Linear motor control apparatus and linear motor control system

• US 10,158,304 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2017
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Norihiro, Yamamoto, Takeshi, Tomoda, Koji, Deguchi, Satoru, Narahara, Hidetada
• Primary Examiner(s): Islam, Muhammad S
• Application Number:
  US15/788,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20180041146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 424 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 35/06 comprising a load-carrier moving along a path, e.g. a closed path, and adapted to be engaged by any one of a series of traction elements spaced along the path effecting drive at two or more points spaced along the length of an endless conveyor B65G23/32
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 54/02 electrostatic, electric, or magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 25/06 Linear motors
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 6/006 Controlling linear motors
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 6/16 Circuit arrangements for detecting position
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 6/28 Arrangements for controlling current H02P6/10 takes precedence

Abstract

A linear motor control apparatus has: a plurality of coil units; a plurality of position detecting units for detecting positions of a plurality of trucks which move over the plurality of coil units; a plurality of deviation calculating units for operating deviation information as differences between the detected truck positions and a target position of the detected truck; a plurality of position control units for operating current control signals based on the deviation information; a plurality of current control units for supplying driving currents to the coil units based on the current control signals; and a switching unit for switching the position control units to which the deviation information is transmitted or switching the current control units to which the current control signals are transmitted.

Claims

1. A linear motor control apparatus to control moving of a truck by supplying a driving current based on a current control signal to a plurality of coil units which are continuously arranged in a plurality of linear control modules, the linear motor control apparatus comprising:

a position detecting unit configured to detect a position of the truck which moves along the plurality of coil units; and

an allocating unit configured to allocate a first control unit to a first truck detected by the position detecting unit, and to allocate a second control unit to a second truck detected by the position detecting unit, wherein

the first control unit and the second control unit are selected for allocation from among one or more control units that are not allocated to any truck, and are included in a first linear control module,

the first control unit calculates a first deviation information as to a difference between a position of the first truck and a target position of the first truck, and calculates a first current control signal based on the first deviation information,

the second control unit calculates a second deviation information as to a difference between a position of the second truck and a target position of the second truck, and calculates a second current control signal based on the second deviation information, and wherein

when the respective truck moves to a second linear control module that is next to the first linear control module, the respective control unit allocated to the respective truck is shifted to a state not to control the truck.

2. The linear motor control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a selector unit configured to select one or adjacent two of the plurality of coil units supplied with the driving current based on the first current control signal based on the first deviation information.

3. The linear motor control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a selector unit configured to select one or adjacent two of the plurality of coil units supplied with the driving current based on the second current control signal based on the second deviation information.

4. A linear motor control system controlling moving of a truck by supplying a driving current based on a current control signal to a plurality of coil units which are continuously arranged in a plurality of linear control modules, the linear motor control system comprising:

a position detecting unit configured to detect a position of the truck which moves along the plurality of coil units; and

an allocating unit configured to allocate a first control unit to a first truck detected by the position detecting unit, and to allocate a second control unit to a second truck detected by the position detecting unit, wherein

the first control unit and the second control unit are selected for allocation from among one or more control units that are not allocated to any truck, and are included in a first linear control module,

the first control unit calculates a first deviation information as to a difference between a position of the first truck and a target position of the first truck, and calculates a first current control signal based on the first deviation information,

the second control unit calculates a second deviation information as to a difference between a position of the second truck and a target position of the second truck, and calculates a second current control signal based on the second deviation information, and wherein

when the respective truck moves to a second linear control module that is next to the first linear control module, the respective control unit allocated to the respective truck is shifted to a state not to control the truck.

5. The linear motor control system according to claim 4, further comprising:

a selector unit configured to select one or adjacent two of the plurality of coil units supplied with the driving current based on the first current control signal based on the first deviation information.

6. The linear motor control system according to claim 4, further comprising:

a selector unit configured to select one or adjacent two of the plurality of coil units supplied with the driving current based on the second current control signal based on the second deviation information.

7. A linear motor control method for controlling moving of a truck by supplying a driving current based on a current control signal to a plurality of coil units which are continuously arranged in a plurality of linear control modules, the linear motor control method comprising:

detecting a position of first and second trucks which move along the plurality of coil units; and

allocating a first control unit to a first truck detected by the position detecting unit, and allocating a second control unit to a second truck detected by the position detecting unit, wherein

the first control unit and the second control unit are selected for allocation from among one or more control units that are not allocated to any truck, and the first control unit and the second control unit are included in a first linear control module,

the first control unit calculates a first deviation information as to a difference between a position of the first truck and a target position of the first truck, and calculates a first current control signal based on the first deviation information,

the second control unit calculates a second deviation information as to a difference between a position of the second truck and a target position of the second truck, and calculates a second current control signal based on the second deviation information, and wherein

when the respective truck moves to a second linear control module that is next to the first linear control module, the respective control unit allocated to the respective truck is shifted to a state not to control the truck.

8. The linear motor control method according to claim 7, further comprising:

selecting one or adjacent two of the plurality of coil units supplied with the driving current based on the first current control signal based on the first deviation information.

9. The linear motor control method according to claim 7, further comprising:

selecting one or adjacent two of the plurality of coil units supplied with the driving current based on the second current control signal based on the second deviation information.

10. A manufacturing method of an article using the truck controlled according to the linear motor control method according to claim 7, wherein

the manufacturing method comprises subjecting, to a predetermined step, the article mounted on the truck.