Electric suspended conveyor with contactless energy transmission

• US 7,084,527 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2001
• Issued: 08/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LJU Automatisierungstechnik GmbH (Delachaux Group SA)
• Original Assignee: LJU Industrieelektronik GmbH
• Inventors: Futschek, Norbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Sircus, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): DESCHERE, ANDREW M
• Application Number:
  US10/239,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20030146062A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,996 Days
• Field of Search: 307/89, 307/104, 191/10, D12/52
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/005 without mechanical contact between the collector and the power supply line
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment

Abstract

In an electric telpher or similar conveyor system comprising movable transfer units, power is transmitted to consumers having differing input power requirements in that the slide rail (1) is also used as return conductor of the feeder (4) in the primary circuit and in that the current collector (6) of the secondary circuit comprises two separate and differently rated windings (N₀₁, N₀₂) to provide two separate supply voltages (U₀₁, U₀₂) with different load capacities that are geared to the differing power needs of the consumers via electronic collector circuits (AE1, AE2).

Claims

1. An electric telpher with non-contact power transmission from a feeder and return conductor conducted along a slide rail and connected to an AC power supply via a current collector configured as a U-shaped ferrite core with windings that encompasses the supply line to the control and power circuits of a transfer unit that can travel on the slide rail, characterized in that the return conductor is directly formed by the slide rail and that two separate and differently rated windings (N₀₁;

N₀₂) are provided on the current collector formed by the ferrite core that provide different supply voltages (V₀₁;

V₀₂)to the power circuit and control circuit of the transfer unit, respectively.

2. The electric telpher according to claim 1, characterized in that the feeder that consists of high-duty litz wire is held in a feeder bracket that consists of individual linear and short plate-like segments and is mounted to and insulated against the slide rail.

3. The electric telpher according to claim 2, characterized in that the segments of the feeder bracket can be locked into a compact holder attached to the slide rail whose front ends abut or can be fit into one another.

4. The electric telpher according to claim 2, characterized in that the free end of the feeder bracket faces away from the slide rail comprises a holding groove for receiving the feeder.

5. The electric telpher according to claim 2, characterized in that the feeder bracket comprises a mechanical coding in the form of a slotted code rail for detecting the position of the transfer units using a scanner mounted on these transfer units.

6. The electric telpher according to claim 1 characterized in that feeder and return conductor are connected to a three-phase low-voltage system via a six-pulse bridge rectifier that supplies a link voltage (V_z) and via a stabilized power supply with PWM rectifier inverter that works on two LC components and an output transformer to feed a constant current of a specific higher frequency into the feeder.

7. The electric telpher according to claim 6, characterized in that the constant current fed into the primary circuit has a medium frequency of ≦

20 kHz.

8. The electric telpher according to claim 1, characterized in that the transfer units are programmed and remote controlled using infrared or radio modules that are integrated into their control circuit.

9. The electric telpher according to claim 1, characterized in that the feeder can be used as a communication channel for the programming and remote control of the transfer units by applying specific modulation and demodulation methods.

10. The electric telpher according to claim 1, characterized in that a mobile feeder with a mobile feeder module and attached to a mobile section is provided injunction areas of the telpher, and that this mobile feeder is supplied from a permanently installed feeder module via a trailing cable.

11. The electric telpher according to claim 1, characterized in that emergency stops and safety blocks that are connected to stationary supply modules in the vicinity of the track are provided in front of or inside junctions, and that the supply modules can be connected to a mobile feeder module via a trailing cable.