Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~.J~ O
RAILWAY sysTEr~ AND EL~MENTS T~IEREOF
~AC~GROU~lD OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a railway system
05 wherein substantially each piece of rolling stock,
or "car", will be an independently routed, self-
propelled locomotive. r~ore particularly, it
relates to such a system in which each such car
could be designed for use as a carrier for dis-
crete elements, and also to means for switching,routing, controlling, and providing power to cars
in such systems.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional railway systems capable of
transporting automobiles are known in the art.
The amount of energy needed to transport an auto-
mobile a given distance on a railway system is
known to be considerably less than that which is
required by the same automobile operating over the
same distance under its own power. Such auto-
mobile transport systems have enjoyed limited
success and use for a variety of reasons. As they
are currently known, such systems require that
passengers follow a rigid railroad time table and
route, with a number of automobiles being loaded
onto each carrier, a nu~ber of carriers being
coupled to one another, and thence to a locomo-
tive. Loading and unloading the automobiles on
and off of current railroad systems takes such a
great amount of time that only long trips are gen-
erally considered to be practical. ~uring such
trips passengers are separated from their vehicles
3~3~0
durin~ transit, traveling in separate passenger
cars. Aecause o~ these limitations this mode o~
transport has never been widely accepted, and has
been substantially li~ited to a few corridors
05 where both automobile and railroad traffic are
very heavy.
Additionally, the prior art is not known to
teach nor suggest any railway system wherein each
automobile can travel as a discrete element car-
ried by its own locomotive, is capable of beingindependently routed and dispatched at any time
selected by the traveler, is loaded and unloaded
relative to the system quickly and efficiently by
the traveler, and carries the driver and any
passengers within their own automobile during such
journeys.
Prior art railway systems using linear syn~
chronous electric motors as the power source are
known. E~ailway systems capable of carrying dis-
crete elements, such as pallets, containers ortruck trailers are also known in the art, as are
computerized traffic control systems for indi-
vidual railway cars. Elowever, no system is known
which teaches a system wherein each discrete to-
be-carried element, such as an automobile, is
e~uipped with coupling components which permit its
rapid attachment to and detachment from its own
locomotive carrier car. Additionally, no prior
art system is known to teach a system which, be-
cause of cars haviny unique movable switchinywheels, in conjunction with their own specially
designed tracks, is capable of universal routing
of each individual car through switching points
without the use of moving switches or rails.
1~939~0
SUMMARY OF TEIE INV~NTION
The present invention teaches and discloses a
railway system in which each piece o~ rolling
stock, or "car", will be a locomo-tive which will
05 be self-propelled by means of its own motor system.
The cars may generally be in a form similar to
current conventional mass transit or freight cars,
but in preferred embodiments they will be elevated
"carriers" designed to carry self-contained dis-
crete elements which have been designed or modi-
fied for ease of connection to, and disconnection
from, the self-propelled carrier. Such discrete
elements will include, but will not be limited to,
vehicles (such as conventional automobiles),
crates, pallets, truck trailers, similar carriers,
and so on. In preferred embodiments the po~er
source will be a linear synchronous electric
motor, with the moving magnetic elements of the
motor being mounted on the cars, while the sta-
tionary magnetic elements of the motor will beassociated with the track along which the car
travels. The system will provide high speeds,
high traffic capacities and the ability for each
car to negotiate its selected route independently
of all other cars. The need for rails or switches
at a switching point to be moved from one position
to another will be avoided by the use of movable
¦ switching wheels carried by each car in conjunc-
tion with specially designed stationary rails,
with the direction to be taken by each car at each
switching point determined by the controlled posi-
tioning of those wheels in conjunction with the
~pecial stationary rails. The avoidance of the
need to switch rails, along with a substantially
constant speed of travel for all cars, will permit
i
1~?3~3~0
very close spacing of many cars traveling at high
spee~s, and will thus impart to the system an
extremely high car carrying capacity.
The railway system to which this invention
05 relates will include networks of railed tracks.
These networks would preferably be of at least two
types: tracks for high-speed traffic, for example
covering a large reyion and/or for long distance
travel; and tracks for relatively low-speed traf-
fic, for example, for short distance travel or fortravel within a metropolitan area. Differen-t
networks will be interconnected at suitable points
by means of buffer zones, such as acceleration and
deceleration segment~, in order to accommodate and
adjust the differences in car characteristics,
such as speed, between the different networks.
A private autornobile, or other vehicle, will
be able to use the system, for example, by pro-
viding connection means mounted on the vehicle, to
which a carrier car in the system of the present
invention having mating connection means will be
easily connected. With an automobile and railway
car so equipped, an auto~nobile driver wishing to
travel on the railway system will enter a station
located along one of the tracks, and drive to a
loadiny location within that station. There the
driver will indicate by means of a selecting
device a desired destination. This information
will then be relayed to an automatic traffic
control system. This control system will then
dispatch a carrier car to the site of the auto-
mobile, if a carrier is not already there, and the
railway car and automobile will be quickly and
easily connected to one another by means of a
coupling mechanism, one component of which will be
12~3~'JO
on the carrier, and one component of which will be
attached to the automobile.
