Electric linear motor, elevator and method for controlling rotation of a mover with respect to a stator beam of an electric linear motor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11025186-B2
Application number	US-201916690409-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2019
Priority date	Dec 14, 2018
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

An electric linear motor, an elevator and a method for controlling rotation of a mover with respect to a stator beam are presented. The electric linear motor includes a number of stator beams, wherein at least one of the stator beams includes a plurality of stators extending in a longitudinal direction of the stator beam, a number of movers, wherein at least one of the movers includes a plurality of armatures, wherein each one of the armatures is adapted for establishing an electromagnetic coupling with a corresponding one of the stators for moving the mover along said stator, and wherein at least one of the armatures is arranged to be offset from the aligned position with respect to the corresponding one of the stators in a perpendicular direction relative to the longitudinal direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electric linear motor comprising:
at least one stator beam, wherein the at least one stator beam comprises a plurality of stators extending in a longitudinal direction of the stator beam; and
at least one mover, wherein the at least one mover comprises a plurality of armatures,
wherein each one of the plurality of armatures is adapted for establishing an electromagnetic coupling with a corresponding one of the plurality of stators for moving the mover along said stator, and
wherein at least one of the plurality of armatures is arranged to be offset from an aligned position with respect to the corresponding one of the plurality of stators in a perpendicular direction relative to the longitudinal direction of the corresponding stator, and in parallel with respect to a width of the corresponding stator.

2. The electric linear motor according to claim 1 , wherein the armature comprises a winding.

3. The electric linear motor according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of armatures is arranged to be offset from the aligned position with respect to the corresponding one of the plurality of stators such that a torque component for rotating the mover in a first direction with respect to the stator beam is generated when current is injected to the winding of said plurality of armatures.

4. The electric linear motor according to claim 2 , wherein at least one additional armature of the plurality of armatures is arranged offset with respect to its corresponding one of the plurality of stators for generating a torque component for rotating the mover in a second direction with respect to the stator beam.

5. The electric linear motor according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of stators comprises at least four stators, and the plurality of armatures comprises at least four armatures.

6. The electric linear motor according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of stators and the plurality of armatures are arranged with respect to each other for enabling a control of an air gap between the stator beam and the mover.

7. The electric linear motor according to claim 6 , wherein said two of the plurality of armatures are arranged offset for generating torque components for rotating the mover with respect to the stator beam in the same direction.

8. The electric linear motor according to claim 1 , wherein two of the plurality of armatures are arranged at opposite sides of the stator beam.

9. The electric linear motor according to claim 1 , wherein two consecutive armatures of the plurality of armatures are arranged offset from aligned positions to opposite directions with respect to their corresponding stator.

10. The electric linear motor according to claim 1 , wherein the stator beam has a rounding shape in corners of the stator beam.

11. The electric linear motor according to claim 1 , comprising an air gap regulator configured to regulate movement of the mover in at least one of the following: a first direction with respect to the stator beam, and a second direction with respect to the stator beam.

12. The electric linear motor according to claim 11 , wherein the number of guides comprises at least one of the following: a guide surface, a roller, a permanent magnet, and an electromagnet.

13. The electric linear motor according to claim 1 , comprising an air gap regulator configured to regulate movement of the mover, wherein the air gap regulator comprises a number of guides arranged for limiting rotation of the mover with respect to the stator beam at least in one direction while allowing movement in a direction of the air gap.

14. An elevator comprising:
the electric linear motor according to claim 1 ;
a number of elevator cars;
an elevator shaft, wherein at least one stator beam is arranged to extend along the elevator shaft; and
at least one mover coupled to each one of the number of elevator cars, respectively, for moving the elevator car in the elevator shaft.

15. The elevator according to claim 14 , wherein the electric linear motor comprises a plurality of stator beams and a plurality of movers.

16. The elevator according to claim 15 , wherein at least two of the movers are coupled to the same elevator car.

17. The elevator according to claim 15 , wherein at least two of the movers are arranged to be moved along different stator beams.

18. The elevator according to claim 14 , comprising a plurality of elevator cars, wherein each elevator car has at least one of the movers coupled to said elevator car for moving said elevator car in the elevator shaft.

19. A method for controlling rotation of a mover with respect to a stator beam of an electric linear motor, wherein the electric linear motor comprises a number of stator beams, wherein at least one of the number of stator beams comprises a plurality of stators extending in a longitudinal direction of the stator beam, and a number of movers, wherein at least one of the number of movers comprises a plurality of armatures, wherein each one of the plurality of armatures is adapted for establishing an electromagnetic coupling with a corresponding one of the plurality of stators for moving the mover along the corresponding one of the plurality of stators, and wherein at least one of the plurality of armatures is arranged to be offset from the aligned position with respect to the corresponding one of the plurality of stators in a perpendicular direction relative to the longitudinal direction of the corresponding stator, and in parallel with respect to a width of the corresponding stator, and wherein the armature comprises a winding, the method comprising:
controlling currents of the at least one of the plurality of armatures by a current controller configured to control the rotation of the mover with respect to the stator beam.

20. The method according to claim 19 , wherein the electric linear motor comprises the at least one of the plurality of armatures arranged offset with respect to its corresponding one of the plurality stators for generating a torque component for rotating the mover in a first direction with respect to the stator beam, and at least one additional armature of the plurality of armatures is arranged offset with respect to its corresponding one of the plurality of stators for generating a torque component for rotating the mover in a second direction with respect to the stator beam, wherein the method comprises:
controlling currents of winding(s) of said one and said at least one additional armature by the current controller for controlling the rotation of the mover in the first and second directions.

21. The method according to claim 19 , wherein the electric linear motor comprises two of the plurality of armatures arranged at opposite sides of the stator beam and offset for generating torque components for rotating the mover in the same direction with respect to the stator beam, wherein the method comprises:
controlling currents of windings of said two of the plurality of armatures by the current controller for controlling the rotation of the mover in the first or in the second direction.

22. The method according to claim 19 , comprising controlling a direct component of the currents for controlling the rotation of the mover.

Assignees

• Kone Corp

Inventors

• Lähteenmäki Jussi
• Korhonen Tuukka
• Purosto Tero
• Hakala Tero

Classifications

• B66B11/0407 Primary

  actuated by an electrical linear motor (in the counterweight B66B17/12) · CPC title

• B66B1/06

  electric · CPC title

• B66B11/043

  actuated by rotating motor; Details, e.g. ventilation (roping on drum, sheave, winch or pulley B66B11/0065; power supply or control B66B1/28, H02P; motor construction H02K) · CPC title

• B66B7/00

  Other common features of elevators · CPC title

• H02K41/033

  with armature and magnets on one member, the other member being a flux distributor · CPC title