Patent Description:
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and do not necessarily constitute prior art.

A hyperloop or hypertube system is being developed recently for allowing a magnetic levitation or maglev train to travel within a partially evacuated conductor tube having a near-vacuum state on the order of <NUM> atm. The hypertube system is a highly expected next-generation mobile vehicle capable of moving at a maximum high speed of <NUM>,<NUM>/h.

Hypertube system particularly needs the precision of position detection of the vehicle. The accuracy of positioning the vehicle is preferably within the error range of a few centimeters. In order to detect the position of a vehicle, an existing precision vehicle position detection system for a maglev railway has used the non-contact type sensor such as a magnetic/electric sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, or an optical sensor. Such a sensor needs to be installed every <NUM> along the guideway so as not to generate an error of <NUM> or more in positioning the vehicle, and they are supposed to be installed in the entire section of operation, thereby incurring an excessive installation cost of the sensor and making maintenance difficult.

With a magnetic/electric sensor, a lot of noise occurs due to a high magnetic field generated by a superconductor electromagnet installed in a hypertube vehicle, which hinders the position detection.

On the other hand, an ultrasonic sensor is deficient due to its relatively slow response time.

Installing an optical sensor not only requires the light receiving unit/light emitting unit to be arranged at every interval comparable to the required precision but also requires the sensor to be periodically cleaned due to the dust inside the hypertube infrastructure.

<CIT> describes a tube type magnetic levitation train in which air friction is minimized in order to prevent noise and vibration pollution. <CIT> describes an apparatus for mounting a train distance detecting apparatus which can accurately measure the distance to a train. The apparatus includes a bracket provided on a stationary body and having a guide part protruding from the stationary body, a moving member coupled to the bracket and configured to linearly move along the guide part, and a housing coupled to the moving member and having a train distance detecting apparatus therein.

The present disclosure in at least one embodiment seeks to provide a hypertube vehicle position detection system capable of detecting the vehicle position with accuracy by the error range of <NUM> or less in a hypertube system.

In addition, the present disclosure in at least one embodiment seeks to provide a hypertube vehicle position detection system that minimizes the number of sensors required, enables easy installation and maintenance work, and reduces sensor installation costs.

In addition, the present disclosure in at least one embodiment seeks to provide a vehicle position detection system that can be used even in a near-vacuum tube environment and has low communication latency and loss despite the rapid speed of the vehicle.

In addition, the present disclosure in at least one embodiment seeks to provide a hypertube system for controlling the operation of a vehicle by using a vehicle position detection system capable of accurately detecting the position of the vehicle.

At least one aspect of the present disclosure provides a system according to claim <NUM> or <NUM>, and/or a method according to claim <NUM>. Such a hypertube system for detecting a position of a hypertube vehicle includes a hypertube vehicle, a tube unit, and at least one LiDAR sensor, where the hypertube vehicle includes a reflector. The tube unit is configured to surround a travel path of the hypertube vehicle. The at least one LiDAR sensor may be mounted on an inner wall of the tube unit. The at least one LiDAR sensor includes a laser transmission unit configured to irradiate a laser toward the hypertube vehicle and a laser reception unit configured to detect a laser. The reflector is configured to reflect the laser irradiated from the LiDAR sensor. Here, a laser reflected from the reflector reaches the laser reception unit of the LiDAR sensor to be used in detecting the position of the hypertube vehicle.

In the following description, like reference numerals designate like elements, although the elements are shown in different drawings. Further, in the following description of some embodiments, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated therein will be omitted for the purpose of clarity and for brevity.

Additionally, various terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc., are used solely for the purpose of differentiating one component from the other, not to imply or suggest the substances, the order or sequence of the components. Throughout this specification, when a part "includes" or "comprises" a component, the part is meant to further include other components, not to exclude thereof unless specifically stated to the contrary. The terms such as "unit," "module," and the like refer to one or more units for processing at least one function or operation, which may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination thereof.

The hypertube system described below may include the construction of a system for detecting the position of a hypertube vehicle, which is at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Further, in the following description, "hypertube vehicle <NUM>" may be abbreviated as "vehicle <NUM>.

<FIG> is a schematic perspective view of a configuration of a hypertube system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in <FIG>, the system for detecting the position of a hypertube vehicle according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a hypertube vehicle <NUM>, a guideway <NUM>, and a tube unit <NUM> among others.

The hypertube vehicle <NUM> is movable within the tube unit <NUM> along the guideway <NUM>. The hypertube vehicle <NUM> may further include a vehicle body <NUM> and includes a reflector <NUM> which will be described below.

