US3484002A - Transportation system - Google Patents

Description

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United States Patent "ice 3,484,002 TRANSEORTATION SYSTEM Leonard D. Barry, 193% Pennington Drive, Detroit, Mich. 48221 Continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 714,453,

Jan. 27, 1958. This application May 16, 1966, Ser.

Int. Cl. B6511 67/02, 67/24; B61k 1/02 US. Cl. 21440 56 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This system comprehends the transfer of passengers, goods, etc. in various containers to and from trains safely and is applicable to railroads, rapid transit, subways, monorail, or any guided way which is unobstructed for transfer. The containers are transferred by lifting both ends or all sides at the same time and are completely supported by only one vehicle or way at a time whereby variations in vertical movements between running vehicles or parallel ways do not introduce dangerous rocking of the container while being engaged or transferred. Either vertical or side transfer of the container is provided using the same containers for either if so designed. The stations have a track or way run parallel the railway or way, vehicle means and control t time start and accelerate containers to align with empty berths on the train for transfer and to align containers to be removed with empty spots therefore. Transfer can be selective and automatic when aligned for and subject to safety conditions which can prevent transfer even after alignment therefore. Train to station signaling controls spacing of containers to meet train aligned with empty spots adjacent containers to be transferred. Preferably automatic station vehicles align containers for transfer. Devices such as conveyors for handling the containers at stations unload and reload station vehicles as required to register containers and empty spots for transfer with a train. Special elevators engage and lift the containers in buildings to floors to load and unload as an elevator cage and lower to deposit the containers into train waiting below. Container passenger cars have sliding roof panels to open container berths along one side for transfer, partitions with doors to aisle on other side for passenger movement to and from container in berth, safety door controls therefore, automatic controls for roof, automatic transfer mechanism for each berth on car or optionally on station vehicle. Electronic coupling between parallel running vehicles is provided. Types of containers include vehicle cages with automatic wheel chocks, platforms, tanks, and vehicles. This disclosure covers both geometric and selective transfer of containers.

This is a continuation-in-part of my application filed Jan. 27, 1958, Ser. No. 714,453, now abandoned.

This invention relates to transportation and in particular to a system for transferring passengers or goods from one vehicle to another or from a vehicle to a stopping point.

An object of this invention is to provide fast, practical, and novel means to transfer passengers or goods to and from a vehicle, especially to and from a vehicle traveling at speed.

It is an object to transfer passengers and/ or goods between vehicles automatically, gently, and safely to eliminate the need for passengers to walk between vehicles and to facilitate quick loading and unloading of transportation vehicles.

A feature of this invention is the provision of novel passenger transfer containers or cages in cooperation with transfer means to transfer persons and things be- 3,484,002 Fatented Dec. 16, 1969 tween vehicles at speed and to load and unload a vehicle while stopped.

According to this invention containers can be transferred, for example, between parallel running vehicles more quickly than can a few passengers walk between vehicles or board or leave a train on foot. As many of my transfer containers as can be provided in a train can be automatically transferred between parallel running trains in less than five seconds, which at 60 miles per hour=.083 miles or 440 feet, whereas it might require five minutes for the same number of passengers to walk between parallel running vehicles which at 60' miles per hour=5 miles (60 times the distance taken by my system).

A further object is to start the station vehicle, herein also called a carrier, a time after the nonstop vehicle or express train has approached to a certain point, the starting time being varied according to the station vehicles accelerating characteristic and the express trains speed, so as to align with the express for transfer practically as soon as the carrier reaches the speed of the train. This feature substantially eleminiates parallel running of the carrier and train in misalignment at near equal speed, which might otherwise require miles of parallel tracks just to adjust alignment between vehicles. As an example, with a 5 mile per hour speed difference at /8 mile separation, the closing time=1 /z minutes. 1 /2 minutes at 60 miles per hour=1 /2 miles. It is an object to reduce this distance to practically zero.

