Transport system

Abstract

The invention relates to a cable-supported transport system (1) for persons or goods, comprising a combination of: at least one support cable unit (10), comprising one or more parallel support cables (4) which are supported on a plurality of mutually spaced supports (5); and a vehicle (18) comprising a body (19) for receiving the persons or goods, support surfaces (20) which project laterally from the body (19), and at least one running gear (21) which is guided on the at least one support cable unit (10), wherein the running gear (21) has one or more driven wheels (22) for running on the at least one support cable unit (10) and is designed to produce a permanent contact between each driven wheel (22) and the support cable unit (10) on which the wheel (22) runs.

Description

[0001] Transport system

[0002] The present invention relates to a transport system for persons or goods.

[0003] Various means of transport and systems are known for the transport of people or goods, e.g. ships, trains, especially trams, cable cars and railways, aircraft and automobiles, especially buses, passenger cars and trucks. For the transport of people or goods at high speed, aircraft and railways - rarely also magnetic levitation trains - are currently in use, and new technologies such as Hyperloop are in the planning stages. Of these, railways and magnetic levitation trains (and Hyperloop) require very complex, continuous, ground-based infrastructure and are slower in comparison, whereas aircraft are more flexible in use but have a poorer environmental footprint.

[0004] DE 37 09 986 A1 discloses a track-bound high-speed railway which is equipped with a large number of supporting surface segments of the same width as the railway, carried one behind the other on struts above the roof of the railway. These segments are intended to lift the railway off the tracks at high speed in order to reduce the rolling resistance of its wheels. This railway is driven by additional drive wheels which are aligned almost horizontally and which act from opposite sides on the web of an additional, specially shaped rail with a rectangularly widened rail head, which they grip behind in order to prevent the railway from derailing once it has taken off. The land-based infrastructure, i.e. track systems, tunnels, etc., is even more complex in this case than on conventional high-speed railways because it also has to safely absorb the upward force of the railway.

[0005] The document US 3 774 542 B describes a transport system with several parallel tubes that are longitudinally slotted on their underside and suspended from supporting cables. Sliding bodies engage with each of the tubes and optionally have small bearing rollers for rolling on the inside walls of the tubes. These are connected to the roof of a track through the slots in the tubes. For propulsion, the track is equipped with several jet engines like an aircraft. This track optionally has wing segments on its underside whose lift is intended to compensate for some of the vehicle's weight at higher speeds. Due to the high noise pollution and the strong air currents caused by the jet engines, such a transport system cannot be used near residential areas or at ground level.Its efficiency is also low due to the high friction of the sliding elements (or their small bearing rollers) and its environmental impact is even worse than that of aircraft.

[0006] The invention aims to create a high-speed transport system that is environmentally friendly, safe and efficient, can be used in or near residential areas and has manageable infrastructure costs.

[0007] This aim is achieved with a cable-supported transport system for people or goods which, according to the invention, is characterized by the combination of at least one supporting cable unit with one or more parallel supporting cables, which is supported on a plurality of supports spaced apart from one another, and a vehicle with a fuselage for receiving the people or goods, wings projecting laterally from the fuselage and at least one running gear guided on the at least one supporting cable unit, wherein the running gear has one or more driven wheels for running on the at least one supporting cable unit and is designed to produce permanent contact between each driven wheel and the supporting cable unit on which the wheel runs.

[0008] Cable car systems are much easier, quicker, and cheaper to build because they require far less ground-based infrastructure, and they have far less impact on the environment than railways; for this reason alone, they are more environmentally friendly. The cantilevered wings generate lift and thus relieve the load on the supporting cable unit, which allows much higher vehicle speeds than conventional cable car systems. Because the vehicle is propelled by wheels running along the supporting cable unit(s), the drive is also energy-efficient and quiet, as propellers or jet engines are not required. The transport system is more environmentally friendly and, because the vehicle is guided along the supporting cable unit(s), it is also much safer than aircraft.

[0009] In a particularly efficient embodiment, each driven wheel is magnetic to establish permanent contact. Each driven wheel thus ensures its own permanent contact with the respective support cable unit.

[0010] Each support cable unit can consist of one or more support cables on which the driven wheels run. In a preferred alternative embodiment, each support cable unit comprises a rail anchored to the support cable(s) and parallel to it, on which the driven wheel(s) of the running gear run. This makes it possible to achieve particularly high rigidity of the support cable unit. Furthermore, the rolling resistance when the wheels run on rails is particularly low, and the transport system is therefore particularly efficient.

