Transportation apparatus

Claim 2

Transportation apparatus, comprising: a conveyor, and at least one drive for said conveyor, said at least one drive including: (a) an electric motor for driving said conveyor, and (b) an electrically controlled brake, including a brake coil and a brake controller for decelerating said conveyor when the electric motor ceases to drive said conveyor, said brake controller including a deceleration servo loop and an inner current loop, said deceleration servo loop including means providing a first signal having a constant magnitude representing the desired deceleration rate of the conveyor, and means responsive to movement of said conveyor for providing a second signal responsive to the actual deceleration rate of the conveyor, said deceleration servo loop providing a current reference signal for said current loop responsive to said first and second signals, said current loop controlling the current in said brake coil.

Claim 3

The transportation apparatus of claim 1 including means for regulating the brake current while the electric motor is driving the conveyor.

Claim 4

The transportation apparatus of claim 1 including at least one additional drive for the conveyor, spaced from the at least one drive, with each drive having an independent deceleration servo loop, including separate means for providing its own local deceleration feedback signal, and including means for providing a single deceleration reference signal which is common to all drives.

Claim 5

Transportation apparatus, comprising: a conveyor, and at least one drive for said conveyor, said at least one drive including: (a) an electric motor for driving said conveyor, and (b) an electrically controlled brake, including a brake coil and a brake controller for decelerating said conveyor when the electric motor ceases to drive said conveyor, said brake controller including a deceleration servo loop and an inner current loop, said deceleration servo loop providing a current reference signal for said current loop, said brake controller including a power supply for the brake coil, said current loop including means for limiting the brake coil current, which means is effective only while the electric motor is driving the conveyor, to enable the use of a higher voltage power supply for said brake coil for increased brake coil forcing during brake controlled deceleration of the conveyor.

Claim 6

Transportation apparatus, comprising: a conveyor, and at least one drive for said conveyor, said at least one drive including: (a) an electric motor for driving said conveyor, and (b) an electrically controlled brake, including a brake coil and a brake controller for decelerating said conveyor when the electric motor ceases to drive said conveyor, said brake controller including a deceleration servo loop and an inner current loop, said deceleration servo loop providing a current reference signal for said current loop, said brake controller including a power supply for the brake coil, said current loop including means for limiting the brake coil current, which means is effective only while the electric motor is driving the conveyor, to enable the use of a higher voltage power supply for said brake coil for increased brake coil forcing during brake controlled deceleration of the conveyor.

Claim 7

Transportation apparatus, comprising: a conveyor, and at least one drive for said conveyor, said at least one drive including: (a) an electric motor for driving said conveyor, and (b) an electrically controlled brake, including a brake coil and a brake controller for decelerating said conveyor when the electric motor ceases to drive said conveyor, said brake controller including a deceleration servo loop and an inner current loop, said deceleration servo loop providing a current reference signal for said current loop, said electrically controlled brake including rotatable and non-rotatable braking members, separable to provide a predetermined maximum brake gap therebetween when the brake coil is fully energized, said brake controller including a power supply for the brake coil, said current loop including means for limiting the brake current which is effective only while the electric motor is driving the conveyor, to enable use of a higher voltage power supply for said brake coil for increased brake coil forcing during brake controlled deceleration of the conveyor, as well as to increase the brake response speed at the start of deceleration by reducing brake gap state change.

Claim 8

Transportation apparatus, comprising: a conveyor, and at least one drive for said conveyor, said at least one drive including: (a) an electric motor for driving said conveyor, and (b) an electrically controlled brake, including a brake coil and a brake controller for decelerating said conveyor when the electric motor ceases to drive said conveyor, said brake controller including a deceleration servo loop and an inner current loop, said deceleration servo loop providing a current reference signal for said current loop, said electrically controlled brake including rotatable and non-rotatable braking members, separable to provide a predetermined maximum brake gap therebetween when the brake coil is fully energized, said brake controller including a power supply for the brake coil, said current loop including means for limiting the brake current which is effective only while the electric motor is driving the conveyor, to enable use of a higher voltage power supply for said brake coil for increased brake coil forcing during brake controlled deceleration of the conveyor, as well as to increase the brake response speed at the start of deceleration by reducing brake gap state change.

Claim 9

The transportation apparatus of claim 5 including means mechanically reducing the maximum gap which is effective while the electrical motor is driving the conveyor, as well as during brake controlled deceleration of the conveyor, to increase brake response speed and reduce hysteresis.

