Patent Application
20190241202
The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for managing transportation of people and freight. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for managing transportation of people and freight using autonomous self-propelled cabs.
Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Conventional urban transportation systems typically employ underground trains or vehicles moving along tracks. Installation of such systems requires a considerable amount of space in an urban region and do not allow vehicles to be separately directed from one place to another. Also, such systems cannot be used to provide vertical transportation of people as well as cargo. Many alternative transportation systems, such as mono rails, ski lift systems and the like have been developed. However, such alternative transportation systems are not generally suitable for widespread use in urban areas. For example, Mono rails are generally used in localized applications, such as exhibition grounds and the like, and Mono rails also employ vehicles that are coupled together in the form of a train that cannot be conveniently switched between tracks.
Such conventional transportation systems have become increasingly costly to construct, maintain and operate, and usage of such conventional transportation systems in transportation of people and freight in urban areas is superseded enormously by automobiles, such as cars, buses, trucks, etc. The resulting automobile traffic over urban streets and highways is envisaged as a problem of increasing magnitude that needs adequate measures in order to reduce down time associated with transportation of people and cargo in such urban areas.
There is therefore a need in the art to provide a transportation system that overcomes limitations associated with conventional transportation systems. Further, there exists a need to provide for systems and methods for managing transportation of people as well as freight using autonomous vehicles capable of enabling horizontal as well as vertical transportation of people as well as freight.
All publications herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
In some embodiments, the numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, properties such as concentration, reaction conditions, and so forth, used to describe and claim certain embodiments of the invention are to be understood as being modified in some instances by the term “about”. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters set forth in the written description and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by a particular embodiment. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of some embodiments of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as practicable. The numerical values presented in some embodiments of the invention may contain certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements.
As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
The recitation of ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range. Unless otherwise indicated herein, each individual value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g. “such as”) provided with respect to certain embodiments herein is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element essential to the practice of the invention.
Groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member can be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found herein. One or more members of a group can be included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons of convenience and/or patentability. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification is herein deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written description of all groups used in the appended claims.
It is a general object of the present disclosure to provide a system and method for managing transportation of people as well as freight using autonomous self-propelled cabs.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system and method for managing transportation of people as well as freight to enable door-to-door transportation service.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system and method for managing point to point transportation of people as well as freight that mimics private transportation as well as public transportation.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system and method for managing transportation of people as well as freight using battery operated cable suspended cabs.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a transportation system capable of enabling horizontal as well as vertical transportation of people as well as freight.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a transportation system capable of self-steering.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a transportation system that allows high throughput of people as well as freight.
The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for managing transportation of people and freight. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for managing transportation of people and freight using autonomous self-propelled cabs.
In an aspect, the present disclosure relates to a transportation system comprising at least one cab attached to a suspension frame that is suspended from at least one cable, wherein the suspension frame can be suspended from the at least one cable using one or more pairs of sheaves that run freely on an overhead cable guide-way; and at least one propeller that is coupled with the cab and is configured in a pusher propeller arrangement to provide any or a combination of thrust for forward movement, speed control, steering, stabilization of the cab from swinging on the suspension frame, and stopping of the cab by reversing the thrust developed thereof.
In an aspect, each pair of sheaves can be assembled in a horizontal plane to allow easy traversing along the cable guide-way, and wherein each sheave forms a pair with an opposing sheave to grasp a safety cable below a load bearing main cable of the cable guide-way, and wherein the pairs of sheaves are assembled using a sheave to grasp the upper main cable and the opposing sheave to grasp the safety cable from below.
In another aspect, the at least one cable can include an upper load bearing main cable, and a lower safety cable, and wherein the at least one cable can include cable and cable that are interconnected to each other to prevent swaying.
In an aspect, the system can include a plurality of electro-mechanical switches capable of disengaging continuity of line of motion of said plurality of cabs from the cable guide-way section. At least one of said plurality of electro-mechanical switches can be configured to divert at least one of said plurality of cabs physically onto rails fixed on pylons so as to allow one or more passengers to get on the cab at a station or a sub-station.
In an aspect, the cab can further be operatively coupled with a second propeller to allow controlling of flight of the cab during ascent and emergency mode upon sensing that descent acceleration of the cab is higher than permissible descent acceleration. The second propeller can be coupled to a horizontal section of the cab, wherein the second propeller allows air cushion to be built up under the cab to provide a safe landing to the cab in case the cab detaches from the cable guide-way. In an aspect, the second propeller can be configured to control flight of the cab when the cab passes a junction switch between two separate cable guide-way sections.
In an aspect, interconnection between each of the pairs of sheaves can be fixed on one side, and can have a movable safety panel on the other side so as to create a box to fully enclose the at least one cable of the guide-way. The movable safety panel can be locked in a position as long as the cab runs along the at least one cable, and wherein the safety panel has the ability of being unlocked and shifted out of the way by a lever arrangement attached to pylons.
In an aspect, the cab can be controlled by at least one onboard computing device that detects waypoints using any or a combination of embedded RFID tags, GPS, and a mechanical interlock.
In another aspect, the cab can be stabilized using any or a combination of a plurality of onboard gyroscopes and accelerometers.
In yet another aspect, the proposed system can further include one or more Route switches that can be configured at one or more segments of rail sections, each segment of the one or more segments being pivoted vertically such that the segment is capable of swivelling to either side along the horizontal plane so as to allow a curved rail section to be presented to sheave suspension of the cab, said curved rail section permitting interlinking of two separate cable guide-way sections allowing the cab 102 to change its route from one cable guide-way section onto another cable guide-way section along the route chosen by the cab. In yet another aspect, the one or more junction switches can use curved steel rail sections that rotate forward or backwards along the horizontal plane about its axis, and wherein the switches are configured to link two adjacent rail sections of the cable guide-way at a junction of multiple cable section terminations.
In an aspect, the cab can be communicatively coupled with a second cab so as to enable sharing of information between said cab and said second cab and also relay data to other cabs. Such information can include information pertaining to congestion at one or more switch points along a defined route, said information also being capable of being shared with respective main station(s) and control center.
In an aspect, the present disclosure further relates to a transportation system comprising: at least one cab attached to a suspension frame that is suspended from at least one cable of a cable guide-way; one or more switches configured to assign a priority, by means of a digital token, to said at least one cab when said at least one cab is arriving at a switch selected from said one or more switches, wherein said at least one cab crosses over to another section of the cable guide-way based on said priority.
In an aspect, the one or more switches can be selected from any or a combination of route switches or junction switches.
In an aspect, in case multiple cabs arrive simultaneously at a given switch, cab having digital token with highest priority is allowed to cross the switch first. In another aspect, the digital token can be surrendered by the respective switch after the cab exits the switch. Also, entry of the at least one cab at a switch is on an interlock that activates a physical stopper block on the rail to prevent rolling of the cab towards the switch.
In an aspect, the digital token can be assigned based on any or a combination of prioritization of cab coming towards the one or more switches, traffic availability beyond the one or more switches, accumulation of traffic at a station, and malfunction of a switch.
The present disclosure further relates to an autonomous cab that can be configured in a transportation system, wherein the cab can be suspended from a cable and can include an on-board computing device that utilizes GPS enabled routing along a cable guide-way that can be configured between a route. In an aspect, one or more sequential waypoints can be established along said route using reception of signals from an embedded RFID along the cable guide-way. Also, the proposed transportation system can be configured to authorize movement of the cab selected from a plurality of cabs from any or a combination of one or more route switches and one or more junction switches, said authorization being based on matching of unique identifier associated with the cab and unique identifier associated with any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches.
