GB2460840A

GB2460840A - Personal transport system

Info

Publication number: GB2460840A
Application number: GB0810580A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Louis Augustus George Atteck
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-06-10
Filing date: 2008-06-10
Publication date: 2009-12-16
Also published as: GB0810580D0

Abstract

The system comprises an infrastructure containing a road that has a pathway to guide vehicles and has a propulsion system within the road to which the vehicles can be attached and pulled along the pathway. The propulsion system comprises articulated carrier platforms 22 supporting the vehicles, the platforms having lateral guide wheels. The platforms 22 can be moved by coupling with a moving roller chain on straight sections of pathway, with coasting around intervening bends.

Description

A Personal Transport System

Background

Urban transport systems at this time includes the motor car, the bus or light railways, but due to the demands of population expansion in cities, the available space to accommodate any expansion in the transport system has reached its limit. There is therefore today the requirement to develop new systems that can accommodate the increasing density of commuting travellers and solve the traffic congestion problem in the center of large cities without having to expand the transport Infrastructure.

The latest proposals such as the Personal Rapid Transport systems (PRT) uses a elevated road network on which small vehicles carrying 2-4 persons travel either on or suspended on rails by suitable means and at much higher speeds.

Fast systems claim to have a 2-3 second headway between vehicles but are required to have reliable fail-safe safety means to prevent collisions on the network due to the requirement for maximising the density of the traffic on the road and especially at junctions and stations and most proposals depend on veiy complicated computerised control systems that are so far untested over time.

Dual Mode systems are also proposed using computerised means, to allow closer packing of motor cars on the motorways as they enter congested parts of a city by allowing them to travel "convoy like" under their own power, to control the distance apart to increase the density of vehicles on the road or are carried "piggy back" on trolleys on the rail system.

The means of propulsion can either be placed on board the vehicle or on the road. In the case of the on board propulsion, the motor must be powerful enough to meet all the requirements over the whole system and must either carry its own battery or have means to take the electricty from conductors on the roadway. In the case of propulsion on the roadway, the options are a continuous belt or rope system or other attachment systems using geared motors with cogs to propel the vehicle or Magnetic Levitation/Linear motors etc. Such proposed systems claim to be ideal for use in densly populated cities or inter-city travel as they can replace the systems already in place such as buses or trams and * Trains which tend to use valuable road space and they can easily integrate with the fast mass transport systems already in place. There are however no such systems operating successfully commercially today although a few experimental systems are proposed.

The Invention

Introduction and Objectives.

The Invention comprises a novel Propulsion System that when used in combination with a novel compatible Infrastructure lay-out, provides for a safe and reliable system in which a Vehicle Platform has means to attach and detach itself from the Propulsion System and can smoothly accelerate to the System's working speed to propel it along a Pathway on the Infrastructure. Because the Propulsion System is analogous to a typical conveyor system in which goods can be transported in a factory with no headway, it is capable of permitting a multiple of Vehicles to theoretically travel with zero headway, nose to tail, without bumping into each other. The System can be operated with a minimum or no electronic controls and the platforms can leave the convoy chain at any time as they are not connected in any way. Although the System I. of the Invention is capable of accomodatirtg a central fully computerised traffic management system such as those proposed in fast PRT systems, it is capable of being operated by a simple very effective low-tech guidance system that can be controlled on the Vehicle by the passenger. In case of a breakdown in the electronics, the vehicles can therefore be manually operated by the passenger who can also, if required, guide the vehicle through the entire Infrastructure.

It is therefore highly suitable as the basis of a Hybrid Personal Transport System in which a Pedestrian Carrier Mode, a PRT Mode and a Dual Mode System may be either implemented separately or be scainlessly integrated into a Common Transportation System, all preferably using the same Basic Vehicle Chassis Platform and Propulsion technology that can be used to transport people and/or motor cars to relieve traffic congestion in City centers. The Basic Chassis Platform can be easily altered for use in any of the Modes so that when not required, Platforms can be switched around as required to efficiently utilise the Vehicle pooi. The Platfonns and the system are also capable of being mrnaturised to be used for distribution purposes such as distributing parts in an automobile plant on demand from a central warehouse.

The Pedestrian Carner mode described in the Invention, in contrast with the systems used today, uses many Basic Chassis Platforms that can be partially enclosed for safety and which runs on a Pathway similar to that of the PRT and which may be fixed at ground level or above ground as required and is usually used in indoor applications. It can be used in environments such as a department store, a shopping Mall or exhibition centre, or in a more complex application, caters for one or more standing or seated persons and their luggage and which can be used at airports to inter-conect car-parks, check-in points, security and the various terminals with their Gates. It is therefore possible for passengers to travel on the same vehicle with their baggage from the car-park, through security, immigration and customs checks, to the Gates where they can check-in and the luggage can be loaded on or off their flight thus saving time and no lost baggage.

This more complex application is capable of accelerating smoothly to much higher speeds than that of the pror art without any of the drawbacks and requires no prior training to use the vehicle and can be used safely by disabled passengers or children.

The vehicle in the PRT mode comprises a Basic Platform on to which is placed an easily removable Canopy that contains seats and other basic creature cumforts and is used in a urban area network on which the Vehicle travels at higher speed non-stop to multiple destinations.

This Mode calls for a multiple of Vehicles carrying 1 or 2 passengers using a system that is theoretically capable of zero headway between vehicles, although in practice the average headway will be under I second, and the throughput of passengers can be

much higher than that of the prior art.

In Dual Mode the PRT Vehicle Platform uses two Basic Chassis Platforms that preferably has means to be hinged together to match the distance between the wheels of a standard un-modified motor car and on to which the car wheels are clamped finnlyto form a composite "piggy-back' PRT Vehicle that can use the PRT main pathway. Ideally because this concept in one preferred method calls for terminal to terminal connection, the composite vehicles can be launched with zero or little headway in convoys during peak travel times. All Modes can additionally be used in off-peak periods for many diverse distribution purposes that include carrying medium weight cargo containers or parcels or the post, within and through a city. 2.

Preferred Embodiments of the Invention The invention describes A Personal Transport System that comprises in combination an Infrastructure that supports a Road on which vehicles travel, a Pathway positioned in the road between which the vehicles are constrained to travel, a Propulsion System within the Pathway that runs along the entire system, the Vehicles which have Means to attach and detach themselves from the Propulsion system, and Control and Safety means that operates the whole system effectively.

The Infrastructure One preferred form of the Infrastructure in the Invention anticipates that as networks become more complex and operate at faster speeds and with vehicles closer together to achieve higher densities, collisions and undesirable situations will make it necessaiy to have complex electronic control systems to operate safely, and addresses most of these difficulties experienced by building most of the safety requirements into the basic structure.

The infrastructure layout is also constrained by the fact that the Propulsion System comprises many Units that travel in straight lines centrally on the Road such that the Road must also travel mainly in straight lines and Means is provided to accommodate any deviation from a straight line.

In all Modes, the Invention provides for an infrastructure see Figs 1A, B& C. that comprises one or more uni-directional independent Roads (1) with Pathway Guides positioned to constrain the vehicles within the Road, designed such that it embodies a built-in safety lay-out that enables all vehicles on the carriageway system to travel exclusively in one direction only in their own dedicated pathway and in which their paths never cross each other at the same level, as there are no "junctions", and there is means for them to enter or leave the main pathway such as entering or leaving a station Fig IA (2) or a minor pathway Fig IC (5)while always travelling in the same direction. At the exit from a station or entry from a minor pathway, the pathway always travel parallel to the Main Pathway Fig 1 A,B&C (3) to facilitate safe entry.

Fig 1C shows a lay-out of a major main Pathway (I), where there is adequate space available on the present road traffic system, there may be two or more Roads running in opposite directions, preferably, between the outer and inner parts of a city radiating outward like the Spokes of a wheel with minor pathways (5) forming a Grid Network that feeds the Main Pathways (I) and the vehicles can travel at the speed of the propulsion system unhindered, to their destination. Fig IC (4) shows two typical stations with means to reverse the direction of the vehicles.

At a junction of two Major Pathways, Figs 1 A&B show two types of crossovers in which the Pathways pass over or under each other of the bisecting pathways and the road links up with both Pathways by diving under or over the pathways as indicated by the arrows in Fig I B (8) without ever meeting or crossing a pathway going in any other direction or a simpler version Fig IA (9) that uses the reverse direction type Stations Fig 1 C(4) to reverse direction.

If the Major Pathway is to be used for Dual Mode, the road may be optionally situated at or near ground level with the lighter PRT Mode situated above to minimise sutrctural requirements, so it may require some of the space of the normal road system that it will be replacing anyway. On the minor Pathways, where the present normal road system is narrower, and which serves as feeders Fig I C(S) to the Major Pathways, the pathways are preferably single and uni-directional and service the major pathway or to other parts of a Grid.

The Infrastructure required for PRT will not be very substantial as the Vehicles will be made of lightweight materials and carry a minimum of equipment and passengers so that the load bearing structure will be slim and can be easily prefabricated and erected at lowest cost. The Main Pathway will be preferably above ground level and the pathway preferably branches off to ground level at stations Fig 2B to facilitate handicaped persons and if it is un-covered it will have a aesthetically designed low visual profile when viewed from the side at ground level.

Additionally as the vehicle wheels take a narrow foot-print on the pathway, the area of the footprint path may be very smooth and made of any suitable hard wearing surface as the vehicle does not require much road grip which decreases noise levels and wear on the wheels as the vehicle is attached and pulled along by the Propulsion System situated between the Guides and can also be made to act as a braking system.

Additionally the main structural strength of the road is preferably concentrated on the area that is along the path footprint of the support wheels of the vehicle.

