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US 2025/0135815 A1Published application
Road to Rail Hybrid Vehicles Using Passive Junction and Transition Spans
OwnerThomas Holtzman Williamsinventor
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OwnerThomas Holtzman Williamsinventor
Estimating the term…
Described is a hybrid transportation system with hybrid vehicles (H-vehicles) that can travel on pavement (or off-road), then transition to railroad track travel, and then later transition back onto pavement without stopping or requiring an operator to exit the vehicle. At static rail junctions (with no moving switch parts) the H-vehicle selects its outgoing track. Turns at passive junctions are made by applying lateral force which may be applied using multiple methods including side roller diverters, dual flange rail wheels, and steering. Separate road wheels and rail wheels may be employed on an H-vehicle, or a combination wheel can be used with concentric road and rail wheel components. Combination wheels may be locked together or unlocked with relative rotational angular velocities. Transition between road and rail travel is facilitated using transition spans which connect roads to rails. Improved rail-only vehicles (R-) vehicles and junctions are also described.
A rail transportation system comprising a passive junction having alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, and zeta rails, with their rail tops at essentially at a same level, interior flange paths, exterior flange paths, and vehicles with road wheels and rail wheels, said vehicles choosing an output path coming out of said junctions by applying lateral force by means of steering road wheels, steering rail wheels, applying exterior rollers, or lowering dual-flange rail wheels onto either the alpha or beta rail before entering said junction.
A road to rail transportation system comprising a passive junction having alpha, beta, epsilon, and zeta rails with their rail tops at essentially a same level, a flange support surface situated in said passive junction below said rail tops, rail wheels with wheel flanges, wheel treads and wheel flange tips, said diameter of wheel flange tips is greater than diameter of wheel treads, rail vehicles that apply lateral force by steering to choose direction when coming out of said junctions, where the rail vehicles are supported on their wheel flange tips contacting said flange support surface while in the junction and supported by their wheel treads contacting said rails outside of said junction.
A rail transportation system situated in a paved road comprising tracks, a passive rail junction having alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, and zeta rails, with their rail tops at essentially at a same level as said paved road, interior flange paths, exterior flange paths, and dual-mode vehicles with road wheels and rail wheels, said vehicles choosing an output path coming out of said junctions by applying lateral force and said vehicles changing vehicle support by raising or lowering rail wheels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.