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US 2021/0070331 A1Published application
Work block encroachment warning system
AssigneeHarsco Technologies LLC
InventorsPeter Michael BARTEK, Michael Stephen DAVIS
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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.
Claims21
1-20. (canceled)
A work block limit encroachment unit, comprising:
- a body having one or more transceivers configured to wirelessly communicate with a rail vehicle moving along a rail;
- one or more magnets coupled to the body and configured to magnetically couple the body to the rail;
- and
- a processor configured to determine, based on the communication with the rail vehicle, a first distance between the rail vehicle and a boundary limit of a work block.
1 more element
A system comprising:
- a collision avoidance unit configured to be coupled to a rail vehicle, the collision avoidance unit including:
- one or more first transceivers configured to communicate with a first encroachment unit;
- and
- a first processor configured to recognize, based on the communication, a boundary limit of a work block associated with the first encroachment unit;
- and
- the first encroachment unit including:
- one or more second transceivers configured to communicate with the one or more first transceivers of the collision avoidance unit;
- and
- one or more magnets configured to removably couple the first encroachment unit to a web of a rail via magnetic coupling;
- and
- a second processor configured to determine, based on the communication between the one or more first and second transceivers, a first distance between the rail vehicle and a first boundary limit of a first work block.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.