Transport device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12388338-B2
Application number	US-202017780425-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 25, 2020
Priority date	Nov 27, 2019
Publication date	Aug 12, 2025
Grant date	Aug 12, 2025

Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a transport device in the form of a planar motor. In one example embodiment, the transport device includes at least one transport segment forming a transport plane, at least one transport unit movable in the transport plane in at least two-dimensions associated with two main movement directions, and first and second coil groups. The first coil group defines the first main movement direction and has drive coils arranged on the at least one transport segment, and the second coil group defines the second main movement direction and has drive coils arranged on the at least one transport segment. The transport device further includes drive magnets arranged on the at least one transport unit and a control unit. The control unit controls the drive coils of the first coil group and the drive coils of the second coil group.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Transport device in the form of a planar motor, the transport device comprising:
a transport segment forming a transport plane;
a transport unit configured and arranged to be movable in the transport plane in at least two-dimensions associated with two main movement directions
a first coil group which defines the first main movement direction and has drive coils arranged on the transport segment;
a second coil group which defines the second main movement direction and has drive coils arranged on the transport segment;
drive magnets arranged on the transport unit,
a control unit configured and arranged to
control the drive coils of the first coil group in order to interact electromagnetically with at least some of the drive magnets of the transport unit for moving the transport unit in the first main movement direction, and
control the drive coils of the second coil group in order to interact electromagnetically with at least some of the drive magnets of the transport unit for moving the transport unit in the second main movement direction;

wherein the transport unit is configured and arranged to be movable in the two main movement directions with a different efficiency and/or a different maximum force and/or a different accuracy, in that the drive coils of the first and second coil groups have different coil properties influencing a magnetic field and/or the drive magnets of the transport unit interacting with the drive coils of the first coil group have different magnetic properties influencing the magnetic field than the drive magnets interacting with the drive coils of the second coil group, wherein the transport segment is oriented relative to a movement path which is predefined for the transport unit and runs between a defined starting point and a defined end point such that the movement path lies on the transport plane in such a manner that a first movement path ratio of the first main movement direction at a movement path length of the movement path is greater than or equal to a second movement path ratio of the second main movement direction at the movement path length.

2. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the main movement directions are perpendicular to one another.

3. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the transport segment forms a rhombic transport plane.

4. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the transport segment includes a plurality of transport segment comprises a plurality of transport segments which form the transport plane of the transport device, wherein at least two transport segments of the plurality of transport segments are adjacent to one another,
wherein the movement path extends over multiple transport segments of the plurality of transport segments, and wherein the first main movement direction of a first transport segment of the plurality of transport segments runs parallel to the first or second main movement direction of an adjacent second transport segment of the plurality of transport segments.

5. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the transport segment is oriented relative to the movement path such that the first movement path ratio is at a maximum.

6. The transport device according to claim 1 , further including a process station configured and arranged for carrying out a work process on the transport unit,
wherein, in a region of the process station, a process movement path is determined as part of the movement path, along which the transport unit is configured and arranged to move in the transport plane,
wherein the transport segment and the process station are oriented relative to one another such that a first process movement path ratio of the main movement direction at a process movement path length of the process movement path is greater than or equal to a second process movement path ratio of the second main movement direction at the process movement path.

7. The transport according to claim 1 , further including a plurality of process stations in the transport device, each of the plurality of process stations configured and arranged for carrying out a work process on the transport unit,
wherein, in a region of the process stations, a process movement path is determined as part of the movement path, along which the transport unit is configured and arranged to move in the transport plane,
wherein the transport segment and the plurality of process stations are oriented relative to one another such that a first process movement path ratio of the first main movement direction with respect to a sum of the process movement paths lengths of the process movement paths is greater than or equal to a second process movement path ratio of the second main movement direction with respect to the sum of the process movement path lengths.

8. The transport device according to claim 1 , further including at least two process stations in the transport device, each of the at least two process stations configured and arranged for carrying out a work process on the transport unit,
wherein, in the region between the process stations, a transition path is defined as part of the movement path, along which the transport unit is configured and arranged to move in the transport plane,
wherein a first transition path proportion of the first main movement direction at a transition path length of the transition path is greater than or equal to a second transition path proportion of the second main movement direction at the transition path length of the transition path.

9. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein an average coil spacing of the drive coils of the first and second coil groups in the normal direction from the drive magnets of the transport unit and/or a conductor resistance of the drive coils of the first and second coil groups and/or a maximum coil current of the drive coils of the first and second coil groups and/or a number of windings of the drive coils of the first and second coil groups and/or a coil geometry of the drive coils are the coil properties influencing the magnetic field; and/or
a remanent flux density of the drive magnets and/or a relative orientation between the drive magnets and the drive coils of the first and second coil groups and/or a pole pitch of the drive magnets and/or a magnetic geometry of the drive magnets are the magnetic properties of the drive magnets of the transport unit influencing the magnetic field.

10. The transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured and arranged to
control the drive coils of the first coil group, which interact with the drive magnets of the transport unit, in order to generate a first levitation force component of a levitation force acting on the transport unit and opposing gravitation, and
control the drive coils of the second coil group, which interact with the drive magnets of the transport unit, in order to generate a second levitation force component in the levitation force complementary to the first levitation force component, wherein the levitation force component of the drive coils of the main movement direction, which has the higher efficiency, is larger.

11. The transport device according to claim 10 , wherein the levitation force components are determined as a function of the efficiencies of the main movement directions or as a function of at least one coil property of the drive coils of the main movement directions influencing the magnetic field and/or at least one magnetic property of the drive magnets of the main movement directions influencing the magnetic field.

12. The transport device according to claim 10 , wherein levitation

Assignees

• B & R Ind Automation Gmbh

Inventors

• Flixeder Stefan
• Hauer Michael
• Haudum Martin

Classifications

• H02P25/064

  of the synchronous type · CPC title

• H02K2201/18

  Machines moving with multiple degrees of freedom · CPC title

• H02K1/14

  Stator cores with salient poles · CPC title

• H02K2213/03

  Machines characterised by numerical values, ranges, mathematical expressions or similar information · CPC title

• H02K41/031 Primary

  of the permanent magnet type · CPC title