Patent ID: 7731129
Filing Date: 2010-06-08
Classification: B61L

Abstract:
1. A method of communicating with a vehicle, said method comprising: providing a plurality of wayside control units configured to control an area along a guideway to be traveled by the vehicle, the plurality of wayside control units including a database of fixed data defining an operational profile of the guideway in a local area of an associated wayside control unit; monitoring dynamic data in the local area of the associated wayside control unit, the dynamic data including at least one of guideway availability and signal status information; transmitting wirelessly an authority message including at least one of the fixed data and the dynamic data from the associated wayside unit to a receiver on board the vehicle, the authority message dynamic data being valid for a time period selected from among a plurality of time periods; and selecting the time period based on a location of the vehicle while the vehicle is changing location along the guideway.