Suspended vehicle construction

Claim 2

A vehicle comprising a vehicle carriage, a linear induction motor for driving sand carriage including a fixed electroconductive metal reaction rail mounted above and said carriage and magnetic pole and current coil means located alongside said reaction rail, a trackway along which said carriage is moveable, and repelling means arranged between said trackway and said carriaGe producing a lifting force acting against said carriage and sustaining the weight thereof above said trackway and means articulating said carriage to said magnetic pole and coil means to permit pendular lateral swinging movement of said carriage relative to said trackway and said magnetic pole and current coil means about an axis located above the center of gravity of said carriage.

Claim 3

A vehicle, according to claim 1, wherein said repelling means arranged adjacent said carriage for producing a lifting force comprises a trackway having a magnet therealong, and magnetic means carried by said vehicle body and cooperable with said track magnet to define a driving motor for said vehicle body and being sufficient to provide a magnetic lift for said carriage to sustain it above the ground.

Claim 4

A vehicle, according to claim 1, including guide means associated with said magnetic pole and current coil means and bearing against said reaction rail, said magnetic pole and current coil means including a pole yoke arranged alongside each side of said reaction rail and spaced therefrom to define a magnetic gap, said guide means maintaining the operative spacing between said pole yoke and said reaction rail.

Claim 5

A vehicle, according to claim 3, wherein said guide means includes members which are electrically conductive and which contact said reaction rail, said reaction rail having electroconductive rail portions bonded to the side surface thereof over insulating material.

Claim 6

A vehicle, according to claim 1 including retractible wheel means carried by said vehicle body permitting operation of the vehicle on a railway trackway.

Claim 7

A vehicle, according to claim 1, including a protective roof overlying said magnetic pole and current coil means.

Claim 8

A vehicle, according to claim 1, including braking shoes adapted to be extended to engage said reaction rail for slowing the vehicle.

Claim 9

A vehicle, according to claim 1, wherein said reaction rail extends in a substantially vertical plane above said carriage said magnetic pole and current coil means including a pole yoke extending on each side of said reaction rail and a coil winding for said yoke, a casing mounting said coil winding and said pole yoke, conductive pickup contacts on said casing for receiving current for the coils from said reaction rail, said articulating means including means defining a pivotal connection between said carriage and said casing.

Claim 10

A vehicle, according to claim 8, wherein said articulating means includes a hinge pin pivoting joint support formed by the upper portion of said carriage, said casing defining a hinge pin member being pivotally suspended within said support.

Claim 11

A vehicle, according to claim 8, wherein said articulating means includes a pivot pin carried on said casing, said carriage being pivotally connected to said casing through said pivot pin.

Claim 12

A vehicle, according to claim 1, wherein said repelling means arranged adjacent said carriage for producing a lifting force acting against said carriage includes magnetic means carried on said reaction rail, said carriage having an extension overlying said magnetic means and having a magnet of the same polarity as said magnetic means and producing therewith a repelling force constituting said lifting force.

Claim 13

A vehicle, according to claim 1, wherein said repelling means adjacent said carriage for producing a lifting force acting against said carriage comprises a trackway supported on the ground, and compressed air means on said carriage for directing air under pressure between said carriage and said trackway in a quantity to maintain the spacing between said trackway and said carriage and for supporting the carriage above the ground.

Claim 14

A vehicle, according to claim 1, including a ground trackway located below said carriage, said lifting means arranged adjacent said carriage producing a lifting force acting against said carriage comprising magnetic means on said carriage and on said ground trackway producing a magneTic repelling force for lifting said carriage.

Claim 15

A free-suspended-vehicle driven and braked by linear electric induction motors, comprising a vehicle body, means defining trackway (1, 19, 31) having a laterally curved surface over which said vehicle body (4) is movable longitudinally and laterally without ground contact, repelling lifting means effective between said curved surface and said vehicle body for levitating said vehicle, a pendular hinge connected to said vehicle body having an axis (A) extending in the direction of vehicle body motion around which said vehicle body (4) can swing laterally, a linear induction motor (7, 8, 9, 25) having a substantially vertical electroconductive reaction rail and a relatively movable drive part (11, 26) alongside said rail serving as a lateral guidance for said vehicle, said drive part having a hinge (10, 25, 27) for said vehicle body defining a pendular axis for said body above the center of gravity of said carriage and serving as lateral guidance for said vehicle, said drive part (11, 26) running along without being supported vertically by the electroconductive vertical reaction rail (5, 24, 32) of said linear induction motor.

Claim 16

A free-suspended-vehicle driven and braked by linear electric induction motors, comprising a vehicle body, means defining trackway (1, 19, 31) having a laterally curved surface over which said vehicle body (4) is movable longitudinally and laterally without ground contact, repelling lifting means effective between said curved surface and said vehicle body for levitating said vehicle, a pendular hinge connected to said vehicle body having an axis (A) extending in the direction of vehicle body motion around which said vehicle body (4) can swing laterally, a linear induction motor (7, 8, 9, 25) having a substantially vertical electroconductive reaction rail and a relatively movable drive part (11, 26) alongside said rail serving as a lateral guidance for said vehicle, said drive part having a hinge (10, 25, 27) for said vehicle body defining a pendular axis for said body above the center of gravity of said carriage and serving as lateral guidance for said vehicle, said drive part (11, 26) running along without being supported vertically by the electroconductive vertical reaction rail (5, 24, 32) of said linear induction motor.

Claim 17

A vehicle, according to claim 14, wherein said trackway is enlarged outwardly in a curved path for sustaining the carriage during its transverse swinging movement.