CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES OPERATING ON A TRACK

• US 3,771,463 A
• Filed: 11/30/1971
• Issued: 11/13/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Charles H. Smoot, Lowell A. Kleven
• Original Assignee: Charles H. Smoot, Lowell A. Kleven
• Inventors: Smoot, Charles H., Kleven, Lowell A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoffman, Drayton E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Libman, George H.
• Application Number:
  US05/203,256
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 104/149,152,153,155,134 246/108,110
• US Class Current: 104/155
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 3/08 controlling electrically

Abstract

A vehicle transportation system operating along a guideway including a control system for regulating the speed and spacing between vehicles operated in the same guideway and utilizing guideway mounted sensors for detecting the presence of a vehicle, in combination with timers regulating the speed of the detected vehicle in relation to a nominal selected speed, and also regulating the spacing of the trailing vehicles in relation to the lead vehicle by regulating the speed of the trailing vehicle. The sensors can be used for controlling the merging of a starting vehicle into a main line at the proper position and also for insuring proper separation at intersecting tracks.

Claims

1. A control system for vehicle modules comprising one vehicle or a plurality of connected vehicles movable on a guideway means, comprising means effectively dividing said guideway into guideway control sections including vehicle module detector means mounted on said guideway for each guideway control section to detect a vehicle module position related to its associated guideway control section, control means acting in response to said vehicle module detector means including means indicating the speed of movement of a vehicle module from a first vehicle module detector means to a second spaced vehicle module detector means in relation to a reference set point speed between said first and second vehicle module detector means, means to adjust the speed of vehicle module movement subsequent to movement past the second vehicle module detector means in response to the differencee in indicated speed and the reference speed of said means for indicating vehicle module speed, and means to adjust said reference speed in response to presence of a vehicle module on a preselected portion of the guideway means spaced in the direction of vehicle module movement from said second vehicle module detector means.

2. The control system of claim 1, and means acting in response to said vehicle module detector means to prevent a following vehicle module from advancing closer than a preselected number of guideway sections to a leading vehicle module comprising means to stop a vehicle module when it moves closer than said preselected number to a leading vehicle module.

3. The control system for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein said vehicle modules are levitated, and wherein means are provided for levitating and propelling said vehicle modules comprising normally automatically opening valve means in said guideway means for providing levitation fluid under pressure and propulsive fluid under pressure, and means to prevent a following vehicle module from advancing closer than a preselected number of guideway sections to a leading vehicle module comprising means to prevent levitation and propulsion fluid under pressure from being supplied to a following vehicle module closer than a preselected amount behind a leading vehicle module.

4. The control system of claim 3 wherein said means indicating the speed of movement includes timer means having a tiMe period to provide the indication of the set point speed between the activation of the first vehicle detector means by one vehicle module and the activation of the second vehicle detector means spaced on the guideway in direction of movement of said vehicle module by said one vehicle module, means to normally supply propulsive power to said one vehicle module as it traverses the guideway, and means to prevent propulsive power from being supplied to said one vehicle module if said one vehicle module activates the second detector means before the time period of the timer means has expired.

5. A control system for vehicle modules comprising one vehicle or a plurality of connected vehicles moving along a guideway means, comprising means effectively dividing said guideway means into guideway control sections including vehicle module detector means mounted on said guideway for each section to detect a vehicle module position in relation to its associated guideway control section, control means acting in response to said vehicle detector means cooperating between the guideway means and the vehicle module to prevent a following separate vehicle module from advancing into a stop block comprising a preselected number of guideway control sections trailing a leading vehicle module, said control means including timer mans to time speed of movement of a vehicle module from one said vehicle module detectors to a second vehicle module detector in relation to a selected time period, said second vehicle module detector being a preselected distance from said first vehicle module detector and spaced in the direction of movement of vehicle modules, means to adjust the speed of said separate vehicle module in response to the differences between elasped time of the separate vehicle module travel between said vehicle module detectors and the selected time period, said timer means having an adjustable time period, and means to adjust the time period of said timer means in relation to a signal from a vehicle detector indicating the presence of a vehicle module in a preselected guideway section associated with each timer.

6. The control system of claim 5, and means acting between said guideway and said vehicle module to control propulsion of the vehicle module as it traverses a particular guideway section, and wherein said means to adjust the separate vehicle module speed in response to the time of travel thereof between said first and second vehicle detector means includes means to prevent propulsive thrust from being supplied to the separate vehicle module when the vehicle module travels between said detector means in less than a preselected time.

7. A control system for vehicle modules comprising one vehicle or a plurality of connected vehicles moving along a guideway means, comprising means effectively dividing said guideway means into guideway control sections including vehicle module detector means mounted on said guideway for each section to detect a vehicle module position in relation to its associated guideway control section, control means acting in response to said vehicle detector means to prevent a following separate vehicle module from advancing into a stop block comprising a preselected number of guideway control sections trailing a leading vehicle module, said control means including adjustable period timer means started by a signal from a first vehicle detector detecting said separate vehicle module to measure the time of movement of said separate vehicle module from said first of said vehicle module detectors to a second vehicle module detector in relation to the timer time period, said second vehicle module detector being a preselected distance from said first vehicle module detector and spaced in the direction of movement of vehicle modules, power means to change the speed of said vehicle module in response to differences between the time of vehicle module travel between said first and second vehicle module detectors and the associated timer means time period, and means To adjust the associated timer means time period as a function of elapsed time subsequent to the passage of said stop block behind a leading vehicle module previously actuating said first vehicle detector means and said timer means.

