Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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l ~9,616
TRANSIT VEHICLE CONTROL APPARATUS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is Xnown in the prior art to provide a trac~
switch apparatus for a transit vehicle system as shown by
U.S. Patent 4,090,452 of W. R. Segar. A pivotal track
switch is provided for directing vehicles between first
and second roadways or between first and third roadways.
It is Xnown in the prior art to control the in
terlocking operation for a transit vehicle system such
that route alignment and vehicle movement in ~elation to
roadway track switches is maintained to permit safe vehi-
cle travel along the track and through track switches as
shown by U.S. Patent 3,740,548 of R. C. Hoyler.
It is known to provide vehicle control apparatus
utilizing a programmed digital computer to provide auto-
matic operation of the vehicle through a roadwa~ track
system including track switches, and to control a vehicle
such that it will not attempt to pass through an cpen
switch as set forth in Preprint 3659 of the American
Society of Civil Engineers for the convention meeting in
Atlanta on October 23-25, 1979 and entitled "Atlanta
Airport Automated Guideway Transit System" by J. Kapala.
It is also known to provide a control apparatus
for the vehicle propulsion motors thal is res~orsive to a
~or~ q/~ k~ c~ 7- ~ /
traction reauest~P signal and which determines the trac-
tion level of the motors, such as set forth in an article
in the Westinghouse Engineer for September 1372 at pages
~3~7~
. .
2 4g,616
145-151, and in an article in the Westinghouse Engineer
for March 1973 at pages 34-41.
It is known in the prior art to incorporate
track switches in a transit expressway system in several
locations in order to transfer vehicles from one guideway
path to another and to provide automatic control operation
of transit vehicles through programmed digital computers
t~ detect the position of each tracX switch and to control
the travel of a vehicle such that a vehicle will not enter
the open leg of any track switch. However, in manual
operation, human factors introduce the possibility of
misjudgment on the part of the operator regarding a track
switch position such that a faii-safe method of stopping a
vehicle which is approaching an open leg of a track switch
lS is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE I~ENTION
A vehicle control apparatus is operative with a
transit vehi~le to prevent the passage of that vehicle
through an open and misaligned track switch. A current
conducting vehicla circuit member is carried by the vehi-
cle and is included in the vehicle propulsion motor cir-
cuit to control and determine the continued operation of
the propulsion motor. A track-side movable member is
positioned ahead of the track cwitch and operative in one
of a first position where there is cooperation with the
vehicle carried first member to open the motor circuit and
stop the vehicle when the vehicle is moving to pass through
a misaligned and open track switch and having a second
position where there i5 no cooperation with the vehicle
carried first member when the vehicle is moving to pass
through a properly aligned and closed track switch.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a showing of a transit vehicle
operative with a roadway tracX and including a current
conducting vehicle carried circuit member in accordance
with the present invention;
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3 49,61~
Figure 2 is a showing of a prior art roadway
track system including a track switch;
Figure 3 shows one view of a prior art current
conducting circuit control member carried by a vehicle car
S body;
Figure 4 shows a second view of the prior art
current conducting circuit control member carried by the
vehicle car body;
Figure 5 shows a pivotal track switch including
the provided control cylinder movable second members in
accordance with tha present invention;
Figure 6 is a schematic diagram to show the
operation of the provided control cylinder members of
Figure 5;
Figure 7 shows the position sensing control
cylinder member coupled with a pivotal guide beam of the
track switch shown in Figure 5;
Figure 8 shows the control cylinder member oper-
ative ~ith the second track section shown in Figure 5 and
the vehicle carried current conducting circuit control
member shown in Figures 3 and 4;
Figure 9 shows the control cylinder member
operative with the third track section shown in Figure S
and the vehicle carried current conducting circuit control
member shown in Fi~ures 3 and 4; and
Figure 10 shows a suitable vehicle propulsion
motor circuit arrangement for the curre~t conducting
circuit control ~ember of Figures 3 and 4 to determine the
operation of the vehicle propulsion motors.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFE~RED EMBODIMENT
_
Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a transit
vehicle 20 operative with a roadway track 10 taken along
the longitudinal axis of the roadway. The roadway 10 is
comprised of laterally spaced tracks 12 and 14 supported
from a road bed 16 and including a flanged guide beam 18
located between the tracks 12 and 14. The transit vehicle-
20 has pairs of resilient and laterally spaced main wheels
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4 49,616
22 and 24 and travels along the tracks 12 and 14. The
vehicle 20 is provided with a body 26 mounted on a longi-
tudinal support 28 resiliently supported by air springs 30
mounted on channel members 32 mounted on vehicle frame 34.
