Patent ID: 8706328

Claim:
An apparatus for causing a vehicle to switch tracks in a fixed guideway transportation system, the apparatus comprising: a switch mechanism mounted on the vehicle that interoperates with corresponding fixed track structures to allow the vehicle to switch tracks without any moving components on the tracks, wherein the switch mechanism includes: a switch wheel that is adapted to engage with certain of the corresponding fixed track structures; a shaft connected to the switch wheel that controllably moves the switch wheel between a first position that prevents engagement with the certain fixed track structures and a second position that allows engagement with the certain fixed track structures, wherein the shaft comprises corresponding first and second locking slots for the first and second positions, and a locking bar that controllably engages with the first and second locking slots to lock the shaft in the first and second positions, respectively; first and second coded tags on the shaft corresponding to the first and second positions; and a tag reader adapted to sense the first and second tags, wherein the tag reader is fixedly positioned adjacent to the shaft such that it can only sense the first and second tags when the shaft is in the first and second positions, respectively, and wherein the tag reader sends a first signal when the shaft is in the first position, and sends a second signal when the shaft is in the second position.