Patent US3778761A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3778761A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Vehicle orientation determination
Assignee: British Railways Board
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Filing: 1972-02-10
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Granted: 1973-12-11
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Expires: 1992-02-10
Abstract
Abstract This invention relates to a device for determining the orientation of a vehicle so that this information can be used to correlate automatic vehicle control equipment to signalling information being received by the vehicle. The device operates by determining the direction of power flow in a terminated conductor loop laid in the path of the vehicle by effectively obtaining the vector product of the magnetic and electric fields associated with the power flow.
Inventors
- 👤 A Cribbins
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 18:06
CPC Classifications
B; B61; B61L; B61L25/00; B61L25/02; B61L25/028
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 4
Claim 1
Independent Claim
130 words
A device for determining the orientation of a vehicle moving along a fixed trackway comprising a terminated conductor loop arranged in and along the path of the vehicle and including means for feeding power into one end of said loop, means carried by said vehicle for separately detecting the direction of the magnetic and electric field associated with the power flow in said conductor loop, and means for feeding the signals from said detecting means as inputs to a calculating means, said calculating means including means responsive to said input signals for producing one of two possible output signals which correspond respectively to the different possible spatial orientation of the vector product of the said magnetic and electric fields, thereby to indicate the orientation of said vehicle on said trackway.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
130 words
A device for determining the orientation of a vehicle moving along a fixed trackway comprising a terminated conductor loop arranged in and along the path of the vehicle and including means for feeding power into one end of said loop, means carried by said vehicle for separately detecting the direction of the magnetic and electric field associated with the power flow in said conductor loop, and means for feeding the signals from said detecting means as inputs to a calculating means, said calculating means including means responsive to said input signals for producing one of two possible output signals which correspond respectively to the different possible spatial orientation of the vector product of the said magnetic and electric fields, thereby to indicate the orientation of said vehicle on said trackway.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
The device of claim 1 wherein said calculating means comprises a phase comparison device in which the phase of the said magnetic field and the phase of said electric field are compared.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for detecting the direction of the said magnetic field includes a coil arranged with its longitudinal axis substantially vertical.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-12-10 | 1977-06-11 | 1977-12-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-12-10 | 1981-06-11 | 1981-12-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-12-10 | 1985-06-11 | 1985-12-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |