CA3084178A1

CA3084178A1 - Method for configuring a planar drive system

Info

Publication number: CA3084178A1
Application number: CA3084178A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Uwe Prussmeier; Thomas Luthe; Tobias Weber; Benjamin Jurke
Original assignee: Beckhoff Automation GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Beckhoff Automation GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 2019-06-27
Filing date: 2020-06-17
Publication date: 2020-12-27
Also published as: EP3757041A1; DE102019117424A1; EP3757041B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for configuring a planar drive system (1), wherein the planar drive system (1) comprises a plurality of stator modules (60) adjacent to one another for driving at least one rotor (2), wherein in each case at least two stator modules (60) comprise outer edges (100) facing one another and as a result there is a spatial neighbourhood relationship (30) between the at least two stator modules (60), wherein the stator modules (60) each comprise conductor strips (20) for generating a magnetic field and each comprise magnetic field sensors (15) for detecting a magnetic field, comprising the following steps:
- outputting a first control signal in a first output step to at least one transmission stator module (10) of the stator modules (60), wherein the first control signal comprises the fact that in the transmission stator module (10) at least one conductor strip (20) is intended to be energized;
- determining a neighbourhood relationship (30) between the transmission stator module (10) and a reception stator module (14) of the stator modules (60) in a first determining step (210), wherein the first control signal and a positive first detection signal are taken into account when determining the neighbourhood relationship (30), wherein the positive first detection signal comprises the fact that at least one magnetic field sensor (15) of the reception stator module (14) has determined a magnetic field.

Description

METHOD FOR CONFIGURING A PLANAR DRIVE SYSTEM
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application claims priority of German patent application DE 10 2019 117 424.4 filed on June 27, 2019, entitled VERFAHREN ZUM KONFIGURIEREN EINES PLANARANT-RIEBSSYSTEMS, which is incorporated by reference herein, in the entirety and for all purposes.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to a method for configuring a planar drive system, a control unit, a computer program and a planar drive system.
BACKGROUND
Planar drive systems may be used inter alia in automation technology, in particular manufacturing technology, handling technology and process engineering. By means of planar drive systems, a movable element of an apparatus or machine may be moved, positioned and oriented in at least two linearly independent directions. Planar drive systems may comprise a permanently excited electromagnetic planar motor comprising a planar stator and a rotor that is movable on the stator in at least two directions.
German Patent Application DE 10 2017 131 304.4, published as DE 10 2017 131 304 Al, filed on 27 December 2017 discloses a planar drive system in which a rotor may be moved over a plurality of stator modules arranged next to one another.
Drive magnetic fields are generated by means of conductor strips in the stator modules and interact with permanent magnets in the rotor in such a way that the rotor may be held above the stator modules in a levitated fashion or may be driven by a magnetic travelling field, which may also be

2 referred to as a travelling magnetic field. In this case, the travelling field may be generated such that it passes across the edge of one of the stator modules to an adjacent stator module. A position of the rotor may be determined by means of magnetic field sensors in the stator modules, by means of which the permanent magnetic field of the rotor may be evaluated.
In order to generate the travelling magnetic field such that it passes across the edge of the stator module to the adjacent stator module, the position of the two stator modules with respect to one another has to be known, wherein the position comprises inter alia the location and the orientation of the adjacent stator modules with respect to one another. In a planar drive system, a manual configuration may be carried out, for example, in which for each stator module a position within the planar drive system is manually detected and stored in a memory. On the basis of these manually detected positions, the travelling field may then be generated beyond the edges of the stator modules by the stator modules being driven on the basis of the information stored in the memory. What is disadvantageous about a manual configuration is that the latter is very time-intensive and, moreover, errors may very easily occur when detecting and storing the positions, particularly if very large planar drive systems comprising a multiplicity of stator modules are involved.
SUMMARY
The invention specifies an automated configuration method which makes it possible to determine the positions of the stator modules relative to one another without manual inputs.
The invention further specifies a control unit and a computer program for carrying out the method and also a planar drive system comprising such a control unit.

3 The present invention is based on the concept of energizing conductor strips of the stator modules and of ascertaining the magnetic field generated as a result by means of magnetic field sensors of other stator modules in order to determine neighbourhood relationships between the stator modules.
Concerning the general construction of stator modules and rotors, stator segments and conductor strips and concerning the energization of the conductor strips in order to hold a rotor above a stator surface by means of magnetic fields generated by the energization of the conductor strips or to drive said rotor by means of a travelling field, reference is made to the description of German Patent Application DE 10 2017 131 304.4, in particular to the description of Figures 1, 2, 10, 11 and 12. With regard to these aspects, the disclosure content of German Patent Application DE 10 2017 131 304.4 filed on 27 December 2017 is expressly incorporated by reference in the present patent application.
With regard to the configuration of the conductor strips as coil conductors, reference is made to the description of German Patent Application DE 10 2017 131 326.5, published as DE 10 2017 131 326 Al, in particular to the description of Figures 4 to 11. With regard to these aspects, the disclosure content of German Patent Application DE 10 2017 131 326.5 filed on 27 December 2017 is expressly incorporated by reference in the present patent application. With regard to the magnetic field sensors and the arrangement thereof within the stator modules, reference is made to the description of German Patent Application DE. 10 2017 131 320.6, published as DE 10 2017 131 320 Al, in particular to the description of Figures 4 and 5. With regard to these aspects, the disclosure content of German Patent Application DE 10 2017 131 320.6 filed on 27 December 2017 is expressly incorporated by reference in the present patent application.
According to a first aspect, a planar drive system comprises a plurality of stator modules adjacent to one another for

4 driving rotors, wherein the stator modules each comprise conductor strips for generating a magnetic field and each comprise magnetic field sensors. Here in each case at least two stator modules comprise outer edges facing one another, as a result of which there is a spatial neighbourhood relationship between the at least two stator modules. In a method for automatically configuring the planar drive system, the following steps are carried out. The first step involves outputting a first control signal in a first output step to a transmission stator module of the stator modules.
The first control signal comprises the fact that in the transmission stator module at least one conductor strip is intended to be energized. This is followed by determining a neighbourhood relationship between the transmission stator module and a reception stator module of the stator modules in a first determining step. The first control signal and a positive first detection signal are taken into account when determining the neighbourhood relationship, wherein the positive first detection signal comprises the fact that at least one magnetic field sensor of the reception stator module has determined a magnetic field.
Energizing the conductor strip of the transmission stator module results in a magnetic field being generated. Said magnetic field may be detected by magnetic field sensors of the reception stator module, whereupon the positive first detection signal is output by the reception stator module.
On the basis of the positive first detection signal, it is possible to determine the neighbourhood relationship between the transmission stator module and the reception stator module. That means that a control unit carrying out the method then knows that the transmission stator module and the reception stator module are neighbouring. Provision may be made for carrying out the energizing in such a way that the magnetic field generated does not exceed a maximum value for the magnetic field strength, in order to achieve the effect that the magnetic field generated may be measured

5 only by magnetic field sensors adjacent to the transmission stator module. The positive first detection signal is assigned to the reception stator module which emitted it, in order to determine the neighbourhood relationship. In this case, the conductor strip may be configured as a coil conductor and be part of a three-phase system.
By virtue of the method specified, the time-intensive and error-susceptible manual configuration of the planar drive system may be obviated since the neighbourhood relationship determined by the method may be used to generate a travelling magnetic field from a stator module to a neighbouring stator module in such a way that a rotor may move from the stator module to the neighbouring stator module.
According to a second aspect, a control unit comprises a computing unit and a communication connection, wherein control signals may be output via the communication connection and detection signals may be received via the communication connection. The computing unit is designed to carry out the method according to the invention.
According to a third aspect, a computer program comprises program code which, when executed on a computing unit, causes the computing unit to carry out the method according to the invention.
According to a fourth aspect, a planar drive system comprises a plurality of stator modules, at least one rotor and the control unit.
EXAMPLES
In one embodiment, the method is repeated until all neighbourhood relationships between all stator modules have been determined. In this case, the stator modules may be formed or function alternately, successively or

6 simultaneously as transmission stator modules and also as reception stator modules. In this case, further first control signals may be output to further stator modules currently formed as transmission stator modules and further positive first detection signals may be taken into account. As soon as all neighbourhood relationships have been determined, a topography of stator modules is known on the basis of which rotors of a planar drive system may be moved, wherein the movement of the rotors may be controlled in such a way that the rotors are not moved beyond an edge of the topography, that is to say an outer boundary of the planar drive system.
In one embodiment of the method, the determined neighbourhood relationships of the stator modules with respect to one another and thus the topography of the planar drive system are stored in a reference table. Said reference table may then contain the following information for example for each stator module: a stator module identification designation;
the number of edge regions of the stator module; the stator module identification designations of the stator modules with which a neighbourhood relationship was determined; the position, location and/or orientation of the stator modules with a neighbourhood relationship in relation to the own position, location and/or orientation of the stator module;
determined outer boundaries of the planar drive system; a network address (for example an EtherCAT address) of the stator module. The enumeration of the information for the reference table is by way of example and not exhaustive. It goes without saying that more or fewer or other items of information may also be able to be stored in the reference table.
In one embodiment of the method, the stator modules are connected to one another data-technologically via a communication bus. In this case, the first control signal and the first positive detection signal are part of one message or a plurality of messages of a communication bus.

7 Efficient communication between the stator modules and a control unit carrying out the method is provided as a result.
In one embodiment of the method, before the first control signal is transmitted via the communication bus, an identification message is transmitted to the stator modules, wherein a stator module identification designation is assigned to the stator modules on the basis of the identification message. By way of example, if the communication bus is based on EtherCAT or comprises EtherCAT, this may be carried out by means of the autoincrement addressing provided in EtherCAT. By way of autoincrement addressing, each stator module may be addressed on the basis of its position in the communication structure.
Autoincrement addressing is generally used only in a start-up phase in which a bus master distributes station addresses to slaves, which here are the stator modules. The stator modules may then be addressed independently of their position in the communication structure. This procedure affords the advantage that no stator module identification designations need be set manually for the stator modules. Subsequent insertion of stator modules need not result in new stator module identification designations of the stator modules already present.
In one embodiment of the method, individual or a plurality of stator modules of the planar drive system are linked to a respective communication path of the communication bus in a line topology. The communication path comprises an uninterrupted communication connection. The stator modules of a communication path constitute a spatially self-contained region with a continuous stator surface of the planar drive system. In this case, the planar drive system , may comprise one or a plurality of communication paths of the communication bus. Precisely in the case of very large planar drive systems, it may be necessary to divide the communication between a controller and the stator modules

8 among a plurality of communication paths since otherwise transient times and possibly transient delays might have the effect that cycle times of a control cycle of the planar drive system might no longer be complied with and the system does not function. Dividing the communication routes into different communication paths thus makes it possible to parallelize the communication between the controller and the stator modules, such that individual messages have to take a shorter round-trip path, which results in shorter round-trip times.
In one embodiment of the method, initially for each communication path of the communication bus the neighbourhood relationships within the communication path are determined. For this purpose, a first stator module of the communication path is initially defined as the transmission stator module and a second stator module of the communication path is initially defined as the reception stator module. In this case, the first stator module may be the stator module with the smallest stator module identification designation within the communication path. In this case, the second stator module may be the stator module with the next higher stator module identification designation within the communication path. The first control signal comprises energizing at least one first conductor strip of the conductor strips in a first edge region of the transmission stator module. The first positive detection signal is determined if a magnetic field triggered by the first control signal is measured by means of the magnetic field sensors of the reception stator module. The neighbourhood relationship is thus determined as the first neighbourhood relationship along the first edge region of the transmission stator module between the transmission stator module and the reception stator module of the stator modules. If no magnetic field triggered by the first control signal is measured by means of the magnetic field sensors of the reception stator module, no first neighbourhood

9 relationship is thus determined along the first edge region of the transmission stator module between the transmission stator module and the reception stator module of the stator modules. In the event of the first neighbourhood relationship not being determined, further first control signals are output successively in such a way that further first conductor strips of the conductor strips in further first edge regions of the transmission stator module are energized until a first neighbourhood relationship between the transmission stator module and the reception stator module has been determined or no further first edge regions of the transmission stator module are present. After the first neighbourhood relationship has been determined, the second stator module is defined as the new transmission stator module and a third stator module of the communication path is defined as the reception stator module. In this case, the third stator module may be the stator module with the next higher stator module identification designation within the communication string. The method is repeated until a stator module of the communication path terminating the communication path is defined as the reception stator module and thus no further neighbourhood relationships between the stator modules of the communication path may be determined.
In this case, the terminating stator module may be the stator module with the highest stator module identification designation within the communication path.
If a positive first detection signal of the neighbouring stator module within the communication path is not to be determined, it may be assumed that although the relevant stator modules are neighbouring within the communication structure, they are not spatially neighbouring. A renewed first control signal may then be output to the stator module which is indeed neighbouring within the communication structure, but not spatially neighbouring, and the method may be carried out anew proceeding from this non-neighbouring stator module. The result is a further partial area of the

10 stator surface. By virtue of the method described, therefore, within a communication path all neighbourhood relationships between the stator modules are successively detected in an automated manner and may be stored accordingly in the reference table. The respective stator module may be configured for example in a quadrilateral fashion, in particular in a rectangular or square fashion. The stator module then comprises four edge regions assigned to four side edges of the stator modules. When determining the first neighbourhood relationship, by energizing conductor strips in only one edge region it is possible to determine which of the edge regions the further stator module is adjacent to.
In this case, it is possible to output further first control signals for the further edge regions of the stator module in order to determine further first neighbourhood relationships. This makes possible an efficient scanning of the topography of the stator surfaces within the one communication path. By virtue of the assignment of the magnetic field sensors at least partly to the edge regions of the stator modules, a location of the reception stator module relative to the transmission stator module may be determined on the basis of the strength of the magnetic field measured by means of the magnetic field sensors. In this case, the strength of the magnetic field may also comprise the fact that only the magnetic field sensors in an edge region of the reception stator module react to the magnetic field generated on account of the first control signal or measure said magnetic field. As a result, a relative rotation of the stator modules with respect to one another may be determined and taken into account in the first neighbourhood relationship. By way of example, if the reception stator module later functions as the transmission stator module and conductor strips of the stator module are thus intended to be energized, in order to determine further first neighbourhood relationships, this makes it possible to omit the edge region in which the magnetic field was measured

11 when determining the first neighbourhood relationship, since it is already known here that a stator module is adjacent.
In one embodiment of the method, the planar drive system comprises a plurality of communication paths each constituting a stator module unit. In each case at least two stator modules of different stator module units comprise outer edges facing one another, as a result of which there is a spatial unit neighbourhood relationship between the at least two stator module units. In order to determine the location and the position of the unit neighbourhood relationship or relationships, one stator module unit is defined as the transmission stator module unit and another stator module unit is defined as the reception stator module unit. A second control signal is output in such a way that in the transmission stator module unit there are energized successively the first conductor strips and/or the further first conductor strips of the conductor strips in a first edge region and/or a further first edge region of the transmission stator modules of the transmission stator module unit for which no neighbourhood relationship was determined within the respective communication path. A
second positive detection signal is determined if a magnetic field triggered by the second control signal is measured by means of the magnetic field sensors of the reception stator modules of the reception stator module unit and the unit neighbourhood relationship between the transmission stator module unit and the reception stator module unit of the stator module units is thus determined. If no magnetic field triggered by the second control signal is measured by means of the magnetic field sensors of the reception stator module unit, no unit neighbourhood relationship between the transmission stator module unit and the reception stator module unit of the stator module units is determined. The method is repeated until all unit neighbourhood relationships between the stator module units of the planar drive system have been determined. Furthermore, the method

12 is carried for further stator modules of the communication bus. By virtue of the method described, therefore, after determining the neighbourhood relationships within a communication path, all unit neighbourhood relationships between the stator module units are successively detected in an automated manner and may be stored accordingly in the reference table. In a two-stage method, this makes it possible to detect all neighbourhood relationships among one another. Within the communication structure or a communication path, two stator modules may be neighbouring if the data transfer is configured in such a way that messages of the communication bus may be transferred directly from one of the stator modules to the other of the stator modules. If this transfer is carried out by means of data cables, the cabling may be effected at least partly within the planar drive system such that spatially neighbouring stator modules are actually neighbouring within the communication path. A significantly more efficient method for configuring the planar drive system may then be provided since the first control signal may be output to the first stator module in the communication path and at the same time it is possible to determine the magnetic field generated as a result by means of the second stator module which is neighbouring in the communication path and thus also spatially neighbouring with high probability. The information about the communication path of the stator modules thus facilitates the process of determining the corresponding neighbourhood relationship. After determining the first neighbourhood relationship, it is thus known that a partial area of the stator surface consisting of the first stator module and the second stator module is present.
In one embodiment of the method, the second control signal comprises the fact that there are energized ,simultaneously all first conductor strips and/or further first conductor strips in a first edge region and/or in a further first edge region of the transmission stator modules of the transmission

13 stator module units for which no neighbourhood relationship were determined within the communication path. Consequently, given a plurality of stator modules within a communication path, rather than just one edge region a plurality of edge regions simultaneously are energized, which results in a faster determination of the unit neighbourhood relationships. To achieve a further time saving, the method may also be carried out in parallel in a plurality of communication paths.
In one embodiment of the method, the first control signal comprises energizing at least one conductor strip in a first edge region of the transmission stator module. In this case, the magnetic field sensors are assigned at least partly to edge regions of the stator modules. On the basis of the strength of the magnetic field measured by means of the magnetic field sensors the positive first detection signal is determined and the neighbourhood relationship, and also a location and position of the reception stator module relative to the transmission stator module, are thus ascertained. Consequently, in just one step, not just the neighbourhood relationship but at the same time also the position, location and/or orientation of the two stator modules with respect to one another are detected and the information may be stored in the reference table. The strength of the measured magnetic field may also constitute a simple "signal received" or "signal not received" and need not go beyond a certain threshold value of signal strength.
In one embodiment of the method, the first control signal comprises energizing at least one first conductor strip of the conductor strips in a first edge region of the transmission stator module. The first positive detection signal is determined if a magnetic field triggered by the first control signal is measured by means of the magnetic field sensors of the reception stator module and the neighbourhood relationship is thus determined as the first

14 neighbourhood relationship. If no magnetic field triggered by the first control signal is measured by means of the magnetic field sensors of the reception stator module, accordingly, no first neighbourhood relationship between the transmission stator module and the reception stator module of the stator modules is determined. After the first neighbourhood relationship has been determined or has not been determined, further first control signals are output successively in such a way that further first conductor strips of the conductor strips in further first edge regions of the transmission stator module are energized until either further neighbourhood relationships with further reception stator modules have been determined or have not been determined or no further first edge regions of the transmission stator module are present.
In one embodiment of the method, the planar drive system comprises a plurality of stator modules, wherein one stator module functions as the transmission stator module and all further stator modules function simultaneously as reception stator modules. The first control signal comprises energizing at least one first conductor strip of the conductor strips in a first edge region of the transmission stator module. The first positive detection signal is determined if a magnetic field triggered by the first control signal is measured by means of the magnetic field sensors of one of the reception stator modules and the neighbourhood relationship is thus determined as the first neighbourhood relationship between the transmission stator module and the reception stator module measuring the magnetic field. If no magnetic field triggered by the first control signal is measured by means of the magnetic field sensors of the reception stator modules, the outer edge assigned to the - first edge region of the transmission stator module is determined as an outer boundary of the planar drive system.
Advantageously, the method is initially repeated for the further first edge regions of the transmission stator module

15 until all neighbourhood relationships or outer boundaries have been determined for the transmission stator module, wherein another stator module of the planar drive system then functions as the transmission stator module and all further stator modules function simultaneously as reception stator modules, and the method is repeated until all neighbourhood relationships or outer boundaries have been determined for all stator modules. Consequently, the topography of the stator surfaces consisting of neighbourhood relationships and outer boundaries may be determined very rapidly and simply for the entire planar drive system.
In one embodiment of the method, the determined neighbourhood relationships or outer boundaries of the planar drive system are stored in parallel in a reference table. Consequently, the determination of the neighbourhood relationships or outer edges need be carried out only for the stator modules whose neighbourhood relationships or outer edges have not yet been determined or result from the determined neighbourhood relationships or outer edges of other stator modules. By way of example, if four stator modules are arranged physically in a square, then it is sufficient to detect three neighbourhood relationships. The fourth neighbourhood relationship automatically results from the location and orientation and the information regarding the neighbourhood relationships, without this having to be determined by means of the method described. This procedure again entails a time saving during the automatic configuration of the planar drive system.
In one embodiment of the method, the first control signal comprises a predefined frequency, a predefined current intensity and/or a predefined. duration of the energization, AL
wherein energizing the conductor strips is carried out with the predefined frequency, current intensity and/or duration and the first detection signal is evaluated with regard to

16 the predefined frequency, current intensity and/or duration.
A further improvement of the method may be achieved as a result. If a plurality of strings are examined in parallel, different frequencies, current intensities and/or durations may be used in order to exclude undesired disturbances and to unambiguously assign the magnetic fields determined.
In one embodiment of the method, the predefined frequency is between two hundred hertz and two thousand hertz. This frequency range is suitable both for a transfer of the raw data of the measured magnetic fields and an evaluation with regard to the frequency in the control unit and also for an evaluation in the stator modules. In the latter case, provision may be made for the predefined frequency also to be communicated to further stator modules in order to be able to carry out the evaluation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be discussed in greater detail below on the basis of exemplary embodiments and with reference to the accompanying figures. Here in each case in a schematic illustration:
Fig. 1 shows a planar drive system;
Fig. 2 shows a rotor;
Fig. 3 shows a stator construction;
Fig. 4 shows an electronic interconnection of conductor strips;
Fig. 5 shows an arrangement of stator modules with conductor strips and magnetic field sensors;

17 Fig. 6 shows a further arrangement of stator modules with conductor strips and magnetic field sensors;
Fig. 7 shows a planar drive system with strings of stator modules;
Fig. 8 shows a planar drive system with strings of stator modules;
Fig. 9 shows a division of a stator surface of a plurality of stator modules into partial areas;
Fig. 10 shows a combined stator surface; and Fig. 11 shows a flow diagram of a configuration method.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Fig. 1 shows an isometric view of a planar drive system 1 consisting of a rotor 2 and a square stator module 60.
Further stator modules 60, not illustrated, may supplementarily be provided and arranged adjacent to the stator module 60. As will be described in greater detail below, the stator module may be formed or function both as a transmission stator module 10 and as a reception stator module 14 in the implementation of the method according to the invention. The stator module 60 comprises four stator sectors 11 constituting a common stator surface 12. Conductor strips 20 are arranged within the stator sectors 11, which conductor strips can be energized. By energizing the conductor strips 20, it is possible to generate a magnetic field above the stator surface 12, which magnetic field may interact with magnet units, for example in the form of permanent magnets, of the rotor 2 in such a way that the rotor 2 may be held above the stator surface 12 and moved by means of a travelling field generated by the conductor strips *

18 20. The stator module 60 comprises outer edges 100, which may face other stator modules of the planar drive system 1.
Fig. 2 shows the rotor 2 from Fig. 1 in an isometric view from below. At a rotor underside 3 facing the stator surface 12 in Fig. 1, the rotor 2 comprises four magnet units 4, which may each comprise an arrangement of permanent magnets.
Fig. 3 shows a stator construction 13 that may be provided in the stator module 60 from Fig. 1. The conductor strips 20 are arranged in a first conductor strip plane 21, a second conductor strip plane 22, a third conductor strip plane 23 and a fourth conductor strip plane 24, which are in each case parallel to one another. An x-axis 101 and a y-axis 102 of a coordinate system are arranged parallel to the first conductor strip plane 21, and a z-axis 103 is arranged perpendicular to the first conductor strip plane 21. The stator construction 13 comprises a first edge region 25 and further first edge regions 26. The conductor strips 20 of the first conductor strip plane 21 and of the third conductor strip plane 23 are arranged parallel to the x-axis 101. The conductor strips 20 of the second conductor strip plane 22 and of the fourth conductor strip plane 24 are arranged parallel to the y-axis 102. As an alternative to the illustration in Fig. 3, it is also possible to provide only the first conductor strip plane 21 and the second conductor strip plane 22, or additional conductor strip planes. The conductor strips 20 may serve for generating a magnetic field enabling the rotor 2 in Figs 1 and 2 to be held above the stator surface 12 of the first conductor strip plane 21. The stator construction 13 is subdivided into four stator sectors 11, wherein the conductor strips 20 within the stator sectors 11 may be individually energized.
Concerning the general construction of the stator modules 10 in Fig. 1 and the stator construction 13 in Fig. 3, reference is additionally made to the description of German Patent

19 Application DE 10 2017 131 326.5 filed on 27 December 2017, in particular to the description of Figures 4 to 11.
Fig. 4 shows a circuit diagram of a stator sector 11 consisting of a first conductor strip plane and a second conductor strip plane, which may be configured analogously to Fig. 3. The conductor strips 20 are joined together in each case to form three-phase systems. In the first edge region 25, first conductor strips 31 are joined together in such a way that two conductor strips 20 in each case form a coil 33. The six first conductor strips 31 here form three coils 33, which are connected to one another via a star point 27. A first connection 41 is connected to one of the coils 33. A second connection 42 is connected to one of the coils 33. A third connection 43 is connected to one of the coils 33. The coils 33 are configured here such that a current introduced via the first connection 41 flows through the associated coil 33 to the star point and there is divided between the other two coils 33 in order subsequently to flow away via the second connection 42 or the third connection 43, respectively. The interconnection of the first conductor strips 31 to form the coils 33 is configured here in such a way that magnetic fields formed by the current flows within the coils 33 are strengthened. In general, the current flowing through the first connection 41 is divided uniformly at the star point 27, such that a current intensity at the second connection 42 or at the third connection 43, respectively, is half a current intensity at the first connection 41. Further first conductor strips 32 in a further first edge region 26 are analogously interconnected to form coils 33.
The third conductor strip plane 23 and fourth conductor strip plane 24, respectively, likewise provided in Fig. 3, may be interconnected analogously to the interconnection shown in Fig. 4.

20 Concerning the energization of the coils 33, reference is also made to the description of German Patent Application DE 10 2017 131 326.5 filed on 27 December 2017, in particular to the description of Figures 8 to 10.
Fig. 5 shows a schematic view of a stator module 60 which is formed or functions as a transmission stator module 10 and of a stator module 60 which is formed or functions as a reception stator module 14, the conductor strips of which may be configured in each case as shown in Figs 3 and 4. The first conductor strip plane 21 is illustrated for the transmission stator module 10. Rather than conductor strips, an arrangement of magnetic field sensors 15 is illustrated for the reception stator module 14. The magnetic field sensors 15 may be arranged below the conductor strips 20, for example. In principle, the transmission stator module 10 and the reception stator module 14 may be formed identically or analogously. In order to determine a first neighbourhood relationship 7 between the transmission stator module 10 and the reception stator module 14, the method described below may be carried out. Initially, a first control signal is output to the transmission stator module 10 in a first output step. The first control signal comprises the fact that in the transmission stator module 10 a conductor strip 20 is intended to be energized. In this case, provision may be made for energizing the first conductor strips 31 in the first edge region 25, such that a magnetic field is generated in the first edge region 25. Afterwards, the first neighbourhood relationship 7 between the transmission stator module 10 and the reception stator module 14 is determined in a first determining step 210. The first control signal and a positive first detection signal are taken into account when determining the first neighbourhood relationship 7. The positive first detection signal comprises the fact that at least one magnetic field sensor 15 of the reception stator module 14 has determined a magnetic field. On account of the energization of the first conductor strips 31 in a first

21 edge region 25 of the transmission stator module 10, the magnetic field will be detected in a second edge region 28 of the reception stator module 14, such that besides the first neighbourhood relationship the relative location and orientation of the two stator modules 60 with respect to one another are also directly determined since it is possible to evaluate which edge regions of the individual stator modules 60 are adjacent to one another. In this case, the method may serve for configuring a planar drive system 1. The method is based on measuring, by means of the magnetic field sensors of the reception stator module 14, a magnetic field generated by energizing conductor strips 20 of the transmission stator module 10, and on determining the first neighbourhood relationship 7 therefrom. As a result, the 15 method may proceed in an automated manner in contrast to a manual input of relative positions of the two stator modules 60 with respect to one another.
In particular, the magnetic field sensors 15 arranged in a second edge region 28 of the reception stator module 14 may be used for determining the positive first detection signal.
In this case, the second edge region 28 of the reception stator module 14 faces the transmission stator module 10.
Fig. 6 shows a schematic view of a planar drive system 1 comprising four stator modules 60. The four stator modules 60 here are formed as described above with respect to Figures 1 to 5. In a first method step, one of the stator modules 60 functions as the transmission stator module 10 and three stator modules 60 function as reception stator modules 14, the conductor strips of which may be configured in each case as shown in Figs 3 and 4. The first conductor strip plane 21 is illustrated for the transmission stator ¨ module 10. Rather than conductor strips, a possible arrangement of magnetic field sensors 15 is illustrated for one of the reception stator modules 14. Neither a first conductor strip plane 21 nor magnetic field sensors 15 are

22 illustrated for the two further reception stator modules 14, for reasons of clarity. In order to determine the neighbourhood relationships 30 of the stator modules 60, it may be provided that initially one of the stator modules 60 functions as the transmission stator module 10 and the other stator modules all function simultaneously as reception stator modules 14. On account of the first control signal, the first conductor strips 31 in the first edge region 25 of the transmission stator module 10 are energized and accordingly generate a magnetic field. All the magnetic field sensors 15 of the three reception stator modules 14 are evaluated simultaneously as to whether they detect the magnetic field. The signals of the magnetic field sensors 15 (in part not illustrated) of the reception stator modules 14 are additionally evaluated and the neighbourhood relationship 30 is determined as the first neighbourhood relationship 7 by evaluating which of the further stator modules 14 measures the magnetic field generated by energizing the conductor strips 20, in particular by evaluating in which second edge region 28 of the reception stator modules 14 the magnetic field is measured.
Consequently, with regard to the location, orientation and position, there is a unique first neighbourhood relationship 7 between the transmission stator module 10 and the reception stator module 14 in whose second edge region 28 the magnetic field was detected. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, that would be the reception stator module 14 at the bottom left.
Once the first neighbourhood relationship 7 has been determined in the planar drive system 1, in one exemplary embodiment the method is repeated until, besides the first neighbourhood relationship 7, further neighbourhood relationships 30 between the stator modules 60 have also been determined. For this purpose, by way of example, the stator module 60 in whose second edge region 28 the magnetic field was detected, that would be the reception stator module . .

23 14 at the bottom left in the exemplary embodiment illustrated, is then defined as the transmission stator module 10 and all other stator modules 60 of the planar drive system 1 function as reception stator modules 14. Since the first neighbourhood relationship 7 has, after all, already been determined, a magnetic field is no longer generated in the second edge region 28, but rather in other first edge regions of the transmission stator module 10. Consequently, 2-nd to n-th neighbourhood relationships 30 between individual stator modules 60 may be determined by means of the repetition of the method.
If a first positive detection signal is detected in none of the reception stator modules 14 upon the energization of a first edge region 25 of a transmission stator module 10, one embodiment may provide for determining this first edge region as an outer boundary of the planar drive system 1.
The neighbourhood relationships 30 and/or outer boundaries 20 determined may be stored in a reference table.
Fig. 7 shows an isometric view from below of a planar drive system 1 consisting of six stator modules 60 and a control unit 5. The stator modules 60 form two communication paths 25 50 disposed in two physical strings, a first string 51 and a second string 52, of stator modules 60, wherein a first stator module 61, a second stator module 62 and a third stator module 63 are arranged in each of the communication paths 50. Within the communication paths 50, the stator modules 60 are connected by means of individual cables 6.
The control unit 5 comprises a computing unit 18 and two communication connections 19. From the communication connections 19 of the control unit 5, one cable 6 in each case leads to each of the communication paths 50, wherein said cable 6 leads in each case to the first stator module 61. One cable 6 leads in each case from the first stator module 61 to the second stator module 62, and one cable 6

24 leads in each case from the second stator module 62 to the third stator module 63. Alternatively, it is also possible for the stator modules 60 to be connected to the control unit 5 in a wireless manner, and there would then be correspondingly wireless communication paths 50.
In this case, the stator modules 60 may be subscribers of a communication bus, wherein the control unit 5 may transmit messages to the stator modules 60 or receive messages from the stator modules 60. The messages may comprise for example the first control signal already described and/or measurement values of the magnetic field sensors. The communication bus may comprise EtherCAT, for example, and the messages may be configured according to the EtherCAT
protocol.
If only the first control signal is output to one of the stator modules 60, this may be carried out via the cables 6 and optionally via the communication bus. By way of example, the first control signal may comprise the fact that the first stator module 61 of the first string 51 is intended to energize conductor strips 20 in a first edge region 25.
Consequently, the first stator module 61 then functions as a transmission stator module 10. In this case, the first edge region 25 faces the second stator module 62 of the first string 51. The positive first detection signal may then be output by the second stator module 62 of the first string 51, on the basis of which the control unit 5 determines the first neighbourhood relationship 7 between the first stator module 61 and the second stator module 62 of the first string 51. In this case, the second stator module 62 of the first string 51 serves as a reception stator module 14. A further first control signal may be output to the first stator module 61 of the first string 51, this time comprising the fact that the first stator module 61 of the first string 51 is intended to energize conductor strips 20 in a further first edge region 26. In this case, the further first edge region

25

26 faces the first stator module 61 of the second string 52.
The positive first detection signal may then be output by the first stator module 61 of the second string 52, on the basis of which the control unit 5 determines a further neighbourhood relationship 9 between the first stator module 61 of the first string 51 and the first stator module 61 of the second string 52. In this case, the first stator module 61 of the second string 52 serves as a reception stator module 14.
The configuration method described in the previous paragraph may be used independently of whether or not the stator modules 60 are arranged in communication paths 50. For the case where the stator modules 60 are arranged in communication paths 50, the invention comprises a more efficient configuration method, described below.
If the first stator module 61 and the second stator module 62 are neighbouring within a communication structure of the communication bus as illustrated in Fig. 7, that is to say are part of the first string 51 or of the second string 52, the first control signal may comprise energizing a conductor strip 20 in a first edge region 25 of the first stator module 61 of the first string 51. The first detection signal is then positive if a magnetic field triggered by the first control signal is measured by means of the magnetic field sensors of the second stator module 62 of the first string 51, and is negative if the magnetic field triggered by the first control signal is not measured by means of the magnetic field sensors of the second stator module 62 of the first string. In the case illustrated in Fig. 7, the first detection signal is thus positive since the first edge region 25 faces the second stator module 62 of the first string 51.
The first neighbourhood relationship 7 may be determined by virtue of the positive first detection signal.

If the first control signal had been such that in the first stator module 61 of the first string 51, for example, conductor strips 20 in the further first edge region 26 facing the first stator module 61 of the second string 52 would have been energized as a result of said first control signal, the second stator module 62 of the first string 51 would not have measured the magnetic field triggered as a result. In this case, further first control signals would then have been output in such a way that, for example, conductor strips 20 in the first edge region 25 or in further first edge regions 26 of the first stator module 61 of the first string 51 would have been energized. It is only as a result of the energization of the conductor strips 20 in the first edge region 25 that the magnetic field triggered as a result is measured by the magnetic field sensors of the second stator module 62 of the first string 51, such that only then is a positive first detection signal present. If there are no further first edge regions 26 of the first stator module 61 of the first string 51, that is to say conductor strips 20 have been energized on all sides of the first stator module 61 of the first string 51, and a positive first detection signal is still not present, it may be assumed that the first stator module 61 of the first string 51 and the second stator module 62 of the first string 51 are not arranged as neighbouring.
In one exemplary embodiment, after the first neighbourhood relationship 7 has been determined, a second control signal is output to the second stator module 62 of the first string 51, said second control signal comprising energizing a conductor strip 20 in a second edge region 28 of the second stator module 62 of the first string 51. Consequently, the second stator module 62 of the first string 51 then functions as a transmission stator module 10. A second detection signal is received by the third stator module 63 of the first string 51, wherein the third stator module 63 and the second stator module 62 are neighbouring within a communication structure

27 of the communication bus, that is to say are both part of the first string 51. In this case, the third stator module 63 serves as a reception stator module 14. The second detection signal is positive if a magnetic field triggered by the second control signal is measured by means of the magnetic field sensors of the third stator module 63 of the first string 51, and is negative if the magnetic field triggered by the second control signal is not measured by means of the magnetic field sensors of the third stator module 63 of the first string 51. In the case of a positive second detection signal, a second neighbourhood relationship 8 between the second stator module 62 and the third stator module 63 of the first string 51 is determined. In the case of a negative second detection signal, further second control signals will be output in such a way that further conductor strips 20 in further second edge regions 29 of the second stator module 62 of the first string 51 are energized until either a positive second detection signal is present or there are no further second edge regions 29 of the second stator module 62 of the first string 51.
During the determination of the first neighbourhood relationship 7, the first stator module 61 thus serves as the transmission stator module 10 and the second stator module 62 as the reception stator module 14. During the determination of the second neighbourhood relationship 8, the second stator module 62 serves as the transmission stator module 10 and the third stator module 63 as the reception stator module 14.
Within the first string 51, the third stator module 63 is a terminating stator module 75. The terminating stator module 75 is the one which is arranged furthest away from the control unit 5 in the communication path ,50. Provision may be made for the method to be repeated until the terminating stator module 75 is formed as the reception stator module 14

28 since further neighbourhood relationships are then no longer expected within the communication path 50.
The method is thus based on assuming that neighbouring stator modules 60 in the communication structure are actually spatially neighbouring and it is thus not necessary to evaluate the magnetic field sensors 15 of all other stator modules 60 when conductor strips 20 in a stator module 60 are energized, rather it is necessary to evaluate only the neighbouring stator module 60 in the communication structure or the communication path 50. The method may be carried out efficiently as a result. Since the first neighbourhood relationship 7 is already known for the second stator module 62 of the first string 51, three corresponding control signals have to be output in the maximum case; on average, the second neighbourhood relationship 8 will have been determined after two second control signals have been output.
Spatially neighbouring here may also comprise the fact that a gap comprising a predefined maximum gap width is present between the neighbouring stator modules.
In one exemplary embodiment, the method is carried out for further stator modules 60 of the communication bus.
In one exemplary embodiment, before the first control signal is transmitted, an identification message is transmitted to the stator modules 60, wherein a stator module identification designation is assigned to the stator modules 60 on the basis of the identification message. This may be carried out for example within the communication paths 50 and for the first string 51 and the second string 52 independently of one another. If the communication bus is based on EtherCAT or comprises EtherCAT, this may be carried out by means of the ¨autoincrement addressing provided- in EtherCAT. With autoincrement addressing, it is possible to address each stator module 60, for example of the first string 51, on the basis of its position in the first string 51. In this case,

29 each stator module 60 increments a 16-bit address field during a message pass, and the stator module 60 that receives an address field with the value 0 is addressed. By way of example, if the third stator module 63 of the first string 51 is intended to be addressed, a message is transmitted with autoincrement addressing with an initial value of two.
The initial value is incremented by one (or minus one) by each stator module 60 and the third stator module 63 of the first string 51 is thus addressed. Autoincrement addressing is generally used only in a start-up phase in which a bus master, which may be assigned to the control unit 5, distributes station addresses to slaves, which here are the stator modules 60. The stator modules 60 may then be addressed independently of their position in the communication structure or the communication path 50. This procedure affords the advantage that there is no need to set stator module identification designations manually for the stator modules 60. Subsequent insertion of stator modules 60 does not result in new stator module identification designations of the stator modules 60 already present.
In one exemplary embodiment, the method explained for the first string 51 is also employed in the second string 52 or in further communication paths 50.
Fig. 8 shows an isometric view of a planar drive system 1 consisting of six stator modules 60, a rotor 2 and a control unit 5, wherein the arrangement of the stator modules 60 corresponds to Fig. 7. As in Fig. 7, the stator modules 60 are disposed in a first string 51 and a second string 52 of in each case three stator modules 60, a first stator module 61, a second stator module 62 and a third stator module 63.
The control unit 5 is connected to the stator modules 10 by means of cables 6. The rotor 2 may be moved above the stator surfaces 12 of the stator modules 10.

30 In one exemplary embodiment, at least one stator module unit 80 is determined, wherein the stator module unit 80 in each case consists of a communication path 50 of stator modules 60, wherein the stator modules 60 of the communication path 50 within the communication bus comprise an uninterrupted connection and wherein the stator modules 60 of the communication path 50 constitute a spatially self-contained region 16 with a continuous stator surface 17. Fig. 8 illustrates a first stator module unit 81 comprising the first string 51, and a second stator module unit 82 comprising the second string 52.
In one exemplary embodiment, a plurality of stator module units 80 are determined in accordance with the method described above in association with Fig. 7. At this point in time, however, it is not yet known how the stator module units 80 are arranged spatially with respect to one another.
After the stator module units 80 have been determined, unit neighbourhood relationships 79 are determined by second control signals being emitted. Fig. 8 illustrates a unit neighbourhood relationship 79 between the first stator module unit 81 and the second stator module unit 82. The latter may be determined for example by a second control signal being output to the first stator module 61 of the first string 51, wherein the stator module 61 then functions as the transmission stator module 10 and energizes conductor strips 20 and the magnetic field generated as a result is measured by magnetic field sensors 15 of the first stator module 62 of the second string 52. The unit neighbourhood relationship 79 between the stator module units 80 is thus determined. This part of the method thus functions in a similar manner to determining the neighbourhood relationships 30 within the communication paths 50.
Alternatively, the second control signals may also be output in such a way that all conductor strips 20 within the first stator module unit 81 for which a neighbourhood relationship 30 has not yet been determined are energized. Consequently,

31 all stator modules 60 of the first stator module unit 81 function as transmission stator modules 10 and constitute a transmission stator module unit. All further stator module units 80 then function as reception stator module units.
This part of the method thus likewise functions in a similar manner to determining the neighbourhood relationships 30 within the communication paths 50, but now entire edge regions of the stator module units 80 are correspondingly energized and evaluated. A form of the stator module units 80 may be taken into account in this case. In one exemplary embodiment, the method is carried out in parallel in a plurality of communication paths 50.
In one exemplary embodiment, the first control signal comprises a predefined frequency, a current intensity and/or a duration of the energization, wherein energizing the conductor strips 20 of the stator modules 60 is carried out with the predefined frequency, current intensity and/or duration and the first detection signal is evaluated with regard to the predefined frequency, current intensity and/or duration of the energization. In this case, the predefined frequency may be between two hundred hertz and two thousand hertz. In this case, provision may be made for the evaluation with regard to the frequency to be performed by the control unit 5 or to be carried out by the stator modules 60.
Fig. 9 shows a planar drive system 1 consisting of a plurality of stator module units 80, each comprising a number of stator modules. A first stator module unit 81 comprises a first stator module 61, a second stator module 62, a third stator module 63, a fourth stator module 64, a fifth stator module 65, a sixth stator module 66, a seventh stator module 67, an eighth stator module 68 and a ninth stator module 69, which constitute a first string 51 and thus a communication path 50. The ninth stator module 69 is a stator module 75 terminating the first string 51. A second stator module unit 82 comprises a first stator module 61, a second stator module

32 62, a third stator module 63, a fourth stator module 64, a fifth stator module 65, a sixth stator module 66 and a seventh stator module 67, which constitute a second string 52 and thus a communication path 50. As indicated by an arrow, the sixth stator module 66 of the second stator module unit 82 is located neighbouring the fifth stator module 65 and the seventh stator module 67 of the second stator module unit 82, rather than, as illustrated in Fig. 9, directly adjacent to the seventh stator module 67 of the first stator module unit 81. The seventh stator module 67 is a stator module 75 terminating the second string 52. A third stator module unit 83 comprises a first stator module 61, a second stator module 62, a third stator module 63, a fourth stator module 64, a fifth stator module 65, a sixth stator module 66, a seventh stator module 67, an eighth stator module 68, a ninth stator module 69, a tenth stator module 70 and an eleventh stator module 71, which constitute a third string 53, and thus a communication path 50. The eleventh stator module 71 is a stator module 75 terminating the third string 53. A fourth stator module unit 84 comprises a first stator module 61, a second stator module 62, a third stator module 63, a fourth stator module 64, a fifth stator module 65, a sixth stator module 66 and a seventh stator module 67, which constitute a fourth string 54 and thus a communication path 50. The seventh stator module 67 is a stator module 75 terminating the fourth string 54. A fifth stator module unit 85 comprises a first stator module 61, a second stator module 62, a third stator module 63, a fourth stator module 64, a fifth stator module 65, a sixth stator module 66, a seventh stator module 67, an eighth stator module 68, and a ninth stator module 69, which constitute a fifth string 55 and thus a communication path 50. As indicated by an arrow, the first stator module 61 of the fifth stator module unit 85 is located neighbou-ring the second stator module 62 of the fifth stator module unit 85, rather than, as illustrated in Fig. 9, directly adjacent to the sixth stator module 66 of the fourth stator module unit 84. The ninth stator module 69 is a stator

