FI116515B - Energy supply arrangement in an automatic transport system - Google Patents

Description

116515 ENERGY SUPPLY ARRANGEMENT IN AUTOMATIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM

The invention relates to an energy supply arrangement in an automatic transport system as set out in the preamble of claim 1.

Automated people moving systems, APM systems, which stands for APM 10 "Automated People Mover", are built mainly for the transportation of people and their luggage at airports and their surrounding areas with their hotels, as well as for the transportation of people in amusement parks or the like. In addition, the APM system is suitable as a transport system for industrial and hospital areas 15 or similar areas, as well as for new or redesigned areas in cities where such transport systems can be included in the zoning plan even before the construction phase. APM systems have also been used in a few applications to handle mainline traffic, such as the VAL system.

In Lille, France and SkyTrain in Vancouver, Canada.

• «I • · • · APM systems usually consist of electrically operated, driverless and rail-mounted or level-running wagons, which may be single] or chained to each other. In addition, the systems include control computers that control the movement of wagons on tracks. The energy supply is usually from the mains, but there are also systems with * · «j ': 30 rechargeable lead-acid batteries.

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One problem is the transfer of energy to the car's electric motor and other electrical equipment. Traditionally, electricity is

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transferred, for example, overhead lines, such as cable buses and i · j 35 trams as well as electric trains are still done.

The weakness of open conductors is e.g. the fact that slides or brushes which rub over the conductors to obtain electrical energy for the vehicle's 2 116515 von drive motor wear in use and require both adjustment and maintenance. In addition, the use of overhead lines or the like has the disadvantage of problems caused by the branch points of the track. The solutions according to the prior art 5 at the branching points must have suitable mechanical gear structures in order to ensure an uninterrupted or otherwise flexible energy supply when the carriage changes its branching path at the branching point. Mechanical gearboxes are also wearing and failing parts that require adjustments, maintenance and repairs. 10 In addition, under winter conditions, ice and snow cause additional problems in mechanical gear structures. One problem with open conductors is also the risk of injury if animals or people enter the track area.

15 Similarly, the problem with battery drives is that it is not easy to utilize the energy recovered in braking. In addition, the problem is the sufficiency of battery charging slots for many wagons, which often need to be recharged at the same time when moving at the same time. Recharging the batteries 20 is also a problem, as the batteries deteriorate in use. Even after a thousand deep discharges, the battery may be unusable. In addition, in large-scale use, the problem becomes the disposal of • unusable batteries, which must be able to be done in an environmentally friendly manner. Another disadvantage of battery operation is that the batteries do not work at very low temperatures.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks and to provide a practical, efficient, safe and as maintenance-free energy supply arrangement as possible in an automatic transport system. The purpose is to provide a reliable energy supply to the wagons running on the track, so that the wagons also store energy in order to be able to travel part of the distance without an external energy supply and so that, for example, part of the braking energy 35 is recovered. into electrical energy. The solution according to the invention is characterized by what is set forth in the characterizing part of claim 1. Other embodiments of the invention are characterized by what is stated in the other claims.

An advantage of the invention is that the energy arrangement according to the invention enables a non-contact energy supply of the carriage which is not exposed to environmental disturbances such as mechanical disturbances, temperatures, snow and ice. A further advantage is that the energy supply arrangement according to the invention is maintenance-free. Another advantage is the simple, safe and reliable implementation of the energy supply at the junctions of the tramline. Another advantage is the safety of outsiders, as there are no dangerous open points in the energy supply from which animals or people on the track would receive electric shocks. In addition, the transport system according to the invention can be easily visually adapted to its environment. The efficiency and environmental friendliness of the system are also increased by the supercapacitors used in the wagons, which are practically wear-free, resistant to frost and replace lead-acid batteries as a backup power source for the wagon. In addition, the return energy obtained in the brakes is easy to store in supercapacitors. The arrangement also has the advantage that the transport system knows at all times the position of each wagon on the • • track, so that the energy supply consisting of successive loops can be implemented so that only in those loops' 25 there are streams with wagons at that moment.

