Highway-vehicle system with improved braking, enhanced stability and provisions for electric power take-off
US6240852A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 29, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jun 5, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 29, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB60M1/34
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A highway-vehicle system for high speed travel which comprises a below-ground structure defining a cavity and a narrow slot extending upwardly therefrom to the roadway surface. Each vehicle in the system is equipped with a projecting member which, in its folded configuration, can be lowered into the slot. The projecting member includes a pair of stabilization wheels and a pair of hydraulically or pneumatically-actuated brake shoes. Once the projecting member has been lowered into the cavity, the wheels automatically unfold, so that they assume horizontal positions and press against opposing sidewalls of the cavity. With the wheels so deployed, the vehicle can be safely driven during high speed cornering and under windy conditions. The wheels can also be used to automatically steer each vehicle. In addition, the wheels are used to conduct electricity in the cavity sidewalls as part of the power takeoff for an electric vehicle. Like the wheels, the brake shoes also unfold once the projecting member enters the cavity. When braking is needed, hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders attached to each brake shoe press the shoes against the cavity sidewalls. Since the cavity is shielded from the …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.