Patent Publication Number: US-6668732-B2

Title: Column guided and supported self-propelled vehicle

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     None. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     This invention generally relates to passenger and freight transportation vehicles and more specifically to vehicles in which the guideway is comprised of columns only, with no structural interconnection of the columns. 
     2. Prior Art 
     Vehicles which operate above grade level, such as railroad trains, monorail trains or roadway-guided vehicles, all require an interconnecting guide structure to support the vehicle in the horizontal plane. The column guided and supported self-propelled vehicle provides its own internal guideway. Further, with guideway supported vehicles the surface of the guideway itself provides the propulsion means for the vehicle through traction on the guideway surface. The column guided and supported self-propelled vehicle requires no horizontal guideway structure, because it is driven between the supporting columns with a rotating, flexible screw contained within the vehicle in the horizontal plane. In this regard no similar patents have been discovered in searches of the IBM patents server website (www.ibm.com/server) and the uspto.gov website. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of this present invention to provide a column guided and supported self-propelled vehicle that can operate at moderate to high speeds with high gradability over a wide variety of terrain, over deep snow and over shallow water areas, such as lakes, rivers, bays, and wetlands. 
     It is another objective of the present invention to provide a column guided and supported vehicle that is guided between the column rollers by the shape of the vehicle&#39;s internal guideway, which is where the contact between the supporting column and the vehicle takes place. Springing and damping are provided by the column-mounted rollers as well as the springing and damping of the vehicle&#39;s internal guideway. Acceleration, cruise speed, and braking are all provided by the rotational speed of the flexible drive screw. Directional control of the vehicle is also provided by the direction of rotation of the screw. 
     It is further an object of the invention to provide a support and guidance column in which the upper end of the column, which interfaces with the vehicle&#39;s guideway, can be moved to allow the vehicle to change column paths. 
     The preferred embodiment of the present invention is a column guided and supported self-propelled vehicle whose supporting columns are fixed to provide a continuous guidepath or also can be moved to provide access for the vehicle to various other fixed column guidepaths. 
     The vehicle is comprised of an assembly of several modular structural elements hereafter referred to as the car body/structure. Each element of the car body/structure is hinged together in the vertical plane to form the vehicle and each contains a section of the internal guideway. The minimum length of the vehicle is greater than the distance between three guidance and support columns. One or more of the car body/structure elements contains the prime mover—either a heat engine, an electric motor, or a combination of both. The flexible drive screw is connected to the prime mover&#39;s drive system so that it can rotate about its longitudinal center axis to engage the drive lugs located on each support column. The drive screw is constrained by several longitudinally mounted rollers in several of the car body/structure elements. These rollers constrain the drive screw in its vertical and lateral position so that the edges of each turn of the drive screw maintain contact with the drive lug on each column. 
     The means by which the vehicle is aligned when there is a change in direction of the guidance and support columns is accomplished by fitting those guidance and support assemblies which precede a change in the direction of the column path with a passive signal arm. The passive signal arm provides a signal to transducers which are mounted on the vehicle adjacent to the signal arm. The transducers send a signal to a signal processor and power supply which in turn provides a control signal and power to actuate the displacement jacks which are mounted between the adjacent car body/structures. The activated displacement jacks then slightly rotate the car body/structure in the yaw axis relative to each other to effect a curve. They then hold that position until they receive a signal from the transducers to release. This signal allows the centering springs to return the vehicle to a straight column path. 
     The features of this invention believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. However, the invention itself, both as to organization and method of operation together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an elevation section view at the center of the column guided and supported self-propelled vehicle in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged elevation section view of the flexible screw drive in contact with a drive lug. 
     FIG. 3 is a section view of the vehicle adjacent to a support and guidance column in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective cutaway view section through the vehicle adjacent to support and guidance columns. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective cutaway view through the vehicle adjacent to support and guidance columns and the yaw control components in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 6 is a section planview of the vehicle with cutaway floor sections to show the relationship of the vehicle to the support and guidance columns and the yaw control components. 
     FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a support and guidance column and an assembly of such a column. 
     FIG. 8 is a section planview of the vehicle with cutaway floor sections showing how a movable control and guidance column directs the vehicle on to an alternate guidance path and a perspective view of such an assembly. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Turning first to FIG. 1, the elevation section view of the column guided and supported self-propelled vehicle  10  and its internal guideway  11 , the support column  33  is surmounted with the roller assembly  25  and the drive lug  26 , upon which the rotating flexible screw  12  bears to propel the vehicle. The lateral guide rollers  29  and the vertical support rollers  30  are components of the roller assembly. The vertical hinge or flexure  15  within the car body/structure  13  allows the car body/structure to have limited rotational freedom of motion in the horizontal or yaw plane. The yaw motion is controlled by the yaw control system  16  which is shown in further detail in FIG.  4  and FIG.  5 . The prime mover drive system  14  for the rotating flexible screw  12  is mounted in the car body/structure  13 . 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged elevation section to show more clearly the key drive relationship between the column mounted drive lug  26 , the rotating flexible drive screw  12 , and the internal guideway  11 . 
     A typical section view of the column guided and supported self-propelled vehicle is shown in FIG.  3 . At either end of the column guided and supported self-propelled vehicle  10 , the sidewalls of the internal guideway  11  are shaped to provide bearing surfaces for both the lateral guide rollers  29  and the vertical support rollers  30 . The drive lug  26  is shown engaged by the flexible rotating drive screw  12 . Screw guide roller assemblies  24 , which are fixed to the car body/structure, provide control of the flexible rotating drive screw&#39;s  12  position relative to the car body/structure  13  and the drive lug  26 . The screw guide roller assemblies  24  do not constrain the flexible rotating drive screw  12  in its rotational axis so that an assembly of car body/structure can turn freely in the yaw axis. A minimum of one screw guide roller assembly  24  is required for each car body/structure  13 . 
     Now with reference to FIG. 4, a perspective cutaway view of the column guided and supported self-propelled vehicle  10 , the internal guideway  11  at both ends of the column guided and supported self-propelled vehicle  10  is curved upwards and outwards to compensate for any misalignment in the vertical plane or the horizontal plane of the support column  33  and the roller assemblies  25 . 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective cutaway view through the vehicle adjacent to the support and guidance columns to show details of the yaw control components. The passive signal arm  32  is shown to be adjacent to the yaw vector transducer  21 . The transducer is connected via the power and signal harness to the signal processor and power supply  22  which connects to the linear displacement jacks which are located between each of the car body/structure  13  elements. The centering springs  18  are also shown. Their function is to return the car body/structure to a straight path upon release of the linear displacement jacks  17 . 
     FIG. 6 has two planview cutaways showing the relationship of the linear displacement jacks  17  and the centering springs  18  to the car body/structure  13 . The floor is also cut away to show the typical positions of the column roller assemblies  25  to the car body/structure and the vertical hinges  15  in a curved path of columns. 
     FIG. 7 shows both an exploded view and an assembled view of the column roller assembly  25 . All of the column roller assembly components including the drive lug retainer  28 , the drive lug  27 , the vertical support axle  31 , the vertical support rollers  30 , the passive signal arm  32 , and the lateral guideway rollers  30  are mounted on the drive lug shaft  26  which is fixed to the safety retainer flange  34 . The safety retainer flange is fixed to the column  33 . 
     FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of the displacing column roller assembly  35  and a cutaway planview of the self-propelled vehicle showing the relationship of the displacing column roller assembly to the self-propelled vehicle. The displacing column roller assembly  35  contains all of the same components as the fixed column roller assembly  25  but includes a displacement jack assembly  36  which drives the column roller assembly  25  from alignment with one column path  37  to another column path  38 . The displacement jack assembly  36  position would be controlled from either the self-propelled vehicle or from a remote location. 
     While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.