Inexpensive driverless vehicle

• US 4,355,580 A
• Filed: 11/24/1980
• Issued: 10/26/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1980
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SI Handling Systems, Inc. (Paragon Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: SI Handling Incorporated
• Inventors: Scheel, Russell
• Primary Examiner(s): Bertsch, Richard A.
• Application Number:
  US06/209,810
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• Field of Search: 104/165, 104/166, 104/1 A, 295/31, 295/33, 295/4, 295/8.5, 295/1, 295/34
• US Class Current: 104/166
• CPC Class Codes: B61B 13/125 the propulsion device being a rotating shaft or the like
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 30/00 Transportation of goods or passengers via railways, e.g. energy recovery or reducing air resistance

Abstract

A driverless vehicle has an inverted U-shaped body with the bight being a horizontal load supporting surface. A pair of wheels is supported by each leg of the body. A friction drive wheel for contact with a drive shaft is supported by the body. An accumulation bumper is provided adjacent a front end of the body and a cam is supported adjacent the rear end of the body.

Claims

1. A driverless vehicle comprising an inverted U-shaped metal body with the bight being a horizontal load supporting surface, said body being open at the front and rear end, a pair of wheels supported by each leg of said body, a friction drive wheel supported by said bight between said legs for contact with a drive shaft, an upright support member for said drive wheel, a first cam follower rotatably supported by said upright support member for contact with a control member for moving the drive wheel from its drive position to an accumulation position, means biasing said drive wheel to a drive position, a bumper projecting from the front end of the body and connected to said drive wheel for moving the drive wheel from its drive position to an accumulation position, and a cam disposed between said legs adjacent the rear end of the body for causing a bumper on a similar vehicle to move its drive wheel to an accumulation position, said cam being at an elevation which at least partially overlaps the elevation of a second cam follower on one end of said accumulation bumper.

2. A vehicle in accordance with claim 1 wherein the drive wheel is supported by the bight between said legs and spring biased to a drive position.

3. A vehicle in accordance with claim 1 wherein the tread portion on one pair of wheels is different from the tread portion on the other pair of wheels.

4. A vehicle in accordance with claim 1 wherein said body is a metal body with the width of the bight being greater than the height of the legs on the body.

5. A vehicle in accordance with claim 1 including an angle iron connected to each body leg in a position so as to be disposed beneath the bight, one leg of each angle iron being parallel to and cooperating with one of the body legs to rotatably support the shafts for one of said pairs of wheels.

6. A vehicle in accordance with claim 1 including a switch tripping mechanism secured to an other surface on one of said body legs adjacent the lower end thereof and adjacent the front end of said body.

7. A vehicle in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means biasing the drive wheel to a drive position includes a spring having one end connected to said upright support member.

8. A vehicle in accordance with claim 1 wherein said body is a one-piece metal body with the width of the bight being greater than the height of the legs on the body, a discrete angle iron connected to each body leg adjacent a lower end thereof, one leg of each angle iron being parallel to and cooperating with its associated body leg to rotatably support the shafts for the pair of wheels supported by its associated body leg.

9. A vehicle in accordance with claim 1 wherein the first cam follower is disposed below the elevation of said second cam follower and said cam.

10. A driverless vehicle comprising an inverted U-shaped body with the bight being a horizontal load supporting surface, a pair of wheels supported by each leg of said body, each leg being generally perpendicular to said bight, a friction drive wheel on said body for contact with a drive shaft, a bumper having a free end projecting from a front end of the body and connected to said drive wheel for moving the drive wheel from a drive position to an accumulation position, and a cam transversely disposed adjacent the rear end of said body for causing a bumper on another vehicle to move its drive wheel to an accumulation position, said cam being supported at its ends by said legs, said cam and bumper free end being at substantially the same elevation.