The automatic tra~fic control system will
then survey the pattern of traffic already using
05 the system, and, at the earliest opportunity, will
cause the carrier car with its attached automobile
load to he accelerated along an acceleration track
parallel to à main track oE that particular
network. This will be done with precise timing so
that the railway car will enter the main track
smoothly and without interfering with other cars
already on the track. Once the car is traveling
on the main track, the automatic control system
will direct it along the proper course. ~en -the
car approaches a switching point, the appropriate
position of the switching wheels on the car will
be selected so that it will continue towards and
reach its selected destination. This switching
procedure will also include those switches located
within the yard of the destination station, as-
suring -that the car will be brought to a halt at
the desired location. There, the railway car will
return its automobile load to the roadbed and
disconnect from it. The automobile driver and any
passengers, who have remained in the automobile
throughout the trip, can then immediately resume
the journey under the power of their own vehicle.
Once a trip has been begun, if the driver
decides to change itinerary, means will be pro-
vided to disrupt the scheduled trip, causing thecarrier to exit frorn the system at the next sta-
tion, at which point the driver may select a new
destination.
Using this system a driver will be able to
travel from any point on the system to any other
point on the system by the most direct route, or
enter or leave tlle system at any station on the
05 system and travel by any route desired. Stops can
be made at any station, as the driver wishes, and
all travel ~y the driver will normally take place
within the privacy of the driver's own automobile,
but without the hlgh amount of energy consumption
which individual automobile use now entails.
In preferred embodiments a smooth, quiet ride
will be provided by steering the wheels of the car
in such a way that they anticipate and follow the
curvature of the track precisely. This feature
will also reduce the wear on both the car wheels
and on the rails.
In addition to transporting private auto-
mobiles, the same carrier cars, or other car-
riers with certain modifications, may also be used
to transport other discrete elements, such as
public passenger vehicles (buses or passengercars) or cargo containers, crates, truck trailers,
pallets, similar carriers, and so on, which dis-
crete elements will have been designed or modified
for ease of connection and disconnection to the
carrier car. The use of self-propelled cars in
conventional passenger, bus and freight configur-
ations is also contemplated by the present inven-
tion.
,0
Therefore, in accordance with the present inven-
tion, there is provided a passive railway switching
system comprising a pair of substantially parallel
incoming main rails, a first pair of substantially
5 parallel outgoing main rails, one of the outgoing main
rails being a continuation of one of the incoming main
rails. A second pair of substantially parallel outgoing
main rails diverging from the first pair of outgoing
main rails, one of the second pair of outgoing main
10 ra~ils being a continuation of the other of the incoming
. F main rails, and at least one ~swltchlng ~ail parallel to
one of the continuing main rails between such continuing
rail and at least the other incoming main rail, and
having a portion at a higher elevation than the other
15 continuing rail further comprising a second switching
rail parallel to the other of the continuing rails
between such continuing rail and at least the one
continuing main rail, and having a portion at a higher
elevation than the one continuing rail wherein the
20 switching rails each gradually increase in elevation
above an adjacent main rail to a maximum elevation and
gradually decrease in elevation toward an adjacent main
rail so that a wheel rolls smoothly from an adjacent
main rail onto the switching rail and back again to an
25 adjacent main rail.
The objects of the present invention will become
apparent to those skilled in the art from the following
detailed description,
, . ..
~. .-, .
lZ~.)39Ç~0
showirlg the contemplated novel construction,
combination, and arrangement o~ parts as herein
described, and more particularly defined by the
appended claims, it being understood that snch
05 changes in the precise embodiments of the herein
disclosed invention are meant to be included as
come within the scope of the claims except
insofar as p`recluded by the prior art.
BRIEF DESCRI~TION OF THE DRA~INGS
The accompanying drawings illustrate com-
plete preferred embodiments of the present
invention according to the best mode presently
devised for the practical application of the
principles thereof, and in WiliCh:
FIG. 1 is an aerial illustration of a
station having facilities in which a discrete
element, such as an automobile, will be con-
nected to an elevated carrier railway car for
routing and merging into the railway networks of
the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of
two types of interconnected rail networks, in
two different scales, which will be used by the
system of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a partially cut-away perspective
view of one preferred embodiment of a carrier
type railway car of the presen-t invention,
showing the placement and details of some of
the car's interior components;
FIG. 4 is an end view of the car of FIG. 3
with the shel 1 of the car shown in phantom;
FIG. 5 is an enlar~ed perspective detailed
view of one wheel truck oE the c~r of FIG. 3,
with the shell, motor and beam removed, showing
1"J~ O
details of the w1~eel truck, wheels and switching
wheel asscm~ly;
FIG. 6 is an explode~ perspective view
detailillg the mealls wllicll wil I be used Eor
05 connecting a wllecl truck to a carrier 1~eam;
FIG. 7 is a schc1natic s.ide elevational view
detailing the relationship between the beams,
wheel trucks`and w11eels of ~he carrier of FIG.
3;
FIG. 8 is an enlarged, cut-away perspective
view o.E the lower body portion o~ the carrier oP
FIG. 3 showing some Oe the details o~ its com-
ponents;
FIG. 9 is a pcrspective view of the motor
section oE the car o~ FIG. 3, in conjunction
with tracks and showing the ~otail.s of a preferrcd
linear synchronous motor sy~tem, and including
the external stationary portion of the motor
shown in phantom;
FIG. lO is a perspective view, looking
upwards, of a suspended section of rails and
their housing, which will be used in the prac~
tice of the present invention;
FIG. ll is a perspectiYe diagrammatic
representation of the switching rails oE the
present system at a switching point;
FIG. 12 is a detailed perspective view oE
one preferred coupling component of the carrier
of FIG. 3, shown in position to couple with a
coordinate coupling component carried by an
automobile;
FIG. 13 i,5 a perspective diagrammatic
representation o~ a container which has been
modiEie~ for connection to the carrier of the
preAent invention; and
FIG. 14 is a cross sectional view taken
along section line A-A of FIG. ll.