33 module 75 terminating the fifth string 55. A sixth stator module unit 86 comprises a first stator module 61, a second stator module 62, a third stator module 63, a fourth stator module 64, a fifth stator module 65, a sixth stator module 66, a seventh stator module 67 and an eighth stator module 68, which constitute a sixth string 56 and thus a communication path 50. The eighth stator module 68 is a stator module 75 terminating the sixth string 56. A seventh stator module unit 87 comprises a first stator module 61, a second stator module 62, a third stator module 63, a fourth stator module 64 and a fifth stator module 65, which constitute a seventh string 57 and thus a communication path 50. A sixth stator module 66 is also arranged in the seventh string 57, but it is not associated with the seventh stator module unit 87, but rather constitutes an eighth stator module unit 88. The sixth stator module 66 is a stator module 75 terminating the seventh string 57.
Within the first string 51, the second string 52, the third string 53, the fourth string 54, the fifth string 55, the sixth string 56 and the seventh string 57, a method as already described may be carried out here in order to determine the first stator module unit 81, the second stator module unit 82, the third stator module unit 83, the fourth stator module unit 84, the fifth stator module unit 85, the sixth stator module unit 86 and the seventh stator module unit 87. In the first string 51, for example, a first control signal is output to the first stator module 61, a positive first detection signal is received by the second stator module 62, subsequently a first control signal is output to the second stator module 62 and a positive second detection signal is received by the third stator module 63, subsequently a first control signal is output to the third stator module 63 and a positive third detection signal is received by the fourth stator module 64, subsequently a first control signal is output to the fourth stator module 64 and a positive fourth detection signal is received by the fifth

34 stator module 65, subsequently a first control signal is output to the fifth stator module 65 and a positive fifth detection signal is received by the sixth stator module 66, subsequently a first control signal is output to the sixth stator module 66 and a positive sixth detection signal is received by the seventh stator module 67, subsequently a first control signal is output to the seventh stator module 67 and a positive seventh detection signal is received by the eighth stator module 68, and subsequently a first control signal is output to the eighth stator module 68 and a positive eighth detection signal is received by the ninth stator module 69. Since it is known, for example by virtue of the autoincrement method already described or by virtue of manual addressing, that the first string 51 does not extend beyond the ninth stator module 69, all neighbourhood relationships 30 with the respective location, position and orientation of the individual stator modules 60 within the first string 51 are determined at this point. In this case, it may happen that what leads to a positive detection signal is not the first output of the corresponding control signal to one of the stator modules, but rather only one of the corresponding further control signals if, in the case of the seventh stator module 67, for example, initially the edge region opposite the sixth stator module 66 is energized.
In the second string 52, in the third string 53, in the fourth string 54, in the fifth string 55 and in the sixth string 56, the method is carried out analogously to the first string 51. In the seventh string 57, the method is carried out as described for the first stator module 61, the second stator module 62, the third stator module 63 and the fourth stator module 64, a first control signal is output to the first stator module 61, a positive first detection signal is received by the second stator module 62, subsequently a first control signal is output to the second stator module 62 and a positive second detection signal is received by the third stator module 63, subsequently a first control signal is

35 output to the third stator module 63 and a positive third detection signal is received by the fourth stator module 64, subsequently a first control signal is output to the fourth stator module 64 and a positive fourth detection signal is received by the fifth stator module 65. Subsequently, a first control signal is output to the fifth stator module 65. Since the sixth stator module 66 is indeed neighbouring the fifth stator module 65 within the seventh string 57 in the communication structure, but not spatially neighbouring said fifth stator module, as may be seen in Fig. 9, a positive fifth detection signal is not present here. Since, in the seventh string 57, the sixth stator module 66 is the last stator module within the seventh string 57, no additional neighbourhood relationship 30 is then determined. The first stator module 61, the second stator module 62, the third stator module 63, the fourth stator module 64 and the fifth stator module 65 constitute the seventh stator module unit 87, while the sixth stator module 66 constitutes the eighth stator module unit 88. If a seventh stator module were present in the seventh string 57, the method would be continued for the sixth stator module. In this case, it might become apparent, for example, that the seventh stator module is also associated with the eighth stator module unit 88.
Fig. 10 shows the first stator module unit 81, second stator module unit 82, third stator module unit 83, fourth stator module unit 84, fifth stator module unit 85, sixth stator module unit 86, seventh stator module unit 87 and eighth stator module unit 88 after unit neighbourhood relationships 79 between the stator module units 80 have also been determined by means of a method described above, for example, by means of second signals and/or edge control signals and corresponding detection signals. In this case, it may be provided that conductor strips 20 arranged at edges 90 of the stator module units 80 are energized and magnetic fields generated as a result are measured by magnetic field sensors

36 15 in other stator module units and the unit neighbourhood relationships 79 are thus established.
It may be provided that the unit neighbourhood relationship 79 between the seventh stator module unit 87 and the eighth stator module unit 88 is initially determined. That may be based on the assumption that as a result of the arrangement of the seventh stator module unit 87 and the eighth stator module unit 88 in the seventh string 57, there is spatial proximity between the seventh stator module unit 87 and the eighth stator module unit 88.
In one exemplary embodiment, a control signal is additionally output which controls a rotor 2 by way of an established neighbourhood relationship 30 and/or unit neighbourhood relationship 79.
In one exemplary embodiment, after the neighbourhood relationship 30 and/or a unit neighbourhood relationship 79 have/has been determined, a rotor control signal is output.
On the basis of the rotor control signal, a rotor 2 may be moved from a stator module 60 to a further stator module 60 or respectively from the first stator module 61 to the second stator module 62 or respectively from the first stator module unit 81 to the second stator module unit 82. The neighbourhood relationship 30 determined makes it possible to move a travelling field from a stator module 60 to a further stator module 60 or respectively from the first stator module 61 to the second stator module 62 or respectively from the first stator module unit 81 to the second stator module unit 82 and thereby to control a rotor movement.
Fig. 11 shows a method sequence 200 of a configuration method, wherein the intention is to determine neighbourhood relationships 30 within one of the communication paths 50 shown in Figs 7 to 10. In an optional addressing step 201, =

37 addressing the stator modules 60 within the communication path 50 may be carried out as already described, for example by means of the autoincrement method. In a first output and reception step 202, a first control signal is output to a first stator module 61 of the communication path 50, wherein the first control signal comprises energizing conductor strips 20 in a first edge region 25 of the first stator module 61 and receiving a signal of a second stator module 62. A first decision step 203 involves checking whether a positive first detection signal is present. A positive first detection signal is present if the energizing of the conductor strips 20 of the first stator module 61, said energizing having been triggered by the first control signal, has led to a measurement of a magnetic field by magnetic field sensors 15 of the second stator module 62. If a positive first detection signal is present, a first neighbourhood relationship 7 is determined in a first determining step 210.
However, if a positive first detection signal is not present, in a second output and reception step 204, a further first control signal is output to the first stator module 61 of the communication path 50, wherein the further first control signal comprises energizing further conductor strips 20 in a further first edge region 26 of the first stator module 61 and receiving a signal of a second stator module 62. A second decision step 205 involves checking whether a positive first detection signal is present. If a positive first detection signal is present, the first neighbourhood relationship 7 is determined in the first determining step 210.
However, if a positive first detection signal is not present, in a third output and reception step 206, a further first control signal is output to the further first stator module 61 of the communication path 50, wherein the first control signal comprises energizing further conductor strips 20 in a further first edge region 26 of the first stator module 61

38 and receiving a signal of a second stator module 62. A third decision step 207 involves checking whether a positive first detection signal is present. If a positive first detection signal is present, the first neighbourhood relationship 7 is determined in the first determining step 210.
However, if a positive first detection signal is not present, in a fourth output and reception step 208, a further first control signal is output to the first stator module 61 of the communication path 50, wherein the further first control signal comprises energizing further conductor strips 20 in a further first edge region 26 of the first stator module 61 and receiving a signal of a second stator module 62. A fourth decision step 209 involves checking whether a positive first detection signal is present. If a positive first detection signal is present, the first neighbourhood relationship 7 is determined in the first determining step 210. More or fewer output and reception steps may also be provided, depending on an embodiment of the stator modules. The description above is appropriate in the case of stator modules comprising four outer edges. In the case of stator modules comprising five outer edges, for example, an analogous output and reception step would be added in the method sequence.
Subsequently, in a fifth output and reception step 211, a first control signal is output to the second stator module 62 of the communication path 50, wherein the first control signal comprises energizing conductor strips 20 in a second edge region 28 of the second stator module 62 and receiving a signal of a third stator module 63. The fifth output and reception step 211 is also carried out if the fourth decision step 209 has not led to a positive first detection signal;
the first determining step 210 is then omitted here. A fifth decision step 212 involves checking whether a positive second detection signal is present. A positive second detection signal is present if the energizing of the conductor strips 20 of the second stator module 62, said energizing having =

