Wayne T Wheeler

US Patent:

45817006, Apr 8, 1986

Filed:

Aug 6, 1984

Appl. No.:

6/637911

Inventors:

Wilfred L. Farnham - Blue Springs MO
Lynn R. Garrison - Blue Springs MO
Wayne N. Wheeler - Independence MO
Forrest H. Ballinger - Grain Valley MO

Assignee:

SAB Harmon Industries, Inc. - Grain Valley MO

International Classification:

G05B 902

US Classification:

364185

Abstract:

A railroad train moving along an approach to a grade crossing (or other location of interest) is detected by apparatus that is responsive to the change in effective track impedance caused by the moving shunt. A constant current AC signal is applied to the track adjacent the crossing, and the resulting voltage changed in amplitude and phase is picked off by a receiver on the opposite side of the crossing. Voltage and current information derived from these signals is inputted to a microcomputer which calculates the track impedance and determines whether or not a warning device or devices at the crossing should be activated. Such determination is made on a repetitive basis in accordance with a repeating program loop and stored in memory. To assure that the system is failsafe, the program loop is interrupted at predetermined intervals and an interrupt service routine checks the memory address at which the determination is stored and causes an independent computer output to change state each time the memory is checked and activation of the warning is not required. Accordingly, the independent output is toggled to produce an AC output signal, the loss of which initiates activation of the warning.

US Patent:

20160381758, Dec 29, 2016

Filed:

Jun 24, 2016

Appl. No.:

15/192653

Inventors:

- Saint-Ouen, FR
Forrest Henry Ballinger - Grain Valley MO, US
Jeffrey Michael Fries - Lee's Summit MO, US
Larry John Anderson - Blue Springs MO, US
Wayne Nelson Wheeler - Grain Valley MO, US

International Classification:

H05B 33/08
B61L 13/00
F21S 8/08
F21S 9/02
H05B 37/02
F21V 23/00

Abstract:

A system includes at least one signal light having at least one lamp. The system further includes a control device electrically connected to the at least one lamp by a conductive cable. The at least one lamp is configured to flash in response to the loss of an audio signal generated by the control device.