F
39~i0
DETAILEI) I)ESCRIPTION OF THE INVE~lrrION
As a means for placing the preferred embodi-
ment of the present invention into a meaningful
form, attention is first directed to FIG. 1.
05 FIG. 1 shows, by way of illustration, an aerlal
view of a station, generally 10, having faci-
lities in which a discrete element, such as an
automobile 12, will be connected to a carrier
railway car 14 Eor routing and merging into the
railway networks, shown in FIG. 2, of the
present invention. In such a system, a private
automobile 12 will be able to use the system,
for example, by providiny a plurality of coupling
components 16 mounted on its roof, to which
components a carrier car 14 in the system of the
present invention having mating coupling com-
ponents 18 (see FIGS. 4, 8 and 12) can be
coupled. With an automobile 12 and a railway
carrier car 14 so equipped, a driver wishing to
travel on the railway network can enter a station
10 located along a segment of track in the
network, and drive automobile 12 to a loading
location 20 within station 10. There, the
driver will indicate, hy means of a suitable
selecting device 24, a desired destination.
Selecting device 24 can be located within auto-
mobile 12 for remote selection, or adjacent
loading location 20 of station 10, as shown.
Destination information will then be relayed to
a centrally located automatic traffic control
system, not sllown. This control system will
then di~patch a railway carrier car 14 to the
loading location of the automobile, if a carrier
car 14 is not already there. Loading location
1~93~0
20 includes platform 26 upon which automobile 12
rests. Platform 26 will ~e designed to rise,
orient and connect automobile 12 with its atten-
dant carrier 14. Orientation will be accom-
05 plished by means, for example, of locator lights28 located in coupling mechanism 16 which is
mounted on automobile 12. See FIG. 12 for
details as to the location of light 28. ~ight
28 will provide a collimated light beam which
impinges upon photosensitive screen 30, shown
located between carrier 14 and automobile 12 to
guide automobile 12 into place so that coupling
component 16 which is mounted on automobile 12
will be precisely aligned with mating coupling
component 18 mounted on carrier 14. Screen 30
will then be withdrawn, in FIG. 1 to the left,
on guideways 31 by motiv~ means not shown, and
platform 26 will be elevated until coupling
between component 16 of automobile 12 and com-
ponent 18 of carrier 14 takes place. All of
this will occur while the driver and any pas-
sengers remain in automobile 12.
The automatic traffic control system will
then electronically survey the pattern of traf-
fic already using the network and, at the ear-
liest opportunity it will cause railway car 14,
with its attached automobile load 12, to ac-
celerate along, and to merge with, an acceler-
ation track 32 parallel to a main line track 34
of a network. This will be done with precise,
computer controlled timing so that railway car
1~ will enter main track 34 smoothly and without
interfering with other cars already traveling on
the track. Once railway car 14 is on main track
34, the automatic traffic controller will direct
i
it along the proper route. ~7hen it cornes to a
switchinc3 point 36 (as shown in FIG. 11) the
appropriate position of the switching wheels on
the car, as detailed below, and shown in FIGS. 3
05 and 5, will be selected so that railway car 14
will continue towards and reach its selected
destination. This switching procedure will be
similar for those switches located within the
yard of the destination station (not shown, but
similar to station 10) assuring that railway car
14 and its carried element 12 will be brought to
a halt at the desired location within the yard.
There, railway car 14 will return its automobile
load 12 to a platform, or to the roadbed, and
will disconnect from it. The automobile driver,
who will have remained in the car, will then use
automobile 12 to resume the journey, using the
power of the vehicle.
Once a trip has been begun, if the driver
shall decide to change itinerary, means will be
providec~ to enable -the cancellation of the
schecluled trip at any point, with the vehicle
exiting from the system at the next station
after cancellation. At that station a new
destination may be selected, as described above.
The railway system to which this invention
relates will preferably include one or more
networks of railed tracks. Referring to FIG. 2,
two types of network are shown, an intercon-
nected network of tracks 40 for high-speed
traffic covering a large region and/or long
distances between, for example, metropolitan
areas 42, and a separate network of tracks 44
for relatively low-speed and/or short distance
s~ia
traffic, for example, within a metropolitan area
42. These two networks 40 and ~4 will be con-
nected at suitable points by means of acceler-
ation and deceleration segments 46 in order to
05 accommodate and adjust for the differences in
car speeds between the two networks.
Referring to FIG. 2, the lowermos-t city 42
is shown at a larger scale than the scale of
network ~0. l1ithin lowermost city 42 there will
be not only passenger stations 10, but also, for
example, stations 48 especially ~esigned for
loading and unloading freight containers, such
as those shown in FIG. 13.
Referring now to FIGS. 3 through 12, the
basic and detailed mechanical and electrical
components of carrier 14 are shown in detail.