The Pathway The Pathway is fixed on the road Fig 2 A (6) and guides the vehicle Fig 2B (11) on a fixed path within the road and is defined by continuous parallel raised Flat perpendicular Guides Fig 2 A&B(7), made of suitably strong material, whose top edge is extended horizontally inwards Fig 2 A(8) between which the vehicle is constrained to follow and with the top edge of the guides preventing the vehicle from tipping over. When deviating from the Main Pathway, the Pathway Guides Fig 2B(9) on one side is broken and the Guide branches off to lead the vehicles to a minor Pathway or entering or leaving a station (10).

On the Pathway in an uncovered PRT pathway option, the Chain Belt and Channel Guide are self cleaning as they are constantly moving and the Vehicles will be provided with means to clear snow or ice physically, and since the vehicles pass very frequently they may be fitted with stiff brooms shaped as snow ploughs so that fresh snow can be easily pushed off the roadway into holes in the roadway or by using heating means or chemical de-icers and will have provision to allow drainage of any surface rain water and the exposed equipment will be made of weather proof materials. In the Dual Mode initially, there will preferably be a limit on the wheelbase length and width and weight so that both the Composite Vehicle and the PRT vehicle Platforms are similar and can use the same pathway system.

The Propulsion System The preferred forni of the propulsion system anticipates the difficulties experienced by systems that place the motive power on the vehicle resulting in more complex control systems to adjust speed and to prevent collisions at junctions.

Furthermore when the propulsion power in placed in the pathway that deviates from a straight line the design calls for a complex system to propel the vehicle along the pathway and which usually leads to un-acceptable usage life of the mechanical parts.

Furthermore in the "Travelator" Mode of the prior art, when the Belt system that comprise multiple belt sections that are used to accelerate and decelerate the traveller, there is bunching of the persons at the deceleration phase if the people walk on the belt. This leads to people bumping into each other. Complex belt systems that use methods to extend and shorten the length of the walkway at the entry and exit are also limited in the speed increases in the fast sections that can be practically achieved, in the case of the systems that use moving hand rails to pull the passenger at increased speeds while they stand on free-wheeling rollers it requires a good sense of balance and training to effectively use the system. In all these applications teaching novel techniques to be able to participate and a good sense of balance is needed.

The Propulsion System of the Invention will comprise any suitable driven system that can be installed in the road between the Pathway that operates continuously that is capable of pulling Vehicles which have Means to be easily attached to the System such that they are able to accelerate smoothly to the operating speed of the System and the vehicles are able when required, to easily detach themselves and freewheel or slow down or stop.

One preferred propulsion system uses any suitable chain or belted systems preferably a Roller Chain Belt similar to in-line conveyors used in factories using suitable horsepower motors and is similar in a limited way to the old rope wire type propulsion systems used in the past such as for Ski-lifts, that has some merit in that there is no possibility of rear bumping accidents while the vehicles are attached to the same moving wire between fixed points, but is unable to easily change direction to form a network system.

The preferred system therefore comprises a multiple of straight in-line Chain-Belt Units Fig 3A&B(12) of suitable practical lengths and of suitable strength as recommended by the manufacturers and can be visualised as straight line Units of Road, Pathway Guide, and Propulsion Units as shown by the broken lines in Fig 3B, and where the Pathway extends for a long distance in a straight line, two or more Units are utilised and the driven section of the chain belt that is on top moves in the direction that the vehicle travels and the Chain Belt is constrained to move within a Square Section profile Channel Fig 2A (13) that has water drainage means. The Units are preferably fixed centrally within the Pathway Fig Fig 3A&B (12), such that the top of the chain is level with the road surface, and the Channel has a low friction surface such as PTFE or rollers along its base and all the Chain-Belts can be individually controlled to all move at the same speed or if required, at different speeds.

Roller Chain Belt systems as used in conveyor systems are more durable when used in straight lengths of suitable distances and at speeds detennined by the manufacturers.

As the whole system requires continuity over the entire road system, continuity is maintained by using the spaces between the units Fig 3A&B (14)that comprises the Road and Pathway Guide and are of sufficient length to allow the vehicle to coast unaided smoothly between the units on the Pathway and the spaces can be also used to incrementally change the direction of the Pathway by using the momentum of the vehicle and the Pathway Guides to smoothly effect the transfer from Unit to Unit.

The Units can be of different lengths Fig 3B (12) with the shorter ones used for deviating incrementally from a straight line. At corners where it is not practical to have many short belts such as in long downward slopes and turning sharp corners Fig 3B (13), the vehicle can optionally coast under gravity and when travelling back up the slope, the propulsion unit will require a more powerfiti motor. Overall, for economy of electrical energy, different horsepower motors are used to meet the demand for speed and changes of elevation within each Propulsion Unit, which enables the vehicles to be able to accelerate to higher speeds in the longer sections of the Pathway and bunching never result in end-on collisions as all the vehicle on any Propulsion Unit travels at the speed of that Unit.

