Apparatus for carrying a load vertically

Abstract: An apparatus for carrying a load vertically comprises a carrying capsule (1) that has a space (1b) for accommodating an object which is to be carried, the capsule (1) incorporating a horizontal superconducting coil (3), and armature coils (2) that are vertically arranged side by side outside the carrying capsule (1), upward thrust force being obtained by a correlation between a persistent current (I) that flows in the super­ conducting coil (3) and magnetic fields (B) that are produced around the armature coils (2). A coil support device includes a coil support member (8) that supports the superconducting coil (3), a helium vessel (12) that accommodates the superconducting coil (3) and the coil support member (8) and that also supports the coil support member (8) through an oscillation preventing member (11), and a vacuum vessel (4) that accommodates and supports the helium vessel (12).

Description: The present invention relates to an apparatus that can carry an object or load vertically by use of a superconducting coil and armature coils. In conventional vertical carrying apparatuses, for example, elevators, lifting devices, etc., an object is carried vertically by winding or unwinding a wire (or chain) by means of a rotational prime mover, for example, an electric motor. Since the conventional vertical carrying apparatuses are designed to carry an object vertically by winding or unwinding a wire (or chain) by means of a rotational prime mover, e.g., an electric motor, as described above, when vertical conveyance for a long distance is to be effected, the wire lengthens, so that the wire's own weight that acts on the wire as a load may exceed the tensile strength of the wire. In such a case, it becomes impossible to perform vertical conveyance. If the cross-sectional area of the wire is enlarged in order to increase the tensile strength, the wire's own weight increases by an amount corresponding to an increase in the cross-sectional area of the wire, so that it also becomes impossible to effect vertical conveyance. Thus, in this type of vertically carrying apparatus, the distance for which an object can be carried vertically is limited by the wire's (or chain's) own weight. If a superconducting coil and armature coils are used, it is possible to carry an object vertically without using a wire or chain. However, the conventional apparatuses of this type are adapted for horizontal conveyance, and if such an apparatus is applied to vertical conveyance, problems arise which will be stated below. One example of the conventional horizontal carrying apparatuses that carry an object horizontally by use of a combination of superconducting and armature coils will first be explained with reference to Fig. 13. A vacuum vessel 04 is attached to a carrying capsule (not shown). A helium container 012 is accommodated and secured in the vacuum vessel 04. A superconducting coil 03 is accommodated and secured in the helium vessel 012. Reference numeral 014 denotes bands that are used to secure the vacuum vessel 04 to the carrying capsule. In operation, the current value of each of the armature coils (not shown) that are horizontally arranged side by side outside the carrying capsule is controlled in accordance with the movement of the carrying capsule so that magnetic fields B that are produced around the armature coils intersect vertically to a persistent current I that flows in the superconducting coil 03, thereby obtaining horizontal thrust force F at the portions A and C of the superconducting coil 03 and further obtaining carrying capsule levitating force at the portion B. If this horizontal carrying apparatus is applied to vertical conveyance, the arrangement may be such as that shown in Fig. 14. In this figure, reference numeral 01 denotes a carrying capsule that accommodates an object to be carried. A vacuum vessel 04 is secured to the carrying capsule 01 through bands 014, and a helium vessel 012 is accommodated and secured in the vacuum vessel 04. In addition, a superconducting coil 03 is accommodated and secured in the helium vessel 012. The vacuum vessel 04, the helium vessel 012 and the superconducting coil 03 are directed vertically, and armature coils are vertically arranged side by side, surrounding the carrying capsule 01. In this case, upward thrust force F is obtained at the portions A and C of the superconducting coil 03, shown in Fig. 13, but no upward thrust force F is obtained at the portion B. Therefore, it has heretofore been necessary in order to obtain large upward thrust force F to increase the overall size of the vertical carrying apparatus, resulting in a rise in the construction cost. In view of the above-described problems of the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vertical carrying apparatus which is designed so that it is possible to reduce the construction cost. It is a preferred object of the invention also to protect the superconducting coil and a helium vessel from oscillation and thermal contraction. To this end, the present invention provides a vertical carrying apparatus comprising a carrying capsule that has a space for accommodating a load to be carried, the capsule incorporating a superconducting coil the circumference of which extends in a horizontal plane, and armature coils that are vertically arranged side by side outside the carrying capsule, wherein the arrangement is such that in use, upward thrust force is obtained by a correlation between a persistent current that flows in the superconducting coil and magnetic fields that are produced around the armature coils. In