Public transportation system

Claim 2

A transportation system comprising a belt member continuously movable along its length between locations at a generally constant velocity, a vehicle including a belt wheel member for rotatably engaging said belt member and a roadway wheel member of approximately the same diameter as said belt wheel member for engaging a roadway, and variable speed transmission means connected between said belt wheel member and said roadway wheel member, said variable speed transmission means constructed and arranged to variably transmit the movement of said belt member from said belt wheel member to said roadway wheel member whereby said vehicle can remain statIonary with the belt wheel member rotating on the moving belt member or the vehicle can move along the roadway by the transmission of the belt member movement to the roadway wheel member.

Claim 3

The system of claim 1 and wherein said variable speed transmission means comprises a planetary gear system having a sun gear connected to one of said wheel members, a driving gear connected to the other of said wheel members, planet gears engaging the driving and sun gears, a planet gear support, and clutch means for progressively decelerating the movement of said planet gear support as one of said wheel members rotates and progressively accelerating the other of said wheel members.

Claim 4

The system of claim 1 and wherein said variable speed transmission means comprises a clutch and a constant speed transmission.

Claim 5

The system of claim 1 and wherein said belt member comprises a continuous belt having an upper flight extending between locations at a level approximately equal to the level of said roadway.

Claim 6

The system of claim 1 and wherein said variable speed transmission means is constructed and arranged to cause said roadway wheel member to move said vehicle along its roadway at a velocity greater than the velocity of said belt member with respect to the roadway.

Claim 7

The system of claim 1 and wherein said variable speed transmission means is constructed and arranged to cause said roadway wheel member to move said vehicle along its roadway at a velocity approximately twice the velocity of said belt member with respect to the roadway.

Claim 8

The system of claim 1 and wherein said variable speed transmission means is constructed and arranged to cause said belt wheel member to rotate in both forward and rearward directions along the direction of movement of said belt member as said vehicle changes velocity along the roadway.

Claim 9

The system of claim 1 and further including a suspension system connected between said belt wheel member and said vehicle and constructed and arranged to apply a predetermined proportion of gross vehicle weight to said belt wheel member.

Claim 10

The system of claim 1 and further including guide means for maintaining said belt wheel member in engagement with said belt member.

Claim 11

The system of claim 1 and wherein said belt wheel member and said roadway wheel member comprise pneumatic wheel members of approximately circular outside configuration, and wherein said belt member comprises an endless belt having an upper flight with a substantially flat upper surface suitable for engagement by said belt wheel member.

Claim 12

The system of claim 2 and wherein said clutch means comprises means for locking said planet gear support so that it rotates in unison with said roadway wheel member.

Claim 13

A transportation system comprising at least one continuously driven belt member, at least one vehicle having a belt wheel member normally engaging said belt member and a roadway wheel member of approximately the same diameter as said belt wheel member normally engaging a stationary roadway, and transmission means connected between said belt wheel member and said roadway wheel member for transmitting the linear belt member movement through said belt wheel member to said roadway wheel member to drive said vehicle along the roadway, said transmission means comprising a variable speed transmission means for varying the velocity of said vehicle along said roadway while the velocity of said continuously driven belt member is approximately constant.

Claim 14

A transportation system comprising at least one continuously driven belt member, at least one vehicle having a belt wheel member normally engaging said belt member and a roadway wheel member of approximately the same diameter as said belt wheel member normally engaging a stationary roadway, and transmission means connected between said belt wheel member and said roadway wheel member for transmitting the linear belt member movement through said belt wheel member to said roadway wheel member to drive said vehicle along the roadway, said transmission means comprising a variable speed transmission means for varying the velocity of said vehicle along said roadway while the velocity of said continuously driven belt member is approximately constant.

Claim 15

The system of claim 12 and wherein said at least one vehicle comprises a plurality of vehicles, and said at least one continuously driven belt member comprises a series of spaced belt member arranged in a pattern and movable in directions suitable to drive said vehicles in a pattern to move said vehicles toward and return the vehicles from various predetermined locations.

