Side-mounted monorail transportation system
OwnerWilliam E. Oweninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A monorail beam is provided with a lower, upwardly-facing support surface, a lower, laterally-facing support surface and an upper, medially-facing support surface (relative to the support beam). Vehicles are hangingly supported, pendulum-like, from davit-like cantilevering arms of support trucks having wheels which run on or act against the base support surfaces so that they run along the side or sides of the beam. The beam may be elevated on columns, surface mounted, or depressed in tunnels. By preference, the vehicles' bodies are detachable from the trucks, and the heaviest air-conditioning components are mounted on the trucks rather than on the bodies. Power transmission and automatic control systems are described, as are switching systems and station facilities.
Claims17
A monorail transit system, comprising:
- a beam adapted to be supported on a ground-supported foundation, said beam having two opposite sides, at least one of which has respective truck means provided thereon;
- a transit car body;
- at least one transit car truck and a transit car guide means for each transit car body;
- each said transit car truck and each said transit car guide means comprising a frame having first wheel means mounted thereon for rotation and disposed in rolling engagement with said track means for providing vertical support, and second and third wheel means mounted thereon for rotation and disposed in rolling engagement with said track means for providing horizontal support;
- each said transit car truck and said transit car guide means further including an arm based on the respective said frame and arching upwardly and outwardly therefrom to an upper outer end at which a respective first securement means is provided;
- each said transit car truck and said transit car guide means for each car body being spaced from one another longitudinally of the respective said track means;
- each transit car body, above the center of gravity thereof having a plurality of second securement means provided thereon, said second securement means being spaced from one another longitudinally of the respective said transit car body;
- each said second securement means being secured to a respective said first securement means for dependingly supporting each respective transit car body from said beam via a respective said at least one transit car truck and a respective said transit car guide means;
- each said transit car truck further including motor means for powering one of said first and second wheel means for effecting transportation of each said transit car along the respective said track means of said beam.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.