WO2023135936A1

WO2023135936A1 - Drive device, drive method, and drive program

Info

Publication number: WO2023135936A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/042971
Authority: WO
Inventors: 智浩沖; 智子市川
Original assignee: 住友重機械工業株式会社
Priority date: 2022-01-12
Filing date: 2022-11-21
Publication date: 2023-07-20
Also published as: TW202347952A

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

Driving device, driving method, driving program

The present invention relates to a driving device and the like that moves a mover along a track.

Patent Document 1 discloses a drive device that drives a mover movable along a track by a plurality of drive modules arranged along the track. The mover comprises a permanent magnet and the drive module comprises a plurality of electromagnets that generate a magnetic field that exerts an orbital thrust on the permanent magnet. The drive current applied to each electromagnet of each drive module for the desired drive of the mover includes a section control section provided in the drive module arranged for each unit section of the track and a plurality of section control sections. controlled by a comprehensive control unit that controls Upon detecting the current position of the mover on the trajectory, the comprehensive control unit sends a plurality of section control units that control the current unit section of the mover and the unit section of the movement destination to the mover's position in each unit section. Transmit travel commands in parallel. Each section control section that has received the travel command for each unit section from the comprehensive control section applies a drive current calculated based on the travel command to each electromagnet under its own jurisdiction.

JP 2017-42029 A

In a drive device such as that of Patent Document 1, when the mover moves along the track at high speed, "transfer" of drive modules frequently occurs. Here, the term "transfer" means that the main driving element of the mover moving between the drive modules is switched from the source drive module to the destination drive module. In particular, in Patent Document 1, it means that the control subject of the mover that moves over a plurality of unit sections is switched from the section control section of the movement source unit section to the section control section of the movement destination unit section. In Patent Document 1, a large number of section control units and a central comprehensive control unit cooperate to deal with the transfer of drive modules of each mover. Therefore, in the case where transfers occur frequently, an excessive load is applied to the comprehensive control section that transmits the travel command of each mover to each section control section in parallel. Due to the control delay of the overloaded global control unit, the transfer of the drive modules of each mover may not be performed properly.

The present invention has been made in view of this situation, and its purpose is to provide a drive device etc. that can smoothly transfer the drive modules of the mover.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a driving device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a movement command generation unit that generates a movement command for a mover that can move along a track; a plurality of drive modules that drive the movers based on the movement command; and drive that transmits drive information for driving the movers that move between the respective drive modules based on the movement command from the drive module at the source of movement to the drive module at the destination. and an information transmission unit.

In this aspect, for a mover moving between drive modules, drive information is transmitted from the drive module at the source of movement to the drive module at the destination. can be switched smoothly to any drive 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. This method comprises a movement command generation step of generating a movement command for a mover movable along a track, and a plurality of drive modules arranged along the track and driving the mover based on the movement command, wherein each of the and a drive information transmission step of transmitting drive information for driving the mover moving between the drive modules from the drive module of the movement source to the drive module of the movement destination.

It should be noted that any combination of the above constituent elements, and any conversion of the expression of the present invention between methods, devices, systems, recording media, computer programs, etc. are also effective as embodiments of the present invention.

According to the present invention, it is possible to smoothly transfer the drive module of the mover.

1 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a linear transfer system; FIG. 1 schematically shows an overview of a linear transfer system for smooth drive control of a mover; 1 is a functional block diagram of a linear transport system; FIG. The flow when the mover transfers between drive modules is schematically shown. Fig. 3 shows an embodiment of the transfer of the drive module of the mover; Fig. 3 shows an embodiment of the transfer of the drive module of the mover;

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description or drawings, the same or equivalent constituent elements, members, and processes are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted. The scales and shapes of the illustrated parts are set for convenience in order to facilitate the explanation, and should not be construed as limiting unless otherwise specified. The embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the scope of the invention in any way. Not all features or combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a linear transfer system 1, which is one aspect of the driving device according to the present invention. The linear transfer system 1 includes a stator 2 that constitutes an annular rail or track, and a plurality of

movers

3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D (hereinafter referred to as moveable collectively referred to as child 3). An electromagnet or coil provided on the stator 2 and a permanent magnet provided on the mover 3 face each other to form a linear motor along an annular rail. Note that the rail formed by the stator 2 may have any shape other than the annular shape. For example, the rails may be linear or curved, one rail may branch into a plurality of rails, or a plurality of rails may merge into one rail. Moreover, the rails formed by the stator 2 can be installed in any direction. In the example of FIG. It may be arranged in the plane of the corner or in the curved surface.

