955results about "Rail switches" patented technology

Aspects of the invention provide a transport system powered by short block Linear Synchronous Motors (LSMs). The use of short blocks allows vehicles to move under precise control even when they are in close proximity to each other. The design allows the vehicles to be propelled and guided while negotiating sharp turns and negotiating merge and diverge switches. A coreless LSM can be used to create propulsive force without attractive force so as to allow a relatively high drag vehicle suspension, such as a vehicle sliding on a smooth surface.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a switch for a powered pallet conveyor is provided. The switch comprising (a) a turntable and (b) rail portions which are arranged upon the turntable and define at least a first travel pathway and a second travel pathway, whereby the first travel pathway is defined by straight rail portions and a second travel pathway is defined by curved rail portions, so that the central line of the first travel pathway and the departure lines of the second travel pathway respectively pass through the fulcrum of the turntable.

The Personal Mass Transit (PMT) system utilizes a removable vehicle conveyance apparatus and method for conveying transit vehicle car-pods and their contents from one transit station to another autonomously. Vehicle conveyance apparatus are stored off-line in storage silos and other areas awaiting on-demand transit system instruction to pickup vehicles at loading points and convey them to different stations as requested by occupants or pre-programmed instructions. The PMT system further utilizes a number of transmitter-receivers nodes and control computers to manage all aspects of operation of the transportation system. Any number of different types of PMT vehicles could ride the transit system when equipped with the correct coupling points and remain under the maximum combined curb weight of any particular area or type of transit track in order to be transported on the PMT system.

A point detection system is provided for use in a typical switch machine with a typical indication system, wherein a point detector bar is slidably captivated within a point detector sleeve, and wherein a target that is integrally engaged with the point detector bar is sensed by at least one sensing device, thereby to detect movement of the point detector bar. The point detector sleeve is supported by a track side bearing affixed to a track side wall of the switch machine, and by a field side bearing affixed to an opposing wall of the switch machine. The point detector bar extends outside the switch machine from only the track side bearing, thereby eliminating the bearings and the pinch point between the hand throw lever and the two piece point detector bar that otherwise extended from the related art switch machine. The sensing device may be mounted upon a slide mechanism to adjust the sensing device relative to the target. Use of the sensing device eliminates the need for cams to monitor in order to detect movement of the point detector bar, as well as eliminates moving parts between the cams and the mechanical linkages. Further, at least one other sensing device detects a normal and reverse locked position of a lock bar assembly and lock box of the switch machine.

A high-strength and high-toughness antiwear quasi-bainite rail for switch contains C (0.1-0.4 wt.%), Si (0.8-2.0), Mn (0.8-3.3), Cr (0-2.0), Mo (0.1-0.8), N (10-150 ppm), Al (0-0.005) and Fe (rest), and is made up through smelting in converter, reinfing, treating with RE, vacuum degassing, conticasting, rolling, air cooling to 400 deg.C, slow cooling to 200 deg.C and natural cooling. Its advantages are uniform hardness in cross section, high strength, toughness and stability, and high antiwear performance.

In a rail track system having transition points, a locomotive having a navigation system (such as a combined inertial/GPS location system) moves along an initially known track and enters the “halo” surrounding a track transition to begin data collection/logging to accumulate successive position information data points as the locomotive moves into, progresses through, and exits the “halo.” The collected data for movement within the “halo” is then subject to a best fit assessment relative to the data pre-stored in the track database.

An in-vehicle switch mechanism for guiding a vehicle along a guideway at converging and diverging points of the guide rails in a guided vehicle system includes a support frame; a pivot assembly; a switch arm assembly pivotably mounted at its proximate end to the pivot assembly; a switch wheel rotatably mounted to the switch arm assembly at its distal end; an actuator for moving the switch arm between a deployed position in which the switch wheel engages a guide rail and a stowed position in which the switch wheel is free of the guide rail; and a biasing device interconnected between the support frame and pivot assembly for pre-loading the switch wheel against the guide rail when the switch wheel is deployed as the vehicle approaches the point of divergence; and an in-vehicle switch system which uses such in-vehicle switch mechanisms.

RailPods are an alternative personal rapid transit system that operate on and utilize existing railroad infrastructure. RailPods are one to two passenger vehicles that travel on one rail of a traditional railroad track. RailPods provide on-demand transportation to cities and towns where rail exists or can be built.