The present disclosure further relates to a transportation system that can include a non-transitory storage device having embodied therein one or more routines operable to control movement of one or more cabs; and one or more processors coupled to the non-transitory storage device and operable to execute the one or more routines, wherein the one or more routines include: a cab position determination module, which when executed by the one or more processors, acquires instantaneous position of said one or more cabs with respect to one or more sections of a cable guide-way, wherein each of the one or more cabs are attached to a suspension frame suspended from a section of the cable guide-way using multiple pairs of sheaves running freely on the overhead cable guide-way; a cab prioritization module, which when executed by the one or more processors, prioritizes each of the one or more cabs present in a section of the cable guide-way by assigning a unique identifier to at least one cab of the one or more of cabs, wherein at least one of said one or more cabs is assigned a digital token based on any or a combination of number of vacant seats in a cab, type of cab, location of the cab, traffic situation, emergency situation pertaining to a cab, and an attribute of the cab, and wherein the unique identifier associated with the at least one cab is the digital token; a switch tokenization module, which when executed by the one or more processors, associates a unique identifier to any or a combination of one or more route switches and one or more junction switches, wherein the detection of the instantaneous position of the one or more cabs enables tokenization of any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches; and a cab authorization module, which when executed by the one or more processors, authorizes movement of at least one cab of the one or more of cabs from any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches, said authorization being based on matching of the unique identifier associated with the at least one cab and the unique identifier associated with any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches.
In an aspect, the cab authorization module can allows movement of the at least one cab in case the unique identifier associated with the at least one cab matches the unique identifier associated with any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches, and also restricts movement of the cab when the unique identifier associated with the at least one cab pertains to a lower priority level than the unique identifier associated with any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches.
The present disclosure further relates to a method for facilitating movement of a cab along one or more cable guide-way sections, said method comprising the steps of determining, at a computing device, instantaneous position of a plurality of cabs configured with one or more sections of a cable guide-way, each of the plurality of cabs being attached to a suspension frame suspended from a section of the cable guide-way; prioritizing, at the computing device, each of the plurality of cabs present in a section of the cable guide-way by assigning a unique identifier to at least one cab of the plurality of cabs, said unique identifier being represented in the faun of a digital tokens that is assigned based on any or a combination of number of vacant seats in a cab, type of cab, emergency situation pertaining to a cab, and an attribute of the cab; associating, at the computing device, a unique identifier to any or a combination of one or more route switches and one or more junction switches, wherein determination of the instantaneous position of the plurality of cabs assists in tokenization of any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches; and authorizing, at the computing device, movement of at least one cab of the plurality of cabs from any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches, said authorization being based on matching of the unique identifier associated with the at least one cab and the unique identifier associated with any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches.
The present disclosure further relates to a main station having a defined coverage area with at least one physical guide way, said main station being configured in a network having one or more main stations, said defined coverage area of said main station comprising one or more cabs that are suspended over multiple tie-points of cables and further comprising a plurality of switches, said multiple tie-points of cables being monitored actively, wherein said main station controls the plurality of switches to allow access to the one or more cabs to travel through at least a portion of said at least one physical guide way in a defined direction based on allocation of priority to each of the one or more cabs by the main station. In an aspect, the priority can be allocated to each of the one or more cabs by means of one or more digital tokens, at least one of said one or more digital tokens comprising priority indication and expiry time information.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.
In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present invention. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific details.
Embodiments of the present invention include various steps, which will be described below. The steps may be performed by hardware components or may be embodied in machine-executable instructions, which may be used to cause a general-purpose or special-purpose processor programmed with the instructions to perform the steps. Alternatively, steps may be performed by a combination of hardware, software, and fiunware and/or by human operators.
Embodiments of the present invention may be provided as a computer program product, which may include a machine-readable storage medium tangibly embodying thereon instructions, which may be used to program a computer (or other electronic devices) to perform a process. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, fixed (hard) drives, magnetic tape, floppy diskettes, optical disks, compact disc read-only memories (CD-ROMs), and magneto-optical disks, semiconductor memories, such as ROMs, PROMs, random access memories (RAMs), programmable read-only memories (PROMs), erasable PROMs (EPROMs), electrically erasable PROMs (EEPROMs), flash memory, magnetic or optical cards, or other type of media/machine-readable medium suitable for storing electronic instructions (e.g., computer programming code, such as software or firmware).
Various methods described herein may be practiced by combining one or more machine-readable storage media containing the code according to the present invention with appropriate standard computer hardware to execute the code contained therein. An apparatus for practicing various embodiments of the present invention may involve one or more computers (or one or more processors within a single computer) and storage systems containing or having network access to computer program(s) coded in accordance with various methods described herein, and the method steps of the invention could be accomplished by modules, routines, subroutines, or subparts of a computer program product.
As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g. “such as”) provided with respect to certain embodiments herein is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element essential to the practice of the invention.
The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for managing transportation of people and freight. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for managing transportation of people and freight using autonomous self-propelled cabs.
In an aspect, the present disclosure relates to a transportation system comprising at least one cab attached to a suspension frame that is suspended from at least one cable, wherein the suspension frame can be suspended from the at least one cable using one or more pairs of sheaves that run freely on an overhead cable guide-way; and at least one propeller that is coupled with the cab and is configured in a pusher propeller arrangement to provide any or a combination of thrust for forward movement, speed control, steering, stabilization of the cab from swinging on the suspension frame, and stopping of the cab by reversing the thrust developed thereof.
In an aspect, each pair of sheaves can be assembled in a horizontal plane to allow easy traversing along the cable guide-way, and wherein each sheave fauns a pair with an opposing sheave to grasp a safety cable below a load bearing main cable of the cable guide-way, and wherein the pairs of sheaves are assembled using a sheave to grasp the upper main cable and the opposing sheave to grasp the safety cable from below.
In another aspect, the at least one cable can include an upper load bearing main cable, and a lower safety cable, and wherein the at least one cable can include cable and cable that are interconnected to each other to prevent swaying.
In an aspect, the system can include a plurality of electro-mechanical switches capable of disengaging continuity of line of motion of said plurality of cabs from the cable guide-way section. At least one of said plurality of electro-mechanical switches can be configured to divert at least one of said plurality of cabs physically onto rails fixed on pylons so as to allow one or more passengers to get on the cab at a station or a sub-station.
In an aspect, the cab can further be operatively coupled with a second propeller to allow controlling of flight of the cab during ascent and emergency mode upon sensing that descent acceleration of the cab is higher than permissible descent acceleration. The second propeller can be coupled to a horizontal section of the cab, wherein the second propeller allows air cushion to be built up under the cab to provide a safe landing to the cab in case the cab detaches from the cable guide-way. In an aspect, the second propeller can be configured to control flight of the cab when the cab passes a junction switch between two separate cable guide-way sections.
In an aspect, interconnection between each of the pairs of sheaves can be fixed on one side, and can have a movable safety panel on the other side so as to create a box to fully enclose the at least one cable of the guide-way. The movable safety panel can be locked in a position as long as the cab runs along the at least one cable, and wherein the safety panel has the ability of being unlocked and shifted out of the way by a lever arrangement attached to pylons.
In an aspect, the cab can be controlled by at least one onboard computing device that detects waypoints using any or a combination of embedded RFID tags, GPS, and a mechanical interlock.
In another aspect, the cab can be stabilized using any or a combination of a plurality of onboard gyroscopes and accelerometers.
