Patent ID: 8335627
Filing Date: 2012-12-18
Classification: B61H,B61L

Abstract:
1. A speed control system for controlling vehicle speed of one or more vehicles in a personal rapid transit system when said one or more vehicles travel along a track, the personal rapid transit system including a vehicle propulsion system including one or more motors, each motor being adapted to generate a thrust for propelling one of the one or more vehicles, the speed control system comprising: a speed regulation subsystem adapted to control the thrust generated by at least one of said motors based on one or more sensor signals received from vehicle position or and/or speed sensors, so as to control the speed of the one or more vehicles; a vehicle control system included in each of said one or more vehicles and adapted to activate, independently from the speed control by the speed regulation subsystem, an emergency brake mounted on said vehicle, wherein the vehicle control system is adapted to receive recurrent signals from a zone control system for controlling at least a part of the rapid transit system, wherein the vehicle control system is adapted to activate the emergency brake after a predetermined delay time without reception of said recurrent signal, and wherein the delay time depends on the speed of the vehicle so that the vehicle can stop within a predetermined distance.