GB2613885A - An overhead system to supply guidance and or power to wheeled vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

An overhead guide track 22 and power supply 22 for wheeled vehicles equipped with corresponding runners 20, 21. The overhead guide has at least one pair of rigid tracks 22 and at least one pair of conductors 22 arranged in tiers, both supported on a track side column mast pylon 24. Different pairs of power supply conductors 22 may supply power at different voltage, AC or DC. Lowest pair of conductors may be supported at an angle by a bridging section 23 (fig 17) to enable regular pantograph access from below or at a corresponding angle. Additional contact wire may be suspended below the conductor tracks 22 to supply regular pantograph vehicles. The guide and conductors may be unified so only one pair of overhead tracks perform both guidance and power supply functions (fig 18). Vehicles can engage and disengage the track for power and guidance. Vehicles are partly self-steering and not steered continuously by the track but are guided around corners and kept in narrow lanes. At junctions, various guide track ss and conductors 22 configurations can be lifted in and out of position to steer vehicles in different directions.

Description

DESCRIPTION

AN OVERHEAD SYSTEM TO SUPPLY GUIDANCE AND OR POWER TO WHEELED VEHICLES Background Earlier Patents, GB2464472 and GB2479061, presented designs for a vehicle system guided partly by self steering and partly by interaction with an overhead track with rigid guides. The guides could also be used to supply electric power to vehicles. The possibility of other electrical circuits was offered. The system was intended for urban public transport but could also be used for freight and other wheeled vehicles.

This patent presents design enhancements to the track including alternative electrical circuits. These could provide different voltages and either alternating or direct current, allowing alternative modes of electrical supply. These enhancements are intended to make the track available to a wider range of vehicles.

Firstly there are those hybrid vehicles which could use the track for parts of their routes for both guidance and power supply. These vehicles would otherwise operate freely off track. They may require a mode of electrical supply different from the original installation. Designs are offered to allow these occasional use guided vehicles to engage and disengage from the track.

There are also vehicles as previously described which operate using the track with trailing guiding axles. This includes longer articulated and entrained vehicles. As passenger vehicles they would have a capacity similar to trams. Enhancements are presented to make the track better suited to their use.

Lastly, there is an opportunity to make the track available to other hybrid vehicles which can draw electrical power from an overhead supply through pantographs and switch off their on board generators or recharge their batteries. They would not be guided by the track. These vehicles were designed to use an overhead suspended cable system like railways or trams but installed over an ordinary road.

Unlike trains and trams which use the metal rails as a return circuit, these rubber tyred road vehicles need a second pantograph running against another conductor to complete the electrical circuit. Options to provide these two conductors are offered.

The earlier patents.

Patent GB2464472 shows how a vehicle steered by a front axle whose steering is stable and resistant to change can be made to follow an overhead track through suitable connections. An overhead assembly has sliding runners designed with tolerances such that for guidance they tend to run freely or against a steering guide on one side of the track only. The assembly is turned to follow a curve by running within and against a concave edge which then through linkages turns the front wheels. The non steering trailing rear axle is naturally drawn inside the curve to align on a radius of the curve. This is a stable and self correcting arrangement which allows the vehicle to follow the track.

Whereas the vehicle can be powered by an independent motor which has its own energy source, the track can be used to provide electric power from the guides through flexible contacts separate from the guiding runners. Power could also be drawn from other electrical circuits. Designs for alternative sets of conductor/guides are offered in this patent. Because the rigid guides can Page 1 potentially always supply power, they are later referred to only as guides. Other electrical circuits can be non guiding.

Patent G32479061 shows how the process described above whereby a trailing rear axle is naturally drawn towards the centre (or focus) of the curve can be used to guide this axle. An overhead assembly connected to a steerable rear trailing axle is pulled against a convex edge by this inward force so the axle (or axles with kingpin steering) is turned outwards and remains on a path close to the line of the guides. This interrupts the inward drift of the rear axle towards a path closer to the focus of the curve, although the axles (or axles) still to align on a radius of the curve. The resulting arrangement is also stable and self correcting and follows the track in combination with a leading axle which first follows the track by guidance, towing or other steering methods. The initial designs of patent GB2464472 were not reversible on the track so patent GB2479061 presented options to allow vehicles with leading and trailing axle steering and guidance to stop to travel in the opposite direction.