the vertical carrying apparatus of the present invention, arranged as described above, the carrying capsule is raised inside the armature coils that are vertically arranged side by side, with an object to be carried being accommodated within the space that is defined in the carrying capsule. At that time, the current value of each armature coil is controlled in accordance with the movement of the carrying capsule so that magnetic fields B that are produced around the armature coils intersect vertically with a persistent current I that flows in the superconducting coil thereby allowing all of the persistent current I flowing in the superconducting coil to contribute to the upward thrust force F, and thus enabling maximal upward thrust force F to be obtained. Preferably the vertical carrying apparatus of the present invention further comprises a coil support device which includes a coil support member that supports the superconducting coil, a helium vessel that accommodates the superconducting coil and the coil support member and that also supports the coil support member through an oscillation preventing member, and a vacuum vessel that accommodates and supports the helium vessel , thereby protecting the superconducting coil and the helium vessel from oscillation and thermal contraction. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the vertical carrying apparatus according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a partly-sectioned side view corresponding to Fig.1; Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view taken along the line III-III of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional side view showing a part of Fig.2 that includes a vacuum vessel, a helium vessel and a superconducting coil; Fig. 5 is an enlarged side view of the part that is indicated by the arrow V in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view taken along the line VI-VI of Fig. 4; Fig. 7 shows one example of a device for controlling the position of the carrying capsule; Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the way in which the carrying capsule is moved; Fig. 9 is a plan view of the arrangement that is shown in Fig. 8; Figs. 10, 11 and 12 show the correlation between a persistent current that flows in each superconducting coil, magnetic fields that are produced around armature coils, and upward thrust force that acts on the carrying capsule; Fig. 13 shows the operation of a conventional horizontal carrying apparatus; and Fig. 14 is a perspective view of an arrangement in which the conventional horizontal carrying apparatus is applied to a vertical carrying apparatus. One embodiment of the vertical carrying apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to Figs. 1 to 6. Reference numeral 1 in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 denotes a carrying capsule, which comprises a hollow capsule body 1a. A space 1b for accommodating an object to be carried is defined in the hollow capsule body 1a, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Armature coils 2 are vertically arranged side by side outside the carrying capsule 1, the coils 2 being secured inside a pit. Annular vacuum vessels 4 are secured to the hollow capsule body 1a of the carrying capsule 1 through a plurality of vacuum vessel support members 5. A heat shield plate 6 is accommodated and secured in each vacuum vessel 4, as shown in Fig. 4. A helium vessel 12 is accommodated and secured in a space that is defined by the heat shield plate 6. A brake unit 7 is attached to the carrying capsule 1, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The brake unit 7 has a disc pad (not shown) that is provided in opposing relation to a guide rail 13 that also serves as a disc shoe, which is shown in Fig. 1. A superconducting coil 3 is accommodated and secured in each helium vessel 12, as shown in Figs. 1 to 6. Thus, the superconducting coil 3, which is accommodated within both the helium vessel 12 and the vacuum vessel 4, is maintained in cryogenic conditions. The superconducting coil 3 is supported by a coil support member 8. Reference numeral 9 denotes an axial support member 9 for the helium vessel 12, and 10 a radial support member for both the superconducting coil 3 and the helium vessel 12. Reference numeral 11 denotes U-shaped oscillation preventing members. More specifically, the heat shield plate 6 is supported by the axial support member 9 and the radial support member 10, and the superconducting coil 3 is supported by the coil support member 8 in such a manner that the coil 3 is slidable circumferentially. In addition, one end portion of one U-shaped oscillation preventing member 11 is secured to the coil support member 8, and the other end portion of the oscillation preventing member 11 is secured to the helium vessel 12. Thus, the coil support member 8 is not secured directly to the helium vessel 12. More specifically, a radial gap (δ₁) is provided between the coil support member 8 and the helium vessel 12 by taking into account thermal contraction. Similarly, one end portion of another U-shaped oscillation preventing member 11 is secured to the helium vessel 12, and the other end portion of the oscillation preventing member 11 is secured to the vacuum vessel 4. Thus, the two end portions of the radial support member 10 are not secured directly to the helium vessel 12 and the vacuum vessel 4. More specifically, a radial gap (δ₂) is provided between one end portion of the radial support member 10 and the helium vessel 12 by taking into account thermal contraction, and an axial gap (δ₃) is similarly provided between the other end portion