[0011] It is advantageous if each rail has a thickened head and the running gear has one or more guide wheels for each driven wheel, with the wheels being distributed radially around the rail head to establish permanent contact - viewed in the longitudinal direction of the rail - so that their running surfaces can engage it from different sides. In this embodiment, the running gear(s) is / are coupled particularly reliably to the at least one rail, and the driven wheel(s) is / are in secure, permanent contact with the rail.

[0012] In an advantageous variant, the transport system has two parallel support cables for each rail, with each rail anchored to the two support cables by clamps spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the rail, and each clamp having a spacer between the support cables and the rail, which holds the rail at a predetermined distance from the support cables. In this way, the load of each rail is distributed across two support cables, increasing the safety of the transport system and at the same time further increasing the rigidity of the support cable unit. The clamp enables reliable anchoring of the rail to the support cables, which can be removed if necessary, and the spacers allow individual adjustment.

[0013] It is particularly advantageous if the specified distances are sufficiently large that any sagging of the supporting cables between adjacent supports is compensated for by the spacers. This allows for particularly high vehicle speeds.

[0014] To enable a particularly narrow route for the transport system, especially in the area of ​​its supports, even with a larger span of the wings, the rail is preferably anchored to the top of the supporting cables. This allows the vehicle to traverse the supports with its wings in a space-saving manner and does not have to be guided past the supports underneath the supporting cables.

[0015] It is also advantageous if the transport system has two parallel support cable units for each direction of travel, with the vehicle having a two-track running gear or two single-track running gears spaced apart in its transverse direction, and each track being guided along a different one of the two support cable units. This results in load distribution across the two rails and in safe and stable two-track guidance of the vehicle along the support cable units.

[0016] In a preferred variant, a single-track running gear is mounted on each wing, preferably on each underside of the wing. This saves vehicle weight, as the wings always bear the weight of the fuselage and the people or goods carried therein, without the need for an additional support structure on the fuselage to anchor the running gear. According to an advantageous embodiment, each driven wheel is movable relative to the fuselage in the transverse and vertical directions of the vehicle and is fixedly mounted on the running gear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In this way, slight changes in the position of the vehicle as it moves along the supporting cable unit(s) can be compensated for relative to these, or the vehicle can move slightly in its guidance on the supporting cable units without its propulsion via the driven wheels being impaired.It is particularly convenient if springs and dampers are provided on the drive for movable mounting.

[0017] While the wheels can be driven by any motor, it is particularly advantageous if each driven wheel is powered by an electric motor. This results in particularly quiet, efficient, and environmentally friendly transport. The vehicle can use rechargeable batteries or, for example, carry fuel cells and propellant. In a preferred embodiment, however, the two supporting cable units are live to supply electrical power to the electric-motor-driven wheels.

[0018] To completely relieve the load on the supporting cable units and the supports, in an advantageous design variant, the wings are designed to provide a lift corresponding to the weight of the vehicle and the people or goods being transported at a given travel speed. This allows the vehicle to support a significantly greater load with equally strong supporting cable units and supports.

[0019] To achieve a low center of gravity and thus make the transport of people and goods safer and more comfortable, a cost-effective variant has wings mounted on the fuselage in the style of a shoulder- or high-wing aircraft. This also allows for better use of the fuselage, as it is not interspersed with a wing spar.

[0020] To guide the running gear and thus the vehicle with particular precision along the supporting cable unit(s), a tail unit is preferably mounted on the fuselage or wings. This allows the vehicle to be actively steered along the supporting cable unit(s) – unlike conventional railway or cable cars – and achieve particularly high vehicle speeds.

[0021] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

[0022] Fig. 1 shows a section of a rail or cable strand of a cable-bound transport system according to the invention in a schematic side view; Figs. 2a and 2b show a segment of a supporting cable unit of the rail or cable strand of Fig. 1 in a cross-section (Fig. 2a) and in a plan view (Fig. 2b); Figs. 3a and 3b show various examples of a vehicle of the cable-bound transport system according to the invention in a front view (Fig. 3a) and a side view (Fig. 3b), respectively.

[0023] Fig. 4 shows a running gear of one of the vehicles of Fig. 3a or 3b with the segment of the supporting cable unit of Fig. 2a and 2b in a schematic front view; and

[0024] Fig. 5 shows a further section of the rail or cable strand of the cable-bound transport system according to the invention in a schematic side view.