The hypertube vehicle <NUM> proceeds along the guideway <NUM>. A method of operating the hypertube vehicle <NUM> will be described with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> are diagrams of the constructions of air-core linear synchronous motors (LSMs) <NUM> for providing power to the hypertube vehicle <NUM> in a hypertube system and of superconductor (HTS) electromagnets <NUM> disposed on the side of the hypertube vehicle <NUM> according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the hypertube vehicle <NUM> uses a magnetic force between the superconductor electromagnets <NUM> installed in the vehicle <NUM> and the air-core linear synchronous motor <NUM> installed in the guideway <NUM> to obtain the driving force therefor. For example, the superconductor electromagnet <NUM> installed in the vehicle <NUM> may be a direct current (DC) electromagnet, which allows adjusting the phase of the current flowing through the ground-side three-phase air-core linear synchronous motor <NUM> for performing propulsion and control of the vehicle <NUM> with maximum efficiency.

Since the hypertube system according to the present embodiment controls the phase of the current flowing through the air-core linear synchronous motor <NUM> and thereby performs propulsion of the vehicle <NUM>, it is significant to precisely grasp the position of the superconductor electromagnet <NUM> disposed on the side of the vehicle <NUM> or the position of the vehicle <NUM> in order to achieve maximum efficiency. By precisely determining the position of the vehicle <NUM>, the phase of the current of the air-core linear synchronous motor <NUM> may be precisely controlled to increase the propulsion efficiency of the vehicle <NUM>. At this time, it is preferable that no more than a few centimeters of error is generated in determining the position of the vehicle <NUM>.

<FIG> is a diagram of a configuration of a hypertube vehicle position detection system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, illustrating the principle of detecting the position of the hypertube vehicle <NUM> by using the hypertube position detection system.

As shown in <FIG>, the hypertube vehicle position detection system includes at least one LiDAR sensor <NUM> in addition to the configuration shown in <FIG>. In addition, the hypertube vehicle position detection system according to some embodiments includes a depressurizing chamber A, a departure and an arrival platform B, and a maintenance depot C among others.

The hypertube vehicle <NUM> includes a reflector <NUM>. The reflector <NUM> reflects a laser irradiated from the LiDAR sensor <NUM>, and the laser reflected by the reflector <NUM> is received by the LiDAR sensor <NUM> to detect the position of the hypertube vehicle <NUM>. The reflector <NUM> may be formed to surround the front portion of the vehicle <NUM>. On the other hand, the LiDAR sensor <NUM> as situated rearward of the vehicle <NUM> may irradiate a laser therefrom toward the vehicle <NUM>, in which case the reflector <NUM> may be disposed on the rear portion of the vehicle <NUM> (shown in <FIG>). The reflector <NUM> is preferably made of a material or an object having good reflectivity with respect to the laser.

The LiDAR sensor <NUM> detects the position of the hypertube vehicle <NUM> and the like. The LiDAR sensor <NUM> includes a laser transmission unit (not shown) which irradiates a laser toward the hypertube vehicle <NUM>. In addition, the LiDAR sensor <NUM> includes a laser reception unit (not shown) for detecting a laser.

Meanwhile, the LiDAR sensor <NUM> may be mounted on the inner wall of the tube unit <NUM>. To prevent the tube unit <NUM> from undergoing a 'Kantrowitz Limit' phenomena caused by choked flow or air resistance which limits the vehicle <NUM> from accelerating to the speed of <NUM>/h or faster, a sufficient amount of empty space needs to be secured between the tube unit <NUM> and the vehicle <NUM> in addition to the moving path of the vehicle <NUM>. The LiDAR sensor <NUM> may be disposed by utilizing such a clearance.

Although the LiDAR sensor <NUM> may be mounted on one location of the tube unit <NUM>, multiples of the LiDAR sensor <NUM> may be disposed opposite each other about a central axis of the tube unit <NUM>. This configuration will be described with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>.

<FIG> and <FIG> are diagrams of a hypertube vehicle position detection system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, illustrating a configuration in which the LiDAR sensors <NUM> are disposed opposite each other about the central axis of the tube unit <NUM>. Specifically, <FIG> illustrates the principle of detecting the position of the hypertube vehicle <NUM> when it is at a distance, and <FIG> as the hypertube vehicle <NUM> came closer.

With the LiDAR sensor <NUM> disposed in a single position on the tube unit <NUM>, the laser irradiation and reflection angles are established almost horizontal on the ground plane when the LiDAR sensor <NUM> and the vehicle <NUM> are distanced from each other, having little chance of error occurring. However, when the vehicle <NUM> comes close to the LiDAR sensor <NUM>, the laser irradiation and reflection angles are inclined with respect to the ground plane, thereby generating an error in the detected position of the vehicle <NUM>.