Physically dividing the track into separated guides has the advantage that passive merge or crossover junctions can be created by interweaving guides together when pairs combine or cross. These are suitable for basic vehicles, as described in the previous patents.

For both these patents the overhead assemblies can use a separated pair of guides as a track and run against the outsides of the guides or within the guides against their inner edges. The concave and convex edges guiding the axles can therefore be on the outside of the guides or within them. The basic principles of these designs apply to both options but the main drawings have the runners acting against outer edges of the guides as the first option.

The two functions of the overhead assemblies, guidance and power collection, are achieved with different operational implications as implied above. The sprung electrical contacts always have to be actively engaged with both guides to make a circuit. For the separated guides they are duplicated and spaced apart on each side so they can pass over any gaps at junctions without loss of power. They have to apply enough force to maintain contact with the guides but not enough to turn the overhead assembly against the self steering of the axle.

In contrast the guiding contacts do not always have to be engaged with the guides. Neither have to be in contact if the vehicle is self steering between corners. The guides come into effect when the vehicle drifts to one side within a narrow path or enters a curve.

Guidance and power can be taken from either side of single combined guide which has surfaces of different electrical polarity. With the difficulty of interleaving separate guides, junctions for such a track are best designed not only with continuous contact electrically but also with guidance contact available if needed. Therefore with a single unified guide, the preference is for active junctions with moveable sections which have to be reset to cross, merge or separate different tracks, all with minimal gaps.

Additional in this patent Additional pairs of conductor guides are added as higher tiers so different modes of electrical supply can be available.

Alternative designs for altering junctions are offered including lifting unused sections vertically up from the track. Several tiers of the track can be lifted at the same time. This includes some short movable bridging sections to make the operation of trailing guided axles safer. Other designs include rotating sections of track on bearers in the horizontal plane or swinging sections of track on bearers up and out of operation in a vertical plane to reset junctions.

Page 2 A "reach up and grab" mechanism for the overhead assemblies is introduced which enables hybrid vehicles to engage the system for part of their routes. This mechanism also gives access to some alternative electrical circuits if required.

Options are presented to allow pantograph equipped vehicles to draw power from the system in some circumstances.

Design options for a single combined/unified guide track are offered.

Statement of Invention

An overhead infrastructure or track to guide and/or supply electrical power to vehicles comprising: one or more pairs of rigid guides and or conductors in tiers able to supply guidance and/or electrical power from between the pairs of conductor guides or from their outer edges; supported by multiple pylons at a safe height above the surface of travel; optionally the lowest of the pairs of conductor guides supported where required at an angle to the horizontal such that it can be accessed from below or at an angle to draw electrical power by pantograph contacts as well as horizontally from the side to draw power and or guidance for vehicles of known types; optionally a pair of contact wires suspended below the lowest rigid tier of conductors on some sections of a track for access by pantograph supplied vehicles; optionally the guide/conductors being combined but electrically separated either side of a narrow unified guide; pairs of guides being supported by the pylons and infrastructure with passive and/or active junctions such that separate tracks can cross one another or merge or single tracks which can split into two or more while guiding and supplying electrical power to vehicles of known type accessing the track by horizontal contact.

Advantages This system would provide infrastructure over a roadway available to several different types of vehicles enabling them to draw electrical power and reduce vehicle pollution. A single unified guide would be less obtrusive in the urban landscape. Appropriate vehicles could also be guided by the track reducing driver workload and improving road safety. There is a future opportunity for driverless operation. Dedicated articulated vehicles with trailing axle guidance would have higher load capacity. Other vehicles not using the track and below a reasonable safe height would be able to use the roadway unimpeded.

Introduction to Drawings

The numbering of components in these drawings is continuous with the previous patents GB 2464472 and GB2479061. Some numbered components from the previous patents are not used.