In yet another aspect, the proposed system can further include one or more Route switches that can be configured at one or more segments of rail sections, each segment of the one or more segments being pivoted vertically such that the segment is capable of swiveling to either side along the horizontal plane so as to allow a curved rail section to be presented to sheave suspension of the cab, said curved rail section permitting interlinking of two separate cable guide-way sections allowing the cab 102 to change its route from one cable guide-way section onto another cable guide-way section along the route chosen by the cab. In yet another aspect, the one or more junction switches can use curved steel rail sections that rotate forward or backwards along the horizontal plane about its axis, and wherein the switches are configured to link two adjacent rail sections of the cable guide-way at a junction of multiple cable section terminations.
In an aspect, the cab can be communicatively coupled with a second cab so as to enable sharing of information between said cab and said second cab and also relay data to other cabs. Such information can include information pertaining to congestion at one or more switch points along a defined route, said information also being capable of being shared with respective main station(s) and control center.
In an aspect, the present disclosure further relates to a transportation system comprising: at least one cab attached to a suspension frame that is suspended from at least one cable of a cable guide-way; one or more switches configured to assign a priority, by means of a digital token, to said at least one cab when said at least one cab is arriving at a switch selected from said one or more switches, wherein said at least one cab crosses over to another section of the cable guide-way based on said priority.
In an aspect, the one or more switches can be selected from any or a combination of route switches or junction switches.
In an aspect, in case multiple cabs arrive simultaneously at a given switch, cab having digital token with highest priority is allowed to cross the switch first. In another aspect, the digital token can be surrendered by the respective switch after the cab exits the switch. Also, entry of the at least one cab at a switch is on an interlock that activates a physical stopper block on the rail to prevent rolling of the cab towards the switch.
In an aspect, the digital token can be assigned based on any or a combination of prioritization of cab coming towards the one or more switches, traffic availability beyond the one or more switches, accumulation of traffic at a station, and malfunction of a switch.
The present disclosure further relates to an autonomous cab that can be configured in a transportation system, wherein the cab can be suspended from a cable and can include an on-board computing device that utilizes GPS enabled routing along a cable guide-way that can be configured between a route. In an aspect, one or more sequential waypoints can be established along said route using reception of signals from an embedded RFID along the cable guide-way. Also, the proposed transportation system can be configured to authorize movement of the cab selected from a plurality of cabs from any or a combination of one or more route switches and one or more junction switches, said authorization being based on matching of unique identifier associated with the cab and unique identifier associated with any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches.
The present disclosure further relates to a transportation system that can include a non-transitory storage device having embodied therein one or more routines operable to control movement of one or more cabs; and one or more processors coupled to the non-transitory storage device and operable to execute the one or more routines, wherein the one or more routines include: a cab position determination module, which when executed by the one or more processors, acquires instantaneous position of said one or more cabs with respect to one or more sections of a cable guide-way, wherein each of the one or more cabs are attached to a suspension frame suspended from a section of the cable guide-way using multiple pairs of sheaves running freely on the overhead cable guide-way; a cab prioritization module, which when executed by the one or more processors, prioritizes each of the one or more cabs present in a section of the cable guide-way by assigning a unique identifier to at least one cab of the one or more of cabs, wherein at least one of said one or more cabs is assigned a digital token based on any or a combination of number of vacant seats in a cab, type of cab, location of the cab, traffic situation, emergency situation pertaining to a cab, and an attribute of the cab, and wherein the unique identifier associated with the at least one cab is the digital token; a switch tokenization module, which when executed by the one or more processors, associates a unique identifier to any or a combination of one or more route switches and one or more junction switches, wherein the detection of the instantaneous position of the one or more cabs enables tokenization of any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches; and a cab authorization module, which when executed by the one or more processors, authorizes movement of at least one cab of the one or more of cabs from any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches, said authorization being based on matching of the unique identifier associated with the at least one cab and the unique identifier associated with any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches.
In an aspect, the cab authorization module can allows movement of the at least one cab in case the unique identifier associated with the at least one cab matches the unique identifier associated with any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches, and also restricts movement of the cab when the unique identifier associated with the at least one cab pertains to a lower priority level than the unique identifier associated with any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches.
The present disclosure further relates to a method for facilitating movement of a cab along one or more cable guide-way sections, said method comprising the steps of determining, at a computing device, instantaneous position of a plurality of cabs configured with one or more sections of a cable guide-way, each of the plurality of cabs being attached to a suspension frame suspended from a section of the cable guide-way; prioritizing, at the computing device, each of the plurality of cabs present in a section of the cable guide-way by assigning a unique identifier to at least one cab of the plurality of cabs, said unique identifier being represented in the form of a digital tokens that is assigned based on any or a combination of number of vacant seats in a cab, type of cab, emergency situation pertaining to a cab, and an attribute of the cab; associating, at the computing device, a unique identifier to any or a combination of one or more route switches and one or more junction switches, wherein determination of the instantaneous position of the plurality of cabs assists in tokenization of any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches; and authorizing, at the computing device, movement of at least one cab of the plurality of cabs from any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches, said authorization being based on matching of the unique identifier associated with the at least one cab and the unique identifier associated with any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches.
The present disclosure further relates to a main station having a defined coverage area with at least one physical guide way, said main station being configured in a network having one or more main stations, said defined coverage area of said main station comprising one or more cabs that are suspended over multiple tie-points of cables and further comprising a plurality of switches, said multiple tie-points of cables being monitored actively, wherein said main station controls the plurality of switches to allow access to the one or more cabs to travel through at least a portion of said at least one physical guide way in a defined direction based on allocation of priority to each of the one or more cabs by the main station. In an aspect, the priority can be allocated to each of the one or more cabs by means of one or more digital tokens, at least one of said one or more digital tokens comprising priority indication and expiry time information.
In an aspect, the present invention discloses a transportation system for transporting passenger and freight, said system including an overhead fixed multiple-rope ropeway with autonomous self-driven cabs suspended from the ropeways, propulsion provided by onboard electric motors powering external pitch controllable blade propellers. In an aspect, power can be obtained from onboard mounted combination of ultra-capacitor and batteries. The ropeways can be laid at a suitable height at different levels above existing right-of-way, using safe space above them without impeding original use of the right-of-way. Passengers embark cabs stopping at stations located above ground on branch lines separated from the main ropeway. In an aspect, multiple counter operating electric elevators, or stairways are used to access the stations. Cabs can be diverted towards station branch lines by operation of smart electro-mechanical switches that disengage continuity of line of motion of a cab from main ropeway, and divert them physically onto metal rails fixed on pylons erected on side of a road.
In an embodiment, the autonomous cabs can be controlled by an onboard computing device that detects waypoints using embedded RFID tags, GPS, and/or mechanical interlocks. At least one cab itself can be stabilized using onboard gyro and accelerometer combination to ensure smooth ride, and the cabs can be configured to communicate amongst themselves their respective relative position in real-time to allow safe collision free systematic logical operation. In an aspect, a plurality of onboard gyros and accelerometers combination can be configured, wherein a first Rate Gyro may be required to derive the rate-of-turn for slowing and speed control of the Cab on curves or when executing turns—for injecting control signals for Propeller speed/blade-pitch control. In addition, a second Gyroscopic Compass may be required for obtaining control signals for effecting reference direction on the course to be made good—and generating North as an additional feed for a sense of direction, in a predominantly steel frame structure, based on Cable-Pylon environment, where Magnetic compasses will be unreliably inaccurate.
In another aspect, at least two accelerometers may be required—one aligned along the longitudinal axis of the suspension frame to detect movement in the direction of motion (pendulum-like back and forth rocking movement along the direction of motion); and the other to detect movement about the cable (Swinging movement, perpendicular to the direction of motion)—to detect excessive movement in undesired directions and to generate control signal corrections, designed to ensure stability within predefined tolerances.
Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a system to facilitate movement of the cab along cable guide-way sections, the system including a non-transitory storage device having embodied therein one or more routines operable to facilitate movement of the cab, and one or more processors coupled to the non-transitory storage device, wherein the one or more routines include an cab position determination module, which when executed by the one or more processors,detects instantaneous position of a plurality of cabs configured with one or more sections of a cable guide-way, a cab prioritization module, which when executed by the one or more processors, prioritizes each of the plurality of cabs present in a section of the cable guide-way by assigning a unique identifier to at least one cab of the plurality of cabs, a switch tokenization module, which when executed by the one or more processors, associates a unique identifier to any or a combination of one or more route switches and one or more junction switches, and cab authorization module, which when executed by the one or more processors, authorizes movement of at least one cab of the plurality of cabs from any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches.
In an embodiment, the authorization is based on matching of the unique identifier associated with the at least one cab and the unique identifier associated with any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches.
Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for facilitating movement of the cab along cable guide-way sections, the method including the steps of determining, at a computing device, instantaneous position of a plurality of cabs configured with one or more sections of a cable guide-way, prioritizing, at the computing device, each of the plurality of cabs present in a section of the cable guide-way by assigning a unique identifier to at least one cab of the plurality of cabs, associating, at the computing device, a unique identifier to any or a combination of one or more route switches and one or more junction switches, and authorizing, at the computing device, movement of at least one cab of the plurality of cabs from any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches.
In an embodiment, each sheave can form a pair with an opposing sheave to grasp a safety cable below a load bearing main cable of the cable guide-way. The pairs of sheaves 104 are assembled using a sheave to grasp the upper main cable and the opposing sheave to grasp the safety cable from below.
In an embodiment, each of the plurality of cabs can be coupled with a plurality of propellers 118 configured in a pusher propeller arrangement to provide thrust for forward movement, speed control, steering, stabilization of the cab from swinging on the suspension frame and stopping of the cab by reversing the thrust developed thereof. In an embodiment, an additional set of propellers 120 can be coupled to a horizontal section of the cab, for instance, on underside of the cab, to allow controlling the flight of the cab during ascent and emergency mode when sensing descent acceleration of the cab higher than permissible descent acceleration. In an embodiment, the additional set of propellers 120 can allow an air cushion to be built up under the cab to provide a safe landing to the cab in case the cab detaches from the cable guide-way and plummets, thereby catering to safety of passengers of the cab. In an embodiment, the additional set of propellers 120 can also be configured to control flight of the cab when the cab passes a junction switch between two separate cable guide-way sections. For example, in case if the cab needs to change its route from one cable guide-way section onto another cable guide-way section at a junction, the additional set of propellers 120 can control ascent as well as descent of the cab at the junction to allow the cab to switch from the cable guide-way section to the another cable guide-way section.
In an embodiment, the interconnection between each of the pairs of sheaves 104 is fixed on one side, and has a movable safety pane1112 on the other side, creating a box to fully enclose the two cables 106 and 108 of the guide-way, i.e., the upper load bearing main cable and the lower safety cable, to provide safety from jump outs due kinks in any one of the cable. The movable safety pane1112 can be locked in a position as long as the cab runs along cables 106 and 108. However, the safety pane1112 can be unlocked and shifted out of the way by a lever arrangement 114 attached to the pylons 110. For example, when a cab approaches a junction switch, the safety panel 112 associated with the cab can be unlocked to allow the cab to change its route from one cable guide-way section onto another cable guide-way section.
In an embodiment, turning and crossings of the cabs are also enabled using combination of smart electro-mechanical switches and steel rails attached to the pylons 110. Figure-of-Eight rails and Semi-Circular Terminus rails using smart electro-mechanical switches facilitate the cabs running in one direction along one section of the cable guide-way to connect and continue on another section of the cable guide-way of the transportation system.
In an embodiment, the autonomous cabs are controlled by onboard computing devices that detect waypoints using embedded RFID Tags, GPS and other mechanical interlocks. The cabs are stabilized using an onboard gyroscope and accelerometer combination to ensure smooth ride, and the cabs communicate amongst themselves their respective relative position in real-time by following embedded rules-of-road to allow safe and collision free systematic movement of the cabs.
In an aspect, the proposed transportation system includes smart electro-magnetic or motor driven route switches configured at each segment of rail sections, with each segment pivoted vertically such that they are capable of swivelling to either side along the horizontal plane, thereby allowing a curved rail section to be presented to sheave suspension of a cab. This curved rail section permits interlinking of two separate cable guide-way sections allowing the autonomous cab to change its route from one cable guide-way section onto another cable guide-way section along the route chosen by the cab. Smart junction switches use curved steel rail sections that rotate forward or backwards along the horizontal plane, about its axis, powered by electric pneumatic or hydraulic motors. The smart junction switches are configured to link two adjacent rail sections of the cable guide-way at a junction of multiple cable section terminations. Cable guide-way sections are linked by the aforementioned smart switches, i.e., route switches and junction switches, that are actuated and safely interlocked to present a complete interconnection of two different cable guide-way sections, on command from the autonomous cabs using digital communication technology. Straight-through travel of the cabs by passing the junction switches is made possible using pylon-mounted rail sections accessed through smart route switches with gradients built into the rail sections such that the pass over of the cabs are accessed through the route switches. The smart route switches and smart junction switches are used on the cable guide-ways to allow selection of different routes by the cabs, and hence the ability to change direction along the cable guide-ways.
In an embodiment, rail sections installed on pylons 110 can be used for inter-connecting independent cable guide-way sections to increase safety of operations in failure mode, for installation of lane changing mechanism and for providing curved sections for executing turns. Changing lanes of cable guide-way sections can be facilitated through remotely-activated switches. Cable guide-way sections are also provided with Semi-circular-end termination rail sections, as well as Figure-of-Eight rail sections to allow the cabs to turn in its direction either by passing through a rail based junction or to link to another cable guide-way section operating in the opposite direction. The cabs automatically nest at the nearest station when not operating, allowing for periods of recharging, for quick deployment of nearest vacant cabs, and for routine maintenance.
In an embodiment, the access of cabs to sections of the cable guide-ways can be controlled by generation of digital tokens by stations, i.e., main stations or sub-stations, that are used by the smart route switches and junction switches. A digital transmission made by the smart junction switches and route switches provides information of the number of digital tokens awaiting clearing to pass through the switches, and this information is read by the cab computers as well a computing device associated with a main station and allows cabs and stations to be aware of congestion at those switch points along a particular route. The information is bounced from cab to cab so that each cab approaching a particular cable guide-way section is aware of the congestion level in that section.
In an aspect, the Main Station plays an active role in network management by obtaining inputs from Cabs Switches and Tie-points of Cables on the Pylons. However, each Main Station is restricted to its own “area” of control. This “area” can include sub-stations (that act like Slave stations) (interchangeably or operatively also referred to as switches hereinafter), and a cable guide way, wherein the switches are the means of controlling the loading of cable guide way sections.
As explained above, digital tokens can be used in the present invention as the method of controlling permission to enter switches and rate of flow of Cab Traffic. Switches are IoT “Smart” Devices that accept Digital Tokens only when their interlocks are operational. Status is updated by Switches to the Main Station permitting alternate routes to be configured for each arriving Cab.
