Claims
- 1. A transportation system comprising a guideway having side walls and a top structure, a first pair of parallel support tracks supported by said guideway below said top structure for supporting vehicles for movement in a path below said top structure, and a second pair of parallel support tracks supported by said top structure for supporting vehicles for movement in a path above said top structure.
- 2. A transportation system as defined in claim 1, said top structure including two portions extending inwardly to provide an open slot therebetween, a pair of parallel guide tracks supported by said guideway below said top structure but above said first pair of support tracks, said guide tracks being engageable by control wheels carried by vehicles that are supported on said first pair of tracks and being also engageable by control wheels which are carried through means extending through said open slot by vehicles that are supported on said second pair of tracks.
- 3. A transportation system as defined in claim 1, said top structure including two portions extending inwardly to provide an open slot therebetween, current supply conductors supported by said guideway below said top structure but above said first pair of support tracks, said current supply conductors being engageable by current collector shoes carried by vehicles that are supported on said first pair of tracks and being also engageable by current supply conductors which are carried through means extending through said open slot by vehicles that are supported on said second pair of tracks.
- 4. A transportation system as defined in claim 3, including a pair of parallel guide tracks supported by said guideway below said top structure but above said first pair of support tracks, said guide tracks being engageable by control wheels carried by vehicles that are supported on said first pair of tracks and being also engageable by control wheels which are carried through means extending through said open slot by vehicles that are supported on said second pair of tracks.
- 5. A transportation system as defined in claim 4, wherein said current supply conductors include conductors adjacent to one of said pair of guide tracks and conductors adjacent to the other of said guide tracks.
- 6. A transportation system as defined in claim 1 and including one type of vehicle for movement on said first pair of parallel support tracks, a second type of vehicle for movement on said second pair of parallel support tracks, and means along said guideway for controlling movements therealong of both of said first and second types of vehicles.
- 7. A transportation system as defined in claim 6, said first type of vehicle including load support means for extending upwardly for supporting a load above said guideway, and said second type of vehicle including load support means for supporting a load thereabove.
- 8. A transportation system as defined in claim 7, each of said load support means being arranged to automatically control tilting of a load about a longitudinal axis relative to the associated vehicle.
- 9. A transportation system as defined in claim 8, said load supports being controllable as a function of turn radius data supplied from monitoring and control units along said guideway.
- 10. A transportation system as defined in claim 9, said top structure of said guideway including two portions extending inwardly to provide an open slot therebetween, a pair of parallel guide tracks supported by said guideway below said top structure but above said first pair of support tracks, said first type of vehicle including support wheels engageable with said first pair of parallel support tracks and control wheels for engagement with undersides of said guide tracks, said second type of vehicle including support wheels engageable with said first second pair of parallel support tracks and control wheels for engagement with undersides of said guide tracks, and means on said second type of vehicle for extending down through said open slot to support said control wheels of said second type of vehicle.
- 11. A transportation system as defined in claim 9, said top structure of said guideway including two portions extending inwardly to provide an open slot therebetween, current supply conductors supported by said guideway below said top structure but above said first pair of support tracks, said first type of vehicle including support wheels for engagement with said first pair of support tracks and current collector shoes engageable with said current supply conductors, said second type of vehicle including support wheels engageable with said first second pair of parallel support tracks and current collector shoes engageable with said current supply conductors, and means on said second type of vehicle for extending down through said open slot to support said current collector shoes of said second type of vehicle.
- 12. A transportation system comprising a guideway having side walls and a top structure, a pair of support tracks supported by said top structure, a pair of guide tracks supported by said top structure, current supply conductors supported by said top structure, and a vehicle including support wheels for engagement with said support tracks, control wheels for engagement with said guide tracks, and current collector shoes for engagement with said current supply conductors.
- 13. A transportation system as defined in claim 12, wherein said top structure includes two portions extending inwardly to provide an open slot therebetween, said current supply conductors being supported below said top structure, and means on said vehicle for extending down through said open slot to support said current collector shoes.
- 14. A transportation system as defined in claim 12, wherein said top structure includes two portions extending inwardly to provide an open slot therebetween, said guide tracks being supported below said top structure, and means on said vehicle for extending down through said open slot to support said current collector shoes.
