Linear motor system

{
  "publication_number": "US12206347B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Linear motor system",
  "abstract": "A linear motor system, in particular a transport system, for example a multi-carrier system, includes a guide track having a plurality of electromagnets arranged distributed along the guide track. The linear motor system furthermore includes a first and a second carrier that are guided by and movable along the guide track and that each include a drive magnet for cooperating with the electromagnets of the guide track to move the carriers; and a control device for controlling the movement of the carriers relative to the guide track by a corresponding control of the electromagnets. Furthermore, the linear motor system includes at least one energy transmission element that is fastened to the first and/or second carrier and that transmits energy from the first carrier to the second carrier.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A linear motor system comprising: a guide track having a plurality of electromagnets arranged distributed along the guide track; a first and a second carrier that are guided by and movable along the guide track and that each comprise a drive magnet for cooperating with the electromagnets of the guide track to move the carriers; a control device for controlling the movement of the carriers relative to the guide track by a corresponding control of the electromagnets; and at least one energy transmission element that is fastened to the first and/or second carrier and that is configured to transmit energy from the first carrier to the second carrier, wherein the control device is configured to adapt the control of the movement of the second carrier so as to assist or amplify an acceleration of the second carrier caused by the energy transmission element.",
    "2. The linear motor system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the energy transmission element is configured to transmit the energy from the first carrier to the second carrier when the first and/or the second carrier enters/enter into an active region of the energy transmission element.",
    "3. The linear motor system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the acceleration of the second carrier attributable to the control device is at least not negative in the active region and/or deviates by at most 15% or 10% from the acceleration attributable to the energy transmission element.",
    "4. The linear motor system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to set the control of the movement of the second carrier such that an acceleration curve of the acceleration of the second carrier achieved by the control is an approximately triangular or trapezoidal acceleration curve.",
    "5. The linear motor system in accordance with claim 3, wherein an optimal start spacing d opt between the second carrier and the first carrier is determined by means of an iteration method, wherein the iteration method comprises: (1) a first start spacing di between the first carrier and the second carrier being defined, at which first start spacing di a first minimum distance d min,1 between the carriers results that is smaller than an optimal minimum distance d min,opt, wherein the start spacing defines a distance between the first carrier and the second carrier, with the first carrier starting to brake and the second carrier starting to accelerate on a falling below of said distance; (2) a second start spacing d 2 between the first carrier and the second carrier being defined, at which second start spacing d 2 a second minimum distance d min,2 results that is greater than an optimal minimum distance d min,opt, (3) a third start spacing d 3 = d ⁢ 1 + d ⁢ 2 2 being calculated and a corresponding third minimum distance d min,3 being determined; (4) di and d 2 being updated as follows: d 1:=d and d 2: =d 3 if (d min,1 −d min,opt)·(d min,3 −d min,opt) epsilon and d 3 is not equal to 0; (6) the optimal start spacing d opt resulting as follows: d opt =d 2 or d opt =d 3 if d min,3 −d min,opt =0.",
    "6. The linear motor system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the energy transmission element comprises a spring.",
    "7. The linear motor system in accordance with claim 6, wherein a spring constant D spring of the spring is represented by the equation: D spring = 2 ⁢ E pot, spring s deflection 2, where D spring represents the spring constant of the spring, s deflection represents the deflection distance of the spring at a maximum spring deflection, and E pot,spring represents the potential energy stored in the spring at a maximum spring deflection, wherein E pot,spring is determined as follows: E pot, spring = m 4 ⁢ v start 2, where m is the mass of a carrier and v start is the speed of the first carrier when contacting the spring.",
    "8. The linear motor system in accordance with claim 7, wherein the deflection distance of the spring at a maximum spring deflection s deflection IS determined as follows: s deflection = s L ⁢ 1 - s L ⁢ 2 = 3 · v start 2 8 · a - v start 2 8 · a = v start 2 4 · a, where s L1 represents a traveled braking distance of the first carrier, S L2 represents a traveled acceleration distance of the second carrier, and a represents the magnitude of the acceleration of the first and/or second carrier.",
    "9. A linear motor system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the energy transmission element can at least regionally be recessed in the carrier to which the energy transmission element is fastened.",
    "10. A linear motor system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the energy transmission element is attached along a center of mass line that extends in the direction of travel through a center of mass of the first and/or second carrier.",
