B61L29/24

System and method for providing railroad grade crossing status information to autonomous vehicles

A railroad communication system (100, 200) includes a wayside control device (130) in communication with one or more railroad crossing warning device(s) (140, 145) located at a railroad grade crossing (125), wherein the one or more railroad crossing warning device(s) (140, 145) are activated in response to a signal of the wayside control device (130). An autonomous motor vehicle (150) approaches the railroad grade crossing (125), wherein the wayside control device (130) is configured to communicate information in response to an activation of the one or more railroad crossing warning device(s) (140, 145), and wherein the autonomous motor vehicle (150) is configured to receive the information.

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR WARNING A MOTOR VEHICLE OF A COLLISION WITH A RAILWAY VEHICLE
20220063691 · 2022-03-03 ·

A method for warning a motor vehicle of a collision with a rail vehicle, in which, using an electronic computing device arranged externally of the vehicle, first movement data of the rail vehicle, which characterize a position and/or a speed of the rail vehicle, are received from a sensor device permanently installed in a rail network and/or are determined as a function of an electronic timetable. A hazardous situation is determined as a function of the first movement data and position data of at least one level crossing, which position data characterize a position of the level crossing. A hazard information signal, which can be called up by the motor vehicle and characterizes the hazardous situation, is provided for the motor vehicle as a function of the hazardous situation.

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING RAILROAD GRADE CROSSING STATUS INFORMATION TO AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES
20210284213 · 2021-09-16 ·

A railroad communication system (100, 200) includes a wayside control device (130) in communication with one or more railroad crossing warning device(s) (140, 145) located at a railroad grade crossing (125), wherein the one or more railroad crossing warning device(s) (140, 145) are activated in response to a signal of the wayside control device (130). An autonomous motor vehicle (150) approaches the railroad grade crossing (125), wherein the wayside control device (130) is configured to communicate information in response to an activation of the one or more railroad crossing warning device(s) (140, 145), and wherein the autonomous motor vehicle (150) is configured to receive the information.

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING RAILROAD GRADE CROSSING STATUS INFORMATION TO AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES
20210284213 · 2021-09-16 ·

A railroad communication system (100, 200) includes a wayside control device (130) in communication with one or more railroad crossing warning device(s) (140, 145) located at a railroad grade crossing (125), wherein the one or more railroad crossing warning device(s) (140, 145) are activated in response to a signal of the wayside control device (130). An autonomous motor vehicle (150) approaches the railroad grade crossing (125), wherein the wayside control device (130) is configured to communicate information in response to an activation of the one or more railroad crossing warning device(s) (140, 145), and wherein the autonomous motor vehicle (150) is configured to receive the information.

Management system and control system

A management system according to the present disclosure is a management system that manages a travel plan of a vehicle that is capable of traveling on a road and a railway track, and includes controller that creates the travel plan of the vehicle. In a case where there is a route candidate track that is a railway track that is possibly used as a travel route of the vehicle, the controller acquires a railway operation schedule for the route candidate track, and determines whether the route candidate track can be used as the travel route of the vehicle, based on the operation schedule. In the case where the route candidate track can be used as the travel route of the vehicle, the controller creates a travel plan according to which the vehicle travels along the travel route including the route candidate track.

Management system and control system

A management system according to the present disclosure is a management system that manages a travel plan of a vehicle that is capable of traveling on a road and a railway track, and includes controller that creates the travel plan of the vehicle. In a case where there is a route candidate track that is a railway track that is possibly used as a travel route of the vehicle, the controller acquires a railway operation schedule for the route candidate track, and determines whether the route candidate track can be used as the travel route of the vehicle, based on the operation schedule. In the case where the route candidate track can be used as the travel route of the vehicle, the controller creates a travel plan according to which the vehicle travels along the travel route including the route candidate track.

System and method for controlling a level crossing of a railway track

A system controls a level crossing of a railway track installation. The railway track installation includes at least one track. The system includes at least two magnetometers associated with the at least one track and placed at corners of a crossing area between the at least one track and a road. The system also includes a level crossing control unit configured for receiving data from the magnetometers. Each magnetometer is arranged to detect a respective magnetic field vector of the earth's magnetic field and to send data representative of the magnetic field vector to the control unit. The control unit is configured to elaborate the data to detect changes in the magnetic field vectors due to the presence of a train in the crossing area and to control the level crossing as a function of the detected changes.

Vehicle advisory system

A vehicle advisory system and method determine whether a vehicle system moving along a route is within a designated distance of a feature of interest, initiate a distance-based alert sequence of an advisory device of the vehicle system in response to determining that the vehicle system is at or within the designated distance of the feature of interest, and generate advisory signals using the advisory device according to the distance-based alert sequence. The advisory signals are indicative of passage of the vehicle system by the feature of interest during the distance-based alert sequence. The distance-based alert sequence dictates one or more of plural different commencement locations or commencement distances at which advisory signals are generated by the advisory device. The distance-based alert sequence also dictates one or more of plural different termination locations or termination distances where generation of the advisory signals by the advisory device is terminated.

Vehicle advisory system

A vehicle advisory system and method determine whether a vehicle system moving along a route is within a designated distance of a feature of interest, initiate a distance-based alert sequence of an advisory device of the vehicle system in response to determining that the vehicle system is at or within the designated distance of the feature of interest, and generate advisory signals using the advisory device according to the distance-based alert sequence. The advisory signals are indicative of passage of the vehicle system by the feature of interest during the distance-based alert sequence. The distance-based alert sequence dictates one or more of plural different commencement locations or commencement distances at which advisory signals are generated by the advisory device. The distance-based alert sequence also dictates one or more of plural different termination locations or termination distances where generation of the advisory signals by the advisory device is terminated.

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MONITORING A HAZARD ZONE OF A LEVEL CROSSING
20210061327 · 2021-03-04 ·

A method that can be implemented relatively easily and inexpensively for monitoring a hazard zone of a level crossing, divides a roadway into a first roadway section and a second roadway section. For this purpose, the method is carried out such that by use of a first radio module, first radio signals are emitted in a first detection region containing at least one part of the first roadway section. By use of a second radial module, second radio signals are emitted in a second detection region containing at least one part of the second roadway section. The hazard zone is monitored indirectly using an analysis which is based both on the first emitted radio signals as well as the second emitted radio signals and which relates to the detection regions.