IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0658023
(2010-02-01)
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등록번호 |
US-8272331
(2012-09-25)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
|
출원인 / 주소 |
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
0 인용 특허 :
9 |
초록
▼
A single main steel wheel rides on a single main steel rail of a guideway to support and drive a carrier and to facilitate steering and provide a simplified, more compact and less costly construction. The carrier can support a car through a platform having elements and chocks for locking contact wit
A single main steel wheel rides on a single main steel rail of a guideway to support and drive a carrier and to facilitate steering and provide a simplified, more compact and less costly construction. The carrier can support a car through a platform having elements and chocks for locking contact with a front bumper and front wheels of the car Auxiliary wheels and rails cooperate to cause nearly all weight to be carried through the single main wheel. Traction is increased when necessary through application of increased upward forces to undersides of auxiliary rails and/or through developing magnetic forces between the steel wheel and steel rail. An AC induction motor is a main source of drive power. Acceleration and braking are assisted through epicyclic gearing, braking means and a DC motor/generator that is connected to a battery and that drives the carrier if supply of AC fails.
대표청구항
▼
1. A transport system comprising: a guideway including a main rail and auxiliary rails in spaced parallel relation to said main rail, a carrier movable along said guideway and including a single main wheel for riding on said main rail and auxiliary wheels for contact with said main and auxiliary rai
1. A transport system comprising: a guideway including a main rail and auxiliary rails in spaced parallel relation to said main rail, a carrier movable along said guideway and including a single main wheel for riding on said main rail and auxiliary wheels for contact with said main and auxiliary rails, anddrive and braking means for said single main wheel,wherein said carrier includes means for supporting a load to be carried above said single main wheel,wherein said auxiliary wheels include tilt control and balance control wheels which are so positioned and so operate in contact with said main and auxiliary rails as to cause said single main wheel to support at least a major portion of the weight of said carrier and of any load carried by said carrier above said single main wheel,wherein said auxiliary rails include first and second rails that are on opposite sides of and in symmetrical relation to a central vertical plane through said main rail,wherein said tilt control wheels engage said first and second rails to limit tilting of said carrier about a central longitudinal axis through said plane and along the top of said main rail, andwherein said balance control wheels control balance of said carrier about the axis of said single main wheel. 2. A transport system as defined in claim 1, wherein said first and second rails are located in horizontally spaced relation to said main rail. 3. A transport system as defined in claim 2, wherein said tilt control wheels contact undersides of said first and second rails to apply upward forces to said first and second rails and to thereby increase the force applied from said main wheel to said main rail, and wherein means are provided for control of said upward forces to control traction between said main wheel and said main rail. 4. A transport system as defined in claim 1, wherein said balance control wheels are in contact with upper surface areas of said main rail that are in forwardly and rearwardly spaced relation to said main wheel. 5. A transport system as defined in claim 4, wherein said auxiliary wheels include a left pair of wheels for contacting a left side of said main rail and a right pair of wheels for contacting a right side of said main rail, each of said left and right pairs of wheels including a rearward wheel in adjacent relation to the area of contact between said main wheel and said main rail and a forward wheel spaced forwardly from said rearward wheel,wherein means operate in Y-junctions to lift said left pair of wheels when steering to the right and to lift said right pair of wheels when steering to the left, andwherein the forward one of said balance-control wheels is positioned to develop a force to the left on said carrier when steering to the right and is positioned to develop a force to the right on said carrier when steering to the left. 6. A transport system as defined in claim 1, wherein said first and second rails are located in spaced side-by-side relation above said main rail, wherein said tilt control wheels contact side surfaces of said first and second rails to limit rotation of said carrier about said central longitudinal axis, andwherein said balance control wheels are in forwardly spaced relation to said main wheel and are in contact with an upper surface of said main rail and with opposed underside surfaces of said first and second rails. 7. A transport system as defined in claim 1, wherein said guideway includes Y-junctions and in each Y-junction first and second main rail portions extend away from each other and from one end of a third main rail portion for support of said carrier for movement in either a first path or a second path, wherein in each Y-junction said first rail is located in vertically spaced relation to said first and third main rail portions and said second rail is located in vertically spaced relation to said second and third main rail portions,wherein said tilt control wheels include a first wheel that contacts an outer side of said first rail to limit tilting action in one direction when said carrier moves in said first path and a second wheel that contacts an outer side said second rail to limit tilting action in an opposite direction when said carrier moves in said second path,wherein said auxiliary wheels further include wheels that contact inward sides of said first and second rails for limiting said tilting action in said opposite direction when said carrier is moving in said first path and for limiting