Patent Publication Number: US-9428367-B2

Title: Long-distance transport system for people in inclined lane

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of and priority to PCT/CN2014/071548 filed on Jan. 27, 2014, entitled (translation), “LONG-DISTANCE TRANSPORT SYSTEM FOR PEOPLE IN INCLINED LANE,” which claims the benefit of and priority to Chinese Patent Application No. CN 201310090679.3 filed on Mar. 21, 2013, entitled (translation), “INCLINED DRIFT PERSONNEL LONG-DISTANCE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM,” both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety into this application. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     Embodiments of the invention relate to a transportation facility in coal mines, in particular to an inclined drift long-distance transportation system for a person. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Existing inclined drift transportation facilities for a person in coal mines mainly includes aerial cableway and a man car, etc. However, in recent years, accidents related to these transportation facilities take place frequently and have resulted in many casualties, and the safety of such facilities is worrisome, and thus the conventional art needs to be further improved and developed. Therefore, many coal mine enterprises are in urgent need for a safer and more comfortable transportation facility to substitute the existing ones to transport a person in the inclined drift of coal mines safely and efficiently. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of the invention provide a safer and more comfortable inclined drift long-distance transportation system to substitute existing inclined drift transportation facilities for a person in coal mines. 
     In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, there is provided an inclined drift long-distance transportation system for a person, in which the system includes a plurality of hydraulic drive units, a traction chain, a truss, a supporting guide rail, and a retractable pedal. According to an embodiment, the truss includes a plurality of truss units connected sequentially by a head-to-tail connection, and each truss unit includes a hydraulic drive unit thereon. According to an embodiment, the traction chain and the supporting guide rail are arranged along a length direction of the truss, and the plurality of hydraulic drive units are in transmission connection with the traction chain. According to an embodiment, the retractable pedal is arranged on the traction chain, and a plurality of supporting rollers configured to roll along the supporting guide rail are arranged on the retractable pedal. 
     According to an embodiment, each of the hydraulic drive unit includes an exterior driving frame, whereby the exterior driving frame includes hydraulic motors and supporting bases arranged separately thereon, the hydraulic motors are connected to a hydraulic pump station, a brake and a driving sprocket are arranged on an output shaft of each of the hydraulic motors, a rotating shaft is arranged on the supporting base, a driven sprocket is arranged on the rotating shaft, and the driving sprocket and driven sprocket are in transmission connection with each other via a transmission chain. According to an embodiment, the traction chain includes engaging teeth configured to engage the transmission chain, and the transmission chain and traction chain are in transmission connection with each other via the engaging teeth. 
     According to an embodiment, the hydraulic pump station includes an oil tank, a hydraulic pump, solenoid directional valves, a shunting motor, and one-way throttle valves. According to an embodiment, an oil supply chamber of the oil tank is connected to an oil inlet of the shunting motor via the hydraulic pump, an oil outlet of the shunting motor is connected to one oil inlet of the solenoid directional valve, a first reverse interface of the solenoid directional valve is connected to a obverse oil inlet of the hydraulic motor via the one-way throttle valve, a second reverse interface of the solenoid directional valve is connected to the reversed oil inlet of the hydraulic motor, and an oil outlet of the solenoid directional valve is connected to an oil return chamber of the oil tank. 
     According to an embodiment, a proportional flow valve, a flow meter, and a pressure gauge are arranged on the connecting pipeline between the oil outlet of the shunting motor and the oil inlet of the solenoid directional valve, and a shaft encoder is arranged on the output shaft of the hydraulic motor. 
     According to an embodiment, a sliding channel is arranged on the exterior driving frame, and the supporting base is arranged in the sliding channel in a slideable manner, and a tensioning spring is arranged between the supporting base and the exterior driving frame. 
     According to an embodiment, supporting devices configured to be adjusted upwards are arranged on the bottom of the plurality of truss units. 
     According to an embodiment, the traction chain includes several rack pieces connected sequentially by a head-to-tail connection, and adjacent rack pieces are connected to each other via a hinge. 
