vehicle by use of the on-board computer of said vehicle and the data regarding the blocks occupied by the other railway vehicles.

Claim 57

Dependent Claim 45 words

The method of claim 49 further comprising calculating speed targets for at least one of said vehicles for the safe travel of said vehicle by use of the on-board computer of said vehicle and. the data regarding the blocks occupied by the other railway vehicles.

Claim 58

Dependent Claim 45 words

The method of claim 49 further comprising calculating movement limits for at least one of said vehicles for the safe travel of said vehicle by use of the on-board computer of said vehicle and the data regarding the blocks occupied by the other railway vehicles.

Claim 59

Dependent Claim 25 words

The method of claim 49 further comprising controlling the operation of at least one of said vehicles by activating alarms for operators on the vehicles.

Claim 60

Dependent Claim 45 words

The method of claim 49 wherein each of said vehicles has a throttle system and a braking system, and said method further comprises controlling the operation of at least one of said vehicles by automated control of the throttle and braking systems of said vehicle.

Claim 61

Dependent Claim 60 words

The method of claim 49 wherein each of said vehicles has a front and an end spaced from the front, and said method further comprises locating the positions of the front and the end of each vehicle and determining the respective block occupied by the front of the vehicle and the respective block occupied by the end of the vehicle.

Claim 62

Dependent Claim 72 words

The method of claim 57 wherein the wayside equipment includes a point switch mechanism at the intersection of two diverging tracks with the status of the block affected by the switch being indicative of the track with which the switch is aligned, and said receiving of data regarding the status of all of the blocks affected by wayside equipment includes receiving data indicative of the track with which the switch is aligned.

Claim 63

Dependent Claim 53 words

The method of claim 49 further comprising providing data relating to local travel restrictions for at least one railway vehicle for at least the track located within the then current stopping distance of said vehicle, and controlling the operation of said vehicle based at least in part on the local travel restriction data.

Claim 64

Dependent Claim 53 words

The method of claim 49 further comprising providing a movement plan for said plurality of vehicles, with the plan including estimated times of arrival and estimated times of departure for the vehicles at points along the track, and controlling the operation of the vehicles based at least in part on the movement plan.

Claim 65

Independent Claim 194 words

A method of controlling movement of a plurality of railway vehicles along a length of railway track that is partitioned into a plurality of blocks via the use of a control system that includes a wireless receiver and a wireless transmitter on board each vehicle, a server off-board of the vehicles, and a communication system off-board of the vehicles in communication with the vehicles and the server, said method comprising: locating the position of each railway vehicle along the track by use of its respective tracking system; determining the respective blocks occupied by each railway vehicle; transmitting data indicative of the blocks occupied by each of the railway vehicles to the server at timed intervals by use of the communication system; determining the block occupancy of all of the railway vehicles on the track, at the server based on the block occupied by each railway vehicle; broadcasting data indicative of the blocks occupied by all of the railway vehicles from the server to all railway vehicles on the track at timed intervals; and controlling the operation of each vehicle by use the data indicative of the blocks occupied by all of the railway vehicles.

Claim 66

Independent Claim 194 words

A method of controlling movement of a plurality of railway vehicles along a length of railway track that is partitioned into a plurality of blocks via the use of a control system that includes a wireless receiver and a wireless transmitter on board each vehicle, a server off-board of the vehicles, and a communication system off-board of the vehicles in communication with the vehicles and the server, said method comprising: locating the position of each railway vehicle along the track by use of its respective tracking system; determining the respective blocks occupied by each railway vehicle; transmitting data indicative of the blocks occupied by each of the railway vehicles to the server at timed intervals by use of the communication system; determining the block occupancy of all of the railway vehicles on the track, at the server based on the block occupied by each railway vehicle; broadcasting data indicative of the blocks occupied by all of the railway vehicles from the server to all railway vehicles on the track at timed intervals; and controlling the operation of each vehicle by use the data indicative of the blocks occupied by all of the railway vehicles.

Claim 67

Dependent Claim 50 words

The method of claim 62 further comprising: calculating a vehicle braking profile for the safe travel of each vehicle along the track by use of the data indicative of the blocks occupied by the other railway vehicles; and controlling operation of each vehicle based on its respective vehicle braking profile.

