Triple rail PRT transportation system
US8807048B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 28, 2012 |
| Grant date | Aug 19, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 2, 2032 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB61L27/20
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A personal rapid transit (PRT) system that comprises a very economic triple rail topology for bi-directional urban personal transport. All the ramps are implemented always on the one side of the tracks for the sake of the narrow urban spaces accommodation. In order to achieve fast speed direction changes and a non compromised passenger security, the ramps are implemented as parallel lines to the corresponding tracks, and the vehicles do not use any wheel steering or electromagnetic heads. Instead, a landing wheel gear is implemented, and all the wheels are synchronized by speed before touching the rails. The vehicle's center of masses is constantly maintained to be found in most cases in one plain with the guideways. In case of emergencies, a special “anti-fall down” security system keeps the vehicle on the rails. The vehicles are capable of making all kind of turns by utilizing the highly compact Direction Change Connector. The PRT control system is implemented as three layer hierarchical system that consists of fault-tolerant processor nodes only, and utilizes two channel (with a hot reserve) wireless communications between the layers.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.