TRANSPORT SYSTEM COMPRISING VACUUM TUNNEL

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a national phase entry under 37 U.S.C § 371 of PCT/CH2022/050026 filed Sep. 23, 2022, which claims priority to Swiss Patent Application No. CH070300/2021 filed Sep. 23, 2021, the entirety of each of which is incorporated by this reference

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a system for transporting people and goods in a wagon on a conducted route, at least one partial route being formed by a vacuum tunnel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The majority of the transport of people and goods on land takes place on roads or tracks. Land transport has a major disadvantage compared to air transport. It takes longer, especially over a longer distance. One obstacle to achieving higher speeds is the quadratic increase in air resistance with speed, as a result of which the energy expenditure for achieving this high speed increases so greatly that the achievement of a high speed is already excluded for economic reasons. The remedy in this regard is achieved by transferring the transport to a vacuum environment created for this purpose. Due to the vacuum environment, the air resistance is practically reduced to zero. The disadvantages resulting from air resistance at high speeds can be ignored in a vacuum environment. Operating a transport system at very high speeds in a vacuum environment can also be economically viable and ecologically even much more advantageous.

For the boarding and disembarking of passengers or the loading and unloading of goods, an interface between the vacuumed travel area and the atmospheric environment must be provided. The design of the interface of the travel area under vacuum with the atmospheric environment presents challenges of different kinds and therefore leads to different approaches to solutions. The influence of the interfaces and the difficulty for their successful implementation can be so great that the design of the interface can have a significant influence on the geometry and functioning of the transport system.

CN 212500353 U shows a transport system in which the vehicle is always in a vacuumed environment. Devices are provided at the transfer or transshipment points, which serve as airlocks on the doors of the vehicle after it has come to a standstill. Passengers move through these airlocks to get in and out. In order to enable a reasonably fast handling of persons at a stop, such devices must be provided for each door of the vehicle. If only one device does not function in accordance with the rules, this can result in the entire vehicle and possibly the entire roadway coming to a standstill. Furthermore, such a transport system does not seem to be suitable for loading and unloading goods and containers.

ADVANTAGES

It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide a system for transporting people and goods in a wagon on a conducted route, in which a section of the route is formed by a vacuum tunnel and the vacuum tunnel has as simple and reliable an interface as possible with the atmospheric environment. The simple and reliable interface can allow passengers to board and disembark quickly or goods to be handled quickly.

SUMMARY

The advantages are achieved by a system for transporting persons or goods in a wagon on a conducted route having the features of the independent claims.

The route has at least three sections, one section being formed by a vacuum tunnel and two sections each forming a connecting route to an end point of the route. The connecting routes and the respective end points are under atmospheric pressure.

A vacuum tunnel has the advantage that the wagon can be accelerated to a very high speed due to the practically airless space. A large area of the route should be covered by the vacuum tunnel so that the wagon can benefit from this effect for as long as possible and can move at a high speed. The end points of the route as well as the connecting route from these to the vacuum tunnel, on the other hand, are under atmospheric conditions. This makes it easy to exchange people or goods in or out of the wagon at the end of the route. No special devices need to be attached to either the wagon or the end point to allow people to get into or out of the wagon. As a result, the system can be implemented cost-effectively, the waiting times of the wagon at an end point can be kept to a minimum and high reliability can be guaranteed. At the same time, the system offers the advantage that the train stations currently used for train traffic can be used as end points.

In one embodiment of the system, a chamber is positioned at both ends of the vacuum tunnel. Each chamber is dimensioned in such a way that it can accommodate the wagon. At the same time, each chamber is intended to be able to be placed in a vacuum state or under atmospheric conditions. The transition from a vacuumed to an atmospheric area presents a challenge for a transport system with a vacuum tunnel. The wagon can either always remain in a vacuumed environment or enter the atmospheric area from the vacuumed area and vice versa. As already described above, the advantage of the transition from the vacuumed to the atmospheric area is that the wagon can stop at the end point of the route under atmospheric conditions and the passengers can enter or leave the wagon accordingly effortlessly. The disadvantage of this system is that a device must be provided with the aid of which the wagon is conveyed from the vacuum tunnel into the atmospheric environment. In another embodiment, such a device is formed by a chamber. One chamber each is positioned at the two ends of the vacuum tunnel. The chamber has the property of moving from an airless state to an atmospheric state or vice versa. This can be done both when the wagon is in the chamber and when the wagon is not in the chamber. This allows the wagon to pass via the chamber from an airless space to an atmospheric environment or vice versa.

