Autran System for Fast Loading and Unloading of Autos onto and from Platforms

To be carried in your car, you drive to a lane of a loading station. A single lane is shown here but there may usually be a number of parallel lanes in each loading station. You drive onto a downwardly inclined entrance section of the lane and to a position as shown behind a gate (red) which is on the forward end of the entrance section. Using a control device that has been issued to you, you may then select a destination station to which you will be carried. A measurement of the length of your car will have been made while you drove onto the entrance section. A buffer (yellow) is then positioned in accordance with the measurement.

After the buffer has been positioned and you have selected your destination, the gate will be lifted. You will hear instructions and also see them displayed on an upper part of the buffer, telling you that you should drive forwardly onto a platform (green) until your front bumper just touches the lower part of the buffer. When you do so, your car will be centered on the platform and you will hear and see instructions to put your transmission in "park" and to turn off your engine. At the same time, a Locking Operation is initiated to securely lock your car to the platform. After the locking operation, a Final Loading Operation is performed. The buffer will be moved out of the way and a carrier vehicle will move the platform together with you and your automobile out of the loading station and to a main guideway and thence to your selected destination unloading station. When you reach your destination unloading station, an Unload Operation is performed in which a gate is opened to allow you to drive away on conventional roadways.

Thus all that you need to do is to drive onto the entrance section, select a destination unloading station, wait for the gate to open, drive forwardly to touch the buffer with your bumper, place your transmission in "park" and turn off your engine. The system does the rest. You are free to relax, work, use a telephone, or sleep until you reach your destination unloading station. Then, after the gate is opened, you drive away on conventional roadways.

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