A system for selecting digital content from at least one content source employs a plurality of RFID enabled objects that are read by one or more RFID readers. The RFID enabled objects may be, for example, RFID enabled media objects or RFID enabled non-media objects, such as any suitable RFID enabled object. Specific combinations of RFID tags and RFID enabled objects, or RFID enabled media objects provide access to more (or different) digital content than the same tags provide alone. A method includes contactlessly reading a plurality of RFID tags associated with a plurality of RFID enabled objects to obtain a plurality of RFID tag information and determining whether each of the read plurality of RFID tag information has been read within a suitable time period with respect to each other. If so, the method includes sending the read plurality of RFID tag information for receipt by a content delivery authorization unit to determine if downloadable content is available for download.

Cables or other elongated objects are protected from traffic by a plurality of double-ended protector members disposed end to end and interconnected by flexible connector structure allowing bending between adjacent protector members.

The present invention discloses an improved method and system for verifying trackside conditions in safety critical railroad applications by reporting the status of trackside signals and switches to a remote train control system to confirm visual signals and control train movement. The system for verifying whether a trackside signaling electrical component is energized comprises a sensor for providing trackside conditions to a remote train control system electrically connected to a circuit for providing trackside conditions to a railroad interlocking adjacent to a trackside signaling electrical component, said sensor powered by voltage applied to said circuit such that said sensor is energized only when said electrical component is engaged. The fail safe method for sensing the status of an electrical component by powering the sensing means with voltage applied to a circuit when the electrical component is energized comprises electrically connecting a sensor to an electrical circuit associated with an electrical component, said circuit energized when said electrical component is engaged, said sensor adjacent to said electrical component; powering said sensor by voltage applied to said circuit such that said sensor is energized only when said electrical component is engaged; and indicating that said electrical component is engaged when sensor is energized by transmitting sensor status to a microprocessor.

The invention relates to the technical field of subway rails, in particular to a rotary disk turnout. The middle area of the rotary disk turnout is provided with a movable turnout rail, and four side rails are fixed rails. The upper part of the turnout rail comprises connecting rotary disk running beams formed by an upper framework and a support beam, a guide beam is arranged on the middle of the turnout rail, the rotary disk running beams are arranged on two sides, an outside protective welding plate is arranged outside the rotary disk running beams, and a roller assembly is arranged on the lower end of the support beam; the upper part of the turnout rail is connected with the lower part of the turnout rail through a transmission shaft and a pivotal bearing assembly, the lower part of the turnout rail is supported by a lower framework, a flat rail assembly and a stop raceway assembly are arranged on the ground around the lower framework; guide beams are respectively arranged on the middles of the four fixed rails, a locking pin device is arranged on the end part of each guide beam, and a hydraulic control device is arranged on a neutral gear between the two fixed rails, and is connected through a pipeline for centrally controlling the four locking pin devices and the rotary device on the center of the rotary disk turnout. The invention provides a matched rail changing technology for Guangzhou subway walking system, and can realize linear guide when the rails are crossed.

A system for transporting cargo includes a cargo terminal having a pair of longitudinal sides, at least one of the pair of longitudinal sides disposed adjacent to and spaced a predetermined distance from a railway track and at least one railcar positioned at a predetermined acute angle relative to the at least one of the pair of longitudinal sides of the cargo terminal and having one end thereof disposed in close proximity thereto so as to enable loading or unloading such cargo through such one end of such at least one railcar. A network of at least two cargo terminals and a method of intermodal cargo transporting are also provided.

The invention relates to a method and an arrangement for operating a magnetically levitated vehicle by means of an arrangement having at least one long-stator linear motor. The linear motors are sub-divided longitudinally of a track into individual motor regions (A3, A4) in which only one vehicle (7e, 7f) at a time can normally travel. To increase the vehicle concentration along the track, provision is made in accordance with the invention for selected motor regions (A4) to be divided into at least two mutually independent motor region sections (A4a, A4b) and for one vehicle (7f, 7g) to be operated in each motor region section (A4a, A4b) at a part of that power which is preset for each motor region (A4).