The stator 2 has a rail surface 21 whose normal direction is the horizontal direction. The rail surface 21 extends in a belt shape along the direction of rail formation, and when forming an annular rail as in the example of FIG. A plurality of drive modules (not shown in FIG. 1) having electromagnets are embedded or arranged continuously or periodically along the rail surface 21, which can form a rail of arbitrary shape. . Electromagnets in the drive module generate a magnetic field that exerts a driving force along the rail on the permanent magnets of the armature 3 . Specifically, when a drive current such as a three-phase alternating current is passed through these many electromagnets, a moving magnetic field is generated that linearly drives the mover 3 provided with permanent magnets in a desired tangential direction along the rail. In the example of FIG. 1, the normal direction of the rail surface 21 forming the annular rail in the horizontal plane is the horizontal direction, but the normal direction of the rail surface 21 may be the vertical direction or any other arbitrary direction.

In the stator 2, the position of a magnetic scale (not shown) as a positioning target attached to the mover 3 is detected in a positioning unit 22 as a current position detection unit provided on the upper surface or the lower surface perpendicular to the rail surface 21. A plurality of measurable magnetic positioning devices (not shown) are embedded continuously or periodically. A magnetic positioning device for positioning a magnetic scale formed by a striped magnetic pattern with a constant pitch generally includes a plurality of magnetic detection heads. The magnetic positioning device can measure the position of the magnetic scale with high accuracy by shifting the intervals of the plurality of magnetic detection heads with respect to the pitch or period of the magnetic pattern of the magnetic scale. 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 with respect to the magnetic pattern of the magnetic scale (the phase is shifted by 90 degrees). . Conversely, the mover 3 may be provided with a magnetic positioning device and the stator 2 may be provided with a magnetic scale. Further, the speed of the mover 3 can be detected by differentiating the position of the mover 3 measured by the positioning unit 22 with respect to time, and the acceleration of the mover 3 can be detected by differentiating the speed with respect to time.

The positioning device provided on the stator 2 and the positioning target attached to the mover 3 are not limited to the magnetic system as described above, and may be optical or other systems. In the case of the optical type, the mover 3 is attached with an optical scale formed by a striped pattern with a constant pitch, and the stator 2 is provided with an optical positioning device capable of optically reading the striped pattern of the optical scale. In the magnetic type or optical type, the positioning device measures the positioning target (magnetic scale or optical scale) without contact. It is possible to reduce the risk of malfunction of the positioning device when it enters. However, with the optical method, if the optical scale is covered by a transported object such as liquid or powder that has entered the positioning location, the positioning accuracy will deteriorate. It is preferable to use a magnetic type that does not deteriorate the positioning accuracy.

The mover 3 includes a mover main body 31 facing the rail surface 21 of the stator 2, a portion to be measured 32 projecting horizontally from the top of the mover main body 31 and facing the positioning portion 22 of the stator 2, On the side opposite to the positioning section 32 (the side farther from the stator 2), a conveying section 33 is provided that extends horizontally from the mover main body 31 and on which an object to be conveyed is placed or fixed. The mover main body 31 includes one or more permanent magnets (not shown) facing the plurality of electromagnets embedded in the rail surface 21 of the stator 2 along the rail. Since the moving magnetic field generated by the electromagnet of the stator 2 applies linear force or driving force in the tangential direction of the rail to the permanent magnet of the mover 3, the mover 3 is linearly driven along the rail surface 21 with respect to the stator 2. be done.

A magnetic scale or an optical scale as a positioning target is provided on the positioning target portion 32 of the mover 3 so as to face the positioning device provided on the positioning portion 22 of the stator 2 . In the example of FIG. 1 in which the positioning device is provided on the upper surface of the stator 2 , a positioning target such as a magnetic scale is attached to the lower surface of the positioning target portion 32 of the mover 3 . When the positioning section 22 and the positioning target section 32 are magnetic, the magnetic field between the electromagnet of the rail surface 21 and the permanent magnet of the mover main body 31 does not affect the magnetic positioning of the positioning section 22 and the positioning target section 32. In the stator 2, it is preferable to form the rail surface 21 and the positioning part 22 on different surfaces or at a separate location, and to form the mover main body 31 and the positioning target part 32 on different surfaces or at a separate location in the mover 3. .