In an aspect, the Tie Points of the present disclosure can be monitored actively through Strain Gauges and electrical continuity etc. However, each Main Station can be restricted to its own “area” of control. This “area” can include sub-stations (that act like Slave stations)/switches and the cable guide way within a pre-defined geography. The Main Station can be interpreted as a Logical designation, wherein switches are the means of controlling access and hence the loading and hence congestion of cable guide way sections. An “area” of control is the Physical cable Guideways, Substations and Switches that are present under the control of a Main Station, which may—or may not—be in the physical geographical directional line of a given Cable Guideway. Cable Guideways each have a specified direction of travel from ab initio to allow the movable safety panel of the Frame of the Cab to be mounted correctly with respect to Swicth mounting. (Thus, assigning the right-hand drive would indicate that all switches operate to allow the moveable panel of the Cab's suspension Frame to pass through unhindered on the right of the switch when viewed in the direction of motion. Or vice-versa. The Return Line can run on the opposite side of the ‘Right of Way’ (Roadway or Railway line) over which the Cable Guideway is erected). Digital Tokens are the method of controlling permission to enter switches/substations and hence the rate of flow of Cab Traffic. Switches are IoT “Smart” Devices that accept Digital Tokens only when their interlocks are operational. Operational Status is updated by the Switches to the respective “area” Main Stations. These status-updates permit alternate routes to be configured for each arriving Cab, should there be a malfunction, Stuck Cab or a detached Cable. Digital Tokens are issued by Main Stations to (arriving and departing) Cabs and Switches, within an “area” under its control. Digital Tokens carry Priority Indication and validity expiry time. Arriving and Departing Cabs are provided by Digital Tokens as a means towards control over the route to be taken by it within an “area”. Digital Tokens have Time Based expiry as well as when a Cab successfully crosses a switch, past its interlock. A handshake protocol between the Cab and Switch or Substation enabled by Digital Tokens that are in Beacon broadcast mode releases the Safety Switch interlock before a Cab is allowed to roll onto the Switch/station. Digital Tokens also carry the sequential RFID/GPS waypoints that the Cab will encounter as it traverses the Cable Guideway. A Cab that is departing an “area” of control of Main Station A is handed over to the next logical Main station B by Main Station A. As the Cab continues its movement along the chosen Cable Guideway and departs the last Switch under “area” of Main Station A, the Cab is provided a different Digital Token generated now by Main Station B, that would guide its routing to exit “area” of Main Station A, and enter the “area” controlled by Main Station B. Main stations and also “area” can be dynamically reassigned in the event of incapacitation of any Main Station or Cable Guideway, and role assigned to any substation. A control Centre can be envisaged to holistically monitor and intervene in Real Time whenever certain thresholds are exceeded or relevant Beacons are activated on the Network, blanking out “areas” through safety overrides.
In an aspect, a randomly generated sequential digital token is used by the route and junction switches to assign priority and authority to each cab arriving at a route switch or junction switch, to cross over to another section of the cable guide-way system. The digital token with highest priority is assigned on a first to arrive basis, if more than one cab arrives simultaneously at the junction-or route switch, a random assignment of sequentially numbered digital tokens to each of the first-to-arrive cabs allows the cab with the highest sequential authority to access the route or junction switch, first. The digital token acquired by a cab with highest numbered priority permits only that cab to enter and pass the route switch or junction switch. This digital token is surrendered by the respective switch after the cab exits the route switch or junction switch, resetting the respective switch, thereby permitting the next cab waiting in line with the next sequentially numbered digital token to enter. Entry is permitted only on interlocks completing based on the reset from the last cab that vacated the route switch or junction switch. This interlock is a safety mechanism that activates a physical stopper block on the rail to prevent rolling of the cab towards the route switch or junction switch. Such a system allows a high degree of separation and safety of operation, without clash or blockage of routes.
In an aspect, the proposed transportation system utilizes smart electro-magnetic or motor driven route switches installed at various locations along sections of the cable guide-way provided with segmented rail sections, with each segment pivoted vertically such that they are capable of swivelling to either side along the horizontal plane, allowing a curved rail section to be presented to the cab. This curved rail section permits interlinking of two cable guide-way sections allowing the cab to change its route from one cable guide-way section onto another cable guide-way section along the route chosen by the cab.
In an embodiment, the smart junction switches are installed at various locations along sections of the cable guide-way provided with curved rail sections that can rotate forward or backwards along the horizontal plane by electric pneumatic or hydraulic motors enabled to link two adjacent sections of the cable guide-way at a junction of multiple cable section terminations.
In an embodiment, the stations are located in a same plane as the cable guide-ways but are set apart in the horizontal plane. The stations are accessed by route switches to prevent blocking of the main lines of the cable guide-ways by a slowing down movement of a cab as it approaches the station. Access to the stations to the passengers is provided for through elevators installed on pavements to allow door to door connectivity.
In an embodiment, the cabs are incorporated with computing devices that allow the passengers to input pre-fed destinations. Fare calculation is effected electronically, based on distance and whether split fare is applicable. Electronic cash cards can be used at starting and termination stations to facilitate payment of the fare. For example, a swipe with an electronic cash card can create a fare deduction sub-routine to commence calculations on the card for journey commenced, and selection of destination as well as number of passengers.
In an embodiment, suitable vacant cabs are flagged into a station by a computing device configured at the station based on the selection made by passengers. A bypass function inside the cab allows the cab to avoid a flagging station if vacant seats are not to be filled on fare split basis, and for the whole cab occupancy to be charged on the a swiped card. An onboard CCTV camera can records the insides of the cab, and can transmit freeze-frames at fixed intervals, along with parameters such as waypoint reached, speed and temperature of the propeller motors and the battery bank along with charge state of the battery bank, by using an ad-hoc networking protocol passed from cab to cab to the central command and control centre.
In an embodiment, the cabs of the proposed transportation system are autonomous with onboard computing devices that utilize GNS enabled routing along the cable guide-ways, between any two points. A GNS degraded situation is handled by establishing sequential waypoints along an intended route of a cab using reception of signals from embedded static RFID along the entire cable guide-way that provides a route waypoint fall-back arrangement. The cabs are configured with an ad-hoc networking protocol to navigate and prevent collision, and transmit instantaneous location of a cab to other cabs nearest to the instantaneous location of the cab using RF or digital Communication. Congestion density along a route on which the cab is travelling can be transmitted by the route switches and junction switches by transmitting the number of digital tokens assigned at each location. The total number of digital tokens assigned by the stations to the route switches and junction switches can be assessed by a computing device of the cab as the cab approaches a route switch or a junction switch, thereby allowing the computing device of the cab to query other nearby route switches and junction switches for congestion density, and allows the stations to reroute the cabs using low congestion density routes. Proximity detectors ensure spacing of each cab at a safe pre-determined distance along a straight run, and also when close to route switches, or at junction switches, by activating braking to slow down or speeding up.
In an embodiment, the proposed transportation system is rapidly installable, flexible, modular, scalable, and of frugal design, capable of integrating street furniture, skywalks, and porta-toilets within its pylon design, with stations located above ground and accessed by twin contra-operating small-footprint elevators.
Referring now to
In an embodiment, the cab battery pack, i.e., combination of ultra-capacitor and a plurality of batteries, is carried onboard the cab and caters to high load demand, quick charging, load versus state-of-charge balancing, and prevents dependence on expensive precision laid electrified power supply systems. Charging of the battery pack can be effected at stations through the outboard pantograph 122. Operating in autonomous mode would necessitate inputs on situational awareness on other cabs as well as of station and switch locations and their state for selecting appropriate safe responses based on pre-determined rules-of-road, using the ad hoc networking protocol. Use of established technologies such as IoT (for switch and station operation), embedded passive RFID (as route navigation way-points in GPS/GNSSS independent environment), modified IP/HTTP and Artificial Intelligence (AI) (for system-wide communication, control and operation) are envisaged in design of the proposed transportation system.