The acceleration and stopping of the station vehicle to and from 60 miles per hour might take, for example mile maximum total. Adding to this the .0833 miles in the example given the maximum length of the carrier train, which, for example, might be five -foot cars or .008 miles, gives /3 of a mile as the carriers paralleling track (much cheaper than 5+l /2+%=6 /4 miles of paralleling track) and short enough to accommodate without back tracking at least three local stops per mile for urban service up to 60 miles per hour constant train speed. It is therefore an object to reduce the transfer run to a minimum but safe distance for a given maximum transfer speed, thus reducing construction costs and enabling transfer stations to be closely spaced where desired.

Some other and furLher objects are: to enable an express vehicle to pick up and let off passengers or goods without delay to the express, i.e., to transfer without limiting or governing train speed for transfer; to enable transfer at any train speed or range of speeds designed for; to automatically transfer containers to and from a train at speed or while standing; to provide a more economical system for handling passengers, freight, etc.; to provide an economically practical solution to the problem of enabling through trains to pick up and let off passengers, freight, etc. at local station without stop, to eliminate the need to bump cars or containers together while in use; to provide selective automatic removal of containers from a train or vehicle to permit the occupants of a container, an attendant, or a coded device operated by movement of the vehicle to select containers for removal at each transfer; to provide a container transfer system where the containers can be interchangeably carried on a railroad or monorail train with nonstop interchange therebetween; to provide local service using the containers of this system; to provide elevator service with the containers of this system; to provide a container system on a subway, elevated, or passenger monorail for loading and unloading at street level or at one or more levels above or below the transfer car; to eliminate the need for stairs, ramps, escalators, etc. for patrons at stations; to provide an automatic railway station; to utilize the right-of-way to better advantage; to provide vertical transfer to reduce the width of the right-of-way required for local and express service and for parallel running transfer and to enable fast transfer without horizontal transfer movements, which might shift the load; to provide a passage on the transfer car to enable passengers to walk through the car and bypass the container area; to separate with a partition the container area from the passenger area to enable the passenger transfer car to carry freight, etc. out of sight; to provide a variety of types of transfer containers for this system; to provide an automatic transfer container to carry a substantially full-size automobile; to provide automatic wheel clamps for the automotive containers; to standardize the containers to be interchangeable; to provide automatic hooks and releasing means for holding containers and releasing them; to provide automatic elevating, lowering, revolving, switching, and conveying devices for these containers; to provide selective loading of containers in a train; to provide means to space containers to simultaneously align empty container compartments or berths on a train or vehicle; to enable simultaneous transfer of all containers to be transferred in a particular interchange; to provide automatic starting, speed control, and alignment of the station vehicle with respect to the express, to provide automatic transfer of this system for either direction of operation along the same transfer run; and to provide means whereby any or all of these objects can be achieved in harmony together.

The automatic transfer container can be any of a variety of types, such as: a passenger cage with or without seats; a passenger compartment, such as a drawing room or sleeping compartment; a portable kitchen for serving meals, easily transferred with personnel from train to train; a portable news stand, notions store, snack bar, supply room, or personnel change units; an auto, small truck, or trailer cage; a bicycle, motorcycle, or scooter cage; a tank, hopper, fiat, box, express, mail, baggage, or refrigerator unit, etc. The containers can also supply the train with fuel, water, battery changes, etc.

Three embodiments of this invention are described herein in the following order:

(1) Vertical transfer from top of express vehicle.

(2) Vertical transfer from bottom of express vehicle.

(3) Side transfer from express vehicle.

Types 1 and 2 are preferred respectively for railways and monorail systems and can be used together in the same transfer. Type 3 takes a wider right-of-way than the others and does not permit change of elevation of the containers as easily relative to the train as does vertical transfer. Type 3 can be provided in the same train with 1 or 2. The same containers can be used in all three embodiments if so designed.

Other objects are directed to safety; reduction of manufacturing, installation and maintenance costs; protection from rain, heat, and cold; convenience; etc. and still other objects will either be pointed out hereinafter or should become apparent from consideration of this invention as described with aid of the drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a cut-a-way side elevation of the preferred type of railway transfer car, shown with a passenger container in one of its berths and above which is a portion of a monorail with carrier train having an auto cage on one of its carriers in process of transfer.

FIGURE 2 is a cross sectional view through a monorail I-beam and trolley of a carrier in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a carrier hook.

FIGURE 4 is a cut-a-way plan view of the portion of the railway shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a schematic plan view of a monorail carrier rounding a curve above a transfer car, to illustrate how alignment can be maintained for transfer on curves.