In order to eliminate the position detection error generated for the above reasons, the additional LiDAR sensor <NUM> is provided. In particular, as illustrated, the multiple LiDAR sensors <NUM> arranged to face each other can reduce the chances of position detection error of the vehicle <NUM> even at the closer distance between the LiDAR sensor <NUM> and the vehicle <NUM> as in <FIG>. This is because the multiple LiDAR sensors <NUM> disposed at opposite positions are complementary to each other to perform the position detection function on the vehicle <NUM>. On the other hand, multiple LiDAR sensors <NUM> may be disposed opposite each other about the center of the tube unit <NUM> and they may be disposed such that each distance from the vehicle <NUM> to each of the multiple LiDAR sensors <NUM> is different. It is understood that the multiple LiDAR sensors <NUM> may be arranged in a different form than that described above as long as they are configured to perform the complementary position detection.

The LiDAR sensor <NUM> has a laser transmission unit and the laser reception unit arranged adjacent to each other facing the same direction.

The laser transmission unit transmits a laser for detecting the position of the vehicle <NUM>. The laser irradiated from the laser transmission unit is reflected from the reflector <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM>.

The laser reception unit receives the laser reflected from the reflector <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM>. Specifically, the position of the vehicle <NUM> is detected based on information on the laser being irradiated from the laser transmission unit and reflected from the reflector <NUM> and received by the laser reception unit. More specifically, the distance, direction, speed, etc. of the hyperloop vehicle <NUM> can be measured or calculated by measuring the time taken by the laser irradiated from the laser transmission unit of the LiDAR sensor <NUM> until it reaches the laser reception unit.

The guideway <NUM> provides propulsion to the hypertube vehicle <NUM> as described above. In addition, the guideway <NUM> keeps the hypertube vehicle <NUM> from deviating from its designated route.

The tube unit <NUM> is formed into a tunnel along the path of travel of the hypertube vehicle <NUM>.

Meanwhile, a hypertube vehicle position detection system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure has the tube unit <NUM> provided internally with a laser absorption unit <NUM> for absorbing the laser reflected from the reflector <NUM>.

Referring now to <FIG>, a configuration in which the laser absorption unit <NUM> is disposed inside the tube unit <NUM> will be described. <FIG> is a diagram illustrating the principle of detecting the position of the vehicle <NUM> by irradiating a laser from the LiDAR sensor <NUM> in the hypertube vehicle position detection system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

A laser L11 irradiated from the laser transmission unit of the LiDAR sensor <NUM> is reflected by the reflector <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM>. In this case, the component of the laser reflected from the reflector <NUM>, which is directly utilized for detecting the position of the vehicle <NUM> is a laser component L12 that is not refracted by any other reflecting element and reaches the laser reception unit of the LiDAR sensor <NUM>. At this time, laser components such as at L2, L3, etc. of <FIG>, which are refracted after being incident on the wall surface of the tube unit <NUM>, may also be received by the laser reception unit of the LiDAR sensor <NUM> to generate noise. This may generate an error in the detected position of the vehicle <NUM>.

In order to reduce the possibility of an error occurring due to the noise, the laser absorbing portion <NUM> may be disposed inside the tube unit <NUM>. The laser absorbing portion <NUM> may be disposed to cover the entire inside of the tube unit <NUM>. In addition, the laser absorption unit <NUM> may be made of a member having a plurality of crystallographic axes suitable for absorbing the laser or a member with polarizing properties. This will remove the noise generated by the diffused reflections of the laser, thereby reducing an error due to noise.

Meanwhile, a hypertube vehicle position detection system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least one angle adjusting unit <NUM> which functions to change the traveling path of the laser transmitted from the laser transmission unit of the LiDAR sensor <NUM> and the traveling path of the laser reflected from the reflector <NUM>. This configuration will be described with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> is a diagram of a plurality of LiDAR sensors <NUM> arranged in a curved tube in a hypertube vehicle position detection system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Where the LiDAR sensor <NUM> has secured a direct or straight view of the vehicle <NUM>, a laser may be irradiated from the laser transmission unit of the LiDAR sensor <NUM> to the reflector <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM> without an obstacle. In this case, the laser reception unit can detect the position of the vehicle <NUM> by directly receiving the laser reflected from the reflector <NUM>.

