Intelligent transport system

• US 6,810,817 B1
• Filed: 02/20/2002
• Issued: 11/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: William James
• Original Assignee: William James
• Inventors: James, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Jules, Frantz F.
• Application Number:
  US10/081,981
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: 104/88.02, 104/88.03, 104/88.04, 104/88.05, 701/23, 701/24, 701/25, 701/26, 318/587, 246/3, 246/4, 340/994
• US Class Current: 104/88.04
• CPC Class Codes: B61B 13/04 Monorail systems
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 23/005 Automatic control or safety means for points for operator-less railway, e.g. transportation systems
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 27/04 Automatic systems, e.g. controlled by train; Change-over to manual control
• CPC Class Codes: E01B 25/22 Tracks for railways with the vehicle suspended from rigid supporting rails
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 30/00 Transportation of goods or passengers via railways, e.g. energy recovery or reducing air resistance

Abstract

A public transportation system includes control by highly distributed communications, ultra-light transit vehicles suspended from single or dual rails and powered by electricity. The electric power supplied independently and supplemented by wind generators and solar panels. The transit vehicles, are suitable to transport from one to four persons. The system includes a plurality interconnected rails with main conduits and station conduits to provide non-stop transportation from one station to another station.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a transportation system for moving people, freight, and any combination whereof using a distributed network of intelligent devices without requiring the aid of a human driver, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a plurality of said devices capable of various behaviors;

b) providing behaviors which enables said devices to perform their varied tasks;

c) providing a computing means which enable control of said behaviors within safety limits;

d) providing a protocol which enables said devices to address, communicate and coordinate with other said devices without depending on centralized control;

e) providing a communication means which enables coordinating activities among said devices;

f) providing said devices with an event loop which enables managing said communication, said coordination, reporting status, executing behaviors, timing out of behaviors not executed with specific parameters, and executing emergency procedures;

g) providing a first power means which enables operation of said transportation system;

h) scheduling a trip as from a start point to an end point by using said communication means;

i) documenting said trip by storing database records accessible to said devices involved in said trip using said computing means;

j) providing a plurality of vehicles which are one of type of said devices whose behavior is tailored to transporting said people and said freight;

k) providing a guiding means enabling said vehicles to carry said people or said freight on said trip;

l) dispatching said vehicles using said guiding means to said start point to meet scheduled demand and projected demand;

m) transporting said people or said freight on said trip using said vehicles and said guiding means;

n) coordinating among said devices scheduled to participate in said trip;

o) coordinating among said devices not part of said trip but share resources in approximately the same time period as said devices on said trip;

p) timing out of said trip and initiating change actions if said trip is not executed within specified parameters using said behaviors.

2. The method claimed in 1 said guiding means further comprising of:

a) providing a network of interconnected rails comprising;

a plurality of main rails, a plurality of loading and unloading rails, a plurality of storage location rails;

b) providing a plurality of switches connecting said rails;

c) providing a plurality of load bearing structures which support said network of interconnected rails, said load bearing structures of various designs;

d) manifesting behaviors in said rails, said switches, said load bearing structures which enable guiding the transporting of said vehicles on said trip;

e) coordinating by said vehicles with other said devices which are navigating said rails in the same timeframe using said communication and said protocol.

3. The method claimed in 2 said switches further comprising of:

a) providing a plurality of sensors which enable said switches to identify various parameters of inbound vehicles, comprising of speed, location, mass, acceleration, deviation from said parameters;

b) providing a plurality of sensors which enable said vehicles to identify various parameters of said trip, comprising of speed, distance to said switch, mass, acceleration, deviation from said parameters;

c) manifesting behaviors in said switches which enables automated transferring of said vehicles among said rails;

d) coordinating by said switches and said inbound vehicles with other said devices which are navigating said switch in the same timeframe using said communication and said protocol;

e) communicating using said protocol enabling said switches and said inbound vehicles to identify each other and enabling coordination for correct entry and correct exit from said switches by said vehicles;

f) managing emergency and normal shut down procedures if said communication is terminated or if actions do not occur within the time specified by said protocol which enables said switches and said vehicles to safely function.

4. The method claimed in 3 said devices further comprising of:

a) providing a plurality of stations to facilitate the loading and unloading of said people and said freight;

b) using said rails, said switches, said sensing, said computing, said protocol to operate said stations;

c) forming said start point and said end point of said trip using said stations;

d) manifesting physical control behaviors, sensing, computing, reporting within said stations to load and unload said vehicles.

5. The method claimed in 4 said devices further comprising of:

a) providing a plurality of storage managers which enable the storage of unoccupied vehicles which are available for dispatch;

b) using said protocol for addressing storage locations and said vehicles;

c) providing storage addresses using said protocol;

d) using said rails and said switches for transporting said vehicles to said storage addresses for storage;

e) recalling said vehicles from said storage in response to said trip.