When not in use the motors can be switched off or left running at an idling speed to conserve energy. S.

The Vehicles The vehicles Fig 4 A,BC&D for all modes will preferably comprise a common basic rectangular platform or chassis of suitable size, shape and strength (15) and may optionally have a removable Canopy containing seats and other creature comforts, that can be easily fitted over the Basic Platform. The vehicle Platforms are supported on suitably sized wheels (16), preferably Caster Wheels fItted with solid rubber or plastic tyres that can swivel as the direction of the vehicle changes and there is provided 4 fixed horizontally running wheels at its corners (17) that run against the inner surface of the Flat raised guides in the Pathway, that constrains the vehicle within the Guides, and under the extended top edge of the Guides to prevent the vehicle from tipping over. A separate set of wheels may optionally be positioned to run against the under surface of the extended edge to prevent tipping.

The vehicle additionally has two pairs of wheels Fig 4A&D(18), that operate as a pair, on either side at the corners, situated in line with the horizontally running wheels at the front and back, and which has Means to move the pairs of wheels on either side over the top of the Guides on either side, alternately, to make contact with and run against the outside surface of the flat raised Pathway Guides. and when the vehicle is required to leave or join the pathway such as leaving or entering a station there is a break in the guide to create a gap on the appropiate side and the Guide branches off to lead the vehicle off or on to the main Pathway using the appropriate pair of wheels.

Two options for applying the Means are shown in Fig 4D (19) that operate as shown by the arrows.

While travelling on the main pathway the pair of wheels on the non exit side may optionally be in contact continuously with the guide and is lifted off the guide when the other pair is used to leave or enter the pathway Fig 2B (20) and this rule is necessary especially when cornering while using the longer Dual Mode Composite vehicle since the positioning of the constraining wheels and the swiveling means on both sides of the vehicle may not fit the distances between the Guides as these wheels are positioned in line to operate on parallel straight running Guides.

The Pedestrian Carrier Mode described in the Invention utilises the Invention in its simplest form. The vehicles for carrying the people in the system will be preferably quite simple and provides for standing room only with adequate space for one or more passengers and their luggage since the journeys will be over short distances and at any suitable speed and will be partially enclosed around its perimeter for safety reasons and will use hand rails to stabilise the passenger during the speed changes.

In the PRT Mode the vehicles structure will be more robust and will be totally enclosed if the Infrastructure is open to the elements.

In the Dual Mode, a standard un-modified motor car Fig 4C (21) can drive on to two standard PRT platforms arranged as shown in Fig 4C (22) that are preferably hinged together as shown in Fig 4C (23) to allow movement vertically and the support wheels nearer the hinges has means to be shifted more centrally Fig 4C(24) to allow those wheels to clear the Guides when changing direction The Composite Platform is long enough to accommodate a motor car and which has means to secure it to the Platforms Fig 4C (25) and the Platforms use only one operational Means to Attach and Detach Unit on each Platform, and if the motor car has a slightly wider wheel base means is provided to extend the part of the platform under the wheels which are then clamped to the platform to form a composite PRT vehicle that can enter and be driven on a normal type PRT Pathway, preferably on the main pathway that can be made stronger to take the additional weight, through a congested part of the city and which can leave or enter the Pathway at an exit or entry terminal station. 6.

At peak periods of use on a two-way Main Pathway, if the traffic is mainly in one direction, the platforms are easily re-cycled for optimum usage by stacking the used platforms on top of each other for the return journey that leaves sufficient Pathway space available for traffic also travelling on the same direction.

The Attachment Unit see Figs 4A&B (26) comprises Means to attach and detach itself from the Propulsion System and which provides for a smooth acceleration from standing still to the operational speed for that Propulsion Unit. It is also utilised during the transition between the Propulsion Units and the Means preferably comprises two Attachment Units that are centrally positioned to run within the chain guide Fig 2A (13) and are positioned at the front and back of the standard Vehicle Platform. Each Unit Fig 5A,B&C has a sprocket wheel (27) of suitable diameter that in one preferred embodiment is machined to also act like a disc brake flange and is positioned so that the teeth engage with the Chain Belt rollers (28) of the Propulsion System that slides on the chain guide (29)within the Roadway, and the Vehicle sprocket wheel can free-wheel allowing the vehicle to stop or move independently of the moving belt system. The sprocket wheel clamping means may operate like a disc brake system of a motorcycle (30) or alternatively may operate like a clutch mechanism such that when either method is applied on to the flat flange surface of the sprocket body it ceases to free-wheel, thus locking the vehicle to the moving chain belt and it may be operated electromagnetically, pneumatically or hydraulically.