FIGURE 6 is a transverse sectional view through the end of the carrier of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 7 is a side elevation of the vehicles shown in FIGURE 5 FIGURE 8 is a top view of monorail carriers swivel.

FIGURE 9 is a transverse sectional view through .1 monorail carrier having a wide sill, ShOWing hooks supporting an end of a container.

FIGURE 10 is a side elevation of a portion of the monorail, carrier, and supported container corresponding to the end view FIGURE 9.

FIGURE 11 is a perspective view of a portion of the transfer car showing a berth with its elevator raised.

FIGURE 12 is a top view of a portion of the elevator at the guides on the near end of FIGURE 11.

FIGURE 13 is a sectional view of a portion of the roof and side of the transfer car showing a carrier-loadin g checking device in raised position engaging a container. The lower portions of the checking device, which are in section, are revolved 90 degrees either way and electrical connections are schematic.

FIGURE 14 is a side elevation of an auto cage with an auto thereon suspended on a monorail carrier and showing portions of a loading elevator moving back down.

FIGURE 15 is an end view of the cage of FIGURE l-t with the elevator platform moving back down.

FIGURE 16 is a plan view of the cage of FIGURE 14 with portions of the carrier.

FIGURE 17 is a perspective view of a tire clamp on the platform of the auto cage with portions of the platform removed.

FIGURE 18 is a perspective view of the tire drop bracket and a portion of the attached runner removed from the auto cage.

FIGURE 19 is a perspective view of a linkage on the auto cage which prevents the opening of an auto door beyond the cage while the cage is being moved to and from its berth.

FIGURE 20 is a diagrammatic view of a cage door latch and circuits on the cage including circuits operated and controlled by the latch.

FIGURE 21 is a diagram of speed control adjustment circuits for aligning two separated driven vehicles.

FIGURE 22 is a plan view of portions of the removable roof on the transfer car of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 23 is a transeverse sectional view of the transfer car of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 24 is a transverse sectional view of the transfer car of FIGURE 1 with roof over berth closed.

FIGURE 25 is a circuit diagram of the cage transfer circuits on the transfer car.

FIGURES 26, 27, and 28 are plan views of some transfer system layouts illustrating geometric transfer.

FIGURE 29 is a combination perspective and diagrammatic cross sectional view of a subway system utilizing this invention.

FIGURE 30 is a speed-distance graph of the carrier traveling a loading-unloading station loop.

FIGURE 31 is a diagrammatic view of a portion of a railway with a transfer train thereon approaching a loading loop, together with starting and speed control circuits for the carrier for trafiic in either direction.

FIGURE 32 illustrates some variations for the controls of FIGURE 3l.

FIGURE 33 is a diagrammatic view of reversing and brake controls on the carrier.

FIGURE 34 is a diagram of an unloading station on the monorail together with electrical circuits for positioning the carrier and removing containers therefrom.

FIGURE 35 is a partly perspective and partly diagrammatic view of a conveyor roller shaft mounted with a limit switch for detecting when the roller carries a load.

FIGURE 36 is a perspective view of a carrier unloading station with portions removed to simplify drawing.

FIGURE 37 is a transversely taken elevation of a portion of the hook opener shown in FIGURE 36.

FIGURES 38, 39, and 40 are transverse sectional views through the conveyor of FIGURE 36 at respectively the rightangle switch, the turntable, and the unload elevator.

FIGURE 41 is a diagram of a transfer train with clrcuits for signaling berth loading to a station and a carrier train make-up station with circuits to receive the signals from the train, and container spotting and carrier loading means to make up the carrier train according to the signals received.

FIGURE 42 is a diagram of another carrier make-up station and circuits therefore.

FIGURE 43 is a combination circuit diagram and prespective view of a carrier stop and a container door opening and closing means particularly suited for rapid transit systems at stations where the containers are not removed from the carriers.

FIGURES 44 and 45 are respectively an end elevation and a plan view of the carrier and station doors in the arrangement shown in FIGURE 43.

FIGURE 46 is a cut-a-Way perspective view of a two car monorail train having two transfer berths and in process of reaching for a container on a cable pulled vehicle below.

