Patent ID: 9254855
Filing Date: 2016-02-09
CPC Classification: B61L

Claim Text:
1. A computer-implemented method for managing conditional authorities in a vehicle network for a target train, comprising: generating at least one conditional authority for the target train, the at least one conditional authority comprising authority data related to at least one identifying train, wherein the authority data comprises at least one of the following: entry point data, “at” location data, train data, identifying train data, condition data, or any combination thereof; based upon the authority data, determining each identifying train in the at least one conditional authority; establishing at least one direct or indirect communication link between at least one communication device of the target train and at least one communication device of each identifying train; directly or indirectly transmitting at least a portion of the position data from the at least one communication device of each identifying train to the communication device of the target train; comparing, by at least one on-board computer, at least a portion of the position data with at least a portion of the authority data; and based at least partially on the comparison, generating, by the at least one on-board computer, at least one indication that the target train is authorized to proceed.