A switching assembly includes a pair of hollow ties, a pair of supports, and a linkage. The linkage extends generally through the hollow ties, whereby the cribs are generally free of linkage components, and the ballast in the cribs can be compacted with known automated machinery. The linkage includes a number of lugs and a number of rods, with the rods each being formed from standard bar stock and threaded, and with the linkage configuration avoiding the need to custom bend any of the rods. The hollow ties are formed from generally available standard box section steel, as are the supports. The spacing between the hollow ties can be varied in accordance with the pitch of the other rail ties of the railroad switch. Each hollow tie can include a heater. The switching assembly is highly adjustable, which makes it suitable for use in numerous different track configurations.

A rail applicator assembly includes a rail having a head portion, a base portion, and a web portion extending between the head portion and the base portion. The head portion defines an outer surface. An applicator for applying a friction modifying material to the surface of the rail includes a foam body and an applicator support. The foam body is secured to the applicator support and defines a flow passageway that extends through the foam body for friction modifying material to flow through.

A guideway system and method of operating a guideway is included comprising a guideway with entrance and exit ramps and vehicles having both a smooth, servo-based primary steering systems based upon proximity sensing of the side of the guideway and a backup mechanical steering system. The backup steering system is selectively engaged and disengaged based on location with respect to the entrance and exit ramps and provides vehicle wheel steering in the event of a failure of the primary servo steering system. The backup steering comprises one or more vertical members affixed to the guideway and one or more steering elements engageable with the member(s). The elements may be pivoted into and out of backup steering engagement.

The personal transportation rail system includes an automated, elevated single lane throughway comprising multi-gauge rail track arranged in various combinations. A computerized control system regulates spacing of vehicles while maintaining uniform speed. The rail switching is accomplished by variable gauge rail wheels on the vehicle, which selectively engage or avoid engaging with various wider rail-gauge tracks. On-ramps extend from a guideway station and are taken by the vehicle temporarily engaging with a descending wide-gauge section of track that ends side by side in parallel with the narrow-gauge track. Off-ramps lead into the guideway station as the vehicle engages with the wide-gauge section of throughway track initially in parallel with the narrow-gauge track, the wide-gauge track ascending to remove the vehicle from the main rail line. Bypassing the guideway station involves continuing engagement of the variable gauge wheels with the narrow-gauge track. A level pitch is maintained during climbing and descending.

A rail system for a powered pallet conveyor, which comprises alternative pathways having an electric cable provided on at least one of n parallel rails defining a travel pathway, wherein n≧2, whereby the rail system includes a switch for switching between m alternative travel pathways, wherein m≧2, and allowing the vehicle to continuously move across the switch after switching, said switch comprising a first actuator for selectively positioning (m*n) rigid rail portions bridging the distance between rail ends at (i) n joining points where the n parallel rails of each of the m alternative travel pathways subject to switching converge, and (ii) (m*n) continuation points where each alternative pathway subject to switching diverges downstream from the joining points. A second actuator selectively positions [m(n−1)] rigid rail portions bridging the distance between rail ends, where each alternative pathway is discontinued downstream from the corresponding continuation points.

An improved railroad switch monitoring unit of the type that determines whether a mobile rail is brought into a closed state or an open state with respect to a stationary rail. The improvement comprises a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) included in the monitoring unit that is used to determine, based on stress able change in the resonant wavelength of the FBG, whether the mobile rail and the stationary rail are closed or open.

The invention discloses a high-strength turnout switch, and belongs to the technical field of railway assembly manufacture. The turnout switch comprises a straight basic rail and a curved point rail. The turnout switch is characterized in that: the surface, attached to the curved point rail, of the straight basic rail is a sunken vertical abutted surface; the surface, attached to the straight basic rail, of the curved point rail is a vertical abutted surface; and the rail head of the curved point rail is a flat rail head capable of being concealed in the sunken abutted surface of the straight basic rail. The turnout switch has the advantages that: the point end of the original curved point rail is widened to improve the strength of the point end of the curved point rail; and correspondingly the abutted surface of the straight basic rail is changed into the vertical abutted surface capable of accommodating the widened point end of the curved point rail, so that the transition distance from the point end of the curved point rail to the width of the complete rail head is shortened at the same time of ensuring abutting, namely the length of the weak section of the curved point rail is reduced, the load bearing capacity and the abrasion resistance of the curved point rail are improved, and the service life of the curved point rail is greatly prolonged. The turnout switch is particularly suitable to be used in heavy-duty line turnouts.