Whereas, the tube unit <NUM> may have a curve, which will interrupt the LiDAR sensor <NUM> disposed on the curved surface of the tube unit <NUM> from securing the linear path. Here, the tube unit <NUM> may be an obstacle to establishing a direct laser path linking the laser transmission unit or the laser reception unit to the reflector <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM>. Accordingly, the plurality of LiDAR sensors <NUM> needs to be additionally disposed where to secure a view of the curved surface of the tube unit <NUM> or of the vehicle <NUM> located beyond the curved surface, which is cumbersome. This increases the number of required LiDAR sensors <NUM>, resulting in increased efforts and costs related to the purchase, installation, and maintenance of the LiDAR sensors.

In response, <FIG> illustrates an arrangement of the angle adjusting units <NUM> in the hypertube vehicle position detection system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

In order to save the straight path of the laser from being hampered by the curvature of the tube unit <NUM>, the angle adjusting units <NUM> may be arranged as shown in <FIG>, thereby reducing the number of LiDAR sensors <NUM> required. In particular, the angle adjusting units <NUM> are each disposed in the tube unit <NUM> to change the path of the laser beam emitted from the LiDAR sensor <NUM> or reflected from the reflector <NUM>, thereby forming a laser path linking the vehicle <NUM> with the LiDAR sensor <NUM>. At this time, the angle adjusting unit <NUM> may have a reflecting surface for reflecting the laser.

The following describes referring to <FIG>, a configuration in which the travel path of the laser emitted from the LiDAR sensor <NUM> or reflected from the vehicle <NUM> is horizontally formed in the hypertube vehicle position detection system according to at least one embodiment of the present embodiment. <FIG> is a diagram illustrating irradiation of a laser in a horizontal direction from the LiDAR sensor <NUM> toward the hypertube vehicle <NUM> in the hypertube vehicle position detection system according to at least one embodiment.

In this embodiment, the LiDAR sensor <NUM> is disposed in parallel to the reflector <NUM> of the hypertube vehicle <NUM>. At this time, the path of the laser transmitted from the laser transmission unit of the LiDAR sensor <NUM> to the reflector <NUM> is formed parallel to the ground plane or the heading direction of the hypertube vehicle <NUM>.

In this arrangement, only laser component L12, which is directly exchanged between the LiDAR sensor <NUM> and the reflector <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM> and is useful in the position detection of the vehicle <NUM>, reaches the laser reception unit with a relatively strong intensity (shown in <FIG>). On the other hand, the reflection angles of other laser components acting as noise are relatively large to effectively scatter the laser components so that a reduced amount of noise components reaches the laser reception unit. This can improve the accuracy of position detection.

It has been described with reference to <FIG> that multiple LiDAR sensors <NUM> are disposed in order to prevent the detection of the vehicle <NUM> from becoming inaccurate when the vehicle <NUM> gets close to the LiDAR sensor <NUM>. The inaccuracy of the position detection of the vehicle <NUM> depending on the distance between the vehicle <NUM> and the LiDAR sensor <NUM> is because the laser is irradiated with the laser path inclined against the vehicle <NUM>. Formed parallel to the ground plane, the laser path can detect the position of the vehicle <NUM> more accurately regardless of the distance from the LiDAR sensor <NUM> to the vehicle <NUM>.

However, when the LiDAR sensor <NUM> is disposed on the traveling path of the vehicle <NUM>, there is a risk of an accident due to collision between the LiDAR sensor <NUM> and the vehicle <NUM>, which can be resolved by an exemplary configuration described below with reference to <FIG> is a diagram of the LiDAR sensors <NUM> having an illustrative movable structure for preventing a bump or collision between the LiDAR sensors <NUM> and the vehicle <NUM> in a hypertube vehicle position detection system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

The structure may be a sensor repositioning structure <NUM>. The sensor repositioning structure <NUM> is coupled to the LiDAR sensor <NUM> and the tube unit <NUM> to fix the LiDAR sensor <NUM> and change the position of the LiDAR sensor <NUM>.

Specifically, the sensor repositioning structure <NUM> is configured to change the position or shape of the LiDAR sensor <NUM> according to the movement of the hypertube vehicle <NUM> in order to prevent a bump or collision between the LiDAR sensor <NUM> and the vehicle <NUM>. The sensor repositioning structure <NUM> may be constructed in a foldable configuration, as shown in <FIG>, and alternatively but not exclusively, configured to adjust the length of a bar for varying the position of the LiDAR sensor <NUM>. When constructed to adjust the length of a bar for varying the position of the LiDAR sensor <NUM>, the sensor repositioning structure <NUM> may render the laser path to be inclined to the ground plane depending on the position of the LiDAR sensor <NUM> as shown in <FIG>, and allow the laser path to be formed parallel to the ground plane as shown in <FIG>.