said tilting action in said one direction when said carrier is moving in said second path andwherein means are provided for lowering said second tilt control wheel when said carrier is moving in said first path and for lowering said first tilt control wheel when said carrier is moving in said second path. 8. A transport system as defined in claim 1 wherein said main rail is of steel and wherein said main wheel includes a peripheral part that includes first and second annular portions of magnetic material that are in axially spaced relation for contact with separate transversely spaced portions of said main rail and a third annular portion of magnetic material that is radially inside a space between said first and second annular portions and that completes a magnetic flux path through said first and second portions and through portions of said steel rail that are between areas of said steel rail contacted by said first and second portions, andmeans for developing magnetic flux in said path to develop a magnetic attraction between said wheel and said rail and to thereby obtain increased traction between said wheel and said rail,said magnetic flux developing means including a coil of wire that is in said space and that is wound around said third annular portion of said peripheral part of said wheel, andcurrent supply means for applying an electrical current to said coil. 9. A transport system as defined in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary wheels include a left wheel for contacting a left side of said main rail and a right wheel for contacting a right side of said main rail, wherein said left and right wheels normally function to keep said main wheel in a centered position on said main rail,wherein means operate in Y-junctions to lift said left wheel when steering to the right and to lift said right wheel when steering to the left, andwherein guide means operate to maintain contact of said right wheel with said right side of said main rail when said left wheel is lifted to steer to the right and to maintain contact of said left wheel with said left side of said main rail when said right wheel is lifted to steer to the left. 10. A transport system as defined in claim 9, wherein said auxiliary rails include a first rail that is in horizontally spaced relation to the left of said main rail and a second rail that is in horizontally spaced relation to the right of said main rail, and wherein said guide means include wheels for contact with said first and second rails when moving through Y-junctions. 11. A transport system as defined in claim 9 wherein said balance control wheels are in contact with upper surface areas of said main rail that are in forwardly and rearwardly spaced relation to said main wheel, and wherein said guide means operate to so position the forward one of said balance-control wheels as to develop a force to the left on said carrier when steering to the right as to develop a force to the right on said carrier when steering to the left. 12. A transport system comprising: a guideway including a main rail and auxiliary rails, a carrier movable along said guideway and including a single main wheel for riding on said main rail and auxiliary wheels for contact with said main and auxiliary rails,drive and braking means for said single main wheel, andmeans for so controlling forces acting on said carrier through contact of said auxiliary wheels with said main and auxiliary rails as to cause said main wheel to support at least a major portion of the weight of said carrier and any load carried by said carrier,said carrier including balance means for limiting movement of said carrier about the axis of said main wheel,wherein said auxiliary rails include first and second rails that are located in spaced side-by-side relation above said main rail,wherein said auxiliary wheels include first and second wheels that contact side surfaces of said first and second rails to limit rotation of said carrier about a longitudinal axis,wherein said balance means include auxiliary wheels that are in forwardly spaced relation to said main wheel and that contact an upper surface of said main rail and opposed underside surfaces of said first and second rails, andwherein said auxiliary wheels include an additional pair of wheels that apply controllable upward forces to undersides of said first and second auxiliary rails to thereby control traction between said main wheel and said main rail. 13. A transport system comprising: a guideway including a main rail and auxiliary rails, a carrier movable along said guideway and including a single main wheel for riding on said main rail and auxiliary wheels for contact with said main and auxiliary rails,drive and braking means for said single main wheel, andmeans for so controlling forces acting on said carrier through contact of said auxiliary wheels with said main and auxiliary rails as to cause said main wheel to support at least a major portion of the weight of said carrier and any load carried by said carrier,wherein said auxiliary rails include first and second rails that are located in horizontally spaced relation to said main rail,wherein said auxiliary wheels include first and second wheels that contact said first and second rails to limit tilting of said carrier about a longitudinal axis,wherein said guideway includes Y-junctions and in each Y-junction first and second main rail portions extend away from each other and from one end of a third main rail portion for support of said carrier for movement in either a first path or a second path,wherein in each Y-junction said first rail is located on one side of and in horizontally spaced relation to said first and third main rail portions and said second auxiliary rail is located on an opposite side and in horizontally spaced relation to said second and third main rail portions,wherein said first wheel contacts the underside of said first rail to limit tilting action in one direction when said carrier moves in said first path,wherein said second wheel contacts the underside of said second rail to limit tilting action in an opposite direction when said carrier moves in said second path, andwherein additional means are provided in each Y-junction for limiting said tilting action in