Bidirectional Sawtooth Station Layout for Tight Urban People Movers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automated people mover systems require significant urban space due to large alignment radii and elevated structures, limiting their applicability in urban areas, and prior art sawtooth platforms are unidirectional, necessitating vehicle reversal.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a bidirectional sawtooth station with autonomous vehicles that can turn around within the station, eliminating the need for guideway switches and reducing the required alignment radius, and utilizing self-powered, self-guided vehicles without a third rail or guidance structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If prior art automated people mover systems use elevated guideway structures with large alignment radii, then vehicles can operate smoothly, but significant urban space is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional approach by allowing vehicles to turn around at stations rather than using guideway switches to change direction. The bidirectional sawtooth platform enables vehicles to reverse direction at the platform level, eliminating the need for large-radius curved guideways and complex switching infrastructure, thereby reducing urban space requirements while maintaining operational reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates the guideway switch component from the system by implementing bidirectional platforms where vehicles can turn around at stations. This removal of the switching infrastructure simplifies the guideway design and reduces the overall space required for vehicle direction changes
2Ease of operation
If prior art sawtooth platforms are designed for unidirectional traffic flow, then vehicle entry and exit is simplified, but vehicle reversal is necessary for return trips
Solution Approach 1:
The bidirectional sawtooth platform serves multiple functions: it allows vehicles to enter and exit the station, provides a turning area for direction reversal, and accommodates bidirectional traffic flow. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate unidirectional platforms and guideway switches, simplifying the overall system while maintaining ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The platform design allows vehicles to dynamically change direction at the station by turning around on the bidirectional platform. This dynamic capability enables the same platform to handle both incoming and outgoing vehicles in either direction, eliminating the need for fixed unidirectional configurations and complex switching operations
3Adaptability or versatility
If automated people mover systems use guideway switches for vehicle direction changes, then vehicle routing is flexible, but system complexity and infrastructure requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using guideway switches to change vehicle direction, the patent inverts the approach by providing bidirectional platforms where vehicles can turn around at stations. This eliminates the need for complex switching infrastructure while maintaining routing flexibility through the bidirectional capability of the platforms
Data Source
AI summary
A sawtooth station comprising a passenger waiting area; an autonomous vehicle area sized to allow autonomous vehicles to simultaneously travel in opposite directions of travel and turn around; and one or more sawtooth berths separating the passenger waiting area from the autonomous vehicle area, whereby autonomous vehicles traveling in opposite directions use the one or more sawtooth berths and the autonomous vehicles furthest from the one or more sawtooth berths can turn around in the autonomous vehicle area in order to stop at the one or more sawtooth berths.