6. The method claimed in 2 said vehicles further comprising:

a) providing designs of said vehicles that minimize the moving mass of said vehicles;

b) providing said designs of said vehicles further enabling suspending said vehicles from said rails;

c) providing said designs of said vehicles further enabling dynamic inertial dampening;

d) providing said designs of said vehicles further tailored to the needs of the said people and said cargo.

7. The method claimed in 6 of said vehicles design further comprising:

a) providing a formula for calculating the Parasitic Energy Consumption, PEC, of vehicle designs said formula equal to the square of the sum of said vehicle mass and said people mass and said cargo mass divided by the square of the sum of said people mass and side cargo mass;

b) optimizing said design of said vehicles to meet the transport needs with the minimum practical said PEC value.

8. The method claimed in 7 said trip further comprising:

a) providing a requester which is one of said devices whose behavior is tailored to requesting said trip, said requester of various behaviors;

b) providing a negotiator which is one of said devices whose behavior is tailored to accumulating time based availability of said various devices;

c) providing a scheduler which is one of said devices whose behavior is tailored to scheduling said trip;

d) scheduling said trip using said scheduler by accepting input from said requester;

e) negotiating with said negotiators to identify said devices reporting availability at the time required to execute said trip;

f) booking an event or trip by reserving capacity in support of said trip with said devices;

g) reporting by said devices to said negotiators to identify capacity in said transportation system;

h) reporting by said devices states the safe condition of said transportation network;

i) coordinating among said devices scheduled to support said trip to assure continued safe condition;

j) coordinating among said vehicles using the same said switch or same said rail in the same time frame;

k) reporting by said devices completion of participation of said trip or initiates the timeout aspect of said protocol;

l) managing emergency conditions in accordance with said protocol to safely complete said trip.

9. The method claimed in 8 said trip further comprising:

a) accumulating time based availability of said devices by said negotiators;

b) scheduling and executing said trips to position vehicles in response to historical demand for trips.

10. The method claimed in 1 said first power means further comprising:

a) providing a second power means which enables transferring said power sources from an electric power grid to said vehicles and said transportation system;

b) providing a third power means comprising solar and wind power generators integrated into the physical structure of said transportation system augmenting first power means.

11. A method of managing a transportation system for moving people, freight, and any combination whereof using a distributed communication network, intelligent devices, a network of interconnected rails, and suspended vehicles comprising the steps of:

a) providing a plurality and variety of said devices on said network, each of said devices able to perform specific behaviors;

b) providing a protocol which said devices use for communicating among said devices;

c) providing a computing means for said devices to store, retrieve and act on data required for said devices to execute said behavior;

d) providing an internal communication loop which enables said devices to report on availability, current status, required actions, maintenance actions, and emergency actions of said devices behavior;

e) providing specific behaviors for accumulating said devices availability by each of said devices and by region said devices are located in, accumulators;

requesting a trip, requester;

scheduling a trip and maintenance, scheduler;

making a trip, vehicles;

managing rails;

switching rails, switch;

loading and unloading of people or freight, station;

locations along said rails, rail address;

geographic locations of interest, way points;

f) reporting, continuously, by said devices on said availability using said communication loop;

g) accumulating said availability of said devices by said accumulators;

h) accumulating said availability of said accumulators into regional accumulators;

i) defining said data required for said trip at said requester;

j) coordinating between said requester and an available said scheduler and available said accumulators using said protocol to match availability of potential said regions and said devices within said regions to said data for said trip;

k) selecting specific said devices to involved in said trip by said scheduler;

l) recording a route for said trip by storing data into the said database of each one of said devices selected by said scheduler for said trip;

m) allocating said vehicles to make said trip at said loading station defined by said trip;

n) loading said vehicles at said loading station defined by said trip;

o) traveling by said vehicles along said route;

p) coordinating as said vehicles travels along said route among all devices controlling said route or traveling on said route at the same time;

q) unloading said vehicles at said end station defined by said trip;

r) dismissing said vehicles at said end station;

s) logging trip data by said devices engaged in said trip of data affecting their said behavior and said availability;

t) reporting availability of said devices engaged in said trip.

12. The method claimed in 11 said devices comprising of:

a) providing a plurality and variety of said vehicles which are able to transport individuals or individuals in groups of up to four and a plurality and variety of said vehicles which are able to transport freight;

b) providing said network of interconnected rails further comprising, a plurality of main rails, a plurality of loading and unloading rails, and a plurality of storage location rails;

c) providing a plurality of stations to facilitate the loading and unloading of said individuals and said freight, each of said stations located adjacent to said loading and unloading rails;

d) providing a plurality of switches to enable the transition of said vehicles from said main rails to a storage location or said loading and unloading rails, and from said storage location to said loading and unloading or said main rails, and also from said loading and unloading rails to said storage location or said main rails, and to enable the vehicles to change direction while transporting on said main rails;

e) a plurality of load bearing structures which support said network of interconnected rails and said plurality of switches;

f) a plurality of storage managers able to store unoccupied vehicles available for dispatch, each of said storage managers located adjacent to said storage location rails which are adjacent to said stations and said loading and unloading rails.