of the radial support member 10 and the vacuum vessel 4 by taking into account thermal contraction. In the case where the guide rail 13 that also serves as a disc shoe is provided on the armature coil side, as described above, it is unnecesary to adjust the angle of inclination of the carrying capsule 1 (i.e., the superconducting coil 3). However, when no guide rail 13 is provided, the angle of inclination of the carrying capsule 1 (i.e., the superconducting coil 3) is controlled, as shown in Fig. 7. More specifically, an inclination sensor 15 is attached to the carrying capsule 1, as shown in Fig. 7, and an inclination angle signal is sent to the inclination sensor 15 by wireless from a controller 16 that is installed on the ground, thereby controlling magnetic fields so as to adjust the angle of inclination of the carrying capsule 1 (i.e., the superconducting coil 3). In actual practice, two inclination sensors 15 for two directions X (I) and Y (B) are attached to the carrying capsule 1, and these inclination sensors 15 are controlled by the respective controllers 16. The operation of the vertical carrying apparatus, which is shown in Figs. 1 to 6, will next be explained specifically with reference to Figs. 8 to 12. With an object to be carried being accommodated within the space 1b that is defined in the carrying capsule 1, the capsule 1 is raised inside the armature coils 2 that are vertically arranged side by side, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. At that time, as shown in Figs. 10, 11 and 12, the current value of each armature coil 2 is controlled in accordance with the movement of the carrying capsule 1 so that magnetic fields B that are produced around the armature coils 2 intersect vertically to a persistent current I that flows in each superconducting coil 3 that is horizontally attached to the carrying capsule 1, thereby allowing all of the persistent current I flowing in the superconducting coil 3 to contribute to the upward thrust force F, and thus enabling maximal upward thrust force F to be obtained at the carrying capsule 1. More specifically, if the conventional horizontal carrying apparatus that is shown in Fig. 13 is applied to vertical conveyance, the superconducting coil 03 is directed vertically, as shown in Fig. 14. In this case, upward thrust force F is obtained at the portions A and C, shown in Fig. 13, but no upward thrust force F is obtained at the portion B. Therefore, it has heretofore been necessary in order to obtain large upward thrust force F to increase the overall size of the vertical carrying apparatus, resulting in a rise in the construction cost. In the vertical carrying apparatus of the present invention, however, each superconducting coil 3 is horizontally attached to the carrying capsule 1 and all of the persistent current I that flows in the superconducting coil 3 is allowed to contribute to the upward thrust force F, so that it is possible to obtain maximal upward thrust force F at the carrying capsule 1. In addition, the superconducting coil 3 is supported by the coil support member 8 in such a manner that the coil 3 is slidable circumferentially, and one end portion of the first U-shaped oscillation preventing member 11 is secured to the coil support member 8, while the other end portion of the oscillation preventing member 11 is secured to the helium vessel 12, thereby providing the radial gap (δ₁) between the coil support member 8 and the helium vessel 12 for absorbing thermal contraction. Similarly, one end portion of the second U-shaped oscillation preventing member 11 is secured to the helium vessel 12, while the other end portion of the oscillation preventing member 11 is secured to the vacuum vessel 4, thereby providing the radial gap (δ₂) between one end portion of the radial support member 10 and the helium vessel 12 for absorbing thermal contraction and also providing the axial gap (δ₃) between the other end portion of the radial support member 10 and the vacuum vessel 4 for absorbing thermal contraction. Thus, the superconducting coil 3 and the helium vessel 12 are protected from oscillation and thermal contraction. In the vertical carrying apparatus of the present invention, the carrying capsule is raised inside the armature coils that are vertically arranged side by side, with an object to be carried being accommodated within the space that is defined in the carrying capsule. At that time, the current value of each armature coil is controlled in accordance with the movement of the carrying capsule so that the magnetic fields B that are produced around the armature coils intersect vertically to the persistent current I that flows in each superconducting coil that is horizontally attached to the carrying capsule, thereby allowing all of the persistent current I flowing in the superconducting coil to contribute to the upward thrust force F, and thus enabling maximal upward thrust force F to be obtained at the carrying capsule without the need to increase the overall size of the vertical carrying apparatus. The construction cost can therefore be reduced. The vertical carrying apparatus of the present invention further comprises a coil support device which includes the coil support member that supports a superconducting coil, the helium vessel that accommodates the superconducting coil and the coil support member and that also supports the coil support member through an oscillation preventing member, and the vacuum vessel that accommodates and supports the helium vessel , so that it is possible to protect the superconducting coil and the helium container from oscillation and thermal contraction.

