Railways – Car-carried propulsion system – Electric
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-24
2003-06-17
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Railways
Car-carried propulsion system
Electric
C310S012060
Reexamination Certificate
active
06578495
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention pertains to vehicular and pallet transport and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for the design and manufacturing of guideways for vehicles and pallets. The invention has application, for example, in track or guideway operated vehicular and pallet systems, e.g. in providing the operating guideway that defines the motion in an automation system. The invention has still more particular application, by way of non-limiting example, in linear motor propulsion guideways and/or guideways for magnetically guided vehicles.
Guideways currently in use are installed on site from their several individual components. These may provide guidance, propulsion, position sensing, communication and running surfaces for vehicles or pallets. For example, an electric train has rails that provide guidance and a running surface. It also has a separate overhead structure or third rail that can provide power. Also, there may be sensors near the rails that indicate to a central location the position of the train. Guideways with so many individual components are expensive to produce, deliver, install, and maintain.
The individual components can be expensive, for example, since they often have features that require very accurate assembly and adjustment at the installation site. Designing and manufacturing these features so that they insure proper operation of the assembled units, yet, with sufficient leeway to facilitate assembly under field conditions add to the cost of the parts.
Delivery of a transport system to the site where installation is planned involves many precision parts and tools. Various applications for transport systems require the guideways to be installed in clean or dirty environments, indoors or outdoors. Great care must be taken to account for parts and tools. Packaging and shipping many individual pieces and fasteners are examples of added cost to the system.
Installation of a transport system is time consuming for both the installer and the customer waiting to use the system. Transport systems arrive at the site of the installation in many pieces to be built in a non-integrated, “erector set” fashion. A fastening method is needed for mounting each of the components that provides guidance, propulsion, position sensing, communication and/or running surfaces for the vehicles and/or pallets. Jigs and fixtures are needed to measure positional accuracy of the separate components to ensure that the system will work properly. If components are out of alignment, adjustments need to be made. Personnel that install the system must be knowledgeable of the many individual components that are required. This increases the cost and complexity of the system and adds to the time needed for guideway installation.
For example, a typical pallet transport system is currently belt driven. A transport system that utilizes a belt method of propulsion has many moving mechanical parts (i.e. rollers, tensioners, drive wheels, etc.). Installation of typical belt driven transport systems requires a significant amount of adjustment, tensioning, and fastening of components. In practice, much of this setup and installation adjustment is subject to the interpretation of the installing technician. It can be a nonspecific and highly unrepeatable process.
Routine maintenance of the transport guideways is required. Mechanical parts and components have an expected service lifetime. If, however, adjustment of the parts is needed for installation, then there is always the possibility that the adjustment may slip or change during the life of the transport system causing the need for increased maintenance to ensure safety and prevent failure. Even during planned, routine maintenance, if servicing the guideway requires a technician (or more) to dismantle, replace, fixture, and adjust an “erector set” of parts, the time necessary to remove the transport system from service while maintenance tasks are performed is significant, costly, and complex (especially if adjustments are needed).
An object of the invention is to provide improved methods and design of guideways for vehicular and pallet transport systems.
Another object of the invention is to provide such methods and apparatus as can be applied to linear motor propulsion and/or magnetic guidance systems.
Another object of the invention is to provide such methods and apparatus as can be applied to reducing the manufacturing cycle time, complexity and cost of linear motor propulsion.
Another object of the invention is to provide such methods and apparatus as can be applied to the reduction of cycle time, complexity and cost of the maintenance and installation of a linear motor propulsion guideway.
Another object of the invention is to provide such methods and apparatus as can be applied to the mechanical packaging of the components of a linear motor propulsion guideway so as to improve positional accuracy of the components.
Another object of the invention is to provide such method and design of a guideway switch for vehicular and pallet transport systems.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The invention integrates linear motor propulsion into a guideway module that contains any combination of: linear motor propulsion, vehicle guidance, position sensing, communication, and vehicle or pallet running surface subcomponents.
One aspect of the invention integrates a combination of one or more subcomponents for linear motor propulsion, vehicle guidance, position sensing, communication, and vehicle or pallet running surfaces during the manufacturing of the guideway module. A single manufacturing operation can be used to position, affix, and encapsulate the selected subcomponent(s) in a module or modules. For example, the component(s) can be designed to be located in a plastic injection mold, typically, a reaction injection mold (RIM), which allows the subcomponent(s) to be positioned, aligned, and encapsulated in a single manufacturing step that has only a several minute cycle time. In this manner positional accuracy among the relationship of the subcomponent(s) can be maintained within a small tolerance (on the order of 0.25 mm) while costs remain very low.
Subcomponents are designed for integration into the guideway, either as a single encapsulated module or as separate but integrated units, thereby reducing the need to manufacture and ship many individual parts, fixtures, and fasteners to the site where the transport system is being installed. For example, the motor stator iron is segmented into blocks for use in both straight and curved modules. These stator iron blocks mount to a backplate for support and preliminary alignment during manufacturing. In a process such as RIM, the mold, as it closes, precisely aligns the stator iron blocks using features designed into the surface of the stator iron blocks. Where subcomponents are encapsulated as a single unit, the use of a backplate can have other integrated features as well. For example, it can provide support for the guidance channels prior to encapsulating the guideway module. It can also provide strength for the subcomponents during the encapsulating process so that the parts do not have to be designed as precision stand-alone components, thus reducing the cost of the subcomponents.
In a modular design of the guideway, a single manufacturing process such as encapsulating the components in a molding process allows for minimal treatment of surface finishes of the parts. For example, a molding material such as urethane, or epoxy fills the space between the components, forming the guideway. This encapsulates the components. Material that is injection molded around the component s will take the shape of the component, even if it is irregular. Once molded, the parts are scaled from the environment so that painting and plating are not necessary. This lowers the cost of the system and reduces the need for special handling of parts. Manufacturing motor subcomponents in this manner also provides the parts with a tolerance accuracy from the molding process that is suitable for installation registrati
Taylor Alastair D.
Yitts Anthony A.
MagneMotion, Inc.
Morano S. Joseph
Nutter & McClennen & Fish LLP
Olson Lars A.
Powsner David J.
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