Electromechanical propulsion system having a wireless power transfer system

• US 10,211,676 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2016
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Otis Elevator Company (Otis Worldwide Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Otis Elevator Company (Otis Worldwide Corp.)
• Inventors: Dwari, Suman, Manes, Enrico
• Primary Examiner(s): Cavallari, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US15/245,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20170057793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 11/0407 actuated by an electrical linear motor in the counterweight B66B17/12
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type

Abstract

An elevator system includes an elevator car having an electrically powered car subsystem. A guide rail of the elevator system is constructed and arranged to guide the elevator car along a hoistway and in a direction of travel. An electromechanical propulsion system includes plurality of primary windings positioned along the hoistway, and a permanent magnet coupled to the elevator car for imparting motion to the elevator car in response to a drive excitation. A secondary winding is coupled to the elevator car and disposed adjacent to the permanent magnet along the direction of travel, and wherein the secondary winding is configured to utilize an excitation switching frequency ripple to generate a current to power the car subsystem.

Claims

1. An elevator system comprising:

an elevator car including an electrically powered car subsystem;

a guide rail constructed and arranged to guide the elevator car along a hoistway and in a direction of travel;

a plurality of primary windings positioned along the hoistway;

a permanent magnet coupled to the elevator car, the plurality of primary windings and the permanent magnet defining an electromechanical propulsion system for imparting motion to the elevator car in response to a drive excitation; and

a secondary winding coupled to the elevator car and disposed adjacent to the permanent magnet along the direction of travel, and wherein the secondary winding is configured to utilize an excitation switching frequency ripple to generate a current to power the car subsystem.

2. The elevator system set forth in claim 1, wherein the secondary winding is induction based.

3. The elevator system set forth in claim 1, wherein the secondary winding is resonance based.

4. The elevator system set forth in claim 1, wherein the plurality of primary windings include a first winding having a first excitation current and an adjacent second winding having a second excitation current not in phase with the first excitation current, and the first excitation current includes a first base frequency component and a first ripple frequency component, and the second excitation current includes a second base frequency component and a second ripple frequency component, and wherein the first and second base frequency components are associated with the electromechanical propulsion system for imparting motion and the first and second ripple frequency components are associated with the secondary winding and the excitation switching frequency ripple.

5. The elevator system set forth in claim 4 further comprising:

a power source; and

a converter that receives energy from the power source and outputs the first and second excitation currents to the respective first and second windings, and wherein the first and second ripple frequency components are generated by internal switching of the converter.

6. The elevator system set forth in claim 5, wherein the converter outputs the excitation switching frequency ripple in the range of about 5 kHz to 100 kHz, and is greater than a base frequency of the first and second base frequency components.

7. The elevator system set forth in claim 1, wherein the secondary winding is constructed and arranged to resonate at a frequency of excitation switching ripple or at its harmonic components.

8. The elevator system set forth in claim 7, wherein the excitation switching frequency ripple is substantially greater than a base frequency associated with the electromechanical propulsion system, and the pole pitch of each one of the primary windings is not equal to a pole pitch of the secondary winding.

9. The elevator system set forth in claim 1, wherein the electromechanical propulsion system is a linear electromechanical motor.

10. The elevator system set forth in claim 1, wherein the electromechanical propulsion system is a rotating electromechanical motor.

11. The elevator system set forth in claim 1, wherein the elevator car subsystem includes at least one of a battery, a ventilation unit, a lighting system, door operation unit, brake unit, display unit, a control unit, and a communication unit.

12. The elevator system set forth in claim 8 further comprising:

a controller configured to sequentially control the energization of the plurality of primary windings.

13. The elevator system set forth in claim 1, wherein the elevator system is ropeless.

14. The elevator system set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a power converter disposed in the elevator car and configured to convert the induced voltage and current to suitable AC or DC voltage and current.

15. A wireless power supply comprising:

a plurality of primary windings including a first winding having a first excitation current and an adjacent second winding having a second excitation current, and wherein the first excitation current includes a first base frequency component and a first ripple frequency component, and the second excitation current includes a second base frequency component and a second ripple frequency component; and

a secondary winding configured to utilize an excitation switching frequency ripple to generate a current, and wherein and the first and second ripple frequency components are associated with the secondary winding and the excitation switching frequency ripple for wireless power transfer.

16. The wireless power supply set forth in claim 15, wherein the first and second base frequency components are associated with an electromechanical propulsion system for imparting motion.

17. The wireless power supply set forth in claim 16, wherein the electromechanical propulsion system is a rotating electromechanical motor.

18. The wireless power supply set forth in claim 16, wherein the electromechanical propulsion system is a linear electromechanical motor.

19. The wireless power supply set forth in claim 16, wherein the electromechanical propulsion system is a compound motion electromechanical motor.

20. The wireless power supply set forth in claim 15, wherein the excitation switching frequency ripple is within a range of about 5 kHz to 100 kHz, and is greater than a base frequency of the first and second base frequency components.

21. The wireless power supply set forth in claim 15, wherein the secondary winding is constructed and arranged to resonate at the frequency of the excitation switching ripple.

22. The wireless power supply set forth in claim 21 further comprising:

a resonant component configured to receive energy from the secondary winding.