QUICK LOADING AND UNLOADING OF PEOPLE AND FREIGHT INTO A MOVING CARRIER

EMBARQUEMENT ET DEBARQUEMENT RAPIDE DE PERSONNE ET DE MARCHANDISES SUR UN TRANSPORTEUR EN MOUVEMENT

English Abstract

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for loading and unloading people and freight from a moving or stationary train. This transfer is enabled through the use of mobile loads and a conveyor system which enables the controlled transfer of people and goods onto a properly equipped rail car. The transfer may happen while the rail car is in motion through a transfer station. Individual loads may be uniquely identified and may be moved on the train, while in transit, in order to place the loads into an alighting order.

French Abstract

Méthode et appareil pour charger et décharger des personnes et des marchandises dun train en marche ou à larrêt. Ce transfert est réalisé grâce à lutilisation de chargements mobiles et dun système de convoyeur qui permet le transfert contrôlé des de personnes et de marchandises vers un wagon correctement équipé. Le transfert peut être réalisé lorsque le wagon est en marche par le biais dune station de transfert. Les transferts individuels peuvent être identifiés de manière exclusive et peuvent être déplacés dans le train, en transit, de manière à disposer les chargements selon lordre de descente.

Claims

What is claimed is
Claim 1: A method of moving persons and/or cargo loads onto a mobile platform,
the mobile platform
being in motion, wherein the load is moved by omnidirectional conveyor means
from a loading station
platform in a loading order onto the mobile platform, the mobile platform
receiving the load by
conveyor means and bringing it to rest in a desired location.
Claim 2: A method of moving persons and/or cargo loads from a mobile platform,
the mobile platform
being in motion, wherein the load is moved by conveyor means from the mobile
platform to an
unloading station platform in an unloading order, the unloading platform
omnidirectional conveyor
receiving the load from the mobile platform conveyor.
Claim 3: A method of loading and unloading persons and/or cargo loads
simultaneously by moving
loads onto and from a mobile platform, the mobile platform being in motion,
wherein a first load is
moved by omnidirectional conveyor means from a loading station platform in a
loading order onto the
mobile platform, the mobile platform receiving the load by conveyor means and
bringing it to rest in a
desired location and wherein a second load is moved simultaneously by conveyor
means from the
mobile platform to an unloading station platform omnidirectional conveyor in
an unloading order, the
unloading platform omnidirectional conveyor receiving the load from the mobile
platform conveyor.
Claim 4: The method of claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the load is rearranged in
transit to an alighting order,
the platform being loadable in the loading order, the platform being
unloadable in the alighting order.
Claim 5: The method of any one of claims 1-4, wherein said mobile platform is
a rail car.
Claim 6: The method of any one of claims 1-4, wherein said mobile platform is
a truck.
Claim 7: The method of any one of claims 1-4, wherein said mobile platform is
a maglev vehicle.
Claim 8: The method of any one of claims 1-7, wherein said persons and/or
cargo are situated on or
constitute a flat-bottom load.

Claim 9: The method of claim 8, wherein said flat-bottom load has a unique
identifier used for
identification of the load.
Claim 10: The method of claim 9, wherein the unique identifier consists of one
of a wireless
transmitter, a personal mobile communications device, an RFID tag, and a
computer scannable code.
Claim 11: The method of any one of claims 1-10, including a ramp as a means
for loading of
omnidirectional station conveyor.
Claim 12: The method of any one of claims 1-10 including a ramp as a means for
unloading of
onmidirectional station conveyor.
Claim 13: The method of claim 11, wherein the loading ramp means is one of a
belt conveyor, a roller
conveyor, an omnidirectional conveyor, and combinations of those.
Claim 14: The method of claim 12, wherein the unloading ramp means is one of a
belt conveyor, a
roller conveyor, an onmidirectional conveyor, and combinations of those.
Claim 15: The method of claim 13, wherein the loading ramp means includes one
of an elevator,
escalator and combinations of those.
Claim 16: The method of claim 14, wherein the unloading ramp means include one
of an elevator,
escalator and combinations of those.
Claim 17: The method of any one of claims 1-16, wherein multiple decks are
used for loading and
unloading.
Claim 18: The method of any one of claims 1-17 wherein said mobile platform
consists of multiple
alternate platforms.
11

