Transport device and transport method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12230441-B2
Application number	US-202017614577-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2020
Priority date	Jun 18, 2019
Publication date	Feb 18, 2025
Grant date	Feb 18, 2025

Abstract

A transport device and a transport method efficiently increase a thrust to suppress power consumption. The transport device has a first magnetic body on a side of a to-be-transported object, a magnetic circuit with a core consisting of a second magnetic body, and a winding wound around an outside of the core, and a drive circuit supplying a current to the winding of the magnetic circuit. The magnetic circuit has first and second magnetic circuits, and in a case where the first magnetic body is located on a side of the second magnetic circuit relative to a first predetermined position between the first magnetic circuit and the second magnetic circuit, the drive circuit supplies a current to a winding of the first magnetic circuit in such a manner to cause an electromagnetic repulsive force to be generated between the first magnetic body and the first magnetic circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A transport device comprising:
a first magnetic body provided on a side of a to-be-transported object;
a plurality of magnetic circuits, each of the plurality of magnetic circuits comprises a core consisting of a second magnetic body, and a winding around the outside of the core; and
a plurality of drive circuits, each of the plurality of drive circuits configured to supply a current to the winding of a different one of the plurality of magnetic circuits in such a manner as to cause an attractive or repulsive electromagnetic force between the plurality of magnetic circuits and the first magnetic body,
wherein a diameter of the first magnetic body is less than a diameter of any one of the plurality of magnetic circuits, which comprise the core and the winding around the outside of the core,
wherein the plurality of magnetic circuits are disposed in a linear array along a direction of travel of the first magnetic body such that the second magnetic bodies form a plane along which the first magnetic body is to be positioned,
wherein a first magnetic circuit is one of the plurality of magnetic circuits and a second magnetic circuit is another of the plurality of magnetic circuits which is adjacent to the first magnetic circuit in the direction of travel of the first magnetic body,
wherein in a case where predetermined currents with the same absolute value are applied to the first magnetic circuit and the second magnetic circuit in such a manner as to cause a repulsive electromagnetic force between the first magnetic body and the first magnetic circuit, and to cause an attractive electromagnetic force between the first magnetic body and the second magnetic circuit,
when the first magnetic body is located between the first magnetic circuit and a first predetermined position, an absolute value of an electromagnetic attraction force to the first magnetic body which is produced by the second magnetic circuit is larger than an absolute value of an electromagnetic repulsive force with respect to the first magnetic body which is produced by the first magnetic circuit,
when the first magnetic body is located at the first predetermined position, an absolute value of an electromagnetic attraction force to the first magnetic body which is produced by the second magnetic circuit is equal to an absolute value of an electromagnetic repulsive force with respect to the first magnetic body which is produced by the first magnetic circuit, and
when the first magnetic body is located between the first predetermined position and the second magnetic circuit, an absolute value of an electromagnetic attraction force to the first magnetic body which is produced by the second magnetic circuit is smaller than an absolute value of an electromagnetic repulsive force with respect to the first magnetic body which is produced by the first magnetic circuit, and
wherein in a case where the first magnetic body is located on a side of the first magnetic circuit relative to the first predetermined position, the plurality of drive circuits mainly supply a current to a winding of the second magnetic circuit in such a manner that an electromagnetic attraction force which is produced between the first magnetic body and the second magnetic circuit becomes a main thrust,
wherein in a case where the first magnetic body is located on a side of the second magnetic circuit relative to the first predetermined position, the plurality of drive circuits mainly supply a current to a winding of the first magnetic circuit in such a manner that an electromagnetic repulsive force which is produced between the first magnetic body and the first magnetic circuit becomes a main thrust,
wherein in a case where the movement of the first magnetic body is initiated, the drive circuit of the second magnetic circuit supplies a current to the winding of the second magnetic circuit in such a manner that an electromagnetic attraction force is produced between the first magnetic body and the second magnetic circuit as a thrust to initiate the movement of the first magnetic body in the direction of travel, and
wherein the first predetermined position is a position where an absolute value of the electromagnetic repulsive force generated by the first magnetic circuit and an absolute value of the electromagnetic attraction force generated by the second magnetic circuit become equal.

2. A specimen analysis system equipped with the transport device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the to-be-transported object is a holder or rack holding a specimen container.

3. A transport device comprising:
a first magnetic body provided on a side of a to-be-transported object;
a plurality of magnetic circuits, each of the plurality of magnetic circuits comprises a core consisting of a second magnetic body, and a winding around the outside of the core; and
a plurality of drive circuits, each of the plurality of drive circuits configured to supply a current to the winding of a different one of the plurality of magnetic circuits in such a manner as to cause an attractive or repulsive electromagnetic force between the plurality of magnetic circuits and the first magnetic body,
wherein a diameter of the first magnetic body is less than a diameter of any one of the plurality of magnetic circuits, which comprise the core and the winding around the outside of the core,
wherein the plurality of magnetic circuits are disposed in a linear array along a direction of travel of the first magnetic body such that second magnetic bodies form a plane along which the first magnetic body is to be positioned,
wherein a first magnetic circuit is one of the plurality of magnetic circuits and a second magnetic circuit is another of the plurality of magnetic circuits which is adjacent to the first magnetic circuit in the direction of travel of the first magnetic body,
wherein in a case where predetermined currents with the same absolute value are applied to the first magnetic circuit and the second magnetic circuit in such a manner as to cause a repulsive electromagnetic force between the first magnetic body and the first magnetic circuit, and to cause an attractive electromagnetic force between the first magnetic body and the second magnetic circuit,
when the first magnetic body is located between the first magnetic circuit and a first predetermined position, an absolute value of an electromagnetic attraction force to the first magnetic body which is produced by the second magnetic circuit is larger than an absolute value of an electromagnetic repulsive force with respect to the first magnetic body which is produced by the first magnetic circuit,
when the first magnetic body is located at the first predetermined position, an absolute value of an electromagnetic attraction force to the first magnetic body which is produced by the second magnetic circuit is equal to an absolute value of an electromagnetic repulsive force with respect to the first magnetic body which is produced by the first magnetic circuit,
when the first magnetic body is located between the first predetermined position and a second predetermined position, an absolute value of an electromagnetic attraction force to the first magnetic body which is produced by the second magnetic circuit is smaller than an absolute value of an electromagnetic repulsive force with respect to the first magnetic body which is produced by the first magnetic circuit,
when the first magnetic body is located at the second predetermined position, an absolute value of an electromagnetic attraction force to the first magnetic body which is produced by the second magnetic circuit is equal to an absolute value of an electromagnetic repulsive force with respect to the first magnetic body which is produced by the first magnetic circuit, and
when the first magnetic body is located between the second prede

Assignees

• Hitachi High Tech Corp

Inventors

• Hoshi Ryosuke
• Aoyama Yasuaki
• Kaneko Satoru
• Kobayashi Hiroyuki
• Tamakoshi Takeshi
• Kambara Katsuhiro
• Watanabe Hiroshi
• Onizawa Kuniaki

Classifications

• H01F27/28

  Coils; Windings; Conductive connections · CPC title

• H01F27/24

  Magnetic cores · CPC title

• H01F27/02

  Casings · CPC title

• H01F7/064

  Circuit arrangements for actuating electromagnets (circuit arrangements for obtaining special operating characteristics H01F7/18; driving circuits for electromagnets making use of a switching regulator H01H47/325) · CPC title

• G01N2035/0477

  Magnetic · CPC title