Railways – Car-carried propulsion system – Electric
Patent
1994-10-19
1996-08-06
Le, Mark T.
Railways
Car-carried propulsion system
Electric
104 231, 10413002, 104292, 104293, 105 35, 191 10, B61L 100
Patent
active
055423566
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a track-guided transport vehicle.
In general it is concerned with transport devices and so-called driverless transport systems (FTS) for heavy loads.
The load transport systems used currently in production plants and the like usually are systems with transport units guided via a guiding wire, i.e. track-guided systems. However, the vehicles designed for higher loads run on principle on wheels and are driven by diesel engines or battery-powered electric motors.
The present invention is concerned specifically with vehicles capable of transporting loads of more than 1,000 kg.
In case of diesel engine drives, the environment is heavily loaded by the exhaust gases, and such loads are not acceptable in many production plants, store-houses and the like. In case of battery-powered electric motors, a considerable expenditure is necessary for making available the transportation energy, i.e. continuous recharging and maintenance of the batteries is necessary. The storage expenditure is considerable.
For higher loads, vehicles carrying the load via air cushions filled with compressed air and driven by means of a friction wheel are suited better. These transport vehicles are guided mechanically or by active or passive guide members in transport systems.
For supply of the air cushions, it is necessary to have compressed air, which is made available by following-up hose connections. However, the radius of action of such transport vehicles is very much restricted thereby. In addition thereto, the hose connections are inconvenient and are subject to high wear.
Another solution consists in providing the vehicle itself with compressors for generating compressed air and to electrically feed the compressors via following-up cables. As regards the range of action and the wear, similar restrictions result as in case of the hose connections. Furthermore, the cable strands to be routed along the paths of transportation also constitute a hindrance for work to be done in the range of the vehicle paths.
It is the object of the invention to indicate a track-guided transport vehicle designed specifically for transporting heavy loads, which is capable of travelling also long distances and does not display the problems present in diesel drives and battery drives.
To this end, the present invention provides a track-guided transport vehicle comprising an air cushion arrangement for taking up loads, an electrically driven compressor unit for generating compressed air, and a motor drive, in which the following features are realized: stator and exciter part on the vehicle, and the winding of the linear drive provided on the vehicle, by means of a higher frequency alternating current and a transformer effect.
When, as preferred, a long stator with individual stator sections is formed along the travel path, while an exciter part with direct current powered exciter winding is provided on the transport vehicle itself, the low frequency alternating current serving to generate a travelling field on the stator has a higher frequency alternating current superimposed thereon (this frequency is e.g. 10 times higher than the low frequency for the travelling field).
While the low frequency alternating current does not induce a voltage in the exciter winding, the higher frequency alternating current does induce a voltage in the exciter winding, which is coupled out at the vehicle and is available as energy for feeding the compressor unit. The energy required for direct current feeding of the exciter part also is transferred to the vehicle in the manner mentioned. A contact-free energy transfer is thus rendered possible in total.
It is in principle also possible to provide the stator on the vehicle and the exciter part on the travel path. The travelling field then will be produced at the stator on the side of the vehicle by alternating current supply, whereas the individual exciter windings along the travel path are fed with direct current. This direct current will then have the higher frequency alternating current superimposed the
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Grundl Andreas
Hoffmann Bernhard
Richert Withold
Jones William W.
Le Mark T.
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