Claim 10

Transportation apparatus, comprising: a conveyor, and at least one drive for said conveyor, said at least one drive including: (a) an electric motor for driving said conveyor, and (b) an electrically controlled brake, including a brake coil and a brake controller for decelerating said conveyor when the electric motor ceases to drive said conveyor, said brake controller including a deceleration servo loop and an inner current loop, said deceleration servo loop providing a current reference signal for said current loop, said electrically controlled brake including rotatable and non-rotatable braking members separable to provide a predetermined maximum brake gap therebetween when the brake coil is fully energized, and means mechanically reducing the maximum brake gap, which is effective while the electric motor is driving the conveyor, as well as during brake controlled deceleration of the conveyor, to increase brake response speed and reduce hysteresis.

Claim 11

Transportation apparatus, comprising: a conveyor, and at least one drive for said conveyor, said at least one drive including: (a) an electric motor for driving said conveyor, and (b) an electrically controlled brake, including a brake coil and a brake controller for decelerating said conveyor when the electric motor ceases to drive said conveyor, said brake controller including a deceleration servo loop and an inner current loop, said deceleration servo loop providing a current reference signal for said current loop, said electrically controlled brake including rotatable and non-rotatable braking members separable to provide a predetermined maximum brake gap therebetween when the brake coil is fully energized, and means mechanically reducing the maximum brake gap, which is effective while the electric motor is driving the conveyor, as well as during brake controlled deceleration of the conveyor, to increase brake response speed and reduce hysteresis.

Claim 12

Transportation apparatus, comprising: a conveyor, and at least one drive for said conveyor, said at least one drive including: (a) an electric motor for driving said conveyor, and (b) an electrically controlled brake, including a brake coil and a brake controller for decelerating said conveyor when the electric motor ceases to drive said conveyor, said brake controller including a deceleration servo loop and an inner current loop, said deceleration servo loop providing a current reference signal for said current loop, said deceleration servo loop including: (a) first means providing a first signal representative of the desired deceleration rate of the conveyor, (b) second means providing a second signal responsive to the actual deceleration rate of said conveyor at the location of said at least one drive, and (c) third means providing a third signal responsive to a comparison of said first and second signals, with said third signal being the current reference signal for the current loop, said current loop including: (d) fourth means providing a fourth signal responsive to the actual brake current, (e) fifth means providing a fifth signal responsive to a comparison of said third and fourth signals, and (f) sixth means controlling the brake current in response to said fifth signal, at least when the electric motor ceases to drive the conveyor.

Claim 13

Transportation apparatus, comprising: a conveyor, and at least one drive for said conveyor, said at least one drive including: (a) an electric motor for driving said conveyor, and (b) an electrically controlled brake, including a brake coil and a brake controller for decelerating said conveyor when the electric motor ceases to drive said conveyor, said brake controller including a deceleration servo loop and an inner current loop, said deceleration servo loop providing a current reference signal for said current loop, said deceleration servo loop including: (a) first means providing a first signal representative of the desired deceleration rate of the conveyor, (b) second means providing a second signal responsive to the actual deceleration rate of said conveyor at the location of said at least one drive, and (c) third means providing a third signal responsive to a comparison of said first and second signals, with said third signal being the current reference signal for the current loop, said current loop including: (d) fourth means providing a fourth signal responsive to the actual brake current, (e) fifth means providing a fifth signal responsive to a comparison of said third and fourth signals, and (f) sixth means controlling the brake current in response to said fifth signal, at least when the electric motor ceases to drive the conveyor.

Claim 14

The transportation apparatus of claim 8 wherein the first signal provided by said first means is a selectable constant.

Claim 15

The transportation apparatus of claim 8 wherein the sixth means additionally includes means for controlling the brake current while the electric motor is driving the conveyor.

Claim 16

The transportation apparatus of claim 8 wherein the fourth means includes means for pulse width modulating the fourth signal.

Claim 17

The transportation apparatus of claim 8 including seventh means, effective only when the electric motor is driving the conveyor, for limiting the current through the brake coil.

Claim 18

The transportation apparatus of claim 8 including at least one additional drive for the conveyor, spaced from the at least one drive, which, similar to the at least one drive, includes an independent deceleration servo loop, and means providing a separate signal responsive to the actual deceleration rate of the conveyor at the location of the at least one additional drive, and wherein the first signal provided by the first means of the at least one drive is also applied to the deceleration servo loop of the at least one additional drive, such that the first signal is common to all drives.