TW202347952A - Drive device, drive method, and drive program - Google Patents

Abstract

The linear transport system of the present invention comprises: a move command generation unit 41 for generating a move command for a mover 3 that is movable along a rail; a plurality of drive modules 42-1, 42-2 disposed along the rail and driving the mover 3 on the basis of the move command; a drive information communication unit 452 for transmitting, from the drive module 42-1 that is a source to the drive module 42-2 that is a destination, drive information for driving the mover 3 which moves between the respective drive modules 42-1, 42-2 on the basis of the move command; and a connection completion communication unit 453 for transmitting, from the destination drive module 42-2 to the source drive module 42-1, the completion of the connection from the source drive module 42-1 of the mover 3 to the destination drive module 42-2 thereof.

Description

Driver device, driver method, driver program

The present invention relates to a driving device for moving a mover along a track.

Patent Document 1 discloses a drive device in which a mover that can move along the track is driven by a plurality of drive modules arranged along the track. The mover is equipped with a permanent magnet, and the driving module is equipped with a plurality of electromagnets that generate a magnetic field that exerts a propulsive force along the track to the permanent magnet. The drive current applied to each electromagnet of each drive module in order to drive the mover in a desired manner is controlled by a section control section provided in the drive module arranged for each unit section of the track and a plurality of section control sections collectively controlled. Controlled by the General Control Department. The overall control unit that detects the current position of the mover on the track simultaneously sends a walking command of the mover in each unit section to a plurality of section control units that control the current unit section of the mover and the unit section of the moving end. Each section control section, which receives the walking command for each unit section from the overall control section, applies the driving current calculated based on the walking command to each electromagnet under its control. [Prior technical literature] [Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-42029

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In the drive device like Patent Document 1, if the mover moves along the track at high speed, "transfer" of the drive module occurs frequently. Here, "transfer" means that the driving body of the mover moving between the driving modules is switched from the driving module of the moving source to the driving module of the moving end. In particular, Patent Document 1 refers to a situation in which the control subject of a mover moving across a plurality of unit sections switches from the section control section of the movement source unit section to the section control section of the movement end unit section. In Patent Document 1, a plurality of section control units and a central overall control unit cooperate to cope with the transfer of the drive modules of each mover. However, this problem occurs frequently when a plurality of movers move at high speed throughout a plurality of unit sections. When a transfer-like situation occurs, an excessive load is applied to the overall control unit that simultaneously sends the running instructions of each mover to each section control unit. Due to the control delay of the overload integrated control unit, the transfer of the drive modules of each mover may not be properly executed.

The present invention was developed in view of such a situation, and its purpose is to provide a driving device that can smoothly transfer a drive module of a mover, etc. [Means used to solve problems]

In order to solve the above problem, a driving device according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a movement command generating unit that generates a movement command for a mover that can move along a track; and a plurality of drive modules that are arranged along the track. driving the mover according to the movement instruction; and a driving information sending unit that sends the driving information used to drive the mover moving between the driving modules according to the movement instruction from the driving module of the movement source to the driver of the mobile terminal Mods.

In this mode, for the mover that moves between the driving modules, the driving information is sent from the driving module of the moving source to the driving module of the moving end. Therefore, the driving body of the mover can be transferred from the driving module of the moving source. The module smoothly switches to the mobile driver module. Therefore, the transfer of the drive module of the mover can be performed smoothly.

Another aspect of the present invention is a driving method. The method includes: a movement instruction generating step, which is to generate a movement instruction for a mover that can move along the track; and a drive information sending step, which is to configure a plurality of drives along the track to drive the mover according to the movement instruction. In the module, the driving information used to drive the mover moving between the driving modules is sent from the driving module of the movement source to the driving module of the mobile terminal.

In addition, any combination of the above-mentioned constituent elements or a conversion of the expression of the present invention between methods, devices, systems, recording media, computer programs, etc. are also effective as aspects of the present invention. [Effects of the invention]

According to the present invention, the drive module of the mover can be transferred smoothly.

