Wheeled vehicle guidance and drive system

A wheeled vehicle guidance and drive system, for transporting at least one wheeled vehicle along a transporting path of a support surface, the wheeled vehicle having one or more support wheels for load carrying engagement with the support surface during movement of the wheeled vehicle along the transporting path , the system comprising:

• a frame stationarily mounted with respect to the support surface and extending along the transporting path;
• a drive motor mounted to said frame and having a rotational power output;
• a mechanical transmission having a power input connected to said rotational power output of said drive motor and further having a rotational power output;
• a drive shaft extending along the transporting path and mounted to said frame for rotation about a shaft axis that is parallel to the transporting path;
• a power connection between said rotational power output of said mechanical transmission and said drive shaft for rotatably driving said drive shaft about said shaft axis;
• a carriage;
• at least one driven wheel rotatably mounted on said carriage for rotation about a driven wheel axis, said driven wheel axis being non-parallel and non-perpendicular to said shaft axis, and said driven wheel engaging said drive shaft with sufficient traction so as to form a helical loci of engagement about a periphery of said drive shaft during rotation of said drive shaft about said shaft axis to power said carriage along the transporting path in a direction of the transporting path dependent upon a direction of rotation of said drive shaft;
• a drive connector for drivingly connecting said carriage to the wheeled vehicle in the direction of the transporting path and for providing a lost motion connection between the wheeled vehicle and said carriage in a lost motion direction perpendicular to said shaft axis;
• said drive connector including a pivotal connection about a pivot access perpendicular to said shaft axis and perpendicular to said biasing direction;
• and
• a biasing member mounted between said carriage and said driven wheel and biasing said driven wheel into engagement with said drive shaft throughout a range of said lost motion connection and in a biasing direction perpendicular to said shaft axis for providing sufficient engagement traction force between said driven wheel and said drive shaft to power the wheeled vehicle along the transporting path.