GB1522486A - Vehicular transportation systems - Google Patents

Abstract

1522486 Guiding rail vehicles GENERAL SIGNAL CORP 5 Aug 1975 [5 Aug 1974] 32681/75 Heading B7N In a system for controlling the movement of vehicles travelling along a guideway over a series of branch points either each points can be similarly arranged with a plurality of switchable guide rails and the vehicles have differentlypositioned fixed guide followers or the points have differently-positioned fixed guide rails and the vehicles are similarly arranged with a plurality of switchable guide followers. In the "on board" switching, arrangement, Figs. 6, 6D, each vehicle 606 carries a series of pairs of guide members 610 L and R, 611 L and R and 612 L and R each operative at a different level whereby the lowest pair 610 can co-operate only with a low set of guide rails 607 at diverging point SWA, the intermediate pair 611 can co-operate only with an intermediate set of guide rails 608 at diverging point SWB and a high pair 612 can co-operate only with a high set of guide rails 609 at diverging point SWC. The selected one of each pair of guide members is set before the vehicle reaches the first of the diverging points, allowing these points to be positioned closer than in a conventional system. In the wayside switching arrangement, Figs. 7, 7A, 7B, each diverging point SWA includes e.g. three switchable sets of guide rails-707 L and R, 708 L and R and 709 L and R at different heights and different vehicles, e.g. 720 have fixed guide members 710 L and R at different heights to co-operate with one of the sets of guide rails. A selected one of each pair of guide rails is set before the first vehicle reaches the diverging point so that a succession of 3 vehicles each with guide members differently positioned in height can be routed with reduced headway between vehicles.