EP1077858A1

EP1077858A1 - Mass transit system

Info

Publication number: EP1077858A1
Application number: EP98928689A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Gert Andersson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-05-13
Filing date: 1998-05-13
Publication date: 2001-02-28
Anticipated expiration: 2018-05-13
Also published as: DE69816874D1; CN1292756A; CN1104353C; AU8042898A; DE69816874T2; ATE246111T1; HK1035169A1; WO1999058387A1; EP1077858B1; KR100424323B1; KR20010043413A

Abstract

A mass transit apparatus for an endless travelling path is known, consisting of consecutive vehicles, which are articulately connected in an endless configuration so that said vehicles can be folded to a side by side position from a linear position. In order to improve the speed reduction or acceleration ratio said vehicles connected to each other by means of distance beams (10) are pivotably connected to said vehicles (1) at points located at both end parts of said vehicles. Horizontal steering means (4, 15) are arranged to cause said vehicles to pivot horizontally from said linear position to said side by side position and in reverse along certain parts of said endless travelling path.

Description

MASS TRANSIT SYSTEM

The present invention is related to a mass transit system or apparatus for an endless travelling path consisting of consecu- tive vehicles, which are articulately connected in an endless configuration so that said vehicles can be folded to a side by side position from a linear position.

Mass transit systems currently in service in a number of loca- tions throughout the world do not adequately solve the transportation needs of densely populated cities. The major disadvantages are found in the construction cost, waiting times, distance between stations and above all, unprofitability for the owner. The long-term profitability of any transport system is essential for its survival. This application for patent comprises an improvement to currently known principle solutions for continuous transportation of transit passengers. The solution, which is based on folding of cars in the horizontal direction, eliminates waiting times at stations, it can reduce distance between stations to less than half of conventional subway systems, it reduces construction cost considerably. Further, it has in combination with constant speed transportation solutions an adaptable transport capacity, which corresponds to the market needs from the lower end to several times the maximum capacities found in conventional mass transit solutions. The major cost savings are primarily arrived at due to smaller cross sections for tunnel or lighter civil work designs for elevated solutions.

In any mass transit system, the very basic but still very essential system issues are lower costs, less waiting times and less distance to walk to the station. The technical solutions addressing waiting times found in current mass transit solutions is implemented by means of shorter time intervals, head- way, between trains. The solution for less walking distance for the passenger to the station is shorter distance between stations. With current technology concepts, this will lead to CO CO M P> o o

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and British patent No. 1294395 published Oct. 25, 1972 for a continuous speed reduction by means of foldable feeder cars. In order to reach above stated aims and improvements the present invention has the characterizing features stated in the follo- wing claims, the main feature hereby being distance beams pivotably connecting the vehicles.

The distance beam serve two functions, it improves the speed reduction or acceleration ratio by a factor of 2, or more if the pivoting points are extended outside the principle length of the car compartment. This reduces the construction cost significantly. The improved speed change ratio means in practice that double or more than double speed change ratio can be achieved compared to previous solutions which do not use a distance beam.

The invention may be applied in stand-alone configurations serving as local transporters and as feeders or distributors to typical transportation nodes such as subway and bus stations in a citywide transportation infrastructure. It may also with modified door arrangement be used for accelerating and decelerating passengers at loading and unloading locations in a constant speed transportation apparatus.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings, provided by way of non-limiting example.

Figure 1 represents a plan view of a typical station arrange- ment . The vehicle compartment has been omitted for better clarity.

Figure 2 is a side elevation view of a high speed section between the stations of a typical vehicle arrangement.

Figure 3 is a side elevation view of a low speed section with folded vehicle ends at a station. Figure 4 is a typical cross section view at a location between two stations.

Figure 4.1 is a detail view of Fig. 4 with wheel and bogie details .

Figure 5 is the principle layout view of the folding process at each station.

Figure 6 is the plan view of the load-carrying frame of foldable vehicle frames and its associated distance beams.

At the stations passengers enter the sideways slow speed moving vehicles 1 through doors 2 arranged in one or both ends of the vehicle at the platforms 3. The speed of the vehicles in the loading or unloading section with a wide distance between the tracks 4 is selected to make a safe transfer either directly from a stationary platform or if so required, from a contin- uously moving belt 5 which is moving at or close to or same speed as the sideways moving vehicles. The speed is in the range of 0.7-1.5 m/s. After a certain time the end doors 2 close and the vehicles start to slowly unfold and accelerate in the main travelling direction. The acceleration force required to accelerate the tare weight of the vehicle can be provided by energy stored in springs 6 which are designed to generate a torque in the pivoting points 7 which in turn generates an acceleration force in the adjacent pivoting points. This acceleration force will have the same direction as the main travel- ling direction.

The acceleration force needed in the main travelling direction for the variable passenger load can be generated by a force transfer device such as controlled linear induction motors 8 fixed to the underlying structure in the acceleration and retardation sections. These linear induction motors 8 generate a contactless acceleration force in the main travelling direc- tion on each reaction plate 9 mounted under each vehicle 1. The proper amount of acceleration force needed for each individual vehicle 1 is adjusted to achieve minimum forces between the track 4 and the flange 15. For this purpose sensors, placed along the track 4 in the retardation and acceleration sections, provide lateral track force information to the control device for the linear induction motors 8. By adjusting the acceleration force generated by the linear induction motors 8 to correspond and be proportional to the mass of the passengers onboard in each individual vehicle 1, minimum lateral forces between the track 4 and the wheel flange 15 can be achieved.