Each chamber may have a lock gate at each of its two ends, which, in the closed state, seals off the interior volume of the chamber from the adjacent sections of the route. The chamber has two opposite lock gates in the direction of travel. A lock gate can open if there is approximately the same pressure on both sides of the lock gate. The lock gates are intended to never open at the same time, as the chamber serves as a barrier between the vacuum tunnel and the atmospheric environment.

The condition for creating an airless space is the extraction of the air in it. On the contrary, an airless room can be dissolved by supplying air. The chamber is advantageously provided to be brought into a vacuum state or to be dissolved into a vacuum state within the chamber by removing or supplying air.

A pump is suitable for supplying and discharging air. The pump is the most widely used solution for conveying air in a certain direction. In order to convey the air into or out of the chamber, a pump device is provided in another embodiment.

In yet another embodiment, the system comprises a magnetic levitation train. The magnetic levitation train is an alternative transport option to a train on rails. The wagon is powered by magnetic induction. Both the wagon and the track must have the necessary devices. An advantage of the magnetic levitation train is that the wagon floats and is not mounted on rollers or wheels. This means that there is no rolling friction with the magnetic levitation train. This is also of great importance in the transport system presented here, since the high speeds to be achieved in the vacuum tunnel are thereby achieved more easily and no great frictional losses occur.

The vacuum tunnel may have a linear shape and the section in the vacuum tunnel thus does not comprise any curves. Driving through a straight tunnel places the smallest possible demands on both the construction of the tunnel and the wagon used in it. The reduction of the requirements for the wagon in the tunnel leads to greater reliability.

The chamber is intended to accommodate the wagon completely. In addition, the dimensions of the chamber should be kept as small as possible so that the gap between the wagon and the ceiling or wall of the chamber is as small as possible. The chamber may have a width of 300 to 400 cm and a height of 350 to 450 cm. The chamber may also have a circular cross-section. If the cross-sectional area is round, its diameter may be 300 to 450 cm.

In another embodiment, the wagon is part of the system.

The wagon may be magnetically driven. The wagon's magnetic drive allows precise control of acceleration. At the same time, the magnetic drive is an ecological solution for moving a wagon.

The wagon is advantageously formed by a single solid body movable in the longitudinal direction of the track. The construction of the wagon as a solid body has the advantage that the construction of the wagon can be kept simple. This is all the more important in this transport system, because the wagon already has to withstand great loads due to the changing external pressure conditions. With the construction as a solid body, a reliable design of the wagon can be achieved more easily and cost-effectively.

The width of the chamber is advantageously minimally greater than that of the wagon, such as by 5 cm, or by 2 cm. The small difference in width between the wagon and the chamber results in a small gap between the wagon and the wall of the chambers when the wagon is accommodated in the chamber. The small gap ensures a small volume in which the residual air is still present. The smaller the volume between the wagon and the wall of the chamber, the smaller the volume of air that must be conveyed out of the chamber in order to obtain an airless space. Conveying the air out of the chamber requires energy and takes time at the same time. Therefore, both energy and time can be saved with the smallest possible difference between the width of the wagon and the chamber.

Advantageously, the chamber is longer than the wagon, advantageously by 5 to 100 cm, or by 5 to 50 cm. The observations described above also apply to the length of the wagon and the difference between the length of the wagon and the chamber. The difference between the wagon and the chamber can be selected in such a way that the lock gates of the chamber can easily open and close without being influenced by the wagon or exerting an influence on it.

In a further embodiment, a rotating device is positioned between the chamber and the end point of the route, the rotation of which causes the wagon to change direction. The rotating device allows the wagon to change direction. The change of direction can be used to access a stop or as a junction with several further options. With the help of the rotating device, a wagon can change its direction without having to make a turn for it. This in turn enables a considerably simpler design of the wagon. A rotating device can be dispensed with if the vacuum tunnel and an end point of the route are at the same height and the connection between them runs in a linear straight line. It is also conceivable for the rotating device to consist of a rotatable roadway.

