Other

Lockheed Martin Corporation

General Dynamics Corporation

J Kirston Henderson

Boyd B Bushman

David L Kellogg

An elevated transit system has a pair of spaced apart guideways for supporting a vehicle. The guideways are supported on vertical columns above the ground. An emergency walkway extends between the guideways The walkway has a plurality of apertures to allow the passage of sunlight to the ground below.

Elevated open-center transit guideway with open-mesh screen emergency walkway

A transport system has a pair of laterally spaced apart guideways, each of the guideways having an upward facing track. A vehicle has supports on each side that engage the tracks. A pair of conductor rails are mounted to a shroud extending over the track. Each of the conductor rails has an engaging surface that faces generally laterally from the other. A follower assembly mounted to the vehicle raises into engagement with the rails. The follower assembly has brushes that engage the rails in sliding contact to receive power for the vehicle. The follower assembly is also connected to the steering mechanism of the device for steering the vehicle.

Power rail steering and direction control apparatus

An electrically powered vehicle transportation system utilizes a guideway with parallel enclosed rails. Each enclosed rail has an electrical bus bar for supplying power to vehicles on the guideway. The guideway will accommodate dual-mode vehicles that are capable of usage on conventional streets as well as on the guideway. The guideway also accommodates conventional vehicles and ferries that operate only on the guideway. The dual-mode vehicle has a body with axles that are extensible. The axles move from a retracted position, with the wheels recessed within the wheel wells, to an extended position. In the extended position, the wheels locate within the enclosed rails. Conventional vehicles and freight are carried on ferries that move along the guideways.

Machine for transport of passengers and cargo

An electromagnetic propulsion fan includes a hub and a plurality of fan blades coupled to the hub. The electromagnetic propulsion fan also includes a rim coupled to the fan blades such that rotating the rim causes the fan blades to rotate. The rim includes a plurality of magnets coupled thereto. The electromagnetic propulsion fan further includes a plurality of electromagnets in proximity to the rim, the electromagnets controllable to generate magnetic fields that interact with the magnetic fields of the magnets to cause the rim to rotated.

System and method for electromagnetic propulsion fan

A system and method to measure physical conditions at an object under test. This system comprises at least one micro-electro mechanical die module placed proximate to the object under test. The micro-electro mechanical die module is formed on a substrate and consists of at least one micro-mechanical transducer to monitor physical conditions, a series of integrated circuits electrically connected to the micro-mechanical transducer in order to read the output of the transducer, an internal photo voltaic device located on the substrate, and a transmitter internal to the micro-electro mechanical die module connected to the integrated circuits and a first antenna. A second antenna gathers signals transmitted by the micro-electro mechanical die module. The micro-electro mechanical die module transmits a signal when the photo voltaic device is scanned by a coherent light source. A receiver electrically connected to the second antenna receives and amplifies the signals transmitted by the micro-electro mechanical die module. The signals transmitted by at least one micro-electro mechanical die module are received by the receiver and processed to obtain data representative of the physical conditions at the object under test from the signals.

Method and apparatus for detecting environmental conditions utilizing micro-electrical mechanical devices

A method for refueling and reloading an unmanned aircraft for continuous flight is disclosed herein wherein the unmanned aircraft is maintained and supported by a support aircraft. Both aircraft maintain cargo bays and in-flight operable doors located on the underside of each aircraft for the purposes of docking and exchanging goods. Preferably the goods comprise loadable cartridges and may contain such items as weapons, cargo, or fuel for example. In one embodiment, when both aircraft are in a docked configuration for exchange of goods during flight, the in-flight operable doors open and the support aircraft is capable of loading such cartridges aboard the unmanned aircraft. When necessary the support aircraft may load gear for the purposes of landing the unmanned aircraft. Alternate methods of reloading an unmanned aircraft for continuous flight is disclosed wherein the unmanned aircraft does not have cargo bay doors and the aircraft is supported by a support aircraft.

In-flight loadable and refuelable unmanned aircraft system for continuous flight

The present invention encompasses an angled magnetic drive that includes a motor for generating rotary motion about a first axis. This angled magnetic drive also includes a driving member coupled to the motor and rotated by it. The driving member includes a plurality of magnets coupled to one of its faces. This magnetic drive additionally includes a driven member that is mounted to rotate about a second axis, which is oriented at an angle to the first axis. At least part of a face of the driven member is located in proximity to the face of the driving member such that the driven member is magnetically coupled to the driving member when the motor rotates the driving member thereby causing the driving member to rotate, the rotation of the driving member producing rotation of the driven member.

Variable ratio angled magnetic drive

A transport system has a pair of levitating rails, each of the levitating rails has a core with a plurality of coils extending circumferentially around each of the cores. The coils are perpendicular to the lengths of the levitating rails. Each of the levitating rails has an upper surface directly above the core. A vehicle has wheels that roll on the upper surfaces of the levitating rails in a nonlevitating position. The vehicle has a plurality of magnets that create magnetic fields that pass through the coils while the vehicle is moving along the levitating rails. The magnetic fields induce current, which in turn causes an opposing magnetic field that levitates the vehicle. A steering rail having a plurality of coils is mounted to at least one of the guideways. Permanent steering magnets are located on each side of the steering rail to magnetically steer the vehicle along the guideways.

Magnetic levitation transport system

An electrically powered vehicle transportation system utilizes a guideway with parallel enclosed rails. Each enclosed rail has an electrical bus bar for supplying power to vehicles on the guideway. The guideway will accommodate dual-mode vehicles that are capable of usage on conventional streets as well as on the guideway. The guideway also accommodates conventional vehicles and ferries that operate only on the guideway. The enclosed rails have a downward facing slot on an inner wall. The vehicle axles are offset, with a portion extending through each slot. The dual-mode vehicle has a body with axles that are extensible. The axles move from a retracted position, with the wheels recessed within the wheel wells, to an extended position. In the extended position, the wheels locate within the enclosed rails. Conventional vehicles and freight are carried on ferries that move along the guideways.

Electro-optical interface connections between electronic modules are used for data transmission rather than conventional pin and socket connections. Each module has on its top a number of diode pairs, one of the diodes transmitting light, and the other receiving light, and converting the light into electrical pulses. A data bus block is mounted across the tops of the modules. The data bus block has corresponding diode pairs that align with the diode pairs in the modules. Light pulses may be transmitted from the modules to the data bus block onto parallel data bus lines, then transmitted back to other modules from the data bus lines. On another side of the module, a serial electro-optical connection using a diode pair transmits to and receives light pulses from a fiber optic line for communicating with modules other than in the cluster.

Growing community of inventors

Fort Worth, TX, United States of America

J Kirston Henderson