Electrically operated vehicle and module for a course for the vehicle

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION, A MOVABLE MEMBER AND A TRACK; SAID TRACK BEING COMPOSED OF AT LEAST ONE MODULE, EACH OF SAID MODULES OF SAID TRACK COMPRISING; A BED OF INSULATING MATERIAL, A PLURALITY OF SPACED CONDUCTIVE STRIPS IN GENERALLY PARALLEL RELATION FASTENED OVER ONE MAIN SURFACE OF THE MODULE, SAID INSULATING MATERIAL OF SAID BED SEPARATING SAID STRIPS AND DEFINING A COMMON EXTERIOR PLANE FOR THE MODULE BETWEEN THE STRIP, EACH OF SAID STRIPS BEING FLUSH WITH SAID SURFACE AND SEPARATED FROM THE OTHER STRIPS BY SAID INSULATING MATERIAL; EACH OF THE STRIPS BEING OF ONE POLARITY WHEN ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO A POWER SOURCE WHICH IS OPPOSITE TO THE POLARITY OF THE STRIPS ADJACENT AND ABUTTING THE INSULATION MATERIAL ALONG SAID STRIP; MEANS ELECTRICALLY CONNECTING EACH OF SAID STRIPS TO A POWER SOURCE TO PERMIT CURRENT FLOW THROUGH ANY TWO PARALLEL STRIPS SEPARATED BY SAID INSULATING MATERIAL WHEN THE STRIPS ARE BRIDGED BY AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL; SAID MOVABLE MEMBER COMPRISING; A BODY MOVABLY SUPPORTED ON THE MODULE, A FIRST AND A SECOND SPACED CONTACT BRUSH OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL DEPENDING FROM SAID BODY AND ARRANGED TO ENGAGE THE SURFACE OF THE MODULE WHEN THE VEHICLE IS SUPPORTED THEREON; EACH OF SAID BRUSHES BEING OF A MINIMUM MODULE SURFACE-ENGAGING AREA SUCH THAT THE GREATEST DISTANCE THROUGH THE AREA IS LESS THAN THE SMALLEST DISTANCE BETWEEN ANY TWO STRIPS SO THAT EACH BRUSH CAN ONLY ENGAGE ONE STRIP AT ANY ONE TIME; THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE CENTER LINE OF THE BRUSHES OF THE BODY BEING THE SAME AS OR A MULTIPLE OF THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE CENTER LINES OF INSULATING MATERIAL ON EITHER SIDE OF THE STRIPS; DRIVE MEANS ON THE BODY AND ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR MEANS TO CONNECT SAID DRIVE MEANS TO EACH OF THE BRUSHES TO BE ENERGIZED ON CURRENT FLOW FROM SAID SOURCE, SAID DRIVE MEANS BEING ARRANGED TO PROPEL THE BODY OVER THE SURFACE OF THE TRACK; CONTROL MEANS ON THE BODY ELECTRICALLY IN SERIES BETWEEN THE BRUSHES AND THE DRIVE MEANS TO CONTROL CURRENT FLOW TO THE DRIVE MEANS; AND SIGNALING MEANS REMOTE FROM SAID BODY TO OPERATE SAID CONTROL MEANS, SAID CONTROL MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE TO THE SIGNALING MEANS TO VARY THE CURRENT FLOW TO THE DRIVE MEANS; A BRIDGING MEMBER IS PROVIDED TO SUPPORT THE BRUSHES IN SPACED RELATION, SAID BRIDGING MEMBER BEING ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID BODY; SPRING MEANS CONNECTING SAID MEMBER AND SAID BODY TO NORMALLY URGE SAID MEMBER INTO A FIRST POSITION; A SENSING DRIVE MEANS ON SAID BODY AND MECHANICALLY CONNECTED TO SAID MEMBER TO NORMALLY URGE SAID MEMBER INTO A SECOND POSITION ANGULARLY DISPLACED RELATIVE TO SAID FIRST POSITION; STOP MEANS TO LIMIT MOVEMENT OF SAID MEMBER; SAID THIRD DRIVE MEANS BEING NORMALLY ENERGIZED WHEN SAID BRUSHES ARE IN ENGAGEMENT WITH STRIPS OF OPPOSITE POLARITY AND SAID SENSING DRIVE MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO OVERCOME THE TENSION OF SAID SPRING WHEN ENERGIZED WHEREBY THE SPRING WILL ROTATE THE BRUSHES ON INTERRUPTION OF CURRENT FLOW AS WHEN ONE OF THE BRUSHES IS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH INSULATING MATERIAL, SO THAT THE MOTOR WILL BECOME ENERGIZED AGAIN.