ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH CORPORATION — Department of Transportation SBIR Phase I: 131FR1

Description

Highway-rail crossing, at which there is an unusually abrupt change in the level of the road's surface as it crosses the tracks, pose a risk of low ground clearance vehicles becoming stuck on the tracks. Advanced Technology and Research Corporation (ATR) proposes to develop an active detection and advance warning system. The system has three major functional componenets: measurement, decision, and warning. An integrated sensor system will be developed to classify the vehicle and measure the required physical parameters including a profile of the underbody of the vehicle and its approaching speed. The identified vehicle type and physical parameter measurements will be inputs to a decision algorithm to reach a go/no-go decision. If the margin is less than a safe-to-cross threshold value, then a no-go decision is issued and an advance warning system will advise the vehicle driver to stop with a sufficient distance before the crossing and to take a safe detour.