The principal structural member of carrier 14
will be upper carrier body 52 llaving a central
body member 54. In this embodiment carrier body
52 will be supported on rails 55 by two six-
wheeled trucks 56. Referring to FIG. 5, the
load supported by central body member 54 will be
transmitted to trucks 56 through sleeve 58
rigidly attached to body member 54 on spherical
roller thrust bearings 60 and riding against
ball bearings 62. Under normal conditions,
thrust bearings 60 will carry the entire weight
of upper carrier body 52 and its load on sleeve
58. Ball bearings 62 will be used solely for
alignment and to carry transient transverse
loads. Both bearings 60 and 62 will be mounted
on coupling 6~ which in turn will be in contact
with truck frame 66 by means oE roller bearings
68. This arrangement will permit truck frame 66
to rotate around sleeve 58 relative to body
~o
14
member 54 about bo-th the vertical and the lonyi-
tudinal axls. This will in turn allow running
wheels 70 attached to truck 56 to follow rails
55 around both sharp and/or xapidly changing
05 curves in the tracks. Tiowever, the rotation of
trucks 56 about the longitudinal axis will be
intentionally restricted by means of beam 72 in
such a way that each truck 56 will be able to
rotate only in the opposite direction, and at
the same angle, as its counterpart truck in the
same carrier. This restriction will permit
wheels 70 to follow a section of track of
changing curvature and/or changing transverse
tilt while at the same time preventing upper
carrier body 52 from rotating about the longi-
tudinal axis oE the entire assembly, for ex-
ample, during strong crosswinds exerting lateral
pressure on carrier 14 or due to transversely
unbalanced loads in carrier 14, for example due
to shifting of weight in carrier 14 or in the
load which it will be carrying; or due to
emergency stopping of carrier 14 on a banked
curve.
As shown schematically in FIG. 7, each
upper beam 72 will be mounted to the center of
body member 54 by means of roller bearing 74 and
to truck frames 66, as shown in FIG. 6, by means
of ball pin 76 rotatably secured at each end of
beam 72. Ball pin 76 will be seated in sepa-
rable spherical socket 78 which will have theexternal shape of a cylinder. Spherical socket
78 will in turn be free to slide forward or back
in separable cylindrical cavity 79 in separable
mounting arm 80, mounting arm 80 being attached
to truck frame 66. This arrangement will also
control the vertical orientation oE truck frames
56 relative to body member 54. Tllus, because of
the use oE beam 72, the horizontal plane of
carrier body 52 will always be iden-tical to the
05 average of the planes of truck frames 56, even
though tlle two trucks may dif~er from each other
in their hori~ontal planes.
At each side of each truck frame 56 will be
a yoke 82, mounted on bearings 84 which will be
capable of supporting thrust as well as radial
loads, while permitting yokes 82 to rotate about
a transverse axis. It will ~e upon yokes 82
that the running wheels 70 will be mounted, by
means of precision bearings 85. The mounting of
15 each yoke 82 on bearings 84 will allow wheels 70
to follow vertical curvature of the track with-
out affecting the stability of the remainder of
carrier 14. In preEerred e~bodiments wheels 70
will be ~ade of steel or other lon(3-lasting
material. ~heel flanges 86 ~ay be made of a
material which will be somewhat softer than the
rails so that virtually all wear generated by
contact between the wheels 70 and the rails will
occur in the wheel flan(3es, since the wheels can
be replaced far more easily and less expensively
than rails 55.
Also attached to each truck 56, but oper-
ating independently of yokes 82 and supporting
running wheels 70 will he switching wheel as-
sembly 88. Each switching wheel assembly 88will include a pair oE transversely opposed
switching wheels 90 which will be similar to
running wheels 70, except that they will have a
wider running surface 92 than wheels 70. Each
switching wheel 90 will be mounted by means of
'1f ~ Or ~
16
precision bearlngs 8~ on bracket;s 94, which will
be connected by two hardened steel shafts 96
supported by ball bushings 98 to enable -the
entire switching wheel assembly 88 to slide
05 laterally, althougll, as detailed below, and
shown in FIG. 4, they will normally be located
in an extreme left or right position. Switching
wheels 90 will-be mounted in sucll a way that
they will normally ride slightly higher than
running wheels 70, but their running surfaces
will rest lightly on rails 55, and will there-
fore be kept rotating substantially at running
speed at all times during which carrier 14 is in
motion. The lateral separation between switch-
ing wheels 90 will he less than the lateralseparation between running wheels 70 by an
amount slightly greater than the combined width
of one rail 55 plus the width of a wheel flange
86. Thus, with switching wheel assembly 88
normally located in an extreme left or in an
extreme right position, only one switching wheel
90 will be actually aligned with a rail 55 at a
time. However, as noted above, the opposite
switching wheel 90 will be kept rotating by
virtue of the fact that the greater width of its
running surface 92 will keep it in contact with
its associated rail, even when it is not in line
with that rail.
Lateral right or left movement of switching
wheel assembly 88 will be provided by means of
solenoids 100 surrounding soft iron cores 102
which will also be attached to each bracket 94.
Each solenoid lO0 will be powerful enough by
itself to shift the entire switching wheel
assembly 88 and its associated switching wheels
3~0
90, left or right. Ilowever, two solenoids 100
will he provided for reliability and safety.
The lateral position of switching wheel assembly
88 will determine the direction that carrier 14
05 takes at each switching location 36, as described
in detail hereinafter.
As most clearly shown in FIGS. 4 and 7,
attached to the underside of the center of the
main carrier body 54 ~Yill be a len~3th of narrow
vertical webbing, such as the web oE I-beam 103,
which will provide narrowing of carrier 14.