Claim 68

Dependent Claim 132 words

The method of claim 62 wherein the control system further comprises at least one piece of wayside equipment along the track that affects the status of blocks along the track for the travel of vehicles in the blocks and a transmitter communicating the status of the block associated with the wayside equipment, and the method further comprising: transmitting the status of a block affected by each piece of wayside equipment to the server; broadcasting data indicative of the status of all blocks affected by wayside equipment along the track; and calculating a vehicle braking profile for each vehicle for safe travel of said vehicle by use of the data indicative of the block occupied by the vehicles and the data indicative of the status of the blocks affected by the wayside equipment.

Claim 69

Dependent Claim 38 words

The method of claim 62 further comprising calculating signal aspects for at least one of said vehicles for the safe travel of said vehicle by use of the data regarding the blocks occupied by the other railway vehicles.

Claim 70

Dependent Claim 38 words

The method of claim 62 further comprising calculating speed targets for at least one of said vehicles for the safe travel of said vehicle by use of the data regarding the blocks occupied by the other railway vehicle.

Claim 71

Dependent Claim 38 words

The method of claim 62 further comprising calculating movement limits for at least one of said vehicles for the safe travel of said vehicle by use of the data regarding the blocks occupied by the other railway vehicles.

Claim 72

Dependent Claim 25 words

The method of claim 62 further comprising controlling the operation of at least one of said vehicles by activating alarms for operators on the vehicles.

Claim 73

Dependent Claim 45 words

The method of claim 62 wherein each of said vehicles has a throttle system and a braking system, and said method further comprises controlling the operation of at least one of said vehicles by automated control of the throttle and braking systems of said vehicle.

Claim 74

Dependent Claim 60 words

The method of claim 62 wherein each of said vehicles has a front and an end spaced from the front, and said method further comprises locating the positions of the front and the end of each vehicle and determining the respective blocks occupied by the front of the vehicle and the respective block occupied by the end of the vehicle.

Claim 75

Dependent Claim 72 words

The method of claim 64 wherein the wayside equipment includes a point switch mechanism at the intersection of two diverging tracks with the status of the block affected by the switch being indicative of the track with which the switch is aligned, and said receiving of data regarding the status of all of the blocks affected by wayside equipment includes receiving data indicative of the track with which the switch is aligned.

Claim 76

Dependent Claim 53 words

The method of claim 62 further comprising providing data relating to local travel restrictions for at least one railway vehicle for at least the track located within the then current stopping distance of said vehicle and controlling the operation of said vehicle based at least in part on the local travel restriction data.

Claim 77

Dependent Claim 53 words

The method of claim 62 further comprising providing a movement plan for said plurality of vehicles, with the plan including estimated times of axial and estimated times of departure for the vehicles at points along the track, and controlling the operation of the vehicles based at least in part on the movement plan.

Claim 78

Independent Claim 107 words

A method for controlling movement of a plurality of vehicles traveling over a guideway that is partitioned into a plurality of guideway blocks spaced along the guideway, using a control system including an onboard computer (OBC) located on board each vehicle, at least one server for communicating with each OBC, and a vehicle location tracking system, said method comprising: determining a block occupancy for at least one vehicle; and controlling movement of the at least one vehicle using the onboard computer based on the determined block occupancy and a block status for guideway blocks in advance of the direction of travel of the at least one vehicle.

Claim 79

Independent Claim 107 words

A method for controlling movement of a plurality of vehicles traveling over a guideway that is partitioned into a plurality of guideway blocks spaced along the guideway, using a control system including an onboard computer (OBC) located on board each vehicle, at least one server for communicating with each OBC, and a vehicle location tracking system, said method comprising: determining a block occupancy for at least one vehicle; and controlling movement of the at least one vehicle using the onboard computer based on the determined block occupancy and a block status for guideway blocks in advance of the direction of travel of the at least one vehicle.

Claim 80

Dependent Claim 35 words

A method in accordance with claim 74 further comprising controlling movement of the at least one vehicle using the onboard computer based on the determined block occupancy and a block status for all guideway blocks.

Claim 81

Dependent Claim 16 words

A method in accordance with claim 74 wherein the at least one vehicle is a train.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	2005-09-30	2006-04-01	2006-10-01	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2009-09-30	2010-04-01	2010-10-01	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2013-09-30	2014-04-01	2014-10-01	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Method for advanced communication-based vehicle control

Abstract

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