Railroad Crossing Gate Obstruction Detection Through Motion Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional railroad crossing gate mechanisms are susceptible to failures and malfunctions due to obstructions, which can lead to overstressing or damaging components without proper detection, risking safety and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A crossing gate mechanism equipped with an electric motor, sensing device, and controller that senses the motion of the gate arm to detect obstructions by monitoring position and direction changes, preventing over-current conditions and ensuring the gate reaches its intended position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the gate control mechanism continues to force the gate arm without obstruction detection, then the gate arm may reach its intended position, but over-current conditions occur causing the gate arm to bend or break, or other components to be overstressed or damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing device detects obstruction before over-current conditions can cause damage. By preliminarily sensing the gate arm's motion status and detecting obstructions in advance, the system prevents the harmful over-current effect from occurring, rather than waiting for damage to happen and then responding
Solution Approach 2:
The controller receives feedback from the sensing device about the gate arm's motion and position. This feedback loop allows the controller to detect obstructions and adjust the motor operation accordingly, preventing over-current conditions by continuously monitoring and responding to the actual gate arm status
2Reliability
If a sensing device is added to detect gate arm motion, then obstruction detection capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing device serves multiple functions: it senses gate arm motion, detects obstructions, and provides feedback for control adjustments. By making the sensing component multi-functional, the patent adds detection capability without proportionally increasing overall system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The sensing device acts as an intermediary between the motor and the gate arm, providing information about the gate arm's actual motion status to the controller without requiring direct complex interaction between the controller and the gate arm mechanics
Data Source
AI summary
A crossing gate mechanism includes an electric motor with one or more sensor(s), a crossing gate arm operated via the electric motor, and a controller configured to control the electric motor to raise or lower the crossing gate arm in response to a gate control signal. The controller is further configured to sense a motion of the crossing gate arm and detect an obstruction that prevents the crossing gate arm to execute the motion. Further, an associated method and non-transitory computer readable medium are described.