Method to transport goods, goods-carrying rail vehicle, and goods terminal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10703393-B2
Application number	US-201815890974-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 7, 2018
Priority date	Feb 8, 2017
Publication date	Jul 7, 2020
Grant date	Jul 7, 2020

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an autonomous rail transport system with the aid of a rail network. The rail transport system according to the disclosure comprises at least one autonomous goods-carrying rail vehicle and at least two autonomous goods terminals. The goods-carrying rail vehicle is designed to transport at least one item of goods while the goods terminals are each designed to receive and/or release at least one item of goods. The item of goods is transported autonomously from a first goods terminal to a second goods terminal with the aid of the goods-carrying rail vehicle on the rail network. The rail network of the rail transport system according to the disclosure is a streetcar-line network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An autonomous rail transport system comprising:
an autonomous rail vehicle that autonomously transports an item of goods along a rail line of a streetcar-line rail network; and
two autonomous terminals that receive and release the item of goods, the goods being transportable autonomously on the rail line from a first goods terminal to a second goods terminal via the rail vehicle, wherein the autonomous rail vehicle includes a goods-supporting apparatus that transports the item of goods to and is aligned and inclined relative to one of the first or second goods terminals;
a receiving apparatus that conveys the item of goods from the rail vehicle to the first goods terminal, and
a release apparatus that conveys an item of goods from the second goods terminal to the rail vehicle, wherein the first and second goods terminals are configured to receive and release the item of goods, arranged adjacent to the rail line associated with the streetcar-line network, and is aligned and inclined relative to the rail vehicle.

2. The autonomous rail transport system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the item of goods includes a sea container, a Euro pallet and/or a package.

3. The autonomous rail transport system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a housing that supports the goods-supporting apparatus, and the rail vehicle as a whole, aligned and inclined relative to the first or second goods terminal.

4. The autonomous rail transport system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and second goods terminals include a notification module to transmit a message to a customer after delivery of the item of goods into the first or second goods terminal.

5. The autonomous rail transport system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and second goods terminals include an issuing module to integrate the item of goods dispatched by a customer into the rail network.

6. A transport method, comprising:
transporting an item of goods on an autonomous rail vehicle along a rail line of a streetcar-line rail network to one of at least two autonomous terminals;
receiving and releasing the item of goods from the two autonomous terminals such that the item of goods is transportable autonomously on the rail line from a first goods terminal to a second goods terminal via the rail vehicle on the rail network;
automatically conveying the item of goods from the rail vehicle to the first goods terminal and from the second goods terminal to the rail vehicle;
aligning and inclining a goods-supporting apparatus of the rail vehicle relative to the first goods terminal; and
aligning and inclining the second goods terminal relative to the goods-supporting apparatus of the rail vehicle.

7. The transport method as claimed in claim 6 further comprising simultaneously conveying at least two items of goods from the rail vehicle to the first goods terminal, and from the second goods terminal to the rail vehicle.

8. A streetcar-line rail network comprising:
an autonomous rail vehicle that autonomously transports an item of goods on a rail line using a support apparatus supported by a housing; and
first and second goods terminals that receive and release the item of goods from the housing of the support apparatus, the housing being aligned and inclined relative to first or second goods terminals, wherein the support apparatus includes a delivery apparatus to convey the item of goods from the rail vehicle to the first goods terminal, and a withdrawal apparatus to convey the item of goods from the second goods terminal to the rail vehicle,
a notification system in communication with each of the first and second goods terminals and configured to transmit a message to a customer after delivery of the item of goods into the first or second terminal; and
an issuing system in communication with each of the first and second goods terminals and configured to integrate the item of goods dispatched by a customer into the rail line.

9. The streetcar-line rail network as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the item of goods includes a sea container, a Euro pallet or a package.

Assignees

• Ford Motor Co

Inventors

• Longin David
• Gijbels Mark
• Celis Robin

Classifications

• B61L27/04 Primary

  Automatic systems, e.g. controlled by train; Change-over to manual control · CPC title

• B61B1/005

  Rail vehicle marshalling systems; Rail freight terminals (transferring or trans-shipping at storage areas or railway yards; marshalling yard installations B65G63/00) · CPC title

• B61D3/20

  for forwarding containers · CPC title

• B61D47/00

  Loading or unloading devices combined with vehicles, e.g. loading platforms, {doors convertible into loading and unloading ramps}(combined with vehicles in general B60P) · CPC title

• B61D47/005 Primary

  Loading or unloading devices combined with road vehicles carrying wagons, e.g. ramps, turntables, lifting means (wagons for carrying road vehicles in general: B61D3/18) · CPC title