Claim 19: The method of claim 18, wherein said alternate platforms load and
unload on different sides
in a cross path configuration.
Claim 20: The method of any one of claims 18 and 19, wherein the alternate
platforms can be moved
out of the way for large load loading and unloading.
Claim 21: The method of any one of claims 18-20, wherein respective individual
platforms of said
multiple platforms are stacked and loaded on the same side and unloaded on the
side opposite to the
respective loading side.
Claim 22: The method of claim 21, wherein the respective loading and unloading
occurs in a
curvilinear S shaped pattern.
Claim 23: The method of any one of claims 1-22, wherein single or multi stack
platforms and single or
multi stack decks can be loaded from the same side in a curl-in-curl-out
configuration.
Claim 24: The method of any one of claims 1-23, wherein said loads are swap-
bodies.
Claim 25: The method of claim 24, wherein conveyor equipped lift trucks are
used to move said swap-
bodies onto said mobile platform.
Claim 26: The method of claim 25, wherein said swap-bodies are one of flat-
bottom and fitted with flat
cover overshoes.
Claim 27: The method of claim 25 wherein said swap-bodies are fitted with
cover overshoes, and said
cover overshoes are installed using said lift trucks.
Claim 28: The method of one of claims 26 and 27 wherein said overshoes are
fitted with load-specific
attachments.
Claim 29: The method of claim 28 wherein said load-specific attachments
comprise one of a friction
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attachment, a perimeter lip attachment, a wheel attachment, and combinations
thereof.
Claim 30: The method of any one of claims 1-29, wherein the load comprises one
of cars, podcars, and
self-propelled devices.
Claim 31: The method of claim 30, wherein the load is convertible to a flat-
bottom load.
Claim 32: The method of any one of claims 1-29, wherein the load comprises a
passenger shuttle.
Claim 33: The method of claim 32, wherein the shuttled is transferred from a
station to said mobile
platform.
Claim 34: The method of one of claims 32 and 33, wherein said passenger
shuttle includes multiple
passenger shuttles.
Claim 35: The method of claim 34, wherein passengers self-arrange in response
to information notice
means conveying instructions to move to alternate ones of said shuttles, or to
remain aboard a
respective one of said shuttles in accordance with a desired destination.
Claim 36: The method of one of claims 1-35 wherein a stabilizer is used to
prevent swaying of said
loads and to prevent undesired displacement of said loads as they are conveyed
onto and off of said
mobile platform.
Claim 37: The method of claim 36, wherein said stabilizer is a bridge
stabilizer, said bridge stabilizer
engaging with rolling engagement means to provide a continuous transfer
surface between the mobile
platform and a station platform.
Claim 38: The method of any one of claims 1-37, wherein said mobile platforms
have removable or
stowable decks.
Claim 39: The method of any one of claims 1-38, wherein loads are transferred
between a station
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platform and said mobile platform.
Claim 40: The method of claim 39, wherein said station platform comprises a
length that is at least
equal in length to the length of the mobile platform.
Claim 41: The method of claim 40, wherein said station platform length is a
predetermined length
based on a transfer speed of said loads between said mobile platform and said
station platform.
Claim 42: The method of claim 41, wherein said station platform includes
multiple station platforms,
each of said multiple station platforms having said predetermined length.
Claim 43: The method of claim 42, wherein said multiple station platforms
transfer loads between
respective station platforms and multiple respective mobile platforms
simultaneously.
Claim 44: The method of any one of claims 39-43, wherein said station platform
is used to transfer
loads to and/or from a respective one of multiple mobile platforms while said
respective mobile
platform is .moving adjacent said station platform.
Claim 45: The method of any one of claims 1-44, wherein a mobile phone is used
for routing, billing,
identification and communications.
14