S The vehicle is powered by an electric motor 36 coupled
through an axle to the wheels 22 and 24. The transporta-
tion system shown in Figure 1, other than the circuit
member 37 and the movable member 38 including the control
rod 39, is described in greater detail in U.S. Patent
4,090,452. The current conducting circuit control member
37 comprising a frangible flag is carried by the vehicle
20 in relation to the position of a vehicle operation
determining movable member 38 including a control rod 39
fastened to the roadway track 12, such that when the
control rod 39 is lowered as shown in Figure 1 there is no
cooperation between the control rod 39 and the control
member 37. However, when the control rod 39 is raised as
shown by dotted lines in Figure l, then there is position-
al cooperation between the control rod 39 and the co~trol
member 37 of a passing vehicle.
In Figure 2, there is a showing of a prior art
roadway track sytem including a well known tracX switch 40
connected between a first tracX section 42 and a second
tracX section g4 when the tracX switch is in one position
and connected between the first track section 42 and a
third tracX section 4~ when the track switch 40 is in its
other position.
In Figure 3 there is shown a side view of a
prior art current conducting circuit member 50 carried by
a vehicle car body 25 in relation to the support wheel
pair 24 of a transit vehicle such as shown in Figure 1.
The circuit member 50 may comprise a ceramic element hav
ing embedded within the ceramic element or fastened to the
ceramic element by suitable a&esive material conductors
5~ and 54 such that if the circuit member 50 is physically
broken away from the vehicle body 26, the elactrical cir-
cuit including the conductors 52 and 54 is interrupted.
11~37~:? ~ii
5 49,616
The conductors 52 and 54 extend through a coupllng 56 and
are operative with the propulsion control apparatus 58 of
the vehlcle 20. The circuit member 50 is fastened t~ a
support member 60 connected with the body 26 by suitable
fasteners 62 and 64 such that the circuit member 50 travels
along the track 14 with the movement of the vehicle 20.
In Figure 4 there is shown an end view of the
circuit member 50 connected through the support 60 with
the car body 26 of the vehicle 20 including wheel pair 24
operative with the track surface 14 for movement along the
track surface 14.
In Figure 5 there is shown a pivotal track
switch 40 connected between a first track section 42, a
second track section 44, and a third track section 46.
The guide beam movement power cylinder operative to physi-
cally move the coupled quide beams 72 and 74 between these
first and second switch positions is well known and nct
shown in Figure 5. A switch position sensing cylinder 70
is connected to the movable end of guide beam section 72
in relation to pivot 73 for sensing a first switch posi-
tion, when the guide beam 72 is coextensive wlth the guide
baam 82 of the first track section 42 to enable safe
travel of a vehicle from the second track sec~ion 44 to
the first track section 42. The position sensing cylinder
70 also responds to a second switch pos1tion, when the
second quide beam section 74 in relation to pivot 75 by
operation of ~he direct coupling 76 provided between the
guide beam sections 72 and 74 is in position coextensive
with the guide beam 82 to enable a safe travei of a transit
vehicle from the third track section 46 to the first track
section 42. A first output is provided by the position
sensing cylinder when the guide beam 72 is coextensive
with the guide beam 82 and a second output i 5 provlded by
the position sensing cyllnder 70 when the guide beam 74 is
coaxtensive with the guide beam 82. A control cylinder 78
is provided at the side of the second track section 44 and
a control cylinder 80 is provided at the side of the third
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6 49,616
track section 46, which control cylinders 78 and 80 are
coupled with the position sens'ng cylinder 70 for control-
ling the passage of respective transit vehicles from the
second track section 44 and the thlrd track section 46
onto the first track section 42.
In Figure 6 there is a schematic diagram to
illustrate the operation of the position sensing cylinder
70 in relation to the two control cylinders 78 and 80.
'~hen the track switch 40 is moved to its second position
such that the piston 84 of the position sensing cylinder'
is lowered, this forces a first output of fluid through
the output 86 to the control cylinder 78 below the piston
88 such that the piston 88 rises to elevate the control
rod 90. When the piston 88 rises within the control
cylinder 78, this forces control fluid through the ou~put
92 to the control cylinder 80 above the piston 94 and this
lowers the piston 94 withiA ~he conlrol cylinder 80 and
forces control fluid throush the conduit 95 to the posi-
tion senslng cylinder 70 above the piston 84. In this
way, a closed fluid circuit is provided between the pos
tion sensing cylinder 70 and _he two control cylinders ~
and 80. When the control rod 40 is elevated in relation
to movement of a transit vehicle from a second track
section 4a in a direction toward the first track section
42, the control rod 90 would obstruct the passage of the
flangible ceramic circuit member 50 ca-ried by any transit
vehicle moving from the second track section 4a through
the track switch 40 onto the first track section 42.