said opposite direction when said carrier is moving in said first path and for limiting said tilting action in said one direction when said carrier is moving in said second path. 14. A transport system as defined in claim 13 wherein said additional means include first current supply rails on said one side of said main rail, second current supply rails on said opposite side of said main rail, first current collector shoes that contact said first current supply rails to limit said tilting action in said opposite direction when said carrier is moving in said first path and second current collector shoes that contact said second current supply rails to limit said tilting action in said one direction when said carrier is moving in said second path. 15. A transport system including a guideway, a plurality of carriers each including drive wheel means for effecting movement thereof along said guideway, an AC induction motor, means for supply of AC from said guideway to said induction motor during said movement along said guideway,battery means,a DC motor/generator including an armature and a field winding, connection means for flow of current between said battery means and said armature,field current control means between said battery means and said fielding winding,an epicyclic gear train including a first element coupled to said AC induction motor, a second element coupled to said wheel means and a third element coupled to said DC motor/generator, andprocessor means coupled to said field current control means and operative in one mode to increase current through said field winding to thereby increase current flow from said motor/generator to said battery means and to thereby cause said DC motor/generator to apply a braking torque to said third element and thereby increase the speed of rotation of said second element and the speed of drive of said wheel means,characterized in the provision of an electrically controllable brake mechanically coupled to said third element and electrically connected to said processor,said processor means being operative to control said brake to apply a braking torque from said brake to said third element and thereby augment the braking torque applied by said DC motor/generator. 16. A transport system as defined in claim 15, further characterized in the provision of an electrical load resistance, and in that said connection means is in the form of a switching circuit that is connected to said electrical load resistance and that is controllable by said processor means to disconnect said armature from said battery means and connect said armature to said electrical resistance when the field current is at maximum and the voltage developed by said armature is less that the voltage supplied by said battery means. 17. A transport system as defined in claim 15, further characterized in that said connection means is in the form of a switching circuit controllable by said processor means to reverse the connection between said armature and said battery means in the event of failure in the supply of AC current to said induction motor and then allow flow of current from said battery means to said motor/generator for operation of said motor/generator as a motor to drive said wheel means through said epicyclic gear train. 18. A transport system including a guideway, a plurality of carriers each including drive wheel means for effecting movement thereof along said guideway,an AC induction motor, andmeans for supply of AC from said guideway to said induction motor during said movement along said guideway,a drive train that includes an epicyclic gearing having first, second and third elements, said first element being coupled to said AC induction motor to receive an input torque from said AC induction motor, said second element being coupled to said drive wheel means to apply an output torque to said drive wheel means,first brake means for applying a controllable braking torque to said third element to effect application of a drive torque from said second element to said wheel means that is proportional to said braking torque,second brake means for applying a controllable braking torque to said wheel means,battery means,a DC motor-generator mechanically coupled to said wheel means and including an armature electrically coupled to said battery means,said drive train being operative in a carrier-acceleration mode in which said DC motor-generator operates as a motor supplied with current from said battery to apply a corresponding component of accelerating torque to said wheel means and in which said first braking means operate as necessary to cause application of a braking torque to said third element and a corresponding additional component of accelerating torque to said wheel means,said drive train being operative in a carrier-deceleration mode in which said DC motor-generator operates as a generator to apply a charging current to said battery means and a corresponding component of decelerating torque to said wheel means and in which said second braking means operate as necessary to cause application of an additional component of decelerating torque to said wheel means, andsaid drive train being operative in a carrier-drive mode in which said AC supply means are inoperative and in which said DC motor-generator is selectively operative either as a motor supplied with current from said battery means to apply a corresponding drive torque to said wheel means or as a generator supplying a charging current to said battery means to apply a corresponding decelerating torque to said wheel means. 