     Embodiments of the invention, as recited in the pending claims, provide non-obvious advantages over conventional systems. For example, 
     (1) The truss in the transportation system, according to an embodiment of the invention, is formed by a plurality of truss units connected together to break down the entire transportation system into a plurality of smaller units, thus, transportation for the person with the transportation system in the inclined drift where the sectional dimension is small will be convenient; 
     (2) Each truss unit is provided with supporting devices that are configured to be adjusted upwards. Thus, multi-point support is formed on the bottom of the transportation system, and thereby the supporting safety of the transportation system is improved; 
     (3) Each truss unit is provided with a plurality of hydraulic drive units in it, and a traction chain is driven by the hydraulic drive units. Thus, the overall driving power of the transportation system is improved, the stress amplitude of the traction chain is reduced, and it is possible to implement long distance transportation or even super-long distance transportation; 
     (4) The traction chain is formed by a plurality of rack pieces hinged together, and all of the rack pieces have the same size. Thus, the manufacturing cost can be reduced greatly. 
     Various objects, advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the invention are better understood with regard to the following Detailed Description, appended Claims, and accompanying Figures. It is to be noted, however, that the Figures illustrate only various embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of the invention&#39;s scope as it may include other effective embodiments as well. 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of the layout in the inclined drift of the inclined drift long-distance transportation system for a person according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a top view of the inclined drift long-distance transportation system for the person according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic structural diagram of the truss of the inclined drift long-distance transportation system for the person according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of the hydraulic drive unit of the inclined drift long-distance transportation system for the person according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of the hydraulic drive unit of the inclined drift long-distance transportation system for the person according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic diagram of the principle of hydraulic pressure in the inclined drift long-distance transportation system for the person according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic diagram of the transmission connection between the hydraulic drive unit and the traction chain in the inclined drift long-distance transportation system for the person according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic structural diagram of the traction chain of the inclined drift long-distance transportation system for the person according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic diagram of the connection between the retractable pedal and the traction chain in the inclined drift long-distance transportation system for the person according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a schematic structural diagram of the retractable pedal of the inclined drift long-distance transportation system for the person according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a sectional view of the supporting guide rail of, the inclined drift long-distance transportation system for the person according to an embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     Among the figures:  1 —hydraulic drive unit;  2 —traction chain;  3 —truss;  4 —supporting guide rail;  5 —retractable pedal;  6 —supporting roller;  7 —engaging tooth;  8 —sliding channel;  11 —hydraulic pump station;  12 —hydraulic motor;  13 —brake;  14 —transmission chain;  15 —driving sprocket;  16 —driven sprocket;  17 —tensioning spring;  18 —supporting base;  19 —exterior driving frame;  20 —oil tank;  21 —hydraulic pump;  22 —solenoid directional valve;  23 —shunting motor;  24 —proportional flow valve;  25 —flow meter;  26 —pressure gauge;  27 —rack piece;  28 —supporting device;  29 —one-way throttle valve. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Advantages and features of the invention and methods of accomplishing the same will be apparent by referring to embodiments described below in detail in connection with the accompanying drawings. However, the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below and may be implemented in various different forms. The embodiments are provided only for completing the disclosure of the invention and for fully representing the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. 
     For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing figures illustrate the general manner of construction, and descriptions and details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the discussion of the described embodiments of the invention. Additionally, elements in the drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. According to at least one embodiment, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodiments of the invention. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the inclined drift long-distance transportation system for the person according to various embodiments of the invention includes a plurality of hydraulic drive units  1 , a traction chain  2 , a truss  3 , a supporting guide rail  4 , and a retractable pedal  5 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the truss  3 , according to an embodiment, includes six truss units connected sequentially by a head-to-tail connection, whereby adjacent truss units are fixed together by bolting, and supporting devices  28  that can be adjusted upwards are arranged on the bottom of the truss units. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5 , each truss unit is provided with a hydraulic drive unit  1  thereon, each of the hydraulic drive units  1  including an exterior driving frame  19 . According to an embodiment, hydraulic motors  12  and supporting bases  18  are arranged separately on the exterior driving frame  19 , and a hydraulic pump station  11  is connected to the hydraulic motors  12 . A brake  13  and a driving sprocket  15  are arranged on an output shaft of each of the hydraulic motors  12 , a rotating shaft is arranged on the supporting base  18 , a driven sprocket  16  is arranged on the rotating shaft, and the driving sprocket  15  is in transmission connection with the driven sprocket  16  via a transmission chain  14 . To keep the transmission chain  14  in tensioned state, a sliding channel  8  is arranged on the exterior driving frame  19 , the supporting base  18  is arranged in the sliding channel  8  in a slideable manner, and a tensioning spring  17  is arranged between the supporting base  18  and the exterior driving frame  19 , so that the transmission chain  14  is kept in tensioned state by the tensioning spring  17 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the hydraulic pump station  11  includes an oil tank  20 , a hydraulic pump  21 , solenoid directional valves  22 , a shunting motor  23 , and one-way throttle valves  29 . According to an embodiment of the invention, the shunting motor  23  has one oil inlet and six oil outlets, there are six solenoid directional valves  22  and six one-way throttle valves  29  respectively, and the six solenoid directional valves  22  and six one-way throttle valves  29  are in a one-to-one correspondence to the hydraulic motors  12  in the hydraulic drive unit  1 . Each solenoid directional valve  22  has an oil inlet, two reverse interfaces, and an oil outlet. An oil supply chamber of the oil tank  20  is connected to the oil inlet of the shunting motor  23  via the hydraulic pump  21 , each oil outlet of the shunting motor  23  is connected to the oil inlet of one solenoid directional valve  22 , the first reverse interface of each solenoid directional valve  22  is connected to a obverse oil inlet of the hydraulic motor  12  via a one-way throttle valve  29 , the second reverse interface of each solenoid directional valve  22  is connected to a reversed oil inlet of the hydraulic motor  12 , and the oil outlet of each solenoid directional valve  22  is connected to an oil return chamber of the oil tank  20 . To improve the synchronous output of the hydraulic drive unit  1 , a proportional flow valve  24 , a flow meter  25 , and a pressure gauge  26  are arranged on the connecting pipeline between the oil outlet of the shunting motor  23  and the oil inlet of the solenoid directional valve  22 , and a shaft encoder is arranged on the output shaft of the hydraulic motor  12 . According to an embodiment of the invention, with the flow meter  25 , pressure gauge  26 , and shaft encoder, the hydraulic motor is monitored in real time, and the hydraulic motors  12  in the hydraulic drive units  1  are controlled to operate synchronously by regulating the flow through each proportional flow valve  24 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 7 ,  FIG. 8 , and  FIG. 11 , both the traction chain  2  and the supporting guide rail  4  are arranged along the length direction of the truss  3 . The traction chain  2  is formed by several rack pieces  27  connected sequentially a by head-to-tail connection, whereby adjacent rack pieces  27  are connected to each other via a hinge. According to an embodiment, each rack piece  27  includes engaging teeth  7  that engages with the transmission chain  14 , and the traction chain  2  and the transmission chain  14  are in transmission connection with each other via the engaging teeth  7 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 9-11 , the retractable pedal  5 , according to an embodiment of the invention, is arranged next to each other or at a separate space on the traction chain  2 , and the retractable pedal  5  is connected with the traction chain  2  via a hinge. According to an embodiment, supporting rollers  6  capable of rolling along the supporting guide rail  4  are arranged on the retractable pedal  5 . 
     According to at least one embodiment, the inclined drift long-distance transportation system for the person can be implemented in bidirectional transportation. 
     According to an embodiment, the solenoid directional valve  22  is controlled so that the oil inlet of the solenoid directional valve  22  communicates with the first reverse interface while the second reverse interface communicates with the oil outlet. According to an embodiment, the hydraulic pump  21  sucks up hydraulic oil from the oil supply chamber of the oil tank  20 , and the hydraulic oil is shunted by the shunting motor  23  so that the flow is evenly distributed to each hydraulic drive unit  1 . Subsequently, the hydraulic oil passes through the proportional flow valve  24 , flow meter  25 , solenoid directional valve  22 , and one-way throttle valve  29 , and flows into the hydraulic motor  12  through the obverse oil inlet, and drives the hydraulic motor  12  to rotate in the obverse direction. Subsequently, the hydraulic oil is discharged from the hydraulic motor  12  through the reversed oil inlet, passes through the solenoid directional valve  22 , and flows into the oil return chamber of the oil tank  20 . As the hydraulic motor  12  rotates in the obverse direction, it drives the transmission chain  14  to circulate in the obverse direction, and the transmission chain  14  drives the traction chain  2  and the retractable pedal  5  to move upwards together along the supporting guide rail  4 , thereby transporting persons upwards in the inclined drift. 