Although four

movers

3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D are illustrated in FIG. 1, for example, in a linear transport system 1 that transports a large number of small objects, more than 1,000 movers 3 may be required. is assumed. In such a case, if each mover 3 is further driven at a high speed, the drive module of the mover 3 frequently "transfers". Here, "transfer" means that the driving main body of the mover 3 that moves between the drive modules along the rail is switched from the source drive module to the destination drive module. As will be 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 transfer system 1 for smoothly performing drive control of the mover 3, particularly transfer control of the drive modules of the mover 3. The details are schematically shown in the functional block diagram of FIG. shown

As shown in FIG. 2, the control mechanism of the linear transport system 1 includes a host computer 40 (indicated as "HC" in FIG. 2), a movement command generation section 41, or a first drive control section ("MC1" in FIG. 2). ), ten drive modules 42-1 to 42-10 (generally referred to as drive modules 42 below) or second drive control units (indicated as "MC2_1" to "MC2_10" in FIG. 2). be done. The host computer 40, the movement command generator 41, and the drive modules 42-1 to 42-10 may be configured by different hardware as shown in FIG. 2, or some or all of them may be configured by the same hardware. may be configured.

The host computer 40 is a computer that controls the entire linear transport system 1, and operates the linear transport system 1 (that is, the movers 3A to 3D are drive) is given to the movement command generator 41 .

The movement command generation unit 41 receives an operation command from the host computer 40 and the positions, velocities, accelerations, etc. of the movers 3A to 3D on the rails detected by the positioning unit 22 (FIG. 1) as a current position detection unit. Based on this, a movement command is generated for each of the movers 3A to 3D. Here, the movement command generated by the movement command generation unit 41 includes the target position on the rail relative to the current position of each mover 3A to 3D measured by the positioning unit 22. FIG. For example, the movement command generator 41 generates a movement command for each mover 3A to 3D at a predetermined control period T1 and transmits it to the plurality of drive modules . Specifically, the movement command generation unit 41 detects the current position of each mover 3A to 3D at the start of each control cycle T1 by the positioning unit 22, and determines the position of each mover 3A at the end of each control cycle T1. ~ Generate a 3D target position. At this time, a movement route that does not interfere with each other is determined based on the detected position, speed, acceleration, etc. of each of the movers 3A to 3D so that the movers 3A to 3D do not contact or approach each other during each control period T1. Alternatively, the movement command generation unit 41 generates a movement command or a travel command specifying a running route.

A movement command for each mover 3A to 3D generated by the movement command generation unit 41 is transmitted to a plurality of drive modules 42 through a wired or wireless movement command communication path 43. In the example of FIG. 2, the movement command communication path 43 connects the movement command generator 41 and one of the ten drive modules 42 (first drive module 42-1). The movement command received by the first drive module 42-1 from the movement command generation unit 41 through the movement command communication path 43 is a drive that connects all ten drive modules 42-1 to 42-10 in series in an annular or ring shape. It is sequentially transmitted to all the drive modules 42-1 to 42-10 through the inter-module communication path 44. FIG. Thus, the time taken for the movement command to go around the ring-shaped inter-drive-module communication path 44 is approximately the minimum value of the control cycle T1 of the movement command generating section 41 . In other words, the control cycle T1 of the movement command generator 41 is preferably longer than the time taken for the movement command to go around the ring-shaped inter-drive-module communication path 44 . A movement command communication path 43 is provided in each of the drive modules 42-1 to 42-10 so that movement commands are transmitted in parallel from the movement command generator 41 to each of the drive modules 42-1 to 42-10. may

The plurality of drive modules 42 drive the plurality of movers 3A to 3D based on the movement commands received from the movement command generator 41 through the movement command communication path 43 and/or the inter-drive module communication path 44. In the example of FIG. 2, the annular rail of the stator 2 is divided into 10 drive segments 23-1 to 23-10 (generally referred to as drive segments 23 below) or unit sections of equal length. , ten drive modules 42-1 to 42-10 are provided corresponding to the respective drive segments 23-1 to 23-10. That is, each drive module 42-1 to 42-10 is responsible for driving each mover 3A to 3D in each corresponding drive segment 23-1 to 23-10.

