Airdock soft capture

Abstract

A soft capture system for moving a transportation vehicle to an airdock in a high-speed, low-pressure transportation system, wherein the airdock provides a pathway for off-loading and loading of passengers and/or cargo to the transportation vehicle.he soft capture system includes a movement system operable to reduce a gap between the transportation vehicle and the airdock and to align the airdock with a door of the transportation vehicle.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A soft capture system for moving a transportation vehicle to an airdock in a high-speed, low-pressure transportation system, wherein the airdock provides a pathway for off-loading and loading of passengers and/or cargo to the transportation vehicle, the soft capture system comprising:
 a movement system operable to reduce a gap between the transportation vehicle and the airdock and to align the airdock with a door of the transportation vehicle.   
     
     
         2 . The soft capture system of  claim 1 , wherein the movement system is operable to move the transportation vehicle relative to the airdock to reduce the gap between the transportation vehicle and the airdock. 
     
     
         3 . The soft capture system of  claim 1 , wherein the movement system is operable to move the airdock relative to the transportation vehicle to reduce the gap between the transportation vehicle and the airdock. 
     
     
         4 . The soft capture system of  claim 2 , wherein the movement system is operable to engage with the transportation vehicle to move the transportation vehicle relative to the airdock. 
     
     
         5 . The soft capture system of  claim 2 , wherein the movement system is operable to move the transportation vehicle laterally to move the transportation vehicle relative to the airdock. 
     
     
         6 . The soft capture system of  claim 5 , wherein the movement system comprises a plurality of linkage mechanisms arranged on the airdock, each linkage mechanism comprising an engager configured for engaging with a corresponding capture hook engagement on the transportation vehicle. 
     
     
         7 . The soft capture system of  claim 6 , wherein the movement system further comprises at least one tensioning mechanism connected to each linkage mechanism, wherein the transportation vehicle is moved laterally relative to the airdock by tensioning mechanisms. 
     
     
         8 . The soft capture system of  claim 2 , wherein the movement system is operable to move a landing pad on which the transportation vehicle is engaged with to move the transportation vehicle relative to the airdock. 
     
     
         9 . The soft capture system of  claim 6 , wherein the movement system is operable to swing the transportation vehicle around a pivot to move the transportation vehicle relative to the airdock. 
     
     
         10 . The soft capture system of  claim 7 , wherein the movement system comprises an actuator operable to:
 retract the landing pad to pull the transportation vehicle upwardly around the pivot to move the transportation vehicle towards the airdock; and   extend to allow the transportation vehicle to move downwardly around the pivot away from the airdock.   
     
     
         11 . The soft capture system of  claim 2 , wherein the movement system is operable to pull the transportation vehicle while the transportation vehicle is arranged on a landing pad, wherein the landing pad has an inclined landing surface that inclines upwardly towards the airdock. 
     
     
         12 . The soft capture system of  claim 11 , wherein the movement system comprises an actuator operable to engage with the transportation vehicle and:
 retract to pull the transportation vehicle upwardly along the inclined surface to move the transportation vehicle towards the airdock; and   extend to allow the transportation vehicle to move downwardly along the inclined surface away from the airdock.   
     
     
         13 . The soft capture system of  claim 1 , wherein each of the airdock and the transportation vehicle include at least one of alignment projections and alignment recesses that are operable to align the airdock with the transportation vehicle as the gap is reduced. 
     
     
         14 . The soft capture system of  claim 1 , wherein the soft capture system is operable to reduce the gap between the transportation vehicle and the airdock while the transportation vehicle is landed on a landing pad. 
     
     
         15 . The soft capture system of  claim 1 , wherein the soft capture system is operable to reduce the gap between the transportation vehicle and the airdock while the transportation vehicle hovers at a distance from a landing pad. 
     
     
         16 . The soft capture system of  claim 3 , wherein the movement system comprises a suspension and guideway operable to move the airdock relative to the transportation vehicle to reduce the gap between the transportation vehicle and the airdock. 
     
     
         17 . A method of operating a soft capture system for moving a transportation vehicle to an airdock in a high-speed, low-pressure transportation system, wherein the airdock provides a pathway for off-loading and loading of passengers and/or cargo to the transportation vehicle, the method comprising:
 reducing a gap between the transportation vehicle and the airdock and aligning the airdock with a door of the transportation vehicle.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the reducing the gap between the transportation vehicle and the airdock comprises moving the transportation vehicle relative to the airdock. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the reducing the gap between the transportation vehicle and the airdock comprises moving the airdock relative to the transportation vehicle. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the reducing the gap comprises moving a landing pad on which the transportation vehicle is engaged with to move the transportation vehicle relative to the airdock.