In one preferred embodiment, the sprocket unit can be made to swivel upward and downward Fig 4B (26) as shown by the arrows, sufficiently to clear the end Sprockets of the Chain Belt to disengage and engage with the roller chain between units as it transits between the each Chain Unit and which has means to apply sufficient pressure necessary to make full contact with the chain rollers running within the Chain Guide, allowing the Chain Belt of the propulsion system to be simple and more like a conveyor system.

Optionally, independent brakes may be used in emergencies, and together with the other on-board equipment including the swiveling components etc, of the sprocket unit., that need electricity to operate electromagnetically or via a pneumatic or hydraulic system, the vehicle has means to generate electricty by means of a small generator driven off any of the moving wheels or an independent wheel on the roadway and together with a small suitable rechargeable battery or any other suitable storage system, that is essential when the vehicle is stationary. However as a fail-safe precaution, mechanical means may be employed in which fixtures are placed in the pathway to contact levers on the vehicle to operate the various operations. In any case this will be operntional only if the lever is not triggered beforehand by the other means.

All the vehicles on the same belt Unit will therefore always travel at the same speed and the belts may be made to travel at any desired speed in any individual unit as dictated by safety and passenger comfort and always in one direction on the pathway and vehicles can only slow down by free-wheeling but never increase its speed above that of the belt speed and will have means to buffer a slow tail end collision if there is a partial orin the unlikely total loss of both front and rear attachment units and the rear vehicle can then push the slowing or disabled vehicle to the next station or if necessary, the belt units concerned can be shut down and if a suitable network grid is provided, the vehicles may be directed to an alternative detour route.

In a conventional conveyor chain belt system, as load is applied the belt is forced outward from the sprocket but it is held in place by being a continuous belt system constrained between two sprockets of fixed distance apart which provides the required back pressure to keep the chain within a large number of the sprocket teeth.

The Invention utilises this Chain Belt system in a novel way in that when the free-wheeling Sprocket of the Attachment Unit on the vehicle is required to engage with the chain belt on the flat section between the two end sprockets of the conveyor type Chain Belt system, at least one of the teeth on the Attachment Sprocket is always in firm contact with the rollers of the chain. When a clamping means is applied to the attachment sprocket to cause it to stop rotating, because the profile of the teeth are designed for a conveyor type system and if there is no means provided to force the teeth on to the Attachment sprocket, it will tend to slip off the rollers and against the Channel Guide causing un-acceptable wear.

One preferred Means to overcome this effect requires the vehicle Sprocket wheel teeth to be preferably designed to emulate a square tooth sprocket Fig 5C(34) at its contact point with the rollers by changing the profile shape of the teeth contact surface such that when the clamping action is applied to slop the sprocket from free-wheeling the contact surface of at least one sprocket tooth Fig 5C(35) is essentially at right angles, as shown by the arrows, to the pulling direction of the roller of the belt and therefore the only possibility that the belt can slip downward on to the Guide surface is by gravity. Furthermore the section of the teeth at its extremity is profiled to effectively guide the rollers of the Chain belt on to the free wheeling sprocket as it makes contact with the belt moving at speed.

At each application of the clamping means, a strain is put on the Clamping System so preferably incremental acceleration using increasing speed of the Propulsion Units is preferred although in some cases as in entering the main pathway from a station one Unit travelling at the speed of the main pathway may preferably be used.

Additionally there is provided some small vertical movement in the chain between the Vehicle sprocket wheel and the channel guide and lifting Means is provided to lift the chain belt away from the channel guide base surface just before applying the clamping means.

One preferred lifting Means Fig 5A&B, provides for Attachments to the Chain along both sides (31) that are normally used for fixing slats to bear the goods to be conveyed. These attachments are made by extending the side linking plates that are extended upward as shown and are bent outwards at right angles. Clamping means Fig 5A (32)can now be employed that causes either plain Rollers (33) as shown in the drawings or alternatively a low friction plate (33), on either side to move inwards and upwards under the attachments that are on both sides and in line with the Vehicle sprocket wheel teeth in contact with the chain such that the chain is forced upward away from the guide against the sprocket wheel before the brake is applied and locking the vehicle to the chain belt and further lowering the wear on the channel guide. To prevent oscillation of the surface of these attachments as they approach the Rollers or the friction plate, suitably shaped low friction guides are provided ahead and behind which are attached to the Vehicle sprocket housing unit together with the Clamping means to guide the attachments on an even smooth path to and from the sprocket.

Control and Safety Means The Control and Safety Means utilises any of the features in commercial systems necessary to create a safe environment for the Invention to operate effectively. The main area that may casuse accidents to occur is when a vehicle enters the main pathway from a minor pathway or when exiting a station to join the pathway and there a means provided to minimise this possibility that comprises fitting sensors and a timing device in the main pathway that detects a suitable spacing between the oncoming vehicles and which sends a signal for the entering vehicle to accelerate to the speed of the system while travelling parallel to the Main Pathway to effect a safe entiy.

