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US 5,203,265 AGranted
Self-propelling, multi-route transport for movement along both horizontal and vertical sections of track
OwnerKoichi P. Nii, Shizuo Haradainventors
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Abstract
A self-propelling transport having utility as an elevator system in a high rise building, the transport having a vehicle unit that rides on a track unit that includes a stationary drive chain that is engaged by a sprocket wheel assembly on the vehicle unit, the vehicle unit having a suspended passenger cab and a propulsion unit that engages the chain to retain the vehicle unit against the track during movement with the drive chain being magnetically retained on the track unit by electromagnets that are demagnetized where the drive chain is engaged by the sprocket wheel assembly.
Claims20
A self-propelling transport comprising:
- a track unit having two spaced rail members with a continuous drive chain retained on at least one of the rail members;
- a vehicle unit having a carriage with wheels with means for maintaining the vehicle unit on the track unit at inclinations of the carriage from horizontal to vertical, wherein at least one of the wheels is a chain engagement wheel having sprocket teeth engaging the continuous drive chain;
- active retention means for actively retaining the drive chain on the rail member at inclinations of the rail member from horizontal to vertical;
- release means for selectively releasing a segment of chain from the rail member proximate the chain engagement when by deactivating the retention means, wherein the chain segment is wrapped in part around the chain engagement wheel;
- and,
- propulsion means on the carriage operably connected to the chain engagement wheel for moving the vehicle unit along the track unit.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.