Advantageously, the rotating device has at least the length of the wagon. This allows the entire wagon to be picked up and placed in the rotating device and then turned in the desired direction for further travel. This results in the advantage for the wagon that it can be designed as a solid body, which has no articulated connection and can therefore be rigid.

The rotating device is advantageously configured to perform a horizontal rotational movement. The horizontal rotary movement ideally takes place around the center of the roadway in the rotating device. This results in the smallest possible angle of rotation of the wagon, which in turn leads to a minimum space requirement.

The rotating device is advantageously configured to perform a vertical tilting movement. If the end points are at different heights, the route may have a slope to compensate for this height difference. However, the inclined direction of travel must be adjusted horizontally at one point so that the wagon can enter the stop at the end of the route as horizontally as possible. The point at which this adjustment takes place is the rotating device. The roadway of the rotating device can ideally accommodate the entire wagon. Thus, with a tilting movement of the roadway in the rotating device, the wagon is directed from the inclined direction in a horizontal direction. The rotating device may be provided to perform the vertical tilting movement about any point of the rotating device. If the rotating device is intended to perform a tilting movement about the center of the rotating device, the tilting angle is minimal. Alternatively, the rotating device can also be tilted about a point at the edge of the rotating device, such as about the starting point of the roadway of the rotating device. During a tilting movement of the roadway of the rotating device about the starting point, the rotating device takes the form of a ramp. The horizontal section of the ramp forms the roadway in its basic position, whereas the tilted rotating device with the angled roadway forms the position for the further travel of the wagon.

Advantageously, a changing device is provided at an end point of the route, which either causes a movement of the roadway at the end point with the wagon or merely conveys the roadway onto another roadway. In one possible embodiment, the roadway may be lowered or raised using a changing device. This can be advantageous if, for example, a transport wagon enters the stop and the goods transported therein have to be unloaded. The changing device can convey the wagon with or without a roadway to the goods transfer station, so that the stop for the following wagon is free again. It is also conceivable for a section of the roadway to be lowered or raised for this purpose, since the space for handling goods is positioned below or above the stop in such an example.

The changing device can also merely be provided to convey the wagon onto another roadway. For this purpose, a crane-like construction can be provided, with which the wagon is lifted from the roadway, laterally offset and then lowered back onto the new roadway.

In a further embodiment, the route can only be traveled in one direction. This allows several wagons to be on the track at the same time. Since the wagons have to brake and stop at designated points, the timetable can be optimized in such a way that as many wagons as possible are on the route at the same time.

The system may comprise two parallel routes and the routes can be traveled in opposite directions. This ensures the largest possible volume of transport in both directions between two locations. Advantageously, the routes are close to one another, so that the distance between the tunnels of both routes is small. This leads to a simpler and more cost-effective construction of the tunnels and thus the entire route.

Said features can be implemented in any desired combination, insofar as they are not mutually exclusive. Particularly where desired ranges are specified, further desired ranges result from combinations of the minima and maxima mentioned in the ranges.

Additional advantages of the present invention result from the following description of the figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The invention is described in more detail below with reference to the figures in schematic representation. Said features can be implemented in any desired combination, insofar as they are not mutually exclusive. In a schematic representation which is not true to scale, the following are shown:

FIG. 1: A schematic representation of a transport system according to the invention;

FIG. 2: a schematic representation of a transport system as in FIG. 1 with additional maintenance halls;

FIG. 3: a schematic representation of a transport system with two vacuum tunnels;

FIG. 4: an illustration of a transport system with two parallel sections connected via a changing device;

