Patent ID: 7236860

Claim:
A system for controlling a train, the system comprising: a control unit located on the train; a database connected to the control unit, the database including position information for a plurality of configurable devices, the database further including an identifier for each of the configurable devices; a positioning system connected to the control unit, the position system being operable to provide position information pertaining to the train to the control unit; and a transceiver connected to the control unit; wherein the control unit is configured to perform the steps of: obtaining a position of the train from the positioning system; identifying a configurable device in the database as a next configurable device the train will approach; determining a proximity of the train to the next configurable device; comparing the proximity to a threshold; transmitting an interrogation message to the next configurable device when the proximity is below a threshold; receiving a response to the interrogation message, the response including an identifier associated with a configurable device and a configuration of the configurable device; allowing the train to pass the configurable device if the response is received within a first period of time, the identifier included in the response matches the identifier associated with the configurable device of interest, and the configuration included in the response is acceptable; and taking corrective action otherwise.