Claim 46: An apparatus for moving persons and/or cargo loads onto a mobile
platform from a station
platform; the mobile platform being in motion, the mobile platform including a
conveyor; the station
platform including an omnidirectional conveyor; wherein the station platform
omnidirectional
conveyor moves the load in a loading order onto the mobile platform, the
mobile platform conveyor
loading in a loading order.
Claim 47: An apparatus for moving persons and/or cargo loads from a mobile
platform to a station
platform; the mobile platform being in motion, the mobile platform including a
conveyor; the station
platform including an omnidirectional conveyor; wherein the mobile platform
conveyor moves the load
in an unloading order onto the station platform omnidirectional conveyor, the
mobile platform
conveyor unloading in an alighting order.
Claim 48: An apparatus for loading and unloading person and/or cargo loads
simultaneously from a
loading station platform to a mobile platform and from said mobile platform to
an unloading station
platform; the mobile platform being in motion, the mobile platform including a
conveyor; the loading
platform being on one side of the mobile platform, the loading platform
including an omnidirectional
conveyor; the unloading platform being on another side of the mobile platform,
the unloading platform
including an omnidirectional conveyor; wherein the mobile platform loading
from the loading platform
on one side while simultaneously unloading onto the unloading platform on the
other side, the loading
platform loading in a loading order, the unloading platform unloading in an
alighting order.
Claim 49: The apparatus of claim 46, 47 or 48, the mobile platform rearranging
loads in transit to an
alighting order, the platform loading in the loading order, the platform
unloading in the alighting order.
Claim 50: The apparatus of any one of claims 46-49, wherein a rail car is the
mobile platform.
Claim 51: The apparatus of any one of claims 46-49, wherein a truck is the
mobile platform.
Claim 52: The apparatus of any one of claims 46-49, wherein a maglev vehicle
is the mobile platform.

Claim 53: The apparatus of any one of claims 46-52, wherein a flat-bottom base
carries persons and/or
cargo which constitute the load.
Claim 54: The apparatus of claim 53, wherein said flat-bottom base has a
unique identifier used for
identification of the load.
Claim 55: The apparatus of claim 54, wherein one of a wireless transmitter, a
personal mobile
communications device, an RFID tag, or a computer scannable code constitute
the unique identifier.
Claim 56: The apparatus of any one of claims 46-55, where a ramp is included
as a means for loading.
Claim 57: The apparatus of any one of claims 46-56, where a ramp is included
as a means for
unloading.
Claim 58: The apparatus of claim 56, wherein one of a belt conveyor, a roller
conveyor, an
omnidirectional conveyor, and combinations of those constitute the loading
ramp.
Claim 59: The apparatus of claim 57, wherein one of a belt conveyor, a roller
conveyor, an
onmidirectional conveyor, and combinations of those constitute the unloading
ramp.
Claim 60: The apparatus of claim 56, wherein one of an elevator, escalator and
combinations of those
constitute the loading ramp.
Claim 61: The apparatus of claim 57, wherein one of an elevator, escalator or
combinations of those
constitute the unloading ramp.
Claim 62: The apparatus of any one of claims 46-61, wherein multiple decks
with conveyors are used
for loading and unloading.
Claim 63: The apparatus of any one of claims 46-62 wherein multiple alternate
platforms constitute the
mobile platform.
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Claim 64: The apparatus of claim 63, wherein conveyors on alternate sides of
the mobile platform load
alternating levels and the mobile platform loads are unloaded by conveyor on
other respective sides in a
cross path configuration.
Claim 65: The apparatus of any one of claims 63 and 64, wherein elevating or
swinging posts move the
alternate platforms out of the way for large load loading and unloading.
Claim 66: The apparatus of any one of claims 63-65, wherein multiple stacked
station platform
conveyors load loads on one side of the mobile platform and a respective
individual station platform
conveyors unload on the side opposite to the respective loading side.
Claim 67: The apparatus of claim 66, wherein conveyors move loads from the
station platforms to the
mobile platform conveyors the respective loading and unloading occurs in a
curvilinear S shaped
pattern.
Claim 68: The apparatus of any one of claims 46-67, wherein single or multi
stack platforms conveyors
and single or multi stack deck conveyors can load and unload from the same
side in a curl-in-curl-out
configuration.
Claim 69: The apparatus of any one of claims 46-68, wherein swap-bodies are
the said loads.
Claim 70: The apparatus of claim 69, wherein conveyor equipped lift trucks
move said swap-bodies
onto said mobile platform.
Claim 71: The apparatus of claim 70, wherein said swap-bodies are one of flat-
bottom or fitted with flat
cover overshoes.
Claim 72: The apparatus of claim 70 wherein said swap-bodies are fitted with
cover overshoes, and
said lift trucks install said cover overshoes.
17

