Ford has filed a new patent in the US that could help prevent car collisions with trains.
The application was filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and shows two possible versions of the idea, each using sensors to detect oncoming trains as a car approaches a railroad crossing.
In one version, sensors would be placed on both sides of a railway crossing. These communicate with sensors fitted in a vehicle, and would warn the driver not to cross as a train approaches.
The second version seemingly relies on in-car cameras and lidar to monitor the crossbars and warning lights at railway crossings — the very signals that vehicle drivers sometimes ignore when approaching railroad crossings.
This system could integrate warning other drivers through vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technology similar to that which Ford detailed back 2018.
Ford working on new train-detection technology for cars
Image: brandonkleinvideo / 123rf
Ford has filed a new patent in the US that could help prevent car collisions with trains.
The application was filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and shows two possible versions of the idea, each using sensors to detect oncoming trains as a car approaches a railroad crossing.
In one version, sensors would be placed on both sides of a railway crossing. These communicate with sensors fitted in a vehicle, and would warn the driver not to cross as a train approaches.
The second version seemingly relies on in-car cameras and lidar to monitor the crossbars and warning lights at railway crossings — the very signals that vehicle drivers sometimes ignore when approaching railroad crossings.
This system could integrate warning other drivers through vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technology similar to that which Ford detailed back 2018.
The system could further help emergency vehicles, allowing them to reroute around trains.
This system would also help increase vehicle automation, according to Ford, allowing cars to automatically stop at railroad crossings without drivers having to take over.
Ford hasn’t issued official communication about this new technology.
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