Claims: An apparatus for carrying a load vertically, characterised in that it comprises a carrying capsule (1) that has a space (1B) for accommodating a load which is to be carried, said capsule (1) incorporating a superconducting coil (3) of which the circumference is disposed in a horizontal plane, and armature coils (2) that are vertically arranged side by side outside said carrying capsule (1), the arrangement being such that, in use, upward thrust force upon said capsule (1) is obtained by a correlation between a persistent current that flows in said superconducting coil (3) and magnetic fields that are produced around said armature coils (2). An apparatus according to Claim 1, characterised in that it further comprises a coil support device which includes a coil support member (8) that supports said superconducting coil (3), a helium vessel (12) that accommodates said superconducting coil (3) and said coil support member (8) and that also supports said coil support member (8) through an oscillation preventing member (11), and a vacuum vessel (4) that accommodates and supports said helium vessel (12). An apparatus according to Claim 2, characterised in that said vacuum vessel (4) and said helium vessel (12) are both of generally annular configuration and arranged to surround said space (1b), that supporting means (5,9) are arranged to support said vessels (4,12) relatively to said capsule (1) by engagement with one axial end of each vessel (4,12),and that said coil support member (8) is coupled to said helium vessel (12) by means for accommodating relative radial movement (δ1). An apparatus according to Claim 2 or 3 characterised in that an oscillation member is also coupled between said vacuum vessel (4) and said helium vessel (12). An apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 2-4, characterised in that adjacent circumferential walls of said vacuum vessel (4) and said helium vessel (12) are interconnected by means (10) for accommodating relative radial movement (δ2) and relative axial movement (δ3). An apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1-5, characterised in that said capsule (1) includes means (15) for sensing and transmitting to an external controller (16) signals representing the angular orientation of the capsule relatively to a vertical axis, and that said controller (16) is arranged to control magnetic fields applied by said armature coils (2) in a sense such as to maintain the capsule (1) in a vertical position.

Inventors: AOKI HIROYUKI, HAYAKAWA KAZUYOSHI C O MITSUBI, KIMURA TAKUYA C O MITSUBISHI H, KINUGASA MANABU, MATSUNAGA KENICHI, MIZUSHINA TOMOYUKI, NAKANO TOSHIHIDE C O MITSUBISH, AOKI, HIROYUKI, HAYAKAWA, KAZUYOSHI, KIMURA, TAKUYA, KINUGASA, MANABU, MATSUNAGA, KENICHI, MIZUSHINA, TOMOYUKI, NAKANO, TOSHIHIDE, HAYAKAWA, KAZUYOSHI, C/O MITSUBISHI HEAVY IND. LTD, KIMURA, TAKUYA, C/O MITSUBISHI HEAVY IND. LTD., NAKANO, TOSHIHIDE, C/O MITSUBISHI HEAVY IND. LTD.
Applicants: DORYOKURO KAKUNENRYO, MITSUBISHI HEAVY IND LTD, DORYOKURO KAKUNENRYO KAIHATSU JIGYODAN, MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
Application year: 1990
Main classification: H02K41
IPC codes: B65G54, B66B11, B66B9, B60L13, H02K41, H02K55, B65G51