All-weather guided vehicle system

Abstract

An all-weather guided vehicle system comprises a tubular guideway storing pressurized air and cantilevered beams extending bi-laterally from the guideway to support a continuous deck. Vehicles are suspended under the deck by way of carriages to which the vehicles are connected by arcuate roller tracks. The beams support continuous angular channels slotted to receive suspension members extending from the carriage for air or magnetic levitation. Impulse vanes are provided on a vertical rod extending through a slotted opening in a propulsion channel for cooperation with air jet nozzles located within the channel to propel and brake the carriage. Embodiments having a fair-weather vehicle riding atop the deck and tire tracks for suspension and prevention of side sway are also disclosed.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A guided vehicle system comprising: 
 means supported above the ground for defining a pair of continuous parallel suspension channels and a propulsion channel centrally located with respect to said pair of suspension channels, said propulsion channel having a slot opening through an underside thereof;    reduced friction support means provided within each of said pair of suspension channels;    a plurality of nozzles arranged for issuing fluid jets primarily along a common longitudinal direction of said propulsion channel;    a carriage including a pair of suspension members received one within each of said pair of suspension channels for operative connection with said support means to suspend said carriage for travel along the length of said pair of suspension channels, and said carriage including a plurality of directionally biased impulse vanes received within said propulsion channel for cooperation with said nozzles, said impulse vanes being connected to said carriage by vertical members extending through said slot opening in said propulsion channel; and    a vehicle carried by said carriage.    
     
     
         2 . The guided vehicle system of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of arcuate roller tracks for suspending said vehicle from said carriage to allow said vehicle to rotate about an axis of rotation that is internal to said vehicle.  
     
     
         3 . The guided vehicle system according to  claim 1 , wherein each of said pair of suspension channels has opposite inner surfaces inclined to converge toward a slot opening through a bottom of said suspension channel, each of said pair of suspension members is a Y-shaped member, and said support means lifts said Y-shaped member away from surface-to-surface engagement with said inner surfaces of said suspension channel.  
     
     
         4 . The guided vehicle system according to  claim 3 , wherein said support means provides levitating cushions of pressurized air between said Y-shaped member and said inner surfaces of said suspension channel.  
     
     
         5 . The guided vehicle system according to  claim 1 , wherein each of said pair of suspension channels has a track rail for engagement by at least one wheel provided on said suspension member.  
     
     
         6 . The guided vehicle system according to  claim 5 , wherein said track rail includes an elastically deformable material and a plurality of strip springs extending along said track rail for engagement by said at least one wheel, said plurality of strip springs acting to spread out the load from said at least one wheel over said elastically deformable material.  
     
     
         7 . The guided vehicle system according to  claim 6 , wherein said track rail includes a support frame and an arcuate portion of said elastically deformable material connected to said support frame to define an internal volume.  
     
     
         8 . The guided vehicle system according to  claim 7 , wherein said internal volume is filled with pressurized fluid.  
     
     
         9 . The guided vehicle system according to  claim 7 , wherein said arcuate portion of said track rail includes a top region along which said strip springs extend for engagement by a wheel rotating about a generally horizontal axis and a side region along which said strip springs extend for engagement by a wheel rotating about a generally vertical axis.  
     
     
         10 . The guided vehicle system according to  claim 9 , wherein said support frame includes a counterbrace opposite said side region.  
     
     
         11 . A guided vehicle system comprising: 
 means supported above the ground for defining a continuous suspension/propulsion channel, said suspension/propulsion channel having a slot opening through an underside thereof;    reduced friction support means provided within said suspension/propulsion channel and a plurality of nozzles arranged for issuing fluid jets primarily along a common longitudinal direction of said suspension/propulsion channel;    a carriage including a suspension/propulsion member extending through said slot opening for receipt within said suspension/propulsion channel for operative connection with said support means to suspend said carriage for travel along the length of said suspension/propulsion channel, said suspension/propulsion member having a plurality of directionally biased impulse vanes for cooperation with said nozzles, said impulse vanes being connected to said carriage by vertical members extending through said slot opening in said propulsion channel; and    a vehicle carried by said carriage.    
     
