Nova Patents
US3895584A

Transportation systems

Abstract

This record has no abstract on file.

US3895584A, drawing sheet 1
Sheet 1 of 16

Term

Term ended

Expired 22 July 1992, 34.2 years ago.

  1. Priority
  2. Filed
  3. Granted
  4. Expired
  5. Today

9 claims: 1 independent, 8 dependent

  1. 1
    1 claim:1. A transportation system comprising a plurality of tracks and a plurality of remotely controllable vehicles constructed to run over the said tracks, wherein the said tracks comprise at least a first main track, a second main track, and a junction track by which vehicles may be driven from the first main track to the second main track, and the system also comprises first signalling means for sending control signals to vehicles on the first main track such that all vehicles on a continuous 65 extended length thereof receive the same control signals to cause the said vehicles to proceed in a first regular traffic stream along the said first main track, means for sending signals to selected ones of the said vehicles to divert them on to the junction track, second signalling means for sending control signals to vehicles on the 3,895,584 6. A transportation system comprising a network of main tracks and main track signaling means for signaling to vehicles on each main track so that all vehicles on a continuous extended length of any main track will 5 receive the same control signals for causing said vehicles to proceed in regular traffic streams along said main track;the network having a plurality of intersections which each comprise a one-way junction track connecting two of the said main tracks and having in10 tersection control means provided for each intersection capable of substantially self-sufficient operation for controlling vehicles approaching the junction track and on the junction track thereof;the junction track leading from a first main track to a second main track at 15 each of said intersections, the first main track being equipped with first main track signaling means, the second main track being equipped with second main track signaling means, and the intersection control means comprising means for directing selected vehicles from 20 the first track onto the junction track, third signaling means for sending control signals to vehicles on the junction track to control their progress and to make selected vehicles responsive to signals derived from the second main track signaling means at selected times, 25 further means for sending control signals derived from the second main track signaling means to vehicles on a part of the junction track, a plurality of vehicle detector means for detecting the passage of vehicles on the first main track, the second main track, and the junc30 tion track and for receiving data signals from the said vehicles, and computer means connected to the vehicle detector means and to the first, second and third signaling means for controlling the transfer of vehicles from the first main track over the junction track to the sec35 ond main track. 7. A transportation system as claimed in claim 6 wherein each vehicle is notionally allocated to a section of the track in which it may safely come to rest, and in each of the intersections a length of the junction track 40 is designated as queueing space sufficient to accomodate a predetermined maximum number of vehicles Q and the intersection control means comprises: a first vehicle detector means for ascertaining the destination of each vehicle and an indication of the 45 section of track to which it is currently allocated as it approaches the entry to the junction track, and computer means for maintaining a list of turn priorities for given destinations, allocating to each vehicle a turn priority selected from the list according 50 to the destination of the vehicle, maintaining a record of the number ¢/ of vehicles currently allocated to the queueing space, comparing the allocated turn priority with the number ¢/, and sending turning command signals to any vehicle which is 55 allocated a turn priority greater than ¢/ if and only if ¢/ is less than Q, so as to direct the vehicle on to the junction track. 8. A transportation system as claimed in claim 7 wherein the first vehicle detector means comprises 60 means for receiving a position-lag signal from each passing vehicle, which represents the distance between the actual position of the vehicle and the track section to which it is currently allocated, and the computer means comprises means for determining the track sec 6S tion to which the vehicle is currently allocated by adding the vehicle’s position-lag signal to a signal representing the position of the vehicle when detected by the first vehicle detector means. second main track such that all vehicles on a continuous extended length thereof receive the same control signals to cause the said vehicles to proceed in a second regular traffic stream along the said second main track, third signalling means for sending control signals to vehicles on the junction track to control their progress on the junction track and to make them responsive to signals derived from the second signalling means at selected times, further means for sending control signals derived from the second signalling means to vehicles on a part of the junction track to cause the said vehicles to match their speed to the speed of the said second regular traffic stream, a plurality of vehicle detector means for detecting the passage of vehicles on the first main track, the second main track, and the junction track and receiving data signals from the said vehicles, and computer means connected to the vehicle detector means and to the first, second and third signalling means for controlling the transfer of selected vehicles from the first main track to the second main track.