The first twelve diagrams show the operation of a double tier track offering two modes of electrical supply to vehicle guided by the outsides of the track. New options for the design of junctions are shown.

The next four diagrams show the operation of an internally guiding track.

The next diagram shows a pantograph equipped vehicle using an adapted version of the track. The last three diagrams show a design for unified guide track.

Page 3 The twenty diagrams are on seventeen sheets, some with elevation and plan views of the same section on one sheet.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a double tier track. A front steered hybrid vehicle is engaged with the track. This vehicle is guided by the lower tier guides but is able to draw an alternative electrical supply from the upper tier guides. It is equipped with a "reach up and grab" overhead assembly.

Figure 2 is an isometric view of the double tier track with the vehicle overhead assembly engaged as above.

Figure 3 is a plan of a split/merge junction of a two tier track with a vehicle with both front and rear steering engaged with the track.

Figures 4 and 5 (both on Sheet 4) are a side elevation and a plan detail of part of the above junction showing how the straight section of the two tier track, lowered and in use in this example, can be raised clear of the track to allow vehicles to divert to another path.

Figure 6 and 7 (both on Sheet 5) are a further side elevation and plan detail of the other side of the same junction which show how equivalent curved sections of the two tier track are lifted up and out of use so the guide runner assembly on that side can pass through a gap onto a straight continuation section of the track. In their lowered positions they guide vehicles onto the curved track.

Figure 8 and 9 (both on Sheet 6) show an alternative hinged design for raising bridging sections at junctions.

Figure 10 (on Sheet 7) is another plan view of the junction of Figure 3 with the vehicle being diverted onto the curved section after changing the settings of the bridging sections, in Figures 4/5 and 6 /7 above, to their opposite (raised or lowered) positions.

Figure 11 (on Sheet 8) shows the same plan of the junction with the rear steered axle of the vehicle at the short convex bridging section shown in Figures 6 and 7 above.

Figure 12 (on Sheet 9) is a plan view of an active crossover junction as an alternative to the passive junction of the previous patents.

The next four diagrams show a track with vehicles operating within the guides.

Figure 13 (on Sheet 10) is a front elevation of a vehicle designed to be guided and powered by running within the conductor guides of a two tier running track.

Figure 14 (on Sheet 11]) is a plan view of a vehicle, steered by both axles, passing through a junction of an internal running track showing an option to operate the junction to allow the vehicle to pass without deviation.

Figure 15 (on Sheet 12) is a plan view of the same junction showing how the vehicle could be diverted using the same mechanism onto a branching section of the track.

Figure 16 (on Sheet 13) is a plan of a similar vehicle passing through a passive crossover junction on an internal running track.

Figure 17 (on Sheet 14) is an isometric view which illustrates how a hybrid vehicle using pantographs could draw power from an adapted version of the track.

The following three diagrams show a track with a single guide composed of two flat rigid conductors mounted close together but electrically separated.

Figure 18 (on Sheet 15) is an isometric view of a design for vehicle using a track with the single composite guide.

Page 4 Figure 19 (on Sheet 16) is a plan view of a merge/divert junction for such a track in which a straight section of track is moved out of use and replaced by a curved section using a 'shuttle mechanism.

Figure 20 (on Sheet 17) shows a plan design for an articulated crossover junction for a unified guide track, similar to figure 12 on Sheet 9

Detailed Description

Figure 1 shows a front elevation of a hybrid vehicle, based on designs in patents GB2464472 and GB2479061, engaged with a two tier track for guidance and electrical power supply. As an occasional user of the system the vehicle can raise and lower its overhead assembly, the "reach up and grab" operation referred to earlier, as shown by the arrows 45. The vehicle would use the system or operate freely off the track and pass under it in any direction.

In this illustration the vehicle takes guidance from the lowest pair of guides and power from the pair of guides above. The lowest pair of guides near the wheels would normally be used for guidance. However with the particular design of the track as shown guidance can be taken either from the lower or upper pair of guides.

