Rail transit system

A monorail transit system, comprising:

• a beam adapted to be supported on a ground-supported foundation, said beam having two opposite sides;
• a transit car body constructed and arranged to be supported with respect to said beam;
• at least one transit car drive unit associated with said transit car body and in operative engagement with one of said two opposite sides of said beam, said at least one transit car drive unit comprising:
• a frame;
• a vertical support wheel assembly carried by said frame and including at least one wheel mounted for rotation and disposed in rolling engagement with a portion of said one side of said beam, said vertical support wheel assembly being constructed and arranged to provide vertical support;
• a lateral support wheel assembly carried by said frame and including wheels mounted for rotation and disposed in rolling engagement with a different portion of said one side of said rail, said lateral support wheel assembly being constructed and arranged to provide lateral support;
• a lateral frame extension extending away from said beam and constructed and arranged to couple said transit car body to said frame of said drive unit to thereby vertically and laterally support said transit car body via said vertical support wheel assembly and said lateral support wheel assembly;
• and
• a motor carried by said frame and constructed and arranged to drive the wheels of one of said vertical support wheel assembly and said lateral support wheel assembly to propel said transit car drive unit and said transit car body along said beam,
• wherein said lateral frame extension of each said transit car drive unit comprises:
• a support arm extending from said frame and disposed beneath said transit car body;
• transit car body connecting structure coudled to said support arm and an underside of said transit car body and constructed and arranged to connect said transit car body to said support arm;
• thrust force transmission structures disposed between said support arm and said transit car body connecting structure and constructed and arranged to transmit propelling thrust generated by said drive unit from said support arm to said transit car body connecting structure and thereby to said transit car body;
• and
• brake force transmission structure disposed between said support arm and said transit car body connecting structure and constructed and arranged to transmit braking forces generated by said drive unit from said support arm to said transit car body connecting structure and thereby to said transit car body,
• said support arm being constructed and arranged to permit said transit car body connecting structure to move with respect thereto and said thrust force transmission structures and said brake force transmission structure being constructed and arranged to accommodate movement of said transit car body connecting structure with respect to support arm to thereby permit said support arm to pivot with respect to said transit car body while said transit car body traverses a curved portion of said beam,
• wherein said ground-supported foundation comprises a plurality of columns secured in the ground and extending upwardly therefrom, each of said columns including a head near an upper end thereof for supporting a portion of said beam thereon, said beam including a downwardly facing hollow portion formed along a longitudinal extent of said beam in the vicinity of each portion thereof supported by a respective one of said plurality of columns, said downwardly facing hollow portions having lateral side surfaces, each of said plurality of columns further including an insert extending upwardly from said head, said insert being received within said downwardly-facing hollow portion formed in the vicinity of said beam supported by said column with said lateral sides of said hollow portion being in close proximity to lateral side surfaces of said insert, said hollow portion and said insert being constructed and arranged to prevent said beam from moving laterally with respect to said column while permitting longitudinal movement of said beam with respect to said column.

A monorail transit system comprising:

