Apparatus and method for generating power onboard a hoist conveyance

• US 6,626,267 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2002
• Issued: 09/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: United States Department Of Health And Human Services
• Original Assignee: United States Department Of Health And Human Services
• Inventors: Rains, Richard, Sunderman, Carl, Beus, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): SALATA, ANTHONY J
• Application Number:
  US10/123,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20020157904A1
• Time in Patent Office: 532 Days
• Field of Search: 187/290, 187/288, 187/289, 187/413, 307/64, 307/65, 307/66, 307/67, 307/68, 320/101, 320/102, 320/140
• US Class Current: 187/290
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/34 Details , e.g. call counting devices, data transmission from car to control system, devices giving information to the control system
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 19/06 Applications of signalling devices depth indicators B66B3/02; order telegraphs G08B

Abstract

An onboard power generation apparatus for a hoist conveyance includes a drive wheel carried by the conveyance. The drive wheel is positioned to engage the surface of a stationary structure adjacent the conveyance, such as a shaft guide, so that movement of the conveyance relative to the structure causes rotation of the drive wheel. A charging generator coupled to the drive wheel is operable to produce an electric current upon rotation of the drive wheel. A battery may be electrically connected to the generator so that the generator provides an electric current to recharge the battery. The drive wheel may be mounted for movement relative to the conveyance with biasing mechanism for resiliently biasing the drive wheel toward the surface of the adjacent structure.

Claims

1. Onboard power generation apparatus for a hoist conveyance comprising:

a drive wheel carried by the conveyance and positioned to engage the surface of a stationary structure adjacent the conveyance so that movement of the conveyance relative to the structure causes rotation of the drive wheel; and

a charging generator coupled to the drive wheel, the generator operable to produce an electric current upon rotation of the drive wheel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a battery electrically connected to the generator wherein the generator provides an electric current to recharge the battery.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising biasing mechanism for yieldably biasing the drive wheel toward the surface of the adjacent structure.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the drive wheel has an output shaft and the charging generator has an input shaft operatively coupled to the output shaft of the drive wheel so that rotation of the drive wheel causes rotation of the input shaft of the charging generator.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein an encoder is coupled to the shaft of the drive wheel.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the drive wheel comprises an elastomeric tread layer to minimize slip between the drive wheel and the surface of the adjacent structure.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the drive wheel and charging generator are mounted on a common support and the support is mounted for movement relative to the conveyance in a direction generally perpendicular to the surface of the adjacent structure;

and

at least one spring is interposed between the support and the conveyance to bias the support toward the adjacent structure to maintain contact between the drive wheel and the surface of the structure.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the drive wheel is carried by a support and the support is mounted for pivoting in a plane defined by the support.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the drive wheel has a central axis and is mounted on a support, and the support is mounted for movement relative to the conveyance in a direction generally perpendicular to the central axis of the wheel and in a direction generally parallel to the central axis of the drive wheel.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the drive wheel is mounted on a support;

a pair of laterally spaced, substantially parallel rails are secured to the bottom of the support; and

a pair of laterally spaced, substantially parallel brackets are mounted to the conveyance with each bracket being adjacent to one of said rails, each bracket having a set of rollers positioned to engage one of said rails to permit movement of the support relative to the conveyance.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein each rail has a longitudinally extending slot and each bracket has at least two spaced-apart rollers disposed in the slot of a respective rail.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein each bracket has at least two spaced-apart rollers positioned to engage the bottom of a respective rail.

13. Onboard power generation apparatus for supplying power to a vertically movable hoist conveyance comprising:

a generator assembly comprising at least one drive wheel rotatably coupled thereto and operable to contact the surface of an adjacent stationary structure so that movement of the conveyance causes rotation of the drive wheel to generate an electric current; and

a support on which the drive wheel is mounted, the support being movable with respect to the conveyance to accommodate variations in the surface of the adjacent structure as the conveyance moves vertically relative to the structure.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein one of said support or conveyance has a pair of rails secured thereto and the other of said support or conveyance has a plurality of rollers connected thereto positioned to engage said rails and permit movement of the support relative to the conveyance.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 further comprising at least two spaced apart brackets for mounting to the conveyance with each bracket being adjacent to one of said rails, each bracket having at least two spaced-apart rollers for movably engaging a respective rail.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein each rail comprises a longitudinally extending slot for receiving the rollers of a respective bracket.

17. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising at least one spring for urging the support toward the surface of the adjacent structure.

18. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the generator is operatively connected to an onboard battery for recharging the battery.

19. Onboard power generation apparatus for a mine hoist conveyance having guide wheels for engaging shaft guides and onboard instrumentation for monitoring the operation of the conveyance, the apparatus comprising:

a battery for supplying power to instrumentation of the conveyance; and

a generator carried by the conveyance and operatively connected to a guide wheel of the conveyance to produce an electric current upon movement of the conveyance and electrically connected to the battery to recharge the battery.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the guide wheel operatively connected to the generator comprises plural shaft guide engaging portions that are spaced apart in a direction parallel to the central axis of the guide wheel so as to define a water channel in the space between adjacent shaft guide engaging portions.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the guide wheel operatively connected to the generator has an outer elastomeric tread layer to minimize slip between the guide wheel and a respective shaft guide.

22. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the generator produces a charging current to the battery of about 1.2 amps.

23. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the guide wheel operatively connected to the generator comprises an output drive sprocket and the generator comprises a driven sprocket connected to the drive sprocket through a drive chain assembly.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the gear ratio of the drive sprocket to the driven sprocket is selected so that the vertical speed of the conveyance causes rotation of the generator at a rotational speed that is sufficient to maintain an adequate charging current to the battery.

25. Onboard power generation apparatus for a hoist conveyance comprising:

rotatable engaging means for engaging the surface of a substantially stationary structure adjacent to the conveyance such that movement of the conveyance causes rotation of the engaging means; and

generating means operatively connected to said engaging means for generating an electric current to provide power to the conveyance upon rotation of the engaging means.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the engaging means comprises a guide wheel of a mine shaft hoist conveyance.

27. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the stationary structure comprises an elevator shaft guide.

28. The apparatus of claim 25 further comprising biasing means for biasing the engaging means against the surface of the adjacent structure.

29. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the engaging means comprises a wheel having plural, axially spaced tread layers with water channels defined therebetween.

30. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein a conveyance monitoring device is connected to the conveyance and the generating means provides power for said monitoring device.

31. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the generating means is connected to a battery through a charging circuit to permit charging of the battery upon vertical movement of the conveyance.

32. A method for generating power for a hoist conveyance operable to move in a vertical direction through a shaft, the method comprising:

providing a generator assembly for mounting on the conveyance, the generator having at least one wheel for contacting a substantially stationary surface of the shaft; and

generating an electric current when the wheel rotates upon movement of the conveyance.

33. The method of claim 32 further comprising recharging a battery onboard the conveyance with the electric current.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the battery provides power to at least one instrumentation device onboard the conveyance.

35. The method of claim 32 further comprising resiliently urging the wheel of the generator assembly laterally of its central axis toward the surface of the shaft to accommodate variations in the surface as the conveyance is moved.

36. Onboard power generation apparatus for supplying power to a vertically movable hoist conveyance comprising:

first and second, opposing guide wheels, each guide wheel being mounted on a movable support, each support being mounted for movement relative to the conveyance in a direction generally perpendicular to an adjacent shaft guide;

a biasing mechanism for yieldably biasing each guide wheel against an adjacent shaft guide so that vertical movement of the conveyance causes rotation of the wheels; and

a charging generator coupled to one of said guide wheels, the generator operable to produce an electric current upon rotation of said guide wheel.

37. The apparatus of claim 36 further comprising sensing mechanism interposed between the guide wheels to monitor lateral displacement between the guide wheels and thereby the lateral displacement of the shaft guides.

38. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein the sensing mechanism comprises a potentiometer having a retractable string, the potentiometer is carried by one of said supports, and the free end of the string is coupled to the other of said supports.