Notionally, further tiers of conductor guides could be added, similar to and above the upper pair. At some point the height above the surface of travel a tier of guides would no longer allow practical guidance of the vehicle. In particular lateral angular movements of the column 44 caused by variations of the surface between the wheels will create more and more sideways movements at the greater height of the track. These will encroach on the tolerances necessary between the guides 22 and the guide runners 21 and make guidance unreliable.

Similar effects may not restrict drawing power from the guides to the same extent. The sprung electrical contacts 20 will possibly cope with more lateral movement than the rigid guide runners 21 at a similar height.

If the vehicle has a much higher roofline, say for a double decker bus or if lateral tolerances beyond the sides of the vehicle are restricted, the assembly could be folded again at a point between the two contacts 46.

Figure 2 shows an isometric view of the design in Figure 1 with the overhead assemblies engaged with the track. It shows how the conductor guides 22 are supported by the pylons 24. It also shows how the electrical contacts 20 are doubled on each side to pass over gaps in the guides without losing the supply of power.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a vehicle which also has a steered rear axle passing through a junction on the same track. This shows the implications of rear steered axles at junctions. The electrical pickups 20 are part of the front overhead assembly, as before, although they can supply power to either axle. The sprung pickups are in contact with the guides, though partly concealed. In this instance the guide runners 21 run clear of the guides.

The junction has three movable bridging sections which can be raised or lowered to reset the junction to divert the vehicle onto the curved diverted section of the track as in Figure 10 later. In this diagram the straight bridging sections 34 (noting the guides are doubled on this track, not visible in this plan view) are lowered and in line with main guides to carry the vehicle through the junction, as shown in Figures 4 and 5 later.

The curved guide sections 35 and 36 are raised from their in line positions, shown by the dotted outlines, to allow the lower right hand overhead assembly to pass straight through. See Figures 6 and 7 later.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the straight bridging section 34 showing how it can be raised from its lowered position in line with main guides 22. The dotted outline shows how the guide bearers can Page 5 be drawn up vertically to clear a path for the guide runners and electrical contacts to pass through in contact with the curved section of the main conductor guides 22.

Figure 5 (on Sheet 4) is a detailed plan projection of Figure 4.

Figure 6 (Sheet 5) is a detailed side elevation of the two raised sections of the junction of Figure 3, set to allow the vehicle to pass straight through the junction without diversion.

Figure 7 (Sheet 5) is a plan view of these sections shown in outline where gaps are created. The gap 51 in the curved convex guides 22 allow the overhead guide assemblies to pass through along the straight track. A front axle guided vehicle on the curved track usually passes over this gap unhindered but it does affect rear guided vehicles such as the one illustrated, see Figure 11 later. This gap lies next to an equivalent break in the straight guide which allows the diverted vehicle to follow the curved track, though obscured by the superstructure.

As referred to earlier, these designs to alter the junctions by a straight lift are an alternative to the system of raising the bridging sections on swinging hinged bearers described in the previous patents. The previous design can be adapted to cope with the two tiers of the track offered in this patent, as set out below.

Figures 8 and 9 (Sheet 6) shows how the curved bridging sections 36 can be mounted on a bearer and swung up and out use by pivoted and cranked lifting bars. This design saves height of the infrastructure but requires more space laterally. Sometimes lateral movement may be constrained as in the short convex section of Figures 6 and 7. A simple vertical insertion and removal is easier and also more suitable for any extra tiers and is the preferred option of this patent.

Alternative designs for other junctions are described later.

Figure 10 (Sheet 7) is another plan view the vehicle of Figure 3 diverted onto the curved track by lowering and raising of the bridging sections of the guides to their alternative positions of Figures 4 to 7. At the position shown the front axle of vehicle has already been turned when the guide runner on the concave side was driven into contact with the lowered bridging section 36. This left the guide runner on the convex side unengaged so it will have passed easily over a gap even if the bridging section 35 had not been lowered. As shown the rear steered axle is entering the junction and the rear convex side guide runner has been drawn against the guide by known processes where the guide bearer 34 has been raised out of use. This creates a gap 53 between the guide and the concave side guide runner of the rear axle.

