# US 2022/0036725 A1 · System and method for monitoring traffic control devices > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2022/0036725 A1 - Document ID: US20220036725A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/505,575 - Filed: 2021-10-19 - Published: 2022-02-03 - Earliest claimed: 2019-11-21 - Assignees: Transportation IP Holdings, LLC - Applicants: Transportation IP Holdings, LLC - Inventors: Jerrid D. Chapman; Francois P. Pretorius; Craig K. Green - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20220036725A1 ## CPC - G08G 1/0112: {from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]} - G08G 1/097: Supervising of traffic control systems, e.g. by giving an alarm if two crossing streets have green light simultaneously - B61L 23/007: {Safety arrangements on railway crossings} - B61L 27/20: Trackside control of safe travel of vehicle or train, e.g. braking curve calculation - B61L 27/53: for trackside elements or systems, e.g. trackside supervision of trackside control system conditions - G01C 21/3415: {Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents} - G01C 21/3492: {employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical (traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968)} - G01C 21/3691: {Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions (arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09)} - G08G 1/0129: {for creating historical data or processing based on historical data} - G08G 1/0133: {for classifying traffic situation} - G08G 1/0145: {for active traffic flow control} - G08G 1/056: with provision for distinguishing direction of travel - G08G 1/095: Traffic lights - G08G 1/0955: transportable - G08G 1/096741: {where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle} - G08G 1/096775: {where the origin of the information is a central station} - G08G 1/096844: {where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data} - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) - B61L: GUIDING RAILWAY TRAFFIC; ENSURING THE SAFETY OF RAILWAY TRAFFIC (brakes or auxiliary equipment B61H, B61K; point or crossing construction E01B) - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) ## Abstract A system and a method for monitoring route devices in a transportation network includes one or more processors to receive sensed traffic control device information from first vehicle systems in a transportation network formed from interconnected routes. The sensed traffic control device information indicates states of traffic control devised at intersections between the routes in the transportation network. The one or more processors determine whether the sensed traffic control device information conflicts with stored traffic control device information stored in a database accessible by the one or more processors. The one or more processors send one or more bulletins to one or more second vehicle systems to change movement of the one or more second vehicle systems responsive to determining that the sensed traffic control device information conflicts with the stored traffic control device information. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: one or more processors configured to receive first sensed traffic control device information from a first vehicle system traveling in a transportation network formed from interconnected routes, the first sensed traffic control device information indicating a state of a first traffic control device at a first intersection between the interconnected routes in the transportation network, wherein the first traffic control device in a first state is configured to direct vehicles in a first direction and the first traffic control device in a second state is configured to direct vehicles in a second direction, the one or more processors configured to store the first sensed traffic control device information received from the first vehicle system, and the one or more processors configured to change a movement of a second vehicle system traveling in the transportation network based on the first sensed traffic control device information that is stored. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive second sensed traffic control device information from the first vehicle system indicating a state of a second traffic control device at a second intersection between the interconnected routes in the transportation network. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine a state of the second traffic control device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors are configured to change a movement of the second vehicle system based on the second sensed traffic control device information. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine a distance between the first traffic control device and the second traffic control device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors are configured to store the second sensed traffic control device information from the first vehicle system, the one or more processors configured to communicate the stored first sensed traffic control device information indicative of the state of the first traffic control device and the stored second sensed traffic control device information indicative of the state of the second traffic control device with one or more additional vehicle systems one or more of moving within the transportation network or moving in a direction toward the transportation network. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more processors are configured to communicate the stored first sensed traffic control device information and the stored second sensed traffic control device information as a map of the transportation network indicating one or more of the states of the first and second traffic control devices, locations of the first and second traffic control devices, health statuses of the first and second traffic control devices, identifications of the first and second traffic control devices, or a distance between the first and second traffic control devices. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive third sensed traffic control device information from the second vehicle system indicating the state of the first traffic control device, the one or more processors configured to determine whether the state of the first traffic control device has changed based on a comparison between the first sensed traffic control device and the third sensed traffic control device, wherein the one or more processors are configured to replace the stored first sensed traffic control device information with the third sensed traffic control device information received from the second vehicle system responsive to determining that the state of the first traffic control device has changed. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are configured to change a movement of a third vehicle system traveling in the transportation network toward the first traffic control device based on the stored third sensed traffic control device information. ### Claim 10 A method comprising: receiving first sensed traffic control device information from a first vehicle system traveling in a transportation network formed from interconnected routes, the first sensed traffic control device information indicating a state of a first traffic control device at a first intersection between the interconnected routes in the transportation network, wherein the first traffic control device in a first state is configured to direct vehicles in a first direction and the first traffic control device in a second state is configured to direct vehicles in a second direction; storing the first sensed traffic control device information received from the first vehicle system; and changing a movement of a second vehicle system traveling in the transportation network based on the first sensed traffic control device information that is stored. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving second sensed traffic control device information from the first vehicle system indicating a state of a second traffic control device at a second intersection between the interconnected routes in the transportation network. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising changing a movement of the second vehicle system based on the second sensed traffic control device information. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising determining a distance between the first traffic control device and the second traffic control device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: storing the second sensed traffic control device information from the first vehicle system; and communicating the stored first sensed traffic control device information indicative of the state of the first traffic control device and the stored second sensed traffic control device information indicative of the state of the second traffic control device with one or more additional vehicle systems one or more of moving within the transportation network or moving in a direction toward the transportation network. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising communicating the stored first sensed traffic control device information and the stored second sensed traffic control device information as a map of the transportation network with the one or more additional vehicle systems indicating one or more of the states of the first and second traffic control devices, locations of the first and second traffic control devices, health statuses of the first and second traffic control devices, identifications of the first and second traffic control devices, or a distance between the first and second traffic control devices. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: receiving third sensed traffic control device information from the second vehicle system indicating the state of the first traffic control device; determining whether the state of the first traffic control device has changed based on a comparison between the first sensed traffic control device information and the third sensed traffic control device information; and replacing the stored first sensed traffic control device information with the third sensed traffic control device information received from the second vehicle system responsive to determining that the state of the first traffic control device has changed. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, further comprising changing a movement of a third vehicle system traveling in the transportation network toward the first traffic control device based on the third sensed traffic control device information. ### Claim 18 A system comprising: one or more processors configured to receive first sensed traffic control device information from a first vehicle system traveling in a transportation network formed from interconnected routes, the first sensed traffic control device information indicating a state of a first traffic control device at a first intersection between the interconnected routes in the transportation network, wherein the first traffic control device in a first state is configured to direct vehicles in a first direction and the first traffic control device in a second state is configured to direct vehicles in a second direction, the one or more processors are configured to receive second sensed traffic control device information from the first vehicle system indicating a state of a second traffic control device at a second intersection between the interconnected routes in the transportation network, the one or more processors configured to store the first sensed traffic control device information and the second sensed traffic control device information received from the first vehicle system, and the one or more processors are configured to communicate the stored first sensed traffic control device information indicative of the state of the first traffic control device and the stored second sensed traffic control device information indicative of the state of the second traffic control device with a second vehicle systems one or more of moving within the transportation network or moving in a direction toward the transportation network. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more processors are configured to communicate the stored first sensed traffic control device information and the stored second sensed traffic control device information with one or more additional vehicle systems one or more of moving within the transportation network or moving in a direction toward the transportation network. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19, wherein the stored first and second sensed traffic control device information communicated with the one or more additional vehicle system includes one or more of states of the first and second traffic control devices, locations of the first and second traffic control devices, health statuses of the first and second traffic control devices, identifications of the first and second traffic control devices, or a distance between the first and second traffic control devices.