Claim 73: The apparatus of one of claims 71 and 72 wherein said overshoes are
fitted with load-
specific attachments.
Claim 74: The apparatus of claim 73 wherein said load-specific attachments
comprise one of a friction
attachment, a perimeter lip attachment, a wheel attachment, and combinations
thereof.
Claim 75: The apparatus of any one of claims 46-74, wherein one of cars,
podcars, and self-propelled
devices comprises the load.
Claim 76: The apparatus of claim 75, wherein said load converts to a flat-
bottom load.
Claim 77: The apparatus of any one of claims 46-74, wherein a passenger
shuttle comprises the load.
Claim 78: The apparatus of claim 77, wherein conveyors transfer the shuttle
from a station to said
mobile platform.
Claim 79: The apparatus of one of claims 77 and 78, wherein said passenger
shuttle includes multiple
passenger shuttles.
Claim 80: The apparatus of claim 79, wherein information notice means
conveying instructions to
passengers allows them respond and self-arrange to move to alternate ones of
said shuttles, or to remain
aboard a respective one of said shuttles in accordance with a desired
destination.
Claim 81: The apparatus of one of claims 46-80 wherein a stabilizer is used to
prevent swaying of said
loads and to prevent undesired displacement of said loads as they are conveyed
onto and off of said
mobile platform.
Claim 82: The apparatus of claim 81, wherein said stabilizer is a bridge
stabilizer, said bridge stabilizer
engaging with rolling engagement means to provide a continuous transfer
surface between the mobile
platform and a station platform.
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Claim 83: The apparatus of any one of claims 46-82, wherein removable or
stowable decks are used on
said mobile platforms.
Claim 84: The apparatus of any one of claims 46-83, wherein conveyors transfer
loads between a
station platform conveyors and said mobile platform conveyor.
Claim 85: The apparatus of claim 84, wherein said station platform comprises a
length that is at least
equal in length to the length of the mobile platform.
Claim 86: The apparatus of claim 85, wherein said station platform length is a
predetermined length
based on a transfer speed of said loads between said mobile platform and said
station platform.
Claim 87: The apparatus of claim 86, wherein said station platform includes
multiple station platforms,
each of said multiple station platforms having said predetermined length.
Claim 88: The apparatus of claim 87, wherein said multiple station platform
conveyors transfer loads
between respective station platform conveyors and multiple respective mobile
platform conveyors
simultaneously.
Claim 89: The apparatus of any one of claims 84-88, wherein said station
platform conveyor transfers
loads to and/or from a respective one of multiple mobile platform conveyors
while said respective
mobile platform is moving adjacent said station platform.
Claim 90: The apparatus of any one of claims 46-83, wherein a mobile phone is
used for routing,
billing, identification and communications.
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Description

