METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DETECTION AND NOTIFICATION OF BLOCKED RAIL CROSSINGS

• US 20130018534A1
• Filed: 01/19/2012
• Published: 01/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Island Radar Company
• Original Assignee: The Island Radar Company
• Inventors: Hilleary, Thomas N.
• Granted Patent: US 8,909,396 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/19
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/00 Central railway traffic control systems; Trackside control; Communication systems specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 29/30 Supervision, e.g. monitoring arrangements

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. A blocked rail crossing detection and notification system, said system comprising:

a processing device;

a communications interface communicatively coupled to said processing device and operable for facilitating communications between said processing device and at least one external device; and

at least one vehicle detection mechanism placed proximate to a rail grade crossing, said at least one vehicle detection mechanism communicatively coupled to said processing device and operable to provide signals to said 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, said processing device programmed to communicate the presence or non-presence of a vehicle within the defined area to the at least one external device.

2. The blocked rail crossing detection and notification system of claim 1 wherein said at least one vehicle detection mechanism comprises at least one radar sensor placed proximate to the rail grade crossing.

3. The blocked rail crossing detection and notification system of claim 2 wherein said communications interface is operable for providing a communication regarding the presence of a vehicle within the defined area as sensed by said at least one radar sensor over at least one of the North American Railroad Positive Train Control network and a cellular telephone network.

4. The blocked rail crossing detection and notification system of claim 1 wherein said at least one vehicle detection mechanism comprises at least one video camera placed proximate to the rail grade crossing.

5. The blocked rail crossing detection and notification system of claim 4 wherein said communications interface is operable for providing a communication regarding the presence of a vehicle within the defined area as image data acquired by said at least one video camera over at least one of the North American Railroad Positive Train Control network and a cellular telephone network.

6. The blocked rail crossing detection and notification system of claim 1, wherein the at least one vehicle detection mechanism includes multiple and different vehicle detection mechanisms.

7. The blocked rail crossing detection and notification system of claim 6, wherein the multiple and different vehicle detection mechanisms are collaboratively coordinated by the processing device to automatically detect and confirm a blocked crossing event.

8. The blocked rail crossing detection and notification system of claim 7, wherein the processing device is configured to, based on signals from the multiple and different vehicle detection mechanisms, identify a false blocked crossing detection event.

9. The blocked rail crossing detection and notification system of claim 1, wherein the crossing includes at least one status and control signal for warning roadway vehicles of an impending train, and wherein the processing device is configured to monitor the status and control signal to avoid a false blocked crossing detection event.

10. The blocked rail crossing detection and notification system of claim 1, further comprising a speech synthesizer, the processing device configured to communicate an audio message from the speech synthesizer.

11. The blocked rail crossing detection and notification system of claim 1, wherein the processing device is programmed to communicate the presence or non-presence of a vehicle within the defined area via one of a fax communication, a voice message, a data message, and a text message.

18. The blocked rail crossing detection and notification system of claim 1, wherein the crossing includes at least one status and control signal for warning roadway vehicles of an impending train, and wherein the processing device is configured to monitor the status and control signal to avoid a false blocked crossing detection event.

12. A system for monitoring a rail crossing for an obstruction and notifying railroad personnel of the same, said system comprising:

a processor-based device located proximate the rail crossing;

a communications interface communicatively coupled to said processing device and operable for facilitating communications between said processor based device and a location remote from the rail crossing; and

a plurality of obstruction sensors monitoring the rail grade crossing, each of said plurality of obstruction sensors being communicatively coupled to said processor-based device and operable to provide respective signals to said processing device indicative of the presence of an obstruction in the path of one or more railroad tracks at the crossing, said processor based device programmed to communicate the presence of the obstruction to the location remote from the railroad crossing.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of obstruction sensors includes at least one sensor embedded in the crossing.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of obstruction sensors includes at least one radar sensor.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of obstruction sensors includes multiple sensors each respectively configured to detect the obstruction in a different manner.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the multiple and different vehicle detection sensors are collaboratively coordinated by the processing device to automatically detect and confirm a blocked crossing event.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processing device is configured to, based on signals from the multiple and different vehicle detection sensors, identify a false blocked crossing detection event.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the communications interface is operable for facilitating communications between said processing device and a location remote from the rail crossing via a communications network, the network including one of wired and wireless communication paths.

20. A system for monitoring a rail crossing intersecting a roadway for an obstruction in the path of an approaching locomotive and for notifying railroad personnel of the same, said system comprising:

a processor-based device local to the rail crossing;

a communications interface communicatively coupled to said processing device and operable for facilitating communications between said processor based device and a remote location; and

a plurality of obstruction sensors each monitoring the rail grade crossing for an obstruction in a different manner, each of said plurality of obstruction sensors being communicatively coupled to said processor-based device and operable to provide respective signals to said processing device indicative of the presence of an obstruction in the path of one or more railroad tracks at or proximate the crossing, said processor based device configured to;

compare the signals from the plurality of obstruction sensors to determine whether an obstruction exists; and

if the obstruction is determined to exist, communicate the presence of the obstruction to the location remote from the railroad crossing.