This narrowing will render this connecting
portion sufficiently thin to permit it to pass
through the slits which will exist in the rails
at each switch 36, as detailed below and shown
in FIG. 11. Mounted on the lower end of I-beam
103 will be lower carrier body 106. Referring
to FIG. 8 for details, at both ends of lower
carrier body 106 will be an auxiliary wheel
assembly 107, each including a pair of opposed
auxiliary wheels 108 which will normally ride on
the bottoms of rails 55. Built-in resilience in
the design will cause auxiliary wheels 108 to
rest lightly against the bottoms of rails 55 to
cause them to maintain track speed. The primary
function of wheels 108 will he to provide stabi-
lizing support to carrier 14 in case of severe
im~alance due to any contingency.
Since wheels 108 will also maintain con-
stant contact with rails 55 at points of changingcurvature, wheel assemblies 107 will be housed
in rotatable end sections 110 attached to the
ends of lower carrier body 106 by means of
roller bearinys 112. It will also be necessary,
in order to prevent simultaneous elevation of
12939i0
18
both wheels 108 on one side, to connect both
auxiliary wheel assemblies 107 with beams 114 on
each side of lower carrier body 106 in a manner
similar to the manner in which wheel trucks 56
05 will be connected by beam 72, as described
above. Each beam 114 will likewisè be mounted
on a bearing 116 attached to lower carrier body
106. Since auxiliary wheels 108 will have no
flanges which miyht interfere with or run against
the rails, they will not require freedom to
rotate about a vertical axis. Thus, auxiliary
wheel assemblies 107 will be attached to beams
114 simply by means of self-aligning bearings
118.
In order to avoid interference with rails
55, and also to provide stability at switches,
auxiliary wheels 108 will also be capable of the
same type of lateral movement as switching wheel
assemblies 88. However, the mechanism which
will be employed to provide movement to auxi-
liary wheels 108 will be somewhat different from
that which will be employed to provide movement
to switching wheel assembly 88. ~Yheels 108 will
be constructed about twice as wide as rails 55,
so that only the outer half oE each wheel will
normally make contact wi-th the rail under normal
rolliny conditions. As a result, whenever
auxillary wheels 108 are shifted as they ap-
proach a switch, one wheel 108 will slide free
of its rail, while the opposite wheel on the
same axle will maintain its inner half in con-
tact with its rail to provide support and sta-
bility to carrier 14. The actual shifting of
each set of auxiliary wheels 108 will be per-
formed by means of a pair of solenoids 120 (only
I
12939~i0
one being shown) acting on shaft 122, which
shaft also forms the axle for wheels 108. Shaft
122 will ride on three ball bushings 124 (only
two being shown) to permit the entire assembly
05 107 to slide laterally. Shaft 122 will pre-
ferably have a varied composition, with enlarged
portions 126 (only one being shown) made of soft
iron, to act as the solenoid core, while por-
tion~ 128, in contact with the ball bushings 124
or wheel bearings 130, will be made of hardened
steel.
As with switching wheel assembly~88, each
solenoid 120 will be capable of shifting shaft
122 and wheels 108 by itselE,~with two solenoids
being provide~ and used for purposes of sa~fety
and reliability. In nonnal use, the two sole-
noids 120 on one shaft 122 will oppose each
other in order to maintain auxiliary wheel shaft
108 in a centered or neutral position. However,
as each sw~itch 36 is approached, both solenoids
120 will act together to shift both~auxiliary
wheel assemblies 107 in a selected directlon.
If a single solenoid 120 were to malfunction, it
would be overridden, and carrier 14 would con-
tinue to perform as required at each æwitah 36.
Between switches, however, if one solenoid were
to malfunction then both solenoids 120 on each
shaft 122 will be inactivated; with the result
that wheels 108 would then be kept in a neutral
~centered) position by means of compression
~prings 132 until the carrier can be retired
from service or repaired.
As best shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, at each of
the four bottom corners of lower carrier body
106 will be mounted a coupling component 18
,::
:
: :
~.2~3~0
which will permit attachment between carrier 14
and the discrete elernent which it will carry.
Each couplirlg component l8 will be moun-ted on an
extendable cylinder or arm 136 which will permit
05 variati.on oE the width between connectors 18 in
accordance with the si~e oE the discrete element
to be carried and/or the location of the ele-
ment's coupling components 16. On each side of
lower carrier body 106 will also be an emergency
brake 138, which will be attached to body 106 by
extendable cylindexs 139. Hydraulic, pneumatic,
magnetic, or mechanical methods of adjusting the
position of cylinders 136 and 140 may be em-
ployed.
Component 16 o.E the connecting mechanism
which will he attached to the discrete to-be-
carried element will be as simple and as rugged
as possible in order to minimize the cost per
element and to allow it to survive extensive
normal use without damage. It will be attached
to the frame of the to-be-carried element with
sufficient rigidity and strength so that it will
not only support the full weight of the element
under all conditions, but so that it can also be
attached and released many times without danger
of failure.
Connector 18 will also be quick-actingj
easily aligned, and dependable even after much
use. It will be sturdy and provide a positive
lock in case of a power ~ailure, but will still
be subject to manual operation in case it fails
to release after the vehicle has been delivered
to its destination.
Referring now to FIGS. 12 and 13, component
16 of the connecting mechanism which will serve
1 ~939~0
suhstantially as a handle attaclled to, for
example, automobile 12 or cargo con-tainer 220 is
most simply a horizorltal cylind~r or pipe 222
mounted on two vertical posts 224 ~rojecting
05 from the rooE of vehicle 12 or container 220.