Claim 16

A vehicle comprising a roadway wheel member for rotatably engaging a roadway and supporting said vehicle, a driving wheel member of approximately thE same diameter as said roadway wheel member for engagement with and rotatable on a belt member movable in a rectilinear direction in alignment with said roadway wheel member along the roadway, variable speed transmission means connected between said roadway wheel member and said driving wheel member and arranged to transmit rotational movement from said driving wheel member to said roadway wheel member at varying speeds, and control means constructed and arranged to progressively control the amount of rotational movement transmitted through said variable speed transmission means from said driving wheel member to said roadway wheel member so that the vehicle can be progressively accelerated from a standing start.

Claim 17

A vehicle comprising a roadway wheel member for rotatably engaging a roadway and supporting said vehicle, a driving wheel member of approximately thE same diameter as said roadway wheel member for engagement with and rotatable on a belt member movable in a rectilinear direction in alignment with said roadway wheel member along the roadway, variable speed transmission means connected between said roadway wheel member and said driving wheel member and arranged to transmit rotational movement from said driving wheel member to said roadway wheel member at varying speeds, and control means constructed and arranged to progressively control the amount of rotational movement transmitted through said variable speed transmission means from said driving wheel member to said roadway wheel member so that the vehicle can be progressively accelerated from a standing start.

Claim 18

The vehicle of claim 14 and wherein said variable transmission means comprises a planetary gear system having a first gear in driving relationship with said driving wheel member and having a second gear in driving relationship with said roadway wheel member, planet gears engaging said first and second gears, a planet gear support, and said control means comprising clutch means for releasably engaging said planet gear support.

Claim 19

The vehicle of claim 14 and wherein said driving wheel member is arranged to support said vehicle and is positioned out of alignment with said roadway wheel member.

Claim 20

A transportation system for an airport or the like comprising a plurality of roadways extending in a connected pattern at the airport area, a plurality of loading stations adjacent said roadways, belts members movable along the roadways, a plurality of vehicles movable along said roadways, each vehicle including a roadway wheel member rotatable on said roadways and a belt wheel member of a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of said roadway wheel member rotatable on said belt members, and means for progressively transmitting the rotational velocity from the belt wheel member of each vehicle in engagement with a belt member to the roadway wheel member in engagement with the roadway to accelerate and transport said vehicles along said roadways between loading stations.

Claim 21

A transportation system for an airport or the like comprising a plurality of roadways extending in a connected pattern at the airport area, a plurality of loading stations adjacent said roadways, belts members movable along the roadways, a plurality of vehicles movable along said roadways, each vehicle including a roadway wheel member rotatable on said roadways and a belt wheel member of a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of said roadway wheel member rotatable on said belt members, and means for progressively transmitting the rotational velocity from the belt wheel member of each vehicle in engagement with a belt member to the roadway wheel member in engagement with the roadway to accelerate and transport said vehicles along said roadways between loading stations.

Claim 22

The system of claim 17 and further including a movable belt member located at some of said loading stations to accelerate said vehicles from its loading station to a roadway.

Claim 23

The system of claim 17 and wherein said means for progressively transmitting the rotational velocity from said belt members to said vehicles comprises a variable speed transmission.

Claim 24

The system of claim 17 and wherein said vehicles comprise wheel supported cars each with one wheel arranged to engage said belt members and the remaining wheels arranged to engage the roadway, and wherein said means for progressively transmitting the rotational velocity from said belts for each vehicle comprises a planetary gear system including a sun gear connected to the belt engaging wheel and a planet gear connected to a roadway wheel, a rotatable planet gear support, and clutch means for engaging the planet gear support.

Claim 25

The system of claim 17 and wherein said belt members comprise endless belts each having a driving flight movable at approximately the level of its roadway, and wherein said roadways each include a vehicle guide means, and wherein said vehicles each include means responsive to said guide means for guiding said vehicles along said roadways.