VEHICLE CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 3,748,466 A
• Filed: 06/14/1971
• Issued: 07/24/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Henry C. Sibley, John H. Auer Jr, Willis R. Smith
• Original Assignee: Henry C. Sibley, John H. Auer Jr, Willis R. Smith
• Inventors: Auer, John H. Jr., Smith, Willis R., Sibley, Henry C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Forlenza, Gerald M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Libman, George H.
• Application Number:
  US05/152,845
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 246/63C,34R,187B
• US Class Current: 246/63.00C
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 23/00 Control, warning or like safety means along the route or between vehicles or trains
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/04 Automatic systems, e.g. controlled by train; Change-over to manual control
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/20 Trackside control of safe travel of vehicle or train, e.g. braking curve calculation

Abstract

The vehicle control system operates vehicles over the right-ofway divided into a plurality of zones and has control means for governung safe operation of the vehicle in accordance with traffic conditions. The improvement comprises means of selecting both a desired speed limit and speed command control for communication to the vehicle occupying any of the zones in accordance with the conditions of traffic in advance of the zone, the selecting means is effective to select a relatively low command speed control zone in accordance with the selection of a relatively low speed control for at least one zone in advance of the vehicle in accordance with the safe stopping distance. Means communicates the selected limit and command speeds for each zone from the wayside to the vehicle occupying the zone and means controls operation of each vehicle in accordance with the selected speed limit and speed command controls communicated to the vehicle from the wayside.

Claims

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.

2. The vehicle control system of claim 1 wherein said generating means comprises:

a. oscillators for providing a plurality of code rates of preselected frequencies for speed limits and another code rate for speed command;

b. coupling means responsive to the output of the oscillator for producing a plurality of outputs each representative of the desired speed limit, and speed command signal.

3. The vehicle control system of claim 1 wherein said occupancy means comprises:

Detector responsive to vehicle presence for producing outputs indicative of vehicle presence or absence and means for coupling each detector to each switching means rearward of the detector for a selected number of blocks.

4. The vehicle control system of claim 1 wherein said switching means comprises:

an array of contacts governed by the occupancy Means for coupling combinations of code rate frequencies to the communications means.

5. The vehicle control system of claim 1 wherein said control means comprises switch means for each code rate and responsive thereto for providing frequency inputs to the vehicle control system in accordance with code rate frequencies communicated from the wayside.

6. The vehicle control system of claim 5 wherein the switch means are relays, controlling an array of contacts for producing inputs corresponding to the speed limit and speed command signals from the minimum to maximum.