ELEVATOR WIRELESS POWER SUPPLY

• US 20170057791A1
• Filed: 08/22/2016
• Published: 03/02/2017
• 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: Hsu, Arthur, Dwari, Suman
• Granted Patent: US 10,329,124 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 11/0407 actuated by an electrical linear motor in the counterweight B66B17/12
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 7/00 Other common features of elevators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling

Abstract

An elevator system may include an elevator car having an electrically powered car subsystem and a guide rail constructed and arranged to guide the elevator car along a hoistway and in a direction of travel. Primary windings of the system are positioned along the hoistway, and a permanent magnet assembly is coupled to the elevator car. Together, the primary windings and the permanent magnet assembly define a linear motor for imparting motion to the elevator car in response to a drive signal. A secondary winding assembly of the elevator system is coupled to the elevator car and is located adjacent to the permanent magnet assembly along the direction of travel. In operation, the secondary winding assembly generates a current to power the car subsystem.

Claims

1. An elevator system comprising:

an elevator car arranged to travel along a hoistway, the elevator car including an electrically powered car subsystem;

a propulsion system positioned along the hoistway for imparting motion to the elevator car, the propulsion system including a plurality of primary windings aligned along the hoistway; and

a secondary winding assembly coupled to the elevator car and configured to generate a current to power the car subsystems when adjacent primary windings of the plurality of primary windings are electrically energized.

2. The elevator system set forth in claim 1, wherein the propulsion system includes an assembly coupled to the elevator car, and the plurality of primary windings and the assembly define a linear motor for imparting motion to the elevator car in a direction of travel.

3. The elevator system set forth in claim 2, wherein the assembly is a permanent magnet assembly.

4. The elevator system set forth in claim 3, wherein the primary windings are positioned between first and second secondary windings of the secondary winding assembly.

5. The elevator system set forth in claim 3, wherein a pitch of coils of the secondary winding assembly does not match a pitch of coils of the primary windings.

6. The elevator system set forth in claim 3, wherein the secondary winding assembly is co-axially aligned with the permanent magnet assembly.

7. The elevator system set forth in claim 3, wherein the primary windings are provided with a first current profile when sequentially adjacent to the permanent magnet assembly and a different second current profile when sequentially adjacent to the secondary winding assembly.

8. The elevator system set forth in claim 3, wherein the elevator car subsystem includes at least one of a battery, a ventilation unit, a lighting system, a control unit, and a communication unit.

9. The elevator system of claim 3, wherein the secondary winding assembly generates the current to power the elevator car subsystem in response to a first current profile of the primary windings when sequentially selected to transfer power to the elevator car, and wherein the first current profile is different than a second current profile of the primary windings applied when sequentially selected to propel the elevator car.

10. The elevator system set forth in claim 9 further comprising:

a controller configured to sequentially control the primary windings and selectively apply the first and second current profiles.

11. The elevator system set forth in claim 3, wherein the elevator system is ropeless.

12. The elevator system set forth in claim 3, wherein the direction of travel is vertical.

13. The elevator system set forth in claim 12, wherein the permanent magnet assembly has a vertical height that is greater than a vertical height of the secondary winding assembly.

14. The elevator system set forth in claim 13, wherein the permanent magnet assembly is spaced vertically from the secondary winding assembly.

15. The elevator system set forth in claim 14, wherein the permanent magnet assembly is disposed above the secondary winding assembly.

16. The elevator system set forth in claim 3, further comprising:

a rectifier disposed in the elevator car and configured to convert the generated electrical current to DC current.

17. A wireless power supply for an elevator car including a linear motor for imparting vertical motion to the elevator car in a hoistway, the linear motor including a permanent magnet assembly coupled to the elevator car for magnetic levitation, the wireless power supply comprising:

a plurality of primary windings distributed along the hoistway;

a first secondary winding engaged to the elevator car; and

a second secondary winding engaged to the elevator car, and wherein the plurality of windings are disposed between the first and second secondary windings, and the first and second secondary windings are configured to generate a current to power a car subsystem.

18. The wireless power supply set forth in claim 17, wherein the car subsystem includes at least one of a battery, a ventilation unit, a lighting system, a control unit and a communication unit.

19. The wireless power supply set forth in claim 17, wherein the first and second secondary windings generate the current to power the elevator car subsystem in response to a current profile dedicated for inductive power transfer.

20. The wireless power supply set forth in claim 17, wherein the plurality of primary windings are configured to be energized at a first frequency for elevator car propulsion and a second frequency for power transfer, and the second frequency being greater than the first frequency.

21. The wireless power supply set forth in claim 20, wherein the second frequency is greater than 1 kHz.

22. The wireless power supply set forth in claim 20, wherein the first and second secondary windings are disposed at least one primary module length away from the permanent magnet assembly.