Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Relative location – Collision avoidance
Patent
1999-06-11
2000-12-19
Nguyen, Tan
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Relative location
Collision avoidance
701 19, 340436, B61L 2304
Patent
active
061637556
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to an obstacle detection system and in particular to a railway anti-collision system. Within the context of the present invention, as well as in the claims, the term "obstacle" is intended to embrace any obstacle on the tracks, including another train, or a break in one or both of the track's rails which, if not compensated for, would cause damage and impair a train's progress.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Railway infrastructure is expensive both in terms of rolling stock and track. Although generally regarded as one of the safest forms of transport, railway accidents are common and frequently fatal. Of the most dangerous of such accidents are collisions between trains or between trains and vehicles crossing the track in the path of an oncoming train; and derailments consequent to foreign objects placed either willfully or accidentally on the line. Such objects may or may not be seen by the engine driver prior to collision therewith, especially at night. Under these circumstances, the best that can usually be achieved is to reduce the collision speed. As statistics of rail accidents demonstrate only too well, mere reduction of collision speed might significantly reduce the damage, even if the train is not able to get to a complete standstill. Bearing in mind the trend to increase the speed of rolling stock with the consequent increase in stopping distance, the drawbacks of existing approaches and the rising costs of insurance claims and premiums are likely to become even more severe.
The prior art disclose various approaches to preventing or signalling potential collisions between rolling railstock. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,365,572 (Strauss) a modulated laser beam is directed from opposite ends of railstock so that the corresponding laser beams transmitted from two approaching trains may be detected by the other train, allowing remedial action to be taken. Likewise, image processing techniques are known both for vehicle recognition as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,116 (Nakano et al.) and for detecting a vehicle path along which a vehicle is travelling as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,115 (Nouso). Further, the use of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) on railstock has been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,469 (Hsu) for improving the collision avoidance between two locomotives.
Existing systems are known which exploit the flow of current through one rail and its return through the other rail in order to detect an electrically conductive object placed on the track thereby shorting the rails. However, such systems are practical only for electrical railway systems having two tracks for providing live and return paths for the electric current. Specifically, they are not suitable for railway systems employing overhead power lines; nor for those systems which employ a third rail either mid-way between the regular rail or alongside one of the rails. Moreover, they are unsuitable for detecting non-conductive obstacles on the track. Yet a further drawback of such known systems is that they are static.
Also known is an obstacle detection system for monitoring a railroad track far ahead of a train so as to warn against stationary or moving obstacles. The system comprises a transceiver mounted on the train and a number of relays deployed along the railroad track. The moving train emits a laser beam which is picked up by one of the relays along the track and coupled into a fiberoptic cable which thus relays the laser signal along a long distance of track ahead of the train. The fiberoptic cable is coupled to an exit port for directing the laser beam towards a retroreflector disposed diagonally across the tracks such that an obstacle placed on the track ahead of the moving train obstructs the laser beam. The retroreflected laser beam retraces its path along the fiberoptic cable back to the train allowing an on-board processor to determine the presence of the obstacle in sufficient time to enable corrective action to be taken. Such a system enables detection of an obs
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Auerbach Jacob
Baum Abraham
Peer Arik
Sverdlov Erez
Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd.
Nguyen Tan
Thinkware Ltd.
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