US 12,269,522 B1
System, apparatus, and method for ground transportation
Frank F. Wu, Silver Spring, MD (US); and Yong Shi, Ridgewood, NJ (US)
Assigned to SOUTS-NG, LLC, Ridgewood, NJ (US)
Filed by SOUTS-NG, LLC, Ridgewood, NJ (US)
Filed on Mar. 18, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/608,435.
Int. Cl. B61L 27/04 (2006.01); B60L 8/00 (2006.01); B61L 25/06 (2006.01); B61L 27/10 (2022.01)
CPC B61L 27/04 (2013.01) [B60L 8/003 (2013.01); B61L 25/06 (2013.01); B61L 27/10 (2022.01); B60L 2200/26 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method, comprising:
moving a vehicle having a plurality of wheels along a track;
receiving a marker data or a marker signal from a networked active transmitter-receiver marker at a location of a track pathway of the track as the vehicle is about to pass or is passing the location using an active electronic reader of the vehicle, the transmitter-receiver marker including one or more sensors;
sensing an ambient condition at the location of the track pathway using the one or more sensors, the marker data or the marker signal being based at least on the sensed ambient condition;
controlling a first rotational speed of a first wheel of the plurality of wheels at the location of the track pathway based on the marker data or the marker signal based at least on the sensed ambient condition; and
controlling a second rotational speed of a second wheel of the plurality of wheels at the location of the track pathway, independently of the first rotational speed, based on the marker data or the marker signal based at least on the sensed ambient condition;
wherein the first rotational speed is different from the second rotational speed;
wherein the ambient condition sensed by the one or more sensors includes at least one of wind velocity, humidity, or temperature at the location of the track pathway of the transmitter-receiver marker when the vehicle is about to pass or is passing the location;
wherein controlling the first rotational speed and the second rotational speed is based on a radius of curvature and a length of the track at the location of the track pathway, data of the radius of curvature and the length of the track being stored in an onboard database of the vehicle;
looking up the data of the radius of curvature and the length from the onboard database using a controller of the vehicle based on the marker data or the marker signal that is a unique identifier of the transmitter-receiver marker that identifies the transmitter-receiver marker out of a plurality of transmitter-receiver markers disposed along the track; and
supporting at least one wheel of the plurality of wheels of the vehicle in a U-shaped portion of the track, the U-shaped portion countering centrifugal forces of the plurality of wheels based on the at least one wheel of the plurality of wheels riding up a slope of the U-shaped portion when the vehicle makes turns by varying rotational speeds between the plurality of wheels.