As shown in FIG. 3, each drive module 42 includes a communication section 45, a drive current calculation section 46, and a drive current application section 47. The communication unit 45 communicates with the movement command generation unit 41 through the movement command communication path 43 for movement commands and other communications, and communicates with the communication unit 45 in another drive module 42 adjacent on the rail through the inter-drive module communication path 44 for movement (to be described later). Commands, driving information, connection completion and other communication are performed. 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 section 41 and the communication section 45 of the first drive module 42-1. In addition, the inter-drive module communication path 44 connects the communication units 45 of the drive modules 42 adjacent on the rail (the first drive module 42-1 and the second drive module 42-2 in the example of FIG. 3) to each other. .

The communication unit 45 in each drive module 42 includes a movement command communication unit 451, a drive information communication unit 452, and a connection completion communication unit 453. In the drive modules 42 adjacent on the rail, the movement command communication units 451 are connected to each other by a unidirectional wired or wireless movement command communication path 441, and the drive information communication units 452 are connected to each other by two-way wired or wireless drive information communication. 442 , and the transfer completion communication units 453 are connected to each other by a two-way wired or wireless transfer completion communication channel 443 . The movement command communication unit 451, the driving information communication unit 452, and the connection completion communication unit 453 in the communication unit 45, and the movement command communication path 441, the driving information communication path 442, and the connection completion communication path in the inter-drive module communication path 44. 443 is simply shown as a separate configuration for the sake of clarifying each function, and can be realized as a physically integrated communication unit 45 and inter-drive module communication path 44 .

The movement command communication unit 451 in the first drive module 42-1 receives the movement command for each of the movers 3A to 3D from the movement command generation unit 41 through the movement command communication path 43, and transmits the movement command communication line 441 through the movement command communication path 441. The movement command is transferred to the movement command communication unit 451 in the second drive module 42-2. Thereafter, similarly, the (N+1)th drive module 42-N+1 that receives the movement command from the movement command communication unit 451 in the adjacent Nth drive module 42-N (N is an integer of 1 to 9) in the previous stage through the movement command communication path 441. sends the movement command to the movement command communication unit 451 in the adjacent N+2-th drive module 42-N+2 (when N=9, N+2=1) through the movement command communication path 441. transfer. In this way, the movement commands for the movers 3A to 3D generated by the movement command generation unit 41 connect the movement command communication units 451 in all ten drive modules 42-1 to 42-10 in series in a ring. It is sequentially transmitted to all the drive modules 42-1 to 42-10 through the movement command communication path 441. FIG. Transmission of movement commands on movement command communication path 441 is unidirectional and is schematically illustrated in FIG. 3 as unidirectional arrows.

The drive information communication unit 452 functioning as a drive information transmission unit drives the movers 3A to 3D that move 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. is transmitted from the source drive module 42 to the destination drive module 42 through the drive information communication path 442 . Each mover 3A-3D can move in either of two directions along the rail (clockwise and counterclockwise in FIG. 2, right and left in FIG. 3), which will be explained below. , a case where the mover 3 moves in one direction (clockwise direction in FIG. 2 and right direction in FIG. 3) will be described. In this case, N is an integer from 1 to 10, the source drive module is represented by the N-th drive module 42-N, and the destination drive module is represented by the N+1-th drive module 42-N+1 (where N=10). N+1=1 when ). The drive information communication unit 452 in the N-th drive module 42-N of the movement source transmits at least a part of the drive current information calculated by the drive current calculation unit 46, which will be described later, through the drive information communication path 442 to the N+1 drive module of the movement destination. 42-N+1 to the drive information communication unit 452. Transmission of drive information on the drive information communication path 442 is bi-directional according to the moving direction of the mover 3, and is schematically shown as a bidirectional arrow in FIG.

The transfer completion communication unit 453, which functions as a transfer completion transmission unit, notifies completion of the transfer from the Nth drive module 42-N, which is the movement source of the mover 3, to the N+1th drive module 42-N+1, which is the destination. It is transmitted through the completion communication path 443 from the destination N+1 driving module 42-N+1 to the Nth driving module 42-N at the movement source. Transfer completion transmission on the transfer completion communication path 443 is bidirectional according to the moving direction of the mover 3, and is schematically shown as a bidirectional arrow in FIG.