Figure 11 (Sheet 8) is a plan showing the vehicle having reached the point where the rear guided axle passes the gap in the guides 51 and the guide runner 21 is against the short curved bridging section 35 is in place. If this bridging section is not lowered the guide runner could enter the gap from the natural tendency of the rear axle of the vehicle to drift inwards. This short convex gap bridging section is therefore an added feature to meet the needs of rear axle guided vehicles.

Figure 12 (Sheet 9) shows the plan of a design option to deal with a similar issue at crossover junctions.

The earlier patents offer a passive junction design for tracks which cross at right angles. Intermediate fixed bridging sections are set across the opposing track leaving small gaps adjacent to the guides for the guide runners and electrical pickups to pass through. See Figure 16 (Sheet13) for an internally guided version.

Potentially however, a guide runner could be caught in the gap and cause an entanglement with the track. One option is to extend the length of the guide runner 21 so its angled toe is already across the gap when the normal contact point 27 reaches the edge of the gap. The current designs presented have longer guide runners than the previous patents.

Page 6 The length of the guide runner cannot be extended too far or it may clash with the track at other junctions. Returning to Figure 10 on Sheet 7, the leading guide runner 21 on the convex side of the curve runs a wide the path swept by its leading toe With the track geometry as shown, an even longer guide runner could clash earlier with the section of straight guide adjacent to the liftable guide section 34.

In Figure 12 the guide runner assembly 16 (vehicle body not shown) of an externally guided vehicle is shown approaching an active crossover junction.

Pylons 24 are anchored outside the area swept by the bodywork of vehicles using the track. They support spars 55 carrying the interrupted tracks and a gantry over the centre of the junction. A guide bearer carries pairs of bridging guides which can rotated about the pivot point 52 to complete the track through the junction for one direction or the other.

A version of this design is used for a single unified guide in Figure 20 (Sheet 17) later.

Figure 13 (Sheet 10) is the front elevation of a design to guide a vehicle internally by the track. The vehicle is shown with overhead assemblies 16 which can be folded up between the guides 22 of a widened double tier track. A rotatable bridging section 23 which is mounted further forward than the plane of this elevation is shown in outline suspended within the track, see Figure 14 later.

The design has two tiers of guides accessible by a fold up and down operation of the overhead assembly. Clearly this action cannot be carried out at junctions because of the bridging sections between the guides, see above and Figures 14 and 15 below. The vehicle is guided by the lower tier and draws power from the tier above.

Figure 14 (Sheet 11) is the plan of a junction of the internal guiding track with pylons 38 aligned on radii of the curve as before. A vehicle with front and rear guidance is engaged with the track.

Note that the guide arms 18 are longer than those of the external running design of Figure 3 to retain a similar angle at the vertical steering axis 10 (obscured).

The junction is altered by rotating the bearers 23 about the pivot points 52, using the spigots 54 (obscured). The guide runners 21 and the guide assemblies 16 are able pass either side of the disengaged bridging section 23 and the vehicle carries straight on.

Figure 15 (Sheet 12) is a plan view of the junction altered to divert the vehicle onto the curved section of the track. The bridging sections 23 have been rotated to close off the straight ahead section of the track and send the front concave side guide runner 21 onto the curved section of the track. The rear axle convex side guide runner (also 21) is drawn against the guide by the known processes and brings the rear wheels nearer to the centre line of the curved track. The rotation of the bridging sections 23 closes off the unused track so no gaps are left which the guide runners, front or rear, can enter All the guide runner assemblies are able to pass one side or the other of the rotated and disengaged straight track bearer section 23.

As another option the entire length of the guide bearers 23 in Figure 14 or Figure 15 could be raised or lowered selectively to set the junction.

Figure 16 (Sheet 13), also referred to in Figure 12 above, is a plan view of a passive crossover junction of tracks at 90 degrees to one another for an internally guiding track.

