GB1176444A - Endless Passenger Transport System - Google Patents

Abstract

1,176,444. Passenger transport system. BATTELLE DEVELOPMENT CORP. 9 May, 1968 [10 May, 1967], No. 22144/68. Heading B7L. An endless passenger transport system for connecting a series of stations in both directions comprises either a pair of endless tracks 12 each for travel in one direction only and each passing through all the stations, or a single track having two parallel closely spaced runs which pass through all the stations, there being suspended from the track individual transport units, Fig. 8, driven by track mounted motors 60 which engage flanges 65 of the units, said units being driven at a slow speed through the stations in contacting relationship and at a high speed between stations where they travel in open formation. The units each consist of a floor 6, roof 7, transverse walls 10, a fixed longitudinal wall 8 and an openable longitudinal wall 9. The wall 9 is formed of portions 9a, 9b pivotable at 14a, 14b to outward horizontal positions. Also portions 18 of walls 10 are pivotable at 19 to position 18a providing communication between the units at a station. The wall 9, and wall portions 18 are opened at the station by means of guide rollers 36, 40 and 47 attached thereto being engaged in slots 37, 41 and 48 which are contoured to move the rollers to the dotted positions causing the walls to open. Oppositely contoured slots at the exit from a station cause the walls to close. A latch mechanism 50 is released by a rod 53 engaging a cam on entering a station. The electric motors 60 are spaced along the track between stations and have a drive roller 61 engageable with flange 65 and a rotatably mounted stator supporting an idler roller 63, whereby the gripping force exerted on the flange is proportional to the driving torque applied by roller 61. At a station there is provided alighting and boarding cranked handrails 20, 21, those portions of which are parallel to the track passing through the wall openings provided by wall portions 18. The lower portions of walls 9 are horizontally ribbed and pass under a similarly ribbed platform extension 22. Each wall portion 9a, 9b may further be divided into portions 9a 1 , 9a 2 , 9b 1 , 9b 2 . The units are caused to close together in stations and space apart therebetween by being connected to an adjacent unit by means of a cable, e.g. 67, Fig. 9. One end of cable 67 is fixed at 70 to unit 56 and then passed around fixed pulley 71 and slidable pulley 73 on unit 55. The slidable pulley is retained within a guide 77 which at stations occupies a position at the bottom of the units and causes the units to move together.