Patent GB-1083396-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to continuous transport installations
IPC: B65G35/00
Filed: 1965-08-26
Abstract: 1,083,396. Railway systems; elevated railways; suspended vehicles. G. BOULADON and P. ZUPPIGER. Aug. 26, 1965 [Sept. 4, 1964], No. 36646/65. Heading B7L. A continuous transport installation includes a closed loop aerial rail 1, Fig. 1, having end loops 1A, 1B and intermediate sections 1Ca, 1Da which are closely adjacent each other except for portions 1Cb and 1Db which pass one below the other and spaced apart parallel portions 1Cc and 1Dc connected to the end loop 1B. Transport units are suspended from the rail and articulated together to form either an endless train or several separate trains, the units being successively driven at constant speed, by propulsion units spaced along and beneath the rail and frictionally engaging the lower parts of the units, past stations A to F, each having a passenger boarding stage 72 and a passenger landing stage 73. The station passenger transfer apparatus which is driven at varying speed is similar to that described in Specification 1,034,969 and the variable-speed drive may alternatively be similar to that described in Specification 1,020,529. Each transport unit comprises a trapezium-shaped main wall (10), Figs. 5 and 6 (not shown), secured at its wider bottom edge to the wider edge of a trapeziumshaped platform (11), and secured at its upper edge to the wider edge of a trapezium-shaped ceiling (12) provided with a transparent portion (75). Each unit, having an open outer side, is thus of C-shaped section and is provided with seats (19). The edges of the walls (10) and the ceilings (12) are connected by flexible bellows (17) the floors covered by a continuous flexible carpet (18) and the walls (10) are articulated together by bars (14) having rigidly secured to their ends balls (15), (16) which engage in sockets formed in the lower corners of the walls 10. Between the adjacent edges of the walls (10) extend vertical rods (25). Each rod is secured at its lower end to a bar (14) and at its upper end has a stirrup (25a) carrying a vertical running wheel (26) and a horizontal guide wheel (28). The wheels (26), (28) respectively engage a horizontal flange (27) and a vertical flange (6) of the r-shaped cross-sectioned rail 1. The closely adjacent portions of the sections 1Ca and 1Da of the rails have a common cross-section in the form of a two-legged T, Fig. 2 (not shown). Bars (30), (31), Fig. 4 (not shown) are articulated to the top of the stirrup (25a) and to adjacent ceilings (12). The inner and outer smooth surfaces (42), (44) of the lower edge of each wall (10) are successively engaged by rollers (40), (45) (or 47) of each propulsion unit (P). The latter comprises an electric motor (35) having a casing rotatably mounted in bearings (36), (37) in the ground (S) and carrying a fixed member (46) on which the reaction rollers (45), (47) are mounted, and a rotor carrying the roller (40). The open sides of the transport units, between stations on the intermediate rail sections 1Ca, 1Da, are sealed by flexible endless walls 50 having transparent portions (76) and provided at their upper and lower edges with hooked members engageable with hooked members extended along the outer edges of the ceilings (12) and the platforms (11), the sets of cooperating hooks being disengaged at a boarding stage and re-engaged at a landing stage by means of sliding clamps (60) to (64), all as described with reference to Fig. 8 (not shown). The outer sides of the units at the terminal loops 1A, 1B are similarly closed by flexible walls 59.