Based on the movement command of each mover 3A to 3D received by the movement command communication unit 451 and/or the drive information received from another drive module 42 adjacent to the drive information communication unit 452, the drive current calculation unit 46 calculates each A drive current to be applied to the electromagnet 24 for driving the movers 3A to 3D is calculated. 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 (indicated as "UVW_1" to "UVW_20" in FIG. 3) constituted by three-phase UVW coils along the rails.

In the illustrated example, the mover 3 straddles 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. moving. In this case, the drive current applying unit 47 applies the drive current calculated by the drive current calculator 46 in the first drive module 42-1 to the twentieth three-phase coil "UVW_20" and the second drive module 42-2. The drive current application unit 47 applies the drive current calculated by the drive current calculation unit 46 to the first three-phase coil "UVW_1", so that the mover 3 can run as desired.

FIG. 4 schematically shows the flow of processing in each drive module 42 and communication between each drive module 42 when one mover 3 transfers from the Nth drive module 42-N to the N+1th drive module 42-N+1. show. "S" in this figure and similar figures means step or process. Also, in this figure, time progresses from top to bottom.

At the time of S1, the mover 3 is moving in the section spanning the 19th three-phase coil "UVW_19" and the 20th three-phase coil "UVW_20" in the Nth drive module 42-N. Therefore, in S1, the drive current applying unit 47 applies the drive current calculated by the drive current calculation unit 46 in the Nth drive module 42-N to the 19th three-phase coil "UVW_19" and the 20th three-phase coil "UVW_20." apply. In FIG. 4, the calculation of the drive current by the drive current calculation unit 46 is indicated as "servo calculation", and the application of the drive current by the drive current application unit 47 is indicated as "excitation". Also, 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, when the mover 3 leaves the 19th three-phase coil "UVW_19" in the Nth drive module 42-N and approaches the first three-phase coil "UVW_1" in the N+1th drive module 42-N+1, the The drive current calculator 46 in the N drive module 42-N calculates not only the drive current “MC2_N_20” to be applied to the 20th three-phase coil “UVW_20” in the Nth drive module 42-N, but also the movement destination of the mover 3. It also computes the drive current "MC2_N+1_1" to be applied to the first three-phase coil "UVW_1" in the N+1-th drive module 42-N+1 of . Then, the drive current application unit 47 in the Nth 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 Nth drive module 42-N transmits the drive information (shown as "servo information" in FIG. 4) including the drive current "MC2_N+1_1" calculated in S2 to drive It is transmitted through the information communication path 442 to the drive information communication unit 452 in the N+1 drive module 42-N+1. The (N+1)th driving module 42-N+1 that has received the driving information in S3 immediately starts a session for controlling or driving the mover 3 moving from the Nth driving module 42-N.

In S4, the drive current application unit 47 in the N+1-th drive module 42-N+1 performs the minimum additional calculation on the drive current "MC2_N+1_1" received in S3 as it is or by the drive current calculation unit 46. Above, it is applied to the first three-phase coil "UVW_1" in the N+1th driving module 42-N+1. At this time, the drive current calculation unit 46 in the (N+1)-th drive module 42-N+1 does not need to substantially calculate the drive current "MC2_N+1_1", so that the mover 3 moves from the N-th drive module 42-N to the high speed. , the mover 3 can smoothly transfer to the (N+1)th drive module 42-N+1.

In S5 after the transfer, the drive current calculator 46 in the N+1 drive module 42-N+1 determines the drive current "MC2_N+1_1" to be applied to the first three-phase coil "UVW_1" and the second three-phase coil "UVW_2 , and the drive current applying unit 47 applies it to each of the three-phase coils "UVW_1" and "UVW_2". In S6, the transfer in the (N+1)th drive module 42-N+1, which is judged to have normally completed the transfer of the mover 3 from the Nth drive module 42-N to the (N+1)th drive module 42-N+1, due to the normal completion of S5. The connection completion communication unit 453 transmits a connection completion notification to the connection completion communication unit 453 in the Nth drive module 42 -N of the movement source through the connection completion communication path 443 .

The Nth drive module 42-N that received the transfer completion notification in S6 terminates the session with the mover 3 that has completed the transfer to the N+1th drive module 42-N+1 in S7, and has been used for the session. Release control slots or control resources to be ready to accept other movers 3 (labeled "Servo Release" in FIG. 4). On the other hand, at S8 in the N+1-th drive module 42-N+1 to which the mover 3 is transferred, as in S5, the drive current calculator 46 determines the drive current "MC2_N+ 1_2” and the drive current “MC2_N+1_3” to be applied to the third three-phase coil “UVW_3”, and the drive current applying unit 47 applies it to each of the three-phase coils “UVW_2” and “UVW_3”.

