Dual-mode transportation system

Claim 2

A transportation system comprising: a self-propelled surface vehicle; an overhead track extending over part of a route to be traveled by said vehicle; a motor-driven vehicle carrier riding on said track; and hoist means on said carrier engageable with said vehicle for lifting same off the surface at a first location and redepositing same on the surface at a second location interlinked with said first location by said track, said hoist means comprising a platform, cable means suspending said platform from said carrier, reversible wind-up means for said cable means on said platform, and coupling means on said platform engageable with the top of said vehicle for suspending same from said platform upon a raising of the latter by operation of said wind-up means.

Claim 3

A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said vehicle is provided with electric drive means and a power supply including a storage battery for said drive means, further comprising live conductor means extending along said track and connector means on said carrier for completing a charging circuit for said storage battEry from said conductor means during transportation of said vehicle along said track.

Claim 4

A system as defined in claim 2 wherein said hoist means is provided with an electric motor normally energizable from said conductor means, further comprising switch means operable to close an emergency circuit from said battery to said motor upon power failure on said conductor means.

Claim 5

A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said coupling means comprises at least one pair of gripper members engageable with complementary formations on opposite sides of said vehicle.

Claim 6

A system as defined in claim 4 wherein said gripper members and said formations are provided with interlocking lips effective in the suspended state of said vehicle to prevent disengagement of said gripper members from said formations.

Claim 7

A system as defined in claim 5, further comprising resilient cushioning means interposed between said vehicle and said platform upon a lifting of the vehicle by said hoist means, said cushioning means being sufficiently compressible to facilitate interengagement and disengagement of said gripper members and formations with said vehicle resting on the surface.

Claim 8

A system as defined in claim 4, further comprising actuating means for displacing said gripper members between a coupling position and a decoupling position, and stops means for said actuating means effective in the suspended state of said vehicle to prevent a displacement of said gripper members into said decoupling position.

Claim 9

A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said cable means comprises a plurality of cables anchored to different parts of said platform, said wind-up means comprising individual sheaves for said cables and a common drive for said sheaves.

Claim 10

A system as defined in claim 8 wherein said common drive is a constant-speed motor, each of said sheaves being a flanged pulley having a peripheral channel of a width substantially equaling the thickness of the associated cable and of a depth substantially exceeding said thickness for enabling the cable to be wound up in a multiplicity of turns with progressive increase in lifting speed upon a raising of the vehicle off the surface.

Claim 11

A system as defined in claim 1, further comprising locking means for securing said platform to said carrier independently of said cable means upon elevation of said platform to its highest level relative to said track.

Claim 12

A system as defined in claim 10 wherein said locking means comprises a toggle mechanism.

Claim 13

A transportation system comprising: a self-propelled surface vehicle; an overhead track extending over part of a route to be traveled by said vehicle; a motor-driven vehicle carrier riding on said track; and hoist means on said carrier engageable with said vehicle for lifting same off the surface at a first location and redepositing same on the surface at a second location interlinked with said first location by said track, said vehicle being provided with electric drive means and a power supply including a storage battery for said drive means, further comprising live conductor means extending along said track and connector means on said carrier for completing a charging circuit for said storage battery from said conductor means during transportation of said vehicle along said track, said hoist means being provided with an electric motor normally energizable from said conductor means, further comprising switch means operable to close an emergency circuit from said battery to said motor upon power failure on said conductor means.

Claim 14

A transportation system comprising: a self-propelled surface vehicle; an overhead track extending over part of a route to be traveled by said vehicle; a motor-driven vehicle carrier riding on said track; and hoist means on said carrier engageable with said vehicle for lifting same off the surface at a first location and redepositing same on the surface at a second location interlinked with said first location by said track, said vehicle being provided with electric drive means and a power supply including a storage battery for said drive means, further comprising live conductor means extending along said track and connector means on said carrier for completing a charging circuit for said storage battery from said conductor means during transportation of said vehicle along said track, said hoist means being provided with an electric motor normally energizable from said conductor means, further comprising switch means operable to close an emergency circuit from said battery to said motor upon power failure on said conductor means.