LINEAR MOTOR CONTROL APPARATUS AND LINEAR MOTOR CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20150303841A1
• Filed: 04/09/2015
• Published: 10/22/2015
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 9,847,742 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 comprising:

a plurality of coil units which are continuously arranged;

a plurality of position detecting units configured to detect positions of a plurality of trucks which move over the plurality of coil units;

a plurality of deviation calculating units configured to arithmetically operate deviation information as differences between the detected positions of the trucks and a target position;

a plurality of position control units configured to arithmetically operate current control signals on the basis of the deviation information;

a plurality of current control units configured to supply driving currents to the plurality of coil units on the basis of the current control signals; and

a switching unit configured to switch the position control units to which the deviation information is transmitted or to switch the current control units to which the current control signals are transmitted.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein for a period of time during which the truck moves over the plurality of coil units, on the basis of the deviation information which was arithmetically operated by the same deviation calculating unit, the current control unit controls the driving current which is supplied to the coil unit in which the truck is located.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an allocating unit configured to allocate the deviation calculating unit which does not arithmetically operate the deviation information among the plurality of deviation calculating units for a truck which enters the plurality of coil units.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a selecting unit configured to transmit the positions of the trucks detected by the position detecting units to the deviation calculating unit allocated to the truck.

5. A linear motor control system comprising:

a plurality of coil units which are continuously arranged;

a plurality of position detecting units configured to detect positions of a plurality of trucks which move over the plurality of coil units;

a plurality of deviation calculating units configured to arithmetically operate deviation information as differences between the detected positions of the trucks and a target position;

a plurality of position control units configured to arithmetically operate current control signals on the basis of the deviation information;

a plurality of current control units configured to supply driving currents to the plurality of coil units on the basis of the current control signals;

a switching unit configured to switch the position control units to which the deviation information is transmitted or to switch the current control units to which the current control signals are transmitted; and

a running control unit configured to control a running of the truck by transmitting the target position which is used by the deviation calculating unit.

6. A linear motor control method comprising:

detecting positions of a plurality of trucks which move over a plurality of coil units;

arithmetically operating deviation information as differences between the detected positions of the trucks and a target position by position control units;

arithmetically operating current control signals by position control units on the basis of the deviation information;

supplying driving currents from current control units to the plurality of coil units on the basis of the current control signals; and

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.

7. A manufacturing method of articles using the trucks which are controlled by the linear motor control method according to claim 6, comprising:

executing predetermined processes to articles mounted in the trucks, thereby manufacturing the articles.