5 and 6 show an example of transfer of the drive module 42 of the mover 3. FIG. These figures show four movers 3A to 3D (indicated as "C_1" to "C_4" in FIGS. 5 and 6, respectively), of which the third mover 3C is the Nth drive. Transfer from module 42-N to N+1th drive module 42-N+1. FIG. 5 shows the state before the transfer of the third mover 3C, and FIG. 6 shows the state after the transfer of the third mover 3C. In each figure, each drive module 42 has eleven control slots "servo #1" to "servo #11", which are assigned to each mover 3 moving on each drive module 42 or within each drive segment 23. can be done. That is, each drive module 42 can simultaneously drive up to 11 movers 3, which is the same number as the control slots.

In FIG. 5, the first mover 3A and the second mover 3B are moving on the N+1 drive module 42-N+1, and the first control slot "servo #1" and the first control slot "servo #1" of the N+1 drive module 42-N+1, respectively. 2 control slot "Servo #2" is assigned and driven (shown as "running" in FIGS. 5 and 6). Also, the fourth mover 3D is moving on the Nth drive module 42-N, and is driven by being assigned the 11th control slot "servo #11" of the Nth drive module 42-N.

The third mover 3C extends from the Nth drive module 42-N (left) to the N+1th drive module 42-N+1 (right) in a section spanning the Nth drive module 42-N and the N+1th drive module 42-N+1. is moving towards At a time slightly before FIG. 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. S2 is being executed. At the time of FIG. 5, as a result of executing S3 in FIG. 4, the first control slot "servo #1" assigned to the third mover 3C in the Nth drive module 42-N of the movement source is set to "(th The status is "Transferring to N+1 drive module 42-N+1".

In addition, the N+1-th drive module 42-N+1 of the destination moves the third control slot "servo #3" to the third mover 3C according to the drive information received from the N-th drive module 42-N in S3 in FIG. assign. The reason why the status of the third control slot "servo #3" is "reserved execution" instead of "executing" is that, as described in S4 in FIG. 1 in the (N+1)th drive module 42-N+1 based on the drive current "MC2_N+1_1" received from the Nth drive module 42-N without the operation unit 46 substantially calculating the drive current "MC2_N+1_1" by itself. This is for driving the third three-phase coil “UVW_1”.

At the time of FIG. 5, S3 in FIG. 4, that is, transmission of drive information to the N+1th drive module 42-N+1 has been executed, but the center of the third mover 3C is still on the Nth drive module 42-N. It is in. In this way, the drive information communication unit 452 (FIG. 3) in the Nth drive module 42-N of the movement source transmits the drive information before the mover 3 reaches the position of the N+1th drive module 42-N+1 of the movement destination. is transmitted from the N-th driving module 42-N of the movement source to the N+1-th driving module 42-N+1 of the movement destination. Further, S4 in FIG. 4, that is, the driving of the first three-phase coil "UVW_1" in the N+1-th drive module 42-N+1 is also performed before the mover 3 reaches the position of the destination N+1 drive module 42-N+1. Although it is preferable to start, it may be started before the center of the mover 3 reaches the center of the first three-phase coil "UVW_1" in the N+1 drive module 42-N+1.

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 has been completed normally. Specifically, at a time slightly before 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. S5 in FIG. 4 is executed at the time. At the time of FIG. 6, as a result of executing S6 in FIG. 4, the N-th drive module 42-N of the movement source, which has received the transfer completion notification from the N+1-th drive module 42-N+1 of the movement destination, moves the third mover. The first control slot "servo #1" assigned to 3C is released and has the status "released/waiting". On the other hand, the status of the third control slot "servo #3" assigned to the third mover 3C in the (N+1)th drive module 42-N+1 to which the third mover 3C has been successfully transferred is "reservation executed" in FIG. ” to “Running”. It should be noted that the first control slot "servo #1" of the N-th drive module 42-N of the movement source, which has become "released/waiting" immediately after the completion of the transfer of the third mover 3C, remains in this status for a predetermined period of time. If the servo calculation regarding another mover 3 is started during this period, the status is changed to "executing" or "reserved execution", and if the servo calculation regarding another mover 3 is not started during this Use" status.