Hereinafter, modes for implementing the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description or drawings, the same or equivalent components, components, and processes are denoted by the same symbols, and repeated descriptions are omitted. For convenience of explanation, the scale and shape of each part shown in the drawings are appropriately set, and unless otherwise specified, they are not to be interpreted in a restrictive manner. The embodiments are examples and do not limit the scope of the present invention in any way. All features described in the embodiments and their combinations are not necessarily limited to the essence of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a linear conveyance system 1 as a driving device of the present invention. The linear conveyance system 1 is provided with: a stator 2 that forms a ring-shaped guide rail or track; and a plurality of movers 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D (hereinafter, collectively referred to as movers 3) that are driven relative to the stator 2 and Able to move along rails. With the electromagnet or coil provided on the stator 2 and the permanent magnet provided on the mover 3 facing each other, a linear motor is formed along the annular guide rail. In addition, the guide rail formed by the stator 2 may be in any shape, not limited to an annular shape. For example, the guide rail can be straight or curved, one guide rail can be bifurcated into a plurality of guide rails, and a plurality of guide rails can be merged into one guide rail. In addition, the installation direction of the guide rails formed by the stator 2 is also arbitrary. In the example of FIG. 1, the guide rails are arranged in a horizontal plane, but the guide rails can also be arranged in a vertical plane, a plane with any inclination angle, or a curved surface. within.

The stator 2 has a guide rail surface 21 with the horizontal direction as the normal direction. The guide rail surface 21 extends in a strip shape along the formation direction of the guide rail, and forms an annular strip shape connecting (imaginary) both ends when an annular guide rail is formed as in the example of FIG. 1 . On the guide rail surface 21 that can form a guide rail of any shape as described above, a plurality of drive modules (not shown in FIG. 1 ) equipped with electromagnets are embedded or arranged continuously or periodically along the guide rail. The electromagnet in the drive module generates a magnetic field that exerts a propulsive force along the guide rail on the permanent magnet of the mover 3 . Specifically, when a driving current such as a three-phase alternating current flows through the plurality of electromagnets, a moving magnetic field is generated that linearly drives the mover 3 equipped with the permanent magnet in a desired tangential direction along the guide rail. In addition, in the example of FIG. 1 , the normal direction of the guide rail surface 21 in which the annular guide rail is formed in the horizontal plane is the horizontal direction, but the normal direction of the guide rail surface 21 may be the vertical direction or any other direction.

In the stator 2 , a positioning unit 22 serving as a current position detection unit is provided on the upper surface or lower surface perpendicular to the guide rail surface 21 , and is continuously or periodically embedded with a positioning target mounted on the mover 3 . A plurality of magnetic positioning devices (not shown) for positioning the magnetic scale (not shown). A magnetic positioning device that uses a magnetic scale formed by a stripe-shaped magnetic pattern at a certain distance as a positioning object usually has a plurality of magnetic detection heads. By staggering the intervals between the plurality of magnetic detection heads with respect to the pitch or period of the magnetic pattern of the magnetic scale, the magnetic positioning device can measure the position of the magnetic scale with high accuracy. In a typical magnetic positioning device provided with two magnetic detection heads, for example, the distance between the two magnetic detection heads is shifted by 1/4 pitch (the phase is shifted by 90 degrees) relative to the magnetic pattern of the magnetic scale. In addition, contrary to the above, a magnetic positioning device can be provided on the mover 3 and a magnetic scale can be provided on the stator 2 . Furthermore, if the position of the mover 3 measured by the positioning unit 22 is differentiated with time, the speed of the mover 3 can be detected, and if the speed is differentiated with time, the acceleration of the mover 3 can be detected.

The positioning device provided on the stator 2 and the positioning object installed on the mover 3 are not limited to the above magnetic type, and may also be optical or other methods. In the case of the optical type, an optical scale formed by a stripe pattern with a certain spacing is installed on the mover 3, and an optical positioning device capable of optically reading the stripe pattern of the optical scale is installed on the stator 2. In the magnetic type and optical type, the positioning device measures the positioning object (magnetic scale, optical scale) in a non-contact manner, so it can reduce the amount of the transported object carried by the mover 3 from splashing into the positioning part (the stator 2). Risks such as failure of the positioning device when working on the upper surface). Among them, in the optical formula, if the optical scale is covered by the liquid, powder, etc. that enters the positioning position, the positioning accuracy deteriorates. Therefore, if the object is a conveyed object whose magnetism can be ignored, it is assumed that even if the object enters the positioning position, The magnetic type is preferred because its location does not degrade the positioning accuracy.