CA 02782988 2012-07-16
. Quick loading and unloading of people and freight into a
moving carrier
Technical Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the loading and unloading of containers and vessels
suitable for use in
. transporting passenger and goods.
Background of the Art
Rail transit and transportation over permanent way requires large investments
in laid track and roads
infrastructure. These permanent way assets are often underutilized.
Rail transit and transportation over permanent way is highly cost intensive
and time consuming, and
great efforts are taken to assure rail vehicles are fully encumbered with
goods and paying travellers
prior to embarking in a timely fashion. Rail and permanent way transportation
authorities and owner
will spend significant time loading cargo and people, while their transport
assets remain idle, with
considerable cost. Passengers will wait in waiting area or in their cars for a
car carrying train like those
servicing the Eurotunnel to arrive, stop and be loaded before being invited to
board. In the case of
freight, significant time is lost in modal switches from truck to train for
example where, even drive-on
railcars can take some time to load. A desire to reduce the time to load a
railcar has been explored in
W09954182A1, where unit size freight may be loaded in a arbitrary order, and
shuffled about the car
while in transit. These teaching do not address how freight could be loaded or
unloaded more
efficiently, nor how to handle multiple size loads and they do not provide for
improvements in
passenger boarding and alighting.
With this scenario, as with prior art passenger loading methods, there is a
risk that someone 'will hold
up the train or carrier by being late, slow moving, encumbered or simply
unfamiliar with procedures.
Such potential contretemps can completely disrupt scheduled transport.
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CA 02782988 2012-07-16
Also, large investment are required to purchase purpose-built passenger and
goods cars. These cars
require substantial storage space when unused. These assets sit idle while
other types of cars are
needed.
The same sort of scenario exists for stations. Freight and passengers must be
handled separately since
their handling infrastructure are quite different.
Summary of the Invention
Disclosed is an invention that addresses these problems through flat bottomed
vehicles or pallets
(loads) that are passed by conveyor and loaded onto the respective car, train
or similar conveyance
(carrier). These loads are moveable in their carriers while in transit, in
order that they may be easily
removed from the carrier when they reach their destination. Movement of the
loads in this fashion
addresses logistics issues related to how a carrier should be loaded, presents
loads in a manner that the
receiving station can easily handle, and allows for the efficient disembarking
of passengers without the
dangers of confusions that an unfamiliar station may provide to a new
traveller. This invention
effectively allows longer boarding and alighting times than the station dwell
time by doing the transfer
onboard the carrier and inside the station with enough buffer time to avoid
hold-ups.
The invention is equally applicable to automotive transport, and in particular
to small limited range
electric vehicles (podcars), which may be loaded facing forward onto a train
or similar conveyance for
long haul between major urban centres serviced by rail or similar conveyances,
and without the need to
provide their own motive power for such a journey. Quick loading and unloading
of podcars allows a
rail or road system to become a useful part of a transportation infrastructure
for limited range vehicles,
effectively extending the range of podcars to wherever the rail or road
transports can take them.
Transport in these carriers also means that high-speed crash protection
including air-bags and heavy
automobile structure may be unnecessary or reduced in importance. This new
class of loads benefiting
from intermodal speed and ease can increase use of expensive and often
underutilized permanent way
infrastructure.
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= CA 02782988 2013-02-15
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The invention consists of a flat-bottomed loads, ideally fitted with an RFID
tag, or similar unique
identifying beacon or marker of some sort which constitutes the goods to be
transported. Routing
information is associated with the load of goods via its ID. Information about
the goods, including
their content, their weight, billing information, sensitivities to certain
environmental requirements
(living cargo requiring fresh air, for example or temperature control) may
also be associated. In the
case of a motor vehicle having passengers, the driver of the vehicle could
drive onto a flat-bottomed
pallet at a station, identify a destination via mobile, internet or wayside
console, have their vehicle
weighed while on the pallet, and the load would then be queued to be loaded
into the correct place on
the correct train. Transfers between connecting trains can be done
automatically by routing loads along
conveyors to the right queue ready to be loaded.
Handling of the loads is done through means for handling flat bottom cargo.
Examples of such
handling means are well known in the art and exercised in unit load device
cargo containers, roller
conveyors, plate conveyors, motorize pallets, mecanum-enabled pallets and
conveyors, omni wheel
enabled pallets and conveyors, hydraulic transfer rams and lifts, motorized