When the track switch 40 is changed to lts first
position such that the pivotal beam section 72 is coexten-
sive with the beam section 82 of the first track section
42, through the connection me~ber 98 this ralses the pis-
ton 84 to force a second output of fluid through the
conduit 96 to the control cylinder 80 below the piston 94
and raises that piston 94 to elevate the control rod lO0
of the control cylinder 80 above the height where 'he
circuit member S0 would be obstructed and broken for any
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7 49,616
vehicle passing from the third track section 46 in a
direction toward the first t~ack section 42. When the
piston 94 rises within the control cylinder 80, this
forces fluid through the connection 92 to the control
S cylinder 78 above the piston 88 which causes the piston 88
to move do~nward within the control cylinder 78 and the
control rod 90 is lowered to a position below the level of
any flangible flag circuit member S0 carried by a transit
vehicle passing from its respective second track section
44. As -~he the piston 88 moves downward within the con-
trol cylinder 78, this forces ~luid through the conduit 86
to the position sensing cylinder below the piston 84 such
that the closed fluid circuit arrangement is maintained
between the position sensing cylinder 70 and the two
control cylinders 78 and 80. Now with the control rod 100
eleva~ed, this prevents any vehicle traveling along the
third track section in a direction toward the track switch
from passing into the track switch since the control rod
100 would break the flangible flag circuit member 50
carried by any such vehicle to result in at least one of
the emergency ~rake system and the propul~ion motor of
~hat vehicle being operated to stop the vehicle beore it
arrived at the track switch 40.
In Figure 7 there is illustrated the position
sensing cylinder 70 connected with the guide beam section
72 of the track switch 40. The connecting rod 98 is shown
suitably connected to the web iO2 of the guide beam 72 at
a location below the travel path of the ~uide wheels 17
and 19 shown in Figure 1. The 1uid conduits 96 and 86
are shown in Figure 7, with a bottom support connection
104 being provided to anchor the position s~nsing cylinder
70.
In Figure 8 there is shown the control cylinder
78, which is operative with and alongslde the second track
section 4a as shown in Figure 5. The control cylinder 78
is anchored in position by support members 106 and includes
the fluid conduits 92 and 86 and the control rod 90 which
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is shown in its retracted posltion in relation to the
track surface 14 such that it would not obstruct and break
the circuit member 50 of a transit vehicle passing along
the track surface 14.
In Figure 9 there is shown the control cylinder
80, which is operative with the third track section 46 as
shown in Figure 5. The control cylinder 80 incluc`es the
fluid conduits 92 and 96 and is fastened relative to the
sur~ace of the trac~ section l~ such that the control rod
100 when elevated will obstruct and break the circuit
member 50 carried by any transit vehicle passing along the
third track section past the control rod 100. As shown in
Figure 9, thç control rod is drawn into the control cylin-
der 80 such that it would not break off a circuit element
50.
In Figure 10 there is shown an illustrative
motor control arrangement for the circuit member 50 of
Figures 3 and 4 to determine the operation of the vehicle
propulsion motors. A plurality of vehicle propulsion
20 motors 110 and 112 are shown operative in the power mode,
and which motors are well-known DC series motors each
including an armature and a field winding. The irst
motor armature 114 is connected in a first circuit includ-
ing the first motor field winding il6 while the second
motor armature 118 is connected in a second c1rcuit in-
cluding ~he second motor field winding 120. The two
motors are connected in parallel as determined by closing
of suitable switches as described in greater detail in the
above-referenced published article in the Westinghouse
Engineer for March 1973. In the power mode, the chopper
122 builds up current in the motors by completing the
circuit from the DC power supply 124 through the motors to
ground. When the chopper 122 is turned off, the energy
stored in the motor reactor 126 and the inductance of the
motors maintains current flow through the free-wheeling
diode 128. The prooulsion control apparatus 58 is opera-
tive to determine the conduct1vity of the chopper 122 in
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response .o a P signal as well known and as described in
the above-referer.ced articles in the Westinghouse Engineer
for September 1972 and ~he Westinshouse Engineer for March
1973. The appllcation of the ~ signal to the propulsion
S apparatus 58 is determined by a circuit interrupter such
as the relay 130 including the armature 132 gravity opera-
tive with switch contacts l3a and 136 to determine the
provision of the P signal from .he P s1gnal source 138 to
the propulsi.on control apparatus 58. A control winding
140 is operative with a suitable low voltage power supply
142 connected through the flangible flag circuit member
S0, including the conductors 54 and 52 as shown in Figure
3, for determining the application of power to the propul-
sion motors 110 or 112 when the P signal is provided or
alternately the application of the emergency brakes 144
and/or braking with the motors 110 and 112 when the P sig
nal is not provided to the propulsion control apparatus
58.