FIGURE 47 is an assembly view of a portion of a container hoist shown in FIGURE 46.

FIGURE 48 is a side view of the hook mechanism shown in FIGURE 47.

FIGURE 49 is a schematic diagram of the controls for an elevator shown in FIGURE 46.

FIGURE 50 is a plan view of a side-loading container transfer system.

FIGURE 51 is a sectional view lengthwise through a side-loading passenger container.

FIGURE 52 is a perspective view of a side-transfer car in process of transferring containers to and from a paralleling conveyor and showing a selective loading make-up conveyor.

FIGURE 53 is a cross sectional view of the side transfer car engaging a container for loading, together with a schematic diagram of the circuits for operating the loader.

FIGURE 54 is a diagram of circuits for spacing and loading containers on the paralleling conveyor of FIG- URE 52.

FIGURE 55 is a perspective view of a section of a suspended carrier transferring a vehicle type container to a parallel running way.

FIGURE 56 is an end view of the container vehicle of FIGURE 55 on the parallel running guide way.

FIGURE 57 is an end view of a container having hooks with wheels latched on an overhead track.

FIGURE 58 is a perspective view of a container which is also a truck being transferred between a train and a parallel running road.

FIGURE 59 is a side elevation of a railway car with transfer bus thereon having end hooks engaging elevator in building.

In each of the several views, like reference characters designate similar parts.

RAILWAY PASSENGER TRANSFER- CONTAINER CAR Referring to the drawings and in particular to FIG- URES l and 4, a passenger and/or freight train 16 on track 18 has one or more transfer cars 20 anywhere in its consist but preferably in a group. Each car 20 has one or more container berths 23 each for holding a transfer container or cage 24. A partition 26 on car 20 separates the passenger, service, or goods areas represented by aisle 28 from the container berth area. Partition 26 has doors 30 therein for access of passengers and personnel to and from containers 24. The enclosed passenger containers and some freight containers have doors 32 which align with doors 30 when in the berths 23. Doors 30 are operable, similar to elevator hatchway gates, only while a container with which access is desired is in the berth, and are locked closed by solenoid latch 34 before the cage can be removed. A partition 36 preferably separates adjacent berths 23 on car 20. The containers are each removable through an opening 37 in the roof 38 of car 20.

6 MONORAIL CONTAINER TRAIN Paralleling track 18 is a monorail track 42, which comprises one or more parallel rails or I-beams 44 supported over track 18 by means such as inverted tubular U-frames 46, FIGURE 36. Track 42 is centered over the center of containers 24, which is off center with respect to the center line of track 18 to provide aisle 28 along one side of car 20. The containers could be full car width if aisle 28 is not needed, or they could be narrow enough for an aisle on each side of the car, or the monorail vehicle could carry the containers off center as shown in FIGURE 46; in these cases track 42 preferably would be centered over track 18.

A monorail train 50 for carrying containers 24 is operated on track 42 to align with train 18 and run parallel and aligned therewith for transfer of containers 24. The form of monorail train first to be described is one or more carriers 52 each capable of supporting one or more containers 24 at a time and each being either self-propelled Or preferably pulled by one or more motor trolleys or tractors 54.

MONORAIL TRACTOR While presently available monorail tractors could be used with modification and features added, a preferred tractor will be described.

Tractor 54 is supported by trolley 56, which rides the top of the bottom flanges of I-beams 44. A pivot shaft 53 runs transverse to trolley 56 and is supported between and extends beyond the trolleys side plates 59. A grooved bearing block 60 on each end of shaft 58 has grooved sides which ride vertically in a slot 62 in tractor side plates 64. A compression spring 66 pocketed between the top of slot 62 and block 60 supports each side plate 64 on a block 60. Two or more rubber tired traction wheels 68 are bearing mounted between plates 64 to engage the under side of I-beams 44 under pressure of springs 66. Tractor motor 70 is secured to a side plate 64 and connected to drive wheels 68 through speed reduction means such as a toothed belt and pulleys 72.

SPEED CONTROL The speed control system for automatically accelerating the carrier to train speed and for controlling the speed of the carrier for maintaining the carrier in alignment with the train is preferably of a type disclosed in my Patent No. 3,037,462, with modification. The types illustrated in my Patent Nos. 3,038,066 and 3,037,461 could also be used instead.

