Radiant Energy Patents (Class 246/29R)
  • Patent number: 5706735
    Abstract: A system is provided that uses small carrier vehicles that operate along electrified guideways and use standardized connections to automatically carry passenger cabins, freight loads and automobile platforms to desired destinations. Front and rear bogies of the vehicles pivot about front and rear vertical turn axes and carry direction control wheels that cooperate with guide ribs along tracks for selective control of movement to either of two exits from a Y junction. Electric power can be supplied through upper and lower track structures which can be of laminated construction. The guideway provides a protected environment for error-free data transmissions made through closely spaced inductive couplings between monitoring and control circuits along the guideway and control circuits of the carrier vehicles. Control circuitry is provided to obtain highly reliable control of vehicle speed and of starting, stopping and merge operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 13, 1998
    Assignee: Autran Corp.
    Inventor: VanMetre Lund
  • Patent number: 5598783
    Abstract: A system is provided that uses small carrier vehicles that operate along electrified guideways and use standardized connections to automatically carry passenger cabins, freight loads and automobile platforms to desired destinations. The connections may include electrical connections for power and communication and they are made to upper ends of posts that extend from front and rear portions of each carrier vehicle and up through a narrow centrally located slot in the guideway. Transfer vehicles operate to transfer loads between the carrier vehicles and storage positions and may be controlled to move in either of two transverse directions or to rotate in a turntable operation. Control circuitry is provided to obtain highly reliable control of vehicle speed and of starting, stopping and merge operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1997
    Assignee: Autran Corp.
    Inventor: VanMetre Lund
  • Patent number: 5590603
    Abstract: A system is provided that uses small carrier vehicles that operate along electrified guideways and use standardized connections to automatically carry passenger cabins, freight loads and automobile platforms to desired destinations. The connections are made to upper ends of posts that extend from front and rear portions of each carrier vehicle and up through a narrow centrally located slot in the guideway. The guideway provides a protected environment for error-free data transmissions made through closely spaced inductive couplings between monitoring and control circuits along the guideway and control circuits of the carrier vehicles. Control circuitry is provided to obtain highly reliable control of vehicle speed and of starting, stopping and merge operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1997
    Assignee: Autran Corp.
    Inventor: VanMetre Lund
  • Patent number: 5590604
    Abstract: A system is provided that uses small carrier vehicles that operate along electrified guideways and use standardized connections to automatically carry passenger cabins, freight loads and automobile platforms to desired destinations. Front and rear bogies of the vehicles pivot about front and rear vertical turn axes and carry direction control wheels that cooperate with guide ribs along tracks for selective control of movement to either of two exits from a Y junction. The guideway provides a protected environment for error-free data transmissions made through closely spaced inductive couplings between monitoring and control circuits along the guideway and control circuits of the carrier vehicles. Control circuitry is provided to obtain highly reliable control of vehicle speed and of starting, stopping and merge operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1997
    Assignee: Autran Corp.
    Inventor: VanMetre Lund
  • Patent number: 5496003
    Abstract: A system for transmitting data between the ground and moving vehicles, for example consisting of a stretch of railway line V.sub.1 having beacons between the rails. The various beacons are connected to nodes, e.g. N.sub.i, N.sub.j, N.sub.k, which are in turn linked to a nodal transmission point (CNT) and to fixed railway installations controlling, for example, a points motor. The system is useful particularly in the field of data transmission between the ground and moving railway vehicles such as locomotives, passenger coaches, freight wagons, and train units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 5, 1996
    Assignee: Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais
    Inventor: Patrice H. Bernard
  • Patent number: 4532511
    Abstract: An automatic vehicle identification system for use in identifying and routing vehicles, such as railway cars or other vehicles which routinely travel a given track or path. A passive electronic device or electrical circuit is employed to intersect an energy field and respond thereto by generating a code in accordance with energy received and converted to coded electrical signals. Connected to the passive device is a short wave transmitter for transmitting signals generated by the electrical device when so energized. The electrical device may also comprise a plurality of different induction coils or antenna which serve to modify an energy field in a given manner, which modification may be detected by short wave sensing and converted to a coded electrical signal which is employed to identify the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 1981
    Date of Patent: July 30, 1985
    Inventor: Jerome H. Lemelson
  • Patent number: 4387870
    Abstract: A vehicle signal shunt detection apparatus responds to a first signal to establish the presence of a vehicle including a shunt circuit and then responds to a second signal to establish that the shunt circuit is operating to provide a desired predetermined vehicle signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1981
    Date of Patent: June 14, 1983
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Thomas C. Matty, James H. Franz, Jr., Carol D. Parham
  • Patent number: 4288689
    Abstract: An automatic vehicle identification system for use in identifying and routing vehicles, such as railway cars or other vehicles which routinely travel a given track or path. A passive electronic device or electrical circuit is employed to intersect an energy field and respond thereto by generating a code in accordance with energy received and converted to coded electrical signals. Connected to the passive device is a short wave transmitter for transmitting signals generated by the electrical device when so energized. The electrical device may also comprise a plurality of different induction coils or antenna which serve to modify an energy field in a given manner, which modification may be detected by short wave sensing and converted to a coded electrical signal which is employed to identify the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1979
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1981
    Inventors: Jerome H. Lemelson, Christian Grund
  • Patent number: 4278900
    Abstract: There is disclosed improved time slot scanner control apparatus, including a fail-safe control pulse former apparatus provided for each of a desired plurality of information time slots to sequence the data information transfer in relation to the respective track circuits operative with a transit vehicle. An information timing track is provided for sequencing this data information transfer and to reset the apparatus after each provided sequence of time slot control pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 1979
    Date of Patent: July 14, 1981
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Jayant K. Kapadia, Thomas C. Matty
  • Patent number: 4115757
    Abstract: A warning system suitable for use with lift trucks, or the like, which routinely transverse hazardous, blind or otherwise dangerous intersections. The system includes a transmitter, which is mounted atop the roll cage of the lift truck, and a receiver which is fixedly mounted within the corresponding zone of the intersection. The transmitter derives its primary power from the vehicle via the vehicle seat switch and radiates a suitable carrier signal through an antenna network which is integral with the transmitter housing. The carrier signal is suitably modulated or encoded by means of a secure modulation format such as FSK. The receiver is disposed at the approximate center of the intersection and includes a carrier and a modulation decoder. The decoded output of the receiver is used to control a visual indicator such as a strobe light. The output of the transmitter is adjusted by way of its antenna network and the receiver sensitivity is further adjusted to establish the desired range limits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 1976
    Date of Patent: September 19, 1978
    Inventor: Charles Stephen Blahunka
  • Patent number: 3978447
    Abstract: A safety transmitting device for warning a motor vehicle at a railroad crossing of the approach of a train includes a tuning fork mechanically communicating with the tracks, wherein the vibrations of the tracks causes the fork to transmit sound waves. The sound waves are converted to the electro-magnetic waves by a transmitter unit. The fork and transmitter unit are positioned at a predetermined distance from the crossing. The electromagnetic waves are picked up by a receiver unit in the motor vehicle and converted to the electrical energy which causes activation of a sound device and flashing light unit in the interior of the motor vehicle as well as activation of an electrical pump in the brake line assembly of the vehicle which causes automatic slow application of the brakes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1975
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1976
    Assignee: Lawrence Peska Associates, Inc.
    Inventor: Frederick M. Bankes