Furthermore the control system also has means to signal a vehicle to disengage from the propulsion system and freewheel to come closer to a following vehicle that effectively creates more space for entering vehicles and this facility is inherent in the Invention as it allows a form of bunching into a convoy to increase the density of traffic and therefore the passenger throughput of the System without having to use an untried and tested over time computerised systems proposed by proponents of all the proposed Systems

Conclusion

The design and layout of the Infrastructure, the method of use of the Propulsion Means and the Vehicle Attachment System are all novel and complemenitary to each other and are all designed to operate in combination and which intrinsically embody as many safety features as possible, which together makes it a novel safe practical and reliable high throughput transportation system that solves the most important problems and objections associated with the prior art and comprise the key components of a Basic Universal Personal Transport System that is compatible with the requirements of the three most desirable Mode Systems proposed to date that can be applied to a whole range of urban transport requirements.

Three applications will now be described to show the versatility of the Invention over the prior art and will describe a a practical working description of a Personal Rapid Transport PRT system for use in urban type applications and a more restricted simple version for a Pedestrian Carrier for use as a multi-point connector within an Airport such as car-park to check-in or even multidestinations such as to many the gates of the airport and can travel at human running speeds and may be un-covered in indoor applications and can be made to easily turn corners etc. Baggage handling from aeroplane to baggage retreival can also be accoinodated in a modified form.

The Dual Mode application integrates motor car transportation into the PRT System in which two basic Platforms are joined together to take standard un-modified cars and is useful in relieving congestion on main roads that pass through inner cities.

These three options together can solve the main transportation problems in a high population density urban context using well tried and documented technology that has passed the test of time.

Description of a working example

In a PRT mode the procedure is as follows; The person goes to a station or the terminus of the system where there are always a few empty vehicles waiting.

The person boards a vacant front Vehicle and types in a code for the destination station and the vehicle moves forward to the take-off point and waits.

When a safe space is detected the Vehicle is made to accelerate along the access pathway that runs parallel with the main or minor pathway and enters safely and the passenger is carried without interruption to his destination.

The code tells the vehicle how to follow the quickest route to the destination such as when travelling within the grid network as it is integrated with the control system. 9.

At any time the passenger may either abort the coded destination and the vehicle will leave the main pathway at the next station or put in a revised code to change the destination.

in the Pedestrian Carrier Mode the basic principle is applied and the procedure is as follows; At the terminal there is a clearly defined arrival area and a boarding area.

The vehicles, specially designed for standing only, arrive at the arrival area travelling at walking pace and the door is opened to allow the passengers to leave the vehicle.

The vehicle continues at walking pace to the area for boarding.

The person walks at normal pace on to a vehicle that moves at the same pace and is similar to boarding an escalator. If required the vehicle may stop for disabled passengers or a normal Travelator belt moving at the same speed as the vehicle may be utilised alongside for both operations.

At a fixed point the door closes and the vehicle then incrementally moves to faster moving belt units to accelerate forward at ever increasing speeds to the operational speed that is set for safety and comfort. At each change of speed the distance between vehicles increases. In practice the density of travellers entering such a system is the same as that leaving it so there is no bumping of people into each other.

As the vehicle approaches the terminal, deceleration occurs by reversing the accelerating procedure until walking speed is achieved. The turn-around procedure at the terminal is via the spacing between the belt units that allows for incremental changes of direction as in the PRT. The system is designed to allow the vehicles approaching the arrival area to be closely packed. Multidestination applications can be easily designed.

in the Dual Mode application, the commuter drives his standard un-modified motor car on to a extended PRT Platform comprising two hinged PRT platforms that accommodate different length cars and the platforms each has means to clamp firmly the wheels of the car to form a Composite PRT Vehicle that is capable of traversing the PRT pathway system. The Composite Vehicle sits within and are guided by the Pathway Guides and when the destination is put in the control box, the Propulsion system moves the Composite Vehicle along the Pathway as in the PRT system. On arrival the driver drives off the Platform on to the normal road system. /0*