The speed increase ratio is determined by the maximum width B of the vehicle and the distance between three consecutive pivo- ting points 7, designated as L. The speed change ration is L/B. It should be noted that the pivoting points may extend outside the vehicle compartment 11 ends. The distance between the centers of the pivoting points at each end of the distance beam 10 is geometrically determined by the distance L_v between the two pivoting points 7 at each end of the vehicle frame 13 and the width B of the vehicle 1. It has a distance of the square root of (L_v ²+B²) . For a i m wide vehicle and 6 m distance between the frame 13 pivoting points, the speed change ratio will be 12.08.

The length of the vehicle compartment 11 may be adjusted to suit expected passenger volumes. As an example, with a 1 x 5 m compartment size and 4 standing person per m², the capacity amounts to 50,000 person per hour per direction at 10 m/s travelling speed. The number of seated passengers is around 5-8 seats per car, which corresponds to 12000-21000 seated passengers per hour per direction.

The vertical load generated by passengers, the tare weight of the vehicle 1 and the distance beam 10 is transferred to the tracks 4 via pivotable bogies 12 attached to the vehicle frame 13 at opposite sides and in each end of the vehicle frame 13. Each bogie 12 is equipped with two wheels 14 and each wheel 14 has flanges 15 on both sides of the wheel rim 16. The function of the flanges 15 is to generate the rotational forces needed for the folding of the vehicles 1 and to provide guiding forces at sections outside the station areas as well as to generate reaction forces to any uncompensated forces not compensated for by the force transfer device such as the linear induction motors 8 in the acceleration and deceleration sections, where the track gauge is increasing or decreasing.

After acceleration, each vehicle is travelling at constant speed until it reached the next station with a deceleration folding section where folding and its associated deceleration in the travelling direction occur. The function of the inven- tion is here in reverse compared with the acceleration sequence. The retardation forces are generated by means of a force transfer device such as the linear induction motors 8 which via the reaction plates 9 mounted under the vehicle frame 13 exerts a braking force on each vehicle 1 during the folding sequence which takes place where the distance between the tracks 4 is increasing.

The details of described apparatus may be widely varied without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. Thus, for instance, the energy absorption means may be hydraulic means. The horisontal steering means could be arranged at the pivoting point of the vehicles in the form of a gear ring and a rack instead of the shown tracks and wheels. The shown induction motor arrangement may be of any known type in order to brake and accelerate the vehicles.

Claims

1. A mass transit apparatus for an endless travelling path consisting of consecutive vehicles, which are articulately con- nected in an endless configuration so that said vehicles can be folded to a side by side position from a linear position, said vehicles being connected to each other by means of distance beams pivotably connected to said vehicles at points located at both end parts of said vehicles, whereat horisontal steering means are arranged to cause said vehicles to pivot horisontally from said linear position to said side by side position and in reverse along certain parts of said endless travelling path.

2. A mass transit apparatus as claimed in claim 1, where energy absorption means are arranged in connection with any of said pivoting points in order to take up all or part of the kinetic energy of the vehicles when they are pivoting to said side by side configuration.

3. A mass transit apparatus as claimed in claim 2, where said energy storing means are springs.

4. A mass transit apparatus as claimed in claim 1, where linear induction motor arrangements are arranged, one part of said arrangements being situated along said certain parts of said endless travelling path and co-operating with a second part of said arrangements mounted under each vehicle in order to brake and accelerate said vehicles respectively.

5. A mass transit apparatus as claimed in claim 1, where said steering means are tracks on which wheels, mounted adjacent to said pivoting points between said vehicles and said beams, are running. 8

AMENDED CLAIMS

[received by the International Bureau on 20 April 1999 (20.04.99); original claims 1-5 replaced by new claims 1-5 (2 pages)]

1. A mass transit apparatus for an endless travelling path consisting of consecutive vehicles, which are articulately connected in an endless configuration so that said vehicles can be folded to a side by side position from a linear position, said vehicles being connected to each other by means of distance beams pivotably connected to said vehicles at points located at both end parts of said vehicles, whereat horisontal steering means are arranged to cause said vehicles to pivot horisontally from said linear position to said side by side position and in reverse along certain parts of said endless travelling path, characterized in that linear induction motor arrangements are arranged, one part of said arrangements being situated along said endless travelling path and co-operating with second parts of said arrangements mounted under each vehicle in order to brake and accelerate said vehicles respectively.

2. A mass transit apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in, that the induction motor arrangements include induction means and reaction plates, said induction means being arranged along said endless travelling path in its longitudinal centre line, and that reaction plates are mounted under each vehicle.

3. A mass transit apparatus as claimed in claim 1, where energy absorption means are arranged in connection with any of said pivoting points in order to take up all or part of the kinetic energy of the vehicles when they are pivoting to said side by side configuration.

4. A mass transit apparatus as claimed in claim 2, where said energy storing means are springs.

5. A mass transit apparatus as claimed in claim 1, where said steering means are tracks on which wheels, mounted adjacent to said pivoting points between said vehicles and said beams, are running, whereat said wheels have flanges on both sides of the wheel rim.