The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 20, 1990
Filed:
Jun. 27, 1988
Thomas J Burg, Forest Hills, PA (US);
William K Cooper, Monroeville, PA (US);
John W Kapala, McMurray, PA (US);
Robert J Anderson, McMurray, PA (US);
Ronald H Ziegler, Elizabeth, PA (US);
AEG Westinghouse Transportation Systems, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (US);
Abstract
A rotary switch for a people mover guideway having a predetermined tire path, guidebeam and electric rail configuration routes a transit car from one entry guideway path to at least either of two exit guideway paths or vice versa. The switch has an elongated structural frame that has guidebeam, electric rail and tire path structure compatible with the guideway configuration to provide car routing to one of the two exit paths on one switch side and to provide car routing to the other of the two exit paths on another switch side. Switching is achieved by rotating a movable part of the switch 180 degrees about its longitudinal axis. First and second shafts support the two ends of the switch frame and one of the shafts is driven to rotate the switch frame between first and second rotational positions in which the switch is locked and the switch sides respectively line up with the guideway configuration. The frame is supported in fixed longitudinal relation to one of the shafts and in longitudinally expandable relation to the other of the shafts to allow the frame to expand and contract longitudinally under thermal and/or car loading and thus permit frame deflection to occur about the shafts and frame lock pins with translational load forces applied to the shafts and lock pins essentially in the vertical direction.