Railways – Monorail – Single top guide
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-04
2001-04-10
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Railways
Monorail
Single top guide
C104S282000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06213025
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention concerns a therefor-track rail-guided transportation system with at least one travel path of carrying and track-guiding elements, with at least one transport vehicle for goods which has means for moving along the travel path and receives contactless power from a primary circuit laid along the line.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is already known to transmit contactless power to a vehicle. The magazine Elektric 34, 1980, H. 7 describes an arrangement for inductive power transmission to a hauling engine in a mine. This arrangement contains double lines which are laid along the ceiling of the mine tunnel. Ferrite bodies with secondary windings move between the double line; they are connected to the hauling engine and supply power to the drives and other consumers.
A device for contactless power transmission to a track-guided vehicle (PCT-GB 92/00220) is also known. A double line is secured to electrically nonconducting posts. A ferrite core that is installed on a vehicle can move along the double line and carries a secondary winding for feeding power to the vehicle. The double line receives alternating voltage in the KHz range.
Also known are high shelves for stacking goods or pallets with goods. Lifting movers travel between a receiving and discharging place and the shelves, to fill and empty the shelves with goods or pallets.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is based on the problem of developing a track-guided transportation system which can be assigned transportation tasks in a simple manner, and which is also in a position to quickly carry out transportation tasks to loading and unloading areas which are far removed from each other.
This objective is achieved with a transportation system of the kind described in the beginning, in that the transport vehicle is designed as a carrier for at least one satellite vehicle for transporting goods, and has a satellite travel section for positioning and parking the satellite vehicle, that by positioning the carrier vehicle along its travel path, the travel section can be aligned flush and crosswise to these satellite travel sections, that power is transmitted in a contactless manner from a primary circuit laid along the satellite travel paths to the satellite vehicle which is equipped with means for moving it, and that at least one satellite vehicle and the carrier vehicle have processing capabilities and means for wireless telecommunication between themselves and/or a central control unit. The transportation system of the invention is able to carry out transportation tasks in a very flexible manner. Even if the carrier vehicle has only one satellite travel section, the carrier vehicle can cooperate with several satellite vehicles, whereby for example a satellite vehicle is transported to a satellite travel path, while other satellite vehicles carry out transportation tasks on satellite travel paths, or stand by loaded with goods until the carrier vehicle has brought its satellite vehicle with its goods to a selected travel section, and immediately proceeds to travel to the travel section of the other satellite vehicle in order to receive it and transport it to a new destination. The path being traveled or the target travel sections are selected by a respective transporting program, whose destination data come from a central processor which is designed e.g. as a group of input units. A significant advantage of the system of the invention can therefore be seen in that the carrier vehicle does not need to wait in a stand-by position while the satellite vehicle carries out a transportation tasks with goods. The result is a considerable increase in the transportation output, as opposed to a system in which a carrier vehicle must wait for a satellite until it has gone to receive or discharge goods and has resumed its position on the carrier vehicle.
A preferred configuration provides for at least two travel paths for the carrier vehicle in two superimposed planes with corresponding transverse satellite travel paths, and an elevator for the carrier vehicle at least at one end of the travel path.
This device can significantly increase the transportation output and the capacity of storing goods, since the carrier vehicle and satellite vehicles can be active in different planes by controlling the communication link. In this case the activity also includes the stand-by position of the carrier vehicle or satellite vehicle at a pickup or discharge place.
It is useful if the at least one satellite vehicle is designed to pick up, transport and deposit pallets. Such a configuration is particularly suited for shelves, e.g. high shelves.
The power is transmitted inductively to the carrier vehicle and to the satellite vehicle(s), particularly via the middle frequency. It is therefore useful to select a transmission device that has low inductance, even in long travel paths. It is useful if such a device includes a stationary primary circuit designed as a long line arrangement, which is connected to the middle frequency and is also arranged on the carrier vehicle along the travel path of the carrier vehicle and the satellite vehicle, and each comprises a ferrite transformer head arranged on the carrier vehicle and the satellite vehicle, and a secondary winding which encloses the ferrite core and is inductively coupled to the primary circuit. The line arrangement of the primary circuit contains an outer conductor designed as an almost closed housing, and a middle conductor located approximately in the center of the housing, in which a current of the same magnitude flows in the opposite direction, where the middle conductor is enclosed by the U-shaped ferrite core. This device allows power to be transmitted across air gaps in the centimeter range, with relatively low effort and good efficiency in the presence of low self-inductance, for the transportation of loads. The current is distributed over two outer walls, which still provides a relatively large transmission cross section, despite the skin effect.
Advantageously the U-shaped ferrite core has windings on both legs opposing the primary conductor, whose height corresponds approximately to the height of the primary conductor and is between 0.3 times and 0.5 times the total height of the U-shaped core. The height of the primary conductor in relation to the average width of the magnetic flux in the conductor area is chosen so that the transmitted power is at maximum.
For the most uniform distribution of the current, it is furthermore advantageous if the outer walls of the housing, which are opposite the middle conductor, form an arch in as wide a current-carrying area as possible. The cross sections of the outer and middle conductors and the average cross section of the magnetic flux can be configured, and the size relationships can be designed, so that a minimum of electrical dissipation takes place. A condenser is installed on the secondary winding, parallel to the load resistor; said condenser supplies the magnetization current to produce the magnetic flux density in the air gap of the ferrite core. The secondary winding is also switched in series with a condenser which compensates for the inductive voltage drop in the control inductance of the transformer head.
Communications are preferably transmitted in wireless form to the carrier and the satellite vehicles respectively via lines laid along the travel paths. Such a contactless arrangement for transmitting information enables a high transmission quality that is mostly free of electromagnetic interference. The line is preferably a coaxial cable with openings, which interacts with a patch antenna located on the carrier vehicle or on the satellite vehicle.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3913758 (1975-10-01), Faircloth et al.
patent: 4102273 (1978-07-01), Merkle et al.
patent: 4646629 (1987-03-01), Creed et al.
patent: 5297483 (1994-03-01), Kakida et al.
Sauerwein Richard
Zorn Michael
Alcatel
McCarry, Jr. Robert J.
Morano S. Joseph
Ware Fressola Van der Sluys & Adolphson LLP
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