Apparatus and method for implementing safe visual information provision

摘要

The invention relates to an apparatus and method which allows information representing a state or condition or an action to be performed as part of a control system to be present to one or more users. The information is selected and generated in a manner which removes or at least reduces the risk of potentially catastrophic error occurring which would be possible if, for example, the information is corrupt or lost during subsequent transmission, remote processing and/or displaying. One such use of the apparatus and method of the invention is in relation to transport vehicles and the control of the movement of said vehicles along predefined geographical paths.

主权项

1. Apparatus for the provision of at least a first set of information, said apparatus including a control means and at least one display means, said control means located geographically remotely from the display means, communication means are provided between said control means and display means to allow the transmission of data between the same, said data which is transmitted to the display means being sufficient to allow a display to be generated which is representative of information to be shown to a viewer of the display means, the control means is aware of the geographical location of the display means at the time of display and the data which is transmitted to the display means is dependent on the geographical location of the display means at that time and characterised in that the data transmitted to the display means is encrypted, and decryption of the data by the display means is only possible when the detected geographical location or local time and date of the display means matches that at which the data for the display is required to be viewed and used,
and further wherein the data which is transmitted includes a second set of information which can be read at the location of the display means, so that the display means provides a first set of information and a second set of information to be assessed in conjunction with the first set and a display generated from the first set of information can only be generated or acted upon or retained when the criteria of the second set of information has been met.