8. The control system of claim 7, said timer means including a basic timer having a normal time period, and said first means to adjust includes means to adjust the time period first to a longer time interval after passage of said stop block.

9. The control means of claim 10 and second means to adjust the time period to a shorter time interval for a preselected time after the first means to adjust the time period is no longer effective.

10. The control system of claim 1 and a second guideway means intersecting with said first guideway means, said second guideway means being divided into second guideway section, each of said second guideway sections including vehicle module detector means, and control means for regulating the spacing of vehicle modules in said second guideway sections, said control means and vehicle module detector means being interconnected between corresponding sections of said first and second guideways in relation to the merge point between said first guideway means and said second guideway means whereby vehicle module detector means in either guideway controls vehicle modules in corresponding guideway sections of both guideway means.

11. The combination as specified in claim 10 where said second guideway means comprises an acceleration guideway means, and wherein the sections of said acceleration guideway are different in length than the corresponding sections of the main guideway means except immediately adjacent the merge point, and said control means including timer means to determine elapsed time for movement of a vehicle module along the corresponding guideway sections and at least adjacent the merging guideway sections, the elapsed time for a vehicle module to traverse an interconnected section on either the intersecting guideway is substantially the same.

12. A control system for vehicle modules comprising one vehicle or a plurality of connected vehicles movable on a guideway means, comprising means effectively dividing said guideway into guideway control sections, power means on the guidway for propelling said vehicle modules normally supplying power to a vehicle in a guideway section, said means effectively dividing said guideway including vehicle module detector means mounted on said guideway for each section to detect a vehicle module position relative to its associated guideway section, and control means responsive to said vehicle detector means controlling said power means to regulate the spacing between a leading vehicle module and a trailing vehicle module, said power means comprising fluid under pressure to levitate and propel vehicle modules, valve means to control flow of fluid under pressure from a source to levitate said vehicle modules, and said control means includes means to prevent at least some of said valve means from operating in a preselected number of guideway sections behind said leading vehicle module.

13. The control system of claim 12, and means acting in response to said vehicle detectors to prevent a following vehicle module from advancing closer than a stop block comprising a preselected number of guideway sections to a leading vehicle module comprises means to stop a vehicle module when it moves closer than a preselected number of guideway sections to a leading vehicle module.

14. The control system according to claim 13, wherein said means to prevent a following vehicle from advancing closer than a preselected number of sections comprises OR gate means delivering disabling and braking signal means to said power means, said OR gate means having a plurality of inputs equal to the preselected number of guideway sections in said stop block, and means to operably connect the signal outputs of the vehicle module detector means of the guideway sections comprising the stop block to the inputs of said OR gate, said OR gate including means to deliver said disabling signal in response to a vehicle detector signal at any one of said OR gate inputs.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said vehicle module comprises a single vehicle not substantially longer than the length of each guideway section.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein said vehicle module comprises a plurality of vehicles connected together and, means to prevent a vehicle module detector signal of one guideway section from entering its associated OR gate means until there is no vehicle module detector signal from the vehicle detector next adjacent and trailing said one guideway section.

17. The system of claim 13 and means to adjust the preselected timer period of said timer means to be longer in a selected number of timers associated with guideway sections immediately trailing said stop block.

18. The system of claim 13 and means to adjust the timer period of said timer to a shorter time period for the timers associated with selected guideway sections spaced a selected number of guideway sections from the last guideway section comprising a stop block for a leading vehicle.

19. The system of claim 13 and means to provide a power start signal to said power means in response to one vehicle module detector means signal, from a guideway section other than a section comprising said stop block, a preselected length of time after the one vehicle module detector means delivers a signal indicating presence of a vehicle module on its associated guideway section.

20. A control system for vehicle modules comprising one vehicle or a plurality of connected vehicles movable on a guideway means, comprising power means on the guideway for propelling said vehicle modules, means actuated to normally supply power to a vehicle module on the guideway, vehicle module detector means mounted on said guideway in spaced locations therealong to detect a vehicle module in position on the guideway, control means responsive to said vehicle detector means controlling said power means in portions of said guideway to regulate the spacing between a leading vehicle module and a trailing vehicle module in said portion of said guideway, including timer means initiated by detection of a vehicle module by one of said vehicle module detectors to determine the time of movement of a vehicle module from said one of said vehicle module detectors to a selected second vehicle module detector in relation to a selected set point time period of said timer means, means to control the power means to regulate the speed of said vehicle module in response to a difference between the elapsed time of vehicle module travel between said first and second vehicle module detectors and the set point time period, and means to adjust the set point time period of said timer means in response to passage of a vehicle module.