Electricity: transmission to vehicles – Magnetic induction
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-15
2002-07-30
Le, Mark T. (Department: 3617)
Electricity: transmission to vehicles
Magnetic induction
Reexamination Certificate
active
06425468
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a non-contact power supply apparatus which can feed a power to each load from a feeder line of a primary circuit connected to an alternating current power supply via a pickup portion of a secondary circuit magnetically coupled to the feeder line in a physically non-contact state, and to a pickup portion used therein.
Conventionally, various handling systems have been employed such that a baggage is carried by using a carrier vehicle moving along a guide rail, and thereby, physical distribution has been effectively performed in a factory, a warehouse or the like. In general, a traction motor is used to tract such a carrier vehicle, and a drive power is supplied to the traction motor via a feeder line which is laid along the guide rail, and through which an alternating current flows.
In this feeding method, there are conventionally a trolley type and a non-contact type. The trolley type is a system in which a collector provided on the carrier vehicle side contacts with a feeder line so as to feed an electric power. On the other hand, the non-contact type is a system in which a pickup portion provided on the carrier vehicle is arranged in the vicinity of a feeder line, and then, an induced power is generated in the pickup coil so as to obtain an electric power. The above trolley type requires maintenance because the collector is worn, and further, has a problem that dust and spark are generated. On the contrary, the non-contact type has no problem as described, and therefore, a non-contact type power supply apparatus has been frequently used.
FIG. 1A
is a schematic view showing a conventional monorail type handling system,
FIG. 2
is a schematic view showing a non-contact power supply apparatus used in the conventional monorail type handling system shown in
FIG. 1A
,
FIG. 3
is a schematic side view showing a structure of a conventional carrier vehicle, and
FIG. 4A
is a schematic side view showing a relationship between a feeder line and a pickup portion provided on the carrier vehicle.
In
FIG. 1A
,
FIG. 2
, FIG.
3
and
FIG. 4A
, a reference numeral
1
denotes a guide rail of a monorail type handling system in a factory,
2
denotes a carrier vehicle, and
3
denotes a system controller. The guide rail
1
is formed into a multiple loop which is constructed in a manner of connecting each station (not shown) in accordance with a handling purpose, and is located on plane. Each crossing portion is provided with a switch/rail type diverge/merge portion
4
for selectively using either rail.
As shown in
FIG. 4A
, the guide rail
1
is formed into a substantially I-letter shape in its cross section in a manner that a support column portion
1
p
is stretched between an upper plate portion
1
u
and a lower plate portion
1
d
, which are parallel with each other. Further, one side of the guide rail
1
is attached with a support arm (not shown) at its one side with an approximately regular interval in a longitudinal direction, and thus, the guide rail
1
is located in a state of being suspended from a ceiling or the like of a factory via the support arm. A feeder line
5
constituting a power supply section is fixed to another side of the guide rail
1
over the entire length thereof in the longitudinal direction, and is connected with a power source section
6
.
The feeder line
5
is arranged like a loop in a manner of being laid on each distal end portion of a pair of upper and lower many supporters
1
a
fixed to the side face of the guide rail
1
. Further, the feeder line
5
is constructed in a manner that insulated single wires are bundled so as to form a twist wire and that the twist wire is coated with a resin material. On the other hand, the carrier vehicle
2
is constructed in a manner that a carrier
23
for detachably mounting a handling produce is suspended from a pair of front and rear vehicle body frames
21
and
22
having a U-letter shape as shown in FIG.
3
.
The vehicle body frame
21
includes a drive trolley
21
a
which rolls in contact with the guide rail
1
at a position opposite to an upper surface of the upper guide rail
1
, and a pair of swing preventive rollers
21
b
and
21
c
which individually roll in contact with both upper and lower surfaces of the guide rail
1
at a position opposite to these surfaces. Further, the vehicle body frame
21
is provided with a motor M connected to the drive trolley
21
a
at its upper portion. Moreover, a pickup portion
24
as shown in
FIG. 4A
is provided at a portion opposite to the feeder line
5
of the guide rail
1
in the vehicle body frame
21
.
The pickup portion
24
comprises a pickup core which is formed into an E-letter shape when viewing from its side, and the pickup core is constructed in the following manner. More specifically, in the pickup core, an upper plate portion
24
b,
a lower plate portion
24
c
and an middle plate portion
24
d
are arranged in parallel with each other, and are extended individually from upper, lower and intermediate portions of a back plate portion
24
a
made of a magnetic material and having a rectangular shape. Further, coils
24
e
and
24
e
comprising a litz wire are wound around each of upper and lower portions of the back plate portion
24
a
divided by the middle plate portion
24
d.
Each feeder line
5
is positioned and set in two concave portions of the above pickup portion
24
having an E-letter shape when viewing from its side and in a state of being close to each coil
24
e
;
24
e
. An induced power is generated in each coil
24
e
;
24
e
by an electric power supplied to each feeder line
5
, and then, is supplied to the motor M via a power conversion section
7
as shown in FIG.
2
.
The induced power generated in each coil
24
e
varies depending upon a length of the pickup core (a length in an extending direction of the feeder line
5
) so long as the number of turns of the coil
24
e
and a power supplied to the feeder line
5
are the same. Thus, it is general to employ a method of varying the length of the pickup core in accordance with a power required for a load side and an incoming capacity of the coil
24
e
so as to obtain a required power.
By the way, when the length of the pickup core is determined, swing angles &agr; and &bgr; (&agr;: vertical (upper and lower) swing angle as shown in
FIG. 4B
, &bgr;: transverse (right and left) swing angle as shown in
FIG. 4C
) are determined. The swing angles are a condition for making no interference of the pickup core with the feeder line
5
from an interval between the upper plate portion
24
b
and the middle plate portion
24
d
, an interval between the middle plate portion
24
d
and the lower plate portion
24
c
, and an interval between the feeder line
5
and each coil
24
e
in the pickup core, or the like.
In order to make large the swing angles &agr; and &bgr;, it is necessary to wider set the aforesaid intervals between the upper plate portion
24
b
and the middle plate portion
24
d,
between the middle plate portion
24
d
and the lower plate portion
24
c
, and between the feeder line
5
and each coil
24
e.
However, when these intervals are set wider, the pickup core itself is inevitably formed into a large size. Moreover, an air gap is enlarged, and thereby, a magnetic resistance becomes large; as a result, a problem has arisen such that an incoming capacity is reduced. Therefore, in the case where the pickup core is constructed in the manner as described above, the swing angles &agr; and &bgr; are set as follows. More specifically, the swing angle &rgr; is merely set to such a degree that the carrier vehicle
2
is capable of being turned along the guide rail
1
in a horizontal plane; on the other hand, the swing angle &agr; is merely set to such a degree that an error when attaching the carrier vehicle
2
to the guide rail
1
is avoided. For this reason, an arrangement pattern of the guide rail
1
is limited within a range similar to a substantially horizontal plane as shown in FIG.
1
A. In particu
Kitayoshi Haruyoshi
Takashige Satoshi
Yamamoto Kenzo
Le Mark T.
Tsubakimoto Chain Co.
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