In an embodiment, each of the plurality of propellers 202 can provide thrust for propulsion of the cab. In an embodiment, each of the additional set of propellers configured in horizontal surface of the cab, for example, underside of the cab, can provide for ascent and descent of the cab. Each of the propellers 202 is built of a plurality of blades 204. Individual blade 204 angles of the propeller 202 and can be changed to enable alteration of final thrust vector generated by the propeller 202 without affecting its ability to be turned by the driving shaft 224. Each of the propellers 202 can be driven by electrical motors 226.
In an embodiment, a spinner 232 can be attached to the driving shaft 224 for covering mounting points 206 for the swivelling blades 204. Each blade 204 of the propeller 202 can have an axis 208 and the root of each blade 204 can have a mounting point 206. By moving the mounting point 206 about the axis 208 at the root, angle-of-attack of each blade 204 relative to the direction of movement and to the line about leading edge of the blade 204 can be changed either incrementally and continuously, to even completely reverse the direction of thrust generated by the blades 204. Hence, vector direction of the final thrust of the propeller 202 can be changed even while the propeller 202 is continuing to rotate in the same direction. Thus, by changing the angle of each of the blades 204 about its individual axis 208, individually or in combination, it is possible to change the extent of thrust obtained, and the direction of the final thrust vector of the propeller 202, thereby enabling control over the cab movement, speed of movement, direction change, and adjustments to enhance its stability, when using more than one blade 204, and a plurality of propellers 202.
In an embodiment, a propeller 202 blade 204 can be mounted on the driving shaft 224 to permit swivelling around its axis 208. The mounting point 206 of the blade 204 can be connected to control rods 210 that are fixed to a rotating plate 228. The rotating plate 228 can freely rotates with the propeller 202 blades 204 and the control rods 210. Blade 204 angle can be controlled by control devices 230 that extend or retract its jacks attached to a fixed plate 216. The fixed plate 216, the swivel joint 222, and the support mechanism 214 pivoted at pivot joint 218 attached to a supporting frame 220, are all fixed to the supporting frame 220 and cannot rotate with the propeller 202. The fixed parts with respect to propeller 202 are shown with hatched lines. The rotating plate 228 and the fixed plate 216 are held together by a ring 212 that also provides space for bearings. When a control movement is generated by the control device by extending or retracting its jack, the movement is transmitted to the fixed plate 216. The control movement is made either by one control device moving its jack, or all control devices 230 moving their jacks in equal measure together, in a synchronized manner. The fixed plate 216 and the swivel joint 222 act such that, when only one control device moves its jack, the fixed plate 216 tilts around the swivel joint 222. This tilt also causes tilt of the ring 212 which also tilts the rotating plate 228 held by it. As the propeller 202 is rotating along with control rods 210 and the rotating plate 228, the control rod 210 rotating with the propeller 202 and passing at that instant at the tilted spot moves the mount point of each of the blade 204 passing this point while the propeller 202 rotates. Thus a constant thrust vector is produced that is now deflected from its normal direction by the extent of the tilt caused by the control device moving each blade 204 about its axis 208. In case when all control devices 230 move their jacks simultaneously, a slide mechanism 234 bypasses the swivel joint 222 and moves the fixed plate 216, the ring 212, the rotating plate 228 and the control rods 210 to simultaneously change angle of attack of the blades 204 by moving the mounting point 206 of each blade 204 at the same instant by the same travel distance. The thrust vector of the propeller 202 is thereby increased, decreased or reversed causing the cab to accelerate, decelerate or brake accordingly. Thus control of the amount of force exerted on the cab can be achieved along with changes to the propeller 202 operating speed.
In an embodiment, maintenance and safety of the cabs can be executed through a separate parallel cable guide-way running emergency modules meant to physically handle emergencies at specific locations along the cable guide-way. Digital methods of control is employed for managing entry, exit, station access, routing, fare calculation and collection, braking, as well as limp-home-mode' operations. Charging of the battery bank of the cabs can be done through pantograph fitted to the cab and also through hot replacement of spent batteries.
The at least one cable guide-way can be built on small-footprint pylons erected on pavements. The cable guide-ways can be stacked such that an increase in payload capacity of a cable section can be absorbed by an additional cable guide-way drawn across the same pylon at a higher level than the original cable guide-way. The cable guide-ways can use multiple steel wire rope cables 106 and 108 suspended between a number of pylons. The cables 106 and 108 can be interconnected to each other to prevent swaying. The pylons can be spaced evenly and at such a distance as to allow adequate weight distribution by permitting a predetermined number of cabs to access each section of the cable guide-way at any given instant of time.
In an embodiment, Figure-of-eight and Dee-shaped rail sections permit the cabs to access opposite cable guide-way lines, should the requirement demand, allowing them to turn around. Dee shaped rail sections are fitted to termination pylons of the cable guide-way so that cabs arriving at the termination point can ride on the Dee section rail and continue traversing to the opposite side.
In an embodiment, the cable guide-ways can be installed in pairs with each one of the pair dedicated for each direction of motion. Each cable guide-way pair includes multiple cables. Cabs run uni-directionally along one cable guide-way of the pair, and running of a cab in the reverse direction is permitted only on the other pair of the cable guide-way. The system can be operated with multi-tiers of cable guide-ways, installed at suitable height above the existing right-of-way.
It would be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that the disclosed door-to-door transportation system can be rapidly erected in sections and can act as a natural load and volume balancer of conventional road-based traffic.
The network 404 may be a wireless network, wired network or a combination thereof. The network 404 can be implemented as one of the different types of networks, such as intranet, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), the internet, and such. The network 404 may either be a dedicated network or a shared network, which represents an association of the different types of networks that use a variety of protocols, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), etc., to communicate with each other. Further, the network 404 may include a variety of network devices, including routers, bridges, servers, computing devices, storage devices, etc.
In an aspect, the system 402 can acquire and/or detect instantaneous position of a plurality of cabs configured with one or more sections of a cable guide-way. In an embodiment, each of the plurality of cabs can be attached to a suspension frame suspended from a section of the cable guide-way using multiple pairs of sheaves running freely on the overhead cable guide-ways to spread total weight of a cab along the section of the cable guide-way.
In an aspect, the system 402 can prioritize each of the plurality of cabs present in a section of the cable guide-way by assigning a unique identifier to at least one cab of the plurality of cabs. In an embodiment, the cabs are assigned digital tokens on the basis of any or a combination of number of vacant seats in a cab, type of cab, emergency situation pertaining to a cab and the likes. In an embodiment, the unique identifier associated with the at least one cab is a digital token that corresponds to a set of alphanumeric characters or a set of alphabetical characters.
In an aspect, the system 402 can associate a unique identifier to any or a combination of one or more route switches and one or more junction switches. In an embodiment, detection of the instantaneous position of the plurality of cabs assists in tokenization of any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches. In an embodiment, the unique identifier is a digital token that corresponds to a set of alphanumeric characters or a set of alphabetical characters.
In an aspect, the system 402 can authorize movement of at least one cab of the plurality of cabs from any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches. In an embodiment, the authorization is based on matching of the unique identifier associated with the at least one cab and the unique identifier associated with any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches.
In an embodiment, the system 402 can allow movement of the at least one cab in case the unique identifier associated with the at least one cab matches the unique identifier associated with any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches. In an embodiment, the system 402 can restrict movement of the cab when the unique identifier associated with the at least one cab pertains to a lower priority level than the unique identifier associated with any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches.
