Higherway Transport Research Vehicle Design

1
Higherway Transport Research Vehicle Design

• 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.

Baz
Pheasant
Numbers above should be considered to be design
goals or requirements as no hardware has been
built yet. More details at http//higherway.us/hig
herway/vehicles.html
Quail
2
Higherway Transport Research Infrastructure
Design

• 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, 2-passenger 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?id1015
• Preliminary design subject to change - there is
  no hardware yet

3
Higherway Transport Research Control System
Strategy

• 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

4
Higherway Transport Research Power / Energy
Strategy

• 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

Commuter Cars Tango

• Supporting Document/Reports
• http//www.commutercars.com/
• http//corbinsparrow.com/index.html

Corbin Sparrow
5
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

6
Higherway Transport Research Cost / Benefits

• 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?id1015.
7
Higherway Transport ResearchDevelopment Status

• 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?Ids294