Accordingly dynamos DYNl and DYNZ, each having a shunt field preferably including a permanent magnet to boost residual magnetism or a separately excited field, are driven and excited to provide voltage equally representing the speed of trains 16 and 50 respectively. Dynamo DYNl is fastened to the frame of truck 74, which sup ports an end of car 20, and is driven at a speed proportional to train speed from an axle of truck 74 by suitable nonslip means, such as the timing belt and pulleys 75; or, if a traction motor is provided on truck 74, the dynamo could be mounted thereon and driven from the traction motors shaft, dynamo DYNZ is secured to the housing of traction motor 70 and driven from a shaft extension of that motor. Dynamo DYN1 is geared and excited to develop a voltage equal to the output voltage of DYNZ whenever trains 18 and 50 are traveling at the same speed and dynamos DYNl and DYN2 are passing the same current, except that the output voltage of DYNZ is adjustable as described hereinafter with FIGURE 21.

Control line conductors 76 and 77 comprising rail, wire, or bars are insulated from ground in a usual manner and run parallel tracks 18 and 42 respectively so as to be engaged by trolleys or shoes 78 and 79 respectively on trains 16 and 50. The output terminals of dynamo DYNI are connected one to a shoe 73 and the other to ground rail 80 of track 18 through the frame, axles and wheels of '7 truck 74. The output terminals of DYN2 are connected one to a shoe 79 and the other to ground through trolley 56 and track 42 grounded to rail 80.

Whenever control of the station vehicle relative to the train is desired dynarnos DYNl and DYN2 are connected in series opposing in series with automatic controls ACC, forms of which are disclosed in my patent applications Ser. Nos. 538,058 and 564,511 and in this application with reference to FIGURE 31. The order of placing the dynamos and controls relative to ground is unimportant for workability, but is a factor in cost and interchangeability. The ACC is connected across lines 76 and 77 for least cost with point a connected to line 76 and point I) connected to line 77. (See FIGURE 31 for details of ACC.) If instead one terminal of ACC is ground then another control conductor would be needed and both terminals of either dynamo would be connected across parallel control lines as shown in FIGURE 32.

A traction power supply line 82, which could also be the control line 77 as taught in my patent application Ser. No. 538,058, is run parallel track 42 so that shoe 84 on tractor 54 engages it. Traction motor 70 is connected across shoe 84 and ground.

Tractor 54 pulls or pushes the station train according to the direction of the through train. A similar tractor could be added to the opposite end of train 50; or a tractor could be added between each group of three or four carriers, whatever number are provided per trans fer car, so that good acceleration can be maintained with a long carrier train, such an arrangement being designed to space the carriers properly over the berths in any desired number of transfer cars within the limit of alignment tolerance, tractors and/or drawbars filling the gap between adjacent berths separated by coupled car ends. Train lines (not shown) connect all traction motors of train 50 only to the shoe 84 of one tractor. One dynamo DYN2 is connected per carrier train to conductor 77, and this vehicle is selected to be the same tractor which has shoe 84 connecting the traction motor or motors 70.

CARRIER AND HOOKS Some of the many possible embodiments of the station or local carrier 52 are shown in several FIGURES including 1, 2, 10, 14, and 15. Each carrier 52 has one or more supporting trolleys 88 at each end of a frame or sill 89. Each end of sill 89 is pivotally secured for hori zontal turning to a swivel 90 (FIGURES 6 and 8) by pin 91. Each swivel 90 has trunnions 92 integral therewith and engaged in holes 93 in opposite depending sides of the two-piece H-shaped frame of a trolley 88. Draw bars 94, which connect the carrier to another or to a tractor, are similarly pivotally secured to trolleys 88 either beyond the end of or above or below the swivel for the sill. Sill 89 can be long enough for one or more containers 24.

Hooks 95, having one or more teeth 96 arranged to hook under hooks 97 on each end of each container 24, are pivotally mounted by pin 98 engaging holes 99 in lugs 100 on either sill 89 (FIGURES 7, 9, and or, if the carrier is one container long, on trolleys 88 (FIGURES 1 and 2) with holes 99 horizontally elongated to allow for turning of loaded carriers; or the hooks 95 can be mounted on and elevator on the carrier as shown in FIGURE 46; or upside down on container 24.