     According to another embodiment, the solenoid directional valve  22  is controlled so that the oil inlet of the solenoid directional valve  22  communicates with the second reverse interface while the first reverse interface communicates with the oil outlet. According to an embodiment, the hydraulic pump  21  sucks up hydraulic oil from the oil supply chamber of the oil tank  20 , and the hydraulic oil is shunted by the shunting motor  23  so that the flow is evenly distributed to each hydraulic drive unit  1 . Subsequently, the hydraulic oil passes through the proportional flow valve  24 , flow meter  25 , solenoid directional valve  22 , and one-way throttle valve  29 , and flows into the hydraulic motor  12  through the reversed oil inlet, and drives the hydraulic motor  12  to rotate in the reversed direction; then, the hydraulic oil is discharged from the hydraulic motor  12  through the obverse oil inlet, passes through the one-way throttle valve  29  and solenoid directional valve  22 , and flows into the oil return chamber of the oil tank  20 . As the hydraulic motor  12  rotates in the reversed direction, it drives the transmission chain  14  to circulate in the reversed direction, and the transmission chain  14  drives the traction chain  2  and the retractable pedal  5  to move downwards together along the supporting guide rail  4 , thereby transporting persons downwards in the inclined drift. 
     According to an embodiment, the solenoid directional valve  22  is controlled so that the oil inlet of the solenoid directional valve  22  communicates with its oil outlet, the hydraulic pump  21  sucks up hydraulic oil from the oil supply chamber of the oil tank  20 , and the hydraulic oil is shunted by the shunting motor  23  and evenly distributed to each hydraulic drive unit  1 . Subsequently, the hydraulic oil passes through the proportional flow valve  24 , flow meter  25 , and solenoid directional valve  22 , and flows into the oil return chamber of the oil tank  20 . In this case, the hydraulic oil doesn&#39;t flow through the hydraulic motor  12 , and the hydraulic motor  12  stops, i.e., the transportation for the person in the inclined drift stops. 
     Terms used herein are provided to explain embodiments, not limiting the invention. Throughout this specification, the singular form includes the plural form unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. When terms “comprises” and/or “comprising” used herein do not preclude existence and addition of another component, step, operation and/or device, in addition to the above-mentioned component, step, operation and/or device. 
     Embodiments of the invention may suitably comprise, consist or consist essentially of the elements disclosed and may be practiced in the absence of an element not disclosed. According to at least one embodiment, it can be recognized by those skilled in the art that certain steps can be combined into a single step. 
     The terms and words used in the specification and claims should not be interpreted as being limited to typical meanings or dictionary definitions, but should be interpreted as having meanings and concepts relevant to the technical scope of the invention based on the rule according to which an inventor can appropriately define the concept of the term to describe the best method he or she knows for carrying out the invention. 
     The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the invention described herein are, for example, capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. Similarly, if a method is described herein as comprising a series of steps, the order of such steps as presented herein is not necessarily the only order in which such steps may be performed, and certain of the stated steps may possibly be omitted and/or certain other steps not described herein may possibly be added to the method. 
     The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. 
     As used herein and in the appended claims, the words “comprise,” “has,” and “include” and all grammatical variations thereof are each intended to have an open, non-limiting meaning that does not exclude additional elements or steps. 
     As used herein, it will be understood that unless a term such as ‘directly’ is not used in a connection, coupling, or disposition relationship between one component and another component, one component may be ‘directly connected to’, ‘directly coupled to’ or ‘directly disposed to’ another element or be connected to, coupled to, or disposed to another element, having the other element intervening therebetween. 
     As used herein, the terms “left,” “right,” “front,” “back,” “top,” “bottom,” “over,” “under,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing permanent relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the invention described herein are, for example, capable of operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. The term “coupled,” as used herein, is defined as directly or indirectly connected in an electrical or non-electrical manner. Objects described herein as being “adjacent to” each other may be in physical contact with each other, in close proximity to each other, or in the same general region or area as each other, as appropriate for the context in which the phrase is used. Occurrences of the phrase “according to an embodiment” herein do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. 
     Ranges may be expressed herein as from about one particular value, and/or to about another particular value. When such a range is expressed, it is to be understood that another embodiment is from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value, along with all combinations within said range. 
     Although the invention has been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made hereupon without departing from the principle and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined by the following claims and their appropriate legal equivalents.