Railroad crossing warning system
OwnerJohn E Barraganinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A railroad crossing warning system includes a beam emitter for generating a focused beam of energy, and a receiver for receiving the focused beam of energy. A pair of weatherproof housings secures the emitter and receiver diagonally at a railroad intersection. A base station is communicatively linked to the beam emitter and the receiver, and a base station communication unit transmits an obstruction warning to an approaching train.
Claims15
A railroad crossing warning system for use at railroad crossings, said system comprising:
- a beam emitter that is configured to generate a focused beam of energy;
- a receiver that is configured to receive the focused beam of energy;
- and
- a base station that is in communication with each of the beam emitter and the receiver,
- said base station including functionality for determining that the focused beam of energy is not being received by the receiver, and for broadcasting an obstruction warning upon the determination
- wherein each of the beam emitter and the receiver are configured to be electrically connected to one of a pair of crossing gates, and to receive electrical power when an arm of the respective crossing gate is in a down position.
A railroad crossing warning system for use at railroad crossings, said system comprising:
- a first freestanding weatherproof housing having a clear surface along one end;
- a second freestanding weatherproof housing having a clear surface along one end;
- a beam emitter that is configured to generate a focused beam of energy, said beam emitter being located within the first freestanding housing;
- a receiver that is configured to receive the focused beam of energy, said receiver being located within the second freestanding housing;
- and
- a base station that is in communication with each of the beam emitter and the receiver, and including a memory for storing instructions, a component interface for communicating with the beam emitter and the receiver;
- and a communication unit for communicating wirelessly with an external object,
- said base station including functionality for determining that the focused beam of energy is not being received by the receiver, and for broadcasting an obstruction warning upon the determination,
- wherein the communication unit includes a variable radio transmitter that is configured to broadcast an audible alert at a first frequency and for a distance between approximately 0.1 and 0.5 miles.
A railroad crossing warning system for use at railroad crossings, said system comprising:
- a beam emitter that is configured to generate a focused beam of energy;
- a receiver that is configured to receive the focused beam of energy;
- a base station that is in communication with each of the beam emitter and the receiver,
- said base station including functionality for determining that the focused beam of energy is not being received by the receiver, and for broadcasting an obstruction warning upon the determination:
- a first waterproof housing having an interior space for receiving the beam emitter;
- a second waterproof housing having an interior space for receiving the receiver;
- each of the first and second waterproof housings including a surface for allowing the focused beam of energy to pass therethrough, and including a crossing gate connector for mating with a pair of crossing gates at a railroad intersection.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.