FIG. 5: a view of a rotating device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In the following, identical reference numerals stand for identical or functionally identical elements (in different figures). An additional apostrophe can serve to distinguish similar or functionally identical or functionally similar elements in a further embodiment.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic structure of a transport system. The transport system comprises a route 11, which extends between two end points 13, 13′. In the embodiment shown here, the end points 13, 13′ are formed by stops. The transport system is intended to transport both people and goods. If persons are being transported, the stop 13 is provided for the disembarkation and embarkation of persons. When transporting goods, the wagon either travels through the stop 13 to a transshipment point (not shown) or the roadway at the stop 13 is raised or lowered to the transshipment point. In the embodiment shown, the distance 11 between the two stops 13, 13′ is formed by a magnetic levitation train. The wagon 15, which is intended for use in this transport system, is magnetically driven. The wagon 15 is formed by a single solid body and is therefore dependent on a straight line route 11. In the embodiment shown, the stop 13 is formed by an enclosed space. A door 14 is provided at the stop 13 for access to the route. This door 14 opens in each case when the wagon 15 leaves or enters the stop 13. The doors 14 at the stop 13 may be gullwing doors.

The route 11 shown in FIG. 1 has three sections. The middle section of the route is formed by a vacuum tunnel 17 and the remaining two are each formed by a connecting route 19, 19′. The connecting route 19 forms the connection between the vacuum tunnel 17 and one of the stops 13, 13′. While the vacuum tunnel 17 is always as airless as possible and thus essentially a vacuum is present, the connecting route 19, 19′ together with the end points 13, 13′ is under atmospheric conditions.

A chamber 21 is positioned at each end of the vacuum tunnel 17. The chamber 21 forms the interface between the vacuum tunnel 17 and the respective connecting route 19. The wagon 15 must pass through the chamber 21 when traveling from the connecting route 19 into the vacuum tunnel or vice versa. The pressure in the chamber 21 may be adjusted such that both substantially a vacuum and atmospheric pressure may prevail in the chamber. The chamber 21 is separated in the direction of the vacuum tunnel 17 as well as in the direction of the connecting route 19 by a respective lock gate 23. The lock gate 23 provides a seal between the interior of the chamber 21 and the vacuum tunnel 17 or the connecting route 19. The lock gates 23 are intended to be opened in alternating order. Thus, both lock gates 23 of a chamber 21 are never in the open state together and the passage from the connecting route 19 to the vacuum tunnel 17 is interrupted at all times by at least one lock gate 23 of the chamber.

The dimensions of the chamber 21 are selected such that the entire wagon 15 can be introduced into the chamber 21. Ideally, the length of the chamber 21 is slightly greater than the length of the wagon. Both lock gates 23, 23′ must be able to close when the wagon 15 is in the chamber 21. The height and width of the chamber 21 are chosen to be minimally larger than those of the wagon 15. Thus, when the wagon 15 is in the chamber 21, a small gap is created between the wagon and the wall and ceiling of the chamber. This leads to the smallest possible residual volume in the chamber 21 when the wagon 15 is accommodated therein.

Pumping devices (not shown) are provided on the chamber, which either pump out the air in the chamber 21 or pump air into the chamber 21. Depending on the mode of operation of the pumping device, either a vacuum-like, i.e. almost airless, state or atmospheric conditions with normal pressure form in the chamber 21. The pressure in the chamber 21 must be adjusted before a lock gate 23 can be opened. The pressure to which the contents of the chamber 21 are to be adapted is the pressure on the other side of the lock gate 23 that is to be opened.

The wagon 15 provided for this transport system is a single solid body, which is not suitable for travelling through curves. For this reason, the route 11 of the transport system according to the invention is designed in such a way that it has only linear sections. At the transition of two linear sections, which run in different directions, a rotating device 25 is provided. This is positioned between a stop 13 and a chamber 21. The rotating device 25 is dimensioned such that it can accommodate the entire wagon 15. The change of direction made in the rotating device 25 may be both horizontal and vertical. An embodiment of the rotating device 25 is shown in FIG. 5 and described in detail below.

FIG. 2 shows a further schematic illustration of a route according to the transport system according to the invention. The route in FIG. 2 goes beyond the stops 13 and has a maintenance hall 27. The maintenance hall 27 is a facility in which the wagon is prepared for travel in the opposite direction again. The transport system is intended to have two parallel tracks. These are always driven in opposite directions by the wagon 15. In the maintenance hall 27, each wagon can be prepared for changing the roadway so that a wagon can travel along the parallel-conducted roadway in the opposite direction again.

FIG. 3 shows a route in which two vacuum tunnels 17, 17′ are positioned between the stops 13, 13′. As in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, rotating devices 25, 25′ are positioned between a stop 13, 13′ and a vacuum tunnel 17, 17′. In addition, a rotating device 25″ is positioned between the vacuum tunnels 17, 17′. The rotating device 25″ in the middle of two vacuum tunnels 17, 17′ can be used to change the direction of the route. This may be necessary due to structural measures or due to a resulting reduction in the overall length of the route. Furthermore, a branching of the route can be carried out with the arrangement of a rotating device 25.

FIG. 4 shows two routes 11, 11′ of a transport system according to the invention, which are connected via a changing device 29. The changing device 29 is advantageously attached to two end points 13, 13′ of two routes, so that the wagon can be conveyed from one route to the other by means of the changing device 29. The changing device 29 may be provided to lift the wagon and convey it to another route or to move the roadway together with the wagon.

FIG. 5 shows a rotating device 25. The rotating device 25 comprises a tube 31, wherein the tube 31 has a flat bottom surface 33. The flat bottom surface 33 forms the roadway, while the top surface 35 is formed by the arc of the tube. The tube is mounted in a freely rotatable manner centrally on a hemisphere 39 via a connecting block 37. The hemisphere 39 is positioned such that its flat side forms a base and the curved side faces upward. Positioned on the hemisphere 39 is the connecting block 37, which has a complementary shape to the hemisphere 39 and can therefore move lying on the hemisphere. The movement of the connecting block 37 leads to a rotational movement of the tube 31 fixedly attached to the connecting block 37. The tube 31 is positioned such that the longitudinal direction of the tube is always approximately tangential to the surface of the hemisphere 39. The tube 31 may rotate in any horizontal direction. The movement in the vertical direction is limited by the shape of the hemisphere 39, wherein the difference in the vertical angle may be up to 90°. A hydraulic drive is provided for adjusting the tube 31 in the vertical direction. The connection block 37 may be magnetically attached to the hemisphere 39. In this case, the connecting block 37 and the hemisphere 39 have such a magnetic charge that they repel one another and a gap arises between them. The magnetic arrangement of the connecting block 37 on the hemisphere 39 allows the frictionless movement of the connecting block 37. The roadway of the rotating device 25 is provided to be rounded from both the front and rear so that the connecting block 37 can perform the desired rotations with the roadway.

The possibility of movement of the connecting block 37 of a rotating device 25 is not limited to rotation. In a further embodiment, the connecting block 37 can also perform a translation in addition to the rotation. This makes it possible for the connecting block 37 to close any gaps that result from the rotation of the connecting block 37 between the fixed roadway and that of the connecting block. Ideally, the connecting block 35 together with the hemisphere 39 is positioned centrally underneath in the rotating device 25, so that the roadway of the rotating device 25 extends equally far from the connecting block 35 in both directions.

The sequence of travel of a wagon on a transport system as shown in FIG. 1 is described step-by-step below.

The wagon 15 stops at the first stop 13, wherein the stop 13 has a roadway and a platform positioned next to and parallel to it, as is customary in today's stations. Passengers can board the wagon 15 via the platform. In this case, the gap between the platform and the wagon 15 can be sealed with a foldable strip to protect the magnetic devices from dust and waste. After the doors of the wagon 15 have been closed, the wagon can start the journey. The stop 13 may be closed off from the route 11 by a hinged door 14. If the wagon 15 approaches the gullwing door 14, the gullwing door 14 opens and the wagon 15 can leave the stop 13. After the wagon 15 travels through the gullwing door 14 and leaves the stop 13, the gullwing door 14 closes again.

Since the transport system shown is a magnetic levitation train, the wagon 15 is magnetically driven. The wagon 15 accelerates up to a speed that is customary for magnetic levitation trains under atmospheric conditions. This speed can be up to about 400 km/h.

The wagon 15 enters and stops in a rotating device 25. The rotating device 25 has a roadway piece that rotates both horizontally and vertically, so that the wagon 15 can carry out the further travel in the direction of the vacuum tunnel 17. The rotation in the rotating device 25 can be carried out in two steps or in a combined single step.

After completion of the rotation of the direction of travel in the rotating device 25, the wagon 15 can continue to move. After a journey as short as possible after the rotating device 25, the wagon 15 reaches the first chamber 21 in front of the vacuum tunnel 17. The first lock gate 23 of the first chamber 21 is open so that the wagon 15 can enter the chamber 21 directly. The chamber 21 receives the entire wagon 15 and can close the first lock gate 23 behind the wagon. When the wagon 15 is in the chamber 21 and both lock gates 23, 23′ are closed, the pumping device of the chamber can be started. The pumping device conveys the air in the chamber 21 to the outside, so that the space in the chamber outside the wagon assumes an airless or vacuumed state. The pumping device does not need more than 10 seconds, ideally about 5 seconds. The reason for the short duration is the small volume present between the wagon 15 and the wall of the chamber.

Before a complete vacuum has been generated in the first chamber 21, the second lock gate 23′, which forms the separation from the interior of the vacuum tunnel 17, slowly begins to open. Since the volume of the vacuum tunnel 17 is several times larger than the residual volume in the chamber 21, a complete vacuum state does not have to be reached in the chamber 21 before the second lock gate 23′ of the chamber opens.

The wagon 15 moves from the first chamber 21 into the vacuum tunnel 17 and starts its acceleration. The wagon 15 is intended to reach a speed of up to 1,200 km/h. This speed is made possible by the almost airless space in the vacuum tunnel 17. At the same time, the vacuum tunnel 17 has no curves and is therefore straight linear, which in turn makes it possible to reach and maintain such a high driving speed.

In the vacuum tunnel 17, the wagon 15 can cover a large route within a short time. In due course, the wagon must decelerate so that it can stop in time in the second chamber 21′ of the vacuum tunnel. Since the roadway is formed by a magnetic track, the deceleration of the wagon 15 takes place by the magnetic drive. Thus, the same physical principle is used for the acceleration and deceleration of the wagon 15. By eliminating the air resistance due to the airless space and the rolling resistance due to the levitation technology with the help of magnets, the deceleration phase takes comparatively longer and the deceleration phase must be initiated accordingly early. The control and definition of the times of acceleration and deceleration can take place centrally as well as locally in the wagon.

The first lock gate 23″ of the second chamber 21′ is open, so that the wagon 15 can enter it directly. At this time, there is an almost airless space in the second chamber 21′, as in the vacuum tunnel. The wagon 15 comes to a standstill in the second chamber 21′, whereupon the first lock gate 23″ closes. The pumping device of the second chamber 21′ conveys air from the outside into the chamber 21′ until an atmospheric pressure is established therein. This process takes approximately 5 seconds. Subsequently, the second lock gate 23′″ of the second chamber 21′can open and the wagon 15 can thus leave the vacuum tunnel 17 through the second chamber 21′.

The second lock gate 23′″ of the second chamber 21′ closes after the wagon 15 has left the second chamber 21′. The air in the second chamber 21′is then conveyed outwards by the pump device until a vacuum-like or almost airless state is reached in the second chamber. Reaching this state can take up to 3 minutes. After reaching such a state, the first lock gate 23″ of the second chamber 21′ can be slowly opened again and the second chamber 21′ is thus ready to receive the following wagon.

After leaving the second chamber 21′, the wagon 15 is in an atmospheric environment. The wagon 15 moves back into a rotating device 25′. In this position, the roadway section is rotated again in such a way that the wagon 15 can continue to travel in a straight line until the next stop 13′.

The wagon 15 enters the next stop 13′and stops parallel to a platform. After stopping, the wagon 15 can open its doors and the passengers can leave the wagon 15 via the numerous doors and thus enter the platform and the stop.

In the above-described sequence, the advantage of the transport system according to the invention can be seen in the fact that the interface between the vacuum tunnel and the rest of the environment is formed via two chambers, which must be placed in a different pressure state once per trip. No additional devices need to be positioned on either the wagon or the stops, which increases reliability while significantly reducing the time it takes to get in and out. At the same time, no further structural measures are required at the stop.

While the invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments, it is obvious that changes, modifications, variations and combinations can be made without departing from the concept of the invention.