The mover 3 is provided with: the mover body 31, which is opposite to the guide rail surface 21 of the stator 2; and the positioning target portion 32, which extends in the horizontal direction from the upper part of the mover body 31 and is in contact with the positioning portion 22 of the stator 2. Opposite; and a carrying portion 33, which extends from the mover body 31 in the horizontal direction on the side opposite to the measured position portion 32 (the side far away from the stator 2) and holds or fixes the transported object. The mover body 31 is provided with one or a plurality of permanent magnets (not shown) facing a plurality of electromagnets embedded in the guide rail surface 21 of the stator 2 along the guide rails. The moving magnetic field generated by the electromagnet of the stator 2 exerts linear power or thrust force in the tangential direction of the guide rail on the permanent magnet of the mover 3, so the mover 3 is linearly driven along the guide rail surface 21 relative to the stator 2.

A magnetic scale and an optical scale as a positioning target are provided on the positioning target portion 32 of the mover 3 so as to face the positioning device provided in the positioning portion 22 of the stator 2 . In the example of FIG. 1 in which the positioning device is installed on the upper surface of the stator 2 , a positioning object such as a magnetic scale is installed on the lower surface of the measured portion 32 of the mover 3 . When the positioning part 22 and the part to be measured 32 are magnetic, in the stator 2 the guide rail surface 21 and the positioning part 22 are formed on different surfaces or at separate locations, and in the mover 3 the mover body 31 and the moved part are The positioning part 32 is preferably formed on different surfaces or separate locations so that the magnetic field between the electromagnet of the guide rail surface 21 and the permanent magnet of the mover body 31 does not affect the magnetic positioning of the positioning part 22 and the measured part 32 .

FIG. 1 illustrates four movers 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D. However, for example, in a linear conveyance system 1 that conveys a small number of conveyed objects many times, it may be assumed that more than 1,000 movers 3 are required. If each mover 3 is driven at a higher speed under such a situation, "transfer" of the drive module of the mover 3 will occur frequently. Here, "transfer" means that the driving body of the mover 3 that moves between the driving modules along the guide rail is switched from the driving module of the moving source to the driving module of the moving end. As described in detail below, according to this embodiment, the transfer of the drive module of the mover 3 can be performed smoothly.

FIG. 2 schematically shows an outline of the linear transportation system 1 for smoothly controlling the drive of the mover 3 , especially the transfer control of the drive module of the mover 3 , and its details are schematically shown in the functional blocks of FIG. 3 Figure.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the control mechanism of the linear conveyance system 1 is composed of a host computer 40 (indicated as "HC" in Fig. 2 ), a movement command generation unit 41 or a first drive control unit (indicated as "HC" in Fig. 2 MC1"), ten drive modules 42-1 to 42-10 (hereinafter collectively referred to as the drive modules 42) or a second drive control unit (indicated as "MC2_1" to "MC2_10" in FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 2 , the host computer 40 , the movement command generation unit 41 , and the drive modules 42 - 1 to 42 - 10 may be composed of different hardware, or part or all of them may be composed of the same hardware.

The host computer 40 is a computer that manages the overall control of the linear conveyance system 1. Based on the operation of the administrator, the installed automatic operation program, etc., the host computer 40 provides the movement command generation unit 41 with instructions for operating the linear conveyance system 1 (that is, driving the engine). 3A ~ 3D) operation instructions.

The movement command generation unit 41 is based on the operation command from the host computer 40 and the positions, speeds, accelerations, etc. of the plurality of movers 3A to 3D on the guide rails detected by the positioning unit 22 (Fig. 1) as the current position detection unit. Movement instructions for each of the movers 3A to 3D are generated. Here, the movement command generated by the movement command generation unit 41 includes the target position on the guide rail relative to the current position of each mover 3A to 3D measured by the positioning unit 22 . For example, the movement command generation unit 41 generates movement commands for each of the movers 3A to 3D in a predetermined control cycle T1, and sends them to the plurality of drive modules 42. Specifically, the movement command generation unit 41 detects the current position of each mover 3A to 3D at the start time of each control period T1 by the positioning unit 22 to generate the current position of each mover at the end time of each control period T1. 3A ~ 3D target position. At this time, based on the detected position, speed, acceleration, etc. of the movers 3A to 3D, the move command generation unit 41 generates a move command or a walking command that specifies a moving path or a walking path that does not interfere with each other, so that each mover can The sub-sections 3A to 3D do not contact or approach each other during each control period T1.