Claims

Claims: 1) A Personal Transport System comprises in combination, an Infrastructure that supports a road on which vehicles travel, a Pathway positioned in the road between which the vehicles are constrained to travel, a Propulsion System comprising a multiplicity if Units that run within the pathway that runs along the entire road system, the Vehicles which have means to attach and detach themselves from the propulsion system, and Control and Safety Means that operates the whole system effectively.
2) A Personal Transport System as in Claim 1. in which the Infrastructure layout is constrained by the multiplicity of Propulsion System Units that each only travel in straight lines such that the Road on the Infrastructure that travels on a winding terrain must be designed to take this into consideration and Means is provided to accommodate deviations from a straight line.
3) A Personal Transport System as in Claim 2 that comprises one or more uni-directional independent Roads with Pathway Guides designed such that it embodies a built-in safety lay-out that enables all vehicles on the carriageway system to travel exclusively in only one direction in their own dedicated road and pathway and in which their paths never cross each other at the same level, and there are rio "junctions", and all traffic on the Main Pathway travel un-interrupted and there is Means for vehicles to enter or leave the main pathway such as entering or leaving a station or minor pathway while always travelling in the same direction and additionally there is means provided to reverse the direction of travel.
4) A Personal Transport System as in claim 3. that comprises a Road system that is part of a network that is either at ground level or supported above ground level by any suitable Means and it may either covered or un-covered and the Vehicles are made of lightweight materials and carry a minimum of equipment and passengers so that the load bearing structure required will be slim and can be easily prefabricated and erected at lowest cost 5) A Personal Transport System as in Claim 4. in which the vehicle exits from a station or from a minor pathway to join the Main Pathway, the Minor Pathway always runs for a short distance parallel to the Main Pathway to facilitate safe entiy.6) A Personal Transport System as in any previous Claims in which the Road surface is smooth and made of any suitable hard wearing material on which a vehicle wheel does not need gripping power and therefore has low vibration noise.7) A Personal Transport System as in Claim 1 in which the Pathway is defmed by two continuous perpendicular parallel running flat vertical Guides fixed in the Road between which the Vehicle travels using constraining horizontal running Wheels that run against the inside surface of the Guides and the top edge of the Guides are bent inwards at right angles such that the Constraining Wheels cannot be lifted out of the guides and which prevents the Vehicle from tipping over.8) A Personal Transport System as in Claims 1,5 & 9 in which the Pathway is able to accomodate a pedestrian Mode or a PRT Mode or a Dual Mode and the 11.Guides are very strong and weatherproof and are fixed securely to the Roadway and the Road and the Guides are specially designed to travel mainly in straight lines except where the Road must deviate from a straight line such as around bends and corners to follow the Infrastructure layout plan.9) A Personal Transport System as in Claims 1,9&lO in which there is discontinuity in the Pathway Guide on the side where the vehicle wishes to leave or enter the main Pathway and the vehicle has Means to use a continuation of the Guide on that side that guides the vehicle to exit or join the main pathway such as entering or leaving a station or a minor pathway.10) A Personal Transport System as in Claim 1 in which the Propulsion System can be any suitable system and one preferred system comprises a Multiplicity of electrically driven Roller Chain Belt in-line conveyor type Units having Sprockets at either end and the Chain Belt is of sufficient strength and runs centrally between the Pathway Guides in a straight line and is as long as is practically possible and the driven sector that is above runs in a Square Section Channel Guide made of suitable material and which is recessed within the Road and the Chain Belt moves in the direction in which the vehicle moves and its upper surface is flush with the road surface while its bottom surface sits on a low friction material.1 1)A Personal Transport System as in Claims l&1O in which one Roller Chain Belt Units is not long enough to span a long straight section of the Pathway and requires more than one Unit and there are gaps between the Units and the units each move only in straight lines at any predetermined speed that makes it possible for the vehicle to incrementally accelerate to higher or decelerate to lower speeds and which can never travel faster than the Chain Belt that propels it.12) A Personal Transport System as in Claim 11 in which any change in direction from a straight line of the Road is accomplished incrementally by using small changes in direction using a series of shorter parallel running Guide sections each with the Chain Units running between such that the vehicle can freewheel between the spaces by its momentum without any appreciable loss of speed.13) A Personal Transport System as in Claim 12 in which the change in direction especially sharp turns can be additionally facilitated by using longer spacing as the Units required will have to be too short to be practically employed and the momentum of the vehicle between the Units is maintained by a change in elevation of the Road downward using gravity and which has to be corrected by a suitable elevation upward which requires a more powerful motor in this sector.14) A Personal Transport System as in Claim I. in which the Vehicles comprise a Basic rectangular shaped Platform which has a removable Canopy with basic crealw-e comfort facilities that is used for the PRT Mode or hand rails in the case of the Pedestrian Mode such that the Basic Platforms can be inter-changed for all Modes.15) A Personal Transport System as in Claim 14 in which the Basic Platform is supported on four suitably sized swiveling Caster Wheels made of any suitable material such as Rubber or Plastic Tyres situated at its corners and there are four horizontally running wheels positioned in line with the front and rear support wheels that run against the flat inner surface and under the extended top edge of the of the parallel nmning Pathway Guides that both constrains the Vehicle within the Guides and prevents the vehicle tipping over and there is Iz.additionally two pairs of horizontally running wheels on both sides of the vehicle also