Battery powered mechanized raise climbing system
First Claim
1. A method of adapting a raise climber to be driven using a battery powered drive system for operating the raise climber in a mine without a tethered cable or fume emitting engine, the method comprising:
- incorporating one or more electric motors into the battery powered drive system;
determining a number of batteries that can be accommodated according to the weight of the raise climber and the weight that the raise climber would be required to carry if the tethered cable or fume emitting engine were used to operate the raise climber;
supporting the number of batteries on the raise climber; and
connecting the number of batteries to the one or more electric motors through one or more respective variable frequency drives that enables the batteries to power the electric motors when the raise climber ascends and to recharge the batteries when the raise climber descends.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A battery powered raise climber system is provided that uses Lithium ion batteries to drive a single or double electric drive for an existing raise climber. The batteries offer a faster, safer, quieter and cleaner way to move workers and their equipment to and from the work face in a raise and eliminates the need for adding lengths of hose as the raise climber ascends and eliminates the emission of harmful inhalants. The battery powered system also enables high efficiency area lighting to be used at the work face, and as the raise climber descends in the raise, the electric drives can reverse operation to recharge the batteries.
-
Citations
22 Claims
-
1. A method of adapting a raise climber to be driven using a battery powered drive system for operating the raise climber in a mine without a tethered cable or fume emitting engine, the method comprising:
-
incorporating one or more electric motors into the battery powered drive system; determining a number of batteries that can be accommodated according to the weight of the raise climber and the weight that the raise climber would be required to carry if the tethered cable or fume emitting engine were used to operate the raise climber; supporting the number of batteries on the raise climber; and connecting the number of batteries to the one or more electric motors through one or more respective variable frequency drives that enables the batteries to power the electric motors when the raise climber ascends and to recharge the batteries when the raise climber descends. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. A raise climber to be used in a mine, the raise climber designed to normally operate in the mine using a tethered cable or fume emitting engine, the raise climber comprising:
a battery powered drive system adapted to the raise climber for operating the raise climber in the mine without the tethered cable or fume emitting engine, the battery powered drive system comprising; one or more electric motors incorporated into the battery powered drive system; and one or more batteries determined according to the weight of the raise climber and the weight that the raise climber would be required to carry if the tethered cable or fume emitting engine were used to operate the raise climber, the one or more batteries being supported in an enclosure on the raise climber and connected to the one or more electric motors through one or more respective variable frequency drives to have the batteries power the electric motors when the raise climber ascends and to recharge the batteries when the raise climber descends. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
Specification