The movement instructions for the movers 3A to 3D generated by the movement instruction generation unit 41 are sent to the plurality of drive modules 42 through the wired or wireless movement instruction communication path 43 . In the example of FIG. 2 , the movement command communication path 43 connects the movement command generation unit 41 and one of the ten drive modules 42 (the first drive module 42 - 1 ). The first drive module 42-1 receives the movement command from the movement command generation unit 41 through the movement command communication path 43 by connecting a total of 10 drive modules 42-1 to 42-10 in a ring or annular series. The inter-drive module communication path 44 is transmitted to all drive modules 42-1 to 42-10 in sequence. As described above, the time it takes for the movement command to circle the annular inter-drive module communication path 44 becomes the approximate minimum value of the control cycle T1 of the movement command generation unit 41 . In other words, it is preferable to set the control cycle T1 of the movement command generation unit 41 to be longer than the time it takes for the movement command to go around the annular inter-drive module communication path 44 . In addition, the movement command communication path 43 may be provided in each of the drive modules 42-1 to 42-10, and the movement command may be sent from the movement command generation unit 41 to each of the drive modules 42-1 to 42-10 at the same time.

The plurality of drive modules 42 drive the plurality of movers 3A to 3D according to the movement command received from the movement command generation unit 41 through the movement command communication path 43 and/or the inter-driving module communication path 44 . In the example of FIG. 2 , the annular guide rail of the stator 2 is divided into 10 drive sections 23 - 1 to 23 - 10 (hereinafter, collectively referred to as drive sections 23 ) or unit sections having the same length. Each drive section corresponds to 23-1～23-10 sets 10 drive modules 42-1～42-10. That is, each drive module 42-1 to 42-10 is respectively responsible for driving the movers 3A to 3D in the corresponding drive sections 23-1 to 23-10.

As shown in FIG. 3 , each drive module 42 includes a communication unit 45 , a drive current calculation unit 46 , and a drive current application unit 47 . The communication unit 45 performs movement instructions and other communications with the movement instruction generation unit 41 through the movement instruction communication path 43, and communicates with the communication units 45 in other drive modules 42 adjacent to the guide rail through the inter-drive module communication path 44, which will be described later. Movement instructions, driving information, transfer completion, and other communications. As described above, in the examples of FIGS. 2 and 3 , the movement command communication path 43 is provided only between the movement command generation unit 41 and the communication unit 45 of the first drive module 42 - 1 . In addition, the inter-drive module communication path 44 connects the communication portions of the drive modules 42 adjacent to each other on the guide rail (in the example of FIG. 3 , the first drive module 42-1 and the second drive module 42-2). 45 interconnected.

The communication unit 45 in each drive module 42 includes a movement instruction communication unit 451, a drive information communication unit 452, and a transfer completion communication unit 453. In the adjacent drive modules 42 on the guide rail, the movement command communication parts 451 are connected to each other through a one-way wired or wireless movement command communication path 441, and the driving information communication parts 452 are connected to each other through a two-way wired or wireless driving information. The communication path 442 is connected, and the transfer completion communication units 453 are connected to each other through the two-way wired or wireless transfer completion communication path 443 . In addition, the movement instruction communication unit 451, the drive information communication unit 452, the transfer completion communication unit 453 in the communication unit 45, the movement instruction communication path 441, the drive information communication path 442, and the transfer completion communication path 44 among the drive modules. The communication path 443 is appropriately represented as a separate structure in order to clearly illustrate each function, and can be physically implemented as an integrated communication unit 45 and an inter-drive module communication path 44 .

The movement command communication unit 451 in the first drive module 42-1 receives the movement command of each mover 3A to 3D from the movement command generation unit 41 via the movement command communication path 43, and sends the movement command to the rear stage via the movement command communication path 441. The movement command communication unit 451 in the adjacent second drive module 42-2 transmits the movement command. Thereafter, similarly, the N+1th movement command is received from the movement command communication unit 451 in the adjacent Nth drive module 42-N (N is an integer from 1 to 9) in the previous stage through the movement command communication path 441. The movement command communication unit 451 in the drive module 42-N+1 communicates with the adjacent N+2 drive module 42-N+2 in the rear stage through the movement command communication path 441 (wherein, when N=9, The movement instruction communication unit 451 in N+2=1) transmits the movement instruction. As described above, the movement instructions of the movers 3A to 3D generated by the movement instruction generation unit 41 are connected in series in a circular ring by the movement instruction communication units 451 in a total of ten drive modules 42-1 to 42-10. The movement command communication path 441 is sequentially transmitted to all drive modules 42-1 to 42-10. The transmission of movement instructions on the movement instruction communication path 441 is one-way, and is schematically represented as a one-way arrow in FIG. 3 .

