Abstract: Direction control assembly for a material handling car having travel wheels mounted thereon and adapted to operate on parallel rails, the control assembly comprising a ramp assembly adapted to receive and respond to a signal from a computer to direct a next approaching car onto one of a main track and a side track, a sensor upstream of the ramp assembly operative to detect the approach of the car and initiate the signal from the computer to the ramp assembly, a first guide wheel mounted on a first arm extending outwardly from the car on a first side of the car, a second guide wheel mounted on a second arm extending outwardly from the car on a second side of the car, each of the guide wheels being connected to a divert arm pivotally mounted on the car and having mounted thereon a divert wheel, the ramp assembly being adapted in response to the signal to assume a position in which part of the ramp assembly is engageable by one of the guide wheels, causing one of the divert arms to pivot and one of the divert wh

Abstract: A material handling car and track assembly is presented. The assembly comprises a car having a chassis portion, travel wheels mounted on the chassis portion, and a track having two parallel rails, the travel wheels being adapted to roll on the rails to facilitate movement of the car along the track. Frame portions depend from an underside of the chassis portion, the frame portions comprising first and second frame walls spaced from each other. First and second spindles are mounted between the rails, and contact wheels mounted on the spindles, the contact wheels being in a plane normal to the spindles. Bands are on the peripheries of the contact wheels for engaging the frame walls, the contact wheels being operative to modify the speed of the car in accordance with the selected rotational speed of the contact wheels.