Universal vehicle system for the public local traffic

• US 4,596,192 A
• Filed: 03/03/1980
• Issued: 06/24/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Daimler-Benz AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler-Benz AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Forster, Hans-Joachim
• Primary Examiner(s): Reese, Randolph A.
• Application Number:
  US06/126,695
• Time in Patent Office: 2,304 Days
• Field of Search: 104/18, 104/20, 104/118-120, 104/247, 104/1 R, 105/3, 105/18, 105/140, 105/144, 105/159, 105/215 C, 105/396, 105/397, 280/403, 220/4 C, 29/428, 29/469, 29/401.1, 410/3, 296/10, 296/196, 296/197
• US Class Current: 104/307
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B61B 1/02 General arrangement of stations and platforms including protection devices for the passengers B61B1/005 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B61B 5/00 Elevated railway systems without suspended vehicles with monorail B61B13/04; tracks therefor E01B25/00
• CPC Class Codes: B61D 17/045 The sub-units being construction modules modular super-structures for vehicles carrying a large number of passengers B62D31/025
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/265 especially adapted for guiding road vehicles carrying loads or passengers, e.g. in urban networks for public transportation
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 31/025 having modular sections
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 47/025 articulated buses with interconnecting passageway, e.g. bellows coupling aspects B60D5/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 30/00 Transportation of goods or passengers via railways, e.g. energy recovery or reducing air resistance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49904 Assembling a subassembly, then assembling with a second subassembly

Abstract

A vehicle system for local public passenger transportation, in which a number of vehicle components are used to realize a vehicle system according to a building-block system. The vehicle components are so constructed that they can be assembled into vehicles or trains usable only with tracks, selectively with or without tracks, or only without tracks.

Claims

1. A system for manufacturing a plurality of vehicles forming a local public passenger transportation system, characterized in that the local public transportation system services an inhabited area comprising an inner core zone, an outer city zone, and a suburban zone;

at least one of said vehicles of the local public transportation system is adapted to be used only with a track and service the inner core zones;

at least one other of said vehicles is a dual mode vehicle adapted to be selectively used with or without a track and to service the outer city zone; and

at least a further one of said vehicles of the local public transportation system is adapted to be exclusively used on a road surface without tracks and to service the suburban zones;

said vehicles in the local public transportation system are constructed and assembled in a building-block fashion from at least one of a plurality of modular vehicle components comprising;

bus-like passenger cells of differing lengths which are closed on all sides, each of the bus-like passenger cells including a driver position module, an installation space for accommodating at least one non-steerable driven axle, an installation space for accommodating one steerable axle, and an installation space for accommodating a drive source;

bus-like passenger cells of differing lengths open at a rear end each of said open rear end bus-like passenger cells including a driver position module, an installation space for accommodating at least one non-steerable driven axle, and an installation space for accommodating one steerable axle;

bus-like passenger cells of differing lengths open at a front end, without a driver position module, each open front end passenger cell including an installation space for accommodating one of a non-steerable axle or a tandem arrangement of non-steerable axles, said open front end passenger cells being adapted to be connected to a bus-like passenger cell open at the rear end;

bus-like passenger cells of differing lengths open at both a front end and a rear end, each of said bus-like passenger cells open at both the front and rear ends including an installation space for accommodating one of a non-steerable axle or a tandem arrangement of non-steerable axles;

movable accordion-like passenger cell connection means transmitting pushing and tractional forces for connecting mutually facing open ends of the bus-like passenger cells;

driven non-steerable vehicle axles adapted to be mounted on the bus-like passenger cells;

one of non-steerable non-driven vehicle axles or tandem arrangements of non-steerable non-driven vehicle axles adapted to be mounted on the bus-like passenger cells;

steerable vehicle axles adapted to be mounted on the bus-like passenger cells;

cross guide means for non-steerable axles adapted to be influenced by track guide means on a side of the track;

cross guide means for steerable axles adapted to be influenced by track guide means on a side of the track; and

drive sources adapted to be fed from an energy supply carried in the vehicle including at least one of an internal combustion engine and electric motors adapted to be fed from electric conductors.