RAILWAY CAR SPEED CONTROL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

• US 3,650,216 A
• Filed: 08/11/1969
• Issued: 03/21/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oak Industries, Inc. (Corning Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Joseph Wesley Broome, Warren J. Harwick
• Inventors: Harwick, Warren J., Broome, Joseph Wesley
• Primary Examiner(s): La Point, Arthur L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Beltran, Howard
• Application Number:
  US04/849,083
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 104/147,149,152,165,166,167,168,88,130,147R 105/26,29,26R,30 246/18Z,18R 198/110
• US Class Current: 104/166
• CPC Class Codes: B61B 13/125 the propulsion device being a rotating shaft or the like

Abstract

Individual cars of an operator-less railway transportation system are driven along a pathway by cooperation of a motor driven drive tube in each car that cooperates with angularly positioned reaction wheels spaced along the pathway. Controls are included for varying, in response to external signals, the angular position of selected reaction wheel assemblies to bring a car smoothly to a stop at a predetermined point, to bring a car past a particular point at a predetermined speed at a predetermined time, to insert a car from a side path into a gap in traffic on a main path, or to selectively delay cars to create gaps in the traffic to accept cars from a branch path.

Claims

1. A speed control for regulating the movement of individual cars of a transportation system in which each car is propelled by contact between a rotating drive tube on the car and a reaction wheel positioned along the path of the car, comprising signal means that are energized if the car speed is to be reduced at a particular station, pivotal means supporting a reaction wheel located at such station, motor means along the trackway operatively connected to the pivotal means, and means responsive to the signal for energizing the motor to pivot the reaction wheel to a slow speed position.

2. In a speed control according to claim 1 car detecting means at a station, and means connecting said car detecting means to the reaction wheel pivoting means at an adjacent station behind the car for pivoting said reaction wheel to its zero speed position.

3. In a speeD control system according to claim 1, a series of speed control means located along a portion of the path of the cars, means for sequentially setting said control means to low speed position to produce an expanding low speed zone and a collapsing high speed zone, and means for simultaneously returning all of said series of control means to high speed position, whereby the spacing between the cars is reduced in said low speed zone and the cars are accelerated to high speed without increase in spacing.

4. In a speed control according to claim 1 means coupling the pivoting means of a series of reaction wheels for pivotal movement of the wheels to selected positions by operation of a single reaction wheel pivoting means.

5. A speed control according to claim 4 in which said coupling means pivots successive wheels of the series of reaction wheels different amounts whereby a speed changing zone is established.

6. In a speed control according to claim 5 car detecting means at a station and means connecting said car detecting means to the reaction wheel pivoting means of the next station behind the car for pivoting that wheel to zero speed position and successive reaction wheels to reduced speed positions whereby the presence of a car at a station establishes a deceleration zone extending from said next station.

7. In a speed control according to claim 1 car position control means for pivotally deflecting the reaction wheel controlling the car in accordance with the position of the car relative to a fixed point comprising catch means operatively connected to the reaction wheel pivoting means and a member on the car cooperating with the catch means.

8. A speed control according to claim 7 in which the catch is operatively fixed with respect to the reaction wheel pivoting means, and serves in cooperation with the member on the car to position the reaction wheel precisely in its zero speed position.

9. In a speed control according to claim 7 means for moving the catch with respect to the reaction wheel pivoting means along the path of the car.

10. In a speed control system according to claim 1, car detecting means on one path of a car leading to a junction of paths, a timer operatively connected to said car detecting means, a pivoted reaction wheel on a second path leading to the junction, and control means responsive to said timer operatively connected to said pivoted reaction wheel for pivoting said wheel to its zero speed position during the timing interval of said timer.

11. A speed control system according to claim 10 in which the timing interval is measured from the last operation of the car detecting means.

12. In a speed control system according to claim 10, a series of pivoted reaction wheels along said second path, and means interconnecting the wheels for pivoting a reaction wheel of the series as the next downstream wheel is pivoted.