39 been triggered by the second control signal, has led to a measurement of a magnetic field by magnetic field sensors 15 of the third stator module 63. If a positive second detection signal is present, a second neighbourhood relationship 8 is determined in a second determining step 219.
However, if a positive second detection signal is not present, in a sixth output and reception step 213, a further first control signal is output to the second stator module 62 of the communication path 50, wherein the further first control signal comprises energizing further conductor strips in a further second edge region 29 of the second stator module 62 and receiving a signal of a third stator module 63. A sixth decision step 214 involves checking whether a 15 positive second detection signal is present. If a positive second detection signal is present, the second neighbourhood relationship 8 is determined in the second determining step 219.
20 However, if a positive second detection signal is not present, in a seventh output and reception step 215, a further first control signal is output to the second stator module 62 of the communication path 50, wherein the further first control signal comprises energizing further conductor strips 20 in a further second edge region 29 of the second stator module 62 and receiving a signal of a third stator module 63. A seventh decision step 216 involves checking whether a positive second detection signal is present. If a positive second detection signal is present, the second neighbourhood relationship 8 is determined in the second determining step 219.
However, if a positive second detection signal is not present, in an .eighth output and reception step 2d7, a further second control signal is output to the second stator module 62 of the communication path 50, wherein the further second control signal comprises energizing further conductor

40 strips 20 in a further second edge region 29 of the second stator module 62 and receiving a signal of a third stator module 63. An eighth decision step 218 involves checking whether a positive second detection signal is present. If a positive second detection signal is present, the first neighbourhood relationship 8 is determined in the second determining step 219.
The method may then be continued with a ninth output and reception step 220, in which a first control signal is output to the third stator module 63 and a signal of a fourth stator module 64 is received. Starting from this point, the corresponding method steps are repeated until all stator modules 60 of the communication path 50 have been taken into account or until a signal has been received from the last of the stator modules 60 of the communication path 50.
As long as neighbourhood relationships 30 between neighbouring stator modules 60 in the communication path 50 are established, these stator modules 60 may then be assigned to the stator module units 80 from Figs 8 to 10.
Fig. 12 shows a further method sequence 400 of an alternative configuration method, wherein neighbourhood relationships 30 within a planar drive system 1 are intended to be determined.
In a first output step 401, a first control signal is output to an arbitrary stator module 60 of the planar drive system 1, wherein the stator module 60 then functions as the transmission stator module 10 and all further stator modules 60 of the planar drive system 1 function as reception stator modules 14. The first control signal comprises energizing conductor strips 20 in a first edge region 25 of the transmission stator module 20. A first checking step 402 involves determining whether one of the reception stator modules 14 has received a detection signal on account of the magnetic field. If a detection signal is received by an edge region of one of the reception stator modules 14, in a first

41 determining step 210 a neighbourhood relationship 30 between the two stator modules is determined and defined for example as a first neighbourhood relationship 7. If the first checking step 402 determines that none of the reception stator modules 14 has received a detection signal, then in a defining step 404 the corresponding first edge region 25 of the transmission stator module 10 is determined as the outer boundary of the planar drive system 1.
Either after determining a neighbourhood relationship 30 in the first determining step 210 or after determining an outer boundary in the defining step 404, in a second checking step 405 a check is made to establish whether a check for a neighbourhood relationship 30 or an outer boundary has been carried out with respect to all edge regions in the transmission stator module 10. If said check has not yet been carried out for all edge regions, the method sequence 400, for the edge regions not yet checked, jumps back to the first output step 401. If the second checking step 405 establishes that a check for a neighbourhood relationship 30 or an outer boundary has been carried out for all edge regions of the transmission stator module 10, then in a change step 406 the function of the stator modules 60 of the planar drive system 1 is changed in such a way that a different one of the stator modules 60 functions as the transmission stator module 10 and all further stator modules 60 then function as reception stator modules 14. The method sequence 400, for the transmission stator module 10 then defined, subsequently jumps back to the first output step 401.
The neighbourhood relationships 30 determined by the method sequence 400 in the first determining step 210, in particular the location, position and orientation of the individual neighbourhood relationships 30, and/or the outer boundaries of the planar drive system 1 determined in the second defining step 404 may be stored in a reference table in a

42 storage step 407, such that the control unit 5 may output a control signal that controls a rotor 2 by way of an established neighbourhood relationship 30.
In one embodiment, the information stored in the reference table may also be used, in the second checking step 405, to repeat the method sequence 400 only for the edge regions of the transmission stator module 10 for which as yet no information has been stored in the reference table or may be derived from other information within the reference table.
In one embodiment, the information stored in the reference table may also furthermore be used, in the change step 406, to repeat the method sequence 400 only for the stator modules 60 as transmission stator modules 10 for which as yet no information has been stored in the reference table or may be derived from other information within the reference table.
In all configurations of the method provision may be made for temporarily synchronizing the stator modules 60 with one another in order to be able to assign a magnetic field triggered by the first control signal or respectively the second control signal and a detection of said magnetic field by means of a magnetic field sensor to one another.

43 List of reference signs 1 Planar drive system 2 Rotor 3 Rotor underside 4 Magnet unit 5 Control unit 6 Cable 7 first neighbourhood relationship 8 second neighbourhood relationship 9 further neighbourhood relationship 10 Transmission stator module 11 Stator sector 12 Stator surface 13 Stator construction 14 Reception stator module 15 Magnetic field sensor 16 spatially self-contained region 17 continuous stator surface 18 Computing unit 19 Communication connection 20 Conductor strip 21 first conductor strip plane 22 second conductor strip plane 23 third conductor strip plane 24 fourth conductor strip plane 25 first edge region 26 further first edge region 27 Star point 28 second edge region 29 further second edge region 30 Neighbourhood relationship 31 first conductor strip = 32 further first conductor strip 33 Coil 41 first connection 42 second connection . .

44 43 third connection 50 Communication path 51 first string 52 second string 53 third string 54 fourth string 55 fifth string 56 sixth string 57 seventh string 61 first stator module 62 second stator module 63 third stator module 64 fourth stator module 65 fifth stator module 66 sixth stator module 67 seventh stator module 68 eighth stator module 69 ninth stator module 70 tenth stator module 71 eleventh stator module 75 terminating stator module 79 Unit neighbourhood relationship 80 Stator module unit 81 first stator module unit 82 second stator module unit 83 third stator module unit 84 fourth stator module unit 85 fifth stator module unit 86 sixth stator module unit 87 seventh stator module unit 88 eighth stator module unit , 90 Edge 100 Outer edge 101 x-Axis 102 y-Axis . .
103 z-Axis 200 Method sequence 201 (optional) Addressing step 5 202 first output and reception step 203 first decision step 204 second output and reception step 205 second decision step 206 third output and reception step 10 207 third decision step 208 fourth output and reception step 209 fourth decision step 210 first determining step 15 211 fifth output and reception step 212 fifth decision step 213 sixth output and reception step 214 sixth decision step 215 seventh output and reception step 20 216 seventh decision step 217 eighth output and reception step 218 eighth decision step 219 second determining step 25 220 ninth output and reception step 400 further method sequence 401 first output step 402 first checking step 30 404 Defining step 405 second checking step 406 Change step 407 Storage step

Claims

1. Method for configuring a planar drive system (1), wherein the planar drive system (1) comprises a plurality of stator modules (60) adjacent to one another for driving at least one rotor (2), wherein in each case at least two stator modules (60) comprise outer edges (100) facing one another and as a result there is a spatial neighbourhood relationship (30) between the at least two stator modules (60), wherein the stator modules (60) each comprise conductor strips (20) for generating a magnetic field and each comprise magnetic field sensors (15) for detecting a magnetic field, comprising the following steps:
- outputting a first control signal in a first output step to at least one transmission stator module (10) of the stator modules (60), wherein the first control signal comprises the fact that in the transmission stator module (10) at least one conductor strip (20) is intended to be energized;
- determining a neighbourhood relationship (30) between the transmission stator module (10) and a reception stator module (14) of the stator modules (60) in a first determining step (210), wherein the first control signal and a positive first detection signal are taken into account when determining the neighbourhood relationship (30), wherein the positive first detection signal comprises the fact that at least one magnetic field sensor (15) of the reception stator module (14) has determined a magnetic field.

2. Method according to Claim 1, wherein the method is repeated until all neighbourhood relationships (30) between all stator modules (60) have been determined, wherein the stator modules (60) are formed or function both as transmission stator modules (10) and as reception stator modules (14).

3.Method according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the neighbourhood relationships (30) of the stator modules (60) with respect to one another are stored in a reference table.

4.Method according to any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the stator modules (60) are connected to one another data-technologically via a communication bus, wherein the first control signal and the first positive detection signal are part of one message or a plurality of messages of the communication bus.

