Patent ID: 8245648
Filing Date: 2012-08-21
Classification: B61B

Abstract:
1. A guided vehicle transportation system in which a vehicle travels on a pre-established guideway having a depression as a guide track, the system comprising: automatic steering mechanisms arranged for steering front wheels and rear wheels of the vehicle respectively by actuators; guard wheels rotatably mounted to an under side of the vehicle in a lateral plane; a guard rail positioned along a center line of the guide track, the guard rail having a groove in which the guard wheels are received with a predetermined clearance between the periphery of the guard wheels and side walls of the groove of the guard rail; and a fail-safe mechanism comprising the guard wheels and the guard rail, wherein said guard rail has a flange extending toward the groove of the guard rail at the top of each side wall, said vehicle has first arms extending in longitudinal direction of the vehicle and being attached to be rotatable about a support shaft located at a central part of an axle provided for suspending each pair of front wheels and rear wheels, each of said first arms are provided with second arms attached rotatably via second support shafts to both end parts of the first arms, and the guard wheels are attached rotatably to both end parts of the second arms, at least one of said guard wheels has thereon a subsidiary guard wheel smaller in diameter than that of the at least one guard wheel to be rotatable together with the at least one guard wheel, and said subsidiary guard wheel is disposed lower than said flange when the vehicle is moved laterally by lateral external force exerting on the vehicle, thereby heeling over of the vehicle is preventable by engagement of the subsidiary guard wheel with a lower surface of the flange.