Modelling of a rope-free passenger transportation system for active cabin vibration damping

Conventional vertical passenger transportation is performed by lifts. Conventional traction-drive electrical lifts use ropes to transfer the rotational motion of an electrical motor into a vertical motion of the cabin. The vertical passenger transportation system discussed in this paper does not use any ropes, the motor directly provides a driving force, which moves the cabin. This new propulsion is realized through an electrical linear motor. The use of the linear motor requires a new design of the passenger transportation system (PTS), which includes reducing the weight of the car through lightweight construction. The reduced stiffness of the lightweight design renders the construction more vulnerable to vibrations. In order to improve ride quality of the transportation system it is necessary to develop new concepts to damp the vibrations. One way to increase stiffness characteristics of the system is to introduce active damping components to be used alongside passive damping components. It is essential to derive a dynamic model of the system in order to design and also later control these damping components in the best possible way. This paper describes the fundamental steps undertaken to derive a dynamic model for designing and controlling active damping components for the new type of vertical PTS. The model is derived as a Multi-Body System (MBS), where the connections between the bodies are modelled as spring damper elements. The derivation of the MBS is demonstrated on a transportation system, consisting of three main components: a sledge, holding the rotor of the linear motor; a mounting frame, which is used to provide support for the cabin; and the actual cabin. The modelling of the propulsion system, thus the electrical part of the PTS, will not be the focus of this work

Control of actuators for cabin vibration damping of a rope-free passenger transportation system

The design of the novel rope-free passenger transportation system (PTS) differs from that of conventional traction lifts. The new propulsion, realized through a linear motor, requires lightweight constructions and thus shapes the design of the PTS. Additionally the possibility of horizontal travel has great influence on the difference between the design of conventional traction lifts and the PTS. Despite the different design, the aim for the rope-free PTS is to achieve at least the same ride quality as modern traction lifts. One important point in achieving the required ride quality is to reduce the vibrations felt by the passengers inside the cabin. In general, the damping concepts of conventional lifts cannot be readily applied to the new design of the PTS. Therefore, a damping concept for the rope-free PTS has to be developed. This paper will present the possibilities of active vibration damping for the PTS and a possible actuator position. The paper will focus on the modelling of the active damping components and the control of actuators deployed in the system. The performance of the damping actuators will be evaluated using a simulation with a Multi-Body System (MBS) of the PTS. The primary disturbance of the PTS for this paper will be the vibrations induced by the guidance