Work block encroachment warning system
AssigneeHarsco Technologies LLC
InventorsPeter Michael Bartek, Michael Stephen Davis
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure generally relates to work block encroachment warning systems for providing protection for rail workers working in a mobile or fixed work block. For example, a vehicle (V)-aware unit installed on a moving rail vehicle and a work block limit encroachment unit mounted on a railroad may wirelessly communicate with each other to determine a distance between them. When a vehicle is moving toward an occupied work block, the distance may be used to identify potential hazards.
Claims20
A work block limit encroachment unit, deployed at about a boundary limit of a work block on a railroad, comprising:
- a magnet mounting arrangement configured to magnetically couple to a running rail;
- one or more transceivers configured to wirelessly communicate with a vehicle (V)-aware unit located in a rail vehicle that is moving towards the work block;
- and
- a processor configured to determine, based on the communication with the V-aware unit, a distance between the work block limit encroachment unit and the rail vehicle.
A work block encroachment warning system for railroad use comprising:
- a vehicle (V)-aware unit configured to be installed on a rail vehicle, the V-aware unit comprising:
- one or more transceivers configured to communicate with an encroachment unit coupled to a running rail;
- and
- a processor coupled to the one or more transceivers and configured to recognize, based on the communication, a boundary limit of a work block associated with the encroachment unit.
A method for promoting railroad safety via rail communications, the method comprising:
- magnetically coupling a first unit, associated with a work block, to a running rail;
- and
- wirelessly communicating, between the first unit and a second unit located in a rail vehicle, to identify a violation of work block safety rule by the rail vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.