194results about "Traffic gates operation" patented technology

A railroad grade crossing assembly for blocking vehicle access across a railroad crossing including a gate assembly connectable to a stanchion and light assembly. This gate assembly is movable between a generally upright position to permit vehicle access across a railroad crossing and a generally horizontal position for blocking vehicle access across the railroad crossing. The gate assembly further includes a telescopic arm assembly for completely closing vehicle access to the railroad crossing. In another embodiment of the invention, the railroad grade crossing assembly includes a gate movable between a generally horizontal retracted position to permit vehicle access across a railroad crossing and a generally extended horizontal position for blocking vehicle access across a railroad crossing, the gate includes a telescopic arm for completely closing the railroad crossing, a first and second stanchions. The railroad grade crossing assembly also includes a battery to power the gate and a solar panel to recharge the battery. A low battery indicator may also be includes to indicate that said battery has a low voltage. A listening device is provided to detect the sound of an oncoming train and activate the gate, and a sensor is provided to sense when a train has passed and thereby cause the gate to retract.

A vehicle passive entry side door latch release system engageable with a release cable connected a door latch includes a moveable linkage assembly engageable with the cable, and a motor including an output shaft engaged with a tensioning gear for driving a ratcheting gearwheel rotatably affixed to a coil spring, with the gearwheel including external teeth engageable with a rack affixed to the linkage to move the cable to unlatch the door latch. A pivotable ratcheting pawl may be engageable with the gearwheel to allow or prevent rotation of the gearwheel. Operation of the motor may drive the gear to drive the gearwheel in a rotary direction to energize the spring, and disengagement of the pawl from the gearwheel may allow stored energy in the spring to drive the gearwheel in an opposite rotary direction to thereby drive the rack to move the cable to unlatch the door latch.

A storage cabinet having a latching mechanism that can be unlatched by the use of either an upper actuator or a lower actuator is provided. The upper actuator may comprise a hand knob while the lower actuator may comprise a foot pedal. Thus, if an operator has his arms full and wants to open the doors of the cabinet, he can simply do so by actuating the foot pedal. Alternately, the doors of the cabinet may be opened by actuating the hand knob. This design affords the operator much flexibility in accessing the storage cabinet. A storage cabinet with a latching mechanism that is protected from damage under abusive conditions is also provided.

A heavy duty ground retractable automobile barrier for a railroad crossing. Concrete bunkers are placed at each side of a roadway. An upstanding concrete-filled steel pipe fixed in each bunker has a sleeve for rotational and axial movement. Shock absorbers are mounted on each sleeve. A net extends across the road and is attached to the opposite ends of the shock absorbers. Collision of an automobile with the net creates tensile forces in the net. The shock absorbers expand while rotating about the pipe's axis in response to tensile forces from the net that meet or exceed a minimum threshold. Forces from the net pass through the axis of the steel pipe. The net is stored in a pit transverse the roadway parallel to the railroad tracks and is raised and lowered as appropriate. The net includes a cable that extends across the road in a wave pattern, having peaks, valleys and midpoints, wherein tangents of the wave midpoints are at least 90 degrees from tangents of the peaks and valleys.

An opening-and-closing device opens and closes a sliding door by using a cable connected to the sliding door movably attached to a vehicle body. The opening-and-closing device has a base bracket, a motor, a transmission, a rotary drum, a first conduit fixed portion, a second conduit fixed portion, a first tension controller and a second tension controller. The base bracket is fixed to the vehicle body with bolts. The motor, the transmission, the rotary drum, the first and second conduit fixed portions and the first and second tension controllers are fixed to a disposition face of the base bracket. The first and second tension controllers are respectively disposed between the rotary drum and the first conduit fixed portion and between the rotary drum and the second conduit fixed portion, and applies tension to the cable fed from the rotary drum to take up the slack.

An opening and closing device opens and closes a sliding door by using a cable connected to the sliding door movably attached to a vehicle body. The opening and closing device has a base bracket, a motor, a transmission, a rotary drum, a first conduit fixed portion, a second conduit fixed portion, a first tension controller and a second tension controller. The base bracket is fixed to the vehicle body with bolts. The motor, the transmission, the rotary drum, the first and second conduit fixed portions and the first and second tension controllers are fixed to a disposition face of the base bracket. The first and second tension controllers are respectively disposed between the rotary drum and the first conduit fixed portion and between the rotary drum and the second conduit fixed portion, and applies tension to the cable fed from the rotary drum to take up the slack.

A vital programmable logic device (VPD) is provided having at least two microprocessors. The VPD is configured to provide failsafe operation of a vital control system while operating in a closed circuit environment. In at least one embodiment of the present invention, railroad grade crossing signals are controlled by the VPD.

Various methods and systems are provided for predicting crossing times. In one embodiment, a method comprises determining a vehicle position of a vehicle from sensed data, filtering the vehicle position, determining vehicle velocity based on the filtered vehicle position, filtering the vehicle velocity to a greater extent than vehicle position is filtered, at least above a threshold frequency, and determining a time-to-crossing based on the filtered vehicle position and filtered velocity.