In an embodiment, each of the stations, sub-stations, route switches and junction switches are configured with a computing device that regulates assignment of digital tokens (also referred to as tokens hereinafter) to each of the stations, sub-stations, route switches and junction switches. The digital tokens are alphabetical or alphanumeric monikers that represent physical state of each of the route switches and junction switches in hierarchy of the priority assigned to its operation and to match it with those that the respective cabs presenting the digital tokens in the transportation system.
In an embodiment, the computing devices can configure the digital tokens based on conditions such as prioritization of a cab coming towards the switches, traffic availability beyond the switches, accumulation of traffic at a station, malfunction of a switch and the likes. In an embodiment, each cab is configured with a computing device that performs assignment of the cab with a suitable digital token.
In an embodiment, the computing device associated with each of the stations, sub-stations, route switches and junction switches gather information pertaining to instantaneous locations of the cabs aside from ensuring no clash takes place between multiple cabs arriving at a station or a sub-station simultaneously.
A randomly generated sequential digital token is used by the route switches and junction switches to assign priority and authority to each cab arriving at a route switch or a junction switch to cross over to another section of the cable guide-way. The token with highest priority is assigned on a first to arrive basis. In case if more than one cab arrives simultaneously at the junction switch or the route switch, a random assignment of sequentially numbered tokens to each of the first-to-arrive cabs allows the cab with the highest sequential authority to access the route or junction switch first. The token acquired by a cab with highest numbered priority permits only that cab to enter and pass the route switch or the junction switch. This token is surrendered by the respective switch after the cab exits the route switch or the junction switch, resetting the route switch or junction switch, thereby permitting the next cab waiting in line with the next sequentially numbered token to enter. Entry is permitted only on completion of interlocking of the cab with the rail section based on the reset from the last cab that vacated the route switch or junction switch. This interlocking mechanism is a safety mechanism that activates a physical stopper block on the rail to prevent rolling of the cab towards the route switch or junction switch. Such an interlocking mechanism allows a high degree of separation and safety of operation whilst preventing clash or blockage of routes.
In an exemplary implementation, tokens allow for vacant cabs to be assigned with higher priority that fully or partially occupied cabs while approaching a station or a switch. For instance, a route switch assigned with a token “AAA” can allow a cab assigned with the same token “AAA” and can restrict movement of cabs associated with token “AAB” having a priority level lower than the token “AAA” associated with the route switch. The priority level of the cabs can be based upon any or a combination of vacancy of seats of the cabs, facilities provided by the cabs, emergency scenarios and the likes. In an embodiment, tokens can act as a limiting factor on the maximum number of cabs that can enter a given section of the cable guide-ways as per pre-defined load calculations for requirements of safe operations of the transportation system and autonomous functioning of the cabs themselves. Tokens can be issued by a main station and used by the route switches, the junction switches and sub-stations to prioritize movement of cabs passing through each of them.
In an embodiment, the association of digital token to the stations, switches, and the cabs can be implemented/envisaged in a similar way as a numbering protocol such as Internet Protocol (IP)—used by World Wide Web (www) to route packets through multiple routers. In an exemplary analogy, in a similar way as a user clicks a webpage, the equivalent design for the proposed transportation system can only allow a user/passenger to choose between either a two-seater or a four-seater vacant cab from a desired station/sub-station within the transportation system. The cab that gets routed to the desired station is assisted through a check for availability of a vacant cab as per type of the cab selected from nearby station/sub-stations. A cab with either two-seater or four-seater seats is located and routed to the desired station. The routing would follow a logical hierarchy, allowing the cab to navigate from any point to a destination point from where the request was generated. The ward of a Municipal Urban agglomeration (or an equivalent administrative name) can be the highest logical and physical identifier within the entire transportation system. The main stations would be identified as key points on a map of a ward of that area where the transportation system is installed. All sub-stations and switches that fall within the Ward come under the jurisdiction of the main station for receiving the digital tokens to allow or deter cabs from entering any logical area of the ward. This deterrence or otherwise is a way by which autonomous functioning of the cabs is controlled so that eventualities of switch un-serviceability or of a cab stuck at a junction or any similar other events, would allow other cabs to be rerouted to other sections of the cable guide-way and the affected section of the cable guide-way get isolated. Thus, architecture of the transportation system in its logical form follows the Internet Protocol addressing system to provide an address to each switch, sub-station and main station of every ward in the area where the transportation system is envisaged to be installed.
In an embodiment, the process of registering presence of a vacant cab within the sectional jurisdiction of a main station within a ward, of finding a cab that is vacant, of getting the cab routed to the point from where it was called up, destination selection by the passenger using a digital touch interface device, of resolving the name of a destination selected on the touch interface device into its physical or logical address is similar to Domain Name System (DNS) functioning for resolving name to logical address of the destination.
In an embodiment, the token register is updated from the main station so that a pathway is described up to the next switch or way-point (way-points in the cable guide-way are provided from the physical or logical address of a point pre-loaded into embedded passive RFID Tags), and of autonomous departure of the cab with passenger(s) by traversing the cable guide-way from way-point to way-point (or switches) using individual tokens obtained from the starting station, handover of cab autonomous control through an enroute station on to the final destination station to progress from source to the destination.
The interface(s) 506 may include a variety of software and hardware interfaces, for example, a web interface, a graphical user interface, etc., allowing the system 402 to interact with computing devices 406. The interface(s) 506 can facilitate multiple communications within a wide variety of networks and protocol types, including wired networks, for example LAN, cable, etc., and wireless networks such as WLAN, cellular, or satellite. The interface(s) 506 may include one or more ports for connecting a number of devices to each other or to another server.
In an implementation, the system 402 can include modules 508 and data 510. In one embodiment, the modules 508 and the data 510 may be stored within the memory 504. In one example, the modules 508, amongst other things, can include routines, programs, objects, components, and data structures, which perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The modules 508 may also be implemented as signal processor(s), state machine(s), logic circuitries, and/or any other device or component that manipulate signals based on operational instructions. Further, the modules 508 can be implemented by one or more hardware components, by computer-readable instructions executed by a processing unit, or by a combination thereof. The data 510 can serve, amongst other things, as a repository for storing data fetched, processed, received and generated by one or more of the modules 208.
In an embodiment, the modules 508 can further include a cab position determination module 512, a cab prioritization module 514, a switch tokenization module 516 and a cab authorization module 518. The other modules 520may perform various miscellaneous functionalities of the system 402. It would be appreciated that such aforementioned modules may be represented as a single module or a combination of different modules.
In an aspect, the cab position determination module 512 can acquire and/or detect instantaneous position of a plurality of cabs configured with one or more sections of a cable guide-way. In an embodiment, each of the plurality of cabs can be attached to a suspension frame suspended from a section of the cable guide-way using multiple pairs of sheaves running freely on the overhead cable guide-ways to spread total weight of a cab along the section of the cable guide-way.
In an aspect, the cab prioritization module 514 can prioritize each of the plurality of cabs present in a section of the cable guide-way by assigning a unique identifier to at least one cab of the plurality of cabs. In an embodiment, the cabs are assigned digital tokens on the basis of any or a combination of number of vacant seats in a cab, type of cab, emergency situation pertaining to a cab and the likes. In an embodiment, the unique identifier associated with the at least one cab is a digital token that corresponds to a set of alphanumeric characters or a set of alphabetical characters.
In an aspect, the switch tokenization module 516 can associate a unique identifier to any or a combination of one or more route switches and one or more junction switches. In an embodiment, detection of the instantaneous position of the plurality of cabs assists in tokenization of any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches. In an embodiment, the unique identifier is a digital token that corresponds to a set of alphanumeric characters or a set of alphabetical characters.