The portions 226 adjacent to the center of
cylinder 222 will be reduced somewhat in di-
ameter to serve as a locating means, and to
permit positive coupling with component 18, even
when there is a small amount of misalignment
between the vehicle and the carrier. Attachment
between coupling component 18 and coupling
component 16 will be made by means of a slotted
cylinder 228 which will be rotatably mounted
within housing 18. Cylinder 228, when rotated
more than 90 degrees, will surround and provide
firm support for horizontal cylinder 226 of
coupling component 16. Cylinder 228 can be made
to rotate by the use of mechanical, electrical,
magnetic, hydraulic, or pneumatic means.
In preferred embodiments, four such "handles"
16 will be mounted on the roof of vehicle 12 or
container element 220 in a precisely spaced
pattern. For existing automobiles, these
handles may be rigidly attached -to the door
posts or other structural members of the body,
not shown, by means of connecting cllannels
concealed beneath the top of the automobile, and
tailored to the needs of the particular vehicle.
Some vehicles may have to be reinforced in order
to function as to-be-carried elements in the
railw~y syste~ of the present invention.
Mounted at the top of each handle will be a
small light source 28 whose beam is collimated
and adjusted to point straiyht upwards. As
12~39~0
discussed above, these ligllt beams will be used
to locate the to-be-carried element when it is
being loaded onto a carrier 14, of -the system,
at a freight or passenger station. ~ photo-
05 sensitive screen 30 above the to-be-carried
element will determine the positlon of each
light beam and adjust the orientation of the
element to match that of a waiting carrier 14.
Lit3hts 28 will be remotely activated by a signal
from the station's automatic control system. In
this way tlle driver will be freed from the
responsibility of remembering to turn lights 28
on and off.
Centered in one of the four handles 16, in
lS this case, the handle detailed in FIG. 12, will
be an electrical connector (not shown) which
will provide comrnunication between carrier 14
and the carried element, such as vehicle 12, as
well as provide power for other vehicle needs
such as heating, battery charging, entertain-
ment, and so on. The opening to this connector
will normally be covered by a weatherproof cap
230, held in place by spring-loaded detent 232.
~Ihen the carrier coupling component 18 is at-
tached to handle 16, cap 230 will automatically
rotate to uncover the opening to the electrical
connector.
All vehicles or other to-be-carried ele-
ments using the system of the present invention
will be equipped with the proper connecting
components. The only exception to this would be
for large cargo containers, and for carriers
which will be specifically designed to transport
them. In such cases, for example, a sturdier
coupler, with its units more widely spaced,
1.2g3~0
23
will be employed.
Linear Motor .System
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 9 for details,
05 each separate segment 140 of the moving motor
portions 142 will be mounted on brackets 144 by
means of suitable bearings in a manner similar
to that described earlier with regard to con-
necting beams 72 and 114. This will enable the
entire Ullit 142 to flex in keeping with changes
in the orientation of the stationary motor
portions 152 (see FIGS. 9 and 10), therefore
maintaining the proper air gap 154 between the
moving 142 and stationary 152 motor portions,
even as the carrier travels around corners and
through switches. The air gap 154 will also be
maintained by means of rubber-tired wheels 156
which will ride on rails 158 mounted on the
stationary motor portions 152. Upward pressure
on the moving motor portions 142 will be main-
tained by means of springs or other pressure
devices, not shown, mounted below moving motor
portions 142. Thrust will be transmitted from
moving motor portions 142 to carrier body 54 by
means of suitable thrust bearings mounted on
support brackets 163.
While a number of alternative means of
propulsion could be utilized, the preferred
embodiment will employ a linear synchronous
motor, pre~erably with alternating current
electroma~nets 140 used on the moving carrier 14
and stationary, external permanent magnets 153
carried on the track structure. Such an ar-
rangement will cause an induced thrust between
the magnetic motor elements 140 and stationary
12~39~0
24
magnetic motor elements 152 fixed to the track
structure. As stationary magnetic motor ele-
ments 152 cannot move, the thrust betweell may~
netic motor elements 140 and 152 will cause
05 magnetic motor elements 140 to move. Ilowever,
as motor elements 140 are aEfixed to carrier
body 54, which is in turn affixed to carrier 14,
the entire carrier 14 will be caused to move and
will be propelled along the rails at a constant
speed which will be synchronous with the fre-
quency of the alternating current which is
applied to alternating current magnets 140.
Stationary motor elements 152 will be
located the optimum distance above rails 55, as
detailed in FIG. 10, so that the proper air gap
154 will be maintained be-tween the moving 140
and stationary 152 magnetic elelnents. ~1here the
stationary motor elements 152 will utilize
permanent magnets 153, as preferred, these will
be coupled with soft iron Eocusing shoes 160,
with the linear spacing between these elements
being the same as that o~ the spacing between
moving electromaynets 140, on carrier 14.
Magnets 153 will be backed by a continuous bed
of soft iron 164 which serves to complete the
magnetic circuit between adjacent permanent
magnets o~ opposite polarity. The entire sta-
tionary permanent magnet assembly will be
mounted rigidly to the track support structure
30 162. Imhedded in focusing shoe assembly 160
will be non-magnetic rails 15~ upon which rubber
tired whscls 156 mounted on the sides of moving
motor units 142 will ride in order to control
the air gap 154 between the movillg 140 and
stationary 152 magnetic units.