[0025] Fig. 1 shows a rail or cable strand 2 as the first part of a cable-supported transport system 1 for people or goods. In this example, the rail or cable strand 2 comprises at least one rail 3, one or more supporting cables 4 parallel to the rail 3, to which the at least one rail 3 is anchored, and a plurality of supports 5 which support the supporting cable 4 or the supporting cables 4 at a distance from the terrain 6. The supports 5 are each anchored in the terrain 6 via a foundation 7; the span S between adjacent supports 5 depends, among other things, on the contours of the terrain and is typically between a few meters and a few hundred meters, e.g., around 150 meters. The supporting cables 4 are optionally anchored to the terrain 6 via ground anchors 8, for example every few hundred meters to a few kilometers, e.g., every five to six kilometers.

[0026] 2a and 2b, the transport system 1 optionally has two parallel support cables 4 for each rail 3. The rail 3 is anchored to the two support cables 4 with clamps 9, creating a support cable unit 10. Between the support cables 4 and the rail 3, each clamp 9 has an optional spacer 11. The spacer 11 holds the rail 3 at a predetermined distance A from the support cables 4. At the same time, the spacer 11 represents a fixed base for clamping jaws 12, which (here: with the interposition of support wedges 13) grip the rail foot 14 on both sides and press it against the spacer 11, as is known from specialist knowledge for railways. The spacer 11 is anchored to the support cables 4, e.g. with press sleeves 15, U-clamps or the like.

[0027] In the example of Fig. 2a, the specified distance A is small. Since the distance A can be specified differently from clamp 9 to clamp 9, it can in particular be large enough in each case for the spacers 11 to compensate for any sagging of the supporting cables 4 between adjacent supports 5, so that the rails 3 are straight across a plurality of supports 5, as symbolized in Fig. 1 by the clamps 9 on the supporting cable(s) 4 which are spaced apart from one another by the distance D. It is understood that the distance A can be specified differently; in particular, when specifying the distance A, the shape of the terrain can be taken into account, for example.

[0028] The spacer 11 is chamfered towards its flanks 11' on its side facing the supporting cables 4. In this way, for example, an unequal height of the two supporting cables 4 can be compensated for and / or the rail 3 can be inclined relative to the supporting cables 4 by anchoring the spacer 11 to it off-center to the supporting cables 4. In the example shown, the rail 3 is anchored to the top side of the supporting cables 4. Alternatively, the rail 3 could be anchored to the underside of the supporting cables 4 and the rail 3 could therefore hang down from the supporting cables 4. The web 17 connecting the rail foot 14 to the rail head 16 can be straight or curved in cross-section and / or the rail head 16 can be thickened relative to the web 17 - e.g., spherical or oval in cross-section - as explained in more detail below with reference to Fig. 4.Furthermore, each rail 3 could be anchored to only one or more than two supporting cables 4 or could be omitted altogether, in which case each supporting cable unit 10 is formed by only one or more supporting cables 4, which are optionally connected to one another.

[0029] Figs. 3a and 3b show two slightly different examples of a vehicle 18 as the second part of the transport system 1. The vehicle 18 has a fuselage 19 for accommodating persons or goods and, on each side of the fuselage, a wing 20 projecting from the fuselage 19.

[0030] Furthermore, the vehicle 18 has at least one (here: a total of four) running gear(s) 21, which is / are guided on the supporting cable unit(s) 10. Each running gear 21 has one or more driven wheels 22, which run on the at least one supporting cable unit 10, i.e. in the example of Fig. 3a on the rail 3 of the supporting cable unit 10 and in the example of the railless supporting cable unit 10 of Fig. 3b directly on the supporting cable 4. Furthermore, each running gear 21 is designed to establish permanent contact between each driven wheel 22 and that supporting cable unit 10 (Fig. 3a: that rail 3 or Fig. 3b: that supporting cable 4) on which the wheel 22 runs, as will be explained in more detail below with reference to Fig. 4.

[0031] The wings 20 are mounted on the fuselage 19 in the manner of a shoulder-wing aircraft. Alternatively, the wings 20 can extend above the fuselage 19 in the manner of a high-wing aircraft and be mounted on the fuselage 19 via struts, or can be mounted on the fuselage 19 in the manner of a mid-wing or low-wing aircraft.

