Guideway-based transportation systems have long been used to transport people or goods. One example is a Personal Rapid Transit System (“PRT”). These systems generally comprise a transit vehicle that is controlled to self-steer along a guideway track or roadway having surfaces designed to restrain the vehicle to the track. The vehicle generally includes a plurality of guide and support wheels designed to coupled the vehicle to the guideway.
The guideway commonly consists of a section of track. In some implementations, the track may be pivoted to switch selectively between a first roadway, and if desired, a second roadway. Drawbacks of these systems include increased cost and complexity of the switching track and the necessity for increased control, either human or computer, to ensure the track is switched to the proper position as each transit vehicle moves along the guideway.
Other guideway designs to be used in combination with transit vehicles have been implemented to replace the traditional switched guideway system; however, each of these systems retains many of the short-comings of the traditional systems while in some cases, creating new drawbacks. Such short-comings include overall cost and complexity of the system, inability of the system to travel at high speeds, and inability of the system to be used in all environments, particularly an outdoor environment. Accordingly, there remains a need for a guideway-based transportation system that is relatively simple to control, can be used for high-speed operation, can be used in any type of environment.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds