Transportation system including a hovering vehicle

摘要

A transportation system is disclosed. The transportation system has a vehicle that is self-powered and configured to generate an air cushion on a trackless lane having a substantially flat surface. The vehicle is configured to move over the substantially flat surface on the air cushion. The transportation system also has a guidance system configured to guide the vehicle between peripheries of the trackless lane.

主权项

1. A transportation system comprising:
a self-powered vehicle comprising:
a hood assembly comprising:
a hood including an inflatable bead; anda plenum including one or more substantially horizontal upper walls and one or more substantially horizontal lower walls provided substantially in parallel to the upper walls, the lower walls including one or more apertures allowing pressurized air to be directed from the plenum to the inflatable bead;a vertical thrust system configured to generate an air cushion on a trackless lane having a substantially flat surface; anda dispensing system disposed substantially within the hood assembly and configured to dispense a surface improving material from the vehicle onto the substantially flat surface while the vehicle is traveling over the surface on the air cushion; anda guidance system configured to guide the vehicle between peripheries of the trackless lane, wherein:
the vehicle comprises a train including a plurality of modules, each module including a separate hood assembly,each module is connected to at least one other module by a linkage assembly,the linkage assembly includes a protrusion extending from an end of a first module and an aperture formed at an end of a second module and configured to receive the protrusion,the protrusion includes a first surface that extends perpendicular to a length of the train;the aperture ends at a second surface that extends perpendicular to the length of the train, andthe protrusion is configured to close a gap between the first surface and the second surface until the first surface abuts the second surface when the first module moves toward the second module.