Transit system
OwnerBryan Richardsinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A transit system for individual vehicles includes a substantially enclosed guideway with a transit lane and a transition lane. Disposed along the guideway are selectively actuable portals, configured to allow substantially transverse ingress and egress of vehicles into the transition lane. The vehicles are configured for automatic control within the guideway and during ingress and egress, and may also be configured for independent control by a driver outside the guideway. In the transition lane the vehicles accelerate to a transit speed and merge into the adjacent transit lane. Upon approaching a selected destination portal, an individual vehicle merges back into the transition lane to decelerate for exit. The guidance system allows the vehicles to combine into controllably linked “trains” in the transit lane.
Claims26
A transit system, comprising:
- a) a plurality of autonomous vehicles;
- b) a plurality of guideway modules, each having a longitudinal axis, disposed end-to-end to form a continuous guideway for the autonomous vehicles, each module including:
- i. a riding surface with a transit lane and a transition lane;
- ii. portals, disposed in a side of the modules, configured to allow the autonomous vehicles to enter or leave the guideway in a direction substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis;
- c) a plurality of ports, each disposed adjacent to a selected portal, configured to allow the autonomous vehicles to enter or leave the guideway through the selected portal;
- and
- d) wherein the plurality of autonomous vehicles are configured to allow:
- iii. independent guidance and control of the autonomous vehicle by a driver when outside the guideway;
- iv. automatic guidance and control of the autonomous vehicle during ingress and egress through the selected portal;
- and
- v. automatic guidance and control of the autonomous vehicle as part of a controllably interconnected “train” of vehicles within the guideway.
A transit system, comprising:
- a) a plurality of vehicles;
- b) a substantially enclosed guideway for the vehicles, having a transit lane and a transition lane;
- c) selectively actuable portals, disposed along the guideway, configured to allow substantially transverse ingress and egress of the vehicles to and from the guideway;
- d) the plurality of vehicles being configured for automatic control within the guideway and during ingress and egress through a selectively actuable portal;
- and
- e) a guidance system, configured to guide the vehicles within the guideway and during ingress and egress, and to allow each vehicle to use independently selected origin and destination portals.
A method for transporting independent vehicles along a common guideway from independently selected origin portals to independently selected destination portals, comprising the steps of:
- a) guiding one of the independent vehicles at an ingress speed through a selected origin portal in a side of an elongate transit guideway and into a transition lane within the guideway, such that the independent vehicle initially enters the guideway in a direction substantially transverse to a length of the guideway, then turns to face in a transit direction in the transition lane;
- b) accelerating the independent vehicle from the ingress speed to a transit speed in the transit direction while in the transition lane;
- c) merging the independent vehicle into a transit lane that is parallel and adjacent to the transition lane;
- d) merging the independent vehicle from the transit lane into the transition lane while traveling at substantially the transit speed before reaching a selected destination portal;
- e) slowing the independent vehicle from the transit speed to an egress speed while in the transition lane;
- and
- f) guiding-the independent vehicle to turn from the transit direction to a direction substantially perpendiculer thereto so as to leave the guideway at the egress speed through the destination portal.
A guideway module for a transit system, comprising:
- a) an elongate, substantially enclosed tubular segment, having a longitudinal axis, sides, a top, and open ends, configured to be connected end-to-end with other similar segments;
- b) a riding surface within the segment, including a transit lane and a transition lane;
- and
- c) portals, disposed in the sides of the segment, configured to allow vehicles to enter or leave the guideway module in a direction substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.