- 15. A transportation system as defined in claim 12, said current supply conductors being supported below said top structure, and means on said vehicle for extending down through said open slot to support said current collector shoes.
- 16. A transportation system comprising a guideway having side walls and a top structure which includes two portions that provide an open slot therebetween, a pair of support tracks supported by said two portions of said top structure on opposite sides of said open slot, a pair of guide tracks supported below said two portions of said top structure, and a vehicle including two sets of support wheels for engagement with said pair of support tracks, two sets of control wheels for engagement with said pair of guide tracks, and means for extending downwardly through said open slot to support said two sets of control wheels.
- 17. A transportation system as defined in claim 16, wherein said guideway includes a diverging Y junction through which vehicles can move in either a first direction or a second direction, and wherein either of said sets of control wheels can be lowered to allow the other of said sets of control wheels to control the direction of movement through said Y junction.
- 18. A transportation system as defined in claim 17 wherein said vehicle includes two sets of auxiliary wheels spaced inwardly from said two sets of support wheels, and wherein said guideway includes a pair of auxiliary support tracks in said Y junction, one of said sets of auxiliary support wheels cooperating with one of said sets of main support wheels and with one of said sets of control wheels in providing substantially complete support of said vehicle when moving through said Y junction.
- 19. A transportation system comprising a guideway which includes a pair of parallel support tracks, and a vehicle for movement on said tracks, said vehicle comprising a frame, a pair of front support wheels connected to a forward end of said frame for engagement with said parallel support tracks, a pair of rear support wheels connected to a rearward end of said frame for engagement with said parallel support tracks, a bogie including a differential gearing assembly drivingly connected to one of said pairs of front support wheels and connected to said frame structure for pivotal movement about a vertical axis relative thereto, a longitudinally extending drive shaft having one end in longitudinally spaced relation to said differential gearing assembly, motive power means supported on said frame structure for applying a drive torque to said drive shaft, and a coupling shaft assembly between said one end of said drive shaft and said differential gearing assembly for allowing said bogie to pivot about said vertical axis while transmitting drive torques through said differential gearing assembly to said one of said pairs of wheels.
- 20. A transportation system as defined in claim 19, further comprising: a second bogie including a second differential gearing assembly drivingly connected to the other of said pairs of support wheels and connected to said frame structure for pivotal movement about a second vertical axis relative thereto, said longitudinally extending drive shaft having an opposite end in longitudinally spaced relation to said second differential gearing assembly, and a second coupling shaft assembly between said opposite end of said drive shaft and said second differential gearing assembly for allowing said second bogie to pivot about said second vertical axis while transmitting drive torques through said differential gearing assembly to said other of said pairs of wheels.
- 21. A transportation system comprising a guideway, a vehicle movable on said guideway and including load support means for supporting a load above said guideway, each of said load support means being arranged to automatically control tilting of said load about a longitudinal axis relative to the associated vehicle.
- 22. A transportation system as defined in claim 21, said load supports being controllable as a function of turn radius data supplied from monitoring and control units along said guideway.
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of the following applications:
[0002] 1) Application in the USA of Van Metre Lund entitled “SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATED TRANSPORT OF AUTOMOBILE PLATFORMS, PASSENGER CABINS AND OTHER LOADS”, U.S. Ser. No. 09/005,854, filed Jan. 12, 1998, issued Jul. 4, 2000 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,268; and
[0003] 2) Application in the USA of Van Metre Lund entitled “SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATED TRANSPORT OF PASSENGER CABINS, AUTOMOBILE PLATFORMS AND OTHER LOAD-CARRIERS”, U.S. Ser. No. 09/240,187, filed Jan. 29, 1999, issued May 29, 2001 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,500.
[0004] The disclosures of said prior applications are incorporated herein by reference.
Continuation in Parts (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09005854 |
Jan 1998 |
US |
Child |
09867162 |
May 2001 |
US |
Parent |
09240187 |
Jan 1999 |
US |
Child |
09867162 |
May 2001 |
US |