US 12,240,512 B2
Fixed signage and method for use of same
James McDonald, Irving, TX (US); and Chad Smith, Irving, TX (US)
Assigned to RailPros Field Services, Inc., Irving, TX (US)
Appl. No. 17/621,826
Filed by RailPros Field Services, Inc., Irving, TX (US)
PCT Filed Jun. 28, 2020, PCT No. PCT/US2020/040036
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 22, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/264462, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 30, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/868,284, filed on Jun. 28, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0355837 A1, Nov. 10, 2022
Int. Cl. B61L 5/12 (2006.01)
CPC B61L 5/125 (2013.01) 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A fixed signage (10) comprising:
a housing (22) having a front (80), rear (82), top (84), bottom (86), a first side (88), and a second side (90), the housing (22) sized to house a sign (26) therein, the sign (26) being a railway sign;
a window (24) located in the front (80) of the housing (22);
an actuator (112) being mounted in the housing (22);
a closure assembly (32) being installed in the housing (22), the closure assembly (32) including a frame (110) for supporting a cover material (34), the cover material (34) being moveable by a moveable closure member (138) between a fully retracted position whereat the cover material (34) is contained within the housing (22) such that the window (24) is exposed to a fully extended position whereat the cover material (34) covers at least a portion of the window (24);
the moveable closure member (138) being mounted within the frame (110) the moveable closure member (138) operating under the power of the actuator (112);
the housing (22) securing a processor (154), memory (156), a transceiver (160), an actuator input/output (162), a signal sensor (60), and a proximity sensor (62) therein;
a busing architecture (172) communicatively interconnecting the processor (154), the memory (156), the transceiver (160), the actuator input/output (162), the signal sensor (60), and the proximity sensor (62);
the actuator input/output (162) being located in communication with the actuator (112), the actuator input/output (162) configured to control the actuator (112);
the signal sensor (60) being located within the housing (22), the signal sensor (60) sensing a location of the cover material (34);
the proximity sensor (62) being located with the housing (22), the proximity sensor (62) oriented toward a sensing location proximate a ground at a railway right-of-way sign distance (66); and
the memory (156) accessible to the processor (154), the memory (156) including processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor (154) to:
receive a command signal (180) via the transceiver (160),
control the actuator (112) via the actuator input/output (162) per the command signal (180),
receive state data (186) from the actuator (112) via the actuator input/output (162), the state data (186) indicating the state of the actuator (112),
receive sensor data (188) from the signal sensor (60), the sensor data (188) indicating the location of the cover material (34), and
receive event data (192) from the proximity sensor (62), the event data (192) indicating a railway event.