Meanwhile, the system according to at least one embodiment includes a separate collision avoidance control device (not shown) that adjusts the mounting of the sensor repositioning structure <NUM>. The collision avoidance control apparatus may vary the mounting of the sensor repositioning structure <NUM> according to the movement of the vehicle <NUM>. For example, the vehicle <NUM> and the LiDAR sensor <NUM> are within a safe distance, the LiDAR sensor <NUM> may be made not to collide with the vehicle <NUM> through control such as folding the sensor repositioning structure <NUM>.

Meanwhile, unlike <FIG>, the vehicle <NUM> and the LiDAR sensor <NUM> may be prevented from colliding with each other by having the LiDAR sensor <NUM> situated rearward of the vehicle <NUM> on the traveling path thereof, which will be described with reference to <FIG> is a diagram of the LiDAR sensor <NUM> situated rearward of the hypertube vehicle <NUM>, irradiating a laser toward the rear of the vehicle <NUM> in the hypertube vehicle position detection system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the configuration shown in <FIG>, the need to adjust the position of the LiDAR sensor <NUM> by using the sensor repositioning structure <NUM> is the same as described with respect to <FIG>. However, different from <FIG>, the configuration of <FIG> illustrates that the multiple LiDAR sensors <NUM> have one that is situated rearward of the hypertube vehicle <NUM> so that the rearward LiDAR sensor <NUM> is disposed parallel to the path of travel of the hypertube vehicle <NUM>, while the multiple LiDAR sensors <NUM> have another one situated in front of the hypertube vehicle <NUM> so that the forward LiDAR sensor <NUM> may be repositioned to avoid collision with the hypertube vehicle <NUM>.

At this time, when the sensor repositioning structure <NUM> is controlled by using the collision avoidance control device, the position of the LiDAR sensor <NUM> can be adjusted. In this case, the collision avoidance control device may reposition the forward LiDAR sensor <NUM> situated in front of the heading direction of the vehicle <NUM> out of the travel path of the vehicle <NUM> to prevent a collision between the vehicle <NUM> and the forward LiDAR sensor <NUM>. In addition, the rearward LiDAR sensor <NUM> situated rearward of the heading direction of the vehicle <NUM> may be disposed at a position on a path through which the vehicle <NUM> has already passed so as to detect the position of the vehicle <NUM> and irradiate the laser toward the vehicle <NUM> in a horizontal direction.

At this time, the reflector <NUM> may be formed on the vehicle <NUM> at the rear surface thereof to reflect, from the rear of the vehicle <NUM>, the laser irradiated toward the vehicle <NUM>. On the other hand, the LiDAR sensor <NUM>, which is situated in front of the traveling vehicle <NUM> away from the travel path of of the vehicle <NUM>, may be relocated or repositioned upon receiving a signal from the collision avoidance control device after the vehicle <NUM> passes through the same LiDAR sensor <NUM> so that it gets back on the traveled path by the vehicle <NUM>.

The following describes referring to <FIG>, a configuration of the hypertube vehicle position detection system for detecting the position of the vehicle <NUM> and controlling the operation of the vehicle <NUM>, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a diagram for illustrating a process of transmitting position detection information of the vehicle <NUM>, in at least one embodiment.

As shown in <FIG>, a hypertube system includes an information receiving unit <NUM>, an information storage unit <NUM>, an information transmitting unit <NUM>, an information-gathering unit <NUM>, a computing unit <NUM>, an operation control unit <NUM>, and the like.

The information receiving unit <NUM> receives information contained in a receive laser which is received by the laser reception unit of the LiDAR sensor <NUM>. Here, the information contained in the receive laser includes a travel distance and a travel time of the receive laser.

The information storage unit <NUM> receives the information in the receive laser from the information receiving unit <NUM> and stores the same information.

The information transmitting unit <NUM> receives and transmits the information in the receive laser to the information-gathering unit <NUM>. Specifically, the information contained in the receive laser is transmitted from the information receiving unit <NUM> to the information storage unit <NUM>, and then transferred from the information storage unit <NUM> to the information transmitting unit <NUM>. Alternatively, the information in the receive laser may be transmitted directly from the information receiving unit <NUM> to the information transmitting unit <NUM> without passing through the information storage unit <NUM>.

The information-gathering unit <NUM> collects the information in the receive laser and processes the collected information into operational information of the vehicle <NUM>. Here, the operational information of the vehicle <NUM> refers to information including data of the location of the vehicle <NUM> and the speed of the vehicle <NUM> and the like.

