Patent ID: 7236090

Claim:
A motor vehicle that is mandated by law or regulation to stop at a railroad crossing before proceeding across the crossing, the vehicle comprising: a body having an interior with a driver's seat at a front of the body on one side and an entrance and exit door on the other side opposite the driver's seat; a power actuator for opening and closing the door; lamps on the exterior of the body that are visible to other vehicles in the vicinity of the vehicle; one or more accessories that generate sound that can be heard by a driver in the seat; an electrical system comprising an electrical system controller (ESC) that processes data from various sources to provide control data for performing certain control functions incidental to operation of the vehicle; a devoted switch accessible to a driver in the seat for signaling the ESC to initiate a sequence of operations when actuated by a driver upon the vehicle approaching a railroad crossing; virtual controllers in the ESC that control the power actuator for the door, the lamps, and the one or more accessories, and that are responsive to actuation of the devoted switch by a driver a) to begin flashing the lamps, b) to mute the sound from the accessories, c) upon the ESC's receipt of data indicating that the vehicle has stopped, to operate the power actuator to open the door, d) upon subsequent receipt of data indicating that the vehicle has begun to move forward, operating the power actuator to close the door, e) unmuting the muted accessories, and f) ceasing flashing the lamps.