Microwave identification of railroad cars

• US 3,247,509 A
• Filed: 10/04/1963
• Issued: 04/19/1966
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/1963
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Omer F. Hamann, Sherman H. Boyd
• Original Assignee: Omer F. Hamann, Sherman H. Boyd
• Inventors: Hamann, Omer F., Boyd, Sherman H.
• Application Number:
  US04/319,914
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• US Class Current: 342/44
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/04 Indicating or recording train identities
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/751 wherein the responder or reflector radiates a coded signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/025 involving the transmission of linearly polarised waves

Claims

1. AN AUTOMATIC VEHICLE IDENTIFYING SYSTEM FOR RAILROAD CARS AND LIKE VEHICLES COMPRISING:

A ROADSIDE SCANNING STATION INCLUDING A SOURCE OF MICROWAVE SIGNALS AT A GIVEN FREQUENCY, A MICROWAVE TRANSMITTER ANTENNA COUPLED TO SAID SIGNAL SOURCE FOR RADIATING SAID SIGNAL, AND A MICROWAVE RECEIVER ANTENNA;

AND A PLURALITY OF CODED IDENTIFICATION MEMBERS, EACH MOUNTED ON AN INDIVIDUAL VEHICLE IN POSITION TO REFLECT MICROWAVE RADIATIONS EMITTED BY SAID TRANSMITTER ANTENNA BACK TO SAID RECEIVER ANTENNA WHENEVER SAID VEHICLE TRAVERSES SAID SCANNING STATION, EACH OF SAID CODED IDENTIFICATION MEMBERS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF REFLECTOR ELEMENTS RESONANT AT SAID GIVEN FREQUENCY.