The drive information communication unit 452 functioning as the drive information sending unit will be used to drive the mover moving between the drive modules 42, that is, between the drive segments 23, based on the movement command received by the movement command communication unit 451. The driving information of 3A to 3D is sent from the driving module 42 of the mobile source to the driving module 42 of the mobile terminal through the driving information communication path 442 . Each mover 3A to 3D can move in either direction along the guide rail (clockwise direction and counterclockwise direction in Fig. 2, right direction and left direction in Fig. 3). However, as follows: To simplify the explanation, the case where the mover 3 moves in one direction (the clockwise direction in Fig. 2 and the right direction in Fig. 3) will be described. At this time, let N be an integer from 1 to 10, the drive module of the movement source is typically represented as the Nth drive module 42-N, and the drive module of the mobile end is typically represented as the N+1th drive. Module 42-N+1 (where N+1=1 is set when N=10). The drive information communication unit 452 in the Nth drive module 42-N of the mobile source sends at least part of the drive current information calculated by the drive current calculation unit 46 to be described later to the N+th unit of the mobile terminal through the drive information communication path 442. 1. The driving information communication unit 452 in the driving module 42-N+1. The transmission of driving information on the driving information communication path 442 is bidirectional corresponding to the moving direction of the mover 3, and is schematically represented as a bidirectional arrow in FIG. 3 .

The transfer completion communication unit 453, which functions as the transfer completion sending unit, completes the transfer of the mover 3 from the Nth drive module 42-N of the movement source to the N+1th drive module 42-N+1 of the movement end. , sent from the N+1th driving module 42-N+1 of the mobile terminal to the Nth driving module 42-N of the mobile source through the transfer completion communication path 443. The transmission of transfer completion on the transfer completion communication path 443 is bidirectional corresponding to the moving direction of the mover 3, and is schematically represented as a bidirectional arrow in FIG. 3 .

The drive current calculation unit 46 calculates the driving order based on the movement instructions of each mover 3A to 3D received by the movement instruction communication unit 451 and/or the drive information received by the drive information communication unit 452 from other adjacent drive modules 42 . The drive current applied to the electromagnet 24 is applied to each mover 3A to 3D. The drive current application unit 47 applies the drive current calculated by the drive current calculation unit 46 to the electromagnet 24 to be driven. In the example of FIG. 3 , each drive module 42 is provided with 20 electromagnets 24 composed of UVW three-phase coils (indicated as “UVW_1” to “UVW_20” in FIG. 3 ) along the guide rails.

In the example shown in the figure, the mover 3 spans the 20th three-phase coil "UVW_20" in the first drive module 42-1 and the first three-phase coil "UVW_1" in the second drive module 42-2. ” and move. At this time, the drive current application unit 47 applies the drive current calculated by the drive current calculation unit 46 in the first drive module 42-1 to the 20th three-phase coil "UVW_20", and the drive current application unit 47 applies the drive current calculated by the drive current calculation unit 46 in the first drive module 42-1 to 2. The drive current calculated by the drive current calculation unit 46 in the drive module 42-2 is applied to the first three-phase coil "UVW_1", thereby achieving the desired walking of the mover 3.

FIG. 4 schematically shows the processing in each drive module 42 and each drive module 42 when one mover 3 is transferred from the N-th drive module 42-N to the N+1-th drive module 42-N+1. the communication process between them. The "S" in this diagram and similar diagrams refers to a step or process. Also, time proceeds from top to bottom in this diagram.

At time S1, the mover 3 moves in a section spanning the 19th three-phase coil "UVW_19" and the 20th three-phase coil "UVW_20" in the N-th drive module 42-N. Therefore, in S1, the drive current application unit 47 applies the drive current calculated by the drive current calculation unit 46 in the N-th drive module 42-N to the 19th three-phase coil "UVW_19" and the 20th three-phase coil Coil "UVW_20". In addition, in FIG. 4 , the calculation of the drive current by the drive current calculation unit 46 is represented as "servo calculation", and the application of the drive current by the drive current applying unit 47 is represented as "excitation". In addition, in FIG. 4 , the drive current applied to the m-th three-phase coil "UVW_m" in the n-th drive module 42-n is represented as "MC2_n_m".

