Linear motor system and method for operating

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11735990-B2
Application number	US-202117456599-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 26, 2021
Priority date	Nov 27, 2020
Publication date	Aug 22, 2023
Grant date	Aug 22, 2023

Abstract

The invention relates to a linear motor system, in particular a transport system, e.g. a multicarrier, comprising: a guide track having a plurality of electromagnets that are arranged distributed along the guide track and that are supplied with electrical energy from a power supply network; at least one carrier that is guided at and movable along the guide track and that comprises a drive magnet for cooperating with the electromagnets of the guide track to move the carrier; and a control device for controlling the movement of the carrier relative to the guide track by energizing some of the electromagnets by means of a drive current, characterized in that the control device is configured to energize at least some of the electromagnets with a damping current such that the energizing with the damping current results, on the one hand, in no additional movement and/or no change in the movement of the carrier along the guide track generated by the drive current and/or, on the other hand, in no additional force on the carrier and/or no change in the force on the carrier generated by the drive current, in particular along the guide track, wherein the energizing with the damping current is performed to reduce oscillations and/or current and voltage fluctuations in the power supply network.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A linear motor system, comprising:
a guide track having a plurality of electromagnets that are arranged distributed along the guide track and that are supplied with electrical energy from a power supply network;
a carrier that is guided at and movable along the guide track and that comprises a drive magnet for cooperating with the electromagnets of the guide track to move the carrier; and
a control device configured to control the movement of the carrier relative to the guide track by energizing at least one of the electromagnets by means of a drive current, wherein
the control device is further configured to energize the at least one of the electromagnets with a damping current such that the energizing with the damping current results in no additional movement and/or no change in the movement of the carrier along the guide track generated by the drive current and/or in no additional force on the carrier and/or no change in the force on the carrier generated by the drive current,
wherein the energizing with the damping current reduces oscillations and/or current and voltage fluctuations in the power supply network; and
wherein the drive current and the damping current are superposed in one or more of the electromagnets.

2. The linear motor system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the control device is further configured to energize those of the at least one of the electromagnets by means of the damping current that do not effect a movement of the carrier at a respective point in time.

3. The linear motor system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the control device is further configured to impart the damping current into particular electromagnets of the plurality of electromagnets that are not flowed through by drive current at a respective point in time.

4. The linear motor system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the control device is further configured to impart the damping current into particular electromagnets of the plurality of electromagnets that are also energized with the drive current.

5. A linear motor system, comprising:
a guide track having a plurality of electromagnets that are arranged distributed along the guide track and that are supplied with electrical energy from a power supply network;
a carrier that is guided at and movable along the guide track and that comprises a drive magnet for cooperating with the electromagnets of the guide track to move the carrier; and
a control device configured to control the movement of the carrier relative to the guide track by energizing at least one of the electromagnets by means of a drive current, wherein
the control device is further configured to energize the at least one of the electromagnets with a damping current such that the energizing with the damping current results in no additional movement and/or no change in the movement of the carrier along the guide track generated by the drive current and/or in no additional force on the carrier and/or no change in the force on the carrier generated by the drive current,
the energizing with the damping current reduces oscillations and/or current and voltage fluctuations in the power supply network, and
the control device is further configured to reduce the drive current in the at least one of the electromagnets by means of the damping current and to impart the damping current into an adjacent electromagnet to compensate a changed force effect on the carrier through the reduced drive current.

6. The linear motor system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the drive current and the damping current imparted into the electromagnets taken together are at least temporarily greater than the drive current alone, with energy being stored in the electromagnets by the greater total current.

7. The linear motor system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the electromagnets are connected to the power supply network by means of switching converters.

8. A linear motor system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the control device is further configured to take into account, for selection of at least one electromagnet that is to be energized with the damping current, an induction voltage caused by the carrier in a plurality of the electromagnets on the movement of the carrier.

9. The linear motor system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the control device is further configured to generate a negative damping current for the at least one electromagnet of the plurality of electromagnets at least temporarily in order to feed electrical energy into the power supply network.

10. The linear motor system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the linear motor system has a plurality of segments that each comprise a plurality of the electromagnets, with the control device being distributed over a plurality of the segments.

11. The linear motor system in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising a sensor, wherein the sensor detects the current and/or the voltage in the power supply network and converts the current into a sensor signal,
wherein the control device comprises a control loop for generating the damping current, with the control loop comprising a reproduction of a negative impedance and a reproduction of a damping member.

12. The linear motor system in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the control loop comprises logic that determines the damping current for the electromagnets from a control signal.

13. The linear motor system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the linear motor system comprises a plurality of segments, with each segment comprising a plurality of the electromagnets, with the segments being arranged in a row and forming a peripheral guide track, with the guide track being arranged at an outer side of the respective segments.

14. A method of operating a linear motor system, wherein the linear motor system includes a guide track having a plurality of electromagnets that are arranged distributed along the guide track and that are supplied with electrical energy from a power supply network, a carrier that is guided at and movable along the guide track and that comprises a drive magnet for cooperating with the electromagnets of the guide track to move the carrier, and a control device to control the movement of the carrier relative to the guide track by energizing some of the electromagnets by means of a drive current, the method comprising:
energizing at least one of the electromagnets with a damping current such that the energizing with the damping current results in no additional movement and/or no change in the movement of the carrier along the guide track generated by the drive current and/or in no additional force on the carrier and/or no change in the force on the carrier generated by the drive current,
wherein the energizing with the damping current reduces oscillations and/or current and voltage fluctuations in the power supply network; and
the control device is further configured to generate a positive damping current for at least one electromagnet at least temporarily in order to lead off electrical energy from the power supply network.

15. The linear motor system in accordance with claim 7 , wherein the switching converters each act as a load having a constant power.

16. A linear motor system, comprising:
a guide track having a plurality of electromagnets that are arranged distributed along the guide track and that are supplied with electrical energy from a power supply network;
a carrier that is guided at and movable along the guide track and that comprises a drive magnet for cooperating with the electromagnets of the guide track to move th

Assignees

• Schneider Electric Ind Sas

Inventors

• Leibl Thomas

Classifications

• H02K41/02 Primary

  Linear motors; Sectional motors · CPC title

• H02P29/00

  Arrangements for regulating or controlling electric motors, appropriate for both AC and DC motors (arrangements for starting electric motors H02P1/00; arrangements for stopping or slowing electric motors H02P3/00; control of motors that can be connected to two or more different electric power supplies H02P4/00; regulating or controlling the speed or torque of two or more electric motors H02P5/00; vector control H02P21/00) · CPC title

• H02P6/006 Primary

  Controlling linear motors · CPC title

• H02K11/26

  Devices for sensing voltage, or actuated thereby, e.g. overvoltage protection devices · CPC title

• H02K11/27

  Devices for sensing current, or actuated thereby (overcurrent protection responsive to temperature of the machines or parts thereof, e.g. windings, H02K11/25) · CPC title