According to the present embodiment as described above, regarding the mover 3 moving between the drive modules 42, "MC2_N+1_1" or the like is transferred from the source drive module 42-N or the like to the destination drive module 42-N+1 or the like. is transmitted, the driving subject of the mover 3 can be smoothly switched from the source driving module 42-N or the like to the destination driving module 42-N+1 or the like. Since the transfer of the drive module 42 of the mover 3 is facilitated in this manner, the transfer can be reliably performed even if each mover 3 is driven at a higher speed than the conventional one.

In this embodiment, the drive control of the mover 3 includes the generation of the movement command in the movement command generation unit 41, the calculation of the drive current in each drive module 42 (the drive current calculation unit 46), the application of the drive current (the application of the drive current). 47) and shared (driving information communication unit 452). Even if the number of movers 3 in the linear transport system 1 increases, the control of the drive current, which requires a large computational load, is distributed among a large number of drive modules 42 in the lower hierarchy. Concentration of computational load on the drive module 42 can be prevented. As schematically shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, it can 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 segment 23 under its control (FIGS. 5 and 6). In the example, the maximum number of movers 3 that can be driven by one drive module 42 is 11). According to this embodiment, in which the control load is distributed by the movement command generator 41 in the upper layer and the many drive modules 42 in the lower layer, the number of movers 3 in the linear transport system 1 can be easily increased. , and the transfer efficiency of the linear transfer system 1 can be improved.

The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments are examples, and that various modifications can be made to combinations of each component and each treatment process, and such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention.

In the embodiments, the linear transport system that drives the mover based on the magnetic force between the permanent magnet provided on the mover and the electromagnet provided on the stator was exemplified. It can be applied to any drive based on fluids).

Note that the functional configuration of each device described in the embodiments can be realized by hardware resources or software resources, or by cooperation between hardware resources and software resources. Processors, ROMs, RAMs, and other LSIs can be used as hardware resources. Programs such as operating systems and applications can be used as software resources.

1 linear transport system, 2 stator, 3 mover, 23 drive segment, 24 electromagnet, 41 motion command generator, 42 drive module, 43 movement command communication path, 44 inter-drive module communication path, 45 communication unit, 46 drive current Arithmetic unit 47 Driving current applying unit 441 Movement command communication path 442 Driving information communication path 443 Connection completion communication path 451 Movement command communication unit 452 Driving information communication unit 453 Connection completion communication unit.

Claims

a movement command generator that generates a movement command for the mover that can move along the trajectory;
a plurality of drive modules that are arranged along the trajectory and drive the mover based on the movement command;
a drive information transmission unit that transmits drive information for driving the mover that moves between the drive modules based on the movement command from the source drive module to the destination drive module;
A drive device comprising:
the mover comprises a permanent magnet,
the drive module comprises an electromagnet for generating a magnetic field that exerts a driving force on the permanent magnet along the trajectory;
The drive information includes current information applied to the electromagnet to drive the mover based on the movement command.
2. The driving device according to claim 1.
2. The drive information transmitting unit transmits the drive information from the source drive module to the destination drive module before the mover reaches the position of the destination drive module. 3. The driving device according to 2.
Further comprising a transfer completion transmitting unit that transmits completion of transfer of the mover from the source drive module to the destination drive module from the destination drive module to the source drive module. Item 4. The driving device according to any one of Items 1 to 3.
A plurality of the movers are provided,
The movement command generation unit generates a movement command for the plurality of movers.
5. The driving device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
further comprising a current position detection unit that detects the current position of the mover on the orbit,
The movement command generated by the movement command generation unit includes a target position on the trajectory with respect to the current position of the mover,
6. The driving device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
a movement command generation step of generating a movement command for the mover movable along the trajectory;
In a plurality of drive modules that are arranged along the trajectory and drive the mover based on the movement command, drive information for driving the mover moving between the respective drive modules is provided to drive the mover. a drive information transmission step of transmitting from the module to the destination drive module;
A driving method comprising
a movement command generation step of generating a movement command for the mover movable along the trajectory;
In a plurality of drive modules that are arranged along the trajectory and drive the mover based on the movement command, drive information for driving the mover moving between the respective drive modules is provided to drive the mover. a drive information transmission step of transmitting from the module to the destination drive module;
A driving program that causes a computer to execute