In S2, if mover 3 is far away from the 19th three-phase coil "UVW_19" in the Nth drive module 42-N and close to the first three-phase coil in the N+1th drive module 42-N+1 "UVW_1", then the drive current calculation unit 46 in the N-th drive module 42-N not only calculates the drive current "MC2_N_20" that should be applied to the 20th three-phase coil "UVW_20" in the N-th drive module 42-N , and also calculates the drive current "MC2_N+1_1" that should be applied to the first three-phase coil "UVW_1" in the N+1 drive module 42-N+1 at the moving end of the mover 3. Furthermore, the drive current application unit 47 in the N-th drive module 42-N applies the drive current "MC2_N_20" calculated by the drive current calculation unit 46 to the 20th three-phase coil "UVW_20".

In subsequent S3, the drive information communication unit 452 in the N-th drive module 42-N will include the drive information (in FIG. 4, represented as "servo information") of the drive current "MC2_N+1_1" calculated in S2. ") is sent to the drive information communication unit 452 in the N+1-th drive module 42-N+1 through the drive information communication path 442. The N+1 drive module 42-N+1 that receives the drive information in S3 immediately starts a dialogue for controlling or driving the mover 3 moving from the N-th drive module 42-N.

In S4, the drive current application part 47 in the N+1 drive module 42-N+1 directly applies the drive current "MC2_N+1_1" received in S3 to the N+1 drive module 42-N. The first three-phase coil "UVW_1" in +1, or after the minimum additional calculation is performed by the drive current calculation unit 46, is applied to the first three-phase coil "UVW_1" in the N+1-th drive module 42-N+1. Phase coil "UVW_1". At this time, the drive current calculation unit 46 in the N+1-th drive module 42-N+1 does not need to perform substantial calculation of the drive current "MC2_N+1_1". Therefore, even if the mover 3 starts from the N-th drive module Even if 42-N is moving at high speed, the mover 3 can smoothly transfer to the N+1 drive module 42-N+1.

In S5 after the transfer, the drive current calculation unit 46 in the N+1 drive module 42-N+1 calculates the drive current "MC2_N+1_1" that should be applied to the first three-phase coil "UVW_1" and the corresponding The drive current applying part 47 applies the drive current "MC2_N+1_2" to the second three-phase coil "UVW_2" to each of the three-phase coils "UVW_1" and "UVW_2". In S6, based on the normal completion of S5, it is determined that the transfer of the mover 3 from the N-th drive module 42-N to the N+1-th drive module 42-N+1 is completed normally. The transfer completion communication unit 453 in N+1 sends the transfer completion notification to the transfer completion communication unit 453 in the Nth drive module 42-N of the movement source through the transfer completion communication path 443.

The Nth drive module 42-N that received the transfer completion notification in S6 ends the dialogue with the mover 3 that completed the transfer to the N+1th drive module 42-N+1 in S7, and releases the dialogue. The control time slot or control resource used in the mover 3 is set to a state that can receive other movers 3 (shown as "servo release" in Figure 4). On the other hand, in S8 in the N+1 drive module 42-N+1 to which the mover 3 is transferred, the drive current calculation unit 46 calculates what should be applied to the second three-phase coil in the same manner as S5. The driving current "MC2_N+1_2" of UVW_2" and the driving current "MC2_N+1_3" that should be applied to the third three-phase coil "UVW_3", the driving current applying part 47 applies to each of the three-phase coils "UVW_2" and "UVW_3" .

5 and 6 show an embodiment of the transfer of the drive module 42 of the mover 3 . In these figures, four movers 3A to 3D are shown (indicated as “C_1” to “C_4” in FIGS. 5 and 6 respectively), but the third mover 3C among them is derived from the Nth drive module. 42-N transfers to the N+1 drive module 42-N+1. Figure 5 shows the third mover 3C before the transfer, and Figure 6 shows the third mover 3C after the transfer. In each figure, each drive module 42 has 11 control time slots "servo #1" to "servo #11", which can be allocated to each mover moving on each drive module 42 or in each drive section 23 3. That is, each driving module 42 can simultaneously drive up to 11 movers 3 that are the same number as the control time slots.

In FIG. 5 , the first mover 3A and the second mover 3B move on the N+1 drive module 42-N+1, and are respectively assigned to the first mover of the N+1 drive module 42-N+1. The control time slot "Servo #1" and the second control time slot "Servo #2" are driven (shown as "executing" in Figures 5 and 6). Furthermore, the fourth mover 3D moves on the N-th drive module 42-N, and is driven by being assigned the 11th control time slot "servo #11" of the N-th drive module 42-N.