~93~ 0
In order to prevent foreign objects Erorn
lnterfering witll the operation of the motor,
continuous shields l70 will be mounted on the
-track structure between rails 55. A gap 172
05 will be leEt in the center of shields 170 in
order to permit passage of connecting section
103 of carrier 14. Since both the top and
bottom of each rail 55 will be in contact with
moving wheel surfaces 70, 90, and 108, rails 55
will be supported from the side by means of
support brackets 174.
Other Components
In case of emergellcy disruptions of traf-
fic, there will likely be a slight difference in
the stopping distance of different carriers on
the same track. In order to prevent damage tothe carriers and to the elcments being trans-
ported by one carrier ramming another, bumpers
176 will be mounted on spring-loaded or pneu-
matic arms 178 installed at each end of carrier
14.
On the top of main carrier body 52, near
its center and in opposed position to each
vehicle connector component 18 suspended from
the lower carrier body 106, will be two sets of
carrying handles 180 mounted on support members
182. Handles 180 will be substantially iden-
tical to those mounted on discrete elcments such
as private or public vehicles and cargo con-
tainers adapted to use the system. ~landles 180
will permit the transportation of one carrler 14
by another carrier 14. By this means, disabled
carriers will be able to be dispatched to repair
shops. ~oreover, as many as four carriers can
be stacked for routine transfer from one station
1~;;'~339~i0
26
or region to another with a millimum sacrifice of
traffic space or energy.
Access to the carrier's carrying handles
180 will be provided by two sets of spring-
05 loaded doors 184 which will he thrust asi~e by
connectors 18 o~ a corresponding carrier making
vertical contact with them. Clearance without
interference will be provided by having doors
184 hinged at their ends and opening at the
point where they join.
soth upper shell l86 of upper carrier body
52 and lower shell 188 of lower carrier body 106
will partially cover wheels 70, 90, and 108.
Shells 186 and 188 will also provide clearance
for all motions of the running wheels 70, as
well as for the shifting of switching wheels 90
and auxiliary wheels 108. Clearance (not shown)
for the emergency brakes 138, the outer surface
of which will form part of the exterior surface
when not in use, will also be provided in lower
carrier shell 188.
One of the major problems involved in the
design of ground transportation systems powered
by electricity is that of conveying power from a
stationary external source to a rapidly ~oving
vehicle. In the preferred emhodiments an
electrical connector, not shown in detail, will
provide the required contact.
Switching Ope_ations
Referring to FIG. 11, at each switching
point 36, switching rails 200 will be installed
just inside of each o~ the two normal rails 55.
A variable gap 204 will be formed between
switching 200 and normal rails 55, which gap
3~39~0
will be adequate to allow the passage of the
flanges on each wheel 70 and gO. As shown, each
switching rail 200 will be oriented and shaped
to parallel the non-adjacent nor~al rail 55.
05 Each switching rail 200 will therefore deviate
from the normal rail 55 adjacent to it as the
two normal rails 55 deviate from each other.
Each normal rail 55 will eventually provide one
of the rails in the two resultiny separate sets
of tracks.
As carrier 14 approaches each switch 36,
its switching wheel assemblies 88 will shift
switching wheels 90 into position for either a
riyht or a left turn, the direction of shift
being the same as the direction of turn. When
the switching wheels on the side of carrier 14
opposite to the chosen direction of turn are
placed into contact with the switclling rail 200,
also on the side opposite to the chosen direc-
tion of turn, the support of carrier 14 on thatside will then be assuMed by switching wheels 90
on that side. This will have the result that
the running wheels 70 Oll that side (the side
opposite -to the chosen direction of turn) will
then be lifted off of normal rails 55 on that
si~e. Carrier 14 will then follow the tracks at
the switch in the direction in which switching
wheel 90 has not contacted SWitC]l rail 200, that
is the side on which normal wheels 70 have
re~ained in contact with normal rail 55. Sub-
sequently, a pair of non-parallel new normal
rails 206, which will each be parallel to one of
the pair of continuing rails 55 will commence.
The normal wheels 70 on that side of carrier 14
will contact new rail 206 and reassu~e the
~93~-,0
28
weiyht of carrier 14, continuiny the selected
(switched) route of the carrier. The switching
rails 200 will end shortly downtrack after new
normal rails 206 commence. A gap 208 will be
05 provided in each new normal rail 206 downtrack
from switching rails 200 in order -to allow the
narrow web section 103 of carrier 14 to pass
through them. Grooves 210 will be cut into each
new rail 206 adjacent to the location where
these rails cross one another in order to allow
for the passage of the flanges of wheels 70 and
90 of a carrier taking the opposite course which
will cross that track.
Anticipatory ~Steerin~
Anticipatory steering of carrier 14 around
all curves will minimize wear on both the car-
rier wheels and the rails and will also provide
for a smoother ride. Collimated light sources
210 (see FIG. 3) mounted on both sides of both
ends of carrier 14 will be directed to shine
their light beams parallel to the plane of rails
55, but at an angle to the direction of travel.
Photodetecting cells 212 will be adjacent to
each light source 210. Beams from lights 210
will be reflected from reflecting strips 214, as
shown in FIG. 10, back to photocells 212. The
points at which the reflected beams impinge upon
photocells 212 will be a function of the cur-
vature of the rail at that point. By analyzing
the varying positions OL each re~lected beam,
and co~paring these with the orientation of
carrier 14 itself, both the curvature of the
rails and the cllange in curvature at any
point along the rails can be determined. This
!
