US 4,166,599 A · Wayside oriented moving block

Abstract

A control system including apparatus for the transmission of information for the control of vehicles travelling in one direction on a guideway. The guideway is broken down into a plurality of groups of uniquely identified sequential blocks. Each block has at least one vehicle detector for detecting the presence of a vehicle and having an operated condition responsive to vehicle detection. Each block further includes a transmitter for providing, to a vehicle within the block, information concerning the block it is in as well as information regarding the identity of the next downstream occupied or unavailable block. To this end, each block has associated with it a word generator for producing a signal identifying the block; the word generator is coupled to the block transmitter, which transmitter is only enabled when the vehicle detector is in its operated condition. A communication channel extends in a direction opposite to the direction of travel on the guideway, and each block includes a coupler for coupling the portion of the communication channel co-extensive with the block to the adjacent upstream block. The coupler is responsive to the condition of the vehicle detector for maintaining a connection between the communication channel in the block with the communication channel of the next upstream block, when the vehicle detector is not operated. When the vehicle detector is operated, the coupler connects the output of the word generator to the next upstream block. The transmitter of each block receives another input from the communication channel. In this fashion, a vehicle in any block receives a signal identifying the next downstream occupied block as well as a signal identifying the block it is in.

Claims31

Dependent claims

Apparatus for the transmission of traffic control information to vehicles travelling in one direction on a guideway wherein said guideway comprises a plurality of sequentially coupled blocks comprising:

a plurality of vehicle detecting means each associated with a different block for detecting the presence of a vehicle in said associated block,
transmitting means associated with each block for providing traffic control information to a vehicle in said block, and,
information selecting means coupled to said transmitting means and coupled to each said vehicle detecting means, said information selecting means coupling to each said transmitting means information identifying the next adjacent downstream unavailable block regardless of the number of clear blocks between said transmitting means and said unavailable block.

Traffic control system for vehicles travelling in one direction on a guideway, each of said vehicles having a receiver responsive to information communicated thereto and control means responsive to said receiver and to vehicle carried apparatus for controlling the continued operation of said vehicle, said system further including:

a plurality of vehicle detecting means, each associated with a different section of said guideway for detecting the presence, anywhere in said associated section, of a vehicle,
a plurality of transmitting means, each associated with a different section of said guideway and responsive to the associated vehicle detecting means for transmitting traffic control information to vehicles in said associated section,
and information selecting means coupled to each of said transmitting means for coupling to selected ones of said transmitting means information identifying the next unavailable downstream section regardless of the number of clear sections between a said selected transmitting means and said unavailable section.

Apparatus for the transmission of traffic control information to vehicles travelling downstream on a guideway comprising a plurality of blocks including at least one merge area where two legs of said guideway merge into a single leg of a guideway, said apparatus comprising:

vehicle detecting means associated with each block for detecting the presence of a vehicle in said block,
transmitting means associated with each block for providing traffic control information to a vehicle in said block,
receiving means associated with each block for receiving information from a vehicle in said block,
communication channel means coupled to said receiving means for transmitting received information downstream to said merge area said communication channel means responsive to said vehicle detecting means of plural blocks to separate information from plural vehicles, and
merge block information handling means at said merge area, responsive to said communication channel means and coupled to transmitting means of blocks at least in the vicinity of, and upstream of, said merge block for providing information from vehicles on both legs of said guideway, whereby a vehicle upstream and in the vicinity of said merge area receives information from at least all vehicles downstream of said vehicle and upstream of said merge area on both legs of said guideway.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Wayside oriented moving block

Life of this patent

Wayside oriented moving block

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims31