412 results about "Level crossing" patented technology

Systems, methods, devices, and computer programming products useful for the gathering and use of data relating to structural loading and other operational use of transit and other vehicles, and their systems. Systems according to the invention can, for example, comprise one or more data acquisition devices such as strain gauges, accelerometers, or other sensors; data processors; memories; and communications systems. Such systems, methods, and programming are useful in a wide variety of ways, including, for example, monitoring the structural status and use of vehicles and their systems, including fatigue other operational analyses; gathering and applying data useful in the maintenance of such vehicles and the routes they travel; monitoring the use/abuse of such vehicles by operators and other individuals; reporting traffic events or anomalies; and routing transit and other vehicles around such events or anomalies. Rainflow, level-crossing and other peak-counting or event-counting algorithms are applied to advantage, such that required data storage is greatly reduced, and life-long monitoring is feasible.

The present invention is directed to a train detection system for detecting the velocity, presence, and direction of a railroad car which may be utilized in existing railroad crossing installations. The train detection system is suitable for self-testing of its components and if an anomaly has been detected, the train detection system is capable of placing the system in a fail-safe state. The train detection system of the present invention is also capable of constant communication between the sensor of said system and the implementing device of the train detection system via a wireless link.

In a vehicle emergency evacuation device which stops a running vehicle automatically or keeps a stop state of a stopped vehicle in a driver's emergency, a stop keeping process is executed to keep the stop state without conducting an intention confirmation process of the execution start of an emergency evacuation process when the emergency evacuation process is required, e.g. when an abnormality or a deterioration in the driver's condition arises or when the driver requests the emergency evacuation process, under a condition that the vehicle has stopped before a signal, a road crossing or a railroad crossing, thereby ensuring the safety of the vehicle. Moreover, there are provided a structure in which the stop site of the vehicle in the execution of automatic vehicle stop control is determined depending upon whether the running road is a driveway, a highway, or a normal road; and a structure that judges whether or not to permit an override to the emergency evacuation process after the execution start of the emergency evacuation process based on a passenger's motion.

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.

A method and apparatus for adaptively controlling the power level of transmissions from a remote station by determining the velocity of the remote station. A general classification of the velocity of the remote station can be used to selectively implement a closed loop power control scheme. Power level parameters are used to determine velocity. In accordance with a classification of stationary, low speed, or high speed, the closed loop power control is selectively operated. Velocity can be determined by either the base station or the remote station through various methods. One method is the use of power control bits and/or average power to determine level crossings and excursion times.

A railroad remote monitoring and detection system employing cameras, that may or may not be remotely positionable and repositionable, and other motion and presence detection devices such as millimeter wave radar and/or passive infrared and or ultrasound detectors. The use of multiple sensor devices reduces the occurrence of false alarms. The system employs software and logic to detect predetermined alarm conditions and then send a signal to a local or central command center and trains on the route. The system includes wireless receivers onboard the train that scan for monitor information one or more monitor stations in advance of the trains progress to give the train engineer/driver advanced warning of hazardous conditions on the trains route. Alarms to the central control center can be monitored to determine a recurrence of potentially hazardous conditions at a particular site so that steps can be taken to avoid such conditions in the future.

A blocked rail crossing detection and notification system is described. The system includes a processing device, a communications interface communicatively coupled to the processing device and operable for facilitating communications between the processing device and at least one external device, and at least one vehicle detection mechanism placed proximate to a rail grade crossing. The at least one vehicle detection mechanism is communicatively coupled to the processing device and operable to provide signals to the processing device indicative of the presence or non-presence of a vehicle within a defined area surrounding an intersection of a roadway and one or more railroad tracks. The processing device is further programmed to communicate the presence or non-presence of a vehicle along with supporting correlative visual data within the defined area to the at least one external device via the communications interface.

A system and method for collecting and delivering operational data relating to railroad grade crossing equipment and wayside equipment is described. The method comprises collecting operational data relating to railroad crossing equipment and wayside equipment in a data server, receiving the operational data from the data server with a data delivery device when the data server is in proximity to the data delivery device, and transmitting the operational data from the data delivery device to an external communication system.

An apparatus that prevents motorists from crossing railroad tracks, when the warning gates are down during approaching of a train consists, of a plurality of tire-piercing cogs which are retracted from the ground when the railroad crossing gate is closed. The cogs are arranged across the entire width of the automobile road in order to prevent a motorist from going around the closed gate through the oncoming traffic lane. The piercing cogs are interlocked with a warning visual and/or sound signal which is activated if the vehicle went onto the railroad tracks and stuck on the rails after smashing the closed road gate arm. The cog drive mechanism is located below the ground level, and when the gate is open for normal traffic through the railroad crossing, the cogs are turned into position in which their back surfaces are arranged in flush with the ground level for smooth passage of the vehicles. The power station of the cog drive mechanism is located in a small pit between the lanes of the opposite-direction traffic.