This design has intermediate bridging sections 31 with gaps between their ends 32 and the insides of the guides which allow vehicles to cross each others' paths at different times as already described.

By a known design principle, the space between the electrical contacts is greater than the gap in the guides but less than the length of the intermediate section of track so that one pickup on each Page 7 side is always in contact with a guide to ensure power supply. The guide runners normally carry over the gap by the self steering of the axle. This design could also incorporate lengthened noses to the guide runners as referred to in Figure 12.

As already stated the design of Figure 12 and Figure 20 later could be adapted to an internally guiding track.

Figure 17 (Sheet 14) is an isometric view of how a pantograph equipped vehicle might use an adapted version of the track. The lowest pair of guides are mounted on bearers 23 which are angled at 45 degrees at their ends so the conductor guides are available for contact from below as well as from the side.

As referred to earlier, electric trains or trams with a pantograph supply can use the ground rails to make a return circuit. Rubber tyred road vehicles have to have a second pantograph to make this complete circuit. In the example shown the pantographs shown are held apart by a bar 48 which amongst other functions keeps them from touching each other and shorting the electrical circuit. For the same reason the width of each pantograph bar should be too narrow to touch both conductor/guides at the same time.

In conventional use the ground rails of railways and trams force a vehicle to follow a rigid path which would tend to make the overhead cable abrade the pantograph bar at one point. To compensate, infrastructure designers tend make the contact wire follow a waving (or sinusoidal) path above the rails so the contact point is moved back and forth across the width of the pantograph contact bar (or bars).

An alternative is to oscillate the pantograph bar(s) across the overhead cable as the vehicle moves. This is favoured by designers of electrified road systems in which hybrid vehicles use a double pantograph supply. These vehicles use electronics to detect and engage the overhead supply.

The vehicles also tend to move about within the lanes and are designed to disengage and overtake other vehicles. The electronic systems have to adjust the pantographs to suit. It is still necessary to spread the wear across the pantograph bar(s) as much as possible.

This arrangement whereby the contact bars are moved from side to reduce wear means that the swept area is much greater than keeping the contact bar static and moving the contact wire within its width. This would have implications for the passage of vehicles as illustrated at junctions.

The junctions are always key features of the design of the different forms of the proposed infrastructure. Conductors of different polarity cross one another or are interleaved with small but electrically important gaps to prevent shorting. The broad sweep of the pantograph bars is not compatible with these designs.

One solution would be to use the electronic control systems of the vehicle to disconnect and withdraw the pantograph before a junction and to re -engage the next free stretch of track. A difficulty with this is that the vehicles are also expected to be able to disengage at will to overtake other vehicles and rejoin when they can. This means re-engaging at odd places on the track and at odd angles. Areas of the track around junctions would have to made inaccessible to pantographs by means of the electronic systems. It is not clear that such a system could be made fail safe to a reasonable degree of confidence.

Another option would be to use the guidable track and the pantograph supply at different and clearly separated heights. Pantographs on the vehicle could be mechanically limited to no more than the height of their supply. This would be discontinued at junctions or unsuitable areas so the vehicle could pass under the track unimpeded in any direction.

The lowest guidable tier of the track and the bottom level of junctions would be raised by enough to ensure this physical separation. Rigid conductors or even contact wires could be hung below this Page 8 level but available at the restricted pantograph height. A contact wire or rigid conductor might even be installed with a limited curvilinear pattern to help reduce wear, subject to the need to maintain mechanical and electrical separation as discussed above.

This design could act as fail safe physical feature of a system which normally used electronic disconnection at junctions and other disengagements.

Figure 18 (Sheet 15) offers an isometric view of a design for a unified composite guide track in which two conductors 22 are brought very close together but separated electrically by spacers 23 which also act as bearers for suspension from the infrastructure pylons 24. The gap between the conductors does not need to be filled everywhere with solid material to maintain electrical separation or track geometry. The narrow strip conductors are sufficiently rigid to maintain their alignment between spacers when acting as guides.

This design could accommodate another tier of conductor guides above the pair shown.