• a beam adapted to be supported on a ground-supported foundation said beam having two opposite sides;
• a transit car body constructed and arranged to be supported with respect to said beam;
• at least one transit car drive unit associated with said transit car body and in operative engagement with one of said two opposite sides of said beam, said at least one transit car drive unit comprising:
• a frame;
• a vertical support wheel assembly carried by said frame and including at least one wheel mounted for rotation and disposed in rolling engagement with a portion of said one side of said beam, said vertical support wheel assembly being constructed and arranged to provide vertical support;
• a lateral support wheel assembly carried by said frame and including wheels mounted for rotation and disposed in rolling engagement with a different portion of said one side of said rail, said lateral support wheel assembly being constructed and arranged to provide lateral support;
• a lateral frame extension extending away from said beam and constructed and arranged to couple said transit car body to said frame of said drive unit to thereby vertically and laterally support said transit car body via said vertical support wheel assembly and said lateral support wheel assembly;
• and
• a motor carried by said frame and constructed and arranged to drive the wheels of one of said vertical support wheel assembly and said lateral support wheel assembly to propel said transit car drive unit and said transit car body alone said beam,
• wherein said lateral frame extension of each said transit car drive unit comprises:
• a support arm extending from said frame and disposed beneath said transit car body;
• transit car body connecting structure coupled to said support arm and an underside of said transit car body and constructed and arranged to connect said transit car body to said support arm;
• thrust force transmission structures disposed between said support arm and said transit car body connecting structure and constructed and arranged to transmit propelling thrust generated by said drive unit from said support arm to said transit car body connecting structure and thereby to said transit car body;
• and
• brake force transmission structure disposed between said support arm and said transit car body connecting structure and constructed and arranged to transmit braking forces generated by said drive unit from said support arm to said transit car body connecting structure and thereby to said transit car body,
• said support arm being constructed and arranged to permit said transit car body connecting structure to move with respect thereto and said thrust force transmission structures and said brake force transmission structure being constructed and arranged to accommodate movement of said transit car body connecting structure with respect to support arm to thereby permit said support arm to pivot with respect to said transit car body while said transit car body traverses a curved portion of said beam,
• comprising two of said transit car drive units associated with said transit car body, said system further comprising a pair of cables each fixed at opposite ends thereof to the respective support arms of a different one of said two drive units and passing around tension balance idler wheels, said cables being constructed and arranged to provide for coordinated motion of said two transit car drive units so that the transit car body is equally supported by the drive units.

A monorail transit system, comprising:

• a beam adapted to be supported on a ground-supported foundation, said beam having two opposite sides;
• a transit car body constructed and arranged to be supported with respect to said beam;
• at least one transit car drive unit associated with said transit car body and in operative engagement with one of said two opposite sides of said beam, said at least one transit car drive unit comprising:
• a frame;
• a vertical support wheel assembly carried by said frame and including at least one wheel mounted for rotation and disposed in rolling engagement with a portion of said one side of said beam, said vertical support wheel assembly being constructed and arranged to provide vertical support;
• a lateral support wheel assembly carried by said frame and including wheels mounted for rotation and disposed in rolling engagement with a different portion of said one side of said rail, said lateral support wheel assembly being constructed and arranged to provide lateral support;
• a lateral frame extension extending away from said beam and constructed and arranged to couple said transit car body to said frame of said drive unit to thereby vertically and laterally support said transit car body via said vertical support wheel assembly and said lateral support wheel assembly;
• and
• a motor carried by said frame and constructed and arranged to drive the wheels of one of said vertical support wheel assembly and said lateral support wheel assembly to propel said transit car drive unit and said transit car body along said beam,
• wherein said lateral frame extension of each said transit car drive unit comprises:
• a support arm extending from said frame and disposed beneath said transit car body;
• transit car body connecting structure coupled to said support arm and an underside of said transit car body and constructed and arranged to connect said transit car body to said support arm;
• thrust force transmission structures disposed between said support arm and said transit car body connecting structure and constructed and arranged to transmit propelling thrust generated by said drive unit from said support arm to said transit car body connecting structure and thereby to said transit car body;
• and
• brake force transmission structure disposed between said support arm and said transit car body connecting structure and constructed and arranged to transmit braking forces generated by said drive unit from said support arm to said transit car body connecting structure and thereby to said transit car body,
• said support arm being constructed and arranged to permit said transit car body connecting structure to move with respect thereto and said thrust force transmission structures and said brake force transmission structure being constructed and arranged to accommodate movement of said transit car body connecting structure with respect to support arm to thereby permit said support arm to pivot with respect to said transit car body while said transit car body traverses a curved portion of said beam,
• wherein said transit car body includes leveling mechanisms attached on an exterior portion thereof and constructed and arranged to engage cooperating leveling mechanisms of an adjacent loading platform to position said transit car body in a preferred orientation with respect to the loading platform.