[0032] It is understood that vehicles 18 can move along the rail or cable strand 2 of the transport system 1 in one direction of travel F or in the opposite direction of travel F'. If vehicles 18 are to move in both directions of travel F, F' simultaneously, the rail or cable strand 2 must be doubled. For example, on one side of each support 5, a rail or cable strand 2 can run for use in one direction of travel F, and on the other side of each support 5, a rail or cable strand 2 can run for use in the other direction of travel F', as is known for conventional cable cars. Each rail or cable strand 2 then has one or more supporting cable units 10 for each direction of travel F, F'.

[0033] In the example of Fig. 3a, the transport system 1 has two parallel support cable units 10 for each direction of travel F, F' (here: two parallel rails 3 and two parallel support cables 4 for each rail 3). The vehicle 18 has a two-track running gear 21, which is mounted, for example, on the hull 19 (or alternatively, several two-track running gears 21 arranged one behind the other) or, as here, two single-track running gears 21 spaced apart from one another in its transverse direction Q, wherein each track is guided on a different one of the two support cable units 10 (here: rails 3), ie one track on one rail 3 and the other track on the other rail 3, as shown in Fig. 3a.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 3b, in each embodiment the vehicle 18 optionally has two (or more) single-track running gears 21 arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction L of the vehicle 18 on each side of its fuselage 19. The running gears 21 can be mounted on the underside of the wing, as here, so that the vehicle 18 is placed from above onto the supporting cable units 10 (in the example of Fig. 3b: onto the supporting cables 4).

[0035] Alternatively, the running gears 21 could be mounted on the upper side of the wings, in which case the vehicle 18 engages each support cable unit 10, for example, from below, in order to allow the wheels 22 of the running gears 21 to run again on top of the support cable units 10 or - in reverse of the embodiment shown in Fig. 4 - to engage from below on the rail head 16 or, in the absence of a rail 3, directly on the support cable 4. This applies equally to single- or multi-track running gears 21, which can be mounted on the top or bottom of the fuselage 19 or the wings 20. Finally, the transport system 1 could also have more than two parallel support cable units 10 for each direction of travel F.

[0036] The wings 20 ensure that, with increasing speed in the direction of travel F, an increasingly larger proportion of the weight of the vehicle 18 and the people or goods transported therein is compensated by the aerodynamic lift. In one embodiment, the wings 20 are designed to provide a lift corresponding to the weight of the vehicle 18 and the people or goods transported therein at a predetermined cruising speed, so that the rail(s) 3 and the supporting cable(s) 4 are not loaded by the vehicle 18. For this purpose, the wings 20, in addition to their lift-generating profile, are optionally equipped with lift-enhancing flaps or the like, as is known from specialist knowledge for aircraft. In order to be able to follow the rail or cable strand 2 better, a tail unit 23 is optionally mounted on the fuselage 19 or on the wings 20, as symbolized in Fig. 3a by a vertical stabilizer 23', whereas the vehicle 18 of Fig.3b only has side winglets 20'.

[0037] In order for each driven wheel 22 to have permanent contact with the supporting cable unit 10 on which it runs, in a variant of the transport system 1 each driven wheel 22 is magnetic so that, depending on the design of the supporting cable unit 10, it adheres either to the head 16 of the rail 3 or, if no rail 3 is included, directly to the supporting cable 4.

[0038] In an alternative or additional embodiment shown schematically in Fig. 4, the head 16 of each rail 3 is thickened and the running gear 21 has one or more (here: two) guide wheels 24 for each driven wheel 22. These wheels 22, 24, i.e. the driven wheel 22 and the guide wheels 24, are - viewed in the longitudinal direction of the rail 3 - distributed radially around the rail head 16 and rotatable about axes a tilted relative to one another in order to establish permanent contact between the driven wheel 22 and the rail 3. The wheels 22, 24 engage with their respective running surfaces 25, 26 from different sides on the thickened rail head 16 (here: circular in cross-section). It is understood that in this embodiment of the running gear 21, the wheels 22, 24 with their respective running surfaces 25, 26 can alternatively engage the supporting cable 4 from different sides if the supporting cable unit 10 does not comprise a rail 3.

[0039] According to Fig. 4, each driven wheel 22 (as well as the optional guide wheels 24) is optionally movable relative to the hull in the transverse direction Q and in the vertical direction H of the vehicle 18, while being fixedly mounted on the chassis 21 in the longitudinal direction L of the vehicle 18. In the example shown, springs 27 and dampers 28 are provided on the chassis 21 for movable mounting, for example, spring-loaded and damped telescopic bearings 29.

