Short block linear synchronous motors and switching mechanisms
US11332020B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 22, 2020 |
| Grant date | May 17, 2022 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 14, 2040 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02T10/64
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
The invention provides in some aspects a transport system comprising a guideway with a plurality of propulsion coils disposed along a region in which one or more vehicles are to be propelled. One or more vehicles are disposed on the guideway, each including a magnetic flux source. The guideway has one or more running surfaces that support the vehicles and along which they roll or slide. Each vehicle can have a septum portion of narrowed cross-section that is coupled to one or more body portions of the vehicle. The guideway includes a diverge region that has a flipper and an extension of the running surface at a vertex of the diverge. The flipper initiates switching of vehicle direction at a diverge by exerting a laterally directed force thereon. The extension continues switching of vehicle direction at the diverge by contacting the septum. Still other aspects of the invention provide a transport system, e.g., as described above, that includes a merge region with a flipper and a broadened region of the running surface. The flipper applies a lateral force to the vehicle to alter an angle thereof as the vehicle enters the merge region, and the broadened region continues the merge by c…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.