Tritrack system of mass transit

• US 6,923,124 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2003
• Issued: 08/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jerry M. Roane
• Original Assignee: Jerry M. Roane
• Inventors: Roane, Jerry M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Mark T.
• Application Number:
  US10/606,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20040011242A1
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 104/124, 104/125, 104/118, 104/119, 104/120, 104/242, 104/130.11, 104/130.01, 104/130.03, 104/130.05, 104/130.06, 105/72.2, 105/141, 105/144
• US Class Current: 104/124
• CPC Class Codes: B60F 1/04 with rail and road wheels on different axles
• CPC Class Codes: B60F 1/043 Vehicles comprising own propelling units
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/60 using power supplied by batteries in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75
• CPC Class Codes: B61B 10/04 with vehicles rolling trackless on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: B61B 13/04 Monorail systems
• CPC Class Codes: B61B 15/00 Combinations of railway systems
• CPC Class Codes: E01B 25/22 Tracks for railways with the vehicle suspended from rigid supporting rails
• CPC Class Codes: E01B 25/28 Rail tracks for guiding vehicles when running on road or similar surface wheel tracks on roads E01C9/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 30/00 Transportation of goods or passengers via railways, e.g. energy recovery or reducing air resistance

Abstract

A rail system for transporting dual use vehicles includes a network of multiple non-interconnected rails where each rail comprises an extruded triangular shell and a support material. The rails are supported by a system of support structures where each support structure includes a base with a rail adjustment actuator for selectively adjusting the position of the supported rail. Each rail is sized to support a standardized dual use passenger vehicle adapted for roadway and rail travel.

Claims

1. A rail system for transporting dual use vehicles comprising:

a network of a plurality of non-interconnected rails, each rail comprising an extruded triangular shell filled with support material;

the rails supported by a plurality of supports for maintaining a selected trajectory of the rail; and

each rail sized to support a standardized dual use vehicle adapted for roadway and rail travel,

a track engagement slot formed to engage the triangular shell;

a carriage body including a linear motor component operable to cooperate with the rail to form a linear motor operable to selectively transport the carriage body along the triangular raile; and

a modular power module operable to selectively engage the track engagement slot of the carriage body when disengaged from the rail, the modular power module operable to provide power to the carriage body for roadway travel when disengaged from the triangular rail.

2. The rail system of claim 1 further comprising the plurality of non-interconnected rails generally disposed along a perpendicular grid.

3. The rail system of claim 1 wherein the non-interconnected rails are aligned in different planes.

4. The rail system of claim 1 wherein each rail comprises a vehicle entry point and a vehicle exit point, each vehicle entry point operable to regulate entry onto the rail based on vehicle weight.

5. The rail system of claim 1 wherein each rail comprises a vehicle entry point and a vehicle exit point, each vehicle entry point operable to allow each dual use vehicle entering the track to remove the modular power module associated with each vehicle and each vehicle exit point operable to facilitate the installation of a modular power module into a vehicle exiting the rail.

6. The rail system of claim 1 wherein the support material comprises concrete.