In the following, the invention will be described in more detail by means of an application example with reference to the accompanying drawings; Fig. 1 shows a side view of an automatic conveyor system carriage according to the invention in its own track, Fig. 2 shows diagrammatically and in a simplified view a rear view of an automatic transport system carriage according to the invention in its own track, 116515 Fig. 1 Fig. 4 shows a schematic and simplified top view of an automatic transport system carriage according to the invention in its track with its control and operating systems; Fig. 4 shows a detail of a track section according to the invention in top view; and Fig. 5 shows a schematic and simplified power supply arrangement of an automatic transport system according to the invention. a simplified top view of the track arrangement of the automatic conveying system according to the invention, Fig. 7 shows diagrammatically and in simplified form a top view of a branch point 15 of the track according to the invention, and Fig. 8 shows schematically and, in a simplified manner, the navigation solution of the arrangement according to the invention at the branch point of the carriageway as seen from above.

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The figures show one suitable carriage 1 for use in an automobile, land transport system according to the invention, which * is in its path 2. The path 2 has one or more running surfaces provided with rails or the like, along which the carriage 25 rests on its wheels. The trolley 1 is equipped with a control * * * i us and operating system 3 with which the computer is connected

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1 to a central control unit 17 of a transport system comprising at least one computer via a suitable network, such as a public and / or private mobile telephone network or an Internet network 30. For communication, the carriage has connection means 11. In addition, each carriage 1 has suitable means for receiving, processing and implementing the operating instructions issued by the central control unit 17 from the mobile telephone network or the like, and means for locating the space; and for indicating the speed via the mobile telephone network or the like to the central control unit 17. The carriage is of a size suitable for, for example, 3-8 passengers.

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Figure 2 shows schematically and in simplified form one embodiment of a carriage 1 according to the invention on a running track 2, which in this case is a uniform and flat track. The figure also shows the traction motor 6 of the carriage, which acts on the rear wheels and the brakes 7. In addition, the figure shows a primary loop 12 embedded in the carriage 2, from which the carriage 1 receives its energy by means of an energy dissipation unit 13 in the carriage. The pick-up unit 13 forms a secondary loop and runs just above the primary loop, close to the upper surface of the path 2. The figure also shows the power supply 14 of the carriage. In front of the carriage, close to the upper surface of the carriageway 2, there is also a navigation member 10, which monitors the detectors 16 in the carriageway at regular intervals, which may be, for example, RFID detectors. In addition, the figure shows the path tracking members 24, which are, for example, coils acting as measuring sensors, which detect the magnetic field generated around the conductors of the primary loop 12. The tracking elements monitor and control the position of the carriage 1 on the path 2 in the lateral direction of the carriage.

Figure 3 shows schematically and in a simplified manner one embodiment of the control and operation of the carriage 1 according to the invention. operating system 3 comprising at least the operating and control equipment and instruments listed below. The carriage '· • * ·' 1 has, in addition to the traction motor 6, two other main motor types 25, which are the door motor t '' for opening and closing the door: 8 and one or more steering motors acting on the front wheels, 9. All motors are controlled by frequency converters and especially inverter drives, which receive operating energy from the primary loop 12 in the path 2. In order to store energy 30 and recover the energy returned during braking, the carriage 1 has a supercapacitor 18 as an energy store, by means of which the carriage can travel short distances, for example at track loops.

t 35 The control-command system 3 also includes a trailer computer 4, which may have a display, a keyboard and, for example, a master station for a suitable fieldbus. The actuators and devices controlled by the carriage 116515 6 are connected to each other by means of the above-mentioned fieldbus so that the master station of the computer 4 is connected to the fieldbus controller of the control and operating system drive 5, through which all the above actuators and 5 devices are connected to the fieldbus. The operating part 5 has the above.

in addition to the controller, at least the carriage frequency converters for the carriage j actuators.

Of the carriage actuators, at least the traction motor 6, the brakes 7, the door-10 motor 8 and one or more control motors 9 are connected to the drive part 5 of the carriage 1 by means of the above-mentioned fieldbus. In addition, the navigation element 10 with navigation sensors collecting location and speed information is connected by said fieldbus. Correspondingly, a connection element 11, such as a GSM modem or other communication device supporting a wireless telephone or data connection, is connected to the computer 4 of the carriage 15, via which the carriage is wirelessly connected to the central control unit 17. 1

Figure 4 shows in a simplified manner the navigation arrangement of the carriageway 2, by means of which the carriage 1 always tracks its position on the carriageway and informs its position and speed to the central control unit 17. In connection with the carriageway 2 below the carriage, individual «* 4« »| 25 detectable detectors 16, such as RFID detectors or magnets, the exact location of which from the calculated zero point of each track loop is known to the central control unit 17. The navigation element 10 in the carriage 1 identifies and registers the detectors 16 and notifies the central control unit 17; '· *: 30 of each detector it overrides. Based on this information, the central control unit knows the location of the carriage and is also able to calculate the speed of the carriage, because the; distances are known. Based on the location information of the carriage, the central control unit 17 controls the carriages so that the carriages: V. 35 maintain a certain minimum distance to each other, which is appropriate to the situation, even when changing the track loop.

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The control and operating system 3 of the wagons 1 also has safety means which guide the wagon to the nearest stop or parking area if a fault occurs in the wagon or if the wagon loses connection with the central control unit 17. Similarly, when the 5 wagons are not in use, they wait in the parking area , from which they can be accessed quickly.

Figure 5 shows one embodiment of an energy supply circuit according to the invention, which is connected to the electrical network 19 10 via primary inverters 20. Each primary inverter 20 provides power to one substantially long primary loop, which are several in succession in the path, for example in loops a few hundred meters long. One primary loop 12 is followed a short distance by another, etc. The primary loop-15 loop may be on the surface of the path, but its wires may | be also embedded in the path and the wires are insulated | you do. The energy supply of the wagons is non-contact, which has the advantages mentioned earlier. 1

Figure 6 shows schematically and in simplified form one embodiment of a track arrangement according to the invention. Ku-, ··. in the loop, one assembly is divided into three track loops 2a, 2b and 2c, in which in each loop the carriages drive the loop in only one direction. The arrows * 25 drawn in the figure show that in loop 2a the carriages 1 run counterclockwise, in loop 2b clockwise and in loop 2c again counterclockwise.

: At the junctions of loops 2a and 2b and 2b and 2c, wagon 1 can change its distance from one loop to another without disturbing the traffic of the other loop. The wagon can also continue directly in its departure loop if the end station of that journey is in the same loop. The control and operating system 3 of the wagons, together with the central control unit 17 * · *; 'of the transport system, takes care of the movement of the wagon from one loop to another or of remaining in its departure loop. Similarly, the control and operating system 35 3 takes care of the speed of the wagons according to the instructions of the central control unit 17 and controls the speed via the speed control system.

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The stations 22, 23 are in practice small track loops from which the central control unit 17 starts the output synchronously so that the carriage leaving the station is in synchronism with the other carriages of the track loop. Similarly, 5 carriages leave the loop for the station.

| | In Figure 6, only 1 or 2 is drawn for each track loop station 22, 23 and in addition Fig. 6 shows in the track loops 2a and 2c the parking area 21 of the carriages, where the carriages away from the carriage 10 drive themselves to wait. There are also maintenance and repair facilities in parking areas or other suitable places. In parking areas, the carriages travel in only one direction of rotation in the same way as in each track loop.

According to the idea of the invention, the path 2 is activated in pieces of the length of the primary loops as the carriage 1 runs on the path. Thus, only the primary loop 12 at which the carriage is currently moving is activated from the path. Such local activation is possible because the system 20 constantly knows the location of the carriage by means of the aforementioned navigation arrangement. There is no electricity on the running track at any one time, except in the loops where there are currently wagons.

Thanks to the double layer supercapacitor 18 acting as an energy store in the carriage 1, the path 2 can be left; parts that have no external power supply at all, i.e. the primary loop 12. These distances are driven by the carriage 1 by means of its energy storage. This has the advantage of constructing the branch-branch points of the path of the path, where the branch points have primary loops cast in the path of the path so that the loops are completely separated from each other. In this case, no mechanical gear solutions are required for the energy supply, but the baby can go to any branch and receive sufficient energy at all times. Figure 7 shows in simplified form one branch point of the path 2. The main branch at this point has one primary loop 12a which follows the course of the main branch 116515 9. The branching side branch has its own separate primary loop 12b, the beginning of which is at a distance from the primary loop 12a of the main branch.