[0040] Each driven wheel 22 can be driven by a motor of any design and function. In particular, each driven wheel 22 can be driven by an electric motor. The vehicle 18 can have a corresponding energy storage device to supply the electric motor; in the examples shown, the two supporting cable units 10 are preferably live to supply electrical energy to the electric-motor-driven wheel 22 or the electric-motor-driven wheels 22.

[0041] Fig. 5 shows a further section of the rail or cable strand 2, which comprises a take-off section 30, e.g. in a station of the transport system 1. In the area of ​​the take-off section 30, the support cable units 10 are not supported by spaced-apart supports 5, but rather continuously, e.g. directly on the terrain 6 or by retaining walls or the like that run along the entire take-off section 30. In this way, the vehicle 18 can brake to a standstill in this area or accelerate from a standstill to cruising speed without the support cable units 10 being bent as a result of its weight and that of the transported persons or goods due to a lack of sufficient lift from the wings 20.

[0042] The invention is not limited to the embodiments shown, but includes all variants, modifications and combinations thereof that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

Patent claims:

1. A cable-supported transport system for people or goods, characterized by the combination of: at least one supporting cable unit (10) with one or more parallel supporting cables (4), which is supported on a plurality of spaced-apart supports (5), and a vehicle (18) with a hull (19) for receiving the people or goods, wings (20) projecting laterally from the hull (19), and at least one running gear (21) guided on the at least one supporting cable unit (10), wherein the running gear (21) has one or more driven wheels (22) for running on the at least one supporting cable unit (10) and is designed to establish permanent contact between each driven wheel (22) and the supporting cable unit (10) on which the wheel (22) runs.

2. Transport system according to claim 1, characterized in that each driven wheel (22) is magnetic to establish the permanent contact.

3. Transport system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each support cable unit (10) comprises a rail (3) anchored to the support cable(s) (4) parallel to which the driven wheel (22) or the driven wheels (22) of the running gear (21) run.

4. Transport system according to claim 3, characterized in that each rail (3) has a thickened head (16) and the running gear (21) has one or more guide wheels (24) for each driven wheel (22), the wheels (22, 24) being distributed radially around the rail head (16) in order to establish permanent contact, viewed in the longitudinal direction of the rail, in order to engage thereon with their running surfaces (25, 26) from different sides.

5. Transport system according to claim 3 or 4, characterized by two parallel support cables (4) for each rail (3), each rail (3) being provided with spaced clamps (9) are anchored to both supporting cables (4) and each clamp (9) has a spacer (11) between the supporting cables (4) and the rail (3), which holds the rail (3) at a predetermined distance (A) from the supporting cables (4).

6. Transport system according to claim 5, characterized in that the said predetermined distances (A) are each so large that sagging of the supporting cables (4) between adjacent supports (5) is compensated by the spacers (11).

7. Transport system according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the rail (3) is anchored to the upper side of the supporting cables (4).

8. Transport system according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by two parallel support cable units (10) for each direction of travel (F), wherein the vehicle (18) has a two-track running gear (21) or two single-track running gears (21) spaced apart from one another in its transverse direction (Q), and each track is guided on a different one of the two support cable units (10).

9. Transport system according to claim 8, characterized in that a single-track drive (21) is mounted on each wing (20), preferably on each wing underside.

10. Transport system according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that each driven wheel (22) is movable relative to the hull (19) in the transverse and vertical directions (Q, H) of the vehicle (18) and is fixedly mounted on the running gear (21) in the longitudinal direction (L) of the vehicle (18).

11. Transport system according to claim 10, characterized in that springs (27) and dampers (28) are provided on the carriage (21) for movable mounting.

12. Transport system according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that each driven wheel (22) is driven by an electric motor.

13. Transport system according to claim 12 in conjunction with claim 8, characterized in that the two supporting cable units (10) are live to supply electrical energy to the electric motor-driven wheels (22).

14. Transport system according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the wings (20) are designed to provide lift corresponding to the weight of the vehicle (18) and the transported persons or goods at a predetermined travel speed.

15. Transport system according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the wings (20) are mounted on the fuselage (19) in the manner of a shoulder- or high-wing aircraft.

16. Transport system according to one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that a tail unit (23) is further mounted on the fuselage (19) or the wings (20).

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