in line with the support wheels that work as a pair and each pair of wheels when actuated has means to move them such that they run against the outer flat surface of the Guides and when one side is actuated the other side is simultaneously de-actuated and the vehicle is guided by Guides around a corner or off and on to the Pathways using the break in the Pathway Guide.16) A Personal Transport System as in Claim 15 in which the Dual Mode uses two Basic PRT Platforms that are hinged together to move in a vertical plane and the Platforms has Means to shift the four support wheels near the hinge inwards sufficient to clear the Pathway Guides when the vehicle changes direction and the Constraining Wheels and the Attach and Detach Units near the hinge are also not required and a motor car can be placed on the two joined Platforms and the wheels are clamped in place to form a Composite PRT Vehicle capable of using the Main Pathway.1 7)A Personal Transport System as in Claim 14,15&16 in which the vehicle has Means to Attach and Detach itself from the moving Propulsion System and the Means is used to effect the transfer between the Roller Chain Belt Units in the Pathway and the Means can swivel upwards and downwards to clear the end sprockets of the Chain Belt arrangement as the vehicle transits between the Belt Units.18) A Personal Transport System as in Claim 17 in which the Means to attach and detach the Vehicle deviates from normal Chain Belt practice in that it contacts and attaches itself to the flat section of the moving Belt and the Means comprises a Free Wheeling Sprocket wheel made of very hard strong material that is positioned centrally at the front end or optionally one wheel at the front and one at the back of the Vehicle such that they mesh with and run against the Rollers of the Chain Belt as it runs within the Channel Guide in the road surface and the Free Wheeling Sprocket is made of sufficient diameter that the flat surface of the wheel can be used as the Flange onto which a Clamping means such as a disc brake or a clutch type mechanism is fitted.19) A Personal Transport System as in Claim 18 in which the Clamping Means when actuated causes the freewheeling Sprocket Wheel to stop turning and the moving Chain Belt tries to drag the clamped Sprocket Wheel and if the teeth of the sprocket are of the standard profile for conveyors and because of the unconventional application of the System in which there is no suitable back pressure the Belt tries to slip off the teeth and is forced outward on to the surface of the channel as it is pulled along causing wear to the surface material.20) A Personal Transport System as in Claims I & 19 in which the Vehicle Clamping Means Sprocket has teeth with profiles which are similar to a square tooth profile in which on actuating the Brakes the contact point of the Teeth with the rollers in the chain belt applies a force at right angles to the flat section of the tooth of the sprocket so there is no tendency for the belt to slip off the sprocket and press on to the channel surface and at least one tooth makes such a contact and the ends of the teeth are profiled to easily guide the freewheeling Sprocket into the moving chain Rollers of the Vehicle Clamping Means.21) A Personal Transport System as in Claims 17 to 20, in which the Vehicle Attach and Detach Sprocket Unit additionally has Means to apply an upward force to the Chain Belt to prevent the roller of the chain belt from slipping off 3.the sprocket teeth and which also slightly lifts the Chain off the surface of the channel guide such that it applies sufficient force to keep it against the Sprocket and which in one preferred ebodiment the Means comprises attachments on both sides of the roller chain similar to that used for attaching slats in normal conveyor systems and means is provided to swivel either rollers or a flat low friction material plate suitably profiled under the attachment to lift it off the base of the Channel Guide just before the clamping is applied.22) A Personal Transport System as in any of the preceding Claims in which the Vehicle has Means to generate electricity by utilising the wheels or any other means that use the potential energy of the moving vehicle and is backed up by a small rechargeable battery and means is provided such that all mechanisms can be operated electromagnetically or pneumatically or hydraulically and additionally the mechanisms can be actuated electronically or mechanically when the vehicle passes over sensors or triggers set within the Pathway.23) A Personal Transport System as in Claim 1 in which the Control and Safety Means uses any commercial system which focuses on efficient use of the vehicles to ensure both high density of traffic and availability for customer use and electronic communication between all sectors of the network to report and fix deficiencies in its operation and speed controls within the Units together with conservation of energy by shutting down Units not in use.24) A Personal Transport System as in Claim 23 in which the most critical operation in the system is to ensure that Vehicles do not collide with on-coming Vehicles on entering the Main Pathways from stations or minor pathways by providing Means to detect the spacing between the Vehicles on the Main Pathway and when a suitable space is detected a signal triggers the entering vehicle to start accelerating to the speed of the oncoming vehicle that is on a parallel course to achieve safe entry either ahead or behind the oncoming vehicle.25) A Personal Transport System as in any of the preceding Claims in which the control system has means to control any vehicle at key points in the Pathway to allow it to freewheel and slow down to bring it closer to the following vehicles and which results in close packing of vehicles like a convoy to increase the density of vehicles and additionally to facilitate the making of space for entry of vehicles to increase the passenger throughput of the System and furthermore if there is a problem with a vehicle it can be allowed to come into soft contact with the following vehicle using buffering means and the disabled vehicle can be pushed to the next station.26) A Personal Transport System as in any of the preceding Claims in which once the vehicle is travelling on the Main Pathway no central controls are absolutely necessary other than the destination controls on the vehicle and if a fault develops on the vehicle or within the System when the passenger can take control to manually to exit the Pathway or travel over the whole Infrastructure.27)A Personal Transport System as in any of the previous Claims that combines all the essential features substantially as described with reference to the Text and Drawings to create a Personal Transport System. 4.