The third mover 3C drives from the N-th drive module 42-N (left) to the N+1-th drive module 42-N in the section spanning the N-th drive module 42-N and the N+1-th drive module 42-N+1. Module 42-N+1 (right) moves. At a time slightly earlier than that in Figure 5 , the center of the third mover 3C passes through the center of the 20th three-phase coil "UVW_20" in the Nth drive module 42-N. However, at this time, the process in Figure 4 is executed. S2. Furthermore, S3 in FIG. 4 is executed at the time point in FIG. 5. As a result, the first control time slot "servo #1" allocated to the third mover 3C in the N-th drive module 42-N of the movement source becomes "Transfer to (N+1th drive module 42-N+1)" state.

In addition, the N+1th drive module 42-N+1 of the mobile terminal changes the third control time slot "Servo #3" based on the drive information received from the Nth drive module 42-N in S3 in FIG. 4 Assigned to the 3rd mover 3C. The status of the third control time slot "Servo #3" is not "executing" but "scheduled execution" because, as explained in S4 in Figure 4, the N+1th drive module 42-N+1 The drive current calculation unit 46 itself does not actually calculate the drive current "MC2_N+1_1", but drives the N+1th drive module 42 based on the drive current "MC2_N+1_1" received from the Nth drive module 42-N. -The first three-phase coil "UVW_1" in N+1.

In addition, at the time point in Figure 5, S3 in Figure 4 is executed, that is, the drive information is sent to the N+1-th drive module 42-N+1, but the center of the third mover 3C is still located in the N-th drive module 42 -N on. As mentioned above, the driving information communication unit 452 (FIG. 3) in the Nth driving module 42-N of the moving source transmits the data before the mover 3 reaches the position of the N+1st driving module 42-N+1 of the moving end. The driving information is sent from the Nth driving module 42-N of the mobile source to the N+1th driving module 42-N+1 of the mobile terminal. In addition, S4 in Figure 4, that is, the driving of the first three-phase coil "UVW_1" in the N+1th drive module 42-N+1, is also the N+1th drive mode when the mover 3 reaches the moving end. It is better to start before the position of group 42-N+1, but it can also be before the center of mover 3 reaches the center of the first three-phase coil "UVW_1" in the N+1 drive module 42-N+1. Start.

In FIG. 6 , the transfer of the third mover 3C from the N-th drive module 42-N to the N+1-th drive module 42-N+1 is completed normally. Specifically, at a time slightly earlier than in FIG. 6 , the center of the third mover 3C passes through the center of the first three-phase coil “UVW_1” in the N+1 drive module 42-N+1, but at At this time, S5 in Figure 4 is executed. Furthermore, S6 in FIG. 4 is executed at the time point in FIG. 6. As a result, the Nth driving module 42 of the moving source receives the transfer completion notification from the N+1th driving module 42-N+1 of the mobile terminal. The first control time slot "servo #1" allocated to the third mover 3C in -N is released and becomes "released/standby". On the other hand, the state of the third control time slot "servo #3" allocated to the third mover 3C in the N+1 drive module 42-N+1 that is normally transferred to the third mover 3C is as shown in FIG. "Reservation Execution" in 5 is updated to "Executing". In addition, the first control time slot "servo #1" of the N-th drive module 42-N, which becomes the movement source "released/on standby" immediately after the transfer of the third mover 3C, is maintained for the predetermined time. This state switches to the "execution" or "scheduled execution" state when the servo calculations related to other movers 3 are started during this period. The servo calculations related to other movers 3 are not started during this period. In this case, switch to the "unused" state.

According to this embodiment as described above, for the mover 3 moving between the drive modules 42, " MC2_N+1_1" and other driving current information, therefore the driving body of the mover 3 can be smoothly switched from the driving module 42-N of the moving source to the driving module 42-N+1 of the moving end. As described above, the transfer of the drive module 42 of the mover 3 is smooth, so even if each mover 3 is driven at a higher speed than before, the transfer can be performed reliably.

In this embodiment, the drive control of the mover 3 is divided into the generation of the movement command in the movement command generation unit 41 and the calculation of the drive current in each drive module 42 (the drive current calculation unit 46). There are two levels: the driving current application part 47) and the sharing part (the driving information communication part 452). Even if the number of movers 3 in the linear conveyance system 1 increases, since the control of the drive current with a large calculation load is distributed among the plurality of drive modules 42 in the lower layer, it is possible to prevent the calculation load from being concentrated on the movement command generation unit 41 in the upper layer. , a specific driver module 42. As schematically shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , it can also be said that the number of movers 3 that can be driven by one drive module 42 is naturally limited by the size of the drive section 23 it governs (in the examples of FIGS. 5 and 6 , one driving module 42 can drive up to 11 movers 3). As described above, according to this embodiment in which the control load is distributed among the movement command generation unit 41 in the upper layer and the plurality of drive modules 42 in the lower layer, the number of movers 3 in the linear conveyance system 1 can be easily increased, and the number of movers 3 in the linear transportation system 1 can be easily increased. Improve the conveying efficiency of the linear conveying system 1.

