Network security system with application for driver safety system

• US 9,852,624 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2016
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZERO Infrastructure Mobility Solutions Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Connected Signals, Inc.
• Inventors: Ginsberg, Matthew L., Norris, II, Johnny C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yacob, Sisay
• Application Number:
  US15/076,116
• Publication Number:
  US 20160203717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/07 Controlling traffic signals
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096883 where input information is obtained using a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone, a PDA

Abstract

A driver safety system includes traffic signals communicating with a municipal controller via a first network and user devices communicating with a third party controller via a second network. Communications from the first network are provided to the second network via a repeater server providing one-way communications to avoid the possibility of hacking devices on the first network.

Claims

1. A vehicular traffic system, comprising:

a municipal controller operatively connected with a plurality of traffic signals via a first communications network;

a third party controller operatively connected with a plurality of user devices via a second communications network; and

a repeater server configured to provide communications from the first communications network to the second communications network via a unidirectional communications channel;

wherein the unidirectional communications channel comprises a dedicated output port of a switch connecting the municipal controller with the repeater server; and

wherein further the unidirectional communications channel comprises a dedicated input port of the repeater server.

2. The vehicular traffic system of claim 1, wherein the unidirectional communications channel comprises a dedicated output port of the repeater server.

3. The vehicular traffic system of claim 1, wherein the communications from the first network comprise data from the traffic signals.

4. The vehicular traffic system of claim 1, wherein the communications from the first network comprise data from the municipal controller.

5. The vehicular traffic system of claim 1, wherein the repeater server comprises a data processing module configured to selectively process the communications from the first communications network and to generate therefrom modified communications;

the repeater server further configured to provide the modified communications to the second communications network.

6. The vehicular traffic system of claim 5, wherein the data processing module includes a filter to select as the modified communications a subset of the communications from the first communications network indicating changes of state of the traffic signals.

7. The vehicular traffic system of claim 5, wherein the data processing module includes a data compressor.

8. A method of sharing traffic signal state information on a private computer network to a device on a public computer network, the method comprising:

passing the traffic signal state information as a data signal through a network switch device;

outputting the traffic signal state information on a one-way communications channel from the network switch device to a repeater server;

processing the traffic signal state information into output data at the repeater server; and

passing the output data from the repeater server to the public computer network;

wherein the one-way communications channel comprises a dedicated output port of the network switch device connecting the private computer network with the repeater server; and

wherein further the one-way communications channel comprises a dedicated input port of the repeater server.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the processing comprises compressing the traffic signal state information such that the output data does not include redundant traffic signal state information.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein, in addition to the traffic signal state information, information not relevant to traffic signal states is also carried on the private computer network, and processing comprises filtering the information not relevant to traffic signal states so that the output data does not include the information not relevant to traffic signal states.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the device on the public computer network is a third party controller, and said sharing comprises addressing the output data to the third party controller.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the traffic signal state information comprises data from traffic signals.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the traffic signal state information comprises data from a municipal traffic controller.