Figure 8 shows in more detail the monitoring of the lateral movement of the wagon and the overtaking of the intersection. The carriage 1 has tracking members 24 close to the surface of the path 2 so that one tracking member is on the first side of the primary loop 12a and the other tracking member is on the other side of the primary loop 12a. The distance between the magnetic coils of the tracking members 24 is suitably greater than the width of the primary loop 12a.

The magnetic coils of the tracking member 24 are connected by means of a full-wave rectifier-15 to a computer 4 of the carriage control and operating system 3, which is also controlled by position information 27 obtained from RFID detectors, and to which a carriage control logic 26 is controlled.

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The magnetic coils of the tracking member 24 measure the magnetic field of the conductors of the primary loop • 12a so that the first magnetic coil supplies a negative control angle reference value through the full-wave rectifier 25 and the second magnetic coil 25 a positive reference value, respectively. When both magnetic coils are completely symmetrical on either side of the primary loop 12a, the measured magnetic fields are also equal, whereby the sum of said reference values is zero. This means that the required steering angle is also zero, i.e. 30 can be driven directly without turning the front wheels. If the wagon travels sideways in its path, • the difference between the mentioned setpoints increases and, depending on the sign, the wagon control and operation ‘‘; ’system 3 steers the wagon in the required direction to get the wagon in the correct position with respect to the lateral direction.

Figure 8 shows, in addition to the primary loop 12a of the main branch, both the primary loop 35 116515 ίο 12b of the right-turning side branch and the primary loop 12c of the left-turning side branch. Similarly, the figure shows the RFID detectors 16 on the surface of the path. The last RFID detector of the primary loop is denoted by the reference numeral 16v and the first RFID detector of the primary loop 5 by the reference numeral 16e, respectively. At the junction of the path, the carriage crosses the last RFID detector 16v of the primary loop 12a, whereby the control system is instructed to drive in a computer-controlled manner a fixed control angle along the route to the right station. In this case, towards the branch formed by the primary loop 10 12c. When the carriage 1 crosses the first RFID detector 16e of the branch formed by the primary loop 12c, the control system receives the information and the lateral monitoring of the carriage returns to the basic function by the monitoring element 24. In this way, crossings with no primary loops can be safely bypassed. It will be clear to a person skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the application example presented above, but can vary within the scope of the claims set out below. 20 Thus, the structure and characteristics of the wagons may differ from the above. Similarly, the path layout with loops, ··· _ may be different. If necessary, the wagons can also run backwards, for example in maintenance and repair situations.

It is also clear to a person skilled in the art that the energy supply can be realized in accordance with the idea of the invention in many different ways; municipality. The primary loops may be embedded in the path 2 or on the surface of the path. Likewise, instead of the supercapacitor 18, another suitable energy store can be used, for example batteries.

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It is also clear to a person skilled in the art that instead of the monitoring members 24, the detectors 16 can also, if necessary, monitor the position of the carriage 1 on the path 2 in the lateral direction of the carriage. The navigation member 10 may have a plurality of adjacent sensors that can be used to detect and, if necessary, calculate the lateral position of the carriage relative to the detector 16.

Claims (7)