     
         12 . The guided vehicle system according to  claim 11 , further comprising a stabilizing rail beneath said carriage extending parallel to said suspension/propulsion channel, and at least one stabilizing roller for engaging said stabilizing rail to mitigate rotational sway of said carriage.  
     
     
         13 . The guided vehicle system according to  claim 12 , wherein said stabilizing rail is stationary and said at least one stabilizing roller is a pair of opposing rollers fixed to an underside of said carriage for engaging opposite sides of said stabilizing rail.  
     
     
         14 . The guided vehicle system according to  claim 12 , wherein said vehicle is mounted for rotation relative to said carriage about an axis of rotation that is internal to said vehicle.  
     
     
         15 . The guided vehicle system according to  claim 11 , further comprising a damper guide extending parallel to said suspension/propulsion channel and alongside said carriage, and wherein said carriage includes at least one laterally extending member received by said damper guide to mitigate rotational sway of said carriage.  
     
     
         16 . The guided vehicle system according to  claim 15 , wherein said vehicle is mounted for rotation relative to said carriage about an axis of rotation that is internal to said vehicle.  
     
     
         17 . A guided vehicle system comprising: 
 a tubular guideway supported above the ground, said guideway containing pressurized air;    a deck extending laterally from said guideway along the length of said guideway;    a first carriage suspended under said deck, said first carriage including a plurality of directionally biased impulse vanes;    a first plurality of nozzles for issuing air jets primarily along a common guideway direction, said first plurality of nozzles communicating with said guideway to receive said pressurized air and being arranged to cooperate with said impulse vanes of said first carriage to propel said first carriage;    a first passenger vehicle carried by said first carriage.    
     
     
         18 . The guided vehicle system according to  claim 17 , further comprising: 
 a second carriage supported above said deck, said second carriage including a plurality of directionally biased impulse vanes;    a second plurality of nozzles for issuing air jets primarily along a common guideway direction, said second plurality of nozzles communicating with said guideway to receive said pressurized air and being arranged to cooperate with said impulse vanes of said second carriage to propel said second carriage; and    a second passenger vehicle carried by said second carriage.    
     
     
         19 . A guided vehicle system comprising: 
 a tubular guideway supported above the ground, said guideway containing pressurized air;    a pair of track rails supported by said tubular guideway and parallel thereto;    a carriage having multiple wheels engaging said pair of track rails for guided travel along said pair of track rails, said carriage further having a transversely extending arcuate roller track and a plurality of directionally biased impulse vanes;    a plurality of nozzles for issuing air jets primarily along a common guideway direction, said plurality of nozzles communicating with said tubular guideway to receive said pressurized air and being arranged to cooperate with said impulse vanes of said carriage to propel said carriage; and    a vehicle connected to said carriage for travel with said carriage, said vehicle having a plurality of rollers in an arcuate configuration corresponding to said roller track of said carriage.    
     
     
         20 . The guided vehicle system according to  claim 19 , wherein each of said pair of track rails comprises an elastically deformable material and a plurality of strip springs extending along said track rail for engagement by said plurality of wheels, said plurality of strip springs acting to spread out the load from said at least one wheel over said elastically deformable material.  
     
     
         21 . The guided vehicle system according to  claim 20 , wherein each of said track rails includes a support frame and an arcuate portion of said elastically deformable material connected to said support frame to define an internal volume.  
     
     
         22 . The guided vehicle system according to  claim 21 , wherein said internal volume is filled with pressurized fluid.  
     
     
         23 . The guided vehicle system according to  claim 21 , wherein said arcuate portion of each said track rail includes a top region along which said strip springs extend for engagement by wheels of said carriage rotating about a generally horizontal axis and a side region along which said strip springs extend for engagement by wheels of said carriage rotating about a generally vertical axis.  
     
     
         24 . The guided vehicle system according to  claim 23 , wherein said support frame includes a counterbrace opposite said side region.