Railways – Traction – Longitudinal rotary shafts
Patent
1988-02-05
1990-03-20
Focarino, Margaret A.
Railways
Traction
Longitudinal rotary shafts
105341, B61B 1312
Patent
active
049091530
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention is concerned with a transport system using passive vehicles, driven at variable speed by orientable rollers and rotating tubes.
At the present time, short distance individual transport systems using passive vehicles can be broken down into three categories:
Continuous operation systems, mainly constant or variable speed conveyor belts, also referred to as accelerated mobile pavements.
Semi-continuous operation systems, largely derived from a principle developed in mountainous regions and especially in winter sports resorts, which consists mainly of combining continuous (or almost continuous) operation at stops by means of cabins moving at low speed along a platform, with conventional discontinuous operation between stations.
Discontinuous operation systems, including systems using reversible and irreversible vehicles.
These three families of systems are distinguished mainly by: entry and exit times offered to the User, flow capacity, stopping distance, speed, ease with which they can be integrated into an urban environment, possibility of use in conjunction with other existing transport systems, and their cost.
These systems are also distinguished technically by the type of drive; endless cable, belts, linear motor, etc . . . and by their variable speed drive mechanism: deformable links, rotating tubes and pivoting rotating cams, etc . . . .
Short distance semi-continuous transport systems have a relatively low capacity compared with the above-mentioned continuous systems, but they do have the advantage over discontinuous shuttle type systems that the capacity is independent of distance travelled.
From the transport time point of view, semi-continuous systems are slightly better than shuttles operating at maximum speed, since the wait time is independent of the distance travelled.
Consequently, cable systems in which vehicle speed is limit to 10 m/sec are slower than active systems. Therefore, for example, a double shuttle active at 20 m/sec is clearly better than cable systems for distances greater than 600 m.
However, although cable systems have a number of advantages (simplified anti-collision control, simple kinematic chain, . . . ), they have the disadvantage of low speed and also they need several strands and disengageable grips when used on routes with intermediate stations which are not equidistant, and in some circumstances also need a supplementary variable speed drive to obtain a gradual but adequate reduction of velocity when in stations.
There is already one transport system using passive vehicles which uses a drive consisting of rotating tubes and orientable rollers (French patent FR-A-2.036.543). Vehicles are suspended from a monorail and are pulled between stations by a cable at a velocity of about 7 m/sec, and are driven at variable speed in stations by means of a rotating cylinder and orientable roller device which replaces the cable drive to reduce the velocity gradually from 7 m/sec to 0.20 m/sec. Vehicles are attached to the cable through a disengageable grip, with opening controlled by a roller on the vehicle and by a ramp on the edge of the rail in the station. Opening the grip causes rotation of the speed variation device drive roller to ensure that the latter takes over vehicle drive control. The drive roller is realigned when the grip closes again on leaving the station.
This system maintains the cable drive system, and is therefore not suitable for sinuous routes, and requires heavy and expensive foundations.
The purpose of the present invention is to correct these disadvantages. The invention is distinguished in that it solves the problem of creating a transport system using variable speed passive vehicles, either within a site or not, suitable for incorporation into linked networks including sinuous routes, with possibility of intersection, or even integration with other means of transport, and with no constraints on accumulation or spacing of vehicles, fully mechanical deceleration, stop and acceleration in stations, automatic door opening system, safety system a
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Lacroix Serge
Treviso Marc P.
Critt Productique
Focarino Margaret A.
Pape Joseph D.
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