13. The method claimed in 12 said network of devices comprising:

a) providing a plurality of billing computers.

14. An on-demand transportation system to enable the non-stop transport of people and freight and any combination whereof, from a start point to an end point within the said transportation system without requiring the aid of a human driver, the system comprising of:

a) a plurality of intelligent devices capable of various behaviors;

b) a computing means for said devices to manifest behaviors which enables said devices to perform their varied tasks comprised of physical actions, sensing inputs, computing, communicating and coordinating tasks, reporting availability and logging results;

c) an event loop within said computing means enabling said devices managing communication, coordination, reporting status, executing said behaviors, timing out of said behaviors not executed with specific parameters, executing safety procedures;

d) a protocol means so said devices have a set of rules for addressing other said devices, messaging between said devices, formatting data, using data, passing data between said devices as they communicate and coordinate the activities of said transportation system independent of central control;

e) a communication means for transferring data between said devices;

f) a safety means based on said devices regularly reporting their availability, failure to report removes one of said devices from availability and initiates change actions by all other said devices that are scheduled to interact with any one of said devices;

g) an accumulating means to track the availability reported by said devices, scheduling future trips use this data to find devices which can support said future trips;

h) a plurality of various vehicles, which are the devices whose behavior is tailored to transporting said people and said freight on said trips;

i) a requesting means to request said trips from a variety of sources;

j) a scheduling means to accept data from said requesting means for said trip, to negotiate with said accumulating means, to reserve capacity in said computing means of each said devices that will participate in executing said trip;

k) a guiding means for directing said vehicles to carry said individuals and said freight on said trip, coordinating between all said devices scheduled to participate in said trip, responding to said safety means, coordinating with said devices not part of said trip but that share resources in approximately the same time period;

timing out of said trip and initiating change action if said trip is not executed within specified parameters;

l) a load balancing means for dispatching vehicles to locations in anticipation of demand based on historical demand and current requests;

m) a storage means to remove said vehicles from said guiding means when not required to meet demand and returning them to the guiding means when required to meet demand;

n) a power means to enable each of said vehicles to travel from said start point to said end point.

15. The system claimed in 14 said guiding means further comprising of:

a) a network of interconnected rails comprising;

a plurality of main rails, a plurality of loading and unloading rails, a plurality of storage location rails;

b) a plurality of switches connecting said rails;

c) a plurality of load bearing structures which support said network of interconnected rails, said load bearing structures of various designs;

d) a plurality of said behaviors in the said rails, said switches, said load bearing structures which enable guiding the transporting of said vehicles on said trip;

e) a conversation using said communication with said protocol to enable said vehicles to coordinate with other said devices which are navigating said rails in the same timeframe.

16. The system claimed in 14 said switches further comprising of:

a) providing a plurality of sensors which enable said switches to identify various parameters of inbound vehicles, comprising of speed, location, mass, acceleration, deviation from said parameters;

b) manifesting behaviors in said switches which enables automated transferring of said vehicles among said rails;

c) communicating using said protocol to enable said switches and said inbound vehicles to identify each other and to enable coordination for correct entry and correct exit from said switches by said vehicles;

d) managing emergency and normal shut down procedures if said communication is terminated or if actions do not occur within the time specified by said protocol which enables said switches and said vehicles to safely function.

17. The system claimed in 14 of said vehicle designs further comprising:

a) a design means formulated on calculating the Parasitic Energy Consumption, PEC, of vehicles from the formula the square of the sum of said vehicle mass and said people mass and said cargo mass divided by the square of the sum of said people mass and side cargo mass;

b) a design of said vehicles to meet the transport needs with the minimum practical said PEC value.

18. The system claimed in 14 said system further comprising:

a) A load balancing means for collecting the time based use of devices in said system that uses said trips to preposition said vehicles to meet projected demand.

19. The system claimed in 14 said first power means further comprising:

a) a second power means which enables transferring said power sources from an electric power grid to said vehicles and said transportation system;

b) a third power means comprising solar and wind power generators integrated into the physical structure of said transportation system augmenting first power means.

20. The system claimed in 14 said devices further comprising:

a) a plurality of storage managers which enable the storage of unoccupied vehicles which are not required to meet current demand;

b) said protocol for addressing storage locations and said vehicles;

c) said rails and said switches for transporting said vehicles to said storage addresses for storage;

d) said rails and said switches for transporting said vehicles from said storage addresses use in said system;

Whereby, an intelligent transportation system is created capable of moving people and freight having a plurality of points-of-presence including start points, destinations, vehicles, switches, sensors, guide ways, load bearing structures, stations, storage locations communicating according to a protocol having an addressing scheme, database records;

Whereby an individual can maintain the freedom of personal travel to go where he wants, when he wants, and with whom he wants. While increasing the safety of transportation because if the number of variables involved in transportation is reduced then the risk of accidents are significantly reduced.