5.Method according to Claim 4, wherein before the first control signal is transmitted, an identification message is transmitted to the stator modules (60), wherein a stator module identification designation is assigned to the stator modules (60) on the basis of the identification message.

6.Method according to Claim 4 or 5, wherein individual or a plurality of stator modules (60) of the planar drive system (1) are linked to a respective communication path (50) of the communication bus in a line topology, wherein the communication path (50) comprises an uninterrupted communication connection and wherein the stator modules (60) of a communication path (50) constitute a spatially self-contained region (16) with a continuous stator surface (17) of the planar drive system (1), wherein the planar drive system (1) may comprise one or a plurality of communication paths (50) of the communication bus.

7.Method according to Claim 6, wherein for each communication path (50) of the communication bus the neighbourhood relationships (30) within the communication path (50) are determined in such a way that a first stator module (61) of the communication path (50) is initially defined as a transmission stator module (10) and a second stator module (62) of the communication path (50) is initially defined as a reception stator module (14), wherein the first control signal comprises energizing at least one first conductor strip (31) of the conductor strips (20) in a first edge region (25) of the transmission stator module (10), wherein the first positive detection signal is determined if a magnetic field triggered by the first control signal is measured by means of the magnetic field sensors (15) of the reception stator module (14) and the neighbourhood relationship (30) is thus determined as the first neighbourhood relationship (7) along the first edge region (25) of the transmission stator module (10) between the transmission stator module (10) and the reception stator module (14) of the stator modules (60) and wherein if no magnetic field triggered by the first control signal is measured by means of the magnetic field sensors (15) of the reception stator module (14), no first neighbourhood relationship (7) is determined along the first edge region (25) of the transmission stator module (10) between the transmission stator module (10) and the reception stator module (14) of the stator modules (60), wherein in the event of the first neighbourhood relationship (7) not being determined, further first control signals are output successively in such a way that further first conductor strips (32) of the conductor strips (20) in further first edge regions (26) of the transmission stator module (10) are energized until a first neighbourhood relationship (7) between the transmission stator module (10) and the reception stator module (14) has been determined or no further first edge regions (26) of the transmission stator module (10) are present, wherein after the first neighbourhood relationship (7) has been determined, the second stator module (62) is defined as the transmission stator module (10) and a third stator module (63) of the communication path (50) is defined as the reception stator module (14) and the method is repeated until a stator module (75) of the communication path (50) that terminates the communication path (50) is defined as the reception stator module (14) and, consequently, no further neighbourhood relationships (30) between stator modules (60) of the communication path (50) may be determined.

8. Method according to Claim 7, wherein the planar drive system (1) comprises a plurality of communication paths (50) each constituting a stator module unit (80), wherein in each case at least two stator modules (60) of different stator module units (80) comprise outer edges (100) facing one another and, as a result, there is a spatial unit neighbourhood relationship (79) between the at least two stator module units (80), wherein in order to determine the location and the position of the unit neighbourhood relationships (79), one stator module unit (80) is defined as the transmission stator module unit and another stator module unit (80) is defined as the reception stator module unit, wherein a second control signal is output in such a way that in the transmission stator module unit there are energized successively the first conductor strips (31) and/or the further first conductor strips (32) of the conductor strips (20) in a first edge region (25) and/or a further first edge region (26) of the transmission stator modules (10) of the transmission stator module unit for which no neighbourhood relationship (30) was determined within the communication path (50), wherein a second positive detection signal is determined if a magnetic field triggered by the second control signal is measured by means of the magnetic field sensors (15) of the reception stator modules (14) of the reception stator module unit and the unit neighbourhood relationship (79) between the transmission stator module unit .and the reception stator module unit of the stator module units (80) is thus determined and wherein if no magnetic field triggered by the second control signal is measured by means of the magnetic field sensors (15) of the reception stator module unit, no unit neighbourhood relationship (79) between the transmission stator module unit and the reception stator module unit of the stator module units (80) is determined, wherein the method is repeated until all unit neighbourhood relationships (79) between the stator module units (80) of the planar drive system (1) have been determined.

9. Method according to Claim 8, wherein the second control signal comprises the fact that there are energized simultaneously all first conductor strips (31) and/or further first conductor strips (32) of the conductor strips (20) in a first edge region (25) and/or in the further first edge regions (26) of the transmission stator modules (10) of the transmission stator module unit for which no neighbourhood relationship (30) was determined within the communication path (50).

10. Method according to Claim 8 or 9, wherein the method may be carried out in parallel in a plurality of communication paths (50).

11. Method according to any of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the first control signal comprises energizing at least one conductor strip (20) in a first edge region (25) of the transmission stator module (10), wherein the magnetic field sensors (15) are assigned at least partly to edge regions (28) of the stator modules (60) and wherein on the basis of the strength of the magnetic field measured by means of the magnetic field sensors (15) the positive first detection signal is determined and the neighbourhood relationship (30), and also a location and position of the reception stator module (14) relative to the transmission stator module (10), is thus ascertained.

12. Method according to Claim 11, wherein the first control signal comprises energizing at least one first conductor strip (31) of the conductor strips (20) in a first edge region (25) of the transmission stator module (10), wherein the first positive detection signal is determined if a magnetic field triggered by the first control signal is measured by means of the magnetic field sensors (15) of the reception stator module (14) and the neighbourhood relationship (30) is thus determined as the first neighbourhood relationship (7) and wherein if no magnetic field triggered by the first control signal is measured by means of the magnetic field sensors (15) of the reception stator module (14), no first neighbourhood relationship (7) between the transmission stator module (10) and the reception stator module (14) of the stator modules (60) is determined, wherein after the first neighbourhood relationship (7) has been determined or has not been determined, further first control signals are output successively in such a way that further first conductor strips (32) of the conductor strips (20) in further first edge regions (26) of the transmission stator module (10) are energized until either further neighbourhood relationships (30) with further reception stator modules (14) have been determined or have not been determined or no further first edge regions (26) of the transmission stator module (10) are present.

13. Method according to Claim 11 or 12, wherein the planar drive system (1) comprises a plurality of stator modules (60), wherein one stator module (60) functions as the transmission stator module (10) and all further stator modules (60) function simultaneously as reception stator modules (14), wherein the first control signal comprises energizing at least one first conductor strip (31) of the conductor strips (20) in a first edge region (25) of the transmission stator module (10), wherein the first positive detection signal is determined if a magnetic field triggered by the first control signal is measured by means of the magnetic field sensors (15) of one of the reception stator modules (14) and the neighbourhood relationship (30) is thus determined as the first neighbourhood relationship (7) between the transmission stator module (10) and the reception stator module (14) measuring the magnetic field and wherein if no magnetic field triggered by the first control signal is measured by means of the magnetic field sensors (15) of the reception stator modules (14), the outer edge assigned to the first edge region (25) of the transmission stator module (10) is determined as an outer boundary of the planar drive system (1).

14. Method according to Claim 13, wherein the method is initially repeated for the further first edge regions (26) of the transmission stator module (10) until all neighbourhood relationships (30) or outer boundaries have been determined for the transmission stator module (10), wherein another stator module (60) of the planar drive system (1) then functions as the transmission stator module (10) and all further stator modules (60) function simultaneously as reception stator modules (14), and the method is repeated until all neighbourhood relationships (30) or outer boundaries have been determined for all stator modules.

15. Method according to Claim 14, wherein the determined neighbourhood relationships (30) or outer boundaries of the planar drive system (1) are stored in parallel in a reference table and determining the neighbourhood relationships (30) or outer edges is carried out only for the stator modules (60) whose neighbourhood relationships (30) or outer edges have not yet been determined or result from the determined neighbourhood relationships (30) or outer edges of other stator modules (60).

16. Method according to any of Claims 1 to 15, wherein the first control signal and/or the second control signal comprise(s) a predefined frequency, a predefined current intensity and/or a predefined duration of the energization, wherein energizing the conductor strips (20) is carried out with the predefined frequency, current intensity and/or duration and the first and/or the second positive detection signal are/is evaluated with regard to the predefined frequency, current intensity and/or duration.

17. Method according to Claim 16, wherein the first control signal and/or the second control signal comprise(s) different predefined frequencies, different predefined current intensities and/or different predefined durations of energization, wherein energizing the conductor strips (20) is carried out with the different predefined frequencies, current intensities and/or durations and the first and/or the second positive detection signal are/is evaluated with regard to the different predefined frequencies, current intensities and/or durations.

18. Method according to Claim 16 or 17, wherein the predefined frequency is between two hundred hertz and two thousand hertz.

19. Control unit (5), comprising a computing unit (18) and a communication connection (19), wherein control signals may be output via the communication connection (19) and detection signals may be received via the communication connection (19), wherein the computing unit (18) is designed to carry out one of the methods in Claims 1 to 18.

20. Computer program, comprising program code which, when executed on a computing unit (18), causes the computing unit (18) to carry out the method according to any of Claims 1 to 18.

21. Planar drive system (1) comprising a plurality of stator modules (60), at least one rotor (2) and the control unit (5) according to Claim 19.