The computing unit <NUM> calculates an electric current value corresponding to the direction and speed of the vehicle <NUM> based on the operational information received from the information-gathering unit <NUM> and transmits the calculated current value to the operation control unit <NUM>.

The operation control unit <NUM> controls the operation of the hypertube vehicle <NUM>. Specifically, the operation control unit <NUM> controls the direction and speed of the hypertube vehicle <NUM> based on the operational information of the hypertube vehicle <NUM> generated by the information-gathering unit <NUM>. For example, the operation control unit <NUM> may control the operation of the hypertube vehicle <NUM> by controlling the three-phase current flowing in the air-core linear synchronous motor <NUM>.

The following describes, referring to <FIG>, a process performed by the hypertube vehicle position detection system for detecting the position of the vehicle <NUM> and controlling the operation of the vehicle <NUM> according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

<FIG> is a flowchart of a process of detecting the position of the vehicle <NUM> by receiving laser information and controlling the operation of the vehicle <NUM> based on the detected vehicle position, according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. However, in the present embodiment, the position detection or operation control process of the vehicle <NUM> is not necessarily performed in the order illustrated in <FIG>, and the order is subject to change.

The vehicle position detection or operation control process according to the present embodiment includes steps of a laser irradiation (S11), a laser information reception (S12), a laser information analysis (S13), a vehicle position detection (S14), an electric current control (S15), and a vehicle operation control (S16).

In the laser irradiation step S11, the laser transmission unit of the LiDAR sensor <NUM> irradiates a laser beam toward the reflector <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM>.

In the laser information reception step S12, the laser reflected from the vehicle <NUM> is received after it had been irradiated by the laser transmission unit <NUM> of the LiDAR sensor <NUM> in the laser irradiation step S11. In particular, the laser reception unit of the LiDAR sensor <NUM> receives the reflected laser.

In the laser information analysis step S13, the information contained in the receive laser is received from the laser information reception step S12, and the received information is collected and analyzed. This process calculates information such as travel time, irradiation and reflection angles of the receive laser and the like.

In the vehicle position detection step S14, the position of the vehicle <NUM> is detected from the receive laser information calculated by the laser information analysis step S13. This session further provides information on the speed and direction of the vehicle <NUM> as well as the position of the vehicle <NUM>.

In the electric current control step (S15), the current value to be applied to the air-core linear synchronous motors (LSMs) <NUM> is determined based on the information obtained by the vehicle position detection step (S14), and the air-core LSMs <NUM> are allowed to share the determined current value.

The vehicle operation control step S16 controls the speed, heading direction, etc. of the vehicle <NUM>. The speed of the vehicle <NUM> is determined to correspond to the value of the current to flow in the air-core LSMs <NUM>. Specifically, since the magnitude of the magnetic force acting between the superconductor electromagnets <NUM> installed in the vehicle <NUM> and the air-core LSMs <NUM> varies according to the value of the current flowing in the air-core LSMs <NUM>, the speed and other aspects of the vehicle <NUM> are controlled by controlling the current value of the air-core LSMs <NUM>.

<FIG> is a diagram of a configuration of a hypertube system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

The hypertube system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure includes a hypertube vehicle <NUM>, a tube unit <NUM>, and a LiDAR sensor <NUM> as described above.

In addition, the hypertube system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure may include a depressurizing chamber A', a departure and an arrival platform B' or a maintenance depot C' among others, although a detailed description thereof is omitted.

The hypertube vehicle or vehicle body <NUM> may include a vehicle body <NUM> and includes a reflector <NUM>.

As described above, the superconductor electromagnets <NUM> may be disposed under the vehicle body <NUM> to propel the vehicle <NUM> by electromagnetic interaction with the propulsion coil disposed on the guideway <NUM>.

The reflector <NUM> may be disposed on the vehicle body <NUM>. For example, the reflector <NUM> may be formed to surround the front portion of the vehicle <NUM>.

The LiDAR sensor <NUM> may be adapted to operate when situated in front of the vehicle <NUM> as will be described below with reference to <FIG>. Alternatively, the LiDAR sensor <NUM> may be configured to irradiate a laser from behind the vehicle <NUM> toward the vehicle <NUM>, in which case the reflector <NUM> may be disposed on the rear portion of the vehicle <NUM>. The reflector <NUM> is preferably made of a material or an object having good reflectivity with respect to the laser.

