Safe merging system using short pulse signal reflectomerty
AssigneeSperry Corporation
InventorGerald F. Ross
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Electromagnetic pulses of substantially nanosecond duration are transmitted from a merge location along transmission lines paralleling merging guideways to be incident to reflecting or repeating apparatus on vehicles approaching the merge. Coupling of the reflecting or repeating apparatus to the transmission line is such that sufficient electromagnetic energy is returned from the n.sup.th vehicle to the merge location for detection and processing thereafter. The returned signals are used to calculate, for each vehicle, the distance from the merge location and the approach speed.
Claims8
A system for determining distance to and speed of vehicles travelling in each of a multiplicity of merging guideways comprising:
- means paralleling each of said merging guideways for the propagation of short electromagnetic pulses;
- means coupled to said propagation means at a fixed preselected location for generating first electromagnetic pulses of short duration;
- means on board each of said vehicles responsive to said first electromagnetic pulses for coupling second electromagnetic pulses of short duration to said propagation means for transmission towards said fixed location;
- means coupled to said propagation means substantially at said preselected location for receiving said second electromagnetic pulses and for providing signals representative thereof;
- and
- means coupled to receive said representative signals for determining distances from said fixed location to and speed of a preselected number of said vehicles.
A method for determining distance to and speed of vehicular traffic approaching a merge of a multiplicity of channels which comprises:
- transmitting first electromagnetic pulses of short duration from a fixed location near said merge along propagation means to be incident to vehicles in each of said channels approaching said merge;
- providing on each of said vehicles means for returning second electromagnetic pulses of short duration towards said fixed location that are representative of said first electromagnetic pulses of short duration;
- positioning said pulse returning means on said vehicles relative to said propagation means such that portions of said first electromagnetic pulses of short duration propagate therepast to be incident to following vehicles;
- receiving said second electromagnetic pulses of short duration at said fixed location;
- and
- processing said second electromagnetic pulses to provide distances to and speed of said vehicles approaching said merge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.