19. A transport system as defined in claim 18 wherein said epicyclic gearing is part of a drive unit of said drive train and includes a sun gear forming said third element and having external teeth, a ring gear having internal teeth and forming said second element, planet gears are meshed with said external teeth of said sun gear and said internal teeth of said ring gear and a carrier supporting said planet gears and forming said first element, wherein locking means are provided for interconnecting two of said elements of said gear train to cause all three to operate at the same rotational speed, andwherein speed sensing means are provided for sensing the speeds of rotation of at least two of said gearing elements,said unit being operable in a lower speed mode in which said locking means is placed in an inoperative condition while operating said brake means to reduce the speed of said sun gear until two of said gear elements are rotating at the same speed with said locking means being thereafter operative to obtain a one-to-one ratio of the speed of rotation of said carrier element to the speed of rotation of said ring gear element, andsaid unit being operative in a higher speed mode in which said locking means is placed in an inoperative condition while operating said brake means to gradually bring rotation of said third element to a stop and to then obtain a certain higher-than-one ratio of the speed of rotation of said second element to the speed of rotation of said first element. 20. A transport system as defined in claim 19, wherein said drive train includes a second drive train unit that includes a second epicyclic gear train, second speed sensing means and third brake means which are respectively similar to said epicyclic gear train, said speed sensing means and said first brake means,said second epicyclic gear train including a carrier coupled to said ring gear of said first drive train unit, a ring gear coupled to said wheel means and a sun gear coupled to said second brake means, andsaid second drive train unit being operative in lower and higher speed modes like those of said first drive train unit whereby to obtain at least three ratios of the speed of rotation of said second element of said second drive train to the speed of rotation of said first element of the first drive train unit. 21. A transport system as defined in claim 20, wherein said brake means includes a rotor coupled to third element, and caliper means for controllable frictional contact with said rotor. 22. A transport system comprising a platform arranged to be carried by a carrier that is movable along a guideway and arranged to receive a car driven thereon and to lock a car thereto, said platform comprising: stop means at a forward end of said platform,chock means located behind said stop means,first operating means for said stop means,second operating means for said chock means,said first and second operating means having car-receiving conditions in which said stop means are in an upright position for engagement by a front bumper of a car to limit forward movement of a car being driven onto said platform and in which said chock means are in lower positions that avoid interference with driving of a car onto said platform and that are behind the front wheels of a car that has a front bumper engaged with said stop means,said first and second operating means having car-locking conditions in which stop means remain in said upright position for engagement with said front bumper of a car to prevent forward movement of a car being driven onto said platform and in which said chock means are moved upwardly from said lower positions and then forwardly into firm contact with front wheels of a car to prevent rearward movement of a car after being driven onto said platform, andsaid first and second operating means having car-delivery conditions in which said stop means are in forward and lowered positions out of the path of car to be driven off of said platform and in which said chock means are back in said lower positions,wherein said first operating means includes spring means operative when said stop means are in said upright position to absorb energy that is applied from the front bumper of a car driven onto the platform. 23. A transport system as defined in claim 22 wherein said stop means includes two transversely spaced elements for contact with transversely spaced portions of a front bumper of a car. 24. A transport system as defined in claim 22 wherein said stop means are journaled on a transverse horizontal axis to be pivotal between said upright position and said forward and lowered position, and wherein said spring means of said first operating means is in the form of torsion spring means on said axis, and a gear motor for operating through said torsion spring means to rotate said stop means about said axis. 25. A transport system as defined in claim 22 wherein said second operating means includes a pair of transversely spaced longitudinally extending racks, a transverse actuating bar connecting forward ends of said racks and arranged to move said chocks forwardly and rearwardly,a pair of pinions meshing with said racks,a transverse shaft connecting said pinions, and gear-motor means for rotating said transverse shaft. 26. A transport system including a guideway including a steel rail, a carrier movable along said guideway and including a support wheel for riding on said steel rail and drive and braking means for said support wheel,characterized in that said support wheel includes a peripheral part that includes first and second annular portions of magnetic material that are in axially spaced relation for contact with separate transversely spaced portions of said steel rail and a third annular portion of magnetic material that is radially inside a space between said first and second annular portions and that completes a magnetic flux path through said first and second portions and through portions of said steel rail that are between areas of said rail contacted by said first and second portions, andmeans for developing a magnetic flux in said path to develop a magnetic attraction between said support wheel and said steel rail and to thereby obtain increased traction between said support wheel and said steel rail. 27. A transport system as defined in claim 26 wherein said magnetic flux developing means comprises a coil of wire that is in said space and that is wound around said third annular portion of said peripheral part of said wheel, and current supply means for applying an electrical current to said coil. 28. A transport system as defined in claim 27, wherein said current supply means includes pair of annular conductors that are in coaxial relation on said wheel and that are connected to opposite ends of said coil, and stationary brush means in contact with said annular conductors and arranged for connection to a source of current.
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