The reflector <NUM> reflects the laser irradiated from the LiDAR sensor <NUM> which then receives a laser reflected by the reflector <NUM> to detect the position of the hypertube vehicle <NUM>.

The LiDAR sensor <NUM> detects the position of the hypertube vehicle <NUM> and the like. The LiDAR sensor <NUM> includes a laser transmission unit (not shown) that irradiates a laser toward the hypertube vehicle <NUM>. In addition, the LiDAR sensor <NUM> includes a laser reception unit (not shown) for detecting a laser.

Meanwhile, the LiDAR sensor <NUM> may be disposed outside the tube unit <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. This is to prevent the heat generation of the LiDAR sensor <NUM> and the consequences caused by the heat.

Specifically, the LiDAR sensor <NUM> detects the position of the vehicle <NUM> by emitting a laser from the laser transmission unit toward the vehicle <NUM> and receiving the laser reflected from the vehicle <NUM> by the laser reception unit.

At this time, the position of the vehicle <NUM> is detected based on information on the laser received by the laser reception unit after the laser irradiated from the laser transmission unit is reflected from the vehicle <NUM>. For example, the position, speed, etc. of the hyperloop vehicle <NUM> may be measured by measuring the time taken by the laser from its irradiation from the laser transmission unit until it reaches the laser reception unit.

At this time, the single LiDAR sensor <NUM> detects the position of the vehicle <NUM> separated by a few kilometers therefrom.

This causes the LiDAR sensor <NUM> to use a high-output laser source so that the LiDAR sensor <NUM> is likely to be heated by laser generation.

Due to its near-vacuum internal environment, the tube unit, when internally provided with a LiDAR sensor, suffers from a cooling deficiency through the heat transfer mechanism (conduction, convection, and radiation).

In such an environment, there may be difficulties associated with the operation of the LiDAR sensor, such as by continuously increasing the temperature of the LiDAR sensor, so that the LiDAR sensor fails. A possible solution is to construct an additional cooling system which, however, will increase the cost and complexity of the system.

An additional cooling system might generate a leakage at its heat transfer unit to jeopardize the near-vacuum state of the inside of the tube.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a solution to the consequences caused by the temperature rise of the LiDAR sensor <NUM> is to install the LiDAR sensor <NUM> externally of the tube unit.

This also allows providing a configuration that the LiDAR sensor <NUM> is cooled through a cooling apparatus, which is not shown so that the temperature rise can be prevented. At this time, the cooling apparatus may be water-cooled, air-cooled, and other possible types.

Meanwhile, the laser irradiated by the LiDAR sensor <NUM> is irradiated toward the vehicle <NUM> through a laser penetration unit <NUM> and a laser refraction unit <NUM>, which will be described below. As described above, the laser irradiated toward the vehicle <NUM> is reflected by the reflector <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM> and is received by the laser reception unit of the LiDAR sensor <NUM> through the laser refraction unit <NUM> and the laser penetration unit <NUM>.

<FIG> is a diagram of a laser absorption unit <NUM> formed on an inner wall of a tube unit <NUM> in a hypertube system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The following describes, with reference to <FIG>, the configuration of the laser absorption unit <NUM> of the hypertube system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure and the laser irradiation process in the hypertube system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the hypertube system, a laser L110 irradiated from the laser transmission unit of the LiDAR sensor <NUM> is directed to pass through the laser penetration unit <NUM> and then refracted by the laser refraction unit <NUM>. Laser L110 refracted by the laser refraction unit <NUM> is irradiated toward the vehicle <NUM> and is reflected by the reflector <NUM> formed on the vehicle body <NUM>.

Meanwhile, a laser L120 reflected by the reflector <NUM> formed on the vehicle body <NUM> is again refracted by the laser refraction unit <NUM> and transmitted through the laser penetration unit <NUM> to the laser reception unit of the LiDAR sensor <NUM>.

Within the laser reflected by the reflector <NUM> are noise components L20 and L30 which interfere with the detection of the position of the vehicle <NUM>, in addition to the effective laser component L120 utilized directly for the position detection of the vehicle <NUM>. Laser components L20 and L30 are scattered to the wall surface of the tube unit <NUM> as opposed to the components reflected by the reflector <NUM> and then received by the laser reception unit through the laser refraction unit <NUM> and the laser penetration unit <NUM>.

Such noise components L20 and L30 may generate an error with respect to the detected position of the vehicle <NUM>.

In order to reduce the possibility of error occurrence by noise components L20 and L30, the laser absorption unit <NUM> may be disposed inside the tube unit <NUM>. The laser absorption unit <NUM> may be disposed to cover some or all of the inside of the tube unit <NUM> except for the laser penetration unit <NUM>.