A highway/railroad crossing detection and warning system which uses sets of Doppler radar transmitters and receivers to detect the approach of a train coming from either direction toward a highway crossing. The Doppler radar sets are located an extended distance from the crossing with each set detecting movement toward and away from its location. Presence detectors are located at the crossing and sense moving or stationary trains. All detector devices transmit signals to warning equipment to provide aural and visual indications to approaching motorists or work crews.

The present invention relates to a warning system for displaying a warning message to a vehicle approaching a railroad crossing. The railroad crossing includes a railroad along which a train can travel, and a road crossing the railroad and along which the vehicle can travel. The warning system includes an identification system for identifying at least one identity characteristic (e.g. number plate, vehicle type, etc.) relating to the vehicle. A train detection system detects at least one train characteristic (e.g. presence, position, speed) relating to the train approaching the railroad crossing along the railroad. A vehicle detection system detects at least one vehicle characteristic (e.g. presence, position, speed) relating to the vehicle approaching the railroad crossing along the road. The warning system further includes a display system for displaying the warning message to the vehicle responsive to detecting both the train and vehicle characteristics.

The invention discloses a city level crossing vehicle signal indication system based on vehicle-road cooperation. The vehicle signal indication system comprises a wireless signal emission module installed on a traffic signal lamp and a wireless signal receiving module installed in a vehicle. When the vehicle drives to a crossroad from the driving direction of the traffic signal lamp and when the vehicle enters a specific scope, the wireless signal receiving module receives real-time information of the traffic signal lamp and displays the information; and when the vehicle drives away from the crossroad from the crossroad, a vehicular-mounted receiving device shields the real-time information of the traffic signal lamp. Compared to the prior art, the indication lamp can display the information of the traffic signal lamp at a display end in the vehicle in real time when the vehicle drives to the traffic signal lamp so that a driver can know the state of the traffic signal lamp at any circumstances and carry out correct driving operation.

An insulation system for an embedded track construction for a transit railway having spaced parallel railway rails includes a rail boot for substantially enclosing each of the rails along its length, rail clips extending on each side of each of the rails for securing the rails to supporting ties, and fillers extending on each side of each of the rails, frictionally engaging and removably mounting the rails to an associated one of said rail clips. The fillers cooperate to provide a coplanar roadway with said rails.

In order to stop a moving vehicle without injury to occupants, a vehicle barrier is provided having a pair of platforms disposed on opposite sides of a roadway, and a capture net extending across the roadway between the platforms. Each platform has a rotatably mounted spool attached to a different end of the net, and a dual acting extension-compression shock absorber pivotally mounted to the spool, such that when the force or energy of an impacting vehicle on the net is applied to the shock absorbers, via rotation of the spools. Rotation of spools operate the shock absorbers in compression, and if needed, in extension. In railroad crossing application, two of the vehicle barriers are provided on either side of the railroad tracks to prevent vehicles from crossing the railroad tracks.

A railroad crossing barrier estimating apparatus and a vehicle that incorporates therein such a railroad crossing barrier estimating apparatus are provided. When at least one of an external object the transverse width of which increases over time and an external object having a given length at a certain height from the ground is detected, the vehicle or the railroad crossing barrier estimating apparatus estimates the detected external object as a railroad crossing barrier.

A railroad collision avoidance system and method are disclosed that utilize impulse radio technology to effectively warn a person when there is a locomotive in their vicinity. In one embodiment, the railroad collision avoidance system includes a transmitting impulse radio unit coupled to a locomotive and a receiving impulse radio unit coupled to a vehicle. The transmitting impulse radio unit operates to transmit an impulse radio signal towards the vehicle when the locomotive is a predetermined distance from a railroad crossing. Upon receiving the impulse radio signal, the receiving impulse radio unit makes sure the person operating the vehicle is informed about the potentially dangerous situation. Several embodiments of the railroad collision avoidance system and method are disclosed all of which operate to warn a person when there is a locomotive in their vicinity.

A method includes receiving an absolute time associated with movement of a vehicle system, modifying the absolute time into a relative time, and controlling one or more warning devices using the relative time. A system includes a crossing module configured to receive an absolute time associated with movement of a vehicle system. The crossing module is configured to modify the absolute time into a relative time and to control one or more warning devices using the relative time.