Transcript TxDOT Study 0-5827 Higherway Transport Research Vehicle Design • • • Baz • • • • • • Pheasant • Skyhook ferry system requires special vehicles - Baz carries 1 Pheasant or Quail on elevated guideways Baz.

TxDOT Study 0-5827
Higherway Transport Research
Vehicle Design
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Baz
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Pheasant
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Skyhook ferry system requires special vehicles - Baz carries
1 Pheasant or Quail on elevated guideways
Baz 160 km/h, 900 kg gross, 100kg empty, 4.5m x 0.4m x 0.7m
In-track part has power, communications, control, steering,
switching, propulsion; below track part has vehicle coupling,
bumpers, brakes and idler wheels
Pheasant carries 2 adults 96 km/h on road, 800 kg gross, 570
kg empty, 4m x 1.2m x 1.3-1.5m
4-wheel drive (hub motors). Battery power.
Safety belts and airbags.
Quail carries one driver 88 km/h on road, 750 kg gross, 600 kg
empty, 4m x 1.2-1.8m x 1.2-1.5m.
1-wheel belt drive. Safety belts and airbag.
Small frontal area reduces drag. Retracting wheels reduce
drag and chance of dropping dirt clods and icicles.
Pheasant and Quail batteries charged while parked, not on
guide way, to reduce risk of high power interface to Baz.
Numbers above should be considered to be design goals or requirements
as no hardware has been built yet.
More details at http://higherway.us/higherway/vehicles.html
Quail
TxDOT Study 0-5827
Higherway Transport Research
Infrastructure Design
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Suspended monorail - track encloses power bar and running
surfaces.
Y-section tracks accommodate in-vehicle switching
Arterials have acceleration tracks to enable constant 160 km/h
speed on through tracks
Little effect on present infrastructure because of small size and
elevated guideways, relatively low power vehicles.
Utility duct can carry power and communication cables,
lightweight utilities safe from weather, reduce visual clutter
Same guideway carries captive passenger vehicles; same
carriers (Baz) carry cargo (Owl) and wheelchair (Pelican) pods
Guideway footprint 1 sq. m every 22m, skyprint 2m for two-track
arterial. Stop/landing footprint 56m x 8m for 4m vertical
clearance.
1-ton gross vehicle weight limit accommodates 0.6-ton cargos, 2passenger dualmode vehicles
Factory-built track sections, cross arms, support poles.
Foundations like those for traffic signal light poles.
Supporting Document/Reports
•See http://higherway.us/higherway/guide way.html, and
http://advancedtransit.org/doc.aspx?id=1015
•Preliminary design subject to change - there is no hardware yet
TxDOT Study 0-5827
Higherway Transport Research
Control System Strategy
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Make enough profit to pay for needed expansion of grid
network to limit congestion
Congestion may be at entry to mate with Bazs at landings.
Limited number of Bazs will keep congestion off elevated
guide ways
Placement of landings at ground-level PAT stops in large
parking lots in suburbs will help keep congestion off
streets.
Drivers control Pheasants and Quails on streets. Bazs
are automated, including mate/demate.
Three control levels - Baz vehicle computers, local traffic
control computers, central routing and billing computer
Pre-programmed default destinations save drivers’ time
Not tested by Higherway - PAT control systems have been
simulated and tested in model and full-scale
demonstrations (Aerospace, Cabintaxi, Morgantown PRT,
PRT 2000)
Supporting Document/Reports
•Fundamentals of Personal Rapid Transit by Irving et.al.
•Transit System Theory by Anderson
•http://higherway.us/higherway/control.html
TxDOT Study 0-5827
Higherway Transport Research
Power / Energy Strategy
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Commuter Cars Tango
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Guideway power comes from local power grid
with strategically placed backup generators for
power failures
Peak guideway loads during commuter rush
hours, minimum at night when Bazs carry Owl
cargo pods. Peak battery recharge loads for
Pheasants and Quails mid day when parked,
night when parked.
Baz picks up unregulated 600-750 VDC from
powerbar in track. Power return through track.
No range limit on guideway, Pheasant & Quail
off-guideway range limited by battery
technology, owners' needs and preferences.
Low aerodynamic drag, low weight, non-stop
on guide way reduce energy needs
Supporting Document/Reports
•http://www.commutercars.com/
•http://corbinsparrow.com/index.html
Corbin Sparrow
TxDOT Study 0-5827
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Higherway Transport Research
Check-in / Check-out Strategy
Pheasant and Quail have vehicle sensors and computer to verify vehicle is ready to mate to
Baz.
If mating to Baz fails or it is rejected for other reasons; the driver must exit the landing
Operational control transfers from dualmode vehicle to Baz on landing ramp when wheels
retract
Baz has in-vehicle switches for merge/diverge on guideway. Drivers control Pheasants and
Quails on ground.
Landing throughput is too low to cause congestion at exits, but is likely to cause queues at
entrances (off guideway).
Supporting Document/Reports
•http://higherway.us/higherway/control.html
TxDOT Study 0-5827
Higherway Transport Research
Cost / Benefits
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Guideway cost goal $1 million per lane-km for
manufacturing and construction
Track through-put capacity – 3600 vehicles per
hour, 5000 people per hour, or 2000 tons freight
per hour (freight not dualmode)
Landing throughput 120 vehicles/hour
160 km/h arterial speed with 1/2 s headway
Prefer infrastructure financed like present gas,
power, communications utilities
Pheasants and Quails owned by users and
rental companies, Bazs owned by PAT system
company/agency
Vehicle costs expected to be similar to present
battery powered cars when produced in
sufficient quantity
Users will like system due to time and fuel
savings
Preliminary estimates - no hardware yet
See http://advancedtransit.org/doc.aspx?id=1015.
TxDOT Study 0-5827
Higherway Transport Research
Development Status
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$50 million to $1 billion to reach technology maturity (estimate
dependent on size of development organizations, location,
definition of maturity)
In preliminary design and technology development stage for
last eight years
Expertise needed from motor designers, civil, electrical,
mechanical,control software, safety engineers, entrepreneurs,
etc.
Nearly all of design is unproven but much is similar to other
proven technology.
Design of Y-section track sections at left is an example of
solving switching problem of suspended monorails
Technology being advanced by other programs and
competitors could be used to lower development cost example : sensors and software from DARPA autonomous
vehicle challenge.
Supporting Document/Reports
•http://higherway.us/higherway/mission.html
•http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge/index.asp
•http://www.conductix.us/productpage.cfm?Ids=294