Filing Information

Inventor(s)	Irwin Gerszberg · Thomas T. Shen ·
Assignee(s)	AT&T Corp ·  View assignee updates
Primary Examiner	Jeffery A. Hofsass ·
Assistant Examiner	Tweel, Jr.; John ·
Application Number	US8694378
Filing date	08/08/1996
Issue date	01/26/1999
Predicted expiration date	08/08/2016
U.S. Classifications	340/903  · 340/901  ·
International Classifications	G08G 116  ·
Kind Code	A
International Classifications	340903;907;902;905;901;989;994 ·

Patent Family

Abstract

A railroad-crossing warning system for protecting pedestrians and motorists from an oncoming train. The warning system has a vehicle detector system for determining whether a vehicle is stuck in an area of the railroad crossing, a train detector system for determining vital train information including the speed and direction of the oncoming train, a display unit for displaying warning messages to the pedestrians and motorists approaching the railroad crossing, and a communication system for communicating the vital train information and the distressed vehicle information to the oncoming train and the display system. The system provides early warning to the operator of the oncoming train to provide more reliable protection for distressed vehicles in the railroad crossing and for motorists and pedestrians approaching the railroad crossing.

Independent Claims | See all claims (13)

1. 1. A railroad crossing warning system for protecting traffic from an approaching train, comprising:a wireless trackside communications system for bidirectionally communicating critical railway and traffic control data, between a vehicle at a railroad crossing and a train approaching the railroad crossing, said wireless trackside communications system having a plurality of trackside devices for detecting the presence, location, speed and direction of the approaching train to determine train warning information, said plurality of trackside devices communicating said train warning information between each other;a vehicle detector system operating independently of any onboard vehicle systems, the vehicle detector located at the railroad crossing for detecting a presence of a vehicle in an area of the railroad crossing; said vehicle detector system coupled to a given trackside device of said wireless communications system such that said distressed vehicle warning information is communicated thereon; anda display unit located at the railroad crossing for displaying said oncoming train warning information and said distressed vehicle warning information communicated on said wireless trackside communications system.