3~0
information will then be processed by an on
board computer (not shown) to provide infor-
mation to steer the carrier trucks 56 and wheels
70 along trac};s 55. Steering will be accom-
05 plished by means of servomotor 216 locatedwithin sleeve 58 attached to body 54, as shown
in FIG. 5. Servomotor 216 will be connected by
means of gear 218 to an internal gear 220
rigidly mounted to coupling 64. When activated
to steer, servomotor 216 will cause gear 218 to
rotate and vary the orientation between sleeve
58 and coupling 64 with the result that truck 56
and its wheels 70 will anticipate and be steered
around curved sections of rails.
~pon receiving a "switch ahead" signal, not
shown, a pre-programmed sequence of steering
maneuvers desiyned to direct the carrier through
the switch will be followed in which the carrier
control system will initiate four separate
operations:
a. The switching wheels 90 will be shifted
toward the chosen direction of travel;
h. The auxiliary wheels 108 on the side
opposite the chosen direction of travel
will be retracted.
c. The steering control system, discussed
above, will be de-activated.
d. Servomotors 216 will steer trucks 56
through a pre-programmed sequence of
turns.
Additions And Modifications To The System
Each carrier will also be equipped with a
number of components which are not shown in the
drawing. Included among these items will be:
1~33~
a. Batteries or generators to provide
emerge ncy power;
b. A computer or other programmed control
system;
05 cO Various monitoring devices needed to
assure that all major components are
working properly; and
d. Communication lines connecting the
carrier with the system and with the
vehicle.
Carriers designed for heavier loads will
have to be sturdier in construction than carrier
14. They will also be eguipped with an addi-
tional truck, including running and switching
wheels mounted, for example, at the center of
the carrier body. As such a center truck as-
sembly will always be oriented in the same
direction as the carrier body, it will not be
necessary for it to have the mobility and
steering capability of trucks 56. However, some
provision for both lateral and vertical movement
of such a central truck will be made in order
for the central truck assembly to support its
proper share of the load at banked curves and
changing slopes. Additional motor elements will
also be provided to supply added power needed
for heavier loads. When handling heavier
loads the lower carrier body will also be
equipped with additional auxiliary wheels and
larger or multiple brakes.
Long loads may require more than one car-
rier for their transport. Such multiple car-
riers will be equipped with devices permitting
their connecting components to pivot rela-tive to
the long load which they are carrying. This
3~
will be a relatively simple matter if only two
carrieræ are required, but the mechanism will
grow more complex with three or more carriers.
For such longer loads it will be more sensible
oS to have the load suspended from two specially
designed carriers, not shown, each of which will
be reticulated and half again as long as carrier
14. Such longer, reticulated carriers will
normally only be used in tandem so that each
pair will occupy about three consecutive carrier
sites on the track, to distribute the load over
about the same length of track as would three
standard carriers.
Private automobiles may be constructed or
adapted to use the system of the present inven-
tion. Mechanisms which will be used to connect
such private automobiles to a carrier must also
be usable for cargo containers, public transit
vehicles, and other discrete elements as well.
A number of alternative mechanisms may be
employed to couple automobiles and other loads
with carriers, including, for example, but not
limited to mating screwthreads, clamshell de-
vices, locking pin devices, semi-threaded
breechblock mechanisms, and so on. For maximum
reliability, that portion of the coupling mechanism
which will be attached to the to-be-carried
element should be as rugged and as simple as
possible. In addition, the mechanism should
exhibit reliability in the face of adverse
weather conditions, such as rain, snow, ice, or
dust. For the sake of styling, the portion of
the coupling mechanism attached to an automobile
may be incorporated into a rooftop luggage rack,
or it could be recessed into the roof of the
1.2~3~
32
automobile, either being hidden by cover panels,
or equipped with means to elevate it above the
rooftop when needed.
It is therefore seen that the present in-
05 vention will provide a railway system in which
each piece of rolling stock will be self-pro-
pelled and capable of being independently
routed within networks of the system. Addi-
tionally, it will provide a railway system
comprised of carriers which will couple with and
transport discrete elements, such as private
automobiles while the driver remains in the
automobile, in such a way that the advantages of
high efficiency and low energy consumption of a
railed system will be realized, without sacri-
ficing the versatility and convenience of an
automobile at the destination location. It will
also provide to-be-carried elements with coupling
components which will be easy to connect to and
disconnect from the self-propelled carrier cars
in the system. It will provide a high capacity
railway system, due to the use of linear syn-
chronous motors as the drive source and the use
of cars having movable switching wheels with
their own specially designed rails, which will
avoid the need for movable switching rails. It
will provide for the use of a computerized
traffic control system to facilitate loading and
unloading of cars, accelerating and decelerating
cars, and switching and routing of cars. It
will provide means for continuously transferring
electrical energy from stationary power lines
associated with the systems track to the cars
which will be moving at high speeds. When these
features are combined they will provide a
1.;?,~'~.3~,0
33
transportation system which will be faster,
safer, less expensive and less subject to dis-
ruption than present transportation systems.
While the invention has been particularly
05 shown and described with reference to preferred
embodiments thereof, it will be understood by
those skilled in the ar~ that the foregoing and
other modifications or changes in form and
details may be made therein without departing
from the spirit and scope of the invention as
claimed, except as precluded by the prior art.