The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments. The embodiments are examples, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications can be made to the combination of each component and each processing step, and such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention.

In the embodiment, a linear transport system is illustrated in which the mover is driven based on the magnetic force between the permanent magnet provided on the mover and the electromagnet provided on the stator. However, the present invention can be applied to any principle based on other than magnetism (for example, Electrical, fluid) any driving device.

In addition, the functional structure of each device described in the embodiment can be realized by hardware resources or software resources, or by the cooperation of hardware resources and software resources. As hardware resources, processors, ROM, RAM, and other LSIs can be used. As software resources, operating systems, applications and other programs can be used.

1:Linear handling system 2:Stator 3: mover 23: Drive section 24:Electromagnet 41:Movement command generation department 42:Driver module 43:Movement command communication path 44: Communication path between driver modules 45:Communication Department 46: Drive current calculation section 47: Drive current application part 441:Movement command communication path 442: Drive information communication path 443: Transfer completed communication path 451:Mobile Command Communications Department 452:Drive Information and Communications Department 453:Transfer completed to Communications Department

[Fig. 1] is a perspective view showing the overall structure of the linear conveyance system. [Fig. 2] schematically shows an outline of a linear conveyance system for smoothly controlling drive of a mover. [Figure 3] is a functional block diagram of the linear handling system. [Fig. 4] schematically shows the flow when the mover is transferred to the drive module. [Fig. 5] shows an example of the transfer of the drive module of the mover. [Fig. 6] shows an example of transfer of the drive module of the mover.

3: mover

23-1: Drive section

23-2: Drive section

24:Electromagnet

40: Main computer

41:Movement command generation department

42-1: Driver module

42-2:Drive module

43:Movement command communication path

44: Communication path between driver modules

45:Communication Department

46: Drive current calculation section

47: Drive current application part

441:Movement command communication path

442: Drive information communication path

443: Transfer completed communication path

451:Mobile Command Communications Department

452:Drive Information and Communications Department

453:Transfer completed to Communications Department

Claims (8)

A driving device having: A movement instruction generation unit that generates movement instructions for movers that can move along the track; A plurality of driving modules are arranged along the aforementioned track and drive the aforementioned mover according to the aforementioned movement command; and The drive information sending unit sends drive information for driving the mover to move between the drive modules according to the movement command from the drive module of the movement source to the drive module of the mobile end. Such as the driving device of claim 1, wherein, The aforementioned mover has a permanent magnet; The aforementioned driving module is provided with an electromagnet that generates a magnetic field that exerts a propulsive force along the aforementioned track on the aforementioned permanent magnet; The driving information includes current information applied to the electromagnet in order to drive the mover according to the movement command. Such as the driving device of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein, Before the mover reaches the position of the driving module of the mobile end, the driving information sending unit sends the driving information from the driving module of the moving source to the driving module of the mobile end. Such as the driving device of claim 1 or claim 2, which further includes: The transfer completion sending unit completes the transfer of the mover from the driving module of the moving source to the driving module of the moving end, and sends the transfer from the driving module of the moving end to the driving module of the moving source. Such as the driving device of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein, The aforementioned movers are provided in plural numbers; The movement instruction generating unit generates movement instructions for the plurality of movers. Such as the driving device of claim 1 or claim 2, which further includes: a current position detection unit that detects the current position of the mover on the track; The movement instruction generated by the movement instruction generation unit includes a target position on the orbit relative to the current position of the mover. A driving method including: A movement instruction generation step, which is to generate a movement instruction for a mover that can move along the track; and The drive information sending step is to drive the mover that moves between the drive modules in a plurality of drive modules arranged along the track and drive the mover according to the movement command. Information is sent from the driver module of the mobile source to the driver module of the mobile terminal. A driver that causes a computer to perform the following steps: A movement instruction generation step, which is to generate a movement instruction for a mover that can move along the track; and The drive information sending step is to drive the mover that moves between the drive modules in a plurality of drive modules arranged along the track and drive the mover according to the movement command. Information is sent from the driver module of the mobile source to the driver module of the mobile terminal.

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