A monorail transit system, comprising:

• a beam adapted to be supported on a ground-supported foundation, said beam having two opposite sides;
• a transit car body constructed and arranged to be supported with respect to said beam;
• at least one transit car drive unit associated with said transit car body and in operative engagement with one of said two opposite sides of said beam, said at least one transit car drive unit comprising:
• a frame;
• a vertical support wheel assembly carried by said frame and including at least one wheel mounted for rotation and disposed in rolling engagement with a portion of said one side of said beam, said vertical support wheel assembly being constructed and arranged to provide vertical support;
• a lateral support wheel assembly carried by said frame and including wheels mounted for rotation and disposed in rolling engagement with a different portion of said one side of said rail, said lateral support wheel assembly being constructed and arranged to provide lateral support;
• a lateral frame extension extending away from said beam and constructed and arranged to couple said transit car body to said frame of said drive unit to thereby vertically and laterally support said transit car body via said vertical support wheel assembly and said lateral support wheel assembly;
• and
• a motor carried by said frame and constructed and arranged to drive the wheels of one of said vertical support wheel assembly and said lateral support wheel assembly to propel said transit car drive unit and said transit car body along said beam,
• wherein said lateral frame extension of each said transit car drive unit comprises:
• a support arm extending from said frame and disposed beneath said transit car body;
• transit car body connecting structure coupled to said support arm and an underside of said transit car body and constructed and arranged to connect said transit car body to said support arm;
• thrust force transmission structures disposed between said support arm and said transit car body connecting structure and constructed and arranged to transmit propelling thrust generated by said drive unit from said support arm to said transit car body connecting structure and thereby to said transit car body;
• and
• brake force transmission structure disposed between said support arm and said transit car body connecting structure and constructed and arranged to transmit braking forces generated by said drive unit from said support arm to said transit car body connecting structure and thereby to said transit car body,
• said support arm being constructed and arranged to permit said transit car body connecting structure to move with respect thereto and said thrust force transmission structures and said brake force transmission structure being constructed and arranged to accommodate movement of said transit car body connecting structure with respect to support arm to thereby permit said support arm to pivot with respect to said transit car body while said transit car body traverses a curved portion of said beam;
• and
• a car body tilting and leveling mechanism, including:
• a first side elevation adjusting mechanism constructed and arranged to vary the elevation of a first side of said transit car body;
• a second side elevation adjusting mechanism constructed and arranged to vary the elevation of a second side of said transit car body, said second side of said transit car body being opposite said first side;
• a centrifugal force detecting mechanism constructed and arranged to detect the magnitude of centrifugal forces acting on said transit car body;
• and
• a controller constructed and arranged to receive signals from said centrifugal force detecting mechanism and to selectively activate one of said first side elevation adjusting mechanism and said second side elevation adjusting mechanism in response to the signals from the centrifugal force detecting mechanism to raise the elevation of one of said first and second sides of said transit car body to tilt said transit car body laterally to compensate for the centrifugal forces and to activate the one of said first side elevation adjusting mechanism and said second side elevation adjusting mechanism in response to the signals from the centrifugal force detecting mechanism to lower the one of said first and second sides of said transit car body so that said transit car body is again approximately level when said transit car body is no longer subjected to the centrifugal forces.

A rail assembly for a transit vehicle which travels along a track defined by said rail assembly, said rail assembly comprising:

• a foundation structure presenting an upwardly-facing surface;
• a steel rail supported on said upwardly facing surface and secured to said foundation structure by anchoring devices;
• and
• a resilient vibration pad disposed between said steel rail and said upwardly-facing surface, said resilient vibration pad being pre-stressed in compression by said steel rail secured to said foundation structure by said anchoring devices.

A braking system for a transit vehicle which travels on a track defined by at least one rail, said braking system comprising:

• a housing carried by the transit vehicle in opposed relation to the rail;
• a base plate fixedly mounted within said housing;
• a friction pad assembly movably disposed within said housing between said base plate and the rail;
• a biasing mechanism disposed between said base plate and said friction pad assembly and constructed and arranged to generate a biasing force that urges said friction pad assembly away from said base plate to thereby urge said friction pad assembly into frictional, braking engagement with the rail;
• and
• a brake retracting mechanism disposed within said housing and operatively coupled with said friction pad assembly, said brake retracting mechanism being constructed and arranged to selectively move said friction pad assembly against the biasing force of said biasing mechanism to variably disengage said friction pad assembly from the rail to provide a variable braking force.