castor mounted wheels, and
similar means such as the HOT Drive system developed by Honda. Loading and
unloading of the
carrier can occur without the need to stop it completely. This is done by
making space for the load to
be loaded onto the train, passing these loads, via conveyor or ramp, at
matching speed to the passing
train, and moving the pallets laterally into their designated place on the
train. A controller system will
be responsible for managing movements.
Unloading the train can happen simultaneously by transferring loads off of the
train and onto empty
conveyor space, or onto a separate conveyor dedicated to unloading the train.
The pallets may have means for independent movement to facilitate their
handling, but this is not
necessary where conveyors exist that are capable of passing cargo flexibly in
forward, reverse, and
lateral directions, and combination of these i.e. omnidirectional conveyors.
The loads may be all of the
same size and shape, but are not required to be the same size and shape. Loads
of a 1.25m x 2.50m are
ideally suited for a conventional rail car, where theses may be manoeuvred
side by side on a rail car.
3
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CA 02782988 2012-07-16
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Loading station platforms as described in the detailed description are
repeated as needed to match
headways needs. In essence, a short train or carrier can take the same time to
load and unload as a long
one as long as the loading and unloading platforms are physically repeated for
the length of the train.
Very short trains or trains with limited exchange space may load and unload
faster.
Also disclosed is a same-side loading and unloading in unit time facility. The
principle of this is that in
a limited space, loads can exit and be routed away from the carriers,
arresting their forward momentum.
A later similar arrangement accelerates and matches a given load to carrier
speed and moves it onto the
carrier. Depending on speeds and timing, both types of facility can be used on
a same line, or both
types can be used in a single station on different carrier tracks or
conveyances. The X shaped platform
type uses minimal space on the sides but load travel may be slowed by the use
of long ramps (to get
around tracks or permanent ways). The curl-out, curl-in type uses more outside
space and more
omnidirectional conveyors but can be of single-level design, while still
permitting multiple decks,
though with greater spans to allow for the stacking effect of loads and
turnout space for loads which
should be obstruction free for greatest safety. A configuration which has both
X and curl-in, curl-out
types of platforms could separate large cargo from small cargo using different
sidings and tailor each to
those loads. No elevating section would be needed as those loads are handled
on separate track or
conveyance. This configuration could mean a move from an X to an S shape so
that the use of dual-
deck elevators, escalators or shared structures might be used to advantage.
Loading and unloading of loads is further facilitated by on-board load
shifting, in a manner similar to a
slide puzzle or rearrangement puz7le where at least one square is missing.
This "square" can be filled
if the unloading order is already attained with the to be loaded loads.
Computer systems calculate
optimal placement and destinations are known before the next loading. This
shifting may happen on a
single level within a carrier, and alternatively may include multiple levels
or decks, where palletized
cargo is moved to a deck above the loading deck, or a deck below the loading
deck, such as into the
well of a rail car, a triple independent deck elevator or similar would be
needed to replace the conveyor
when a load is moved up or down so some extra space would likely be needed for
the extra conveyors
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CA 02782988 2012-07-16
or an interweaved arrangement may work.
The invention is described in detail with reference to the following figures.
Brief Description of the Figures
FIG. 1 is a view with the top deck removed, showing the cargo shift and speed
match on the
omnidirectional conveyors. The supporting structure and outer shell of
carriers is removed for clarity.
FIG. 2 is a podcar (small EV) with wheels deployed.
FIG. 3 is a podcar with wheels retracted forming a flat base.
FIG. 4 is a passenger shuttle with sliding door at the ends (9) and windows(8)
on the sides (minimally).
FIG. 5 shows the doors and swing-down conveyor panel.
FIG. 6 is a width-wise (front) view of the folded door panels and the swing-
down conveyor panel.
Only one side is depicted and the supporting structure is also removed for
clarity.
FIG. 7 is a width-wise (front) view of the closed door panels and the conveyor
panel in the stowed
position.
FIG. 8 shows the wheels the bridge rails run against.
FIG. 9 is the loading and unloading part of a station with double deck
carriers and platforms.
FIG. 10 shows a swap-body size, oversize or shuttles with the top decks
removed (they would normally
be taken out of the way by mechanical means).
FIG. 11 shows the shell with doors and bay areas.
FIG. 12 shows an alternate configuration for large stations
Detailed Description of the Invention
Referring to the drawings, in FIG. 1 we have the loading and unloading part of
a station. A system of
conveyors, storage space and loading bays organized in logistics will
constitute part of station design
and isn't covered in the present invention, save some important variations.
Loads 1 on the carriers are
5