Figure 19 (Sheet 16) is a plan view of a design for a divert/merge junction in which an active section of the unified track can be exchanged to alter the junction, referred to as a 'shuttle' mechanism earlier. Both sections of a unified guide are suspended from a single frame mounted on spars 55 between the pylons 24. This frame can be moved backwards and forwards to bring the appropriate section of a unified guide in and out of use in one movement.

The solid diagram shows the straight through section in place with the curved section held to one side out of the swept area of the overhead assembly16. Movement of the frame in the direction of the dotted arrow moves the straight section out use to a position beyond the swept area of the overhead assembly on that side of the track. In the same movement the curved section of the guide is positioned to connect the track on the left side of the junction to the curved track of the diversion, as shown by the dotted outline.

The overhead assembly 16 (without showing the vehicle body) is shown having passed straight through the junction. The merge junction would simply act In reverse.

This design could be extended to include another divert/merge track on the other side of the straight through track. The frame would have to be extended and the spar repositioned.

Figure 20 (Sheet 17) is a plan view of a design for a junction where two unified guide tracks cross.

This junction follows the basic design of Figure 12 (Sheet 9) rather then that of Figure 16 (Sheet 13). The guides are so close together that bridging sections become unsuitable. The electrical contacts are kept apart by the unified guide and have to be prevented from short circuiting in any gaps, whether intermediate or across the entire crossing track.

In the design option chosen only minimal gaps are used and guiding and electrical contact are effectively continuous, As in Figure 12, pylons 24 (in this diagram with the vertical components outside of the image) support spars 55 which carry the interrupted tracks. A rotatable section of the track which can be turned about the pivot 52 to allow vehicles to pass in either direction, as shown by the figure in outline.

This design avoids the disadvantages above by creating an active rather than a passive junction.

Page 9

Claims (1)

1. Claims AN OVERHEAD SYSTEM TO SUPPLY GUIDANCE AND OR POWER TO WHEELED VEHICLES Claiml An overhead infrastructure or track to guide and/or supply electrical power to vehicles comprising: one or more pairs of rigid guides and or conductors in tiers able to supply guidance and/or electrical power from between the pairs of conductor guides or from their outer edges; supported by multiple pylons at a safe height above the surface of travel; optionally the lowest of the pairs of conductor guides supported where required at an angle to the horizontal such that it can be accessed from below or at an angle to draw electrical power by pantograph contacts as well as horizontally from the side to draw power and or guidance for vehicles of known types; optionally a pair of contact wires suspended below the lowest rigid tier of conductors on some sections of a track for access by pantograph supplied vehicles; optionally the guide/conductors being combined but electrically separated either side of a narrow unified guide; pairs of guides being supported by the pylons and infrastructure with passive and/or active junctions such that separate tracks can cross one another or merge or single tracks which can split into two or more while guiding and supplying electrical power to vehicles of known type accessing the track by horizontal contact Claim 2 An overhead infrastructure or track as in Claim 1; and junctions which allow tracks in tiers to cross one another or to merge or divide into several tracks while continuing electrical supply; optionally with passive junctions for crossing and merging tracks which maintain electrical connectivity over gaps in the track by multiple electrical contacts and allow vehicles of known type to self steer through and or past the gaps; optionally bridging sections for junctions which open or close gaps in the track to maintain guidance and electrical connectivity by being raised or lowered vertically or swung in a vertical plane about pivot points; optionally bridging sections between separated guides which can be rotated in a horizontal plane within the track on a pivot point to open and/or close gaps and maintain guidance and electrical connectivity at crossover junctions and internally guiding merge split junctions; and optionally sections of replacement track which can be slid in and out of position in a horizontal plane to reset a complete junction and change its split or merge function.Claim 3 An overhead infrastructure or track as in Claim 1 and Claim 2; and a vehicle which is able on parts of its journey to engage the track for guidance and or power supply by raising overhead guide runner assemblies which fold upwards and horizontally against the conductor guides either from outside of them or from within them; and other vehicles of known type which can use the system.