    "11. The linear motor system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the linear motor system is a transport system.",
    "12. The linear motor system in accordance with claim 11, wherein the transport system is a multi-carrier system.",
    "13. A method of operating a linear motor system, wherein the linear motor system comprises: a guide track having a plurality of electromagnets arranged distributed along the guide track; a first and a second carrier that are guided by and movable along the guide track and that each comprise a drive magnet for cooperating with the electromagnets of the guide track to move the carriers; and a control device for controlling the movement of the carriers relative to the guide track by a corresponding control of the electromagnets, wherein the method comprises transmitting, at least partly, energy of the first carrier to the second carrier by an energy transmission element fastened to the first and/or second carrier; and adapting, via the control device, the control of the movement of the second carrier so as to assist or amplify an acceleration of the second carrier caused by the energy transmission element.",
    "14. The method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the first carrier is decelerated on the transmission of the energy to the second carrier and the second carrier is accelerated on the transmission of the kinetic energy.",
    "15. The method in accordance with claim 13, wherein a braking of the first carrier and an acceleration of the second carrier start when both carriers are located in the active region of the energy transmission element, and the braking of the first carrier and the acceleration of the second carrier end when both carriers have left the active region of the energy transmission element.",
    "16. The method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the linear motor system is a transport system.",
    "17. The method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the linear motor system further comprises: the energy transmission element.",
    "18. A carrier for a linear motor system, the linear motor system comprising: a guide track having a plurality of electromagnets arranged distributed along the guide track; a first and a second carrier that are guided by and movable along the guide track and that each comprise a drive magnet for cooperating with the electromagnets of the guide track to move the carriers; a control device for controlling the movement of the carriers relative to the guide track by a corresponding control of the electromagnets; and at least one energy transmission element that is fastened to the first and/or second carrier and that is configured to transmit energy from the first carrier to the second carrier, the control device being configured to adapt the control of the movement of the second carrier so as to assist or amplify an acceleration of the second carrier caused by the energy transmission element, the carrier comprising: a drive magnet for cooperating with the plurality of electromagnets of the guide track of the linear motor system to move the carriers; and at least one energy transmission element for transmitting kinetic energy."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The present invention relates to a linear motor system, in particular a transport system, for example a multi-carrier system, comprising: a guide track having a plurality of electromagnets arranged distributed along the guide track; a first and a second carrier that are guided by and movable along the guide track and that each comprise a drive magnet for cooperating with the electromagnets of the guide track to move the carriers; and a control device for controlling the movement of the carriers relative to the guide track by a corresponding control of the electromagnets. The invention also relates to a method of operating such a system and to a carrier for such a system.\n\nLinear motors are widely used today. They can, for example, be used to move, in particular to transport, products in industrial plants. Multi-carrier systems are particularly advantageous for the flexible transport of different products. They in particular comprise a plurality of carriers, i.e. transport units, that are movable individually and independently of one another. In a typical multi-carrier system, the guide track is closed in itself, i.e. practically endless, which enables a revolving operation.\n\nIn industrial systems, processing steps are often performed at the products, which are transported by the carriers, by external systems or persons at predefined positions along the guide track (i.e. at “stations”). For this purpose, a first carrier is typically decelerated when approaching the defined position, while a second carrier at which a processing step has already been performed is accelerated to move it away from the defined position.",
  "cpc": [
    "H02P 25/064",
    "B60L 13/03",
    "B65G 23/23",
    "B65G 54/02",
    "H02K 41/031"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B65G 23/23",
    "H02P 25/064"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Schneider Electric Industries SAS"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Reiner VOLK"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2022-10-04",
  "publication_date": "2025-01-21",
  "grant_date": "2025-01-21",
  "priority_date": "2021-10-11",
  "application_number": "US-202217959616-A",
  "family_id": "78413902",
  "cited_by_count": 0,
  "citations": [
    "US5583390A",
    "US6334523B1",
    "WO2010099610A1",
    "US20100276255A1",
    "US20100276256A1",
    "US20130180824A1",
    "DE102013202674A1",
    "WO2015036196A2",
    "US20160207717A1",
    "WO2019007198A1"
  ]
}