CA 02782988 2012-07-16
shuffled as necessary so that as the properly preselected (by weight, size and
destination) boarding
loads are loaded, the alighting loads can move off unimpeded. This is
accomplished by using an
algorithm similar to a sliding puzzle where one square is left off the grid.
In this case, if conditions are
such that there is no impediment to vehicle exiting at their destined station
and in the case where a
passenger, in a podcar for example, might require emergency exit changing the
exit order, one of the
loads/podcars must be exiting at the next station. This last condition means
that in an emergency exit
request, it will be a maximum of two stops before the request can be
accommodated. If the request is a
grave emergency, then extra loads/podcars may exit with the emergency load. An
operator may choose
this last scenario to handle all emergency exit requests in which case the
rule that there must be at least
one load exiting at the next station can be lifted. Request can be most simply
handled via mobile
phone. These devices are ubiquitous, familiar and getting more affordable.
Courtesy mobile loans can
be extended to those without mobiles or should one have been forgotten.
Payment options by mobile
are also becoming popular, so these may also be used for that purpose.
Referring to figures FIG. 2 and 3, the load 1 can be a podcar, pallet(s) with
a flat bottom or any flat
bottom load whose height allows it to fit in a double-deck carrier. Podcars
can be flat bottomed cars
with retractable wheels of a size that allows double-deck loading, side by
side placement and multiple
rows that can fit on the deck 5 of the rail or road transporter which can be a
rail car, maglev, truck or
other deck carrier. Regular pallets, can be handled with fork-lifts or other
means and placed in
"overshoes", plastic or other suitable material fashioned into a flat bottom
sheet with interface
components that allow mating to various cargo e.g. rails for wheels, lip edges
for pallets etc.
As can be seen in FIG. 4, a regular passenger railcar has an interconnecting
way for passenger
movement. These sorts of passages can be used by the passenger shuttles 7 to
transfer passengers to
traditional railcars from the shuttles that are used for boarding and
alighting. Passenger loading can
take place in "elevator" or small bus booths that are populated at the
station. In this situation, when the
booth is ready to depart, doors close, the booth moves along the conveyor onto
the train where doors 9
open and passengers not exiting at the next station can move off to an
adjacent compartment via
double-doors, one set for the shuttle and one set for the carrier or other
shuttle, and those alighting can
move into the booth to reach their destination. Windows 8 are provided for
passenger viewing.
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CA 02782988 2012-07-16
=
As can be seen in FIG. 1, the load will be taken from the logistics area on
conveyors to the ramp 4.
The ramp (elevator, escalator or curve) delivers loads 1 to the
omnidirectional conveyor 3 for loading
onto the deck 2 of the carrier via the bridge conveyor 5. The deck of the
carrier is also an
omnidirectional conveyor which allows loads of various shapes to be moved
around notably for
rearranging load positions for optimal loading/unloading. The platform
omnidirectional conveyor
moves the load at a speed matching the carrier in the carrier direction and
also moves the load
simultaneously in a lateral direction towards the carrier for loading and away
from the carrier while
unloading. Timing for this apparatus and method is critical and any error will
result in the immediate
stop of both vehicle and load in the space provided by the emergency "ditch"
area, an area long enough
to allow loads to come to a complete stop before hitting anything. The floor
of the carrier can be raised
to act as a brake, to connect power or to form a walkable floor in case
pedestrian movement were
allowed. For pedestrian covers, guillotine-like section can slide over the
holes of the conveyor wheels.
The carrier, upon approaching the station, opens its doors. These can be two
simple folding panels 10
that move up and out of the way, see FIG. 5,6 and FIG. 7. Other types of doors
that leave a full
opening can also be used ¨ many examples exist. Conveyor bridges 5 fold down
(or extend out) from
the decks to span the gap between the carrier decks and the platforms.
Referring to FIG. 8, an array of
wheels 12 along the platforms 3 mates with a rail along the edge to support
the conveyor bridges as
they move along with the carrier. A lateral movement mechanism may be included
if tolerances require
it. The bottom conveyor bridges may be used to stabilize the carrier if such
stabilization can't be
obtained by other means such as onboard dynamic stability or deflating air
suspension components
such that they rest on hard surfaces thereby minimizing sway and vertical
movement.
The carrier moves through the station at a low rate of speed (maximized by
conveyor top speed, space
and timing constraints). The conveyor bridges 5 fold up and the doors 10 close
as the vehicle sections
move past the end of the platform conveyors FIG. 7. Moving the carrier in the
fashion described
reduces platform conveyor length and width needed and simplifies the double-
deck version of the
invention.
As can be seen in FIG. 9, a second (or multi) deck 2 version that effectively
doubles throughput for
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CA 02782988 2012-07-16
smaller loads is advantageous. The configuration suggested puts second level
ramps 4 cross corner
with the main lower deck ramps in an X shape. This allows the lower deck ramps
to be used to move
larger loads 1 such as passenger shuttles, ULD, swap-bodies, and perhaps even
sea containers properly
fitted with a suitable flat-bottom surface. The top deck omnidirectional
conveyor sections can be made
moveable to make way for larger lower deck loads. This can be done using a
piston type elevator on
the outside 6 or by swinging the top platform conveyor up and out of the way.
There should be no
obstructions on the carrier side that may cause harm in an unlikely system
failure. The top deck inside
the carrier can either be removable or move up into the roof Neither of these
last two mechanisms
need to carry a load past their own weight.
By example, in FIG. 10, if dual purpose carriers and stations handling cargo
and people are considered,
a means of moving standing passengers and larger objects becomes apparent.
There may also be swap-
bodies or other containers 11 that can either be newly build with flat bottoms
to make transitions faster
or placed on properly sized "overshoes". Swap-body lift trucks with conveyors
to load onto or unload
from a conveyor dock may be built. These special lift trucks could be used to
insert regular swap-
bodies into their "overshoes". The special lift trucks may only be needed at
stations where common lift
trucks can leave swap-bodies on their legs as is normally done. This allows a
yard to be placed in a
more remote location. This system could also be used as inexpensive
warehousing space.
Wind drag is a large component of energy use, especially at high speeds. There
is also a possibility that
some loads would not be completely secure. It therefore seems necessary to
have a shell or cowling to
maintain smooth air flow and to contain any stray pieces that may detach from
loads should these be
exposed to high speed winds generated by forward motion. FIG. 11 illustrates a
shell with door 14
access at both ends for shuttle passenger or even podcar passenger movement
from carrier to carrier.
Louvres or NACA duct (reversible if bi-directional motion of the vehicle is
employed) may provide
ventilation and cooling air to all decks. A division of the deck's 15 loading
bay may be advantageous to
minimize space wasted to structural support between decks. With the lowest,
sturdiest deck supporting
both the upper deck(s) and roof in the middle of a carrier. Ideally, this
support structure would not
hinder free flow of loads from one side to the other minimizing space lost
rearrangement requirements
and so placement of the support structure should be near the outside of the
shell or even integrated in
8