116515: 1. An energy supply arrangement in an automatic transport system, comprising at least a central control unit (17) and substantially single or interconnected, electrically operated, driverless and carriages (2) running on tracks (2), with at least body, wheels, traction motor (6) and steering and drive system (3), in which the path (2) is illuminated by a plurality of separate, elongate and substantially successive primary loops (12) and respectively each carriage (1) is provided with a secondary loop an energy picking unit (13) adapted to travel close to the primary loop (12) as the carriage (1) moves, whereby the electrical energy required by the carriage 15 (1) is supplied non-contactlessly from the primary loop (12) connected to the carriage track (2); only the primary loop at a time at which the wagon (1) is currently moving, known from that the carriage (1) is arranged to monitor its position at any time by means of individually identifiable detectors (16) placed at regular intervals in connection with the carriageway (2) and to indicate its position on the carriageway to the central control unit (17) by * “, carriage (1) Based on the location information provided by the carriage, only the primary loop * * (12) at which the carriage (3) is moving is arranged to be activated from the path 25 (2). ♦ · · ·,., · * An energy supply arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the carriage (1) has a navigation member (10) adapted to identify and register the detectors (16), and that the carriage (1) has connection means (11) through which the carriage (1) is adapted to inform the central control unit (17) of each detector (16) which the carriage (1) passes. 3. An energy saving device according to claims 1 or 2, which can be used as a transport system (17) and which can be used as a source of information (1), as well as activating the basic information itself (12). omräde vagnen (1) för tillfället rör sig. Energy supply arrangement according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the central control unit (17) of the transport system is arranged to receive the carriages (1). 35 116515 location data and on the basis of the location data to activate only the primary loop (12) in the area of which the carriage (1) is currently moving. Energy supply arrangement according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that each carriage (1) is provided with an energy storage, such as a supercapacitor (18), for storing electrical energy for essentially short-term electricity demand. 10 A power supply system according to claims 1, 2 or 3, which can be used to protect a power supply (1) from a power supply, a supercapacitor (18), and an electric power supply which is electrically reactive. An arrangement according to the preceding claims, which is shown in the preamble (2) as a first step (12b, 12c) for the first and second steps of the first and second steps (12). from fun. 20 Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the branch point of the track (2) has its own separate primary loop (12b, 12c) leading to the second branch to enable the energy supply of the carriage (1) as the carriage 15 turns away from the main branch. Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the energy supply of the carriage (1) is adapted to operate automatically in the energy storage of the carriage as long as the carriage (1) travels on a part of the track without a primary loop (12). • 1 1 ♦ · An arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims. characterized in that the wagon (1) has monitoring members. 25 (24) for detecting and correcting the lateral movement of the carriage, the monitoring means (24) being adapted to measure the magnetic field of the conductors of the primary loop (12) of the earth. • · 1 1 * »• i ♦ ♦ · account 116515: 1. Energitillförselarrangemang i ett automattt transport- system, i vilket system finns atminstone en centrmanöve-i 5 renhet och väsentligen Enskilda eller ihopkedjade, elekt- risk drivna, förarlösa oc head päbanor (2) carriage (1), and carriage finns atminstone korg, hjul, körmotor (6) and maneuvering and drive system (3), and carriage system and car (2) are used in the form of an enclosure, inclined 10 och the use of the primary primer (12) and the main means of adjusting the safety of the primary (1) means of the energy supply (13) with the use of secondary means, and with the addition of the primary primer (12), varvid den elektriska Energi som vagnen behöver 15 tillförs beröringsfritt frän en primärslinga (12) i samband med körbanan (2) ä att i systemet aktiveras väsentligen self-primary primary and gangen, vid vilken vagnen rör sig, kännetecknat av, att vagnen (1) är the same is true on the other hand with the same number of individual identi-20 coders (16), each of the samples with the same number (2) is used with the same number of data on the central bank (17), on the other hand with the central information (17), vagnen (1) gett är anpassad för att ** ", aktivera self den den primärslinga pä körbanan (2) vid vilken i *» · · 25 vagnen (3) rör sig. '»« I · • · »$ \ * 2. Energitillförselarrangemang enligt patentkravet 1, kanne- • · · tecknat av, att det i vagnen (1) finns en navigatoringsapparat (10), vilken är apassad för att identifier ocher Registrera 30 codenheterna (16), and in the case of wagons (1) in a Finnish communication medium (11), the genome of the wagons (1) is used for the purpose of centralized maneuvers (17) and a shield coden (16) in the wagon (1). : 35 116515 6. An arrangement according to the preceding claim, as defined in the invention. * ··, the net is shown, the energy (1) of the energy source is provided by an automatic power source based on the energy (1) of the cell, som ej har [25 primärslinga (12). • ·. * 7. Arrangement according to the present invention, with reference to the wings (1) of the warping device (24) for adjusting and adjusting the wrenches to the wound (30), with a warping wrench (24) anpassade för att mtä primärslingans (12) ledningars magnetfält. • · »» ») <I I