Hooks 95'are preferably arranged in pairs mounted to swing in a transverse plane with teeth 96 facing the other hook of the pair. Hooks 95 each have a lever arm 101 preferably extending horizontally away from the toothed face of the hook near the top thereof and by which the hook is opened. The weight of arms 101 force teeth of opposite hooks 95 toward each other to engage book 97. Also a tension spring 102 (FIGURE can connect adjacent facing hooks 95 to force them together or a compression spring 102' (FIGURE 9) can serve the same purpose. The teeth of hooks 95 and 97 vertically interlock, so that sidewise forces on the container will not push the hooks apart. The facing faces of hooks 95 sweep away from each other to engage hook 97. The container straddling side of each hook is tapered at the bottom and swept endward to point away from the container supported thereby to axially shift the hook on its pin 98 to yield when engaging a container imperfectly aligned. A compression spring 103 (FIGURE 10) is preferably added about pin 98 to urge hook 95 tight against the end of the container to reduce longitudinal slippage of the container on the hooks and to increase the longitudinal tolerance in aligning containers. Hooks 97 are preferably arrow shaped in a plane transverse to the container and point up. Each hook 95 engages under a side projection of hook 97 and supports the cage so that if tilted down on a side the hooks 95 on the heavy side support the cage to restore equilibrium. To further reduce rocking, opposite hooks 95 can be spaced apart each to engage a hook 97 (FIGURE 9) on each side of each end of the containers.

Carriers shown in FIGURES l, 2, 14, and 15 are designed for transfer along straight or slightly curved transfer runs, but can round curves at the ends of the transfer run.

The carrier shown in FIGURES 5 and 7 is designed for transfer on sharp curves as well as straight runs. This carrier has the center distance between its sill swivels equal to that between the trucks which support the transfer cars with which transfer on curves is to be made. FIGURE 5 shows how the carriers sill will remain centered over berths 23 on transfer car 20' as it rounds a sharp curve CU on track 18. If transfer is made to one or more berths between truck swivels of a transfer car, track 42 can be located radially further inward relative to track 18 on a curve so that a carrier centered over these berths with a shorter swivel base than the transfer car can align for transfer on curve CU. The container on the right hand end of the carrier in FIGURE 7 is a local which is not transferred.

ELEVATOR ON RAILWAY CAR Referring to FIGURES 1, 4, and 11, each container berth on car 20 has a transfer elevator or mechanism 106 for lifting a container to engage or disengage hooks 95 on a carrier above. If the monorail carriers are all provided with elevators (see FIGURE 46) the elevators on car 20 can be omitted. The lifting of a cage by elevator 106 while the monorail carrier is properly located relative to the cage automatically hooks the cage to the carrier above by the closing, by gravity or spring pressure, of the teeth of hooks 95 under the teeth of hooks 97. To remove the cage from the carrier the cage is lifted by elevator 106 from hooks 95; then levers 101 are raised to spread apart the books on the carrier; and the elevator with the container thereon is lowered while hooks are spread to clear hooks 97. Lever arms 101 can be lifted as shown by rams which are shown as hydraulic rams 110 raised through an opening in the roof of car 20 at the proper time. Cylinders 110 are secured to the frame 111 of car 20 but optionally could be shorter and supported on the elevator. The under sides of levers 101 are preferably concaved to receive rams 110.

The preferred form of elevator 106 for car 20, FIG URES 11 and 12, has a platform 112 which has recesses or holes 114 to relieve skids 116 on the auto cage from engaging the plaftorm and conical locators 118, which engage holes 119 in containers 24, to locate and hold the containers from slippage while riding on the train or from slipping off the elevator while being transferred to or from the train. At each end of platform 112 is secured a guide channel 120 to which is rotatably secured two or more guide wheels 122. Each channel 120 is guided by an intermediate guide 123 comprising an I-beam 124 having a rod 125 welded along the inside of each leg. Wheels 122 are grooved to ride and guide on both rods 125 along the inside of a trough of I-beam 124. Grooved wheels 122

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