GB1403662A - Guided transport system - Google Patents

Abstract

1403662 Track switches P PATIN 23 Jan 1973 [3 Feb 1972 13 July 1972] 3461/73 Heading E1G [Also in Division B7] A guided transport system includes vehicles running on wheels with tyres 10d, 10g, Figure 3, the vehicles being guided by guide wheels 16, 17, 20 engaging with guide rails 1d, 1g to define a track, and the system including at least two tracks intersecting at a set of points, Figure 7, the guide rails 1, 2, 3, 5d and g being flexible in the region of the points and being movable under the control of a reciprocable control rod 34 between positions (shown in dotted lines) defining two parallel straight tracks and the positions shown in Figure 7 in which vehicles may be switched from one track to the other. The guide rails in the region of the points are connected by means of shafts 29, 31 to cross pieces 32 slidable in recesses 33 in the track. The control rod 34 is provided with grooves 43 (Figure 11) engageable with runners as 41a, 41d on the cross pieces 32, the grooves 43 being inclined in the direction of movement of the control rod 34 so as to effect the desired movements of the guide rails. In the construction shown in Figure 11 the movement of the control rod 34 is effected by means of a pedal 49 operated by passage of the vehicle wheels. Resilience of the guide rails returns them to their original positions after passage of the vehicle. The guide rails may be used as current supply conductors via sliding contacts (not shown) on the vehicles. To this end, the guide rail 21, Figure 6a, is carried on an insulator 23 secured by bolts 26a, 26b. The shafts 29, 31 supporting the guide rails at the points may also be of insulating material. As an alternative to the vehicle shown in Figure 3 in which the centre guide wheels 20 are fixed, these wheels may be carried on a slidable cross piece 7, Figure 13, connected by springs 13a, 13b to a rocker arm 9 in turn connected by joints 10a, 10b to poles 11a, 11b fixed to the supporting wheel axles 2a, 2b, these axles being pivoted at 4a, 4b to the vehicle body. In this way the axles 2a, 2b follow curves in the, track under control of the movements of the cross piece 7.