Video detection apparatus for monitoring a railroad crossing

In a system for protecting vehicles and pedestrians moving through a railroad crossing from being struck from an oncoming train, said system including a barrier positioned to block vehicle and pedestrian movement when the train approaches to within a predetermined distance of the crossing, the improvement comprising apparatus for viewing the crossing, detecting the presence of vehicles, pedestrians, or objects in the crossing when the barrier is in place, and for providing an indication thereof to the approaching train to allow train personnel to take preventative action to prevent harm to the vehicle, object, or train and injury to pedestrians or persons on the train, the apparatus comprising:

• means for viewing the crossing when an approaching train is within a predetermined distance of the crossing to obtain an electro-optical image of the crossing including the presence of any vehicle, pedestrian, or object within the crossing, the viewing means obtaining said image regardless of the time of day and the existing atmospheric conditions;
• comparator means for continuously processing said electro-optical image obtained by the viewing means once the train has approached within a predetermined distance of the crossing, the comparator means comparing a processed image with a representation of the crossing to establish whether or not a vehicle, pedestrian, or object is present in the crossing;
• evaluator means for determining if the size of a detected object is greater than a predetermined size;
• alarm means activated by said evaluator means to provide an alarm signal to the train of the presence of a vehicle, pedestrian, or object exceeding said predetermined size, the alarm means providing said alarm signal sufficiently in advance of the train reaching the crossing for the train, if appropriate, to be brought to a halt prior to reaching the crossing thereby to prevent injury to pedestrians, people on the train, or damage to the vehicle or the train;
• relay means for relaying said alarm signal to the train;
• and,
• means on board the train responsive to said alarm signal to sound an audible warning to train personnel.

A method of warning a railroad train traveling over a railroad track intersected by a crossing at which automotive vehicles and pedestrians cross from one side of the track to the other of the presence of a vehicle, pedestrian, or object in the crossing as the train approaches the crossing, timely warning the train of the presence of the vehicle, pedestrian, or object in the crossing enabling train personnel to take preventive action to prevent harm to the vehicle, object, or train and injury to pedestrians or persons on the train, the method comprising:

• electro-optically obtaining an image of the crossing including the presence of a vehicle, pedestrian, or object within the crossing, the image being obtained regardless of the time of day and existing atmospheric conditions;
• processing the image, said processing being continuous from a point where the train approaches to within a predetermined distance of the crossing until it reaches the crossing;
• determining from the processed visual image the presence of a vehicle, pedestrian, or object in the crossing;
• responsive to the determination of the presence of an object, determining from the processed visual image, the size of the object;
• responsive to the determination of the presence of a vehicle, pedestrian, or object exceeding a predetermined size, providing an alarm signal to the train, said alarm signal being provided sufficiently in advance of the train reaching the crossing that the train can be halted prior to reaching the crossing and striking the vehicle or pedestrian;
• and, wherein providing said alarm signal to said train includes routing said signal through a relay means which, when energized, routes said signal to a transmitter for transmission of said signal to a receiver on board the train.