Traffic/transportation system

A transportation/logistics system for transporting vehicles or containers between entrance and exit points

• a plurality of pallets, each of which is suitable for carrying a vehicle or container and each of which includes
• a linear motor powered propulsion system and a magnetically levitated pallet body supporting system,
• a magnetically levitated guiding system which includes,
• a traveling position sensor which detects the traveling position of said pallet, and wherein the guiding system determines whether or not said pallet is traveling in a planned position based on said detected traveling position information,
• a sensing system which collects information for control of the magnetically levitated pallet body supporting system and the magnetically levitated guiding system, including vehicle position and obstacle detection information, headway distance, and traveling speed, wherein the information originates from sensors which are installed on the road or on a pallet, which include, a location display apparatus, vehicle detection sensors, and imaging apparatuses,
• a pair of lane deviation preventing fins which protrude from the bottom of said pallet and on which is positioned a gap detection mechanism which detects a distance between the lane deviation prevention fins and the headway in front of the lane deviation preventing fin or the distance between the side of the lane deviation preventing fin and side walls of a pair of ditches which are installed in a main lane,
• wherein the magnetically levitated guiding system is responsive to the information collected by the sensing system and traveling position sensor and guides the pallet magnetically so that the lane deviation preventing fins travel in the ditches without contacting the walls of the ditches,
• a control system for the magnetically levitated pallet body supporting system, including
• electromagnets installed on right and left sides of the lane deviation preventing fins,
• absorption plates installed on a section of the ditches of the main lane and which absorb the force generated by the electromagnets, and
• distance sensors which measure the height of the magnetic levitation generated by the magnetically levitated pallet body supporting system, wherein the control system controls the force generated by the electromagnets,
• a road, in which the pallet travels, and which includes the main lane having the ditches in which the lane deviation preventing fins can be positioned, wherein the dimensions of the ditches are selected so that said lane deviation preventing fins can move in the ditches without contacting the side walls of the ditches, and so that said lane deviation preventing fins mechanically prevent the pallet from deviating from the main lane in the event contact is made with the side wall of the ditches,
• a mode-interchange at which the vehicle or container can be loaded on said pallet or unloaded from said pallet,
• a driving control system providing driving control of the propulsion, braking and magnetic levitation for each individual pallet based upon information regarding driving conditions collected from
• sensors installed on the main lane, which include a position display apparatus, vehicle detecting sensors, and an image treating apparatus.
• from sensors on the pallet and a remote controller associated with the pallet which relate to the driving conditions of the pallet, and
• information from communication apparatus, which is installed on the road, and from communication between pallets,
• a diverging system in which the direction of the pallet is controlled automatically by the magnetically levitated guiding system to exit from the main lane and enter a different target lane at a diverging section of the road system by controlling the power of the electromagnetic field of the electromagnets on the lane deviation preventing fins in response to diverging signals which come from the pallet, the remote controller associated with the pallet, and from road side and position information at the diverging section so that the lane deviation preventing fins do not contact the side walls of the ditches in the road,
• a merging system in which the direction of a pallet is controlled automatically by the magnetically levitated guiding system to enter the main lane from a branch lane at a merging section by controlling the power of the electromagnetic field of the electromagnets on the lane deviation preventing fins based on merging signals from the pallet, the remote controller and the road side and position information at the merging section so that the lane deviation preventing fins do not contact the side walls of the ditches in the road.