In an aspect, the cab authorization module 518 can authorize movement of at least one cab of the plurality of cabs from any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches. In an embodiment, the authorization is based on matching of the unique identifier associated with the at least one cab and the unique identifier associated with any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches.
In an embodiment, the cab authorization module 518 allows movement of the at least one cab in case the unique identifier associated with the at least one cab matches the unique identifier associated with any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches. In an embodiment, the cab authorization module 518 restricts movement of the cab when the unique identifier associated with the at least one cab pertains to a lower priority level than the unique identifier associated with any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches.
In an embodiment, the method 600 can include at step 604, prioritizing, at the computing device, each of the plurality of cabs present in a section of the cable guide-way by assigning a unique identifier to at least one cab of the plurality of cabs. In an embodiment, the cabs are assigned digital tokens on the basis of any or a combination of number of vacant seats in a cab, type of cab, emergency situation pertaining to a cab and the likes. In an embodiment, the unique identifier associated with the at least one cab is a digital token that corresponds to a set of alphanumeric characters or a set of alphabetical characters.
In an embodiment, the method 600 can include at step 606, associating, at the computing device,a unique identifier to any or a combination of one or more route switches and one or more junction switches. In an embodiment, detection of the instantaneous position of the plurality of cabs assists in tokenization of any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches. In an embodiment, the unique identifier is a digital token that corresponds to a set of alphanumeric characters or a set of alphabetical characters.
In an embodiment, the method 600 can include at step 608, authorizing, at the computing device, movement of at least one cab of the plurality of cabs from any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches. In an embodiment, the authorization is based on matching of the unique identifier associated with the at least one cab and the unique identifier associated with any or a combination of the one or more route switches and the one or more junction switches.
In an aspect, the RAM 820 can be configured to store any or a combination of last crossed cab ID and location 821, last crossed RFID 822, last crossed station ID 823, last crossed switch ID 824, last number passengers 825, current number passengers 826, next station 827, digital token 828, and fare and split fare 829. Memory ROM 840 can be configured to store any or a combination of rules of road 841, machine learning compendium 842, station IDs and locations 843, switch IDs and locations 844, front cab proximity distance 845, max/min ground speed 846, max/min propeller speed 847, breaking distances 848, G-force detection value 849, switch crossing time 850, fare 851, and route planner sub-routine 852.
In an aspect, the output controllers and drivers 860 can be configured to control any or a combination of brakes 861, propeller motor speed 862, angle of attack propellers/blades 863, door 864, safety propeller 865, emergency beacon 866, video bursts freeze frame 867, cab position transmit 868, proximate cab location 869, battery status transmit 870, battery low replace beacon 871, digital token OFF 872, fare presentation 873, and next destination transmit 874.
Input sensors 880 on the other hand can include or be configured to measure/evaluate, but are not limited to, any or a combination of timing pulse 881, emergency stop 882, ground speed 883, proximate cab sensor 884, RFID reader 885, GPS/GNSS receiver 886, station beacon 887, control station override 888, battery sensors 889, fire sensor 890, rate gyro 891, X-Y accelerometer 892, compass 893, switch beacon ON 894, digital token 895, pantograph contact 896, and doors activate 897.
Output controllers and drivers 940 can be configured to control and/or manage any or a combination of digital control cab and switch transmitter 941, fare presentation 942, next destination transmit 943, doors activate 944, station bypass ID 945, switch bypass ID 946, cab ID destination transmitter 947, clock pulse 948, control station override 949, dynamic data demand 950, video stream demand 951, isolate station and switch 952, bypass station and switch 953, cab stop 954, main station re-assign 955, and network cease 956.
Input sensors 960 can be selected from or configured to control any or a combination of cab emergency 961, cab position register 962, digital token 963, video burst frames 964, cable tie strain sensors 965, fire beacon 966, cab G-detect 967, brake plungers active 968, and battery low beacons 969.
Memory ROM 980 can store any or a combination of station IDs and locations 981, switch IDs and locations 982, RFIDs and locations 983, and route planner sub-routine 984.
Memory ROM 1040 can be configured to store any or a combination of RFIDs in area 1041, machine learning compendium 1042, station ID and locations 1043, switch IDs and locations 1044, switch crossing time 1045, fare 1046, and route planner sub-routing 1047.
In an aspect, the output controllers and drivers 1060 can be configured to control any or a combination of digital token cab and switch transmitter 1061, fare presentation 1062, next destination transmit 1063, doors 1064, station bypass ID 1065, switch bypass ID 1066, and cab ID destination transmitter 1067.
Input sensors 1080 on the other hand can include or be configured to measure/evaluate, but are not limited to, any or a combination of timing pulse synchronization 1081, cab position register 1082, digital token 1083, pantograph contact 1084, doors activate 1085, fire sensor 1086, station beacon 1087, control station override 1088, battery sensors 1089, cab demand 1090, cab availability register 1091, area switch status 1092, area station status 1093, cab from and to 1094, cable tie strain sensors 1095, switch brake plunger ON 1096, and application interface 1097.
Memory 1130 can be Random Access Memory (RAM), or any other dynamic storage device commonly known in the art. Read only memory 1140 can be any static storage device(s) e.g., but not limited to, a Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM) chips for storing static information e.g., start-up or BIOS instructions for processor 1170. Mass storage 1150 may be any current or future mass storage solution, which can be used to store information and/or instructions. Exemplary mass storage solutions include, but are not limited to, Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) hard disk drives or solid-state drives (internal or external, e.g., having Universal Serial Bus (USB) and/or Firewire interfaces), e.g. those available from Seagate (e.g., the Seagate Barracuda 7102 family) or Hitachi (e.g., the Hitachi Deskstar 7K112), one or more optical discs, Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) storage, e.g. an array of disks (e.g., SATA arrays), available from various vendors including Dot Hill Systems Corp., LaCie, Nexsan Technologies, Inc. and Enhance Technology, Inc.
Bus 1120 communicatively couples processor(s) 1170 with the other memory, storage and communication blocks. Bus 1120 can be, e.g. a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)/PCI Extended (PCI-X) bus, Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), USB or the like, for connecting expansion cards, drives and other subsystems as well as other buses, such a front side bus (FSB), which connects processor 1170 to software system.
Optionally, operator and administrative interfaces, e.g. a display, keyboard, and a cursor control device, may also be coupled to bus 1120 to support direct operator interaction with computer system. Other operator and administrative interfaces can be provided through network connections connected through communication port 1160. External storage device 1110 can be any kind of external hard-drives, floppy drives, IOMEGA® Zip Drives, Compact Disc-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), Compact Disc-Re-Writable (CD-RW), Digital Video Disk-Read Only Memory (DVD-ROM). Components described above are meant only to exemplify various possibilities. In no way should the aforementioned exemplary computer system limit the scope of the present disclosure.
While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. The scope of the invention is determined by the claims that follow. The invention is not limited to the described embodiments, versions or examples, which are included to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention when combined with information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the art.
The present disclosure provides a system and method for managing transportation of people as well as freight using autonomous self-propelled cabs.
The present disclosure provides a system and method for managing transportation of people as well as freight to enable door-to-door transportation service.
The present disclosure provides a system and method for managing point to point transportation of people as well as freight that mimics private transportation as well as public transportation.
The present disclosure provides a system and method for managing transportation of people as well as freight using battery operated cable suspended cabs.
The present disclosure provides a transportation system capable of enabling horizontal as well as vertical transportation of people as well as freight.
The present disclosure provides a transportation system capable of self-steering.
The present disclosure provides a transportation system that allows high throughput of people as well as freight.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201841004893 | Feb 2018 | IN | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2018/054093 | 6/7/2018 | WO | 00 |
