Crossing gate mechanism with integrated maintenance status alarm

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12548426-B2
Application number	US-202218064965-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2022
Priority date	Dec 13, 2022
Publication date	Feb 10, 2026
Grant date	Feb 10, 2026

Abstract

A crossing gate mechanism includes an enclosure housing multiple electric and electronic components including a control unit for operating the crossing gate mechanism and associated crossing gate arm, a cover for opening and closing the enclosure, wherein the cover is moveable between a closed position and an open position, an operating mode switch, wherein a first position of the operating mode switch is associated with a normal operating mode and a second position of the operating mode switch is associated with a maintenance mode, and a status alarm circuit, wherein the status alarm circuit for issuing an alarm when the operating mode switch is in the second position associated with the maintenance mode and the cover is in or moved into the closed position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A crossing gate mechanism comprising:
an enclosure housing multiple electric and electronic components including a control unit configured to operate the crossing gate mechanism and associated crossing gate arm, a cover for opening and closing the enclosure, wherein the cover is moveable between a closed position and an open position, an operating mode switch, wherein a first position of the operating mode switch is associated with a normal operating mode and a second position of the operating mode switch is associated with a maintenance mode, and a status alarm circuit, wherein the status alarm circuit is configured to issue an alarm when the operating mode switch is in the second position associated with the maintenance mode and the cover is in the closed position, wherein the enclosure houses at least one sensing device, wherein the cover comprises a detectable device, and wherein the detectable device is arranged in the cover such that, when the cover is moved into the closed position, the detectable device comes in proximity to the at least one sensing device, and the at least one sensing device is configured to generate a signal indicating that the cover is in the closed position.

2 . The crossing gate mechanism of claim 1 ,
wherein the status alarm circuit comprises multiple inputs and an output, wherein, when the cover is in the closed position, a first signal is transmitted as a first input, wherein, when the operating mode switch is in the second position associated with the maintenance mode, a second signal is transmitted as a second input, and wherein, based on receiving the first signal and the second signal, the output is configured to issue the alarm.

3 . The crossing gate mechanism of claim 1 ,
wherein the status alarm circuit comprises an audio device configured to emit an alarm sound.

4 . The crossing gate mechanism of claim 3 ,
wherein the audio device comprises a magnetic transducer or a piezoelectric device.

5 . The crossing gate mechanism of claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one sensing device detects presence of a magnetic field.

6 . The crossing gate mechanism of claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one sensing device comprises a Hall sensor array.

7 . The crossing gate mechanism of claim 1 ,
wherein the detectable device arranged in the cover comprises a magnetized bolt or pin.

8 . The crossing gate mechanism of claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit comprises a printed circuit board (PCB), and wherein the status alarm circuit and the at least one sensing device are arranged on the PCB.

9 . The crossing gate mechanism of claim 1 ,
wherein the operating mode switch comprises a toggle switch.

10 . A method for generating a status alarm of a crossing gate mechanism, the method comprising:
transmitting a first signal when a cover of the crossing gate mechanism is in a closed position, wherein transmitting the first signal comprises detecting, via at least one sensing device housed in an enclosure of the crossing gate mechanism, a detectable device arranged in the cover when the detectable device comes in proximity to the at least one sensing device as the cover is moved into the closed position, transmitting a second signal when an operating mode switch is in a position associated with a maintenance mode of the crossing gate mechanism, and generating and issuing a status alarm based upon receipt of the first signal and the second signal when the operating mode switch is in the position associated with the maintenance mode of the crossing gate mechanism, and when a cover of the crossing gate mechanism is in the closed position.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
outputting an alarm sound based upon receipt of the first signal and the second signal.

12 . The method of claim 11 ,
wherein alarm sound is output by an audio device comprising a magnetic transducer or a piezoelectric device.

13 . A crossing gate system comprising:
one or more crossing gate arm(s), and a crossing gate mechanism comprising:
an enclosure housing multiple electric and electronic components including a control unit configured to operate the crossing gate mechanism and associated crossing gate arm,
a cover for opening and closing the enclosure, wherein the cover is moveable between a closed position and an open position,
an operating mode switch, wherein a first position of the operating mode switch is associated with a normal operating mode and a second position of the operating mode switch is associated with a maintenance mode, and
a status alarm circuit,
wherein the enclosure houses at least one sensing device,
wherein the cover comprises a detectable device,
wherein the detectable device is arranged in the cover such that, when the cover is moved into the closed position, the detectable device comes in proximity to the at least one sensing device, and the at least one sensing device is configured to generate a signal indicating that the cover is in the closed position, and
wherein the status alarm circuit is configured to issue an alarm when the operating mode switch is in the second position associated with the maintenance mode and the cover is in the closed position.

14 . The crossing gate system of claim 13 ,
wherein the status alarm circuit comprises an audio device configured to emit an alarm sound, the audio device including a magnetic transducer or a piezoelectric device.

Assignees

• Siemens Mobility Inc

Inventors

• Bohme Richard C
• Dobson James

Classifications

• B61L29/22

  electrically · CPC title

• G08B3/10

  using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission · CPC title

• G08B21/18 Primary

  Status alarms (G08B21/02 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B61L29/30 Primary

  Supervision, e.g. monitoring arrangements · CPC title