CA 02782988 2012-07-16
such 16.
In some cases where much room is available for a yard, or necessity demands
it, a second configuration
can work. FIG. 12 shows a same-side loading and unloading in unit time
facility. As with the
previously elaborated configuration, repeating the platform design multiple
times allows very long
carriers or trains of carriers to be loaded almost as quickly as short ones.
The principle of this is that in
a limited space, loads 1, 7 or 11 can exit and be routed via the platform 17
away from the carriers,
. arresting their forward momentum. Pictured is a configuration that rotates
the load in an "off-ramp" 18
sort of fashion, but a lateral move with sideways stacking along a similar
trajectory can be employed.
After a first conveyor platform unloads the loads, a later similar arrangement
accelerates and matches
load to carrier speed and moves it onto the carrier. Depending on speeds and
timing, both types of
facility can be used on a same line, or both types can be used in a single
station on different carrier
tracks or conveyances, if differing carrier lengths are used, asymmetrical
loading speeds between the
small-load and large-load embodiments is possible. The X shaped platform type
described earlier uses
minimal space on the sides but load travel may be slowed by the use of long
ramps to get around tracks
or permanent ways, though these ramps are straight-line and could be simply
sped up among other
solution mentioned. The curl-out, curl-in type uses more outside space and
more omnidirectional
conveyors but can be of single-level design, while still permitting multiple
decks, though with greater
spans to allow for the stacking effect or the "off-ramps". A configuration
which has both X and curl-in,
curl-out types of platforms could separate large cargo from small and tailor
each to those loads. No
elevating section that must make way for large cargo would be needed as those
double-deck loads are
handled on separate track or conveyance. In fact, this configuration could
mean a move from an X to
an S shape for small loads so that the use of dual-deck elevators, escalators
or shared structures might
be used to advantage.
9

Representative Drawing