Mobile Computing Based Railway Crossing Collision Avoidance System

Abstract

A device to prevent railway crossing accidents between a roadway vehicle and a train, by comparing the UPS location of a roadway vehicle to the UPS location of the railway crossing by means of a mobile computing device, and alerting the operator of a roadway vehicle when the vehicle is at a railway crossing when an FM radio signal transmitted by the train is also detected by the mobile computing device.

1 . A mobile computing device having a CPU, a database of all GPS coordinates of railway crossings, and a GPS receiver to detect to GPS location of the mobile computing device, and a computer program residing on the mobile computing device, that compares the GPS location of the mobile computing device with the GPS location of all railway crossings, and said mobile computing device having an input from a radio receiver which radio receiver is tuned to listen to only a predetermined radio frequency being transmitted only by a train, which input notifies the mobile computing device when the predetermined radio frequency being transmitted by a train is detected, whereby when the mobile computing device detects the presence of the predetermined radio frequency transmitted by a train AND when the mobile computing device detects that its GPS location is at a railway crossing, the mobile computing device gives an alert to the operator of a vehicle carrying the mobile computing device. 
     
     
         2 . The mobile computing device of  claim 1  where the alert given to the vehicle operator is either an audio and/or visual alert. 
     
     
         3 . The mobile computing device of  claim 1 , where the radio signal transmitted by the train and the radio receiver that is an input into the mobile computing device is an FM radio signal or in the FM or line of site radio signal range. 
     
     
         4 . The mobile computing device of  claim 1 , where the radio signal transmitted by the train varies in strength depending on the speed of the train, the radio signal becoming stronger the faster the train travels. 
     
     
         5 . The mobile computing device of  claim 1  where the user of the mobile computing device can input the type of vehicle the user is operating, which vehicle, is carrying the mobile computing device. 
     
     
         6 . The mobile computing device of  claim 5  where the type of vehicle can be selected from a list of vehicles, such as small car, regular car, SUV, small truck, large truck, semi-trailer truck and other similar vehicle classifications. 
     
     
         7 . The mobile computing device of  claim 1  where an input to the CPU of the mobile computing device is the vehicle speed which vehicle speed obtained from the vehicle's speedometer. 
     
     
         8 . The mobile computing device of  claim 1  where an input to the computer program device is the mobile computing device speed as determined by GPS coordinate readings over a period of time. 
     
     
         9 . A mobile computing device having a CPU, a database of all GPS coordinates of railway crossings, and a GPS receiver to detect to GPS location of the mobile computing device, and a computer program residing on the mobile computing device that compares the GPS location of the mobile computing device with the GPS location of all railway crossings, and said mobile computing device having an input from an radio receiver which radio receiver is tuned to listen to only a predetermined radio frequency being transmitted only by a train, which input notifies the mobile computing device when the predetermined radio frequency being transmitted by a train is detected, where the radio frequency has encoded onto it the train's distance from the railway crossing, the train's speed, and the train's length, and a decoder which can decode the train's speed, distance from the railway crossing and train's length from the radio signal and input the train's speed, distance from the railway crossing and train's length to the CPU, and the computer program uses the train's speed, distance from the railway crossing and length, to determine if the train presents a danger to a vehicle at the railway crossing, whereby when the computer program determines that the train presents a danger to a vehicle at the railway crossing AND that the vehicle carrying the mobile computing in an area near the railway crossing such that the train presents a danger to that vehicle gives an audio and/or visual alert to the operator of a vehicle carrying the mobile computing device. 
     
     
         10 . The mobile computing device of  claim 9  where mobile computing device computer program takes into consideration the vehicle's speed and type when determining if the vehicle is in need of being given an audio and/or visual warning of its presence near a railway crossing and the presence of a train. 
     
     
         11 . The mobile computing device of  claim 9  where the radio signal transmitted by the train and the radio receiver that is an input into the mobile computing device is an FM radio signal or in the FM or line of site radio signal range. 
     
     
         12 . The mobile computing device of  claim 9  where the user of the mobile computing device can input the type of vehicle the user is operating, which vehicle is carrying the mobile computing, device. 
     
     
         13 . The mobile computing device of  claim 9  where the type of vehicle can be selected from a list of vehicles, such as small car, regular car, SUV, small truck, large truck, semi-trailer truck and other similar vehicle classifications. 
     
     
         14 . The mobile computing device of  claim 9  where an input to the CPU of the mobile computing device is the vehicle speed which vehicle speed obtained from the vehicle's speedometer. 
     
     
         15 . The mobile computing device of  claim 9  where an input to the computer program device is the mobile computing device speed as determined by GPS coordinate readings over a period of time.