The laser absorption unit <NUM> may also be made of a member having a plurality of crystallographic axes suitable for absorbing the laser or a member with polarizing properties. As described above, the laser absorption unit <NUM> can absorb the laser components reflected by the reflector <NUM>, thereby removing noise otherwise received by the laser reception unit of the LiDAR sensor <NUM>.

<FIG> is a diagram of a configuration of the laser penetration unit <NUM> of a hypertube system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a diagram of a configuration of a laser refraction unit <NUM> of the hypertube system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

The laser penetration unit <NUM> may be formed at one location on the tube unit <NUM>. The laser penetration unit <NUM> may include a transparent window <NUM> which may be formed of, for example, a piece of transparent glass. The laser penetration unit <NUM> may allow the laser irradiated by the laser irradiation unit of the LiDAR sensor <NUM> to pass into the tube unit <NUM> and then irradiated toward the vehicle <NUM>.

In addition, the laser reflected by the vehicle <NUM> may pass through the laser penetration unit <NUM> and then be received by the laser reception unit of the LiDAR sensor <NUM>.

The laser refraction unit <NUM> may be formed within the tube unit <NUM>. The laser refraction unit <NUM> may include mirrors <NUM>, lenses <NUM>, and an emulsion oil unit <NUM>.

The laser of a <NUM> fiber laser and a visible probe laser, irradiated by the laser irradiation portion of the LiDAR sensor <NUM> may be refracted or reflected by one or more mirrors <NUM> to be irradiated toward the vehicle <NUM>.

In addition, the laser refracted or reflected by each mirror <NUM> passes through one or more lenses <NUM> formed in its irradiation path in which the illustrative emulsion oil unit <NUM> is disposed, thereby clearly grasping the position of the vehicle <NUM>. The above configuration may include an additional acousto-optic deflector (AOD) for controlling laser light.

In addition, the laser reflected by the reflector <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM> may also be refracted by the laser refraction unit <NUM> and received by the laser reception unit of the LiDAR sensor <NUM>.

<FIG> is a graph of a data acquisition scheme in a comparative example for a laser received by a LiDAR sensor, and <FIG> is a graph of a data acquisition method for a laser received by a LiDAR sensor <NUM> in a hypertube system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in <FIG>, in the comparative example, a plurality of laser transmissions/receptions is performed through a LiDAR sensor to obtain a plurality of data items for the location or distance information of the vehicle. In addition, information V2 is calculated on the location or distance of the actual vehicle by using an average value V1 of the obtained data items.

However, this approach may have high reliability when the vehicle is at a stop or very low speed but is not suitable for detecting the position of such a high-speed vehicle as a hypertube vehicle reaching a maximum speed of <NUM>/s.

For this reason, as shown in <FIG>, the hypertube system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure determines distances V2 of the actual vehicle <NUM> by using a single laser transmission/reception data V1. This can tell the position or distance of the vehicle <NUM> with high reliability even though the hypertube vehicle <NUM> travels at super speed.

In this case, to increase reliability, multiple LiDAR sensors <NUM> may be used to correct the obtained data. For example, the multiple LiDAR sensors <NUM> may be disposed adjacent to each other to grasp the position or distance of the vehicle <NUM>.

At this time, in order for the information on the location or distance of the vehicle <NUM> to have high reliability, the reflector <NUM> of the vehicle <NUM> preferably causes the mininum possible loss of the laser. In addition, it is preferable that the laser is scattered in the tube so that noise is minimized.

Further, it is significant to block the inflow of light which can act as a disturbance inside of the tube and on the irradiation path of the laser.

Claim 1:
A hypertube system for detecting a position of a hypertube vehicle (<NUM>) traveling along a travel path, the system comprising:
the hypertube vehicle (<NUM>);
a tube unit (<NUM>) configured to surround the travel path of the hypertube vehicle (<NUM>);
at least one LiDAR sensor (<NUM>) mounted on an inner wall of the tube unit (<NUM>) and including a laser transmission unit configured to irradiate a laser (L11) toward the hypertube vehicle (<NUM>) and a laser reception unit configured to detect a laser;
wherein:
the hypertube vehicle (<NUM>) includes a reflector (<NUM>) configured to reflect the laser (L11) irradiated from the LiDAR sensor (<NUM>); and
the laser reception unit of the LiDAR sensor (<NUM>) is configured to receive a reflected laser component (L12) of the laser reflected from the reflector to be used in detecting the position of the hypertube vehicle (<NUM>) along the travel path.